Han Qing and Tan Guangwen headed toward the prefectural office. Thinking of the woman he’d seen at the city gates, he turned to ask the person following behind, “Why is Ni Su here?”

“She said she came here looking for someone.”

Zhou Ting answered truthfully.

“Looking for whom?”

Zhou Ting paused. “Presumably, that Young Master Ni.”

“Lord Han, I heard that Young Master Ni is an advisor to Qin Jixun. The man is quite formidable,” Tan Guangwen interjected. “But it seems he’s gone missing—more likely dead than alive. Otherwise, I’d really like to meet him.”

Han Qing ascended the stone steps, lips curling. “General Tan, please.”

“Lord Han, after you.”

Tan Guangwen said with a smile.

The two entered the prefectural office amicably. Inner attendants immediately came forward to lead them to the main hall. Along the way lay complete devastation—the elaborate rockery gardens had all been destroyed. The fine stones Shen Tongchuan had collected over many years were completely gone, all sent out by his personal guards to block roads.

With the heavy snowfall, the courtyard appeared even more desolate and bleak.

Qin Jixun, Wei Dechang, and Yang Tianzhe were all wounded. Medical workers were bandaging and treating them in the main hall. Shen Tongchuan had also been burned by fierce fire oil on his hands and had only just applied thick medicinal paste.

“General Qin, Commander Wei, Commander Yang, and Magistrate Shen,” Han Qing called out before even entering. Then his robes swept past the threshold as he looked at the four men in the main hall—all unfamiliar faces. This was their first meeting. “We arrived late. Our apologies to all of you.”

“Tan Guangwen!”

Wei Dechang stared intently at the general in armor, tall and imposing, appearing to be about forty or fifty years old. He pushed away the medical worker’s hands, and blood-soaked cloth fell from his arm, revealing a festering wound that looked particularly gruesome. He strode forward and grabbed Tan Guangwen by the collar. “I’ll kill you!”

“Wei Dechang! What are you doing!” Tan Guangwen’s expression darkened as he gripped his wrist.

“Why must Commander Wei act this way?”

Han Qing said slowly from the side.

“If not for this Tan Guangwen! Why would we have been forced to hold out for twenty days! If not for him, how would Young Master Ni…” Wei Dechang’s throat caught.

Qin Jixun, usually rational, couldn’t help but lose his composure over this. He even forgot to advise his sworn brother Dechang.

“What is Commander Wei saying?”

Tan Guangwen looked toward Han Qing beside him. “As soon as I received His Majesty’s edict, I immediately gathered forces from Jianchi Prefecture and Zezhou and rushed to Yongzhou. I couldn’t help encountering reinforcements from Danqiu’s Nanyan tribe along the way! Lord Han knows all this—he’s the military supervisor of Yongzhou personally appointed by His Majesty. He can testify for me!”

“Indeed.”

Under the gaze of everyone in the hall, Han Qing nodded. “I came to Yongzhou together with General Tan. Whether he delayed military operations, I know best.”

Yet Wei Dechang still wouldn’t release his grip. “Magistrate Shen sent so many documents to your Jianchi Prefecture, yet you never responded! Had you come earlier, how would Yongzhou have become an isolated city? How would our Yongzhou army have suffered such devastating losses!”

“During the ceasefire period, without His Majesty’s edict, prefectures cannot mobilize troops on their own authority. Don’t you know this, Wei Dechang! I merely followed court regulations—what wrong have I committed?”

“You…”

Wei Dechang was about to curse furiously when he heard Han Qing say coldly from the side, “Commander Wei, do not lose your composure.”

“Dechang, release him.”

Qin Jixun lowered his head and spoke.

“Sworn brother…” Wei Dechang turned back. Seeing Qin Jixun, Yang Tianzhe, and even Shen Tongchuan all equally silent, he angrily released Tan Guangwen and sat back down in his chair with a thud.

Tan Guangwen’s face showed mockery. He was about to invite Han Qing to take the seat of honor when he saw Han Qing had already walked forward on his own and sat down beside Shen Tongchuan, then raised his eyes.

“Zhou Ting.”

Hearing his name, Zhou Ting immediately raised his hand toward the personal attendants behind him. The attendant shouted “Men!” and immediately dense footsteps approached.

Several personal attendants from the Night Investigation Bureau rushed into the main hall, swiftly twisting Tan Guangwen’s arms behind his back and restraining him.

This scene came so suddenly,

That both Tan Guangwen and Qin Jixun and the others were stunned.

