Chapter 87

The wrath of the Emperor can leave a hundred thousand corpses.

Chu Shaoling had no time to pay attention to anything else. He turned around, mounted his horse, and rushed to Wei Ji. Seeing Chu Shaoling coming, Wei Ji hurriedly dismounted, but accidentally pulled the wound on his leg and fell to his knees.

Chu Shaoling's heart ached. He tightened the reins and before the horse could steady, he flipped off the saddle and rushed to Wei Ji, lifting him up. Wei Ji was covered in blood. Chu Shaoling didn't know where he was injured and didn't dare to touch carelessly. He asked in a hoarse voice, "Where does it hurt? Is it serious?"

Wei Ji had rushed out relying on sheer willpower. He himself didn't know how many places he was injured. He only felt that there was no part of his body that didn't hurt. Fearing that Chu Shaoling would worry, Wei Ji smiled weakly, "It's nothing, just some flesh wounds. Your Highness didn't agree to anything with the barbarians, right?"

Chu Shaoling gritted his teeth, "If it had been a moment later..."

Chu Shaoling's eyes were bloodshot. He took off the cloak he was wearing and draped it over Wei Ji. The royal guards behind Chu Shaoling caught up and said urgently, "Grand General, now..."

"You all follow me back to the camp. The rest listen to the orders of the Guardian General. Do as he says. Immediately summon those accompanying imperial physicians to the tent, quickly!"

Chu Shaoling gently helped Wei Ji up, lifted him onto the horse, and personally led the horse, carefully escorting Wei Ji back to camp.

In the main tent, Chu Shaoling personally removed the armor from Wei Ji's body. Fearing that Chu Shaoling would be upset seeing his injuries, Wei Ji said softly, "The imperial physicians will suffice. Your Highness should go out and take a look. Elder brother is the only one out there, that won't do."

Chu Shaoling didn't say a word. He gently took off Wei Ji's blood-soaked inner garment. There were over a dozen horrific wounds across Wei Ji's body. Chu Shaoling gritted his teeth fiercely. He wished he could rush out right now and slaughter the Liaoliang King alive!

Wei Ji had lost a lot of blood and was very weak. Seeing Chu Shaoling like this, he mustered his energy and said, "Your Highness, let the imperial physicians take a look. Seeing Your Highness like this makes it even harder for me to bear."

Chu Shaoling clenched his fists tightly. After a moment, he got up to let the imperial physicians clean Wei Ji's wounds. The physicians first wrung out a cloth to wipe Wei Ji's body. The cloth was also soaked with medicine, and when it rubbed against the wounds, it felt like it was corroding the bones. Even Wei Ji couldn't help but groan. Chu Shaoling said anxiously, "Do you have no control over your hands?! Can't you see he's in pain?!!"

The imperial physicians were so frightened that their hands trembled as they apologized repeatedly. Beads of sweat seeped out on Wei Ji's forehead. He took a deep breath and reassured, "It's alright..." Wei Ji turned to Chu Shaoling and said softly, "Your Highness, please go out first. I'll have someone invite you back once it's taken care of."

Every word Wei Ji said was like a knife carving into Chu Shaoling's heart. Such a good person, such a gentle person, yet he had caused him to be besieged by the Liaoliang troops! Chu Shaoling no longer held himself back. He walked straight to the bed and sat down. Chu Shaoling carefully held up Wei Ji, letting him rest on his chest. He said softly, "I won't say much. I'll watch the imperial physicians bandage you..."

Chu Shaoling looked at the imperial physicians. They quickly wrung out the cloth and continued wiping.

At this moment, Wei Ji actually also hoped that Chu Shaoling could stay by his side. The two of them had just turned around from the gates of life and death. Now they only wanted to look at each other. Wei Ji no longer cared that there were outsiders present. He relaxed his body and leaned against Chu Shaoling, holding his hand. Chu Shaoling took the cloth and gently wiped the beads of sweat from the corner of his forehead. He lowered his head and kissed Wei Ji's lips, coaxing hoarsely, "Bear with it for a while. It won't hurt once the bandaging is done..."

