flstandardbreds Chapter 140: In the Council Hall...
Chapter 140: In the Council Hall...
Emperor Qing Zhao looked at the two people kneeling below and said calmly: "Sir Zeng, if I remember correctly, you were transferred to the capital ten years ago. The reason why you were able to be promoted to the second rank in ten years was because you came up with several good fishing methods and fishing gear. Now it seems that those are the fishing methods of your hometown, right? But I have to say that the methods you contributed are indeed useful. You have seen what Zhaoguo is like now, why can't you figure it out? Since you want to occupy the city of Zhaoguo!" At the end, Emperor Qing Zhao's tone became colder and colder.
Zeng Qing secretly cursed Li Hu and the others. He also wanted to ask them what they were thinking. He had told them not to move their troops, yet they thought they could hold on. But he didn't say it out loud. He cried, "Your Majesty, you don't know that the tide in our hometown rises every now and then, submerging entire villages on the island and displacing the people. Every time the tide comes, it's a disaster, and everyone has no choice but to flee. Our land is barren, and there is no other way to survive except fishing. That's why we thought that if we had more land, our people could settle down. But Zhao State is xenophobic, so we have no choice but to do this."
Li Huacheng, who had been summoned to listen, glanced indifferently at Zeng Qing, who was speaking. Li Huayao, also listening, sneered, "Hmph! If you really thought so, you could have simply had the Qingxue City magistrate petition the emperor over a decade ago. Why did you drag it out for over a decade? What? Are you playing the game of sleeping on straw and tasting gall?"
Upon hearing this, Zeng Qing immediately defended himself, "Your Highness, it's not that I didn't want to do this! It's just that the Zhao Kingdom at that time was particularly xenophobic. Just because one of my companions couldn't speak the Zhao language, he was beaten to death by the people of Qingxue City."
Emperor Qing Zhao raised his hand slightly, signaling for silence. "Since that's the case, I will summon the former magistrate of Qingxue City today to question him." Soon, a gray-haired elder was brought to the hall. He was now a fourth-rank official in the Honglu Temple, in charge of foreign affairs. His surname was Lin, and he was fifty years old.
"Your Majesty, your humble servant pays respects to you." The old man said in a steady voice.
"Stand up and speak. I have something to ask you." Emperor Qing Zhao's eyes were like torches. He repeated what Zeng Qing had just said and asked, "Is what Zeng Qing said true?"
The old man pondered for a moment before replying, "Your Majesty, what Zeng Qing said is partially true. However, when I was governing Qingxue City, I was wary of outsiders but did not deliberately make things difficult for them. As for the person he mentioned being beaten to death for not being able to speak Zhao language, I have never heard of that."
Zeng Qing became anxious when he heard this, "Sir, please don't slander me. My brother died unjustly."
At this moment, the Third Prince Li Huacheng, who had been silent the entire time, stood up and said, "Father, I believe that no matter what the truth is, now that the war has begun, the most urgent task is to quell the chaos and comfort the people."
Li Huayao on the side also agreed: "Third brother is absolutely right. If we keep pursuing the right and wrong of the past, it will only deepen the hatred." Emperor Qing Zhao nodded slowly after hearing this.
Zeng Qing, upon hearing Li Huayao's words, knew there was still a way out of their attack on Qingxue City, so he spoke earnestly, "I also wanted to stop this, but they refused to listen. I have served in Zhao State for many years and am wholeheartedly loyal to Your Majesty and Zhao State. However, I have been asked by my elderly mother to do something, and I cannot go against her wishes. This puts me in a difficult position. I hope Your Majesty will understand."
Li Huacheng's voice was gentle, but his words were less so. "Master Zeng has made a clean pass, but your words... where do you think your old mother should be?"
Emperor Qing Zhao was too lazy to listen to his explanation and turned to ask Xie Sichen: "What about you? What are your difficulties?"
Xie Sichen kowtowed deeply before slowly speaking, "Your Majesty, the elders of my clan said that as long as I come to Zhao State, they will take good care of my younger brother. My brother and I are not good swimmers due to physical reasons. We don't have much land in our hometown, and the little land we have is flooded, which means my brother and I often don't have enough to eat. But seven years ago, the clan wanted to select someone to come to Zhao State again, and I was chosen. So, I and the other selected people rowed on the sea for over a month before reaching Qingxue City. There, I was met by someone in Qingxue City, and I learned the culture of Zhao State. Then, through Zeng Qing's connections, I became a minor official. Your Majesty knows what happened next."
Zeng Qing looked at him in disbelief, "What are you talking about?"
Xie Sichen looked at him with red eyes, "I haven't seen Silu for a few years. He was only eight years old when I left the island. I went back to see him two years ago despite the biting cold wind at sea. The thirteen-year-old boy was not as strong as other ten-year-old children. But the clan leader said that Silu was like that because he was too playful and never ate well. But when I saw Silu wolfing down his food, it was obvious that he was hungry. This time, since they want Silu to save people, how do you think he will use? With his arms that have no flesh on them?" Xie Sichen almost shouted when he said the last part. At this moment, he suppressed the grief in his heart, and a wry smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, but tears could not help but slide down. That smile hid endless sadness and helplessness.
Seeing Xie Sichen roaring hysterically, Zeng Qing seemed to have thought of something. Her chained hands trembled as she pointed at Xie Sichen in disbelief, "You...it's you, it's you, right?"
Seeing Zeng Qing like this, Xie Sichen's tears rolled down his cheeks, but he laughed. However, in that laugh, there was endless sadness: "Hahaha, they treated Silu like that, isn't it because we have no close relatives in the family, and there is no one to take care of us even if we die? I can't save Silu, so let's all die together..." After saying that, he laughed again, but it was hard to ignore the bloodshot in his eyes.
"So, you knew we were being targeted, and you deliberately said to give it a try, asking me to gather everyone together so that everyone could be caught in one fell swoop." Zeng Qing pointed at Xie Sichen with a trembling body.
"That's right, it was me. I deliberately led them there. I wanted everyone to be buried with Silu!" Xie Sichen looked at Zeng Qing and said word by word.
"If the man named Rosen is your brother, he is not dead yet because he looks very much like you. Lord Mu and General Zhao did not kill him." Emperor Qing Zhao said.
Upon hearing this, Xie Sichen looked at Emperor Qing Zhao in disbelief, as if seeking further confirmation, and took a few steps forward on his knees. Even with a guard holding a knife to his neck, he looked up at Emperor Qing Zhao, completely unaware of the bleeding wound on his neck. He then kowtowed three times and raised his head again. Blood was already oozing from his forehead, but he seemed insensitive to the pain and pleaded earnestly, "Your Majesty, please spare him. He is still young and ignorant. I have a method for drying salt, and I hope it can save my brother's life." With this, Xie Sichen's tears fell again, mixing with the blood on his forehead, making him look particularly desolate.