Zhang Huai looked at Wang Wanzhen scrutinizingly for a moment, as if pondering the truth or falsehood of her words, then said: “Second Young Master Wei has passed away. How can I know whether what the Princess says is true or false?”

Wang Wanzhen pressed her lips together tightly, as if making some decision, and said as if going all in: “This child’s biological father… is a criminal, currently in Xiao camp. Mister can certainly interrogate and question him.”

To apologize to Xiao Li, the Wei camp had long since bound up Yu Zhiyuan and sent him over as well.

But Xiao Li was busy with his southern expedition against Pei Song and paid no attention to the Wei camp’s apologies. Yu Zhiyuan was held in prison at Zhang Huai’s discretion.

Zhang Huai narrowed his eyes: “I don’t quite understand the meaning in the Princess’s words.”

Wang Wanzhen naturally knew this move of hers was extremely risky, but having determined that the other party would not take her life, the worst outcome would only be as the other party initially planned—she would lose this child.

But if she could keep this child, she would have another card in her hand.

Since she could make this gamble, why not?

Wang Wanzhen put on a pitiful appearance and said: “Wanzhen was once forced by that traitor Yu Zhiyuan… This child is precisely his.”

Zhang Huai did not immediately respond. After a pause, his face showed thoughtfulness as he asked: “Yu Zhiyuan killed Second Young Master Wei because Second Young Master Wei discovered this matter?”

Wang Wanzhen nodded tearfully: “Precisely so.”

She hurriedly added: “I helped falsely accuse the lord also because I was coerced by this matter. He threatened me that if I didn’t follow his instructions, he would publicize my affair with him, claiming… claiming that I had actively seduced him. Wanzhen truly had no choice…”

As she spoke, she lowered her head to wipe away tears.

Zhang Huai remained unmoved, only asking: “County Princess Jiamin suddenly died, yet was slandered by Yu Zhiyuan as being harmed by the lord. Could it be that County Princess Jiamin’s death was also related to Yu Zhiyuan?”

Before Wang Wanzhen’s eyes floated the scene of her deceiving Wei Jiamin to the lakeside at night and finally pushing her into the lake. The hand gripping the tear-wiping handkerchief tightened slightly, but her face showed not a trace of flaw. She only nodded miserably: “Yes…”

Zhang Huai seemed puzzled: “Why would he kill County Princess Jiamin?”

Wang Wanzhen said with reddened eyes: “After the Marquis passed, the Wei Marquis Residence declined in power. Mother discussed with my husband and intended to have the county princess marry the lord to make the ties between the Wei clan and the lord closer. He feared the lord would gain even more support from the Wei clan’s various divisions, so he ruthlessly killed the county princess… I only hate that he hid his spy identity so well at the time. In outsiders’ eyes, he was my husband’s trusted confidant. And the lord had also fallen out with my husband over the armor matter at the Marquis’s funeral. For a time, not a single person in the Wei clan suspected him. The maidservants serving at Wanzhen’s side were all his spies. I didn’t dare act rashly…”

A beautiful yet extremely cold smile appeared at the corners of Zhang Huai’s lips: “Since it’s that traitor’s child, why does the Princess still keep it?”

Wang Wanzhen touched her abdomen, saying mournfully: “I do hate that traitor, but this child… I’ve also carried it for several months and watched it grow bit by bit in my womb. I… I cannot bear it…”

After speaking, seeming to understand that this reason would definitely not be sufficient to persuade Zhang Huai, she added: “Keeping this child would greatly benefit the lord. It can be used to win over the Wei clan old ministers, and bring the lord a virtuous reputation. Moreover, this child has an unusual origin, and its father is a great villain who brought disaster to the Wei clan. The lord need not worry this child will become a hidden threat in the future.”

This statement of benefits without drawbacks was what Wang Wanzhen truly wanted to say.

But with the previous words, and her eyes still brimming with tears, anyone who heard would only think she was being merciful as a mother, and to keep this child, having no other choice, had listed out these many benefits.

Zhang Huai’s brow furrowed slightly, as if pondering something, and he remained silent for a long time.

Wang Wanzhen continued wiping her tears with her handkerchief.