Wei Ji's face was pale. Hearing this, he shook his head and smiled, "It doesn't hurt to begin with..."

Chu Shaoling turned his head away, his eyes instantly wet.

Fortunately, with the armor's protection, no vital areas were injured. Even so, Wei Ji still suffered nineteen wounds, each one cutting to the flesh. Seeing the flipped up bloody flesh, Chu Shaoling wished he could eat the Liaoliang soldiers outside alive!

After the imperial physicians cleaned Wei Ji's body, they carefully applied medicine and bandaged him. The two physicians discussed and wrote a prescription. After reading it, Chu Shaoling ordered someone to fetch the medicinal ingredients. He personally decocted the medicine in the tent.

Wei Ji's body hurt too much to lie down. He leaned against the soft pillow, watching Chu Shaoling silently busying back and forth. His heart felt both sweet and distressed. Wei Ji shifted closer and asked in a low voice, "How does Your Highness plan to deal with Liaoliang?"

When Chu Shaoling gave the order earlier, Wei Ji was not present. After returning, he had been busy with bandaging the wounds and had no way of knowing. Wei Ji thought that Chu Shaoling hadn't had time to consider it and advised, "I know Your Highness is greatly angered this time, but Your Highness has just ascended to the crown prince position. Your foundation is not yet stable. The common people and civil and military officials throughout the land are all watching Your Highness. Your Highness must not make any missteps. In all matters, you must endure more. I have only suffered some minor injuries, it's not a big deal."

Chu Shaoling carefully watched the fire. After stoking it a few times, he took a cloth to wrap the medicine pot and poured the thick decoction into a glazed cup. Chu Shaoling took a small cup of candied fruit and brought it to the bed together with the medicine. Setting down the candied fruit, he took a silver spoon to stir the decoction and gently blew on it. He tasted it himself before feeding it to Wei Ji. The medicine was a bit bitter. Chu Shaoling coaxed, "Drink it all. If you finish it, I'll give you candied fruit."

Wei Ji laughed, "Is Your Highness treating me like a child?"

Despite saying that, after drinking the medicine and having some candied fruit, he indeed felt much better. Chu Shaoling took a clean blanket and lightly covered Wei Ji. He said softly, "If it's pressing on anywhere, tell me. If it hurts badly, also tell me. You hear me?"

Wei Ji nodded and continued, "Did Your Highness hear what I said earlier? I'm really fine. You also heard what the imperial physicians said just now. As long as I recuperate well, it won't take long before I'm healed. It's not a problem..."

"After taking the medicine, you should sleep for a while to get better." Chu Shaoling carefully took the soft pillow from behind Wei Ji's waist and held him, protecting his wounds as he laid him down. Chu Shaoling kissed Wei Ji's forehead. "I'll burn some incense that aids sleep for you. It's not harmful to the body. Sleep more. Once you fall asleep, it won't hurt anymore."

Saying that, Chu Shaoling took his own small gold-plated tri-colored incense burner, added a handful of albizia bark incense cakes, and placed it in front of Wei Ji's bed.

Wei Ji refused to sleep without getting a definite answer from Chu Shaoling's mouth. He held Chu Shaoling's hand and said softly, "Your Highness, I now only want to return to the imperial capital with you as soon as possible. I don't care about anything else. After this battle, I realized that in times of crisis, I only want you. I don't care about anything else."

"Me too." Chu Shaoling affectionately kissed Wei Ji's cheek and whispered, "Do you want to return to the imperial city? Alright, we'll go back right away, back to Qin Prince Manor. I won't let you go to battle again, I'll just have you stay well in the imperial city. Whatever you want, I'll bring it to the imperial city for you, not letting you suffer the slightest grievance or hardship, okay? I'll give you whatever you want."

Wei Ji shook his head, "This official doesn't want anything."

Wisps of green smoke drifted from the small incense burner in the tent. Wei Ji was already tired, and with the anesthetic incense, he couldn't hold out any longer. Before long, he fell asleep leaning against Chu Shaoling.

Chu Shaoling carefully helped Wei Ji lie down and changed into a new set of clothes before leaving the main tent.

