Chapter 521: Bygones
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
The commanding officer of the Western Region, Wei Song, knew perfectly well why the Central Plains had given up the alliance with the Dragon King halfway through.
Revenge was a natural instinct, even more so when the dead was one’s own son. If this had been the Central Plains, he would have cut Slave Huan and Zhong Heng into pieces and never let them live another day. But he was in the Western Region, and the power of the Central Plains waxed and waned. During the latter, it was weaker than an organization of killers.
When the Dragon Army gained victory in Xiaoyao Lake, he faced an awkward choice. Should he continue to ignore the existence of the Dragon Army and foster the suspicion of his colleagues in the court? Such suspicion stopped him from arguing and caused a crisis of trust. He could imagine that the Dragon King must, at this moment, be more inclined towards Norland than the Central Plains.
The vital interests were always the most important. This was another, even stronger form of human nature. Wei Song first had to preserve his own position.
Therefore, he came alone to Xiaoyao Lake.
The messengers from the Central Plains who had kept contact with Zhong Heng, the King and the Queen of the An Kingdom had come to the north sh.o.r.e long before the war had erupted. They had watched the conflict from their safety zone, and amongst their five followers, there was a butler who looked genteel and reserved. Many thought he followed the rules and was nondescript. Xu Xiaoyi’s intelligence had actually missed this “big fish”.
Wei Song’s original purpose was to witness the death of his enemy. When the Dragon King gained victory, he changed his mind.
Since coming to the southern bank, Wei Song became more and more reclusive. Zhong Heng had only seen his messenger and had never interacted with this old supervisor. When the messenger said he wished to talk to the Dragon King privately, he was taken aback. “I don’t think this is a good idea. On the surface, the Dragon King will never know you have come,” said Zhong Heng.
“It doesn’t matter,” the messenger said, smiling confidently. “This will save even more time. The Central Plains will come up with terms that the Dragon King will never be able to refuse. Then, what the Prime Minister has done will be an act of meritorious service,” he continued.
Zhong Heng was still hesitating. However, after public debate, he felt it would be better for the messenger to come forward. The calvary of the North Court had impressed the people, and he was scared that the Dragon King would be affected.
Gu Shenwei agreed to see the messenger of the Central Plains. He thought of a way to deal with this untimely lobbyist. He and Zhong Heng were the first to be surprised.
The messenger retreated to a corner after lifting his cape, respectfully making way for the attendant who was standing behind him. “Please allow me to introduce the Commanding Officer to the Dragon King,” said the attendant.
Zhong Heng felt betrayed, and his face had a look of uncertainty. Moreover, he discovered that he had seemed significantly shorter standing in front of Wei Song. Wei Song was his former boss, and neither time nor hatred could erase his former habits and memories.
When Wei Song was young, he was a handsome lad. Now however, he was an average-sized, old man with white hair. He did not seem different from a few years ago. If he wished, he could still exude an outstanding air of majesty.
“Dragon King, please forgive me for my rudeness. Prime Minister Zhong Heng knows nothing about this. Dragon King, please don’t blame him,” said Wei Song.
Zhong Heng’s expression showed his ignorance. Wei Song hinted at him — not knowing that the Western Region’s Commanding Officer was a close relative of Xiaoyao Lake had its benefits, as it could lessen the Dragon King’s suspicions.
Gu Shenwei’s hatred rose suddenly from within his bosom. After so many years of concealment and suppression, it still blazed.
However, it did not show on his face. He was no longer a teen h.e.l.lbent on revenge, but the Dragon King with a thousand troops and horses. “Lord Wei was a relative of the Xiaoyao Lake, and I was lacking in my hospitality. How could I blame the Prime Minister?” Gu Shenwei said.
Formalities were unavoidable. Zhong Heng adjusted his mood, and they returned to normal conversation very quickly. He was the Prime Minister of the Stone Kingdom, whose t.i.tle was given by the Dragon King. In theory, he was on par with the Commanding Officer of the Western Region. There was nothing to be afraid of.
Zhong Heng and the messenger from the Central Plains were responsible for the first-stage of the ice-breaker meeting. When both sides were at ease, the two left, leaving Wei Song and the Dragon King to their private meeting.
This was an enemy who delivered himself to his doorstep. Gu Shenwei thought,“Wei Song has nothing that can compel me to let him go.”
“After so many years, the Dragon King is still so elegant. Not like an old man like me who barely even has the energy to walk,” Wei Song said.
Wei Song yawned, showing his approachable side deliberately. In his eyes, the Commanding Officers of the Western Region were still a lot taller than the Dragon King.
Wei Song was a crafty old man. Those years when he was still the Governor of Jade City, he feigned ignorance despite knowing Slave Huan could have killed his own son. Instead, he treated the Meng family of the North City as his enemy and hired Slave Huan to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Meng Zuyun’s son. Then he pretended to promise to let Slave Huan leave Jade City with him. After gaining his trust completely, he fled quietly.
Gu Shenwei was doubly careful negotiating with such a character. Hence, he showed himself to be even more easy-going and even leaned his body on a high pillow. “It’s rare that Lord Wei still remembers the old me. The young lad back then was innocent. I must have made the Lord Wei laugh,” Gu Shenwei said.
Wei Song looked as if he truly wanted to smile, but stifled it into a sigh halfway through. “The Dragon King is young, but not ignorant at all. Otherwise, my unworthy son would not have died so tragically in the desert,” he replied.
Wei Song touched the key issue so quickly. Gu Shenwei was slightly surprised. Even though both parties were well aware of the a.s.sa.s.sination of Wei Lingmiao, they had never talked about it in public.