“Lord Han!”

Tan Guangwen’s face showed complete shock. “What is the meaning of this!”

Zhou Ting stepped forward and kicked the back of Tan Guangwen’s knee, forcing him to kneel.

Han Qing picked up the tea bowl from the table and blew on the tea leaves floating on the surface. “Didn’t I just say? I came to Yongzhou together with you, Tan Guangwen. Whether you delayed military operations, I know best.”

The last few words carried slightly heavier emphasis.

Tan Guangwen stared at him intently. “Did I delay military operations? What’s wrong with following His Majesty’s edict! What are you trying to do now!”

“Naturally, on behalf of His Majesty,” Han Qing raised his hands in a respectful gesture toward the sovereign, speaking slowly, “to question your crimes, Tan Guangwen.”

“What crime have I committed!”

Tan Guangwen stubbornly tried to rise, but Zhou Ting’s scabbard pressed against the back of his knee, causing such pain that his knees buckled again. He swept his gaze across the several people in the main hall, finally looking back at Han Qing. “I command the combined armies of Jianchi Prefecture and Zezhou—I’m the Mighty Distance General personally appointed by His Majesty! By what right does a eunuch like you dare dispose of me here?!”

“You’re right, I’m just a eunuch,” Han Qing smiled without mirth. “Why would the Mighty Distance General bother to flatter and curry favor all along the way?”

The words were like needles. Tan Guangwen’s face alternated between blue and white.

“Is it because Prince Nankang died of illness six years ago, or because Grand Preceptor Wu Dai has now lost power? You worried you had no one at court, and now you must garrison troops at Yongzhou and share defense duties with Qin Jixun, so you had no choice but to set aside your dignity as Mighty Distance General and ingratiate yourself with me, the newly appointed military supervisor of Yongzhou.”

With just a few words, Han Qing laid bare Tan Guangwen’s thoughts.

Tan Guangwen spat. “Eunuch scoundrel! I command military forces—why would I fear you? You dare be insolent toward me now, but my army men are not to be trifled with!”

“Lü Long! Where is Lü Long!”

He loudly called for his deputy general.

“General!” Lü Long was outside, but the doorway was blocked tight by Night Investigation Bureau attendants, both sides drawing blades in tense confrontation.

Tan Guangwen turned back, eyes blazing with fury. “Han Qing! I am innocent! Even before His Majesty, I will not fear you!”

But Han Qing remained calm and composed. “What about sixteen years ago?”

Tan Guangwen suddenly froze. “What… are you talking about?”

“Sixteen years ago, the Yongzhou military report stated that Miao Tianning defended Yongzhou city and fought bloody battles with the famous Danqiu general Yelu Zhen. The city fell, barbarians entered, then were driven back outside the gates by Miao Tianning. When you led the Yongping Army to provide aid, both Miao Tianning and the Yongzhou army were dead.”

Han Qing set down his tea bowl and stood up. “What a coincidence—I heard from this Deputy Commander of the Night Investigation Bureau that the one who led forces to attack the city this time was none other than Yelu Zhen, who killed Miao Tianning back then.”

The muscles in Tan Guangwen’s face twitched slightly.

“But strangely enough,”

Han Qing paced before him and bent down. “Yelu Zhen didn’t know Miao Tianning was dead.”

“That’s right! We all heard it!” Wei Dechang immediately chimed in. “That day on the city walls, we heard it crystal clear! That Yelu Zhen clearly thought Miao Tianning was still alive! He even wanted to use this to shake Brother Yang’s resolve!”

“Absurd!”

Tan Guangwen straightened his body only to be pressed down again by the attendants. “You dare believe the words of a barbarian!”

“Then why would he lie?”

Zhou Ting’s scabbard pressed hard against him. “What benefit would this lie bring to Yelu Zhen? General Tan, today we demand you give us a proper explanation.”

“Don’t count on your military authority either,” Zhou Ting looked down at him coldly. “Don’t forget—most of your Jianchi Prefecture troops were formerly the Huning Army. What do you think—if they knew that Miao Tianning died at your hands, what would they think? Would they continue serving you as their general, or would they avenge Miao Tianning?”

These words almost instantly shattered Tan Guangwen’s psychological defenses. The Huning Army had once been under the current Grand Commandant Miao Tianzhao. Miao Tianning had served in the Huning Army for many years. For the Huning Army soldiers, whether Miao Tianzhao or Miao Tianning, both held irreplaceable authority.

