Chapter 25: Killing the Body, Tormenting the Soul

"How could I be so bold? How could I be so bold?"

Zhang Wu chuckled. Although his physique was far more robust than Liang Xin's, he was a living embodiment of the saying that one’s brain is filled with nothing but muscle.

In the imperial palace, they actually favored appointing soldiers with such single-track minds. When a real crisis arose, such men would not harbor petty schemes; instead, they would charge into the fray side by side.

Wu An also appreciated such brutes, but he disliked having someone constantly working against him, as it made his tasks difficult to manage.

Did you want to do things by the book?

The Hao estate contained a fair amount of hidden wealth. Zhang Wu had secured a substantial sum, his pockets bulging, and his subordinates had managed to taste the first fruits of the spoils without having to lift a finger.

By contrast, Liang Xin and his own men not only had to laboriously carry out the "confiscation of prohibited goods," but after rummaging for ages to find valuables, they had to surrender the lion's share to the other side.

Yet, they did not harbor much resentment.

After all, only a few days ago, Wu An had bestowed upon them a large amount of wealth, and their immediate commander, Liang Xin, had given them a subtle nod to endure.

When Wu An swung onto his horse and ordered the troops to prepare to depart for the Xue estate, the dozens of cavalrymen behind him were instantly and subtly divided into two camps, each casting hostile glances at the other.

"Commander Zhang, please send word to the Golden Guard to blockade the ward where Xue Zhen’s residence is located. No unauthorized persons are to enter or exit today."

"Understood."

Having secured a share of the wealth, Zhang Wu finally stopped offering his opinions. He sent his men to carry out the order and rode beside Wu An, lowering his voice:

"May I ask, Commander, will the process be the same when we reach the Xue estate later?"

Liang Xin, standing nearby, spoke up at the right moment, his tone neither warm nor cold: "My brothers were the ones who went in to do the work just now; it has to be a turn-taking arrangement. Later, it will be your men's turn to go in and do the job."

"Fine, we'll go."

Zhang Wu sensed the malice in Liang Xin's words and smiled inwardly, knowing that because he had received a larger share, Liang Xin was likely jealous.

At the Xue estate.

When Wu An’s party arrived, the Golden Guard had already cordoned off the area; even the surrounding streets were deathly quiet.

The rare winter sunlight fell upon the street, yet it carried not a hint of warmth. As the hundred-odd cavalrymen dismounted, there was no need for Wu An to give an order; Zhang Wu drew his blade and shouted, "Break down the gates and ransack the place!"

There was no official decree for the ransacking.

The verbal order issued by the Emperor in a fit of rage could certainly be denied later, but the current Son of Heaven still cared about his reputation and would not go so far as to force others to swallow this cup of filth for him.

However, Wu An had to take precautions—if not to guard against the Emperor, then at least to provide an excuse for the Empress, should she decide to intervene and save him, to use as an entry point for her assistance.

The servants at the gate, who were frantically trying to bolt the doors, were knocked to the ground by two armored soldiers. The next moment, the following soldiers moved with practiced coordination, using ropes to bind them and delivering a slap to each one, silencing the servants immediately so they dared not ask any more questions.

As the gates were shattered, more soldiers swarmed into the estate. In an instant, cries and shouts erupted, as if the entire residence had suddenly come to life.

Wu An inexplicably recalled the two words people most liked to use when they saw him: "reckless brute."

Judging by the pace of events, murder was almost an inevitability, because men like Zhang Wu, once faced with an unexpected situation, would always resort to violence to resolve it.

"Commander, the Emperor said to ransack the house. Might this be going too far?"

Liang Xin looked at Wu An’s calm face and whispered a warning, but Wu An merely hushed him, saying indifferently: "The Emperor did not explicitly state that I was only to ransack the house and forbidden from killing."

Liang Xin opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. He considered himself quite bold and radical within the Hundred Riders, but compared to this Commander Wu, his own dark designs didn't even amount to a tenth of the other man's.

