Chapter 97: Longing In The Family Letter
But the nightmare was real, more terrifying than reality.
Wei Jiao actually killed Ma Qing.
In front of so many people.
“Seventh Uncle, don’t worry.” Wei Jiao looked at him, smiling faintly, “I’m going mad now for a reason, not randomly.”
Who was worried about that! Seventh Master Wei’s eyes were bloodshot: “No matter the reason! You can’t kill him!”
The smile on Wei Jiao’s face vanished instantly, and he stood up, seeming to step right in front of him in one stride. At the same time, he drew the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s saber from his waist.
Seventh Master Wei only felt the blood smell hit his face. He instinctively stepped back, watching Wei Jiao’s blade tip land on his heart.
“Seventh Uncle, my men searched Ma Qing’s government office and found Sun Shu’s son and grandson.”
“Ma Qing harbored treasonous rebels, a crime warranting execution.”
“I bear an imperial order to arrest treasonous rebels. Killing him is perfectly justified.”
“Seventh Uncle, do you know, what you just said is treasonous.”
Wei Jiao looked at him and shook his head.
“It could be seen as you being Ma Qing and Sun Shu’s accomplice, and I could slay you just the same.”
Sun Shu’s remnants… Seventh Master Wei’s stiff body moved slightly as he heard crying and scolding voices from outside the courtyard.
“Even so, you can’t just directly kill him…” he said hoarsely.
This madman really dared to act…
If he really killed him, not to mention whether the Great General would avenge him, what use would revenge be if the man was dead!
He didn’t curse anymore.
“Qin An is controlled by the Ma Family. They hold military power independently. If you do this, Qin An City will fall into chaos…”
“Seventh Uncle, no need to worry.” Wei Jiao said, “I’ve already mobilized the Yunyang Army. General Feng has entered the city.”
Yunyang Army…
Seventh Master Wei stiffened again. The next moment, the blade tip pressed against his heart.
Seventh Master Wei staggered back another step, watching the smile reappear on Wei Jiao’s face.
“Seventh Uncle, I’ve started my duties and can’t personally escort you anymore.” He said smilingly, “You all go home by yourselves.”
……
…….
“Great General—”
Seventh Master Wei rushed into the official post station at Wangyang Pass, looked up at the figure sitting indoors, and knelt down covering his face.
Wei Cui, sitting indoors, was no longer covered in snow on his body and head, but his hair was still gray and white.
He looked at Seventh Master Wei kneeling on the ground and said calmly, “Don’t rush, speak slowly.”
Seventh Master Wei recounted the whole incident.
Hearing that Ma Qing had privately hidden Sun Shu’s remnants, the people present had complex expressions—some surprised, some frowning, some shaking their heads—while Wei Cui’s expression showed no change.
“Great General, he could catch Sun Shu’s remnants by borrowing your name, borrowing our Wei Family’s name. Otherwise, Ma Qing wouldn’t have let down his guard and allowed him into the city.”
“The people of Qin An City all think the Great General betrayed Ma Qing.”
Seventh Master Wei said, choking up at this point.
“Ma Qing’s son was protected by deathsworn and escaped. It’s said he vowed before leaving to seek revenge on the Great General in the future.”
Hearing this, the people in the hall looked grave, and Wei Cui suddenly laughed.
“Is that so? Then don’t give him any future.” He said, then called a name with a lift of his eyes.
A gloomy-faced man stood up.
“Go, take men now to eliminate Ma Qing’s remnants.” Wei Cui said.
The man acknowledged and turned to leave.
Seventh Master Wei didn’t know whether to continue his tearful complaint and stood stunned in place, while others began speaking one after another.
“…This time it was an oversight. Wei Jiao always travels with great fanfare, and with the tally from Deng Shan, he frequently calls upon soldiers as guards. The Yunyang Army used this to conceal their movements.”
“…Ma Qing’s family is negligible. Great General, the most critical issue now is whether the Yunyang Army will take the chance to attack.”
“….Qin An City is now under Feng Su’s control, which undoubtedly blocks the throat of our Longxi…”
Listening to these words, Wei Cui looked outside. The heavy snow had stopped, and dusk was falling, but visibility was better than before. He could see more soldiers assembling and galloping outside than before, with a much more tense atmosphere.
Wei Cui couldn’t help laughing again: “My son always manages to scare people.”
Earlier, the child who had seemed surely dead appeared outside Longxi and startled people.
After many years, he appeared outside Longxi again and startled people again.
“Great General, Great General.”
Another soldier came rushing in from outside and knelt down holding up a letter.
“A family letter from the Third Young Master to you.”
Someone stepped forward to take it, opened it, and carefully inspected the letter paper and envelope inside and out.
Wei Cui didn’t stop him. When the man finished checking and handed it over, he took it and opened the thin sheet of letter paper.