Even though he’d commanded the Huning Army for several years, he’d never truly made these troops his own.

The current emperor was extremely suspicious of military generals. After Great Qi and Danqiu signed their peace treaty sixteen years ago and shared prosperity, Emperor Zhengyuan issued an edict requiring armies to rotate garrisons every three years, while commanders did not move with their troops. Thus soldiers didn’t know their generals, generals didn’t know their soldiers, eliminating the possibility of military commanders establishing authority and gaining numerous followers.

As for the Zezhou troops, most were pardoned bandits assembled together and organized into military units. Their discipline was poor and quite ineffective. If not for them, when encountering reinforcements from the Nanyan tribe this time, Tan Guangwen wouldn’t have been locked in stalemate for many days before reaching Yongzhou.

Relying on these people was naturally absolutely impossible.

“General Tan, you also know you now have no one at court to speak for you,” Han Qing sighed slowly. “It’s such a pity—if your family in Jianchi Prefecture knew of your current predicament, how worried they would be.”

Tan Guangwen immediately looked up. “Eunuch scoundrel! What have you done!”

“Nothing much,”

Han Qing turned and sat back down, speaking casually. “Deputy Commander Zhou was thoughtful enough to leave some Night Investigation Bureau attendants in Jianchi Prefecture to properly look after your family. Including servants, your household must have over a hundred people, right? I hear your mother is now eighty years old?”

How could Tan Guangwen not know the Night Investigation Bureau’s methods? Whether officials or commoners, falling into the Night Investigation Bureau’s hands meant a fate worse than death.

His chest heaved as he struggled violently.

Zhou Ting reversed his grip, striking Tan Guangwen’s torso hard with the scabbard. He immediately spat out blood.

“Tan Guangwen, I’m only giving you this one chance.”

Before Qin Jixun, Shen Tongchuan, and the others, Han Qing placed one hand on his knee, sitting upright and proper, demanding coldly, “Speak. How exactly did Miao Tianning die?”

Tan Guangwen had never imagined that leading troops to Yongzhou would be walking a path to death. Now his family’s lives were in another’s hands, and he couldn’t command the Huning Army… Tan Guangwen closed his eyes, his expression defeated.

After a long while,

His dry lips moved. “I killed him.”

Shen Tongchuan’s heart pounded in terror. He stood up and quickly walked before Tan Guangwen. “Why did you kill Marshal Miao! He held Yongzhou’s gates for Great Qi unto death. Without him, Yongzhou city would have been lost long ago!”

“It wasn’t that I wanted to kill him, but his existence threatened someone’s career and official position.”

“Who?”

Tan Guangwen’s mouth filled with blood. He spat out bloody foam and slowly uttered a name: “Wu Dai.”

Shen Tongchuan, Qin Jixun, and the others were both shocked and suspicious, but Tan Guangwen looked up to see Han Qing sitting there with an impassive expression. “Before Lord Han came, you must have already investigated the connection between him and me, right? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have mentioned Prince Nankang or Wu Dai.”

Han Qing didn’t refute, merely leaning back against his chair, chin raised slightly. “Continue, General Tan. Tell us Wu Dai’s reason for having to kill Miao Tianning.”

“Wu Dai was serving as Privy Council Commissioner. His informants reported back that the Danqiu tribes weren’t united—among them, the Rili tribe most hated warfare. Prince Qin Rili wished to end the conquest but was forced to participate due to circumstances. Wu Dai believed this was an opportunity to disrupt Danqiu’s unity from within, so he secretly corresponded with Prince Qin Rili.”

“When Wu Dai was pardoning a rebel army in Zezhou, it happened to be when the Danqiu general Mengto was using the lives of the entire Xu clan of Qingya Prefecture to coerce General Yujie Xu Hexue. He received a letter from Prince Qin Rili with attached diagrams, saying the Danqiu royal court had built warships, claiming they planned to take advantage of Mengto persuading Xu Hexue to surrender by sending troops to bypass the rivers and directly threaten Jianchi Prefecture.”

The Danqiu barbarians feared water and couldn’t cross rivers—this was the fundamental reason they’d rather repeatedly attack Juhan Pass than take a detour.

“So…”

Hearing the name “Xu Hexue” from his mouth immediately reminded Han Qing of Minister Zhang’s loud cry on the execution platform. “He conceived the idea of withdrawing Yongzhou troops?”

