Chapter 173 The Hidden Truth Don't leave me, okay? ...
Without needing to think too much, he had indeed overheard her conversation with Xie Cheng.
Her hand, which was resting on his cheek, paused. "I don't mean to stop you. I just don't want to see you blinded by hatred, do something irreversible, or go astray." Her expression and tone were filled with worry.
"A wrong path?" Huan Xun didn't get angry at her words. Instead, he said with great warmth, "This isn't a wrong path, this is..."
He remained kneeling before her, mentally searching for the perfect word to describe his actions.
After a moment, he finally found the word that matched his definition. He looked at her again, his expression clear and bright: "This is 'justice'."
"Justice?" Yu Nie thought he had misheard, his eyes wide with astonishment.
She tried to find a loophole in his expression, thinking it was just an excuse he was using to deceive her, but his clear eyes showed that he truly believed his actions were righteous.
“How can this be justice?” she exclaimed.
"The Crimson Falcon Clan was wiped out because of Xiao Daozun's single evil thought, with corpses strewn across the fields. Shouldn't such a crime be punished?"
He spoke as if stating a perfectly natural truth, without the slightest sense that anything was wrong.
“I am not blinded by hatred. He is an emperor, or rather, the emperor of another country. What use is the law to him? Who can judge him?” He moved closer to her, intending to make her understand that he was not seeking revenge, but upholding the principles of morality.
"So the world failed to give them justice back then, so I will give it to them. I, who was saved by them and owe them a debt of gratitude, will personally carry out this judgment. I don't want to be the judge, but someone has to do all this. The whole clan is dead, so only I can do it."
Qi Xun, residing in the palace, lacked the status and ability to personally lead an army to conquer Nan Yin, let alone kill Xiao Daozun. Yu Nie understood perfectly well that his words weren't self-aggrandizement, but a stark reminder of reality.
"Qiqi..." he called her softly, "Tell me, blood for blood, life for life, making those who commit crimes pay the price they deserve, how is this not justice?"
When Huan Xun said these words, his expression didn't change much, just like usual.
Noticing the burning light in his eyes, Yu Nie realized that he not only firmly believed that what he was doing was righteous, but that it was absolutely righteous.
This realization suddenly made her feel suffocated, as if a chimney were sealed with a thick layer of soil, unable to let out a breath.
“I know Xiao Daozun must die.” She spoke earnestly, getting down from her chair to talk to him: “He owes the Crimson Falcon Clan a blood debt that heaven and earth cannot forgive. If you want revenge, I will go with you.”
"But the remaining members of the Xiao royal family, like the Red Falcon Clan of that time, were all innocent lives."
“You say what you’re doing is righteous, and I believe you. It’s precisely because I believe you that I can’t stand by and watch you turn that righteousness into violence. If even the blood of the innocent has to be stained, then what justice is there in this world? This is not the justice you’re looking for.”
She took a step closer, looking at him with tenderness and affection, without backing down or criticizing him for having such thoughts.
“Slaughtering the innocent will taint the justice you uphold, my love.” She gently stroked his handsome profile: “I’m here, I will always be here, accompanying you on the path you should take, but let’s not go down that path of no return, okay?”
As if to bring back his last shred of reason, she said earnestly, "Don't let this hatred turn you into the very thing you hate most, Zijing."
She said these words because, in her heart, there was still humanity within the righteousness of revenge.
She understood his pain stemming from a deep-seated hatred, and precisely because of this, she couldn't bear to watch him sacrifice his humanity to punish a beast. At the same time, she was also afraid—afraid of losing him.
In her heart, he was undoubtedly a man of principle, and she did not want him to become another Xiao Daozun, nor did she want to see him embark on a path of no return.
If such acts of slaughter are allowed to continue, countless innocent souls will forever stand between them, those lives will become an abyss that can never be crossed, and they will never be able to go back to the way things were.
After she finished speaking, there was a moment of silence between them.
Not long after, he placed his hand on hers, his gaze calm and gentle.
Just as she thought he would agree with her, she heard him say:
"Back then, Xiao Daozun ordered the massacre of the entire Red Falcon clan, sparing not even infants in swaddling clothes. Their flesh and blood were trampled by horses and mixed with mud and water. I woke up in a daze in the heavy rain and saw this scene. He chose to eliminate the root of the problem first, so he should have known that this sin would eventually backfire on him."
