Chapter 19 Hoping for an Eighth Time!
Chapter 19
No, she hasn't even proven herself yet, how could this person believe her?
Ye Xiren froze, her expression turning strange in an instant. She carefully examined the person in front of her. Although he was a renowned general, he was currently imprisoned in a cell, wearing only a blood-stained white undergarment. The dungeon was extremely cold, and his thin clothes made him appear somewhat fragile and pale, unlike the ferocious and menacing figure described in the rumors.
Sigh, he's still young and easily trusting.
Ye Xiren thought to herself.
Yan Danqing looked at the thoughts written on her face, his brows softened, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. All his confusion and bewilderment became crystal clear the moment Ye Xiren appeared in front of him.
I see.
As the candlelight flickered, he gazed into Ye Xiren's bright, dark eyes and explained slowly:
"I have never met Lord Ye, but you have served as Minister of Revenue for many years. I grew up on the frontier and later led the Yan Family Army in battles. I have had a lot of dealings with the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of War, so I know what kind of person Lord Ye is."
"Lord Ye is a good man. I am still alive today because there must be many people in the court working hard. Lord Ye will take the blame for me. I'm afraid the pro-war faction has been driven to a dead end by Chi Zhanlan Ce."
“You don’t understand Chi Zhan Lan Ce. He is ruthless and adept at gambling on life and death. He once said that he only had one wish in his life: for Northern Yan to occupy the Central Plains and swallow up Great Liang. He has absolutely no possibility of peace talks!”
Yan Danqing moved slightly, causing the iron chains to rattle.
Ye Xiren then noticed that he was bound by iron chains, and to prevent him from running away, his feet, waist, wrists, and neck were all bound by iron chains, making him very tightly bound.
Where the chains met the flesh, the area was a bloody mess, and blood would ooze out whenever the body moved.
Ye Xiren felt somewhat uncomfortable.
No matter what General Yan did, he saved Daliang from danger last year, fought on the battlefield, and is the descendant of a family of loyal martyrs. He should not suffer such pain.
Yan Danqing understood her gaze, smiled and shook his head, as if he hadn't noticed the pain, and continued:
"Once Lord Ye confesses, given His Majesty's clear-cut nature, the entire family could be executed. Lord Ye taking the blame for me will surely prevent many in the court from achieving their goals. They will not let you off easily. Before today, the Ye family will be beheaded and displayed to warn others not to fail to see the situation clearly and obstruct peace talks."
"Lord Ye is a good official, and your Ye family members are innocent victims. I'm sorry, I've implicated you."
He looked at Ye Xiren. In the dim candlelight, her eyes were bright, filled with apology and indescribable complex emotions. Reflected in the candlelight, they looked like dancing flames, which was unsettling.
Ye Xiren's heart skipped a beat.
I had just thought this person was young, but after seeing his intelligence in these analyses, I realized that I would have to put in a lot of effort to gain his trust. Now it seems that I didn't need to at all.
Ye Xiren took a deep breath, gradually regaining her composure. She shook her head and said softly, "There's no such thing as implicating anyone. You can't die. If you die, and your head is sent to the Huai'an Canal, the Yan family army will be thrown into chaos, and the country will perish."
"You can't die, but I want to live too." She leaned forward, saying each word clearly, "So, I came to find you."
-
Imperial Court
Ye Pei knelt on the ground, his expression solemn, his voice resounding:
"...Your Majesty has investigated and found that the military rations sent to the Yan family army were indeed problematic. General Yan is not a traitor. Your Majesty must not execute such a loyal and righteous person! If General Yan dies, the Yan family army will surely fall into chaos. At that time, the iron hooves of Northern Yan will easily break through the Huai'an Canal and invade the Southern Capital."
Zhang Yuanmou, the Vice Chancellor, immediately retorted with a sneer: "Lord Ye is truly worrying unnecessarily. The Crown Prince of Northern Yan is still in Nandu. Today is the day for peace talks between the two countries. What is the meaning of your rush to plead for a rebel now?"
"Yes, what if we delay the peace talks and anger the Northern Yan people?"
"What's there to be afraid of?! Northern Yan has cavalry, and our Great Liang also has the Yan Family Army. As long as we let Marquis Zhongyong go to Huai'an Canal, taking back the Northern Capital is just around the corner."