The personal guards outside the tent quickly saluted upon seeing Chu Shaoling emerge. Chu Shaoling said indifferently, "Before I return, no one is allowed to enter the main tent. Anyone who enters without permission shall be beheaded."

The generals and soldiers were all waiting in Wei Zhan's tent. In the earlier chaos, many of them weren't in front of Chu Shaoling. Now hearing Wei Zhan's words, they didn't believe it. A young general swallowed and said, "General Wei, there are at least 100,000 people in Fenghe City now. Does His Highness really want to... to..."

Wei Zhan nodded, "Massacre the city."

Lian Yu had always looked up to Chu Shaoling. Now hearing this, he couldn't help but tremble inside. He originally thought that in a fit of rage, Chu Shaoling would charge into Fenghe City and take the Liaoliang King's life, which would be impressive enough. He didn't expect that Chu Shaoling actually wanted to wipe out the entire Liaoliang nation. This time... this time the Crown Prince would go down in history.

Lian Yu suddenly thought of the over 10,000 Liaoliang prisoners of war being held outside and said urgently, "No! General Wei, why didn't you say so earlier? I already arranged the prisoners. If His Highness sees that I didn't kill a single one, he'll kill me first!"

Wei Zhan was also hesitating in his heart. He could actually understand Chu Shaoling's anger today. The Liaoliang King dared to send troops to surround Wei Ji, which touched Chu Shaoling's reverse scale. No, this wasn't just touching the reverse scale, it was completely gouging out Chu Shaoling's eyes. If Chu Shaoling could endure this, he wouldn't be Chu Shaoling. But to really massacre the city, this was also...

Wei Zhan sighed, "General Lian, there's no need to panic. When His Highness comes, I will naturally take responsibility for the matter."

"What matter are you taking responsibility for?" Chu Shaoling entered the main tent with a cold face. "I said not to leave a single one alive. Why are there still Liaoliang people outside?!"

Everyone quickly saluted. Wei Zhan's face turned pale and he lowered his head, "This official was afraid that Your Highness acted on impulse earlier and wanted to ask again before dealing with it."

Chu Shaoling let out a cold laugh, "No need to ask. I still stand by what I said. I don't want to see a single Liaoliang person."

The people looked at each other. Wei Zhan was at his wit's end. In this tent, only he still dared to persuade a few more words. Wei Zhan said with difficulty, "Grand General, why don't you discuss this matter with General Wei..."

Wei Zhan was confident that Wei Ji definitely wouldn't agree to such a thing.

Wei Zhan just wanted Chu Shaoling to consider Wei Ji and calm down. He didn't expect that saying this at this juncture would further ignite Chu Shaoling's anger. Chu Shaoling immediately laughed, "Hah, is General Wei threatening me with Wei Ji?"

Wei Zhan quickly apologized, "This official wouldn't dare."

Chu Shaoling suppressed the anger in his chest and said coldly, "Does everyone want to threaten me with Wei Ji once? Is that it?! In the imperial city, they all used Wei Ji to threaten me one by one! In Liaoliang, the barbarians also want to use Wei Ji to threaten me! Now you're also bringing up Wei Ji!"

The generals and soldiers in the tent all knelt down. Chu Shaoling gave a cold laugh, "Bai Yunjiang is already dead. Wei Zhan, do you think I really can't bear to do anything to you? I have never been one to care about giving face. Today, I won't beat around the bush anymore. Anyone who dares to use Wei Ji to go against me must die."

"Your Highness..." Wei Ji lifted the tent curtain and walked in, kneeling straight down. "This official... begs Your Highness to rescind the order."

Chu Shaoling was stunned for a moment and quickly walked over to carefully help Wei Ji up. Wei Ji's face was pale, clearly not having recovered yet. Chu Shaoling said anxiously, "Why did you come out?!"

Wei Ji glanced at the generals and soldiers in the tent and sighed softly, "Generals, please leave for now and let this lowly official persuade His Highness."

Seeing Wei Ji come, everyone couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. After saluting, they all withdrew. Chu Shaoling rubbed his brow, tired, "I know everything you want to say. Don't waste your energy. I'll accompany you back. You need to recuperate now..."