Since Wei Song had something to say, Gu Shenwei did not wish to conceal it anymore, and said coldly, “Master Wei begged multiple times for mercy before he died, showing he still cherished his life very much.”
Wei Song’s face transformed completely. In a flash, the elegant old man became a beastly avenger. But it happened only in a flash and then turned back to normal. He was not here for revenge. In Xiaoyao Lake, there was no room for revenge. “I am willing to forget about this matter. What about you, Dragon King?” Wei Song asked.
“Were it not for you mentioning it, I would not have thought of Master Wei. I’ve killed too many people, and there’s simply no way for me to remember them one by one,” said Gu Shenwei.
Wei Song deliberately ignored the provocation and sarcasm in Gu Shenwei’s words. “The Dragon King must be someone from the Central Plains?” he asked instead.
“That was when I was a child,” replied Gu Shenwei.
“You grew up in the Gu family?” asked Wei Song.
“Yes,” said Gu Shenwei.
Gu Shenwei’s true ident.i.ty was Yang Huan, the son of Yang Zheng, a servant of the Gu family in the Central Plains.
“I believe that you must also be aware that the Wei and Gu family were originally closer, as relatives. The Gu family’s death saddened me deeply,” said Wei Song.
“Yes, but I never saw how good the two families were with each other from Lord Wei and his son,” replied Gu Shenwei.
“Wei Song looked pale, as if he had received a major blow. If this was an act, Gu Shenwei had to admit that he performed well. “People help themselves in the officialdom. At that time, the Central Plains and Norland were fighting for the Golden Roc Fort. It was a matter for the Imperial Court. How could I dare take personal revenge? However, in my heart, the Supreme King was always my enemy,” said Wei Song.
“He finally got to the point.” Gu Shenwei thought. Following this, Wei Song, in the name of revenge, asked the Dragon King for an alliance with the Central Plains.
“You killed Lingmiao because he did not avenge the Gu family?” asked Wei Song.
“No, revenge was a personal choice. No one has a right to interfere. Wei Lingwei cooperated with the Golden Roc Fort’s killers to kill the Miss of Gu family. That is why I killed him,” Gu Shenwei explained.
Wei Song stared wide-eyed, revealing his complete shock. “How is this possible? She was an unwed wife,” he asked.
“Unfortunately, this was true. He accidentally revealed the truth to the people around him and admitted it to me before he died,” said Gu Shenwei.
“He should be killed!” Wei Song shouted, slapping his thigh vehemently and pretended to be angry. “I see how it is. I can’t believe I was sad for him for so many years. No wonder… he was such an unloyal son,” he went on.
Gu Shenwei was tired of playing along with Wei Song’s act, but he had no other choice. Wei Song was willing to admit some things at this time, and he still had his saber. He became even more stubborn.
“So, you were unaware of this?” asked Gu Shenwei, suspiciously.
“Of course! How could I have allowed this? Cuilian is a good girl, sensible from a young age. I thought that she would be able to restrain Lingmiao’s temper. All these years, I have been investigating the Gu family’s murder and had never heard of that…” said Wei Song.
Speaking of the elder sister, Gu Shenwei’s hatred grew but he still managed to control it. “Lord Wei had not thought of asking, and naturally no one would have asked. However, I am not happy. Why would the Golden Roc Fort want to kill the whole Gu family, including the servants? What did Lord Wei find in his investigation?” asked Gu Shenwei.
Wei Song looked at the young man in front of him with a single glance, as if considering if he should say something. “The Golden Roc Fort has been extremely secretive about the a.s.sa.s.sination. The Gu family did not mention a single word about the case. I found some information that was relevant to Norland,” he finally said.
Gu Shenwei almost laughed scornfully. In order to court the Dragon Army, Wei Song would do almost anything, even redirecting his hatred for the Gu family to Norland.
“Oh?” Gu Shenwei said, a little surprised.
“Lord Gu Lun has been in Norland for many years. I’m sure the Dragon King knows this?” Wei Song responded.
Gu Shenwei did not know this. He had never heard it from his father.
Wei Song realized the Dragon King’s confusion. He briefly narrated Gu Lun’s early experiences.
Gu Lun could only be made a general in the eyes of the Imperial Guard. This was not because he had once caught a famous thief, but because he had once accompanied the Seventh Prince as a hostage to Norland. He had stayed there for ten years, which was almost the entirety of the Seventh Prince’s childhood.
After ten years, Gu Lun accompanied the Seventh Prince back to their homeland. After a series of events, the Seventh Prince became emperor. Afterwards, Gu Lun was quickly promoted and given the t.i.tle of Brilliant General after a meritorious act. The Gu and Wei families were married at this time, as well.
Unfortunately, the Seventh Prince was only in power for a few years and did not suppress the power of the several factions before he died of an illness. He left behind a crown prince who was only a few years old. Gu Lun retired bravely, left office and migrated to the Western Region with his entire family.
The events in the later years were vaguely remembered by Gu Shenwei. It was precisely for this reason that he had sent out Lin Xiaoshan and Jiang to the Central Plains to find out more about what had happened in the past.
However, according to Wei Song, the Gu family’s death had nothing to do with the imperial court of the Central Plains. The curse was buried in Norland.
“When the late Emperor stayed in Norland, he once clashed with a crown prince. Lord Gu killed his master accidentally, but was spared from punishment due to the Khan’s interference. However, the father and brother of this prince held a grudge,” Wei Song explained.
Gu Shenwei was silent. Wei Song had an agenda. This made his words less credible.
“Believe me,” Wei Song said, wanting to win the trust of the Dragon King and using his trump card. “Nephew Shenwei, I know your true ident.i.ty. I have been hiding it for you from Norland all this while,” he continued.