For her, tears were also a weapon.

After years of struggling through the theater troupe, the most useful tactic she had learned was to show weakness when in a low position.

By displaying her frailty and harmlessness, she could exchange for an opportunity to lie low and bide her time.

After all, wolves, tigers, and leopards were worth guarding against—who would take seriously those small cats and dogs wagging their tails begging for mercy?

From when Wei Qishan selected her as the former Jin Princess to marry Wei Pingjin, she had always been hiding her ambitions while quietly planning.

It was just that at the time, she thought her way out was to endure until she bore Wei Pingjin an heir, then after Wei Qishan passed, use the child to sideline Wei Pingjin and become the true master of the Wei clan.

After Wei Qishan died and entrusted Northern Wei to Xiao Li, she suddenly realized Wei Pingjin was going to be a puppet, and immediately switched her target to Xiao Li.

After hitting a wall with Xiao Li and being discovered by Yu Zhiyuan, she could also conspire with that wolf Yu Zhiyuan.

Now that Yu Zhiyuan had failed, she had caught the scent of a new turning point. What she sought was no longer to escape unscathed, but a more stable future!

Currently, Xiao Li, for the sake of competing for position with Southern Liang in the future, would not take her life for now. But once Xiao Li gained control of the realm, if he wanted her to “die of illness,” what means of self-protection would she have?

Only by keeping the child in her womb and using this child to gather the Wei clan old ministers to serve her purposes could she fight for a way to survive.

After all, if Xiao Li still wanted to use this child to gather the Wei clan old ministers, he would not publicize this matter. Instead, he would need her, the former Jin Princess and current Wei clan matriarch, to act as an intermediary. Then she would have sufficient room to maneuver.

When it truly came to armed conflict, if Xiao Li’s side brought up Yu Zhiyuan, she could also insist it was Xiao Li slandering her.

Thinking this way, Wang Wanzhen increasingly felt she had made the right move with this risky gambit.

After pondering for a long time, Zhang Huai finally spoke: “This matter is of great importance. I need to report to the lord for a decision.”

Wang Wanzhen hurriedly expressed her thanks. Remembering the reason she had deceived Lady Wei into coming to Xiao camp, she probed: “As for sending aid to Northern Wei…”

Zhang Huai glanced at Wang Wanzhen lightly, making her swallow the rest of her words.

Zhang Huai said: “I agreed to see the Princess and others today originally to discuss sending troops to aid Northern Wei. However, Old Lady Wei’s words truly were disheartening.”

His long lashes lowered slightly: “But the lord has always remembered the hardships of his humble origins and sympathizes with the common people suffering from war. Otherwise, he would not have aided Wei several times. I will discuss the matter of dispatching reinforcements with General Wei Ang again later.”

“As for what the Princess said about the child’s biological father being Yu Zhiyuan…” He changed the subject, looking at Wang Wanzhen with a cold, thin smile at his lips: “I will also interrogate him.”

Wang Wanzhen considered herself a smart person, but meeting Zhang Huai’s gaze, for some reason, she suddenly felt an uncomfortable rigidity, as if she were completely naked and thoroughly seen through by the other party. By the time she left the hall, she couldn’t even remember whether she had said “yes” or “good.”

Only when she reached the courtyard did she feel like someone rescued from drowning—her heart suddenly felt much lighter.

But only Wei Ang was waiting in the courtyard; Lady Wei was nowhere to be seen. Wang Wanzhen’s mind was still in disarray and she didn’t notice that Wei Ang’s expression when looking at her was slightly unusual. She directly asked: “Where is Mother?”

Wei Ang lowered his head, not exposing too much emotion. After a slight hesitation, he replied: “Old Lady… feeling oppressed in her heart, said she felt stifled here and returned first.”

Wang Wanzhen simply assumed Lady Wei couldn’t swallow the indignation of being mocked by Zhang Huai. She knew that the Wei clan old ministers didn’t really trust Lady Wei. It was only because the Wei clan currently had no one else that Lady Wei was pushed to the forefront.

As the new matriarch of the Wei family with the title of former Jin Princess, completely monopolizing the Wei clan’s great power and rendering Lady Wei unable to have any say in the Wei family was merely a matter of time.

