Deep-seated hatred
"That's natural."
The one who spoke was Xiao Chang'an, who had been standing with his arms crossed and watching coldly. He glanced at the Divine Hound Camp soldiers standing in the courtyard and sneered, "Killing you wouldn't be a loss for us. To be honest, all the men who stayed behind are fearless. Those who took this job didn't have any intention of going back. Their families are taken care of by the court."
Hulü Guang then looked at Sun Neiren and the others. They were old and young, and although two of them were extremely beautiful, he knew they were not of much importance. Using them to threaten Xiao Chang'an and Gongyi Xiu was just a pipe dream.
He continued, "If you kill me, have you considered the countries behind you? What if the Great Khan, in a fit of rage, launches a military attack on the Southern Dynasty?"
Gongyi Xiu chuckled listlessly, then said, "Why not just send another delegation to beg for surrender?"
Not only was Hulü Guang stunned, but A Qiu was also taken aback.
Gongyi Xiu continued, "How Prince Ning treated us along the way is documented in Zhongzhou. Our men will report to you about the abuse and coercion of our group, and the Great Khan will understand why we wanted to perish together with you outside Luoyang."
He paused subtly, then said, "If we were to elaborate on how you won over the hearts of the people in the Southern Dynasty and how you sought to claim all the credit for the surrender, I can guarantee that the Khan would even thank us, saving him the trouble of taking matters into his own hands."
Hulü Guang's expression finally changed, realizing that Gongyi Xiu was not joking.
Gongyi Xiu's eyes gleamed with a sharp, piercing light as he stared at him. It was not a mere threat or a joke, but rather a display of deep-seated hatred.
A Qiu had no doubt that if Gongyi Xiu did not get the answer he wanted, he would immediately cut Hulü Guang's throat without the slightest hesitation.
Even with Hulü Guang's ferocity and cruelty, he could not withstand such a gaze. He avoided looking away and took a deep breath, saying, "So you want me to act as if nothing happened, not mention anything, not ask anything, and send you into the city as usual, right?"
Gongyi Xiu stared intently into his eyes without yielding for a moment, and said calmly, "That's right."
Hulü Guang coughed lightly and said with a wry smile, "But before I set off, I wrote a letter to His Majesty, saying that the Southern Dynasty, to show its sincerity, sent the highly respected Lord Shangguan as its chief envoy..."
A fierce glint suddenly flashed in Gongyi Xiu's eyes. Before he could finish speaking, the folding fan in his hand was opened with a "whoosh," and with each fold and turn, it created a dazzling illusion, and was already pressed against Hulü Guang's throat.
Hulü Guang was also a martial arts master, known as the number one spearman in the north, but he was completely powerless against Gongyi Xiu.
The reason for this is that the martial arts masters of the North, who are accustomed to using long spears, may never have had the opportunity to experience the close-quarters combat skills of the Central Plains assassins, who can see the world within a small space.
Having been repeatedly defeated by Gongyi Xiu, Hulü Guang was already intimidated. Moreover, the cold air from the fan forced his throat in, causing him to cough incessantly.
This was the first time that A Qiu had witnessed the elegant demeanor of this senior brother, who was known for "making friends through martial arts and using witty banter in warfare," a side that seemed to always be bathed in sunlight.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Xiao Chang'an walked behind Gongyi Xiu, patted him on the shoulder imperceptibly, and then smiled and said, "This is Your Highness's business. We believe that Your Highness will definitely have a way to resolve this matter amicably with His Majesty."
Hulü Guang understood their meaning: they wanted him to find a way to explain this matter to the Northern Qiang royal court. This matter wasn't particularly difficult, but it wasn't easy either. A delegation of over four hundred people had dwindled to only sixty-four; it would be difficult for anyone to resolve this issue.
But at this moment, Hulijin was busy accepting the surrender and ascending the throne. No matter what reasons he fabricated, he was betting that Hulijin would not have time to investigate and could only complete the ceremony first. With the enthronement ceremony just around the corner, Hulijin could not possibly come to investigate what had happened to the envoy at this juncture, much less delay the acceptance of the surrender for this reason.