“Yes. During wartime, border troop movements could temporarily bypass His Majesty’s edict,” Tan Guangwen turned to look at Yang Tianzhe, who lay on the bed unable to move due to severe injuries. “The Yongzhou army was in Miao Tianning’s hands. With his military token and Magistrate Yang Ming’s consent, troops could be mobilized.”

“Yang Ming was affiliated with Prince Nankang, and Wu Dai secretly maintained good relations with Prince Nankang. Yang Ming believed Wu Dai’s words without question. When he failed to persuade Miao Tianning to support Jianchi Prefecture, he took desperate measures—drugged Miao Tianning, took his military token, and personally mobilized half the Yongzhou army to rush to Jianchi Prefecture’s aid.”

“Impossible!”

Yang Tianzhe said in a trembling voice. “My father couldn’t have done this!”

He’d always firmly believed this was Miao Tianning’s doing, but now Tan Guangwen personally mentioned his father’s name.

“Then,” Shen Tongchuan took over Tan Guangwen’s words and continued, “that half of the Yongzhou army encountered the Nanyan tribe midway and were slaughtered completely by them.”

This was information Yang Tianzhe had seen in the Nanyan tribe’s military reports. Shen Tongchuan recalled the sixteen-year-old military report he’d examined with Young Master Ni. “But their deaths were counted among the city defense garrison casualties.”

“Yes.”

Tan Guangwen hung his head. “Wu Dai realized something was wrong, but it was too late.”

If Miao Tianning were still alive, he would definitely pursue this matter relentlessly. From any perspective, Miao Tianning had to die.

“What about Mount Mushen?”

This should be Han Qing’s greatest concern. He rushed forward and grabbed Tan Guangwen by the collar. “Sixteen years ago, General Yujie Xu Hexue ordered troops split three ways. He led the Jing’an Army to Mount Mushen to lure Mengto, while you and Gerang provided support from Nianchi and Longyan respectively to surround Mengto… Is this true?”

Tan Guangwen’s throat caught.

His silence made Han Qing impatient. “Tan Guangwen! Let me be clear with you today—if you don’t reveal everything you know, missing even one detail, I’ll take the lives of your entire family in compensation!”

“You know what punishment Xu Hexue suffered. I don’t mind having your ten-year-old son try a different version,” he spoke word by word, like a venomous snake flickering its tongue, chilling to the bone. “Cut him a few times each month, treat him after cutting, repeat this cycle—we’ll never let him die easily…”

“Han Qing, you wouldn’t dare!”

Tan Guangwen could almost imagine such a cruel scene from his words alone. His entire body trembled involuntarily.

Han Qing said nothing, staring at him coldly.

Tan Guangwen nearly collapsed. “Yes!”

“Reinforcing Jianchi Prefecture back then wasn’t just the Yongzhou army—I was there too! Wu Dai urged me to go to Jianchi Prefecture. There was also a Du Cong who brought the General’s military order, saying the General commanded me to go to Jianchi Prefecture first, then proceed to Longyan… When I arrived at Jianchi Prefecture, I realized it was a false alarm. Originally, going to Jianchi Prefecture first then Longyan wouldn’t have delayed anything, but I wasn’t familiar with Longyan’s terrain and got lost. As a result, everything was too late.”

After that, the Jing’an Army was completely annihilated at Mount Mushen. General Yujie Xu Hexue was executed by death of a thousand cuts for the crime of treason.

The greatest evidence

Was what Wu Dai’s informants discovered from the Danqiu royal court—specific edicts regarding pardoning Great Qi’s General Yujie, including his title and fief, all already decided.

Tan Guangwen knew there was something wrong, such as the General’s military order Du Cong brought was very likely fake, but he remained silent for a full sixteen years.

As for Gerang, that general stationed at Juhan Pass, he probably truly didn’t know anything about military orders. Otherwise, Wu Dai wouldn’t have let him live until today.

The main hall fell deathly silent.

Whether Qin Jixun or Wei Dechang, or Yang Tianzhe lying on the bed, or Magistrate Shen Tongchuan—none had anticipated that behind Marshal Miao’s death lay a connection to General Yujie’s crime of treason.

“…Lord Han,”

After a long while, Qin Jixun finally spoke. “Do you mean that Xu Hexue, he…”

The entire city of Yongzhou had hated Xu Hexue for sixteen years. He’d been used as a tool to consolidate morale by Qin Jixun and Wei Dechang. Yet now Han Qing was saying that Xu Hexue’s defection back then was false—his true purpose was to lure the enemy.

“Why ask me?”

Han Qing suddenly gripped Tan Guangwen’s throat with full force. “Ask him!”

