Chapter 561: Are You Satisfied?
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation | Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
What secret that could not be revealed was he harboring that he would rather be tortured to death than say it out?
Su Ying reached out and pulled out the silver needle from his neck. The pain on
Li An’s body also receded like the tide.
Li An’s entire body was already drenched in cold sweat. At this moment, he was lying on the ground motionlessly like a dead dog.
“Li An, tell me the truth, and I’ll allow you to retain an intact corpse.”
Li An raised his head with difficulty and glanced at Su Ying. ‘TH talk. I’ll tell you everything!”
“Speak.”
“I… I went to look for the Red Demon Sect myself. I… I wanted them to kill… kill
Prince Yu of the Nan State.”
Su Ying’s eyebrows shot up. “Prince Yu was assassinated because you hired people from the Red Demon Sect?”
Li An replied firmly, “It… it was me. As long as I kill Prince Yu, the Nan State will definitely not let the matter rest.”
Li An’s plan was that as long as the Chu State and the Nan State fought again, the Emperor would overlook the matter of the White Lotus Cult more easily. At that juncture, he would incite those followers to cause trouble, and he would be able to achieve his goal.
“Prince Yu is dead?”
“The Red Demon Sect told me that he’s already dead,” said Li An.
“Where is the corpse?” Su Ying didn’t believe it. A person like Li An would never accept this news without confirming the corpse’s identity with the other party.
“It has been thrown into the river canal.”
“Where exactly is that river canal? When was it thrown away? Report
everything clearly.”
Li An gave a very detailed location.
“I carried this out alone. It has nothing to do with the General’s wife. I was the
one who carried out everything!”
Su Ying narrowed her eyes slightly. “So you were unwilling to talk before this because of the General’s wife.” If this matter was brought to the state level, they would very likely be beheaded in public or handed over to the Nan State for punishment. However, no matter what the outcome was, it was only the difference between death and a fate worse than death.
Li An said with a glum face, “The General’s wife has suffered too much all these years. She just wants to seek justice for the Great General. She wants his name to be cleared!”
“Then you’re now trying to provoke a war between the two states. If they really fight, won’t the victims be ordinary people? You are a general, yet you have forgotten your duty as a general. Do you think the Great General up in the heavens will be happy if he knows what you are doing?”
Li An’s eyes became red-rimmed, and tears that contained blood rolled down
his cheeks.
“When you disregard the lives of others in order to scheme against your enemy, you are no longer seeking justice. So don’t make it sound so righteous.
Li An gradually clenched both fists. “Yes, but the General’s wife was not involved. She only wants justice for the Great General wholeheartedly. I am willing to die in exchange for the General’s wife’s life. Please grant my wish.” After leaving the prison, Su Ying told the Minister of Justice to look for the location Li An had given her. It was in an extremely secluded mountain forest.
Li An said that he had personally buried Prince Yu in this place, so no one would be able to discover his body at all.
After the officials went there, they found that there was indeed a spot where the soil appeared to have been disturbed. The officials immediately picked up their shovels and started digging.
However, after digging up the spot, they only found a tattered straw mat stained with blood. There was also a jade pendant on the straw mat, but they did not find Prince Yu’s corpse.
“You guys go along the road and search around.”
“Yes, Sir.”
The officials scattered and began searching. Finally, they found Prince Yu in a village at the foot of the mountain collecting firewood dressed in a tattered cotton coat.
If it wasn’t for the fact that the outline of his face was still clearly recognizable, the officials wouldn’t have believed that the person in front of them was the prince of a state.
Prince Yu was brought back to the palace.
After changing back into brocade clothes, Prince Yu stole glances at Xiao Jin, who was sitting on the dragon throne, with a cowering face.
“Your Majesty, Prince Yu has already been found. However, his head has been injured and he can’t remember anything.”
Xiao Jin gave a murmur. “Has the Imperial Physician given him a checkup?” “Yes. The Imperial Physician also said that there might be blood clots in Prince Yu’s brain, which is why he forgot about the past.
“immediately send a message to the Nan State. Tell them that Prince Yu has been found and that we will send Prince Yu back to the Nan State in a few
days.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Previously, when Prince Yu went missing, Xiao Jin had sent a letter to the Nan State The Nan State was very furious and repeatedly accused the Chu State of not being sincere in negotiating peace with the Nan State. When Xiao Jin gave his reply, both sides started throwing the ball into each other’s court back and forth. It was obvious that even if Prince Yu really died, the Nan State would not send troops because of this issue.
Now that Prince Yu had been found, things couldn’t be better.
On the day Prince Yu was sent back, the main streets of the capital city were also bustling with activity.
The commoners who were gawking at the spectacle were crowding around on both sides of the street. They watched as quite a number of people kowtowed in a certain direction. They kowtowed with every step they took while shouting at the same time, “We are the despicable lowlife who have let the Great General down!”
“It is our fault. We caused the Great General’s reputation to be ruined. We deserve death.”
Their actions made the commoners very curious.
“Huh? Isn’t this guy from Marquis Wu’s Residence? This guy is the Marquis himself. What is he doing? What Great General? Which Great General?”
“You don’t know? It’s Great General Weimeng. Back then, he was known as the Guardian of the Southwest Gate of the Chu State. However, he later died on the battlefield. After the Great General died, these people stole the Great General’s credit. Now that they have been discovered, they have to kneel their way to the front of the Great General’s grave and kowtow to apologize to him!
Everyone was enlightened then. They hadn’t realized that such a dramatic event existed.
“How despicable! They actually stole the Great General’s credit. Have they considered whether they will live long enough to enjoy the fruits?”
“Exactly.”
The commoners gradually understood the cause and effect of the matter.
Those who had rotten vegetables in their hands threw them viciously at those people. Anyway, there were so many onlookers. No one could tell who threw these things, so they would not get punished afterward.
In the teahouse where these people passed by, the General’s wife could no longer control her tears as she watched them.
“General, I am finally… able to do something for you…”
Zhou Qing looked at the General’s wife, who was almost crying her eyes out, and slowly said, “Mistress, although you are fighting for justice for the General, because of you, some people have been quite badly affected. According to the law, you have to accept the rightful punishment. However, the Empress only gave you 30 strokes of the pole on account of Mistress’s sincerity. If Mistress can survive the punishment, you can leave the capital city and never come back again.”
The General’s wife knelt down in the direction of the window and kowtowed solemnly three times. “Thank you for sparing my life, Your Imperial Highness.”
“I wonder if Li An…”
“Mistress, don’t ask what you shouldn’t know,” Zhou Qing said with a stony expression.
The General’s wife gradually clenched her two fists in her sleeves. “Alright.
Across from the teahouse, Su Ying was leaning against the wall of a private dining room on the second floor of the restaurant. She watched the people below with an indifferent expression.
Su Yulun stood behind her with a glum expression. His voice was practically squeezed out of his throat. “Are you satisfied now?” He had thoroughly and utterly offended these people over the past few days. In the future, they might even cause trouble for him behind his back! This was all thanks to Su Ying!
Su Ying was satisfied and laughed. “Prime Minister Su, you didn’t disappoint
me..”
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