Chapter 108: Continuing to Be the Li King
Jinsui had originally thought that after Gu Changxiao arrived, she could unburden herself without a word, complete the handover, and start a relaxed life.
But she hadn’t expected to hand over in such a situation with Gu Changxiao. She didn’t dare to look at Gu Changxiao’s face and initially wanted to defend herself:
“It would have been great if you had arrived a few days earlier. Our border city was so beautiful then.”
“I had already planned it all out. When I returned the Li King’s identity to you, I wanted to give you a proper city, a group of loyal subordinates, enough provisions and supplies for winter, as well as experimental fields for reclaiming land, and salt fields from the East Sea…”
As she spoke, she couldn’t continue. She even looked up at the thick smoke in the sky, the scorched earth and ruins, and her eyes reddened:
“I’m sorry, I was too arrogant, too presumptuous. They all told me the Tartars were very powerful, and our border soldiers couldn’t deal with them.”
“But I refused to listen, and caused so many deaths.”
“I clearly could have done better! I’m sorry, I’m truly sorry…”
She closed her eyes, and the tragic scene of our army fighting the Tartars that night flashed in her mind. When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurred with tears.
She turned her head and fiercely wiped away her tears with her hand, only to touch the burn on her arm. The pain made her gasp.
She shouldn’t have cried in front of Gu Changxiao, as if she were morally blackmailing him, ‘Look how pitiful I am, please forgive my mistakes?’
If tears were useful for mistakes, the Earth would have long ago become an ocean.
She herself disgusted such people, who didn’t handle matters but only cried and dumped the burden onto others.
So she quickly added, “I am not making excuses for myself. I admit my guilt. I will use the rest of my life to compensate the border soldiers who were implicated by me, and I will rebuild the border city.”
“But I beg you, resisting the Tartars was my unilateral decision, and it has nothing to do with anyone else.”
“Please do not hold them accountable. Wei Assistant Secretary, Cheng Assistant Secretary, and Han Xing, they were all just following my orders.
Especially Han Xing, please do not blame him for guarding the gate and not letting you in.”
“Also, I promised the soldiers that there would be a reward of ten taels of gold for killing a Tartar. If you don’t want to use the treasury’s gold for this, I will pay for it myself…”
Before she could finish, Gu Changxiao raised his hand and interrupted her: “Are you delirious from your injuries? You seem to have misunderstood something.”
Jinsui really wanted to say, *You’re* the one who’s delirious!
But considering the current situation, this person would be her boss from now on. After years of being a subordinate, she had some emotional intelligence when dealing with clients and bosses.
“What have I misunderstood?”
“The Border Soldiers Army, through their own efforts, annihilated two thousand elite Tartars, secured the border, and protected Yanzhou City from Tartar invasion.”
“This is a great achievement! It is the Great Xia’s first major blow to the Tartars in nearly three years!”
“What crime has Daoist Ji committed? Not only is she innocent, but she has also made a monumental contribution! All border soldiers who participated in this battle, whether alive or dead, shall receive rewards.”
Jinsui’s mouth opened and closed, she was stunned, and after a long while, she asked, “You don’t blame me for burning the border city?”
Gu Changxiao scoffed, “To annihilate two thousand Tartars without leaving a single one at the border, let alone burning a border camp, what if Yanzhou City itself was burned?”
“If the Tartars had truly broken through the pass, and they had set fires, it wouldn’t have been just one border camp.”
Jinsui’s mood instantly improved. This boss was so magnanimous! Working for such a boss gave her confidence!
“But because my formation failed, the Tartars killed many of our soldiers.”
Gu Changxiao asked upon hearing this, “What was your original plan?”
Jinsui straightened her back and said, “All the Tartars would have been burned to death in the border city, and not a single one of our soldiers would have been injured. Oh, and afterwards, we would have captured their horses.”
Gu Changxiao: “…Even with the Thunder God’s help, that would have been impossible! As long as there is a war, there will inevitably be casualties.”
“For this battle, our army’s casualties were only thirty percent of the Tartars’. Looking through historical records, there has never been such a feat!”
Although he said so, Jinsui still felt guilty. However, the most important issue had not yet been discussed. She looked directly at Gu Changxiao and said:
“Since Your Highness does not blame me, then let us officially inform everyone about the matter of our identities.
I have already thought of it. As long as I tell everyone that I am your body double, and that you were seriously injured and sent me to the border city in advance, the border soldiers will understand.”
“As for Li Heng and the Yanzhou gentry, they are all people who bully the weak and fear the strong, and they wouldn’t dare to raise any objections.”
“You don’t need to worry about them not believing us. The Imperial Commissioner is coming soon, right? With the Imperial Commissioner as proof, no one will question the real and fake Li King.”
She thought Gu Changxiao would be relieved, as Gu Changxiao would also worry that she would be attached to the identity of ‘Li King’ and be unwilling to return it easily.
To her surprise, Gu Changxiao only looked at her with a solemn expression and made a suggestion that shocked her:
“Daoist Ji, please continue to hold the identity of Li King.”
Jinsui thought her ears had been damaged by the explosion and took two steps closer: “Huh? What did you say?”
Gu Changxiao said solemnly, “I said, you continue to be Li King.”
He gave a reason that Jinsui couldn’t refuse: “The border city has just suffered a great disaster, the people’s hearts are unsettled, and everything needs to be rebuilt. At this critical juncture, if there is a real and fake Li King, it will only make the soldiers uneasy.”
“After the border city is rebuilt, the soldiers have recovered from their injuries, the Yan Prefecture Army that fled the battle is punished, and the Zheng Family that took advantage of the chaos is brought to justice, and the imperial edict for rewards and punishments from the Imperial Court is issued.”
“Then we will switch identities back.”
“If the identities are swapped at this time, and the news reaches the Imperial Court, the court will only focus on the matter of the real and fake Li King, and the rewards for the Border Soldiers Army will be delayed, and even the merit of this battle will be greatly reduced.”
In other words, at that time, the Imperial Court and the world would only be gossiping about the real and fake Li King, and Prince Yu and the Empress would definitely take advantage of the situation.
And the military merit of our Border Soldiers Army, who risked their lives to resist the Tartars, should have been the headline, but now it can only be relegated to the margins.
Jinsui was extremely excited: “That won’t do! The military merit that the soldiers earned with their lives must not be underestimated!”
Gu Changxiao’s lips curved imperceptibly, “Then, Daoist Ji, do you agree?”
Jinsui nodded heavily, “It’s fine if I remain Li King for a few more days, as long as you don’t mind.
Our priority now is the military merit of the soldiers. You have no idea how undervalued the Border Soldiers Army was before I arrived. They desperately need military merit to prove themselves!”
“By the way, how should we handle the Imperial Commissioner?”
Gu Changxiao nodded, “I will handle it, you don’t need to worry. The most important thing now is to hold the Yan Prefecture Army and the Zheng Family accountable for their responsibilities.”
Jinsui shook her head, “No, the most important thing is the treatment of the injured soldiers and the compensation for the fallen soldiers.”
They looked at each other, and Gu Changxiao suddenly said in a natural tone, “Your Highness is right.”
Jinsui was greatly embarrassed, “Um, after we’re alone, please don’t call me that, it’s quite awkward.”
“How will I introduce you to the soldiers?”
Gu Changxiao nodded, “Your Old Guard. There are assassins sent by Prince Yu in the Imperial Commissioner Group. I will protect you closely during this period.”