To prevent mutiny among the troops Tan Guangwen brought from Jianchi Prefecture and Zezhou, news that Tan Guangwen had murdered Yongzhou’s Marshal Miao Tianning sixteen years ago spread throughout the entire city in less than half a day.

In the felt tent, Ni Su held an oil paper package as she listened to Qingqiong speak of this matter. She said nothing, only opened the paper package. Inside were pieces of snow-white milk candy.

She’d rarely had time to return. This oil paper package—she’d discovered it under her pillow when packing her belongings just now. Xu Hexue must have left it there at some point.

She picked up a piece and ate it.

Then handed one to Qingqiong.

“Let’s go.”

She stood up, hanging the small medicine pouch at her side.

Arriving at the prefectural office entrance, she happened to meet Duan Rong coming out. Seeing Ni Su’s red, swollen eyelids, he knew she must have cried. Not knowing how to comfort her, he said, “Young Mistress Ni, we’re still looking for Young Master Ni. He…”

“Captain Duan, I’d like to meet the newly arrived Lord Han. Could you introduce me?”

Ni Su bowed to him.

Duan Rong didn’t know why she wanted to meet the new military supervisor, but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse. He nodded and led her and Qingqiong inside.

Wind and snow hadn’t stopped. The ground was wet throughout.

Ni Su followed Duan Rong into the courtyard, watching him enter the main hall. Soon after, Duan Rong emerged and beckoned to her.

She immediately walked forward.

The main hall was extremely quiet.

Both Qin Jixun and Wei Dechang looked unwell. Shen Tongchuan sat to one side, lost in thought. Ni Su first glanced at Tan Guangwen, bound hand and foot, kneeling there.

“Young Mistress Ni, I never expected to meet you again here in this Yongzhou border region.”

Han Qing wiped his hands.

“Esteemed Envoy Han.”

Ni Su bowed deeply, then raised her head to meet Han Qing’s gaze. “May this commoner ask Esteemed Envoy Han—did this Tan Guangwen truly kill Marshal Miao Tianning?”

Han Qing nodded. “Why do you ask this?”

Ni Su said nothing. She turned to look at Zhou Ting beside her.

Zhou Ting was confused, but saw her walk forward. Her hand reached out. Zhou Ting immediately tightened his grip on his blade, but as her eyes gazed at him, Zhou Ting’s attention wavered. As his fingers loosened, she snatched his scabbard and struck Tan Guangwen’s back hard and repeatedly.

She used all her strength, striking several times, beating Tan Guangwen until he lay prostrate on the ground, jolting Qin Jixun and the others from their daze.

“Young Mistress Ni! What are you doing?” Shen Tongchuan sprang from his chair, face full of shock.

Ni Su threw down the scabbard, fine sweat already on her temples. She looked at Tan Guangwen curled on the ground coughing blood. “Esteemed Envoy Han, please speak with me privately.”

Without a word, Han Qing stared at her but stood up.

“Miss Ni, what exactly are you trying to do?”

As Ni Su was about to follow Han Qing out, Zhou Ting grabbed her sleeve.

“Young Lord Zhou, I don’t want to do anything.”

Ni Su shook her head, pulled her sleeve free, and followed Han Qing outside. In the corridor, they stood facing each other. Before Han Qing could speak, she said, “Esteemed Envoy Han, I asked you to come out to ask why that person inside ultimately failed to reinforce Mount Mushen?”

At these words, Han Qing’s expression changed.

“What do you know?”

Han Qing fixed his gaze on her, his voice stern.

“Precisely because I know nothing, I dare ask Esteemed Envoy Han. I’d like you to give me an answer.”

“Why should I give you an answer? Do you know that what you’re saying to me now is enough for me to have you imprisoned?”

“I’ve been imprisoned before—I’m not afraid to be imprisoned again. I dare ask you because someone told me you are a person worth trusting.”

Outside the corridor, heavy snow fell. Ni Su glanced aside. “The reason I know these things is because that person told me. I came to Yongzhou with him, watched him serve as an advisor under General Qin’s command. He died. Today, the Jing’an Army is truly dead and gone.”

These words sent a thunderous roar through Han Qing’s mind.

“You…”

Han Qing realized the person she spoke of was that Young Master Ni who killed Yelu Zhen but whose fate remained unknown. “You’re saying he was a former member of the Jing’an Army?”

“Yes.”