“Taking only his life is not enough. Let the evildoer witness firsthand that the evil he sowed will be punished on everything he cherishes most. That is the only way.”
"But what he cherished was his empire. Wasn't it enough to let him lose his throne and watch the dynasty collapse?"
Hearing her words, he shook his head: "Back then, the Crimson Falcon Clan lost everything. Therefore, Xiao Daozun must also repay everything. Only then will it be enough, and only then will it be fair."
Yu Nie was speechless for a moment, staring at him in a daze.
After saying that, Huan Xun sighed: "I know my wife is kind-hearted, but some justice must be sought in the most thorough way."
His words seemed to make sense, and she was speechless for a moment. Her earlier enthusiasm for persuading him suddenly vanished.
She realized that his words were not spoken in anger, but rather a decision he had thought about for a long time.
"Does it really have to be this way?" Coming back to her senses, her voice lowered. "Isn't there any other way?"
Huan Xun's eyes were calm, so calm it was unsettling. He kissed her palm.
“From the day he slaughtered the Crimson Falcon Clan, there was no other way.”
As his voice faded into the small bedroom, she suddenly remembered what he meant by "not forgiving" when he said it in Jiangling.
What else could she say? Advise him to be magnanimous? Advise him to think about the consequences? But he had clearly already considered all the consequences.
He had already decided to kill the entire Xiao royal family, but if he had decided to do so long ago, why did he agree to her proposal and negotiations before?
As she pondered, a thought suddenly struck her.
If his goal from beginning to end was to overthrow Nan Yin, then in Jian'an, when she spoke so eloquently about wanting to negotiate with Nan Yin, he, listening to her naive words, never actually intended to do so.
Thinking of this, her hands and feet turned cold.
As if seeing the person in front of her clearly for the first time, she murmured, "So, you never thought... about negotiating with Nan Yin?"
Now that things have come to this, whether the truth is revealed or not is of little significance.
Seeing her face turn pale instantly, Huan Xun knew that some things needed to be said at this moment.
Meeting her incredulous gaze, he spoke frankly: "Yes, I never intended to negotiate with Nan Yin."
Before she could process his words, he calmly revealed one truth after another: "It's not just that. Back in Jian'an, the reason Xiao Chengyan went back on his word and broke his alliance with you was because I went to see him."
“I told him not to have any illusions, that I would definitely crush Nan Yin and kill his brother Xiao Daozun. He firmly believed that I would keep my word, which is why he decided to be your enemy and wanted to go back to Nan Yin to help his brother.”
The truth, once revealed, is painfully stark.
It turns out that the peace talks she had painstakingly orchestrated, which she had once seen as a turning point of hope, had long been destroyed by him, and she only realized this now.
His words were hurtful, but he didn't let go of her hand. He moved incredibly close to her and whispered in her ear, "Qiqi, I don't want to ask for your forgiveness. Forgive me for ruining your plans, forgive me for hiding so many things from you."
His warm breath brushed against her neck, and his pleading words slowly escaped her lips: "But don't leave me. I truly love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you."
It was extremely rare for him to say such things; he would never express himself like that before. But once he was sure of his feelings, he would go for it and take the initiative.
She didn't respond to him for a long time.
But wanting to express his remorse, he cupped her face and tried to kiss her.
In the past, he always loved to kiss her, loved the feeling of their lips meeting, and sniffed her like a wild beast. Yu Nie didn't know that he, who always seemed aloof in front of others, actually loved to be close to her in private, pressing his palm against her skin and leaving red marks.
Normally, she would boldly embrace him, and sometimes she would even take the initiative to press herself against him to tease him. But this time, she turned her head away from his kiss, tears streaming down her face, and she suddenly stood up.
He also got up, stretched out his arms to hug her, kissed away her tears little by little, rested his chin on her shoulder, and told her that she could be angry, but not leave him.
However, the revealed truth is like a sharp knife, cutting away trust and the past.
She could feel the weight of his words and the tightness of his arms around her, so tight it was almost suffocating her.
Yu Nie silently shed tears, soaking Huan Xun's hands completely.
He admitted his mistake; after all, deception itself was wrong, and he knew that.
He suppressed her struggles and bore all the scolding.