Wei Ji shook his head, "This official earnestly begs Your Highness, if only for this official's sake, then to accumulate blessings, please pardon these people. What do these commoners know? Which of them doesn't have parents and siblings? They are truly innocent..."

Chu Shaoling sneered, "Innocent? If you had really died in battle today, who would have pitied me?! On the battlefield, who is truly innocent? It's just the victor and the defeated."

Wei Ji said bitterly, "But this official has returned safely. These minor injuries will heal in a few days with care. Your Highness, this official implores Your Highness not to... Throughout history, generals who massacred cities have all been despised by later generations. The events in Fenghe City will spread before long. How will the people of the world view Your Highness then?"

Chu Shaoling smiled cruelly, "They can view me however they want. If they can't stand it, they can come tell me themselves and I'll personally send them to meet those people!"

Seeing that Chu Shaoling wouldn't listen no matter what, Wei Ji could only kneel down again and said hoarsely, "Your Highness, this official knows that Your Highness is doing all this for this official, but this official is truly fine now. This official doesn't want Your Highness to do this for this official's sake..."

The tears Wei Ji had been holding back for half a day suddenly flowed down. "Your Highness, leave yourself some karmic virtue. Don't add more killing and revenge."

"You also think I'm massacring the city for revenge?" Chu Shaoling closed his eyes, his voice hoarse. "As long as you can return, I would exchange this entire world for them, so what? But Wei Ji, do you understand? The fact that I was willing to sign a peace agreement for your sake on the battlefield will be known to everyone before long. They'll know that for you, I acceded to all of Liaoliang's demands, even willing to exchange fifteen cities. After the court's political enemies and foreign vassal states learn of this, what do you think they'll be thinking?"

Chu Shaoling took a step closer and lifted Wei Ji's chin, his eyes full of viciousness as he looked at that face. "As long as I hold power for a single day, in their eyes, you'll be a living treasure that can be used to threaten me and get anything they want. If this continues, how can you let me sleep peacefully each night?"

"I'll tell you the truth! When that barbarian fellow was negotiating the treaty with me, I had already decided to massacre the city! If you had come out a moment later, even if I had affixed the imperial seal, I wouldn't have cared about that worthless treaty! Wanting to use you to trade things with me, dream on!!"

Chu Shaoling's eyes reddened as he said hoarsely, "Do you know how I endured it when the Liaoliang people used you to negotiate a treaty with me?! I have never been so anxious in my entire life!! Can you bear to let me suffer this torment day after day?!"

"I'm not doing this for revenge, nor for my own face! I cannot tolerate others coveting you!!" Chu Shaoling stared fixedly at Wei Ji, saying coldly, "It's no use for you to persuade me. I will use the blood of Liaoliang to make everyone understand! I, Chu Shaoling, will not consider any gentlemanly righteousness or sage words! Using you for coercion will not earn any benefits, only a more miserable death! The next time someone dares to have designs on you, they will have to think of the thousands of wronged souls in Liaoliang, and consider whether they can bear the raging fury of me, Chu Shaoling!!"

Chu Shaoling looked down slightly at Wei Ji kneeling on the ground, the golden tassel on his robe brushing across Wei Ji's face, cool to the touch.

Wei Ji was always exempt from kneeling in front of Chu Shaoling. Chu Shaoling doted on him, always saying the ground was cold, fearing it would hurt his legs no matter how thick the goose down cushion was.

It had been a long time since Wei Ji had looked up at Chu Shaoling like this. At this moment, Wei Ji suddenly understood how high this man stood, how bitterly he lived.

He cast himself into hell, he walked through myriad karmic fires, he slaughtered tens of thousands to shock the world, just to intimidate all under heaven, forbidding anyone from coveting his Wei Ji.

Chu Shaoling gently stroked Wei Ji's hair and said hoarsely after a long while, "Do you think I like killing?"

Wei Ji lowered his head, hugged Chu Shaoling's legs and wailed.

Wei Ji collapsed on the ground, crying so hard he couldn't catch his breath. What virtue or ability did he have to deserve Chu Shaoling treating him like this? Wei Ji desperately suppressed his sobs and cried, "Your Highness, Your Highness, don't be so good to this servant, Your Highness..."