Ni Su nodded, then her knees buckled as she knelt before Han Qing, looking up. “Esteemed Envoy Han, I know you are upright and just. Minister Zhang’s dying words—you must keep them in your heart. Young Master Ni lived for the souls of the dead Jing’an Army. Now he has died for country and people. Besides you, I don’t know who else can restore the Jing’an Army’s innocence…”

“Ni Su begs you—if there comes a day when their names can exist clearly and purely in the world’s written records, please join those who, like you, remember this matter, and stand with me to right this injustice.”

She didn’t explicitly reveal the relationship between Han Qing and Meng Yunxian behind him. She was speaking these words to Han Qing, but also to Meng Yunxian far away in the capital.

Han Qing lowered his eyes, gazing at this woman kneeling before him who dared discuss the old treason case with him openly and honestly. After a long while, “You’re just a woman… what can you do?”

He truly didn’t understand where she found such courage.

“Do what I can do, exhaust what strength I have. Even for people who died sixteen years ago, even for events that happened sixteen years past—no one can choose to let matters rest on their behalf.”

Ni Su’s hands pressed against the icy ground as she kowtowed to Han Qing. Pure white snow pellets drifted over, settling in her hair. She quickly stood up and walked out from the corridor.

“Miss Ni, let’s go.” Qingqiong had seen from afar in the courtyard that she knelt and kowtowed to Han Qing. When she walked over, he asked.

“Yes.”

Ni Su nodded.

Outside the prefectural office, many people had gathered. Before Ni Su could approach, she heard their confused, clamorous voices.

“Marshal Miao Tianning was such a good man… how could he have been murdered…”

“Magistrate! Please petition His Majesty to seek justice for Marshal Miao!”

“Magistrate!”

How much Yongzhou people hated Xu Hexue was how much they respected Miao Tianning. If not for Miao Tianning, all the city’s people would have been slaughtered by barbarians.

“Magistrate! A villain who murdered Marshal Miao deserves death by a thousand cuts!”

“Right! Death by a thousand cuts wouldn’t be excessive!”

Just as Ni Su stepped over the threshold, amid this overwhelming shouting, she looked at those angry faces one after another and suddenly let out a mocking laugh.

“Young Mistress Ni?”

Clan Elder Qin of the Qin clan, coming to pay respects to the magistrate, had servants part the crowd. Seeing her at a glance and noticing the bundle she carried, he asked, “You’re leaving?”

“Why rush to leave?” Clan Elder Wei also came over with his cane. Hearing this, he added a comment.

The two men’s attitude toward Ni Su had changed drastically. They themselves noticed it. The two exchanged glances. Clan Elder Qin spoke first. “Young Mistress Ni, during your time in Yongzhou, you’ve exhausted yourself for our Yongzhou soldiers and people. We all saw it. Previously, I looked down on you—this old man was wrong.”

“Young Mistress Ni, Young Master Ni died for Yongzhou,” Clan Elder Wei took over. “We all want to erect a monument and write his story. We still want to ask you his name. Stay a few more days. Only then can I make amends for my previous wrongs toward you.”

“Young Mistress Ni, leave a bit later!”

“Yes, Young Mistress Ni!”

The people echoed repeatedly.

Little did they know, the more they acted this way, the more Ni Su’s heart felt like it was being gripped tightly by an icy hand. She could barely stand it. Qingqiong noticed her distress and stepped forward to support her.

Ni Su steadied herself. “May I ask Clan Elder Qin and Clan Elder Wei—back then, did you also gather here like this, shouting again and again… to execute that person by a thousand cuts?”

The broken monument at Sangqiu recording Xu Hexue’s crimes still stood. Yet now they wanted to erect a monument and write the story of a Young Master Ni.

“What… are you saying?”

Clan Elder Qin froze abruptly.

Ni Su pulled free from Qingqiong’s hand and stood straight. She looked at Clan Elders Qin and Wei, then swept her gaze across the people behind them one by one. “I’m saying—General Yujie Xu Hexue was innocent, the Jing’an Army was innocent. Back then you gathered here, using such public sentiment, and on that execution platform executed an innocent man by a thousand cuts!”

The noisy crowd fell silent in an instant.

“These words—I dare say them here, and I would dare say them in Yun Capital!”

Ni Su’s eyes reddened, but she held back her tears. She absolutely would not shed tears before these people. She worked hard to steady her voice. “If among you there are people I’ve treated and saved, if in your hearts you still hold even one portion of gratitude toward me—even just this one portion—I beg you all to let me take away his broken spear.”