Chapter 335:1 Don’t Want To Hear A Lie
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
He knocked on the courtyard gate in front of him.
Before long, the courtyard gate was opened and he walked in.
Su Ying followed him and came to the courtyard. When she heard the movement beyond the gate, she made use of the noise to climb over the wall. On the boundary wall, she could see two figures walking toward the interior.
Su Ying’s body landed lightly on the ground and she quickly followed them.
This residence was not big and was very quiet. There was not even a single person along the path leading to this place.
The two of them walked to a room with lights on. The other party pushed open the door and let the other person in.
Su Ying surveyed the surroundings and then leaped onto the roof. She carefully lifted a roof tile up there and she was able to see what was happening inside the house.
“Old friend, it’s been a long time. I didn’t expect to be able to see you in the capital.” The person who spoke was a short and fat middle-aged man. At this moment, his eyes were filled with ridicule and disdain as he looked at the person who entered the room.
“What exactly do you want to do?”
The man gave a gleeful laugh. “What are you talking about, old friend? I was worried that you were framed back then. I left not long after you were taken away. I’ve been looking for a chance to explain myself to you.”
“Hmph! Stop pretending to be kind and righteous here. Tell me, what exactly do you want?”
The man’s smile deepened. “You also know that the Empress met with a mishap back then because of that snack. Tell me. If your master knows about this, will he take your life?”
“What the hell do you want!”
“It’s nothing much. It’s just that someone is very curious about the situation in your master’s residence and wants to ask you some questions. As long as you answer truthfully, 1’11 pretend that the incident back then never happened.”
“In your dreams!”
The man sneered at his refusal. “You’d better know what’s good for you. I’m warning you. If this matter is exposed, you won’t be able to keep your life. Don’t worry. I won’t treat you badly. As long as you listen to me obediently, you’ll enjoy endless glory and wealth. Isn’t it better than being a chef? Don’t be in a hurry to reject me. Go back and think about it carefully. However, I don’t have much patience. I’ll give you at most two days. If you still don’t get it, the stupid things you did in the past will probably reach your master’s ears.”
Under the flickering candlelight, the middle-aged man’s wretched and sinister face was illuminated by the wavering light, and so was Hea Shouyi’s face.
Su Ying’s almond-shaped eyes were so dark that they seemed to merge with the night sky. She slowly covered the roof tile and watched Hea Shouyi leave the courtyard.
Hea Shouyi walked out of the courtyard and into the alley with a heavy heart. When he reached the intersection of the alley, he saw a horse carriage parked in front of him. He was a little surprised. Just as he was about to go around it, the curtain of the carriage was lifted.
Su Ying’s icy face appeared under the faint moonlight.
The silver moonlight fell on her graceful face as if a layer of frost had accumulated on her face.
Hea Shouyi didn’t know why, but the moment he saw Su Ying, his heart instantly became at ease.
“Your Highness…”
“Get in the carriage.”
Hea Shouyi got into the carriage with a stiff body. The moment the curtain dropped down, it blocked out the remaining light in the horse carriage.
The temperature in the carriage seemed to have dropped to the extreme, making people shudder.
“Your Highness…”
“Start from the beginning, Uncle Hea. 1 don’t want to hear a single lie.”
Hea Shouyi took a deep breath and felt a huge rock pressing on his chest. “Let me tell you about what happened more than ten years ago. At that time, the Chu State, the Nan State, and the Jin State were the three dominant powers. Although the Jin State was weaker, the difference in strength compared to the other states was not big. None of the three powers was willing to give in to one another. At that time, the Emperor had just ascended to the throne and he wanted to conquer the Nan State and the Jin State to show his might.”
Emperor Kangze was an extremely ambitious person. It just so happened that none of the monarchs in the three states could stand each other. It was unknown who started it, but the Chu State started a war with the Nan State. Three generations of the Wei family’s ancestors were generals, so Emperor Kangze sent the men of the Wei family to war.
The Wei family’s troops were brave and good at fighting and caused the Nan State great suffering. Not long after the Wei family’s army arrived on the battlefield, good news was sent back repeatedly. The Emperor was very happy and even let Consort Wei rule over the Imperial harem’s six palaces. Even the Empress had to back off a little.
Initially, everyone thought that the Wei family was going to rise to a higher level. However, during the last battle between the Wei family’s army and the Nan State, the Jin State suddenly intervened and helped the Nan State. The Wei family’s army was caught off guard and the old General Wei lost his life in this war.
However, this was only the beginning.
The Jin State attacked aggressively as if they had long been prepared. They always deployed some dirty tricks and managed to defeat the Chu State several times in a row.
The Wei family’s army thought that they would be able to win a great victory and return to the capital initially, but surprisingly, the army was defeated in the final battle and almost lost the cities they had seized from the Nan State previously. Emperor Kangze was furious when he found out.
He ordered the Wei family’s army to take care of the Jin State as well.
Fortunately, the Wei family’s army was very experienced in war. They quickly adjusted their tactics and found a way to deal with the enemies. Just like that, pitting one against two, they fought with the Nan State and the Jin State for another year and finally defeated them.
The war lasted for two years, and it coincided with a disaster. That year, many people starved to death on the streets.
When the Wei family’s army returned to the court, some officials criticized the Wei family’s army for deliberately prolonging the war and wasting the resources of the national treasury. They were accused of colluding with the Jin State and the Nan State to empty the national treasury!
The sons of the Wei family had shed their blood and risked their lives for the people of the Chu State at the front line, yet these people in the court who only knew how to talk and propound lofty ideals slandered them.
When the Wei family’s sons learned of this, they were so angry that they defied the Imperial edict and did not return to court.
Emperor Kangze was very paranoid by nature. Now that he saw that the Wei family did not return to court, he felt that they were assembling their personal army to challenge the Imperial authority!
Emperor Kangze immediately ordered the execution of the civil official who had filed a complaint against the Wei family’s sons. He even order that official’s head be hung on the city wall for three days and three nights to show his trust in the Wei family.
The Wei family really believed the ruse and immediately returned to the capital.
However, what they did not expect was that when they returned to the capital, what awaited them was not a welcome, but murderous spears and brutal sabers!
Emperor Kangze ordered all the Wei family’s sons to be arrested for defying the Imperial edict. He didn’t even give them a chance to defend themselves and beheaded them straightaway!
As Hea Shouyi spoke, his voice started to tremble unwittingly. “Back then, my father ran a medium-sized restaurant and Old General Wei had dined with him a few times. 1’11 never forget the determination Old General Wei had when he said that he would become a barrier for the Great Chu State. However, how could he have imagined that the monarch he was loyal to and the state he had shed his blood and risked his life for would take the lives of his entire family?”
Su Ying listened quietly. Her face was hidden in the darkness of the night, and only her almond-shaped eyes occasionally flashed with a terrifying light.
“What does this have to do with you?”
Hea Shouyi lowered his eyes. His voice was a little leaden but still full of determination. “When I learned that the whole Wei family was going to be beheaded, I rushed to the capital like a madman.. But then I saw the bloody heads there! Do you know what 1 was thinking at that time, Your Highness?”