Xie Daozhi had never seen Third Son like this.

Though the face was still that face, the person still that person—he couldn’t say what kind of feeling it was, just felt it very strange.

Even stranger than being called “Lord Xie.”

At this moment, Third Son spoke heavily again.

“I think while Yan Ruxian was observing the old general, the old general was also secretly observing him. Or rather, he was waiting for Yan Ruxian to produce the Emperor’s secret decree granting him death.

Waiting left, waiting right—it never came. He deduced the Emperor’s intention: wait until he won the battle, then grant him death.

Everyone’s end is death. The old general was no exception.

But he had two paths he could take to that end: The first was to follow the Emperor’s wishes, win the battle, then await being granted death; the other was to simply die on the battlefield.

As everyone knows, he chose the second.”

Xie Zhifei sneered: “Lord Xie, why don’t you guess why he chose the second?”

Young Master Pei and the others listening to this point suddenly realized that at some unknown time, Third Master’s manner of speaking had become identical to Yan Sanhe’s.

When Yan Sanhe interrogated people, she liked to ask “why.”

“Third Son…”

“Lord Xie, please answer.”

“You…”

Xie Daozhi’s eyeballs were bloodshot. He simply gritted his teeth: “Either way it’s death. Dying in battle sounds better.”

Xie Zhifei let out a cold laugh: “His line was already extinct—what did he need a good reputation for?”

Xie Daozhi was choked by the question.

“Just as you are not Yan Xing and don’t understand why Yan Xing’s heart demon was a family letter from you; you’re also not Zheng Yu, so naturally you won’t understand why he chose to die in battle.”

Xie Zhifei looked at him, layer upon layer of the Zheng family men’s domineering spirit and resolution surging from his eyes.

“Let me tell you. Listen carefully, one by one.”

Everything was in chaos.

Complete chaos.

Pei Xiao looked at Xie Daozhi with trepidation, afraid he’d swing his arm and slap Xie Fifty across the face. Such defiance of proper conduct!

“The first reason was for the war situation.”

Xie Zhifei: “Because of Prince Han’s incompetence, the war dragged into the ninth month. The north entered winter. First, one hundred thousand soldiers couldn’t afford the delay; second, Hua Kingdom’s treasury couldn’t afford it.

Earlier, Song Zhiyu led troops in battle for nearly two years—how much silver was consumed? Hua Kingdom had only been at peace for a few years. How much silver remained for one hundred thousand troops to consume through an entire winter?

Bu Liu only saw that the soldiers had no heart for battle, each wanting to return home for New Year. What the old general saw was that all of Hua Kingdom’s treasury was depleted, unable to support much longer.

For swift resolution, he could only use himself as bait to draw out the Tartars’ main force.”

Xie Zhifei revealed a mocking smile: “As a Cabinet minister, Lord Xie must know best how much silver remains in the treasury.”

Xie Daozhi’s cold sweat kept pouring out.

The late Emperor loved warfare.

Warfare consumed silver.

Each time the late Emperor personally led campaigns, the treasury needed three years to recover.

Song Zhiyu’s two years had already consumed more than half the treasury. Immediately after, Prince Han and Zheng Yu campaigned. The late Emperor had to execute a batch of corrupt officials in the south to scrape together military rations and pay.

“The second reason was for the Zheng Family Army.”

Xie Zhifei: “Lord Xie deliberately told the Emperor that the orphan Old General Zheng harbored was a boy. The Emperor didn’t spare the Zheng family, didn’t spare the old general—would he spare the Zheng Family Army?”

“I understand now.”

Pei Xiao slapped his thigh: “Zheng Yu and the Zheng Family Army were one entity. If the Emperor grew suspicious of Zheng Yu, naturally he’d also grow suspicious of the Zheng Family Army.”

Xie Zhifei: “The Zheng Family Army numbered fifty thousand. Bu Liu told me that the five thousand following Zheng Yu to guard Black Mountain City weren’t ordinary soldiers.