With such an opportunity at present, she naturally wouldn’t miss the chance to deepen the impression among the Wei clan generals that Lady Wei was shallow and unsuitable. After a pause, she seemed to make excuses for Lady Wei: “This… Mother probably couldn’t bear to see the foundation the Marquis built in his lifetime destroyed so easily, which is why her tone was harsh when speaking with Mister Zhang Huai.”

“I’ve already apologized to Mister Zhang Huai on Mother’s behalf. Mister Zhang Huai also said he’s willing to discuss with the General about deploying troops to aid Wei.”

Wang Wanzhen’s words were seamless.

Ostensibly defending Lady Wei, she actually once again highlighted Lady Wei’s earlier rudeness in the room, while attributing Zhang Huai’s willingness to discuss sending troops to herself.

But after hearing this, Wei Ang’s face showed no great joy. He only maintained his nodding posture and cupped his fists toward Wang Wanzhen: “The Princess has worked hard. This subordinate will first order people to escort the Princess back.”

Wang Wanzhen was slightly puzzled inside, but then thought that Wei Ang perhaps felt it inappropriate to discuss Lady Wei, so she nodded and, supported by her maidservant, headed out first.

Only after Wang Wanzhen had walked far away did Wei Ang re-enter the hall.

Inside the room, Zhang Huai was holding a scroll and reviewing it. Hearing footsteps, he barely raised his eyes, his lips that seemed naturally tinged with a faint smile parting slightly: “Does the General wish to accompany me to the prison to interrogate someone?”

Earlier when that servant came in to relay the message, he said that after Lady Wei was taken away, fearing her daughter-in-law would be bullied inside, she had gathered a group of accompanying Wei ministers to make a scene outside the courtyard, clamoring that if she wasn’t allowed to go in and accompany her, they would make sure everyone in the realm knew how Xiao camp bullied them, an orphaned daughter-in-law and widow.

Wei Ang, as a mere minister and general, couldn’t restrain her, so the servant came to report to Zhang Huai.

And what Zhang Huai told that servant was to first bring Lady Wei and her group to the side room to wait.

From the moment Wang Wanzhen desperately tried to keep the child in her womb, Zhang Huai had already detected the other party’s intentions.

The core Wei generals all knew this former Jin Princess was fake. Her only bargaining chip to still have a foothold in the Wei clan was that child.

According to her words, keeping that child would benefit Xiao Li, but the benefits to herself would only be greater.

Moving the child in her womb had been Zhang Huai’s own idea, originally to eliminate a hidden threat. Since the other party had exposed her own weakness, he could spare that child’s life, but also needed the Wei clan’s core generals to all know that child was not Wei clan bloodline, to prevent Wang Wanzhen from ambitiously cultivating her own faction.

Therefore, the words Wang Wanzhen said afterward were all heard by Lady Wei and the Wei clan old ministers separated by only a wall.

Lady Wei, overcome with emotion, fainted on the spot and was urgently sent back to the carriage for the accompanying military physician to examine.

Hearing Zhang Huai ask this, Wei Ang closed his eyes somewhat shamefaced and cupped his fists: “My Wei clan has wronged the lord. From now on, the entire Wei clan is at the lord’s disposal.”

—

After Wang Wanzhen returned, she also heard that Lady Wei had requested a military physician’s examination after returning to the carriage.

She originally wanted to put on a show and go fulfill her filial duty before Lady Wei, but the old servant attending Lady Wei said Lady Wei’s spirits were currently poor and she didn’t want to see anyone—she should come again later.

This wait lasted until nightfall, when the junior general responsible for escorting them found a mountain temple for them to temporarily lodge.

After Wang Wanzhen had her evening meal and was preparing to rest, the old servant beside Lady Wei finally came to summon her.

Wang Wanzhen was dissatisfied inside, but because her matter of helping Yu Zhiyuan frame Xiao Li had been exposed, although she had completely exonerated herself from fault, she had been forced to hand over the power to manage the Wei clan.

Now that the power to manage the Wei household was in Lady Wei’s hands, she still needed to humor Lady Wei somewhat to get her to quickly hand the power back to her.

