The spear flew out like a dragon.
Li Chongyu's mocking smile deepened. He slowly adjusted the leather tassel on the Rift Blade and said, "Does Miss Shangguan mean to say that my father's death was entirely a misunderstanding, and that the cause was only the discord between the emperor and his ministers within your Southern Dynasty?"
The air in the four-person room seemed to freeze for a moment.
Li Chongyu's eyes shone even brighter and more sinister, radiating a dangerous, wolf-like aura. He pressed further, "So, the former Grand Chancellor, who was then the commander-in-chief, agreed to the imperial family's decision to establish Inoue Temple in order to clear himself of suspicion of colluding with my father in treason, right?"
Every question he asked was so direct and to the point, leaving no room for ambiguity or evasion.
No one should be allowed to be ambiguous or shift blame onto others on this matter.
A Qiu asked himself, if he were like this sworn brother, traveling thousands of miles alone to enter the capital of the Southern Dynasty, he would also seek justice for this matter and would never form an alliance with the person who harmed his father back then in a muddle.
Shangguan Yuqi was silent for a while before answering, "I only want to tell you one thing, my thirteenth uncle. When he achieved a great victory in the Battle of Crossing the River and his personal reputation and family honor reached their peak, he immediately resigned and retired. Since then, he has refused more than a dozen appointments from the court. Even when the Great Huan was on the verge of collapse and the rebel army was at the gates of the city, he did not serve in office again."
Li Chongyu scoffed and said, "The Sima Dynasty was so wary of him that if you hadn't retreated while you were ahead, your Shangguan family would have been wiped out back then."
Although Li Chongyu's words were harsh, A Qiu knew there was some truth to them. Just the fact that the last emperor, during his five-year reign, had given out seventeen bottles of the deadly poison "Qianji San" to poison powerful ministers and members of the royal family showed how dire and perilous the political situation was at the time.
Shangguan Jin's decision to relinquish his military power and retire gracefully did, to some extent, clarify the Shangguan family's stance of having no intention of vying for the throne, and also dispelled the last emperor's suspicions about him.
Shangguan Yuqi paused for a moment, then continued, "What I want to say is that the years after Uncle Thirteen retired were not the leisurely life of wandering Dongshan, calling friends and living a carefree life like a scholar. He once again retreated into the family's forbidden area, seeing no outsiders, and once again became the tomb keeper who had cultivated himself in seclusion before leaving the mountain. He always referred to himself as a living dead, meaning he was merely surviving in this world, prolonging his life."
The legendary life of Shangguan Jin, the former Grand Chancellor, was almost mythical, full of personality and charisma, a story that A Qiu had heard of even in the martial arts world. The Shangguan family, with its centuries-old tradition, had always been at the forefront of the civil service, a leading clan from the Central Plains dynasties to the Jiangzuo regime after the crossing of the Yangtze River. And the most mysterious tradition of this family was the inheritance of the "Gentleman's Sword" by the tomb keeper.
The martial arts masters of the Shangguan family, who practiced the Gentleman's Sword, never entered officialdom, a tacit understanding within the political group that "civil officials should not concurrently engage in military affairs." However, Shangguan Jin was the first to break this taboo, not because of his personal ambition or that of the Shangguan family, but because the emperor at the time forcibly summoned him from his burial ground by imperial edict, a situation forced upon him by the circumstances of the time.
Legend has it that the tomb keeper of the Shangguan family was a man of pure heart and few desires, detached from worldly affairs, and practiced an ascetic lifestyle, wearing only a single garment in winter and abstaining from iced drinks in summer. His character and integrity can be seen from Shangguan Yuqi himself.
Everyone knows about Shangguan Jin's early life. After much anticipation, he was finally revealed from his tomb. He served as regent for more than ten years, and together with Li Mingyuan and Fan Ying, he won the battle to cross the Yangtze River against the combined forces of five Hu tribes, thus securing a peaceful environment for the Southern Dynasty that has remained free from external threats ever since.