At this moment, the situation left him no choice but to agree.
Hulü Guang could only reply, "Your Majesty understands. I will certainly ensure that you all enter the city smoothly, complete the ceremony on schedule, and that there will be no mishaps."
After being slapped by Xiao Chang'an, Gongyi Xiu calmed down a bit, put away his folding fan, but his gaze toward Hulü Guang was still unfriendly.
Huli Guang finally got a chance to catch his breath and said miserably, "Lord Gongyi... seems to want to kill me as soon as possible. Can I know where I have offended you along the way?"
Hulü Guang himself was an extremely hypocritical person, but he couldn't understand why the gentle and refined Gongyi Xiu, who was always easy to talk to, suddenly became murderous towards him.
In a battle between masters, the outcome can be swift. He could tell that Xiao Chang'an had the ability to kill him, but would only do so when necessary, avoiding pointless conflict. Gongyi Xiu, however, was truly intent on killing him.
That is to say, whether it is necessary or not, as long as Gongyi Xiu is given a chance, he will be eliminated as soon as possible.
Gongyi Xiu had already turned around when he heard this, and said coldly, "I was chatting with Your Highness recently when I learned that when Luoyang fell, it was Your Highness who advocated for the extermination of the entire families of the Han officials who resisted, and for burning, killing, and looting everything. I suddenly thought of a couple of old relatives and friends, and I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to avenge them."
Hulü Guang also knew that the powerful clans in both the Central Plains and the Southern Dynasties were all interconnected, with countless ties between them through teacher-student relationships, marriage alliances, and friendships. It was quite normal for a high-ranking official like Gongyi Xiu in the Southern Dynasties to have relatives and friends who had not crossed the Yangtze River to the south and were destroyed in the Luoyang disaster. Therefore, he had no doubts and dared not say anything more.
Only A Qiu knew that Gongyi Xiu was referring to his own Duan family. And if Gongyi Xiu was right, there was probably also his second senior brother's family, the Moyi family.
Gongyi Xiu was about to take a step when he suddenly asked, "Your Highness, I would like to ask you a question. At that time, Luoyang had fallen and the situation was hopeless. The old court officials were no longer capable. They could be used when they were useful and dismissed when they were not. Others may not understand this, but Your Highness is well-versed in Han classics and history books. You must understand the reasoning. Why was it you, the most tolerant and enlightened king among the Northern Qiang, who insisted on slaughtering their entire families?"
Hulü Guang remained silent upon hearing this.
But Gongyi Xiu didn't leave. Instead, he stood there, staring intently at Hulü Guang, looking as if he wouldn't leave until he got an answer.
Hulü Guang finally spoke, but his answer was very simple: "It is precisely because I have read the history books that I know that he cannot be subdued, so I killed him as a warning to others."
The harsh crackdown and brutal reprisals against those who resisted were indeed the thunderous methods used by the Northern Qiang to invade the Central Plains. Afterwards, in areas where Han administration was corrupt and ineffective, the Qiang cavalry swept through like dry leaves, and the invading forces surrendered at the mere sight of them.
However, even in places that submitted and surrendered, their fate did not improve much.
Gongyi Xiu did not leave because of this, but instead sneered, "I don't think so."
Hulü Guang was startled and asked incredulously, "Why do you say that, sir?"
Gongyi Xiu stared intently into his eyes and said fiercely, "Because Your Highness's reputation among the Northern Qiang and Han people has always been one of benevolence and virtue. Such an initiative to exterminate an entire Han family should not have been proposed by you. If you are making an exception and pushing for this, there can only be another reason. For example—"
He paused slightly, then said:
"You have something you want."
Huli Guang suddenly laughed, no longer showing any of his previous timidity. His eyes gleamed, and he said, "Your guess is quite right, sir."
But they did not reply.