After changing clothes, Wang Wanzhen went to Lady Wei’s meditation room. Upon entering, she saw Lady Wei with her back to her, kneeling before a Bodhisattva statue, seemingly devoutly worshipping Buddha.

Inappropriately placed in the room was a large vat from the courtyard for raising water lilies, filled with water.

Wang Wanzhen felt strange and asked: “Mother, why have you placed a large vat in the room?”

Lady Wei turned the prayer beads in her hand, her fingers marked by the traces of years turning white from excessive force. Gazing at the Bodhisattva statue enshrined in the wall niche, her grief contained endless hatred: “Naturally to claim your life on behalf of my Minmin and Jin’er, you viper!”

The two robust servants standing by the door immediately restrained Wang Wanzhen’s arms from left and right with force.

Wang Wanzhen’s heart was greatly alarmed, yet she also felt that Zhang Huai couldn’t possibly have revealed that the child in her womb was Yu Zhiyuan’s. Moreover, when she confessed to Zhang Huai, she had also attributed the deaths of Wei Pingjin and Wei Jiamin to Yu Zhiyuan, and her submission to Yu Zhiyuan had also become forced. Why would Lady Wei say she wanted to claim her life on behalf of Wei Jiamin and Wei Pingjin?

Her arms twisted painfully, Wang Wanzhen cried half-truthfully, half-falsely: “What is Mother saying? I don’t understand a word…”

“Silence!” Lady Wei stopped turning her prayer beads and looked back at Wang Wanzhen. In her eyes was only deep disgust, rage, and hatred as if she wanted to devour her flesh and blood: “Are you even worthy of calling me Mother?”

From the inner chamber of the meditation room separated by a curtain, Lady Wei’s wet nurse lifted the curtain. A maidservant bound hand and foot was brought out—precisely the trusted maidservant Wang Wanzhen had personally promoted. That maidservant had clearly already been tortured. Her clothing bore the bloody marks of whipping, her hair roots were soaked, as if she’d been pressed underwater.

As soon as the servant removed the cloth gag from her mouth, that maidservant looked at Wang Wanzhen with eyes swollen red from crying, her body shrinking back.

When Wang Wanzhen saw this maidservant, she knew things had gone terribly wrong. The pregnancy-protecting medicine she drank before bed was never handled by others—it was always personally brewed by this maidservant. So when Lady Wei’s people came to summon her, though this maidservant brewing medicine hadn’t returned yet, she hadn’t thought much of it. Who would have expected she had already been detained by Lady Wei?

Lady Wei’s wet nurse shouted at that maidservant: “Tell your mistress how you learned she murdered the county princess and the young lord!”

That maidservant cried: “Not long after the county princess passed, the Princess often had nightmares at night, waking up shouting ‘don’t blame me.’ She also secretly burned spirit money by the lake where the county princess drowned in the dead of night, avoiding others. After the young lord died, Yu Zhiyuan came to the room under the pretext of discussing government affairs with the Princess. This servant guarded the door for them and overheard Yu Zhiyuan telling the Princess to rest easy, saying he had already framed the county princess’s and young lord’s deaths on the lord…”

Wang Wanzhen’s face turned deathly pale, yet she still struggled to say: “Mother, don’t listen to this maidservant’s nonsense! This maidservant has unclean hands and feet. Previously, because she displeased the county princess, she nearly was beaten to death. I kindly saved her life and kept her by my side to reform her. I thought she could improve, but never imagined she still often stole my jewelry. I’ve scolded her many times—she must bear a grudge against me…”

Lady Wei had received too great a shock today. After her husband and pair of children passed, the breath of spirit barely sustained by her son’s posthumous child was also gone. Seeing Wang Wanzhen still able to argue so cleverly when the iron evidence was before her, she was so angry she trembled all over and momentarily couldn’t speak. It was her wet nurse who shouted: “What a sharp tongue! Daring to use the evil spawn in your womb to impersonate our Wei clan bloodline—then we’ll first beat to death the evil spawn in your womb and see how long you can continue with your silver tongue!”

