Chu Yu’s “kill” order was immediately understood by Sun Yi.
Knowing that Chu Yu was not a cruel person and would not resort to such extreme measures unless necessary, Sun Yi responded, “Rest assured, I will handle this matter properly.”
When Chu Yu captured Luoshui City, Wei Yun had Gu Chusheng bound and was already waiting at the agreed meeting point with Yao Yong.
Although Gu Chusheng’s foot injury had improved significantly, it was still not advisable for him to kneel. However, now that he was to meet Yao Yong in front of so many people, if Gu Chusheng were treated too kindly, he would have no reason to return to the capital.
Yet, Gu Chusheng had many supporters in Huajing now. If he didn’t return, people might become restless, and all his arrangements in Huajing would be in vain. Moreover, he had to go back, if only for the disaster relief efforts.
So Gu Chusheng decisively said, “I’ll kneel. The more pitiful I look now, the better.”
Wei Yun nodded and frowned, “Kneeling might hurt your bones, making it difficult to recover later…”
“You don’t need to worry about me…”
“Let’s hang you up instead.”
Gu Chusheng looked up at Wei Yun, whose eyes showed no guilt. After a moment, Gu Chusheng said expressionlessly, “You’ve been thinking about this for a long time, haven’t you?”
Wei Yun sighed, “How could Lord Gu think of me like that?”
“You petty person,” Gu Chusheng sneered, “You think I don’t know you?”
Wei Yun lowered his head to drink tea, his face showing regret. Gu Chusheng thought he was going to deny it, but unexpectedly, Wei Yun said helplessly, “Since you’ve seen through me, I won’t hide it anymore.” With that, Wei Yun’s eyes curved, “I quite enjoyed seeing you hang up.”
Gu Chusheng: “…”
Although Wei Yun’s words were not pleasant to hear, Gu Chusheng didn’t want to become a cripple. So when Yao Yong arrived, he saw Gu Chusheng hanging high on a frame on the battlefield. His face was pale, seeming to have endured great torture. As soon as Yao Yong saw Gu Chusheng, he hurried over, anxiously saying, “Lord Gu!”
Then, Yao Yong turned and angrily shouted at Wei Yun, “Wei, you little thief! Lord Gu is a pillar of the state, how dare you treat him like this? Do you have any sense of righteousness left?”
Wei Yun didn’t speak, but Wei Xia, standing behind him, chuckled and said, “General Yao speaks interestingly. In the war between two armies, we haven’t killed the enemy minister, which is already quite merciful. What more do you want?”
Yao Yong’s face turned cold. He looked at Wei Yun coldly, “Wei Yun, have you truly rebelled?”
Wei Yun raised his hand to pour himself tea, saying calmly, “Sit.”
Yao Yong’s expression was not pleasant, but he stiffly sat down opposite Wei Yun.
Wei Yun wore a wide-sleeved robe. Although his tea-pouring movements were not as elaborate as those of the noble young masters in the capital, he had his unique elegance and nobility. Compared to the current group of fierce soldiers, he seemed to be from a completely different world.
However, the more composed and peaceful Wei Yun appeared, the more nervous Yao Yong became.
If there was one person in the Wei family that Yao Yong feared most, it was Wei Yun. To Yao Yong, all the other members of the Wei family were straightforward, but this Wei Yun, after all these years, Yao Yong felt that neither he, nor Emperor Chunde, nor even Zhao Yue, could truly understand the person before him.
Wei Yun calmly took a sip of tea, looked up at the serious-faced Yao Yong opposite him, and asked with some surprise, “Why isn’t General Yao drinking tea?”
“No need.”
Yao Yong said coldly, “I’ve come today to discuss disaster relief matters with you.”
Wei Yun nodded and said calmly, “Yes, Qingzhou is now disaster-stricken, the court won’t provide grain, and General Yao is unwilling to part with his grain. So you’ve come to borrow from me, haven’t you?”
“Is that your grain?” Yao Yong snorted coldly, “You collect grain from all over the world, and who knows how much is left by the time it passes from your hands to mine. You think I don’t know about your petty calculations?”
“Let’s cut the nonsense,” Yao Yong said with a stiff face, “The first batch of grain has arrived. Hand it over today, and I’ll take it back to the people.”
Wei Yun didn’t speak. He lowered his head and fiddled with the tea leaves. Yao Yong asked coldly, “What do you mean?”
“General Yao,” Wei Yun looked up at him, smiling, “Is this how you come to borrow grain from this prince? Qingzhou is your territory. My lending to you is a favor. Do you think I’m begging you?”
Yao Yong didn’t move. Zhao Yue’s letter flashed through his mind.
Zhao Yue had made it clear that Wei Yun would use the common people as an excuse, so he had to force him not to agree to any conditions.
So he stood up and said coldly, “You think I care about the lives of these insects? If Prince Wei won’t lend, then so be it. I’ll go back and let those people fend for themselves.”
With that, Yao Yong turned to leave.
At this moment, Gu Chusheng spoke up, his voice somewhat weak, “General Yao, you mustn’t.”
Yao Yong stopped in his tracks. He turned his head, gritting his teeth, “Lord Gu, it’s not that I don’t want to save the people today, it’s truly that Wei Yun is too hateful!”
“General Yao,” Gu Chusheng gasped, “If you don’t take the grain today, I fear Qingzhou will be in chaos. How will you account to His Majesty in the future?”
Yao Yong hesitated, and Gu Chusheng continued, “My lord…” his face showed pain, “Please think thrice!”
This “think thrice” contained many unfinished implications. Gu Chusheng’s eyes were full of worry, and even without Gu Chusheng saying it, he understood.