Worried that this wouldn't be enough to vent her anger, he grabbed her hand and made her hit him, even offering her a dagger.
He said, "If stabbing me once makes you feel a little better, then you can stab me a few more times."
Seeing the sharp blade pressed against his heart, Yu Nie closed his eyes and threw away the dagger in his hand.
There was a moment of silence between them. Huan Xun reached out and pulled her into his arms again, stroking her back, and said, "It's all my fault, it's all my fault."
After crying and making a scene, Yu Nie, whose emotions had calmed down a bit, could actually understand why he had kept these two things a secret.
He knew she would stop him at all costs and become an uncontrollable variable on his path to revenge, so he had to keep her in the dark and bypass her.
She understood his motives and could see the heavy burden he carried alone behind them.
Understandable, but that doesn't mean you won't get hurt.
She remained stiff in his arms, neither speaking nor struggling.
The pain of him drawing the line himself was like a wildfire that scorched her heart, leaving it riddled with holes.
Once trust is cracked, all the warmth and affection of the past will be tainted by the shadow of doubt.
In the end, all the consideration and understanding were defeated by that little bit of unwillingness and stubbornness in my heart.
After a long pause, she spoke softly: "Why did you lie to me?"
As soon as she said it, even she was taken aback. She already knew the answer in her heart, but she was still unwilling to accept it.
She wasn't questioning his reasons, but rather accusing the deception itself.
She needed to hear him admit it himself, and she needed to get definite reassurance from his answer.
In his heart, what did their trust really mean?
The air was still, with only the sounds of breathing and the flickering candlelight.
He paused, his arm around hers, and remained silent for a long time. She heard him say again, "It's my fault."
He did not argue, but instead sincerely said those words again.
She lifted her head from his embrace, her eyes looking straight into his.
The person in front of me had deep, dark eyes that held pain and apology.
Looking into those eyes, she thought she should do something to pull him back from the darkness he was about to step into.
Having something to say, Yu Nie's lips moved, but no sound came out for a moment.
What she said next revealed that she knew she was doing something dishonorable—exploiting someone else's guilt.
But she had no other choice. This was the only chance she could think of that might shake him.
She took a deep breath and exhaled the words she hadn't said a moment earlier, her voice cruel yet calm: "If you really feel sorry for me..." She paused: "Then let the rest of the Xiao family go, okay?"
She knew she was exploiting his guilt, their past relationship, and her recent injuries as leverage to achieve her goals. She was turning her grievances into a soft blade, turning them against him.
This is tantamount to emotional blackmail, demanding repayment for a favor, and the behavior is almost despicable.
With nowhere else to go, she could only grasp at this last thorn, which, for him, prevented him from moving forward.
Every moment spent waiting for his response felt incredibly long.
Whether to refuse or accept her, Yu Nie dared not consider the first answer.
During their long gaze, Huan Xun looked at the person in his arms, his thin lips pursed, revealing only a deep calm.
Beneath this calm surface lay an answer that made her heart race.
But he didn't get a chance to hear Huan Xun speak.
Xie Cheng, who had been pacing back and forth outside the gate several times, looked at the person who had been standing in the courtyard for a while, and had no choice but to bite the bullet and knock on the door: "General, Counselor Fan has arrived."
The tranquility of the room was broken by the knocking.
Huan Xun frowned and glanced at the door out of the corner of his eye.
The advisor Fan mentioned by Xie Cheng was Yan Yue's most capable advisor. He had followed Yan Yue for more than ten years and had a long career. Even Huan Xun had to respectfully address him as Uncle Fan when they met.
Yan Yue would not send him out unless it was something important.
Huan Xun quickly realized that this person's personal visit must mean that something urgent had happened on Yan Yue's side.
This thought made him instantly suppress his entanglement with Yu Nie.
He glanced at her, then turned around and opened the door.
Besides Xie Cheng, a middle-aged scholar stood outside the door; this man was none other than Fan Tian.
His expression was solemn. When he saw Huan Xun come out, he disregarded etiquette, immediately stepped forward, pulled him aside, and whispered a few words in his ear.
Yu Nie, who followed Huan Xun out, watched the two whispering in the courtyard.
After Counselor Fan finished speaking, she saw that Huan Xun's expression was quickly replaced by a cold astonishment.
She realized that something had gone wrong.
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