Chapter 1204 Turnaround
Pei Xingyuan's words were so well-spoken that even Yuwen Yuan fell silent.
Shang Ruyi's heartbeat became increasingly rapid.
Upon closer reflection, no one actually recognized who was secretly meeting with Pei Xingyuan in Feishuang Palace. Lou Yingxiong had already met Liang Youying and witnessed their meeting at the restaurant. In order to implicate Pei Xingyuan, he deliberately kept it a secret until the Tangquan Palace incident, when he revealed that Liang Youying came from Wanggang Village. He then used her subsequent disappearance to connect with the previous events, proving that she was the one who secretly met with Pei Xingyuan in Feishuang Palace.
Thus, Pei Xingyuan naturally became an accomplice of the rebel Wanggangzhai who attempted to assassinate the emperor, and incidentally implicated Yuwen Ye as well.
Although this is a lie that could convict Pei Xingyuan, lies are bound to have loopholes.
This loophole is Pei Xingyuan's chance to turn the tables!
If it really was a conspiracy between the two of them, or even if it was just Liang Youying alone who attempted to assassinate the emperor, it's impossible that they would have taken a detour to the Feishuang Palace for a secret meeting while being chased by the guards after the plot was exposed. That doesn't make sense from any perspective.
Unless the person meeting with Pei Xingyuan in secret wasn't her.
However, Lou Yingxiong, who was certain of Pei and Liang's secret meeting at Feishuang Palace, was already dead, leaving no way to verify the facts. Furthermore, both the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice considered the case based solely on the fact that the two had met in secret, without considering any other possibilities.
That means the road is now blocked!
Yuwen Yuan asked, "Then what was the 'selfish motive' you just mentioned—"
"...!"
Hearing him ask that, Pei Xingyuan, Shen Wuzheng, Yuwen Ye, and Shang Ruyi all breathed a sigh of relief.
Yuwen Yuan's question implies that he agrees with what he just said: Liang Youying could not have been the assassin, because no one can be in two places at the same time; similarly, the two of them were not accomplices, because no accomplice would be foolish enough to go to Feishuang Palace for a "secret meeting" after the assassination failed, waiting for the guards to arrest them.
Yuwen Yuan's question meant that they had washed away their greatest sins!
Pei Xingyuan breathed a sigh of relief and spoke again with a more composed attitude: "That is, she was rebellious and dared to break a prisoner in the street; and I, your humble servant, even followed her."
"..."
“Your Majesty knows that breaking a prisoner is a serious crime, but I cannot bear to leave her behind. Therefore, I persuaded her and Jiang Yan to go with me to Luoyang to act as inside agents, because at that time the Emperor had already sent Prince Qi to attack the Eastern Capital.”
"..."
"Your Majesty, I believe that with the combined strength of the three of us, we can take Luoyang from within and without, thus bringing honor to Your Majesty."
"..."
At this point, he raised his head again to look at Yuwen Yuan, his gaze calm and solemn: "This humble subject's actions are partly for her own selfish reasons, but nine-tenths are for the Emperor's loyalty, and there is no falsehood in that!"
"..."
Yuwen Yuan listened without saying anything, but everyone in the hall could clearly feel that the sense of urgency and oppression that weighed on everyone's hearts seemed to ease up a bit at this moment.
He must have taken it to heart.
After a long silence, Yuwen Yuan said, "A person should be selfless. But how can one be selfless?"
Upon hearing these words, Shang Ruyi felt a huge weight lifted from her heart. She could even clearly sense that Yuwen Ye's tense body relaxed a little the instant she heard them.
This statement can be seen as an endorsement of Pei Xingyuan's actions.
Even a loyal subject cannot be completely selfless and without desires; otherwise, he would be either a saint or a devil, and no emperor would dare to employ such a subject. Pei Xingyuan could frankly admit his personal desires, but above all, he still prioritized the Great Sheng Dynasty and the emperor's great cause. Most importantly, he had indeed helped the army capture Luoyang without bloodshed, which was the most crucial reason why Yuwen Yuan was willing to listen to his words!
Ultimately, military merit is the ultimate truth.
Pei Xingyuan's face lit up with a joyful smile, and he was about to prostrate himself on the ground, but after thinking for a moment, he reached out and pulled the person next to him. At this moment, Liang Youying also came to his senses, and together with Jiang Yan, they knelt down and bowed: "Thank you for your great grace, Your Majesty!"
Yuwen Yuan frowned slightly.
Merit is meritorious, but Liang Youying and Jiang Yan's identities, as well as their prison break, should be considered separately. However, seeing Pei Xingyuan's anxious yet cautious manner, he suddenly felt a little reluctant.
After all, he had watched Pei Xingyuan grow up, so he understood Pei Xingyuan's character to some extent.
Since they weren't the ones who plotted the assassination at Tangquan Palace, those who rendered meritorious service to him should be forgiven if possible.
Yuwen Yuan said, "I should also reward you."
His words made it very clear: you deserve a reward, but since you weren't, it means your merits and demerits cancel each other out, and you should be content.
Pei Xingyuan, sensing the situation, quickly said, "Your Majesty's forgiveness of my past transgressions is already the greatest reward; I dare not harbor any further ambitions. Besides—"
As he spoke, he slightly raised his head, glanced carefully at Yuwen Yuan, and said, "Although I infiltrated Luoyang, His Highness Prince Qi's troops did not arrive at the city walls, so I was unable to coordinate with them. This delayed me for more than half a year until two months ago... It was my incompetence."
Yuwen Yuan's expression turned serious.
Although Pei Xingyuan's words implied his own incompetence, the fact that Prince Qi had launched an attack since October of last year, followed by the Tangquan Palace incident, Liang Youying and others' prison break, and that Prince Qi still hadn't reached the walls of Luoyang even after the three of them had infiltrated the city, meant that Yuwen Cheng was indeed incompetent. It wasn't until two months ago, when Yuwen Ye defeated Xiao Yuansui's 100,000-strong army at Hulao Pass with 3,000 cavalry before advancing on Luoyang, that they were able to capture the city without bloodshed.
It is self-evident who deserves the greatest credit for the Battle of Luoyang.
At this moment, Yuwen Yuan finally had no choice but to turn his attention to his second son once again. From the moment Pei Xingyuan was "tried," he had been standing quietly by the side listening, and his face remained expressionless, as if everything had nothing to do with him.
Feeling Yuwen Yuan's gaze, he respectfully lowered his head.
And so, silence fell.
The silence between the father and son was like a standoff.
After an unknown amount of time, a deep and gentle voice rang out. Although it sounded calm, that calmness was like the surface of a sea concealing raging waves, subtly harboring boundless undercurrents—
"Second brother, you have made great contributions in this battle."
Upon hearing this voice, Shang Ruyi felt a shiver run down her spine.
She and Yuwen Ye turned around at the same time, and saw the handsome figure who had been standing quietly behind Yu Dingxing sway slightly, like a shadow slowly taking shape and stepping into reality.
Crown Prince Yuwen Qian finally spoke at this moment.
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