They were Zheng Yu’s closest people. Even if these men returned to the capital, their fate probably wouldn’t be good. By having them die on the battlefield and earning merit, at least their parents, wives, and children at home could receive substantial pensions.”

“No wonder.”

Li Buyan sighed deeply: “After the great battle ended, the Zheng Family Army was dispersed into various military camps.”

Xie Zhifei’s expression was grave: “So he absolutely insisted on taking only five thousand elite troops, not one more.”

Li Buyan: “Is there a third reason?”

“There is.”

Xie Zhifei’s chest heaved violently several times.

“Everyone’s destination is death, but death has different forms. From childhood he learned the Zheng family blade technique. The Zheng family blade is for killing enemies. His destination could only be on the battlefield.

In this life, Zheng Yu lived up to his country and state, lived up to his friends, but failed only his Zheng family relatives, failed himself.

The Zheng family’s extermination left him with no will to live. Yan Ruxian’s arrival blocked any thought of wanting to live.

Since both led to death, why not die according to his own destination?

Long blade unsheathed, drinking enemy blood to the full, with one death settling myriad grievances, also telling the person on the dragon throne…”

Xie Zhifei’s voice suddenly choked.

“He, Zheng Yu, truly did betray his sovereign, but he also used this life, used one victorious battle to repay his sovereign’s recognition and kindness. Everything was repaid, completely repaid.”

He lowered his eyes slightly. “Lord Xie, did you note down each of these reasons?”

Xie Daozhi’s face, paler than a ghost’s, slowly flushed with color. Finally his entire face turned red, cold sweat streaming down from his hairline.

Xie Zhifei looked at him, unspeakable grief in his eyes.

“Father.”

He called him softly: “Compared to Old General Zheng, you are nothing but a complete hypocrite.”

With the last word falling, Xie Zhifei’s tall body also collapsed forward.

“Xie Chengyu?”

Yan Sanhe, their fingers interlocked and standing closest, caught him tightly in her arms.

“Someone, someone!” Pei Xiao’s face turned green with fright. “Quickly fetch the imperial physician.”

A figure rushed over at top speed, taking Xie Zhifei from Yan Sanhe’s hands.

“Young Master Pei, there’s no time. I’ll take Third Master to your Pei residence.”

Seeing it was Zhu Qing, Pei Xiao grew more anxious. “Put him down…”

“Third Master’s life is what matters.”

Zhu Qing dropped this line and ran off carrying him.

Pei Xiao stamped his foot. “Yan Sanhe, I’m following. Come quickly.”

Yan Sanhe stood utterly still, not because she wasn’t worried about Xie Zhifei. The moment he collapsed just now, her heart stopped too.

But she believed one thing: as long as Young Master Pei was there, Xie Zhifei absolutely couldn’t come to harm.

“Xie Daozhi, Third Master left out one question.”

Xie Daozhi hadn’t heard Yan Sanhe’s words at all. At this moment, his mind held only Third Son’s single phrase—

“Father, you are nothing but a complete hypocrite.”

A hypocrite?

At court it was like walking a tightrope. At power’s peak it was like treading on thin ice. He was just… just for the realm and state!

Yan Sanhe saw his blank expression, his soul seemingly elsewhere, and reached out a finger to point at his forehead.

A chill seeped down.

Xie Daozhi shivered violently, suddenly coming to his senses.

“Xie Daozhi, after Third Master captured Yan Xi, your people were already lying in ambush outside the building. At that time, neither the Crown Prince nor I had arrived—only Third Master and Ding Yi were guarding Yan Xi.”

Yan Sanhe: “Why didn’t you take that opportunity to kill him, but instead let him speak the truth?”

Xie Daozhi swallowed. “I thought pushing everything onto the late Emperor would make the warhorses recover. Who knew…”

“Who knew the warhorses didn’t improve. You panicked. After much deliberation, you could only let Yan Xi speak the truth. But you also feared he’d expose you, so when he was halfway through speaking, you had him killed.”

“…Miss Yan…”

Xie Daozhi’s eyes reddened. “I truly did it for the realm and state!”

Yan Sanhe sneered.

Realm and state?

Bullshit!