"Ha, that Yan Danqing is a traitor. If we let him return to Huai'an Canal, I'm afraid the Northern Yan people won't even be able to attack before the Yan family army has already stormed into the Southern Capital and is plotting to usurp the throne!"
...
The two sides started arguing, neither willing to back down.
The pro-war faction was small, but each member was fearless and fierce when they argued, their voices no less powerful than those of the pro-peace faction.
The emperor frowned, rubbed his temples, and looked at Ye Pei: "Minister Ye, do you have any evidence?"
Ye Pei paused, then continued, "The evidence will arrive tomorrow. In just one day, everything will be clear, and right and wrong will be distinguished."
"Tomorrow? The peace talks are to be held today. It was already agreed upon by both countries. The Northern Yan delegation has already entered the palace and is resting in the Qian Yuan Hall. You want to change it to tomorrow? Aren't you afraid that the Crown Prince of Northern Yan will turn against you?"
"Didn't Northern Yan want to negotiate? Can't they even wait a day?"
They started arguing again.
Another Vice Minister, Liu Duoxi, smiled broadly:
“Prince Lan Ce seems to have a good temper and is very easy to talk to, but let’s not forget how our Great Liang suffered such a crushing defeat and who drove us to the Southern Capital. That prince may not be so easy to talk to.”
Ye Pei's eyes darkened. Most of the officials in the court had become pro-peace, and now, on the third day of the third lunar month... no one was hiding anything anymore.
-
Imperial City Guard, Imperial Prison.
Ye Xiren looked at him with a serious expression. "His Majesty is furious because you have committed treasonous acts. My father said there are hidden circumstances, and the evidence will not be sent to Nandu until tomorrow. Do you have any other means or evidence to help you get off the hook early?"
Delaying is probably no longer an option, but as long as we obtain useful evidence today to clear Yan Danqing of some of his crimes, both his predicament and the Ye family's predicament can be resolved immediately.
Of course, this is on the premise that... he is truly innocent.
Ye Xiren was filled with apprehension about this.
Yan Danqing looked back at her, but instead of offering any solutions or evidence, he spoke of military provisions. “At the beginning of the new year, it is a time of food shortage, which will have an even greater impact on the Northern Yan cavalry. I want to take advantage of this opportunity to launch a major battle and crush the Northern Yan army in one fell swoop. It is crucial that the court sends new provisions at this time.”
Ye Xiren's heart tightened, her nerves tensed. It seemed this was the problematic military rations Ye Pei had mentioned!
“There’s something wrong with that batch of military rations. It’s not grain at all, but a batch of river sand.” Yan Danqing confirmed Ye Xiren’s guess, which made everyone gasp.
"At that time, the army was short of food, and the Northern Yan was eyeing us covetously. In order not to shake the morale of the army, I dared not make a fuss. So I secretly asked the emperor to investigate and requested food from the court again, but there was no response."
Yan Danqing stared into Ye Xiren's eyes, slightly lost in thought:
"After sending out three letters requesting grain, I received an imperial decree instructing me to submit a petition. So I wrote three more petitions and sent them to Nanjing by express courier. However, I later learned that the emperor had not seen a single one of them."
Yan Danqing spoke his last sentence calmly, yet it was all the more alarming. Ye Xiren clutched her chest, her heart pounding as if it were about to burst out of her chest, her mind in turmoil.
Such an urgent message would surely be delivered directly to the Emperor. Who hid it, and who had the ability to do so?!
“Prime Minister Jiang.” Yan Danqing slowly uttered the name, his brows furrowed. “I suspect it is him, Jiang You, the Chancellor and Privy Councilor.”
Ye Xiren's legs went weak, and she sat down on the ground.
The lantern slipped from his grasp and fell to the side, its flame flickering erratically.
-
Imperial Court
The person standing at the very front of all the officials suddenly spoke:
"Your Majesty, yesterday I met with Prince Lan Ce of Northern Yan. He said that Northern Yan is sincere in this peace negotiation. In March, when food is scarce, neither his men nor his horses want to stay long and want to return to the grasslands as soon as possible. If the peace talks go smoothly today and the peace treaty is signed, Northern Yan will immediately withdraw its troops. He can serve as a hostage and will only leave Southern Capital after the handover of Northern Capital is completed."
