Chapter 1573 - 494: Hatred and Growth, Murong Ping the Scapegoat
Chapter 1573: Chapter 494: Hatred and Growth, Murong Ping the Scapegoat
As Li Xuanling concluded the deployment, everyone in the hall began to take their leave, leaving only Qiu Peng and a few others.
Of course, in the center of the grand hall, Tie Xinchuan was still holding Han Yue’s corpse in a daze. After hearing Li Xuanling’s deployment had ended, he suddenly came to his senses, quickly set down Han Yue’s body, and bowed respectfully to Li Xuanling at the head of the hall:
"Madam, I request to join the Left Army to conquer Beishuo."
Tie Xinchuan’s voice wasn’t loud, but the immense hatred in his somber tone made Qiu Peng and the others shiver slightly.
Li Xuanling didn’t immediately respond to Tie Xinchuan’s request. Instead, she first glanced at Yuan Bai and the eight Dragon Forbidden Captains behind him, then spoke in a deep voice: "Tonight, my son was in danger, and the main culprits are Beishuo along with the two vassal towns, Chen Cang and Cai Qiu. This is undeniable.
But as for Han Yue, she didn’t have to die, and you should all understand this, right?"
With her words, Yuan Bai, Lu Dong, and the other nine immediately felt ashamed and overwhelmed. They were already kneeling, and after hearing Li Xuanling’s words, they turned around and continuously kowtowed to Tie Xinchuan.
"Enough, stop it! Even if you break your heads, Han Yue cannot come back to life. Since you’ve made mistakes, appropriate punishment is only natural..."
Li Xuanling paused after speaking, then continued after a moment of thought: "The Dragon Forbidden Squadron will depart immediately for East River City, to join the Left Army under the command of Left Road Marshal Xia Chuan. In this Great Xia Northern Expedition, all Dragon Forbidden soldiers will not receive military merit."
Tie Xinchuan, without a doubt, even if he is allowed to slaughter the entire Beishuo Town, he probably wouldn’t hesitate; as for Yuan Bai and Luo An, they are full of guilt over Han Yue’s death, seeking revenge against Beishuo is perhaps the only way they can somewhat make amends to Tie Xinchuan.
So, rather than a punishment, Li Xuanling’s command to forgo military merit is more like giving them a chance to redeem themselves.
Despite feeling deeply ashamed, Yuan Bai, Lu Dong, and the others respectfully bowed to Li Xuanling, raised their heads, and said in unison: "Thank you, Madam!"
Li Xuanling waved her hand, turned her head to look behind the high platform, and spoke in a low voice: "Bring the two of them in!"
Han Shuang led Xia Yuyao and Xia Yusheng slowly out from behind the high platform, walked into the hall, and stopped in front of Han Yue’s body.
Seeing the three appear, no one in the hall was surprised; they clearly already knew they were standing behind the scenes.
"Second sister..."
Han Shuang’s eyes had long been red and swollen from crying. Upon reaching her sister’s body, she couldn’t hold back any longer, her legs went soft, and she collapsed onto Han Yue, sobbing and calling out ’second sister,’ completely overcome with emotion.
Xia Yusheng, on the other hand, widened his eyes, staring intently at Han Yue’s body, his body slightly trembling, lost in thought.
Among the three, Xia Yuyao had the smallest reaction. She lowered her head to carefully examine Han Yue’s body, her eyes showing a faint chill. Then, after pondering something, she gently prodded her younger brother.
Xia Yusheng, dazed, was jolted awake. He glanced at his sister, immediately realized what she meant, and with clenched teeth, moved in front of Tie Xinchuan. He bent his knees, intending to kneel to him.
"Uncle Tie, I’m sorry!"
"Second Prince..."
Seeing Xia Yusheng’s action, Li Xuanling’s eyebrows furrowed sharply; Qiu Peng exclaimed in surprise, leaping forward to try to stop Xia Yusheng.
However, he needn’t have bothered.
Tie Xinchuan, seeing Xia Yusheng bending his knees, realized immediately what he intended to do. He quickly stepped forward to support him, and upon hearing Xia Yusheng’s teary apology, a touch of emotion flashed across his face, and he spoke solemnly: "How can this humble servant accept such a grand gesture from the noble Second Prince?
The death of Yue’er, has nothing to do with the Second Prince. If blame must be assigned, it’s that I was negligent in military discipline, giving Yang Jian and that bunch of beasts an opportunity. If I can’t clear this up, it would mean I wasted the Lord’s teachings for so many years."
Seeing Tie Xinchuan voluntarily stop Xia Yusheng and say those words, Li Xuanling and Qiu Peng, and the others couldn’t help but show a sense of satisfaction.
Aside from the assailants, the greatest indirect responsibility for Han Yue’s death tonight undoubtedly lies with Lu Dong and the Dragon Forbidden soldiers. However, their mistakes stemmed from inexperience and naivety.
Xia Yusheng, in fact, bears a bit of responsibility too, but compared to Lu Dong and the others, his share is relatively negligible.
"It’s my fault that Auntie Han Yue died. If I hadn’t been making a fuss to leave the city, those people wouldn’t have had a chance, and Auntie Han Yue wouldn’t have died protecting me. Uncle Tie, I’m sorry, I’m sorry..."
But unfortunately, Xia Yusheng, with the innocence of a child, stubbornly took all the blame upon himself. His small body kept struggling in Tie Xinchuan’s arms, clearly still attempting to kneel down and apologize.
Seeing her son like this, Li Xuanling furrowed her brows and sternly said: "Apologizing on your knees—will it bring any use?"
"I..."
Under his mother’s stern rebuke, Xia Yusheng immediately stopped, then turned tearful eyes to her, full of confusion and helplessness.
Looking at Xia Yusheng’s pitiable appearance, remembering he had just turned nine this year, Li Xuanling felt a bit of soft-heartedness, though her expression didn’t change. She only softened her tone slightly and continued: "If you truly feel wrong, then focus on cultivating and becoming strong. Until you have the strength, stop insisting on leaving the city. I’ve told you more than once, your status differs from others. Now, with the great change imminent in the Southern Slope Territory, the Northern Five Towns have their eyes on you. This palace was also at fault, I shouldn’t have softened and allowed you to leave the city..."