Zhang Mingzhen suddenly felt a pang of resentment. What good would it do to know the truth? The dead wouldn't come back. It would only fuel hopeless hatred.
Wouldn’t it be better to just know nothing and live a peaceful life?
Zhang Mingzhen didn't dare to look Xie Wanyun in the eye again.
"Zhang Mingzhen." Xie Wanyun suddenly spoke, his voice calm.
Zhang Mingzhen trembled all over.
"If you still remember the Xie family, the Duke of Zhenguo, please tell me everything you know. I have the right to know." Xie Wanyun said word by word.
That’s all. Zhang Mingzhen’s eyes darkened.
"Madam, please don't get too excited after hearing this. Back then, the Duke of Zhenguo led over 100,000 former members of the Xie family to defend Blue Moon Pass. That year, the King of Mobei suddenly led 500,000 troops to invade. The Duke led his men to defend the country to the death, keeping the invading enemy out. At the same time, he sent an urgent military message to the court, requesting reinforcements. For some reason, the reinforcements never arrived. When the Duke ran out of ammunition and food and could no longer hold out, and the city was broken, the Duke told the remaining soldiers not to make any more senseless sacrifices and to retreat to the Central Plains, even if it meant hiding their identities. He himself, along with the surviving Xie family nephews, died for his country."
Xie Wanyun's eyes stung, and memories came flooding back like a tidal wave.
Her heart felt like it was being kneaded and stabbed by a giant hand, and the pain was unbearable.
She remembered all of this. She was still young at the time, and her father held her tightly and told her to take good care of herself.
She vaguely understood what her father was going to do, and she was so scared that she screamed desperately: "Daddy, don't abandon me, brother, don't leave..."
She struggled desperately and cried until her voice was hoarse, but her subordinates desperately protected her and helped her rush out of the captured city gate.
I still vaguely remember the flashing of swords and sabers, the flying of flesh and blood, the struggling and wailing of dying soldiers, the broken limbs and arms everywhere, and the river of blood.
The cruel faces, bloodthirsty eyes, and strange cries of the alien soldiers...
The bloody mud splashed by the horse's hooves hit her face^...
It was a hell on earth.
Her eyes were filled with tears and her vision was blurry.
Zhang Mingzhen's eyes turned red. He continued, "It's because the reinforcements haven't arrived yet... I was also puzzled at the time. The messenger had already delivered the military information to Shangjing, so why didn't the reinforcements come?"
"Until the day before yesterday, I was investigating a case and ran into an official from the Ministry of War back then. I asked him about what happened back then, and since so much time had passed, he revealed some of the details to me. He said that the Ministry of War submitted the military report to His Majesty as soon as it was received. However, for some reason, it was kept secret. It wasn't until Lord An repeatedly urged His Majesty that His Majesty finally announced the matter to the court. Then, the Prime Minister and a group of ministers strongly opposed it, saying that the Duke of Zhenguo had lied about the military intelligence in order to gain credit and defraud military pay. The upright ministers in the court, led by Lord An, argued for their rights, but the case was shelved until the Duke of Zhenguo could no longer support it..."
Zhang Mingzhen's throat choked with sobs and he couldn't continue.
Xie Wanyun's fingernails had already dug into his flesh, and his palms were covered in blood.
She knew only that her father and brother defended the border to the death, waiting for no reinforcements, and ultimately leading the remaining Xie family army to their death. She had no idea there were other hidden secrets. Could the deaths of her father and brother, the demise of the Xie family army, be a conspiracy?
She didn't dare to think about what kind of person could plot such a conspiracy?
Zhang Mingzhen finished speaking and remained silent. No matter what decision Xie Wanyun made, he would support her.
Xie Wanyun finally broke free from those heart-wrenching memories.
This matter was too serious, and she needed time to sort it out. But at this moment, her usually clear mind was in a mess.
Her blood-drenched palms weakly supported her forehead. She was completely exhausted, yet she held herself up and didn't collapse. She still wanted to seek justice for the Zhenguo Mansion, for her father and brother, and for the Xie family army.
"Zhang Mingzhen, you haven't told these words to anyone else, right?"
"Don't worry, madam. I haven't revealed a single word." Zhang Ming couldn't bear to look at her pale face. The sadness in her tall, phoenix-like eyes surged out like a broken dam, flowing like a river.
"That's good. I'll go back first. Thank you." Xie Wanyun stood up, straightened his back, and walked out of the Imperial City Division.
No matter how many difficulties and obstacles there are ahead, or how many thorns and weeds are covered on the road ahead, she is not afraid.
Even with all the snow and biting cold, she would keep going.
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