In the distance, a soldier came running, approached the man and whispered a few words. The man’s complexion changed slightly as he waved the soldier away, then said to her: “This way.”
Meng Tinghui turned to follow him into a nearby alley. After walking more than a hundred paces, the horrific scene from earlier still lingered in her mind, impossible to dismiss, as if she might see it again with just a glance upward.
The man walked with swift steps, taking winding narrow paths, turning left and right through twisting routes. It didn’t seem like he was taking shortcuts; rather, it appeared he was deliberately avoiding the broader avenues of the inner city to prevent her from memorizing the path to Shen Zhishu’s location.
After walking for roughly the time it takes to eat a meal, the man finally led her out of the alleyways. The street view was desolate. In a quiet corner stood several ordinary-looking houses without even armed guards at the entrance.
The man walked straight toward them, and she quickly followed behind.
Entering and turning left, two soldiers stood in the corridor. Seeing the man, they said in low voices: “Commander Huo is waiting in that room and has instructed us to bring the person directly over. The Commander has ordered Lieutenant Huang to return immediately to the city wall, to prevent the imperial court’s people from finding any gaps.”
The man frowned slightly but said nothing, merely handing her over to the two men before promptly turning and leaving.
Since entering the city, Meng Tinghui had heard these soldiers mention “Commander Huo” several times. She knew this person must be Huo Dewei, the deputy commander of the Liuqi Garrison. She couldn’t help feeling something was amiss. Previously in the capital, military reports had clearly stated that rebel troops had killed the commanders and occupied the city, and that Liuqi Garrison’s commander-in-chief Zhao Bang and military supervisor Hu Kexiao had both been stabbed to death by the rebels. Though the urgent reports hadn’t mentioned Huo Dewei, the two ministries’ senior officials all believed Huo Dewei had also been unable to escape. Yet she hadn’t expected that Huo Dewei hadn’t died at all. From what she could see now, he was respected by these rebel soldiers, clearly appearing as the rebels’ leader.
The two soldiers guarded her, one in front and one behind, as they led her to the innermost room. They remained completely silent the entire way, refusing to answer any of her questions. Arriving at the door, one of them knocked twice heavily, then opened it and pushed her inside, closing the door behind her as they waited outside.
Tinghui stumbled slightly, nearly falling as she entered. Glancing sideways, she saw two men sitting in the room, both staring at her intently.
“Meng Tinghui?” One person stood up. His handsome face turned slightly. His long eyes were as beautiful as ever. He wore clean, orderly blue robes, showing no signs of being imprisoned.
She looked over, nodded, and bowed: “Master Shen.”
The astonishment on Shen Zhishu’s face slightly eased. He walked over and said: “I apologize for my rudeness. Why would the imperial court send Madam Meng here?”
Meng Tinghui had no interest in conversing further with him. Her gaze went directly to the middle-aged man in the corner of the room. She narrowed her eyes and said: “Commander Huo?”
Huo Dewei stood up. His face was dark-complexioned, but his manner was respectful as he spoke: “I’ve long heard of Madam Meng’s reputation.”
Only then did she confirm that Huo Dewei was indeed alive. Her expression immediately changed, though she suppressed her reaction without making a sound. She only turned her head to carefully examine Shen Zhishu up and down, asking him: “Is Master Shen well?”
Shen Zhishu looked at her, his expression slightly anxious, as if he had a thousand things to say, but in the end, he merely nodded, the smile at the corner of his mouth indistinct. “I am unharmed.”
Meng Tinghui lowered her eyes, raised her hand to adjust the wide sleeves of her official robes, and unhurriedly walked to the high chair in the center of the room. She sat down calmly, then raised her head to look at Huo Dewei again, her expression serene and composed.
Though she was a woman, those few steps were stable and commanding, her presence no less imposing than those of high-ranking officials. For a moment, both men in the room were slightly stunned.