Wu An flexed his wrists. The sun was setting on the horizon, and the twilight reflected in his eyes was a deep, bloody crimson.

He inexplicably recalled a sentence he had loved to use to end his elementary school essays in his past life.

"Today was truly a wonderful day."

If you want to cut off my path to survival, then what does it matter if I slaughter your entire family?

But at this moment, he saw Wu An suddenly frown:

"I heard that you soldiers of the Hundred Riders are the elite, chosen one out of a hundred from the Feathered Forest Army. To me, this Zhang Wu is nothing more than that."

He pointed to the residence before him, impatient:

"He has been inside for so long; why haven't I heard the wailing of the Xue family yet?"

...

"Wu An is actually a kind-hearted child who never harbors grudges against others," the Empress said.

Lady Pei was kneeling before her, the tear tracks on her face still fresh; she had evidently just been weeping.

The Empress could not bear to see her daughter-in-law in such agony. Having walked that same path herself, the Empress, whose style was usually ruthless, allowed her tone to soften for once.

The two sat kneeling beside a writing desk. There was no one else in the grand hall. After the Emperor’s outburst, the Empress had come to take Lady Pei away, and the former had not sent anyone else, as if he were too weary to concern himself with what followed.

"You are the same. I don't even know how to thank you."

The Empress took Lady Pei's small hand in hers and whispered, "Yin'er, if you have nothing to do in the future, you may come into the palace to talk. I miss him too, but you are still young..."

Yin'er was the childhood name of the young woman. Her name was Pei Yun, and her courtesy name was Zhiyin.

The Empress rarely showed such kindness.

Seeing a young woman who was as radiant as she had been at that age, yet destined to remain a widow for a dead man—even if that man was her own eldest son—the Empress said earnestly: "You have observed mourning for him for three years; that is enough. You need not wear these clothes anymore."

"I..."

Pei Yun hesitated, a trace of sorrow flashing in her eyes.

Although she was a daughter of the Pei clan, it was rare for women of antiquity to remarry. If she married again on a whim, it would be nothing more than a political alliance, and the family she married into would likely be far inferior to her own; life would not be easy.

Rather than being treated like a piece of merchandise to be picked over, it was better to preserve her reputation.

She lowered her head in silence. The Empress held her small hand, rubbing the smooth, pale skin, and suddenly asked:

"What do you think of this man, Wu An?"

"This..."

Pei Yun was startled, unable to fathom the other's intentions, and said softly: "Judging by his conversation, he seems like a humble gentleman. He is passable..."

The Empress lowered her head, toying with the girl's small hand. Pei Yun’s slender, graceful fingers curled slightly, feeling increasingly embarrassed. But thinking that the other was her mother-in-law, she finally felt a touch of intimacy.

But then, the Empress leaned in closer and whispered in her ear:

"Then, how about I play matchmaker for you?"

Pei Yun froze, her ears turning bright red in an instant. She looked up at the Empress with a dazed expression.

But she was not a fool.

Before the Empress could say anything more, the old eunuch who usually handled her affairs walked to her side and whispered a few urgent words.

"What good news or bad news is it?"

The Empress frowned, saying coldly: "There are no outsiders here; just speak plainly."

With no other choice, the old eunuch stood up straight and said:

"Commander Wu went directly to the Court of Judicial Review and issued a decree, stating that he intends to hang Hao Chujun and the newly imprisoned Xue Zhen."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Pei Yun’s lips parted slightly, her face filled with disbelief.

The Empress was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "And the good news?"

The old eunuch hesitated: "Hao Chujun and Xue Zhen will likely never be able to take revenge on him again."

The Empress: "Ah?"

...

"What, nothing left to say?"

Wu An waved his hand. He stood before Hao Chujun, looking down at him, and said calmly: "Having known you, it is only right that I see you off. Master Hao, go in peace."