Everyone was shocked.
Even Emperor Liang Yue subconsciously looked at the speaker. He was a bit older than Ye Pei, and his slightly graying hair and beard showed his age, but his pair of sharp and clear eyes were full of energy.
This man was none other than Jiang You, the prime minister of the Great Liang Dynasty.
"Really?" Liang Yue sat up straight.
Jiang You nodded: "Chi Zhanlan Ce holds an extremely high position in Northern Yan. He is the most beloved son of the King of Northern Yan, an uncrowned king, and is known as the 'Holy Son.' He is of great importance to Northern Yan. His willingness to be a hostage demonstrates Northern Yan's sincerity."
After saying that, he looked at Ye Pei and his eyes turned cold. “My Great Liang is now beset by internal and external troubles and is overwhelmed. All you see is war and your selfish desire to leave a heroic name. Can you still see the people who are displaced in the current crisis and war in Great Liang?”
"To obstruct peace talks, they actually claimed there was a problem with military rations to delay the process. What a load of nonsense! Do they have any evidence? Ye Pei, you've caused enough trouble lately. Let's stop here."
The last sentence is a stark warning.
Ye Pei looked at him and questioned him sharply: "Prime Minister Jiang, you have been advocating for peace talks. Aren't you afraid of regretting it? If you harm my Great Liang and destroy the foundation of the court, what face will you have to meet your ancestors after you die?!"
As Jiang You listened to the questioning, he looked ahead with a calm expression. "I know what you're saying about me behind my back, but I also know that I'm not wrong. History will prove me right."
The imperial court was utterly silent for a moment.
At the head of the table, Emperor Liang Yue opened his mouth as if he had made a decision.
Ye Pei gritted his teeth and glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye.
"Your subject, Bai Chengguang of the Court of Judicial Review, hereby impeaches Ye Pei, the Minister of Revenue, for the fact that there was indeed a problem with the military rations sent to the Yan Family Army. Minister Ye made a solemn vow, only because he was the one who handled the matter of the military rations."
"Ye Pei embezzled military funds, resulting in the delivery of counterfeit military rations to the Huai'an Canal. General Yan Danqing's alleged crimes of massacring officials and burying refugees alive are all related to the counterfeit military rations. The Ministry of Revenue's account books were falsified by Ye Pei, which can be easily verified. I have found another account book that can serve as evidence!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the court fell silent.
"Lord Bai, you and Ye Pei have always been on good terms, how come..." Councilor Zhang said in disbelief.
Bai Chengguang, his face full of indignation, raised his voice: "It is precisely because we are on good terms that I was able to learn about his deeds by chance. I really do not want to associate with such a person!"
Jiang You suddenly turned around, staring intently at Ye Pei with icy eyes.
Ye Pei glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then looked away, staring straight ahead. She prostrated herself on the ground with a pitiful expression and cried out:
"I am innocent!"
-
Imperial City Guard, Imperial Prison.
“Jiang You is more favored by the Emperor than I am. He won’t believe me with just empty words. He needs evidence. And even if we find evidence, can we really send it to the Emperor?” Yan Danqing spoke calmly, showing no emotion when talking about these difficulties.
This calm resembles despair. The pro-war faction struggled for a long time, but the real pro-war person was Yan Danqing. He struggled even longer, but all his methods were ineffective, which is why he has come to this point.
Ye Xiren seemed completely deflated, slumping to the ground and muttering, "What other options are there? This is the last chance. Are we just going to watch the entire Ye family be executed again?"
She had come to the imperial prison with great difficulty, but when she met this young General Yan, she couldn't think of a single solution.
Despair spread, and tears welled up in Ye Xiren's eyes.
At this moment, Yan Danqing leaned forward, looked up at her, and lowered his voice: "Then please do me a favor, Miss Ye. Perhaps there is still a chance."
"What?" Ye Xiren sat up straight, hope igniting in her eyes.
Yan Danqing said, word by word: "Kill Chi Zhanlan Ce!"
Ye Xiren: "???"
A note from the author:
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