"Bang!"
Ji Hong knocked over the teacup, and shards of broken porcelain scattered across the floor.
Nan Shiying raised her eyelids. Before her eyes was a face contorted with extreme anger, as if it could devour people. Veins bulged on his forehead, and blood spread in his eyes. Ji Hong had no choice but to bear this burden, whether he wanted to or not.
How could he explain?
Did he have to bring Wang Yuyi to the prince's mansion dungeon to see the fake Yu Chengxuan held captive there, and then recount their previous plan?
Was that even possible?
Compared to the outwardly furious Ji Hong, Ji Jinmo was much calmer. He didn't seem to be that angry. Even though he had been outmaneuvered by Yu Chengxuan, he merely lowered his eyes. He had replaced the bead bracelet with a sandalwood one, and the coral bracelet Nan Shiying had given him was tucked into his怀.
He fiddled with the bracelet, and with each turn, the bracelet made a sound akin to something being crushed under immense pressure, unable to bear it.
"Where has the Dali delegation reached?"
He suddenly stopped fiddling and looked up at Ji Hong.
Ji Hong was slightly taken aback. He suppressed his anger and replied, "Xiling Commandery!"
Ji Jinmo nodded, saying nothing more, and lowered his eyes again.
"Imperial Uncle, what do you intend to do?"
Interrupted by Ji Jinmo like this, Ji Hong's train of thought was broken, and his anger diminished somewhat. He looked at Ji Jinmo, who was so calm as to seem emotionless, but his heart trembled. He didn't know why his Imperial Uncle was asking this, but instinctively, he felt something was amiss.
"Sever the heads of thirteen hundred Dali border troops."
Ji Jinmo still had his eyes lowered, and in a clear, cold, and deep voice, he uttered words so chilling they could freeze a person's blood.
Thirteen people had died at Linyuan, and they would use thirteen hundred Dali heads as a sacrifice.
It was only logical!
Ji Hong opened his mouth, but in the end, he couldn't utter a word of dissuasion.
The fact that they hadn't chosen to raze the city was already considered magnanimity by his Imperial Uncle.
...
Before the news of the Dali envoy's assassination in Linyuan reached Dali, an ominous report arrived from the border.
The Demon Hunting Army suddenly attacked Weicheng. Wen Zhong led his troops to resist but was defeated. They sealed the city gates and retreated into the city. The casualties in this battle totaled one thousand five hundred and eighty-three.
The Demon Hunting Army severed the heads of thirteen hundred Dali border troops and piled them at the gate of Weicheng. The heads formed a mountain. The deputy general of the Demon Hunting Army stood before the mountain of heads and roared at Weicheng, stating: "Dali killed thirteen of our Linyuan citizens, so Linyuan will slaughter thirteen hundred of your Dali people."
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!!!"
In the Yangju Hall of the Dali Imperial Palace, the scene was already in disarray. After the news of the Demon Hunting Army's massacre of border troops and the piling of their severed heads reached them, the news of the Dali envoy Yu Lin's assassination finally arrived.
It was their Dali envoy who had been assassinated, yet Linyuan dared to twist the facts so blatantly. This was utterly outrageous!
"Your Majesty, is there another hidden reason behind this assassination?"
Among the officials gathered in the Yangju Hall, Zuo Sima stepped forward and voiced his question.
If Linyuan did not accept the peace talks, they could simply continue fighting. There was no need to agree to peace talks one moment and then cause such an incident the next. This did not demonstrate Linyuan's national strength; it only made them appear indecisive. Logically, even if their Dali envoy was assassinated in Linyuan, as the defeated nation, they would not re-initiate war over this matter. They would simply use it to gain some leverage during the peace talks and reduce Linyuan's demands.
Linyuan had no reason to make such a big fuss over this matter, let alone twist the facts. The most likely scenario was that this assassination was not carried out by Linyuan, but was a result of infighting within the Dali court.
In other words, the assassin of the envoy was one of their own people from Dali.
Only then would it make sense.
Yuwen Yi was slightly startled by this remark. Hidden reasons?
To ascend to the throne and be the victor of the previous power struggle, Yuwen Yi was not foolish. On the contrary, he was quite intelligent. Upon hearing Zuo Sima's question, he understood his thoughts.
Before Chengji died, he had indeed said he wanted Chengxuan to die in Linyuan. He was indeed wary of the Zhang family behind Chengxuan and had harbored murderous intent, but he had still hesitated and had not given the order to assassinate. Now, listening to Zuo Sima, he suspected someone had secretly issued the assassination order, resulting in the deaths of Linyuan citizens and thus provoking Ji Jinmo, that god of slaughter?
Thinking about it this way, it wasn't impossible!
But this matter could not be brought out into the open. Could it be said that it was caused by imperial brothers fighting, leading to the suffering of the border troops?
"Now is not the time to discuss hidden reasons; it is Linyuan that has gone too far!"
Regardless of the hidden reasons, they dared to use the heads of thirteen hundred Dali border troops to consecrate the lives of thirteen Linyuan citizens? They were not worthy!
Hearing the Emperor's rage, the high-ranking officials summoned to the Yangju Hall fell silent. What was the point of discussing these matters now? Linyuan's strongest forces had not yet made their move, and they had already suffered heavy losses. If this war continued, even if they exhausted the nation's strength, it would only turn into a drawn-out stalemate.
This was still considering that Ji Jinmo could not lead the army for extended periods.
No matter how they looked at it, this war could no longer be fought. Despite their strong opposition, they had failed to stop the impulsive monarch. Now, seeing his incompetent and furious demeanor, the crowd no longer felt any awe.
Seeing the high-ranking officials remain silent, Yuwen Yi's anger surged, making him wish he could order soldiers to behead these civil officials.
Zuo Sima sighed and stepped forward again, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. The only course of action now is to negotiate for peace. We... can only argue our case during the negotiations."
After saying this, Zuo Sima closed his eyes, his body slightly more hunched than before.
They would ultimately become sinners of Dali.
Dali's territory had never suffered such heavy losses as it had today.
Yuwen Yi's chest heaved up and down. He swayed, nearly falling to the ground. Gripping the table beside him, he managed to maintain his dignity in front of the officials.
One wrong step led to another. If he had known this would happen, he would never have ordered the attack on Huaicheng.
Chengji, you deserve to die, you deserve to be torn apart a thousand times. For you to have taken your own life right in front of me, you got off too easily!
"Your Majesty, please take care of your health!"
Seeing Yuwen Yi almost faint, the ministers cried out loudly.
Yuwen Yi raised his hand and pressed his throbbing temples, suppressing the surging anger and murderous intent in his heart. He waved his hand at the crowd, signaling them to withdraw.
"Your subjects take their leave!"
Zuo Sima and the others did not linger for a moment. After taking their leave, they hastily departed the imperial palace.
After exiting the imperial city, Zuo Sima entered his carriage and instructed the attendant, "Go to Guanghan Tower on Minglou Street."
"Yes!" The attendant drove the carriage, the wheels making a "clack-clack" sound as they rolled over the ground.