“The handwriting has improved month by month.” He first glanced over the writing, nodded, then read the content.
Seventh Master Wei couldn’t help asking: “What did he say?” He muttered, “He didn’t mention sending a letter when he rushed us away.”
Wei Cui said: “He said you ran too fast, and he didn’t have time to write one.”
Nonsense, Seventh Master Wei gritted his teeth but didn’t argue. Anyway, the Great General wouldn’t believe what that boy said.
When he didn’t ask, someone else did: “Great General, what did he say?”
Wei Cui put down the letter paper: “He said Ma Qing privately hid Sun Shu’s remnants with ill intentions. As his close neighbor, I’m in great danger. Fortunately, he discovered it this time and promptly dealt with Ma Qing, so now I can rest easy.”
At this point, he looked down at the letter paper and smiled.
“He asks me if this counts as helping me, and if I’m happy.”
Seventh Master Wei couldn’t hold back and jumped up: “What helping the Great General! This is helping Deng Shan’s people seize Qin An City!”
That Ma Qing was the Great General’s man, and Qin An City was actually the Great General’s. Now it was taken by Deng Shan.
Wei Jiao was recognizing the enemy as his father.
And it was again.
Seventh Master Wei didn’t dare shout this out loud.
Someone looked grave: “Is Deng Shan moving against the Great General?”
Another gripped his weapon: “Please give the order, Great General. We’ll strike first!”
The atmosphere grew tense.
Wei Cui waved his hand: “Deng Shan won’t act at this time, and the Yunyang Army won’t set foot in Longxi.”
He put away Wei Jiao’s letter from the table, carefully folded it and tucked it into his sleeve, then thought of something and looked toward the messenger soldier in the hall.
“The journey is rushed, so I won’t write a reply. Take this thing to A Jiao for me.”
……
…….
Wei Jiao was still staying in Ma Qing’s villa.
The hacked corpse had been dragged away, and the bloodstains on the ground were being wiped clean.
The ones responsible for wiping were a group of singing and dancing girls dressed in bright clothes.
That day in the chaos, Ma Qing’s guards and servants were all killed. The singing and dancing girls had been dancing in the snow outside and luckily escaped harm.
Now they didn’t have to dance in the snow, but they were still shivering.
First from seeing such a bloody floor when they came in, then after staring too long they grew numb and unafraid of the blood, but now shivering from fear of not cleaning it thoroughly and being killed.
The singing and dancing girls wiped vigorously, shivering while stealing glances at the young captain sitting in the hall.
He was also wiping the blood from his face, but seemed absent-minded. He’d clean one spot only for it to smear elsewhere.
He hadn’t changed his robe either, and there were bloodstains at his feet.
By the old rules, they should now delicately press close to this captain, carefully using their hands or tongues to wipe the blood from his face, neck, and hands…
But at this moment, not one dared to do so, not even to approach that side. They all felt that getting close would mean being drawn and hacked to death by that captain.
So the edges and corners of the entire hall were wiped clean, but the area around Wei Jiao was still covered in blood, making the scene even stranger than when the whole hall had been bloody.
Fortunately, that captain didn’t care. He listened to the Embroidered Uniform Guards talking while yawning.
“…Just take away Sun Shu’s family members. Leave everything else to General Feng.” He said lazily, “We won’t interfere.”
The Embroidered Uniform Guards acknowledged.
“Sir, go rest a bit.” One Embroidered Uniform Guard said, “You haven’t properly slept these past few days.”
With that, he half-kneeled and stepped forward.
Wei Jiao placed his hand on the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s shoulder and was just about to stand when another Embroidered Uniform Guard hurried in, holding a small box.
“Captain, this is from your father. He says because of court business he can’t leave Longxi, and since you’re away from home on court business and can’t return to visit family, he’s sending a gift to express his affection.”
Wei Jiao slowly stood up supported by the Embroidered Uniform Guard’s shoulder, a smile tugging at his lips as he said “good.”
An Embroidered Uniform Guard stepped forward to take the box, opened it and inspected it carefully inside and out, then held it before Wei Jiao.
Wei Jiao lowered his eyes slightly, saw the item in the small box, his gaze sharpened, then the smile on his face spread.
He let out a laugh: “It looks really good.”
As he said this, the laughter grew louder and louder.
His body shook with it, as if he could no longer stand steadily.
But he didn’t lean on the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Instead, he withdrew the hand from the shoulder and put it to his mouth, biting down on a finger.
Was this to stop the laughter?
The singing and dancing girls kneeling on the ground in the hall wiping and peeking couldn’t help thinking, but no—that finger wasn’t blocking his mouth; instead, his teeth were gnawing it bit by bit…
The finger was very white. With the gnawing, tooth marks appeared, and blood seeped out.