If he didn’t take this grain today, it would be equivalent to giving it to Wei Yun for free. And when he returned, he would have to use his grain for disaster relief. If he didn’t provide relief, and the disaster victims rebelled, working in collusion with Wei Yun from within and without, Qingzhou might be lost.
The fact that Wei Yun was still willing to save people now was already a testament to Wei Yun’s high moral character.
Yao Yong fell silent, and Gu Chusheng quickly said, “Your Highness, whatever you want, just say it directly. General Yao is not someone who treats the common people as insects. As long as it’s feasible, General Yao will surely agree!”
Yao Yong had just said that “insects’ lives” phrase, and now Gu Chusheng spoke like this, which was mocking him. Yao Yong’s face didn’t look good. Wei Yun’s gaze fell on his face, and he said calmly, “I want to send five hundred men to escort Princess Qingping and the grain into Qingzhou for disaster relief, and you allow Princess Qingping to publicly audit the accounts.”
“Is Prince Wei distrusting me?”
“Have you forgotten what you’ve done?” Wei Yun’s gaze carried a coldness, he looked at him quietly, his calm voice like a sharp sword peeling off his face, “You still have the face to talk to me about trust?”
Yao Yong was stunned for a moment. He suddenly remembered that the person sitting in front of him was a member of the Wei family.
He was the one whose entire family was wiped out six years ago because of his cowardice in retreating and his selfish intentions.
Wei Yun stood up, his movements elegant and peaceful, but Yao Yong’s heart was in his throat.
“What I just said was only the first condition. That’s official business. For me to give you grain, there’s a second condition.”
“What do you want to do?”
Yao Yong pretended to be calm, and Wei Yun calmly said, “Kneel, one hundred slaps, until you bleed.”
“You…”
“General Yao,” Gu Chusheng calmly spoke, “Don’t be impulsive.”
Yao Yong was breathing heavily, staring at Wei Yun, who was also quietly gazing at him, without the slightest hint of compromise.
“I’ve said my piece. Give me an answer before I enter the city gates. Once the gates close, I’ll assume General Yao intends to handle Qingzhou’s affairs on his own.”
With that, Wei Yun turned and walked towards Qingzhou. Seeing his resolute manner of not looking back, Yao Yong anxiously called out, “How could Wei Zhong have a son like you?! Look at what you’re doing!”
Wei Yun stopped in his tracks. He turned his head, calmly looking at him, his voice cold, “Before you ask what I’ve done, think about what you’ve done. You and Zhao Yue shouldn’t assume I’ll help you just because I bear the Wei family name.”
As he spoke, he curled his lips, “Yao Yong, now that I’ve survived, I’m completely different from those who died.”
Yao Yong didn’t speak. He stared blankly at Wei Yun, watching him resolutely turn and walk towards the city gates.
He didn’t care about those common people.
He was completely different from Wei Zhong, Wei Jun, and those members of the Wei family he had schemed against. This Wei Yun… was no different from them.
The backbone of Da Chu was indeed gone, the pillar of Da Chu had indeed broken.
Yao Yong couldn’t describe his emotions; for a moment, he even felt a bit of regret. But that was just for an instant. These years had passed too quickly, too much had been done. The young man who had been relegated to counting grass in the rear all those years ago had already grown into a regional lord. He no longer had any opportunity for regret.
He could only watch Wei Yun’s back, listening to Gu Chusheng’s angry roar, “Yao Yong, are you stupid? He’s hoping you’ll refuse, so the grain will naturally fall into his hands! His Majesty only has Qing and Yan provinces left now. If you lose Qingzhou, Yao Yong, how will you compensate His Majesty!”
Yao Yong didn’t speak. His mind was in chaos.
He needed the grain, but to let Wei Yun’s five hundred men escort Princess Qingping into Qingzhou, and to kneel…
Yao Yong’s heart struggled desperately. Seeing Wei Yun about to enter the city, Yao Yong finally couldn’t hold back and shouted, “Alright!”
Wei Yun turned his head, calmly looking at Yao Yong.
After a moment, he turned to Wei Xia and said, “Go and invite my father and brothers.”
Wei Xia responded affirmatively. Wei Yun returned to his seat, looking at the furious Yao Yong, and said calmly, “I’ll have someone count the grain now. General Yao, please wait a moment.”
Yao Yong clenched his fists, feeling humiliated inside, “How do you want me to kneel?”
“General Yao, please wait a moment.”
Wei Yun raised his hand to stop his next action. A moment later, Yao Yong saw seven Wei family soldiers running over with black memorial tablets.
They placed the tablets in a row on the seats. Wei Yun stood to one side, and Yao Yong looked at that row of names and opened his mouth, but in the end couldn’t say anything.
Wei Yun picked up the tea and poured it in front of the seven tablets, then said, “Father, brothers,” his voice became gentle, “Your child has brought Yao Yong to apologize to you.”
Hearing this, Yao Yong’s face became extremely unpleasant. Gu Chusheng, hanging high up, felt his hands were about to break from the pain. He squinted in the wind and sand, watching Yao Yong slowly kneel in front of those memorial tablets.
“Slap.”
Wei Yun spoke, and Yao Yong raised his hand to slap himself. Wei Yun calmly said, “Harder.”
“Slap” Another sound, and Wei Yun suddenly raised his voice, “Slap harder!”
“Slap, slap, slap…”
The sound of slaps rang out one after another. Wei Yun raised his head to look at the sky.
The sky was clear blue, with an eagle circling overhead.
Father, brothers.
Wei Yun thought, sooner or later, he would make all those who had committed wrongs come to see them, with their heads bowed.