Chapter 1178 Crimes
Upon hearing this voice, Yuwen Cheng froze in his tracks.
The soldiers who had been watching the spectacle turned around and, sure enough, saw Prince Qin, Yuwen Ye, accompanied by his queen and several officials, marching in a grand procession. His tall figure appeared exceptionally imposing in the sunlight, radiating an invisible, oppressive pressure.
These people were so frightened that they immediately shut their mouths and hurriedly retreated to both sides to make way for them.
Yuwen Ye then led Shang Ruyi and the others up step by step. Although he had just spoken to Yuwen Cheng, he did not look at him. Instead, he first looked at the bronze door that shimmered with a dark golden-green light in the sunlight, then looked at Shan Tong'er and nodded slightly to indicate that he had done well. He also nodded to Cheng Qiao.
Finally, his gaze met Yuwen Cheng's resentful eyes.
Compared to his opponent, who was panting heavily, with red eyes and looking somewhat disheveled after a fight, he walked with a dignified demeanor, hands behind his back, and an indifferent gaze. Even without any arrogance, Yuwen Cheng saw him as someone who was thoroughly laughing at him.
So he gritted his teeth and said, "Second brother, these are your men."
At this moment, Shi Yutao also became a little nervous.
Just now, Yuwen Ye walked over and looked at everyone, but never at him. This action seemed to him as if he were severing ties with him, which made his heart pound. But before he could react, he heard Yuwen Ye say calmly, "Of course."
"...!"
Shi Yutao's heart nearly skipped a beat. He couldn't speak, only staring wide-eyed at Yuwen Ye.
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Cheng sneered: "If he's one of yours, then that's good."
"..."
"Your men attacked me, how do you explain that?"
"..."
"To murder a prince is the same crime as treason."
"..."
"Second brother, you have always been strict in disciplining your troops and you are also fair in your rewards and punishments. Today you have to show me what you are capable of."
Upon hearing this, Shi Yutao's face stiffened, and the soldiers around him exchanged glances, finally realizing the enormity of Shi Yutao's actions and whether they, who had instigated the disturbance, would be implicated.
But if Shi Yutao is really to be punished, then what chance do those of them who surrendered have of survival?
Everyone frowned and held their breath as they looked at Yuwen Ye.
How will he handle this?
At this moment, Shang Ruyi also frowned as she looked at them. Just now she was furious because Yuwen Cheng wanted to open the treasury, but now she realized that opening the treasury was a minor matter. Shi Yutao's fight with him was naturally due to the boy's bad temper and eagerness to make a name for himself, which was understandable. However, fighting with the Prince of Qi was indeed no small matter. If Yuwen Cheng took it seriously, he might really be in serious trouble.
He had just surrendered, and if Yuwen Ye did not protect him, the morale of the tens of thousands of surrendered soldiers would surely be thrown into chaos, and even greater disasters might occur.
If you protect him...
How to protect it?
At this moment, Yuwen Ye slowly stepped forward, walking from Yuwen Cheng's side towards the treasury in front, but instead of going directly to the gate, he stopped in front of Shi Yutao.
He glanced down at the young general who had just joined his ranks, and the latter, whether out of guilt or fear, instinctively lowered his head.
But Yuwen Ye wasn't looking at him; he was looking at the axe in the man's hand.
The clean, gleaming axe shimmered with a cold light.
Yuwen Ye slowly turned around and said to Yuwen Cheng, "To murder a prince is tantamount to treason."
Yuwen Cheng immediately replied, "That's right!"
Yuwen Ye asked, "Did he... murder you?"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Cheng immediately exploded, jumping up and shouting, "You clearly saw him hit me!"
Yuwen Ye calmly said, "All I saw was that he obeyed my orders, guarded the treasury, and did not allow anyone else to set foot there."
Yuwen Cheng narrowed his eyes, revealing a ferocious expression: "I am 'someone else'?"
Yuwen Ye said, "Apart from Father Emperor, everyone else is 'other people'."
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Cheng's face immediately stiffened. Then Shang Ruyi understood and stepped forward, saying, "That's right, Third Brother. This treasury is a vital part of the imperial city. In all dynasties, only the emperor's decree could grant entry. Now that you brothers have conquered Luoyang, every palace, every building, every blade of grass and every tree here belongs to our Great Sheng and to Father Emperor. This treasury is no exception."
After saying that, she looked ahead and deliberately asked, "Why haven't you put the seal on yet?"
Upon hearing this, Shan Tong'er immediately understood and said, "I was just about to send someone to write the seal when His Highness Prince Qi arrived."
Shang Ruyi shook her head and said, "You child, I told you to guard the treasury, so just guard it properly. How could you let them fight? It's one thing for General Shi not to recognize Prince Qi, but why didn't you tell him?"
Shan Tong blinked: "Before I could even speak, His Highness Prince Qi drew his knife."
These words, spoken in unison, directly transformed the charge of "murder" into "fighting," implying that Shi Yutao was not murdering the prince, but rather stopping those who overstepped their bounds and forced their way into the treasury.
Yuwen Ye turned to Shi Yutao and said, "Your guarding of the treasury is a great achievement. When we return to Chang'an, I will ask my father and the emperor for your reward."
Yuwen Cheng's eyes widened in anger.
Yuwen Ye continued, "But you shouldn't have attacked the Prince of Qi without asking any questions. Fortunately, you didn't hurt him. If your axe had been stained with even a drop of blood, I wouldn't have been able to protect you. In the future, you need to learn more about the rules in my army."
Shi Yutao lowered his head: "Yes."
Yuwen Ye said, "Now, let's go and apologize to the King of Qi."
Shi Yutao was still resentful, but even if he was stupid, he could tell that it was the Prince of Qin and his wife, as well as the bald boy who had been nagging all the way, who were helping him to smooth things over. So he walked over, put the two battle axes on the ground, and bowed to Yuwen Cheng: "Your Highness, I was blind and did not recognize your greatness. I have offended you."
After saying that, he picked up two axes and turned to leave.
Yuwen Cheng was so angry he almost blew smoke. He couldn't believe that he, a prince, had just been beaten, and yet the other party dared to dismiss him with just a few words.
Then, with a livid face, he said, "Second Brother, is this how you treat your brothers?"
Yuwen Ye glanced at him indifferently and said, "We both lead troops in the army, and the army only values military merit. Now that we have achieved victory in the Battle of Luoyang, I will immediately write a report to send back to Chang'an to request commendations for all the soldiers."
After saying that, he stepped forward, looked down at his third brother's eyes which flickered slightly as he approached, and said in a deep voice, "Do you hope that your name is on this battle report, or do you hope that the report will include your crime of forcibly breaking into the treasury?"
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