Gongyi Xiu continued, "I suspect that one of the things you desire is the inheritance of the Shuanghua Hall of the Moyi Clan. But I wonder what the Duan Clan desires?"
Hulü Guang chuckled lightly and said, "I remember back in the Southern Dynasty, everyone said that the Right Chancellor was a womanizer and the most romantic man in the capital. I don't think so."
At this moment, Gongyi Xiu's expression hardened, and he said in a deep voice, "Why do you say that?"
Hulü Guang laughed and said, "Otherwise, how could you not guess what I destroyed these two families for? And this is quite obvious."
Not only Gongyi Xiu, but also A Qiu and Xiao Chang'an behind him, their faces darkened and turned ashen.
Hulü Guang didn't let them guess any further, but said easily, "The daughter of the Mo Yi clan, although much older than me, I have long heard that she is a pearl of the land of Hua people, a land of etiquette and propriety. How could I not take her? As for the Duan family, they have many wives and concubines, a string of beauties, and are also very wealthy. I had heard about them when I was in the northern border. These two great families, one famous and the other wealthy, were already on my wish list before Luoyang was even captured."
Just like back then when he coveted Shangguan Yuqi of the Shangguan family in the Southern Dynasty.
This is similar to his desire to marry Xiao Yu, the older sister of Xiao Chang'an, a daughter of the Xiao family.
The position of Princess Ning remains vacant to this day, but beneath it lies a hellish sea of blood.
Gongyi Xiu's fingernails dug deeply into his palm as he said, "Therefore, Lady Huachi, Mo Yi Bishuang, is not your teacher. She was forcibly taken to your side after you killed all her family members. As for the Duan family..."
The veins on his forehead bulged, and his expression was unpredictable.
Xiao Chang'an had already noticed something amiss, and patted him on the shoulder again, saying, "Alright, Prime Minister, we must immediately prepare to enter the city after dawn. Let's not keep talking about these past events here. This is definitely not a good time for heart-to-heart talks and reminiscing."
He subtly reminded Gongyi Xiu not to expose himself to the enemy.
Fortunately, Hulü Guang was lost in his own thoughts and did not notice Gongyi Xiu's loss of composure.
When Gongyi Xiu left with Xiao Chang'an, he heard Hulü Guang's last words: "No, she was indeed my teacher. When I arrived at Shuanghua Hall, it was too late; she had already been taken away. Two years later, His Majesty sent her to my side as my teacher... to educate and monitor me."
The last sentence was so faint that it could only be heard, and only experts with hearing far exceeding that of ordinary people, such as Gongyi Xiu and Xiao Chang'an, could catch it.
As dawn broke, the remaining people were all ready to enter Luoyang.
One of the preparations was that, apart from Xiao Chang'an and Gongyi Xiu, the remaining 62 people all wore pre-prepared dance and music masks, including A Qiu.
Xiao Chang'an explained that this was to ensure a neat and orderly procession, so that the people of Luoyang, the capital, would not see that the Southern Dynasty delegation included men, women, and children, and that the ceremonial procession was not very elaborate, thus giving rise to contempt.
After donning masks and changing into costumes, their demeanor and physique were indeed uniform, making it impossible to distinguish between the geisha and the soldiers without careful observation. Because they were to perform on stage, the selected geisha were already tall and slender, not much shorter than the soldiers.
The identical, wide-sleeved gowns also concealed the differences in body shape.
Hulü Guang had no objection to this, as one of his important tasks was to persuade the wolf guards who came to greet him, as well as the checkpoint personnel at the remaining passes. This was the Southern Dynasty's envoy who had sent the letter of surrender; not a single person was more or less. The more impressive and respectable the envoy appeared, the less likely his explanation would be doubted or rejected.
A Qiu thought to himself, "The Southern Dynasty's territory is as vast as half of China's landmass. For such an important matter as the entire country surrendering, the delegation only has sixty-four dancers and a dozen musicians. I wonder if the Northern Qiang people will find it strange."
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