Hao Chujun looked up at the young man in black armor. He had been clashing with him for less than a few days, yet he had already fallen to such a state.

Having drifted through the bureaucracy for years, Hao Chujun knew well that the other was merely a pretext; the one who truly wanted him dead must be the person behind him.

But if it stopped there, the other man was still using the situation to his advantage, dragging another chancellor into the abyss.

Xue Zhen.

What exactly was he trying to do?

A flicker of realization flashed through Hao Chujun's mind. He silently lowered his head and laughed at himself in his heart.

Behind Wu An was the Empress, and behind the Empress, it must be the current Son of Heaven.

Without the Emperor’s backing, where would she find the courage and authority to commit such acts?

He kept his head bowed, lost in thought, while Xue Zhen, beside him, spoke up:

"You foul-mouthed brat, you know only how to use your master's power to bully others!"

"Rest assured... both of you will be free of your prison troubles today. I am here to execute the Emperor’s verbal order."

Wu An did not mind Xue Zhen’s cursing. He stood up straight, the light of a nearby torch reflecting on his armor, as if dried blood were still flowing across it, casting a bloody sheen.

The scent of fresh blood permeated the cell.

Both men looked up. Hao Chujun’s lips curled into a bitter smile, but Xue Zhen stood up immediately. Even now, he believed that even in a fit of rage, the Emperor would not truly do anything to him—it was nothing more than a way to make him lose face and teach him a lesson.

"The two of you may be on your way."

Xue Zhen was stunned. He finally understood the meaning behind Wu An’s words. His lips twitched, and he spoke with some difficulty:

"Didn't you say, you would... free us from our prison troubles?"

Wu An stepped back and bowed in salute.

"Your subordinate has come specifically to invite the two chancellors to ascend to heaven; isn't that being freed from prison?"

Xue Zhen: "..."

Hao Chujun raised his head once more and said, unhurriedly: "Is it a verbal order?"

"Indeed."

"According to Master Xue, the Emperor only ordered you to ransack our homes, not to kill us," he said slowly, his face returning to a state of calm.

"The Emperor said to confiscate your entire families. Are you two not members of your families?"

Wu An looked at Xue Zhen, who seemed ready to jump up again, and comforted him:

"Master Xue, rest assured. Any of your family members who resisted arrest have already been executed on the spot by the Hundred Riders Imperial Guard. Their bodies have been sent to the Ministry of Justice, and if all goes well, they should be hung in the East and West Markets for all to see."

Xue Zhen’s eyes turned bloodshot.

"The Emperor indeed did not say much more, but... even if I kill you now, and the Emperor kills me later, the Empress will help me kill Li Jingxuan. By then, there will be three Tang chancellors accompanying me, a mere brute, on my way."

Wu An rubbed his hands, looking at the bitterly smiling Hao Chujun and the enraged, grieving Xue Zhen, a hint of emotion on his face.

The next moment, he asked:

"You two old things, you don't really think I'll be buried with you, do you?"

Before they could answer—and there was no one else here—Wu An continued to himself: "The Empress will naturally help me escape punishment, while you and your families will bear the stigma of crime forever."

"Shameless!"

Hao Chujun’s voice was hoarse. He said coldly: "To have a woman like the Empress, it is truly a misfortune for the nation."

"But, when Li Jingxuan missed his chance for battle and caused so many soldiers to die on the battlefield, he was only slightly demoted, and a few years later he was back in office, with the entire court covering for him. How is what he did any different from what I have done?" Wu An asked back.

"I have merely done what you did, so why are you angry?"

Wu An could not be bothered to say more. He shouted to those outside:

"Men, see the two chancellors off."

Liang Xin led a few soldiers inside. Looking at the two dejected old men before him, a flicker of struggle appeared in his eyes.

But the next moment, he picked up a rope and personally tightened it around Hao Chujun’s neck.