Upon hearing this, Yuan Xingzhou's pupils dilated for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure. He took Zheng Quchi's words as confirmation and said in a deep voice, "This is indeed the corpse of General Yuwen Sheng of Ye Kingdom."
The courtiers held their breath, their eyes widened, and they all looked at the black coffin. Was this really the corpse of Yuwen Sheng, the living Yama?
Is he really dead?
They found it hard to believe that such a mad and tyrannical man could die so easily, but the general's wife had already verified it, and His Highness had personally confirmed it; how could it be false...
Yuwen Sheng is really dead. At first, they were skeptical, thinking that it was the people of Julu Kingdom who were playing tricks and that Yuwen Sheng had just disappeared. But now that the body is right in front of them, they have no choice but to believe it.
Seeing the stunned and bewildered expressions on the faces of the Ye Kingdom's courtiers, She Guan no longer held back and delivered another heavy blow: "The General's wife is indeed honest and did not lie in order to protect the Ye Kingdom. This is of course Yuwen Sheng's corpse, because we found him in the river a few days ago, but we kept saying that we had not found him until recently. We did this only to prevent Yuwen Sheng's people from stealing the body."
So, when they retrieved the body, it wasn't as badly decomposed as it is now. They already knew Yuwen Sheng was dead, and sending the body to Ye was simply a way to attack and humiliate Ye.
—Look, your Ye Kingdom's guardian deity has died at the hands of our Julu Kingdom. From now on, no one in Ye Kingdom will be able to stop the iron cavalry of Julu Kingdom from trampling you.
This must be the main reason why the Kingdom of Julu sent the coffin in such a grand and high-profile manner.
As expected, after the court officials understood the sinister and malicious intentions of the Julu Kingdom, their faces turned pale with anger and frustration, but they dared not speak out.
Indeed, in the past, when Yuwen Sheng was in power, it was like a mountain pressing down on their heads, making it hard for them to breathe. Many people both feared and hated him.
However, it cannot be denied that the reason why their Ye Kingdom has been able to survive until now in the precarious peace alliance of the seven kingdoms is entirely due to the brilliant military strategy of Yuwen Sheng. But now that this mountain has collapsed, they were secretly pleased, but now they are filled with fear.
This is similar to how unruly children always complain that their parents are too strict and wish they could break free from their control immediately. But once their parents stop sheltering them from the storm and their real hardships and trials arrive, they realize just how foolish their resistance and rebellion were.
Zheng Quchi came to her senses and frowned at She Kou: "What do you mean by stealing a corpse? Yuwen Sheng is my husband. He should naturally return to his country and home. Do you want to keep his body for yourselves?"
She Kou scoffed, "General's wife, you must be confused. Yuwen Sheng was an enemy general who was executed for stealing crucial intelligence from our Julu Kingdom. My King of Julu, considering that the mastermind behind the crime is dead, did not pursue the matter further against Ye Kingdom. This is already being magnanimous towards you. As for Yuwen Sheng, this criminal, he should be burned where he was supposed to die. Those who are defeated and executed belong to the Julu Kingdom's merits. Why should you ask for the return of his body?"
Wars in this era were both cruel and horrific. It was said that, in order to intimidate the enemy, some countries would pile up all the corpses of defeated enemy soldiers on both sides of the road, and then tamp the soil down to build huge pyramid-shaped mounds to commemorate military achievements.
As for the commander-in-chief, whoever could cut off his head and hang it on their waist would definitely be the one who made the greatest contribution in this battle. Yuwen Sheng, the renowned general, died at the hands of Sima Moye of Julu Kingdom. As a result, Moye instantly became the most respected and powerful figure in Julu Kingdom.
Zheng Quchi understood.
Yuwen Sheng's corpse is now a spoil of war for the people of Julu Kingdom to flaunt among the seven kingdoms, and they are unwilling to let it go easily.
She asked Yuan Xingzhou, "How did His Majesty make his decision?"
"His meaning... is naturally that peace is of paramount importance." A strange mockery appeared on Yuan Xingzhou's face.
Zheng Quchi had previously heard from the Queen about the attitude of the King of Ye. He knew that the King would not offend the Kingdom of Julu in order to retrieve Yuwen Sheng's body. He would only try to appease the situation, even if doing so would cause the Kingdom of Ye to lose face in front of the other six kingdoms and cause the people of Ye to lose faith in him and the entire country, and feel disappointed and heartbroken.
Zheng Quchi suddenly smiled. She stood here today because she had made up her mind to stick to her principles no matter what: "The Prince of Ye has abandoned Yuwen Sheng, but I will not. Now I am here in the name of Zheng Quchi to reclaim my husband's body. General, do you have any say in Julu Kingdom? Do you have any authority to make decisions?"
The court officials of Ye were all greatly surprised when they heard Zheng Quchi's words.
Does she even know what she's doing?
Did she really think that Julu Kingdom would allow Yuwen Sheng, their enemy, to be properly buried after death and honored with a place in the Imperial Ancestral Temple? They were already being merciful by not having his bones ground to dust. Now that she wanted to ask them for his body, she was afraid they would only see her as a joke.
Sure enough, the people of Julu Kingdom burst into laughter after hearing her naive words: "Do you know who General She is? He is the uncle of the King of Julu Kingdom and one of our Five Tiger Generals of Julu. He is renowned throughout Hebei and the world. Do you think he has any influence in Julu Kingdom?"
Zheng Quchi took a deep breath: "General She, you are also a father, a son, and a husband. I'm sure you can understand how I feel right now. My husband, Yuwen Sheng, protected our country and fought on the battlefield, giving everything for Ye Kingdom. He and you were both loyal to the emperor and protected the country, each with your own stance. There was no personal grudge between us. But after his death, no one was willing to speak up for him. As his wife, I have to stand up and demand that my husband have a complete body so that he can be laid to rest in peace."
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