Chapter 115
It was a face that was by no means young; more than forty years had etched deep lines on it, and especially in those deep, dark eyes, the embers of a battle that hadn't yet died out a decade ago flickered, giving off an inexplicable sense of ambition. This was quite incongruous with the submissive and meek demeanor the man had displayed when he was brought before Gu Shuan.
Gu Shuan was fighting to the death in front of the city, but upon hearing the news, he immediately retreated back into the city. The bloodstains on his silver armor were still wet and dripped all the way.
"Lu Huaiyuan?"
The man gave a fawning smile.
It wasn't that Gu Shuan recognized the former general who had escaped a calamity in the imperial court ten years ago, but rather that this man introduced himself at the foot of the city, claiming to be Lu Huaiyuan, the sole survivor of the Zhan family army.
Otherwise, Gu Shu'an would never have abandoned the battlefield.
Lu Huaiyuan had fought alongside the Zhan family army against Xili ten years ago. After their defeat, when the emperor was purging the Zhan family army, he was saved by Prince Jing and escaped disaster. Perhaps no one knew better than him what the Zhan family army had gone through ten years ago.
Whether it's to exonerate the Zhan family army or to uncover Prince Jing's long-standing schemes, this person is unavoidable.
Before Gu Shuan could even reach out to him, the man delivered himself to her.
What exactly is his purpose?
Gu Shu'an dismissed everyone else, leaving only two people in the grand hall of Liangzhou Prefecture, one kneeling and one standing. He scrutinized them closely and asked, "You claim to be a remnant of the Zhan family army, how can you prove it?"
“Your Highness may not remember me, but we met once in Mingzhou City ten years ago.”
Gu Shuan feigned a moment of hesitation, as if she had just remembered such a person, "Now that you mention it, I seem to have some impression of her. It is..."
"It was Prince Jing who saved me back then."
Why would he protect you?
Lu Huaiyuan took a deep breath, his eyes filled with grief and indignation: "Because Your Highness knows that the Zhan family army has been wronged."
Gu Shuan remained calm, already understanding the situation. This person had come to him unintentionally, likely to stage a self-inflicted injury ruse. So he would play along: "The Zhan family army suffered a defeat in battle, causing our An Kingdom to suffer a crushing defeat in the war against Xili. What evidence do you have to prove that he was wronged? If you cannot provide one, you will be charged with deception and disrespect..."
“There is a marching log of the Zhan family army to prove it.” Lu Huaiyuan handed over a stack of yellow paper. “It records in detail the Zhan family army’s daily marching routes and combat situations.”
The edges of the paper were rough and charred, clearly having survived the scorching heat of gunfire and been salvaged at the last moment. The white thread used for binding and sewing, however, was brand new, indicating that the original cotton thread had broken and been re-sewed. Since it was re-sewed, it's possible that it had been tampered with.
"This log was kept by a special person from the Zhan family army. The person died in battle ten years ago. Your Highness can tell whether I am lying or not by comparing the handwriting."
Indeed, if it were a final letter, it would be impossible to forge.
The Zhan family army's own account alone cannot overturn the case, but as long as the time and place recorded in it are reviewed, the time of the battle, the villages and passes visited, and the evidence is corroborated with the log, it will be enough to prove that the Zhan family army did not collude with Xili.
Whether the log is complete, and whether the most crucial pages have been deliberately removed, remains to be verified.
Gu Shuan put the diary aside and asked him, "Why didn't you take it out ten years ago?"
“Your Highness is wise. The incident happened suddenly back then. I know that someone was trying to frame me, but I don’t know who the person behind it is. Even if this evidence can prove my innocence, if I present it rashly, I may be silenced.”
This statement didn't hold up to scrutiny, but Gu Shuan nodded in agreement, then casually looked up and asked, "Aren't you afraid now?"
"Now that the real culprit has been found, and with His Highness here, we must naturally clear the name of the Zhan family army."
Who is it?
"It is indeed Wei Ping, the Prefect of Liangzhou."
Then, Lu Huaiyuan listed one by one the "evidence" he had collected over the years regarding Wei Ping's collusion with the Xili people, arms trafficking, and framing the Zhan family army. The evidence was so detailed that Gu Shu'an almost wanted to applaud him. If Wei Ping hadn't been interrogated first, or if Lu Huaiyuan had arrived a few days earlier, and if he hadn't had Shulang verify the credibility of Wei Ping's confession, he might have actually believed it.
“What you say makes sense, but there are people who say the exact opposite. Why don’t you confront each other face to face so that I can see clearly?”
“Your Highness, Wei Ping’s words are absolutely unbelievable! He must be trying to frame me with a sophistry,” Lu Huaiyuan hurriedly retorted.
“When did I say that person was Wei Ping? It was Prince Jing who told me personally,” Gu Shuan said.
“Absolutely impossible!” Lu Huaiyuan immediately denied it, then suddenly realized, “You’re bluffing me.”
“There’s no need for that.” Gu Shuan unfolded a letter and began to read it to himself.
"It has been determined that ten years ago, Prince Jing secretly traveled to Liangzhou under the pretext of inspecting the border. During those ten years, his confidants carried fish tallies and traveled back and forth between Liangzhou and Fangshuo many times. All the secret letters he delivered have been burned and cannot be retrieved..."
This is Changning's reply to him.
"You probably already know whose fiefdom Fang Shuo belongs to, without me having to remind you. 'Everything has been burned,' but unfortunately, Prince Jing burned the reply, while the letter he sent out was carefully kept by the recipient. Guess who that person is?"