Huo Dewei looked at her for quite some time before suddenly coming to his senses and saying: “Since Madam Meng has traveled thousands of li carrying an imperial edict and has already seen that Governor Shen is safe and sound, might I be permitted to see His Majesty’s handwritten edict?”
“There’s no rush,” Meng Tinghui said expressionlessly, her voice still soft. “His Majesty’s edict should be proclaimed loudly before all the garrison’s soldiers to demonstrate the Emperor’s mighty authority. Now that I am here, I cannot possibly deceive Commander Huo with words.”
Huo Dewei’s expression changed abruptly. “Madam Meng!”
Meng Tinghui raised her eyelashes to glance at him and asked: “Pacification Commissioner Dong Yicheng of Northern Chao’an reported that Liuqi Garrison’s commander-in-chief Zhao Bang and military supervisor Hu Kexiao were both killed by rebel troops. May I ask what excellent strategy Commander Huo employed to preserve his own life amid the chaos, and how he managed to make the rebel troops obey him alone?”
This question was incredibly sarcastic. Even a fool could hear the thick accusation within it.
Even Shen Zhishu, listening from the side, suddenly darkened his expression.
Huo Dewei, upon hearing this, became even more furious. He stepped forward and shouted at her: “How dare you! Just because you carry His Majesty’s edict, do you truly believe I wouldn’t harm you in the slightest?”
She calmly replied: “Of course, Commander Huo would dare. But does Commander Huo still care about the lives of this garrison’s soldiers?”
The veins on Huo Dewei’s temples bulged. After restraining himself for a moment, he finally suppressed his anger, laughed coldly several times, and then said: “Fine, let me tell you how I preserved my life! On that day, County Magistrate Gao Hai of Liuqi publicly beat two soldiers to death with a staff, angering the entire garrison’s proud and resentful troops. Cutting off his head wasn’t enough to quell their anger. They also claimed that Commander Zhao, who had only recently taken command, didn’t protect the soldiers’ lives and was colluding with the Transport Department of Northern Chao’an to reduce the soldiers’ rations. Before Commander Zhao could react, he was stabbed to death, and the garrison fell into chaos! Military Supervisor Hu Bang tried to stop the soldiers’ rebellion but was threatened at spearpoint, ordered to lead the occupation of the city and capture civilians to teach the imperial court a lesson. Supervisor Hu naturally refused to submit, and the blood-crazed rebels publicly stabbed him in the heart! With both the commander-in-chief and military supervisor dead, the rebels naturally came to force me, Huo, to be the leading criminal. I rose from the ranks and have attained my current position through years of imperial grace. How could I willingly become such a rebel? But with the rebel troops occupying the city and civilians being plundered, with burning, killing, and looting unstoppable, if I had also died in stubborn resistance, the city Madam Meng entered today would certainly not be in its current state!”
Every word of this speech surged with emotion. By the end, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was trembling uncontrollably.
Meng Tinghui listened, her expression unchanged from beginning to end. After a long while, she finally lowered her eyelashes slightly and gestured with her sleeve: “Please be seated, Commander Huo.”
Huo Dewei gritted his teeth, snorted coldly, and then returned to sit in his original position.
Shen Zhishu slowly paced over and gradually sat down in the chair beside her. His brow was dark with concern, yet he remained silent.
She knew that eight or nine out of ten of Huo Dewei’s words were likely true. Judging by Shen Zhishu’s composed appearance, and recalling that although the city was deathly quiet, there were no signs of major chaos, she could surmise that this was due to Huo Dewei’s control over his subordinates.
But how could such rebellious actions be absolved by this alone?
After a long while, she finally took out the golden-decorated imperial edict from her bosom and said to Huo Dewei: “His Majesty also knows the hardships of the frontier army. This time, I have come by imperial order to proclaim an edict of amnesty. I hope Commander Huo can appreciate His Majesty’s merciful heart and no longer oppose the imperial court.”
Huo Dewei glanced at her sideways, his face still dark.
