"No, no!" He Xiong quickly responded, "Don't worry, uncle. Yong'an is fine. How could he offend anyone? This traitor explained clearly that he accepted benefits from others."
After that, he described the confession in detail.
It turned out that the centurion had a son who was addicted to gambling. He would often go to the outpost to ask his father for money to pay off his debts. The centurion beat and scolded him, but he could not discipline his son.
A few days ago, he finally returned home and happened to see his son being hung up and beaten by someone. The man said he owed eighty taels of silver and if he didn't pay it back, his son's legs would be taken away!
Gambling was forbidden in the border defense army, so even asking a familiar friend for a loan was difficult. Just as he was feeling down, a man in black approached him and offered him a hundred taels of silver for a favor. Not only did he pay off his son's gambling debt, but he also had twenty taels left to start a small business.
Of course he was happy, but the request put forward by the man in black was to take advantage of the Luosha attack on the border to cause a big chaos, and it would be best to attract the attention of people inside the border and let the nearby counties know that the border was about to be breached.
He didn't know the other party's intentions, but he knew very well what the consequences would be if he did this. He refused outright, but his son disappeared that night and the house was in chaos.
He had no other choice but to rush back to the outpost at night to borrow money from someone, but unfortunately, he was caught by the Rakshasa people who intended to launch a sneak attack.
In order to save his life, he took the initiative to talk about a mountain path that he had discovered by chance, which could allow him to quietly avoid the border defense line and enter the interior.
The Rakshasa people believed him, gathered five or six hundred people, and finally successfully entered the pass.
Originally he was going to be killed by the Rakshasa people, but unexpectedly the man in black who threatened him appeared again and rescued him.
The man in black not only released his son, but also gave him one hundred taels of silver as promised, and told him to keep an eye on the movements of the border troops. If there was any important information, he would definitely give him more money.
The centurion survived the disaster and swore to take good care of his son. He even retired from the army and left the border.
His main purpose in coming here to transport food today was to report. If nothing unexpected happens, he will be able to return home with his family in a month.
After Chen Zhao came back from the grassland, he often went in and out of the military camp. He was familiar with He Xiong and the Sixth Prince. Many soldiers did not know his identity, but they knew that he was a nobleman.
The centurion overheard a few words, and when he saw Chen Zhao leaving the camp with an old man and a fat girl, he suddenly came up with a bad idea. He deliberately scared the fat girl by scaring her horse, and then approached her to get close to her. If he could get some useful information out of her and exchange it for some silver, maybe his family could return home in glory instead of being like stray dogs...
Everyone was speechless after hearing this. They really didn't know how to evaluate this centurion.
You could call him stupid, but he accurately saw that Mr. Tai and Zhuzhu were not ordinary people. Or you could call him smart, but he scared Zhuzhu by frightening the horse, delaying his journey and being stopped by He Xiong, thus ending his own life!
Chen Zhao frowned and said angrily, "This man is really stupid. For his own selfish reasons, he actually let the Rakshasa devils into the customs! Last night, the uncle mentioned that many people were killed and injured near Tai'an. How hateful!"
The Sixth Prince also nodded and asked He Xiong, "But we need to find out where that man in black came from and why he is disturbing the border?"
"I didn't get any information," He Xiong replied in frustration. "The man in black was masked both times he appeared, and both times at night. I'm afraid we won't be able to find him easily."
Old Master Tai had been silent the whole time. Now he sighed and said, "I can guess this person's identity."
"How did you know that, uncle?" Everyone was curious, even the general looked over.
The old man bowed to the general and the sixth prince and started a new conversation.
"General, I have something to ask you. There are now Rakshasas attacking the border, and there is also a commotion in Kyoto. Faced with power and the safety of your country, what will you choose?"
The general was stunned for a moment, then replied sternly, "Of course, we choose the safety of our country. If our Zhao family was obsessed with power, why would we have guarded the border for generations, enduring so much hardship and humiliation? It's simply because we can't let go of the people of Wei and don't want our country to be slaughtered by foreigners!"
"If the border is peaceful and the people live and work in peace, I can even give up my position as general and my military power!"
Old Master Tai didn't say anything, and after a long time he asked the Sixth Prince.
"Sixth Prince, do you...want to be the emperor and have the chair in the palace?"
The Sixth Prince subconsciously straightened his back, his expression becoming more defensive. Before he could say anything, Zhuzhu had already climbed onto his legs and, smiling, stuffed the snacks into his mouth.
"Cousin, cousin! This snack is delicious. Cousin and Zhuzhu will eat it together!"
The Sixth Prince had no choice but to eat the snack from the fat girl's hand. Whether it was the sweetness of the snack or the warmth and softness of the fat girl's small hand, the ice in his heart slowly melted.
He took a sip of tea, looked at the old man again and said slowly, "Grandpa Tai, I want to be the emperor of Wei! I want to be an emperor who establishes his mind for heaven and earth, provides livelihood for his subjects, and brings peace to all things! If my father and several of my brothers are talented and wise rulers who are rare in a century, I am willing to stay in the north, marry, have children, and live a peaceful and simple life.
“But… they’re not!
"Instead of letting them bring disaster to our great country and chill the hearts of the people of Wei, why can't I take over the country? I believe I will be a good emperor!"
Zhuzhu had just finished a piece of dessert, and her hands were covered with a lot of dessert crumbs. She clapped her chubby hands hard, as if she was applauding enthusiastically.
The old man looked over subconsciously, and the fat girl thought that her grandfather was blaming her for throwing the snack crumbs on her cousin, so she quickly bared her little white teeth and nodded vigorously, following her cousin's words and flattering him.
"Well, well, cousin is a good emperor!"
The old man paused for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Well, since Zhuzhu said so, your cousin must be a good emperor!"
Everyone found this strange, but the old man didn't let them think too much and continued, "General, Sixth Prince, please don't blame me for not knowing etiquette. I came here this time because I have something important to tell you.
"Before the old general passed away, he quietly called me to his side and gave me a treasure map. He told me to hide it well, thinking that in the future this treasure map might be the weapon that would change the world and protect the people of Wei.
"For so many years, I have been very anxious. I don't know when is the right time to take it out. But now there are powerful enemies outside and hidden dangers inside. I feel..."
He stood up and slowly walked to the center of the ground, knelt on his knees, and gently lifted the pipe that had always been by his side with his hand.
"I think the time has come for me to fulfill my promise to the old general!"
The old general’s last words?
A treasure that can change the world?!
Everyone's eyes widened in shock, and no one reacted for a long time.
The general's lips trembled, and he tried hard to speak, "I always thought my father was hiding something from me, but I didn't expect that he would ask Uncle Tai to hide it..."
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