However, few people know the ending of Shangguan Jin. His last appearance in front of everyone was when he presented the sword dance "Qiankun Dingshi Ge" on behalf of the Shangguan family for the founding ceremony of the new dynasty. This dance, along with Gu Yi's "Shaoshi Qin" and Gongye family's "Qianjin Xiang", became the "Three Wonders of the Southern Dynasty, Qianjin's Unforgettable Echoes" in people's memories.
Because after that, Shangguan Jin never appeared in anyone's sight again.
Only now, after hearing about Shangguan Jin's later years from Shangguan Yuqi, did A Qiu realize that the young swordsman and scholar who became famous at a young age and devoted himself to the Jiangzuo region, and who later became a humble and elegant former Grand Secretary of the Huan Dynasty, must have had untold pain and regrets in private.
Otherwise, why would one suffer such martyrdom, willingly spending one's life in solitude?
Shangguan Yuqi continued, "Until the Dayan Kingdom was successfully established, the Thirteenth Uncle presented the 'Song of Heaven and Earth' to the court with 'Binghuang' to show the Shangguan family's support for the new regime. Only then did he believe that he had finally completed his last mission with his useless body. That night, he dressed in white and went to the Martial Saint Shrine on the banks of the Yangtze River to commit suicide."
As she spoke, her beautiful eyes stared intently at Li Chongyu, and within those calm eyes lay profound sorrow and regret.
Li Chongyu remained expressionless until he heard the words "Martial Saint Shrine," at which point a glimmer of hope appeared in his previously dim eyes.
He said blankly, "Shangguan Jin, the Grand Chancellor of the Great Huan Dynasty, good, very good!" He suddenly gritted his teeth and said, "The Southern Dynasty finally has someone who hasn't forgotten my father's unjust death more than ten years ago!" He looked at Shangguan Yuqi again, his gaze sharp, and said, "And finally there is a minister who still has a conscience and is willing to repay with his life!" He continued, "If war breaks out again in the future, and the Southern Dynasty is unfortunately reduced to a battlefield of smoke and rubble, I, Li Chongyu, can protect the descendants of the Shangguan family from the disaster of slaughter and extermination."
He spoke with conviction and arrogance, but the three people present knew that he was not exaggerating.
If the barbarian cavalry were to march south one day, the Shuofang Army might very well be their vanguard. Li Chongyu had the right to make such a boastful claim that he could guarantee the Shangguan family would not be wiped out.
A sorrowful smile escaped Shangguan Yuqi's lips. The Shangguan family had produced many loyal ministers and virtuous empresses throughout the ages. Shangguan Jin committed suicide back then only because he felt guilty towards Li Mingyuan, not because he wanted his descendants to protect his Shangguan family's descendants.
However, the tomb keeper of the Shangguan family was never polite and claimed to be of high moral character, so she remained silent and did not make any excuses.
Let's talk about it when that day comes!
Moreover, given the Shangguan family's style, they would probably have already set themselves on fire before Li Chongyu could even issue an order to show leniency, rather than remain unscathed.
Why bother with this polite back-and-forth, this pretense of mutual understanding?
Under the moonlight, Pei Yuanli, who had been standing there blankly, suddenly spoke: "At the time, we all only knew that Lord Shangguan committed suicide in the ancestral temple that night. We all thought he was dying for the former dynasty, refusing to be a minister of the second emperor. But we never imagined that he did it for... for..."
He let out a heavy sigh, clearly aggravating his wound, and said with a bitter laugh, "Compared to people like me coming to claim our lives, Lord Shangguan was far more farsighted."
Li Chongyu's eyes were cold as water as he said indifferently, "Lord Pei, some people have a conscience. Even if they were forced by circumstances at the time, their conscience never found peace afterward, and they were tormented for the rest of their lives. In this respect, Shangguan Jin is worthy of being called a prime minister for all time and a famous minister of his generation. Unlike you, Lord Pei, who can comfortably enjoy beautiful wives, raise cattle and horses, and own vast fields and houses," he concluded, "having such a numb conscience is your good fortune, but it is not necessarily the good fortune of the country."
The sound of the Huqin (a traditional Chinese wind instrument) still lingered in the air above the square, adding to the desolate and chilly atmosphere.