Several robust servants pressed Wang Wanzhen down firmly. When that rod fell, the pain that pulled at her entire body’s nerves felt as if it was splitting her brain open, making Wang Wanzhen feel no different from being dead.

But her mouth was gagged, and she couldn’t let out even a single scream. Only in that severe pain did she notice warm liquid soon flowing out from below.

Cold sweat soaked her temple hair. When the servant stopped the beating, Wang Wanzhen simply couldn’t stand. The servant forcefully pulled her arms to kneel her before Lady Wei and removed the cloth gag from her mouth.

Lady Wei gripped the prayer beads forcefully, staring at her: “This is all to seek justice for my pair of children!”

Severe pain swept through Wang Wanzhen’s entire body. She looked down at her skirt gradually being soaked with fresh blood and suddenly laughed loudly. Laughing pulled at her abdominal muscles, making the pain even worse, but she just kept laughing like this. Laughing until her face was covered with resentment and unwillingness, she looked at Lady Wei with spite: “Why shouldn’t your pair of children deserve to die?”

“You had good fortune, growing a face identical to Marquis Wei’s first wife. Relying on this face, you lived worry-free for most of your life. Your pair of stupid-as-pigs children also followed you in being born as people above others. You three looked down on my opera troupe origins, but without Wei Qishan, what are you three worth?”

Since marrying into the Wei residence, Lady Wei had never been scolded to her face like this. She was immediately so angry her whole body trembled. The wet nurse beside her immediately glowered and shouted: “Slap her mouth!”

The servant restraining Wang Wanzhen forcefully slapped her. Wang Wanzhen’s head was knocked to the side, yet she continued to sneer mockingly, questioning as if venting injustice: “Your daughter blocked my path. I killed her to compete for this realm—what’s wrong with that? Your son was even more an incompetent good-for-nothing! He brought death upon himself!”

Wang Wanzhen stared viciously at Lady Wei: “You really think if your cowardly son were alive, Northern Wei would be his? He was rushing to be Xiao Li’s dog! Northern Wei falling into my hands—at least in the future it would still bear the Wei surname! Tell me, what did I do wrong?”

“Slap!”

Another slap was viciously dealt to Wang Wanzhen’s face. Lady Wei trembled and shouted fiercely: “Slut!”

Blood oozed from the broken corner of Wang Wanzhen’s lips. She tasted the bloody flavor between her lips and teeth, turned her head back, and continued to look at Lady Wei with a mocking smile: “Madam truly looks extremely hateful, but Wanzhen feels that Madam should rather hate your own pair of incompetent children. Marquis Wei left them such a great foundation—if they themselves couldn’t guard it, who’s to blame? In this dog-eat-dog world that devours people without spitting out bones, when has there ever been fairness? Otherwise, what about those servants killed by your pair of children at the slightest displeasure?”

Tears flowed from Lady Wei’s eyes as she stared blankly at Wang Wanzhen.

Enduring the severe pain in her abdomen, she continued viciously and spitefully: “Or perhaps Madam should hate yourself—after all, it was Madam who failed to properly teach your pair of children, wasn’t it?”

Lady Wei’s wet nurse timely supported Lady Wei, spitting fiercely at Wang Wanzhen: “Sharp-tongued! Keep slapping her mouth. Don’t stop until you’ve beaten that mouth of hers to pulp!”

The two servants restraining Wang Wanzhen took turns slapping both sides of her cheeks.

But even though the wet nurse had helped Lady Wei back to the meditation cushion, she remained in a daze the whole time, unconsciously murmuring: “Did I fail to properly teach Minmin and Jin’er…”

The wet nurse said: “Madam, that little slut has a sharp tongue and is skilled at inverting black and white. Don’t believe her twisted logic! After drowning her in the vat, it will also count as avenging the county princess!”

When Wang Wanzhen was drowned in the vat, it was like a shadow puppet show.

From outside the courtyard, one could only see the meditation room’s door tightly closed. In the warm yellow candlelight reflected on the door and windows, the shadows of two robust servants pressed a slender shadow, continuously pushing it into the water vat. That slender shadow kept struggling. Initially, it could still struggle up by the instinct to survive. Later, when pressed down again, the struggling force became weaker and weaker until finally it didn’t move.

