Chapter 254.2: Hello Chang’an
Chapter 254.2: Rules Are Dead, But People Can Be Too (Part 2)
“…As commander, he never valued his soldiers; as a royal, he showed no mercy; commanding two hundred thousand troops yet doing nothing. Such a man is useless, heartless, and wicked. Allowing him to live is injustice.”
He was correct: Li Yi’s father had served the court well. Li Yi was skilled in feigning regret.
If someone used the father’s merits to plead for him, he might be spared.
Even if reduced to a commoner, imprisoned—what then? The political situation could change. Someone might overthrow the Empress, turning rebels into heroes. Who would remember those who died because of him?
Chang Suining could not allow such reasoning to manifest.
From the day she received the edict from He Wei, she resolved: Li Yi must die.
Finally, she asked Wei Shuyi: “Do you think these reasons are sufficient for me to kill him a hundred times?”
Lady Jicai gripped her chopping knife, recalling Hezhou’s defense, wishing she could tear Li Yi apart.
Wei Shuyi hesitated, “But he claims… he knows Xu Zhengye’s secrets.”
He glanced at Li Yi’s aide: “Then leave one alive for the secrets. You may decide.”
Li Yi panicked: “Wei Shuyi, how dare you!”
“I have surrendered! I am of royal blood!” he cried.
“The Holy Emperor said: rebels who resist may be executed on the spot.” Wei Shuyi pointed to Li Yi’s fallen men: “Evidence enough.”
“Rules are dead—” Chang Suining raised her knife.
The blade grazed Li Yi’s neck, leaving a thin red line.
With a soft seng, she sheathed the knife. Calmly, she said: “But people… can be too.”
Rules are dead; so can people.
Wei Shuyi saw Li Yi’s neck almost severed, blood gushing.
“Stop staring, or you’ll have nightmares,” she teased, walking away.
She did not look back, mounted her horse, and said: “Follow me.”
Wei Shuyi had Li Yi’s body removed for later use and ordered his aide guarded. The army surged behind them.
Chang Kuo’s battle had subsided. With the commander gone, morale collapsed.
Now the commander had returned—but only as a corpse.
Li Yi’s body was displayed; Wei Shuyi showed the imperial edict, declaring Li Yi executed and ordering surrender. Soldiers panicked and laid down weapons.
The winter sun set; a cold moon rose.
The army consolidated, camped, and lit fires.
Chang Suining sat by the fire with Ah Dian. She had changed into a dark red robe with black cloak, hair tied in a ponytail, watching the stars.
Ah Dian stared, then buried his head in her shoulder, crying, “I miss Your Highness!”
She gently patted his back.
Wei Shuyi approached, smiling: “Tell me, and I will uphold justice for you.”
Ah Dian sniffled: “Xiao Ah Li wouldn’t bully me… she’s just like Your Highness.”
Wei Shuyi smiled, “You mean the former crown prince?”
Chang Suining asked, “Minister Wei, how did you secretly secure those eighty thousand troops near Yangzhou?”
“To deploy forces everywhere wastes time and energy; better to remove the problem at its source. Though risky, it worked because I anticipated Miss Chang and General Chang intercepting Li Yi. I wanted to try.”
“Though I arrived late, Miss Chang had already captured Li Yi using troops borrowed from Chuzhou. My risk was wasted,” he sighed.
Chang Suining replied, “Not wasted. Many lives were saved. You have merit, Minister Wei.”
He laughed, adding, “And I did not hold back Miss Chang either.”
Chang Suining asked: “But how did you bring eighty thousand troops under control?”
He produced an item from his sleeve. “Here lies the secret to victory, not to be shared.”
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