Lu Huaiyuan's face turned extremely ugly: "The letter Wei Ping received was clearly written by Prince Gong. Are you trying to pin the blame on Prince Jing?"
Gu Shuan chuckled softly: "That last sentence was just a trick. You haven't even seen the letter, so how do you know that Wei Ping's letter was written by Prince Gong?"
"Or... is the confidant mentioned in this letter you?"
Lu Huaiyuan's mind raced, and he immediately took the blame as well: "It was indeed me. The letters that Fang Shuo sent to Liangzhou were all ordered by Prince Gong and delivered by me personally. They were sent by Fang Shuo to frame Prince Jing."
"oh?"
“Prince Jing saved my life. Now that the matter has been exposed, I am unwilling to implicate him with this unfounded infamy. I did it all by myself. Do as you please.”
This Lu Huaiyuan was extremely loyal to Prince Jing.
Gu Shuan glanced at the sky outside, her tone calm but clearly showing disbelief. "You're quick to change your mind. Then let me ask you, how did Prince Gong learn about the copper mines outside the pass? And why did he frame the Zhan family army for treason?"
"The copper mine was discovered by chance by the Zhan family army during their battle outside the pass. Naturally, I passed the news on to Prince Gong. The accusation of treason was also to embezzle the mine."
Gu Shuan waited for him to refute and reconcile all his previous statements before saying, "Actually, you know very well that I won't believe this explanation."
"You just don't want to betray him."
Not wanting to betray, they stubbornly maintained their stance even when faced with the truth.
"I'm telling the truth, believe it or not!"
Gu Shuan shook his head. It was getting late, and he had no desire to continue this pointless entanglement.
"Some of what you said is indeed true. The copper mine was indeed discovered accidentally during the Zhan family army's battle; artillery fire blasted open the ore hidden beneath the rock strata. Prince Jing had been keeping an eye on the developments of this battle. Perhaps he overheard your conversation by chance, or perhaps someone deliberately tipped him off, but Prince Jing approached you. He had long harbored rebellious intentions, and since he couldn't win over the Zhan family army, he turned to you, who was fighting alongside them. At that time, in order to counterbalance the Zhan family's military power, they began to promote some commoner generals of low status, and you were promoted at that time. To reach that position, you weren't afraid of death. So, what were you after? Wealth, or fame?"
"Wealth and fame? They're nothing but fleeting clouds! How could you possibly understand that some people are born to be the pawns in the game of power, unburdened by so-called justice! Those virtues and reputations you cherish so dearly are nothing but self-deception, laughable pretenses used to mask the true state of affairs!"
Now that things had come to this, Lu Huaiyuan finally stopped hiding his true intentions, his words filled with malice.
"He tells you this, but he himself hides his wolfish ambitions, always presenting a humble and gentle appearance to outsiders." Gu Shuan sighed inwardly.
He would never forget that his always-smiling uncle was the most good-natured of all the royal relatives. Although Prince Jing didn't interact much with the younger generation, everyone respected him, but no one could have imagined that he would…
He arrived in Liangzhou before confirming the location of the copper mine, which suggests that he may have already intended to influence the course of the war.
He probably never expected that even with their intelligence and deployments already known to the enemy, the Zhan family army could still fight to the death and inflict heavy losses on both sides against Xili. This allowed Xili to recuperate for ten years before they were able to make a comeback.
Over the course of ten years, Prince Jing continuously sold gunpowder and ores to Xili, reaping huge profits while simultaneously strengthening Xili's national power and cultivating a formidable rival for Anguo. Meanwhile, in court, he continued to play the role of a carefree prince, oblivious to worldly affairs and focused solely on raising fish and enjoying flowers.
Gu Shuan was unsure whether Prince Jing truly wanted to bring peace to the country or destroy it, or whether he would wait until that day came to use his wealth, which rivaled the national treasury, to establish his own power base or turn the tide.
He will wait until the day he returns in triumph to ask in person.
Gu Shuan cut off Lu Huaiyuan's two arms. The man screamed and cursed in agony, but Gu Shuan ignored him.
“Your debts still have a way to be repaid, so leave this life in Mingzhou, where you will be settled with your loyal Prince Jing.”
Before dusk, the scouts finally found the location of the Western Li King's tent by following the horse tracks, just as Lin Yi had said, on the valley slope.
The Li army also discovered the An army lingering nearby, and the sound of clashing weapons startled the crows circling in the valley.
After being unconscious for three days, Zhan Xian finally woke up.
She was seriously injured and her voice was still hoarse. As soon as she woke up, she asked about the current military situation and battle conditions.
"The Li army is not attacking because they are short of troops. They are using stillness to test our strength." She was still very weak, but her eyes were resolute. "This is an opportunity."
“I know,” Xie Chengnan said. “I have made the arrangements, and the battle will begin tomorrow.”
Zhan Xian was still worried, so she forced herself to stay alert and went over the strategy and details of tomorrow's attack with him.
The next day, the two armies went to war as scheduled, and the battle was brutal.
With both sides on guard, there was no surprise attack, nothing unexpected. It was a bloody battle, a battle to the death.
Clusters of blood mist exploded and fell to the ground, quickly condensing into crimson frost.
The Xili people continued to use their mysterious Gu poison on the battlefield, and many An soldiers fell victim to it.
Even if Lin Yi had the Gu Secret Record, it would be difficult to cure all An Bing at the same time.
She was too busy to think about anything else.
The system appeared when she was most exhausted and gave her one last task—to ensure Anguo's victory in this battle.
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