Chapter 615 - One Hidden Deeply
When did he give such a vicious impression? If one seeks to gain an advantage, is there no other way other than to kill?
Jing Rong said, "My dear General Wen, not all problems must be solved with killing. This prince would never sacrifice another person’s life for my own advantage, unless they wanted to kill me.”
Wen Panshi didn’t reply.
Jing Rong stood up and walked towards him. “Did you think that you would be able to redress the Imperial Duke’s injustice by killing and storming your way through the capital? That’s merely the way of a brainless brute. After years of following the Imperial Duke as he waged war all over, surely you’ve learned more skills than merely how to kill on the battlefield? All brawn and no brains. Take a moment to think: what would the Imperial Duke do if he were in your situation?”
Hm? Wen Panshi shot him a curious look. This prince is truly something different. He had long heard about the Emperor’s four sons. One only knew how to follow behind his Imperial Father, hoping that he’d shit out some gold for him, while the next was rarely seen as he was sickly and stayed deep in the palace popping pills all day. Another was normal but too intelligent, so much like the Qizhen Emperor that the Emperor himself had to guard against that son; And the last was Prince Rong who stood right in front of him.
He had heard that this person was not raised close to the Emperor or in the palace. He had been implicated when his consort mother had made a mistake and was banished outside the palace, only allowed to return and titled a prince after he came of age. That was why he had always been treated like air in the Imperial Court, barred from participating in any important decisions. However, if there was a thorny problem, like the ‘Lin Capital Case’ and this ‘Missing Yufu Relief Funds’, the ball was inevitably tossed into his court. To put it plainly, he had none of the status a prince would normally have. Contrary to expectations, he had tolerated this treatment all along without making any fuss, showing exemplary behaviour.
A prince like this was neither as weak as that pill-popping prince, nor as powerful as that intelligent prince. But the more he quietly played his role invisibly, the more inscrutable he was. How capable was he actually? Is he intelligent? Is he hiding something?
Through this incident, Wen Panshi finally managed to have a clear grasp on him. This was a person that had hidden exceedingly deeply! An… extremely intelligent person.
After a long while without any response from Wen Panshi, Jing Rong continued speaking, “Since you’re unable to answer, then this prince will tell you. If the Imperial Duke were in your place, he would not touch his troops, but would use every means possible to investigate the truth behind the fire at the Imperial Duke’s Residence. If it were really the result of arson, he would find a suitable opportunity to gather the troops and exert revenge. He wouldn’t have acted like you did, resolutely forging ahead without ascertaining the truth, and even be willing to kill people in order to reach your goals.
“All of you were once soldiers serving under the Imperial Duke. Even if you weren’t intelligent, shouldn’t you have learnt how he operated in a calm and logical manner? You must know that impulsivity can sometimes lead to death, while waiting and tolerating is not something that’s depressing or cowardly, but a desirable course of action instead.” It was as if… he was talking about himself.
Wen Panshi understood what he meant, and carefully turned over his words in his brain. “We accompanied the Imperial Duke to kill enemies on the battlefield, conquer cities, defeat the barbarians, clearing all enemies and exhausting all our resources in service of the Great Lin Empire. The previous emperor initially intended to pass his throne down to the Imperial Duke, but our Master thought that the Eighth Prince then was more suitable for the position so he ceded it to him. Then, the Eighth Prince was just like Prince Rong now, someone who didn’t fight or crave power, carefree as the clouds and wild cranes.
“However, when the Eighth Prince ascended to the throne, he started killing indiscriminately. Our Master knew that it would be his turn sooner or later, so he had started making preparations long ago, sending the Little Heir out of the capital and dispersing the hundred thousand troops that he controlled. Didn’t time prove that what he feared had come to pass in the end? The only thing no one expected was that it would end in a massive fire. We are all rough, uneducated people, and are fighting to reclaim justice for our Master on our last breaths. You expect us to wait and bide our time? How can we? We’ve already waited for forty years.” We’re already old and grey!
The band of young lads that had accompanied the Imperial Duke as he conquered land from North to South, were now middle-aged men. Wen Panshi drew in a long breath. “But the Little Heir has already given the order. Before the ‘Lin Capital Case’ has concluded and the truth revealed, we will not make a single reckless move. This is an order and we will comply. You are welcome to kill us if you wish, but after you kill us and if the Emperor is revealed to be behind the great fire at the Imperial Duke’s residence, the army of a hundred thousand will raze the capital. We will not regret even if rivers of blood are spilt.”
Haha! Jing Rong smiled again, not because he was arrogant, but because this person was truly stubborn as a mule. He truly was a great general that could support the heavens and had gone through countless trials of life and death alongside the Imperial Duke in yesteryear. Such a disposition was admirable indeed!
Just as Jing Rong was about to reply, a tiny figure rushed inside.
“Father!” Little Xiyue shouted loudly.
“Father!” The minute she ran in, she dived into Wen Panshi’s arms. She raised her head and looked up at him with a large pair of watery eyes, gasping, “Father!” Her calls would melt anyone’s heart.
Wen Panshi was astonished. Why would his daughter appear here? “Xiyue, why are you here?”
“Big Brother brought me home from the yamen. He asked me to wait here for you and Mother to come back.”
“Silly lass.” He caressed his daughter’s little face. That stern and imposing figure couldn’t help but melt away to reveal a doting father’s manner when faced with his precious daughter. “Xiyue, Father has let you down.”
“Father, Big Brother said that nothing would happen to you, so you’ll definitely be fine.” Of course, the Big Brother she was talking about was not Wen Xian, but Ji Yunshu.
Wen Panshi pressed his lips tightly together, unable to speak a single word. He had been caught red-handed in the act of ambushing and assassinating a prince. Even if he weren’t put to death, he would still be detained in jail.
Who could bear to tear them apart after witnessing such a touching scene? Jing Rong walked in front of Little Xiyue, his expression showing nothing of his intentions. When the little girl saw him, her little figure shrunk back a little. For some reason, Little Xiyue was just terrified of him.
Unexpectedly, Jing Rong stretched out his hand and placed it gently on Little Xiyue’s head. “Go back home with your father.”
Eh? Little Xiyue stared for a moment before a brillant grin bloomed on her face and her eyes sparkled. “What about my mother?”
“She’ll be out very soon.”
“What about my brother?”
“He’ll be fine too.”
“Really?”
Jing Rong’s stern face revealed a measure of warm indulgence as he continued rubbing her little head. “This prince never lies.”
“Fantastic!” Little Xiyue was so ecstatic she almost jumped up, tightly gripping her father’s clothes.
However, Wen Panshi was completely stunned. Did that mean that he was letting him go? He’s not going to kill us at all? He gathered his wits and parted a pair of dry, cracked lips. “Do you mean that you’re letting all of us go?”