She thought of Huang Chaoan, the musician who had left Pei Yuanli's mansion, the criticized behavior of Pei Yuanli's personal guard, the Divine Hound Battalion, over the years, and Pei Yu's spoiled young lady demeanor, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
Li Chongyu's unintentional mention of Mu Huaying caused Pei Yuanli to suddenly turn around, his eyes filled with coldness and radiating fierce light. He shouted, "Don't drag Huaying into this! When your father passed away, she was only a weak girl of eleven or twelve years old in the Mu family. This matter has nothing to do with her!"
Li Chongyu knew he had misunderstood, but did not argue. He snorted coldly, "Mu Huaying is known as the 'Handsome Yama,' and the number of wronged souls and bloodshed cases she has accumulated is not small. There is no need for me to cause her any trouble. Once Lord Pei leaves, I'm afraid many people will want to settle accounts with her."
Pei Yuanli was pale, but looked relieved. He said, "As long as you don't look for her, there's nothing else to fear. The rest of the former Flying Phoenix, and His Majesty... will definitely be able to protect her life."
Li Chongyu scoffed, sneering, "Today, Lord Pei is so protective of his wife, but when you saw my father trapped in a desperate situation, did you ever think about his son's desperate struggle to escape, his repeated failures to survive, the delayed arrival of reinforcements, the despair of watching his men fall one by one, the resentment of knowing he had been deceived but receiving no response from heaven, and the hatred of having no one to confide in for trusting the Southerners?"
Pei Yuanli's expression was blank as he said, "If it were me today, I certainly wouldn't have acted this way back then. But by the time I understood, it was already too late. Even if I say this, you still won't believe me."
His words seemed to convey regret and apology, but among those present, A Qiu understood his meaning.
She herself was once a fleeting traveler in the mortal world, the number one assassin on the list of banished immortals, 'Jing Ke,' who viewed life and death as a grand dream, taking heads as easily as a bullet. Back then, her blade was swift, and her blood was cold.
But it wasn't until she entered the palace, personally experiencing life's hardships and joys, being choked by the young Yue Zheng, being forced to drink poison by the powerful Madam Pei, and striving alongside ordinary dancers for glory on stage, that she came to know the joys and sorrows of human life, and the various experiences of being a human being.
Therefore, when she attempted to assassinate Pei Yuanli, seeing how he and his wife protected each other, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
This is the profound emotion that life experiences bestow upon people.
If she were to express her feelings at this moment, Pei Yuanli would surely feel the same way.
When he decided not to provide aid, he was a rising military elite from a prominent family in the Southern Dynasty, a future leader of the military, and he considered his family business everything. And who was Li Mingyuan? A poor, unskilled general who rose from humble beginnings on the frontier; a military upstart seeking alliances with true nobles and scholars; a reckless northern barbarian who dared to make advances on Empress Shangguan, the most talented woman from a prominent family in the Southern Dynasty.
He could never have imagined that Li Mingyuan also had the affection of a father and the righteousness of a parent, as well as the despair and predicament of being driven to the brink of life and death.
Because he had never had it back then either.
The pain and sorrow of separation by death do not discriminate between the poor and the rich, or between country folk and city dwellers.
Li Chongyu smiled bitterly and said, "Even if I believe you, it's useless. You already have fatal internal injuries, but you dragged this heavy Dragon Returning Spear all the way to the palace for Mu Huaying. You're only holding on by your last breath. Even if I don't make a move, you won't live past tonight!"
Pei Yuanli looked up at the sky and laughed loudly, saying, "So I must thank my nephew for allowing me to die with dignity, at least I don't have to be bedridden and live a life of mere survival."
For a soldier, the greatest honor is to die on the battlefield. Li Chongyu, being a soldier himself, naturally understood his sentiments.
Li Chongyu's eyes lit up, and the Sky-Splitting Blade was drawn with a chilling aura, its cold light spreading for thousands of miles.
A Qiu and Shangguan Yuqi immediately flew back to either side.
Pei Yuanli stood firmly, spear held horizontally like a dragon, his spirits high, his eyes flashing with an extremely intense light. It was his final moment of lucidity, the last gathering of his life.
Li Chongyu showed no mercy, unleashing his full power to split the sky. His long blade sliced through the night sky, sharp as thunder and lightning, its light as bright as day.
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