The wet nurse said: “Throw this slut’s corpse to the back mountain to feed the wild wolves. To outsiders, just announce that she died of illness.”

Lady Wei knelt before the Bodhisattva statue, her eyes extremely vacant. She only responded with a sound of agreement.

When the wet nurse went out to find trustworthy servants to carry away the corpse and returned, she saw that the meditation courtyard had already erupted in towering flames.

The wet nurse panicked and shouted loudly for people to come put out the fire. The arriving soldiers and monks drew water from the well and brought it to extinguish the flames, but the meditation room had clearly already been doused with lamp oil. A bucket of water poured down was instantly evaporated into water vapor by the flames.

Outside the courtyard, the wet nurse desperately called for Lady Wei again and again. Initially she called her “Madam,” but later only tearfully called Lady Wei’s childhood name from her maiden days.

Inside the meditation room, beams had been burned through and crashed down.

In the firelight, Lady Wei still stared blankly at the compassionate-faced Bodhisattva in the wall niche. Finally, pressing her palms together, she said: “Great merciful and compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva…”

—

The news that Lady Wei and her daughter-in-law had borrowed lodging at a mountain temple, but the meditation courtyard caught fire and both were consumed by the blaze, reached Zhang Huai’s ears the next day.

He scanned the report sent back by scouts twice, his brow furrowing slightly: “How could it be like this…”

Even if the child in Wang Wanzhen’s womb wasn’t Wei Pingjin’s, with Lady Wei’s temperament, she wouldn’t directly kill Wang Wanzhen.

Unless… Lady Wei had followed the clue that the child in Wang Wanzhen’s womb wasn’t Wei Pingjin’s and investigated something more, and Wang Wanzhen had concealed something when mentioning the deaths of the Wei Pingjin siblings.

As for that fire, who knew whether or not it was caused by the mortal struggle between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

He pressed his temples: “This has become somewhat troublesome…”

With Lady Wei and her daughter-in-law both consumed by fire, the entire Wei clan was thoroughly without a master. This would inevitably lead outsiders to suspect Xiao Li. Fortunately, yesterday when Wang Wanzhen confessed, quite a few Wei clan ministers and generals were also listening in the side room. These Wei clan core ministers and generals knew the child in Wang Wanzhen’s womb was abnormal and wouldn’t suspect their Xiao camp again.

An attendant outside reported: “Mister, General Zheng has returned.”

Shortly after, Zheng Hu entered. He had already received the urgent letter Zhang Huai had someone send on the road. Upon entering, he said: “Military Adviser, have the first troops to aid Northern Wei already departed?”

Zhang Huai put down the report: “General Zheng has worked hard traveling all the way back. Yesterday General Wei Ang came personally. I’ve already lent him three thousand troops to aid Weizhou first.”

Zheng Hu sat down and gulped some tea: “My five thousand sons can also depart for Weizhou after taking supplies.”

He noticed Zhang Huai’s slightly furrowed brow and asked: “Has the camp recently encountered some other thorny matter?”

Zhang Huai said: “It’s not really thorny.”

After he explained that what Wang Wanzhen carried in her womb was Yu Zhiyuan’s child, and that Lady Wei and her daughter-in-law had both perished in fire, his eyelids lowered slightly: “I need to quickly send a letter to the lord.”

He feared Xiao Li would disapprove, which is why he had concealed these two matters from Xiao Li.

Yet through a strange twist of fate, he learned that the child in Wang Wanzhen’s womb was not Wei clan bloodline, and the Wei family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had ultimately both perished in fire.

He had originally planned to let the barbarians invade the border, let all subjects and people within the Northern border witness the cruelty of the barbarian slaughter blades, then re-establish control over this land of the Northern border. Only then would they truly be grateful to Xiao Li.

But Wei Tong had abandoned his post and fled. After Yuan Fang lost Yanle Mountain, he was still leading remnant troops trying to block the barbarians from continuing to push inland. Although the common people of nearby prefectures had evacuated in time, this panic over foreign invasion had long since spread.

The Wei clan would also no longer pose any hidden threat.