Tinghui looked back at him calmly and said: “The Transport Commissioner of Northern Chao’an’s intention to reduce the Liuqi Garrison troops’ rations was not reported to the two ministries in the capital. It was entirely his own decision. When His Majesty learned of this, he was greatly angered. The garrison troops’ drunken riot in response to the ration reduction is understandable. However, County Magistrate Gao Hai’s public beating to death of two soldiers without consulting the military commanders was indeed an act of overstepping his authority. His Majesty has said that the imperial officials treated you unfairly, causing you to feel resentful and gather in rebellion. Yet this was not because you desired rebellion in your hearts; you were forced by circumstances. Once you have the will to submit, the imperial court will certainly not blame you for your crimes. Rations and military supplies will be provided to you according to the previous system, and from now on, they will only increase, not decrease.”
As Huo Dewei listened to her speak sentence by sentence, his brow gradually relaxed, but his expression grew increasingly heavy. By the end, his gaze toward her had become savage. He snorted: “Madam Meng must think I am a three-year-old child who can be deceived with empty words!”
Upon hearing this, Meng Tinghui suddenly rose, supporting herself on the table, and shouted: “You are being insolent!”
Huo Dewei had been skeptical, but when she rebuked him like this, he was momentarily stunned, intimidated by her forceful presence, and remained silent for a long time.
She spread the edict with both hands, staring coldly at Huo Dewei, still speaking sternly: “Imperial grace is vast. As His Majesty’s close official, I have traveled thousands of li to this frontier among rebel troops. How could there be a situation where a crimson-robed, fish-pouched official would deceive you with empty words? His Majesty has been unable to eat or sleep well at night out of concern for pacifying the rebels’ hearts. He ground the ink and wrote this edict, with every character expressing his grace. How could there be deception in the presence of an imperial edict written by the Emperor’s hand?”
Huo Dewei was completely stunned and looked at her, saying: “This…”
Meng Tinghui smiled coldly and said: “I have already conveyed all of His Majesty’s gracious instructions. If Commander Huo appreciates the Emperor’s intentions, he should lead his troops in submission, open the city gates, and lay down weapons. The imperial court will certainly reward Commander Huo generously for his sincerity in surrendering. However, if Commander Huo insists on thinking that I am speaking deceitfully, then just remain in this city unmoved and wait for the imperial court to send troops to eliminate the rebels in the entire city!”
Huo Dewei’s face alternated between black and white as he stared at her without speaking.
“Commander Huo,” Shen Zhishu suddenly spoke from the side, his voice cool yet forceful. “Madam Meng entered the court less than two years ago yet already holds a position of fourth rank. In terms of official rank, she outranks me, and in terms of His Majesty’s favor, she is among the most trusted officials in the capital. How can Commander Huo not believe her words?”
Huo Dewei narrowed his eyes and said to her again: “Are your words truly all from His Majesty?”
She put away the edict, slowly sat down, and no longer looked at Huo Dewei.
Huo Dewei glanced at Shen Zhishu again, frowned in thought for a moment, then stood up and said: “Allow me to summon the soldiers in the city to hear the proclamation of this edict!”
Meng Tinghui raised her eyelashes and watched as he yanked open the door and walked out. The door slammed shut behind him, shattering wall dust everywhere.
Then she exhaled softly, her shoulders slightly hunched as she sank into the chair and closed her eyes briefly.
Shen Zhishu looked at her from the side, his gaze becoming somewhat cold. He said: “Was a single word of what you just said true?”
She didn’t open her eyes, her voice so faint it was barely audible: “…Of course it was all true.”
Shen Zhishu’s eyes rolled with a trace of dark mist. He rose and paced a couple of steps with his hands behind his back, then turned to look at her again with his brows tightly furrowed. “I grew up with His Majesty. How could I not know His Majesty’s temperament?”
Meng Tinghui moved her eyelids slightly but said nothing.
He stared at her intently, and after a while said: “Even to me, you cannot speak the truth?”
Only then did she slowly open her eyes, look at him, and still speak softly: “…What I said just now is indeed His Majesty’s intention.”