Chapter 100 Everyone has a weakness.
Imperial Medical Academy.
Lou Xueying rested on the couch, listening to the military doctor tell Li Pan about her condition.
"Judging from the remaining medicines found at the Liao family's residence, this medicine can be harmful if consumed in excess. However, fortunately, Madam only drank it too much these past few days, so it shouldn't have too much of an impact. I will prescribe some medicine for Madam to take care of herself for a period of time," the military doctor said. "Madam's neck injury has also been treated and should heal in about a month. There's nothing else seriously wrong, just a bit of weakness. She just needs to rest well."
"Okay." Li Pan nodded. "Go ahead and do your work."
After the military doctor took his leave, Li Pan sat down on the edge of the bed and said, "How about I have your father and your second brother come to the palace to keep you company?"
Lou Xueying shook her head and said softly, "No need, they probably have other things to do too."
She had been crying for a long time before, and only now has she finally calmed down.
Li Pan carried her to the Imperial Hospital. She looked in the mirror and felt that she looked haggard and had red and swollen eyes. It was really not advisable for her to go directly to see her relatives, lest she cause them worry.
Moreover, with Emperor Jinghui's recent death, the capital was in complete chaos. There was a lot to do: arresting escaped members of the imperial family, investigating disgruntled officials, and searching for any remaining fugitives. My father and second brother must have been incredibly busy.
She had regained some strength and voice, and her grief had subsided. Realizing there were still endless troubles to deal with in the capital, she reminded Li Pan, "By the way, there should still be reinforcements and supplies to the east of the capital. You must send troops there in time. Also, have you captured the armory and granaries in the city...?"
"I know, everything has been arranged," Li Pan said. "Don't worry."
Just then, Wu Zhao entered the Imperial Hospital and reported through a screen: "General, the capital troops have all surrendered and are under our control. However, there is someone who would like to ask the General for instructions."
Li Pan: "Who is it?"
“This man is a lowly soldier in the Imperial Guard. He captured Liang Ji and handed him over to me. He claims that although he is a member of the Imperial Guard and was assigned to ambush in the palace, he deserted during the battle and did not fight against our army,” Wu Zhao said. “General, what do you think we should do with this man? Should we reward him?”
"Desertifying in the face of battle? You certainly know when to back down," Li Pan laughed. "Where is he?"
"It's right outside. Does the general wish to see me?"
"See you." Li Pan said, then patted Lou Xueying and said, "Liang Ji had his uncle trick him into giving him military power in the capital, but in the end he was captured by a member of the capital army. Don't you think this is cause and effect?"
Lou Xueying blinked.
Li Pan stood up: "I'm going to see this person, and you can also hear what's going on."
He went around to sit behind the screen, and Wu Zhao quickly brought the person in.
Li Pan sized him up.
He looked quite upright and pleasing to the eye. Li Pan asked him, "So, you're the one who captured Liang Ji?"
"Reporting to the general, it was indeed I, your humble servant."
Li Pan: "What's your name? How did you catch him?"
"My name is Wang He, the 'He' in 'grain seedling'," the man replied. "To be honest, General, although I am a member of the capital army, I did not wish to be an enemy of the Northwest army, so I sought an opportunity to escape the battle. However, it was my first time entering the palace, and I got lost, not knowing how to get out. While resting, I happened to run into the fleeing Crown Prince... uh, Liang Ji. Before I could react, he suddenly attacked me, and I... to protect myself, I... that's how it happened..."
Li Pan: "Oh? Why are you unwilling to fight the Northwest Army? Is it because you think you can't win, so you don't want to fight?"
Wang He looked a little embarrassed, scratched his face, and said, "General, although I also believe that the Beijing Army is no match for the Northwest Army, I am not a coward who fears death, and it is not entirely because of this that I am unwilling to be enemies with the Northwest Army. What I really do not want to be enemies with is actually the General and his wife... but I am of lowly status and dare not presume to be associated with them, so I did not speak frankly just now."
Li Pan: "Since you are from the Beijing Army, you must be from the capital or the surrounding area. Could it be that you have some connection with the Marquis of Wu'an's family or the Lou family?"
"General, your calculations are brilliant," Wang He said honestly. "Before joining the army, I was a bodyguard in the residence of Yao Shaoqing of the Ministry of Agriculture."
"You're from the Yao family?" Li Pan asked in surprise.
Lou Xueying, who was lying half-reclined on the couch behind the screen, sat up abruptly upon hearing this.
