This remark reminded Li Shimin of how he had secretly sent Feng Li to kill Yunyi. Although this had led to the discovery of Yunyi’s impersonation of Meixue and her infiltration of the Governor’s Mansion, Li Jiancheng’s methods made him very disgusted.
Seeing their argument becoming increasingly tense, Duan Zhihong stepped forward. “Second Young Master was also being merciful, which is why…”
Li Jiancheng interrupted him, saying coldly, “It’s precisely because he’s too merciful that the assassin has escaped time and again. If it were me…”
Li Shimin took over, “If it were big brother, as long as there was the slightest suspicion, you would kill without hesitation. Better to wrongly kill a thousand than let one escape, right?”
Li Jiancheng’s pupils contracted slightly, then he said, “So what if that’s true?”
Li Shimin originally didn’t want to speak, but since Li Jiancheng kept pressing, he had to say, “Has big brother ever considered that if the Wu Meixue in the mansion that day wasn’t an assassin in disguise, she would have died at Feng Li’s hands, and she… hadn’t committed any crime deserving death. How could big brother kill the innocent so indiscriminately?”
Li Jiancheng’s anger, which had just somewhat subsided, flared up again because of this remark, and more fiercely than before. “If I hadn’t sent Feng Li back to Honghua Prefecture, you’d still be played around by that assassin today. By then you wouldn’t even know how you lost your life, yet now you’re turning around to accuse me, your big brother, thinking I did wrong, that I killed innocents indiscriminately. You… you’ve truly been bewitched by that assassin to the point of losing your soul. You’ve probably even forgotten your own surname, otherwise how could you disregard Xuanba’s death and privately let her escape?”
“I know everything big brother did was for my own good, but…”
“But my methods were cruel, right?” Li Jiancheng sarcastically interrupted his words, then said disappointedly, “Shimin, how many times have I told you not to be soft-hearted like a woman? Why can you never listen? Acting like this, how can you…” After dismissing Duan Zhihong, he continued, “How can you help Father achieve great enterprise?”
“Does achieving great enterprise and success mean we can disregard others’ lives and deaths?”
Li Jiancheng said expressionlessly, “Under the great momentum of events, what does the life and death of one or two people matter? You’ve read many history books since childhood. Think for yourself – which founding emperor of which dynasty didn’t walk over piles of white bones to reach the top?”
“I know, but…”
Li Jiancheng coldly interrupted him, “Knowing is enough. For the sake of brotherhood, this time I’ll help you hide this from Father, but there won’t be a next time. Take care of yourself!” With that, he flicked his sleeves and left.
Duan Zhihong, who had been waiting outside, saw Li Jiancheng leave and hurriedly went in, asking worriedly, “Second Young Master, when First Young Master left just now, is he going to tell the Governor about you privately releasing the assassin?” Seeing Li Shimin lower his eyes without speaking, he thought he had guessed correctly and said somewhat complainingly, “How can First Young Master be so heartless? You’re blood brothers after all. Does he really need to see you punished by the Governor to be happy?”
Saying this, he gritted his teeth. “Second Young Master, if it really comes before the Governor, you should say it was this subordinate who released her, that this subordinate had an affair with that female assassin and couldn’t bear to kill her. As long as you and this subordinate both insist this is the truth, I don’t think First Young Master can do anything about it!”
Li Shimin looked up, showing a smile so faint it was almost invisible. “No, big brother said he won’t tell anyone about this matter, including Father, so there’s no need to worry.”
His words made Duan Zhihong breathe a long sigh of relief. “That’s good. Second Young Master can be at ease now.”
Li Shimin nodded. After returning to his desk, he said, “Go invite County Magistrate Zhao and County Magistrate Li over. I was just looking through the case files their county offices submitted, and there are several points that aren’t very clear.”
Duan Zhihong hesitated for a moment. “Second Young Master, you’ve been looking at case files all day and must be tired, plus with First Young Master…” After pausing, he said, “Why don’t we invite County Magistrate Zhao and the others tomorrow instead?” Although First Young Master wouldn’t tell the Governor, they had argued so fiercely just now – it couldn’t be that nothing was wrong.
Li Shimin knew what he was thinking and smiled. “I’m fine. Just go ahead and do as I said.” Seeing his insistence, Duan Zhihong had to comply, hoping he really was fine, and also hoping… that the assassin matter could truly end here without further complications.
In the seventh month of the tenth year of the Daye era, although Yang Guang’s Sui army broke through Goguryeo’s first line of defense, due to Goguryeo’s continuous ambushes and cutting off the Sui army’s supply lines, the army was unable to take the Liaoshui defense line, leaving Yang Guang in a dilemma.
Fortunately, at this time, Goguryeo had also severely depleted its national strength due to years of warfare and was equally unable to continue fighting. King Yeongyang of Goguryeo sent people to surrender to Yang Guang and presented Hu Sizheng, the former Sui Minister of War who had fled to Goguryeo after Yang Xuangan’s failed rebellion.
Seeing that he had salvaged face from the previous two failures, Yang Guang accepted King Yeongyang’s surrender and returned to court with Hu Sizheng in the eighth month of the same year.
Although the Goguryeo campaign allowed Yang Guang to recover his previously lost face, the cost was extremely severe. The repeated campaigns that disregarded people’s lives and excessively consumed popular strength meant that when people could no longer live normally, they had only one way out – rebellion!
By the end of the tenth year of Daye, news of uprisings against Sui continued to come from various places, one after another. For all this news, Yang Guang had only one measure – suppression.
During this period, Yunyi disregarded Xiao Shi’s opposition and twice more advised Yang Guang, but what she received was always rebuke and renewed house arrest punishment. The latter simply wouldn’t listen to her persuasion and was unwilling to change his attitude toward those “unruly people.”
If Yang Guang’s stubborn self-will disappointed Yunyi, then Xiao Shi’s attitude was incomprehensible to her. No matter how she pleaded, even kneeling on the ground, Xiao Shi refused to relent and advise Yang Guang.
Yunyi even had an illusion… that Xiao Shi, as Empress of Great Sui, seemed to be waiting for Great Sui’s downfall. Could it be because of her maternal grandfather’s branch?
Speaking of which, her maternal grandfather’s Western Liang had indeed been abolished by imperial decree from her imperial grandfather. Her uncle Xiao Cong, who had been the ruler of Western Liang, was appointed as Supreme Pillar of State and enfeoffed as Duke of Ju.
Later, when her father became emperor, due to her mother’s influence, he valued her uncle greatly, appointing him as Director of the Imperial Secretariat and changing his title to Duke of Liang. Although later, due to folk songs, her father became suspicious and reduced her uncle to commoner status, he still lived comfortably. When her uncle died, he was posthumously granted the title of Left Guanglu Doctor.
Naturally, when all this happened, she was still young. What she knew was all learned by questioning the older palace servants. As for her mother… she rarely mentioned her grandfather and the others.
She always felt that since returning from that trip to Honghua Prefecture, things had suddenly become complicated, or perhaps they had always been this way, and she simply hadn’t paid attention before.
Yunyi sat under the eaves, watching the snow fluttering down from above while caressing the seven-stringed qin in her hands, letting a piece called “Plum Blossom Guide” flow gently from her fingertips.