So there was no need for him to be that ruthless.

After all, the original intention of this move was only to help Xiao Li become the Northern border’s true unquestionable overlord.

Although the results achieved by both matters were still fairly good, he still had to confess and apologize to Xiao Li.

Acting behind one’s lord’s back was already a great taboo for strategists. If he continued to conceal and not report, it would become the greatest of great taboos.

The former could be said to be thinking for the lord; the latter would become harboring ulterior motives.

Zheng Hu was straightforward and had never regarded Wang Wanzhen and the child in her womb as a threat. Hearing that the Wei family mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had died, he immediately said: “Surrounded on all layers by Wei clan troops inside and outside the temple and burned to death—even if the Heavenly King himself came, this couldn’t have half a connection to our Xiao camp. If any sour scholars use this matter to slander Second Brother, I’ll cut out their tongues!”

Zhang Huai smiled: “What General Zheng says is extremely right.”

Zheng Hu waved his hand: “I can only say these crude things. Fortunately, with Military Adviser sitting in Yizhou, you can handle these troublesome matters.”

As one thing led to another in conversation, he seemed curious and casually asked: “With such great talent, Military Adviser, how did you not previously enter high gates and great residences as a guest?”

Zhang Huai’s eyes were deep: “I only assist lords who can help me accomplish my great ambition.”

Zheng Hu laughed heartily: “That’s right! From the moment I decided to follow Second Brother, I knew Second Brother would one day lead the brothers to make a name for ourselves!”

He continued asking: “What is the Military Adviser’s great ambition? I’ll tell Second Brother later—Second Brother will definitely help you achieve it, Military Adviser!”

Zhang Huai looked toward the vast sky outside the wide-open casement window: “It’s something that former Liang’s Minister of the Secretariat Li Yao and Grand Tutor Yu Ziyan spent half their lives unable to achieve.”

—

Wu City.

The blood-stained banner with the character “Xiao” snapped loudly in the wind amid the diffusing gunpowder smoke.

Wu City’s gates had been smashed through. The city walls bore traces of being heavily pounded by cannon stones wrapped in lamp oil. The defeated Pei soldiers discarded their helmets and armor, being escorted away in batches by Xiao camp soldiers.

Xiao Li led the main army riding into the city on horseback. The scorching sun made him narrow his long eyes. His features, carved as if by knife and axe, appeared even more coldly severe and profound.

Ahead was the general’s residence. The Wu City defending general who had fled back into the city after defeat knew escape was hopeless. Seeing Xiao Li’s troops from afar, he stood before dozens of chests filled with gold, silver, and precious jade, putting on a welcoming posture. He fawned at Xiao Li high on horseback: “Lord, your divine bravery—this humble person has long heard of it. Today seeing you once from the city tower, I admire you even more prostratingly. I only wish to join under the lord’s command and render the service of a dog or horse. I’ve heard the lord favors beautiful jade. This humble person specially collected some beautiful jade to present to the lord, and also prepared some gold and silver to serve as the lord’s military funds…”

As he loudly said these things, Xiao Li’s war horse had already reached before him. A long blade slashing down diagonally from the horse’s back directly severed his head.

The servants who had stood outside the residence gates with that defending general were so frightened their legs went weak and they knelt all over the ground, yet as if struck dumb, they didn’t dare even let out cries of alarm or pleas for mercy.

Xiao Li sheathed his blade, only saying: “Open the granaries and distribute grain to relieve the refugees outside the city.”

The deputy general nodded in acknowledgment, then summoned personal guards and gave careful instructions.

The troops under Pei Song’s command practiced using war to support war. When grain and fodder supplies ran short, the counties near their garrison became their granaries. Slapping on any label like “bandit county” or “bandit village,” they could plunder completely and massacre the city in passing. When reporting military achievements upward, the heads of those ordinary common people also became the heads of bandits.

This Pei army occupying Wu City had done such things often, massacring several nearby villages. Saying they were utterly evil was no exaggeration.

When Xiao Li dismounted to enter the general’s residence, a messenger soldier came galloping urgently from the end of the long street: “Lord, urgent report from Yongzhou—”