"Yes," Wang He said, bowing his head. "My father is the head guard of the Yao family. I grew up in the Yao family and later became a guard myself."
Li Pan became interested: "Since you were a bodyguard for the Yao family, why did you join the army?"
"Uh... I... I think that if I could join the army, I might be able to achieve something... The Yao family is kind and released me from the manor..."
"Are you still in contact with the Yao family?" Lou Xueying asked hurriedly. "How is A-Yue?"
Wang He was startled to find someone behind the screen and quickly replied, "This humble servant greets Madam. Last year... uh, last year after the General raised his army, Lord Lou was arrested and imprisoned. The Yao family had close ties with the Lou family, so although Lord Lou wasn't imprisoned, he was suspended from his post, and his entire family was confined to the mansion. As for Miss..." He paused, then said sadly, "This humble servant doesn't know how Miss is doing. Military management is strict, and this humble servant hasn't had a chance to go back to the Yao family to inquire. I can't even contact my father. But I haven't heard any other news about the Yao family either. This humble servant can only comfort myself that no news is usually good news."
Li Pan immediately called Wu Zhao in: "Go and see what's going on with the Yao family. If Miss Yao is here, bring her to the palace to keep Madam company."
Wu Zhao was ordered to carry out the task.
Li Pan then asked Wang He, "Since you used to work for the Yao family, it seems you knew my wife?"
Wang He hurriedly replied, "I dare not claim to know you, Madam. It's just that Miss Yao used to go out with you often, and I would occasionally escort her out of the mansion. I've seen you from afar a few times."
"So I did benefit from my wife's connections after all," Li Pan laughed. "Did you know that Liang Ji, whom you captured today, was once engaged to Miss Yao?"
“…I know.” Wang He pursed his lips and said in a low voice, “But Miss doesn’t like him. Now it seems, it’s fortunate that Miss doesn’t like him.”
Li Pan raised an eyebrow.
“My wife and Miss Yao are very close friends, and today you’ve helped me catch Liang Ji, it’s quite a coincidence,” Li Pan said. “Tell me, what reward do you want?”
Wang He hesitated.
Li Pan: "Speak boldly."
Wang He said cautiously, "I dare not be greedy, but there is one thing I truly desire. When the general ascends to the throne in the future, could you... could you grant me a small military rank? It doesn't have to be too high, a squad leader would be enough."
"Squad leader?" Li Pan laughed. "I thought you'd at least want a centurion. Squad leader is a bit too low a level."
Wang He: "I am just a lowly soldier in the capital. I have only ever watched my father manage the guards in the mansion. I have little personal management experience and dare not be presumptuous. Even catching Liang Ji today was just a matter of luck. However, if I become a squad leader, my chances of promotion will be greater. I am willing to do my best and rely on my own abilities to earn a future for myself."
Li Pan nodded: "That's right, you're quite down-to-earth, I'll remember that." He paused and then said, "Since you haven't been able to contact your father for a long time, why don't you go and catch up with Wu Zhao and go back to the Yao family with him?"
Wang He was overjoyed and quickly thanked him before taking his leave, almost tripping over the threshold in the process.
Li Pan returned to the bedside, touched Lou Xueying's face, and said softly, "You'll see Miss Yao later. You haven't seen her for a long time, so you must have a lot to talk about."
Lou Xueying sighed softly, "It still dragged her into this." She added, "You should go and get busy too, you don't need to stay here with me."
“There are indeed many things to do right now, but most of them have already been taken care of by others, so I don’t need to personally take action for the time being.” Li Pan’s eyes darkened. “However, there is one thing that I do need to do now.”
This matter concerns the interrogation of Deputy General Ding.
He was imprisoned in a side hall, heavily guarded at the entrance. Logically, he should have died from his injuries long ago, but the army doctor gave him some medicine and kept him alive, so he is still alive now.
Li Pan stepped across the threshold, and the palace door closed behind him.
Lieutenant General Ding lay on the ground, covered in blood. Hearing the noise, he opened his eyes, saw Li Pan, and weakly called out, "General."
Li Pan squatted down in front of him and stared at him intently.
The magistrate of Hedong County tricked Lou Xueying into going there under the pretext that "a surrendered general is a spy." He thought it was just a fabricated reason, but he didn't expect that there really was a spy by his side, but not a surrendered general, but his capable deputy general.
Liang Ji's move was undeniably insidious.