Each cry struck Chu Shaoling's heart. Chu Shaoling's heart ached unbearably, his eyes also reddening. He said softly, "Get up first, be good..."

Wei Ji clung tightly to Chu Shaoling's legs, refusing to get up, only crying loudly, as if wanting to cry out all the overwhelming emotions and love in his heart. He begged while crying, "Your Highness, this servant doesn't want Your Highness to sully your clarity for this servant's sake. After returning to the capital, this servant will never come out again. This servant will stay by Your Highness's side for life. This servant won't go anywhere else. This servant won't risk danger again. Your Highness, this servant begs Your Highness..."

Chu Shaoling's heart ached. His Wei Ji, ah.

Chu Shaoling sighed deeply and said softly, "Forget it. Your son is still an infant now, it's not good to have too much slaughter. Just consider it a blessing for you and your descendants."

Chu Shaoling summoned his trusted soldiers outside the tent and ordered solemnly, "Go tell the generals, rest for a night. Tomorrow directly attack Fenghe City. Leave none of the Liaoliang royal family and nobles alive. Execute them all at noon. The conscripted prisoners of war will still be exiled to Yunnan. The remaining citizens in the city will all be demoted to slaves, never to be freed from their status for generations."

Chu Shaoling closed his eyes for a moment. Just consider it accumulating blessings for Wei Ji. The Liaoliang royal family alone numbered over a thousand people. A thousand heads hanging on the gates of Fenghe City should be enough to deter others.

The trusted soldiers received their orders and left the tent. Chu Shaoling rubbed the top of Wei Ji's head and pulled him up, saying softly, "Don't cry anymore, you're really going to be the death of me."

Wei Ji desperately suppressed his sobs. "Your Highness, don't be so good to this servant, don't..."

"Good to you? As good as you are to me?" Chu Shaoling laughed coldly. "The valiant General Wei is truly brave, daring to resist the barbarian army of tens of thousands with only three thousand elite cavalry, a true pillar of the state, returning covered in wounds. Do you think I'll let you off lightly?!"

Wei Ji wiped away the tears on his face and lowered his head. "This servant knows his crime."

Chu Shaoling embraced Wei Ji, biting viciously on his neck, and said in a low voice, "I'll spare you, and you spare me too. You just promised me, after returning to the capital, stay by my side forever and listen to me in everything from now on."

Wei Ji nodded, choking back sobs. "This servant will listen to Your Highness in everything, everything..."

Using the lives of those people in exchange for this one promise from Wei Ji was worth it. Chu Shaoling closed his eyes and gently kissed Wei Ji's cheek. "Enough, I already agreed to everything, yet you're still crying. Are you deliberately trying to make my heart ache?"

Wei Ji shook his head vigorously, but tears still flowed uncontrollably. Chu Shaoling indulgently pulled Wei Ji into his arms, gently coaxing, "I'll leave the rest to your elder brother. Tomorrow I'll stay in the tent with you while you heal, not leaving for a moment. Okay?"

Wei Ji tightly clutched Chu Shaoling's robe and nodded. Chu Shaoling smiled. "You're regressing more and more. I originally wanted to enter Fenghe City together with you, but I'm afraid there won't be a chance for that in the future."

After tomorrow, let alone Fenghe, even the Liaoliang nation will become a dark chapter in the long river of history.

Future generations will know, it was only because the last Liaoliang king touched Chu Shaoling's future empress that in the sixteenth year of Tianqi's reign, Liaoliang ceased to exist in the world.

Author's Note:

Ah, yesterday's massacre seemed to cause a little controversy. Let me say a few words. Actually, with this chapter out, I feel everyone can understand. Chu Shaoling's massacre was definitely not to vent his anger, but to deter others.

Fighting to this point, reconciliation is impossible. There will inevitably be heavy casualties. This kind of thing is not uncommon in ancient times. Of course, Chu Shaoling's values are not righteous (T_T my attacker's values are all unrighteous). But he is a tyrant after all. Everyone, don't learn from him, haha.