First, he used the accusation of being a spy to arouse Lou Xueying's suspicion, and then, through Lou Xueying's disappearance, he created the illusion for Li Pan that "there was no spy after all." If he hadn't received the warning from Lou Xueying hidden in the cloth tiger, he probably would never have imagined that his comrade-in-arms, whom he considered a brother, would be hiding behind him and wielding a knife against him.
They had known each other for six years, had gone through thick and thin together, had beheaded Quanrong barbarians, and had shared the same bowl of liquor.
But in the end, it all ended up like this.
"When did you betray us?" Li Pan asked him.
Deputy General Ding hesitated for a moment, then said, "July."
"Last month?" Li Pan frowned deeply.
He just betrayed us?
But upon closer examination, it is indeed true. If they had betrayed earlier, there would be no reason why the previous battles had gone so smoothly.
After the Battle of Hedong, there was a lot of unrest among the people, so much so that Lou Boyu was too busy to even attend to Lou Xueying's visit to the magistrate. Now that I think about it, the troubles that arose among the people were probably orchestrated by Liang Ji and others.
"Are you crazy? Success is within reach, and you suddenly betray us?" Li Pan said incredulously. "Don't you know what kind of troops the capital has, and what kind of troops we have? What benefits do you get from working for Liang Ji? Once I capture the capital, do you think I will treat you unfairly!"
Deputy General Ding gave a wry smile: "It's not for any personal gain..."
"What was the purpose of that?"
“Everyone has a weakness. The general’s weakness is his wife, and mine… is my wife and children.” Deputy General Ding gasped for breath and said, “They’ve taken my wife and children hostage… General, what can I do? My son is only three years old, how can I abandon him…”
"Your wife and children? Aren't your wife and children in the Northwest?" Li Pan exclaimed in astonishment. "They even traveled all the way to the Northwest to arrest people?!"
"They're no longer in the Northwest..." Deputy General Ding closed his eyes and replied, "After the pacification of the interior, I felt victory was imminent, so I wrote a letter home, telling them to move to the interior first. The climate there is better than in the Northwest, and the produce is more abundant. I thought it would be good for them to be comfortable a few months earlier... Who knew..."
Who knew that although the prince's men couldn't stop the rebel cavalry, they could easily take several family members hostage.
"Why didn't you tell me these things directly?" Li Pan said angrily. "If you had told me earlier, would I have just let it go?"
“How can we manage this, General?” Deputy General Ding gave another bitter smile. “They said they would exchange your life for theirs. But I don’t even know where my wife and children have been taken… I dare not gamble with their lives, General!”
"It's not just my life!" Veins bulged on Li Pan's forehead. "You even helped them kidnap my wife, didn't you! They hid my wife in a coffin and carried her away. You knew perfectly well that she was inside, yet you still let her go! When Liao Qian surrendered, you even pretended to suspect him. You acted so well! You knew I wasn't easy to kill, so you deliberately faked my wife's death to distract me! Ding Heng, you really do know me well!"
After a long silence, Deputy General Ding said, "I have wronged the lady and the general."
Li Pan slammed his fist into the ground, his eyes red-rimmed.
“General, you can do whatever you want with me. I only beg you, General, could you… spare my wife and children?” Lieutenant General Ding shed tears. “Even now, I still don’t know their whereabouts. I dare not ask you, General, to take the initiative to search for them, but if you have any news of them, could you please not blame them? They know nothing… If you ask me, just say, just say I died in battle… please…”
Li Pan choked back tears and said, "Everyone knows you've betrayed us! You still want me to pretend you died in battle?"
Deputy General Ding paused for a moment, then lowered his eyes.
Li Pan took a deep breath and said, "You have your reasons for wanting to kill me, but I can no longer tolerate you. However, out of consideration for our years of friendship, I will give you some face and you can commit suicide."
After saying that, he threw the sword that belonged to Deputy General Ding in front of him.
Deputy General Ding stared blankly at the knife.
After a long while, he slowly reached out and grasped the hilt of the knife.
This knife had accompanied him in slaying many enemy soldiers, stained with their blood; now, it too would be stained with its master's blood.
The action of raising the knife aggravated the wound. Deputy General Ding frowned and gritted his teeth, finally holding the knife to his neck.
He took a breath and smiled at Li Pan: "Thank you, General."
Li Pan stood up and turned his back.
The sound of flesh being torn apart came from behind, followed by a clattering sound as something fell to the ground.
Li Pan's face was tense. He stood in the hall for a long time before finally pushing open the door and whispering to the soldiers at the door, "Collect the body."
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