Phi-Fic Chapter 976 Old 8
Chapter 976 Old 8
After half a stick of incense.
Li Jie strode into the Hall of Mental Cultivation, still in his armor, exuding a chilling aura.
Seeing his sharp spirit and more robust physique than two years ago, Li Che realized he already possessed the aura of a general capable of leading an army independently.
Overjoyed, he couldn't help but smile and say, "My naval commander has arrived."
Li Jie immediately knelt on one knee: "This humble general pays his respects to Your Majesty."
Li Che was most fond of such fierce generals, so he personally stepped forward to help him up and brushed the dust off his armor: "Tell me, what news have you brought back for me?"
Li Jie's face flushed red, and he immediately reported the great victory in the Battle of Qiongzhou in a loud voice.
Upon hearing this, Li Che's face immediately broke into a hearty smile: "Excellent! Truly a new year brings new beginnings! The navy has already presented me with such a generous gift right after the Laba Festival!"
"Not only that," Li Jie raised his head and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, the false emperor Wen Chu and the false prime minister Qin Huizhi have both been captured alive by our army!"
"Oh?" Li Che leaned forward slightly, his gaze sharpening. "Where is he? Where is he now?"
Li Jie hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, the convoy transporting the false emperor and the false prime minister is still en route. To ensure everything goes smoothly, the journey is being slowed down."
"This humble general... This humble general really wanted to report this good news to His Majesty as soon as possible, so he took the lead and rode back alone at full speed."
The moment he finished speaking, the smile on Li Che's face vanished.
But then he slammed his hand on the imperial desk and shouted, "Nonsense!"
Li Jie trembled with fright, thinking that His Majesty was blaming him for abandoning his post and had come to claim credit and reward him.
He immediately knelt on one knee: "This humble general knows his crime! Please punish me, Your Majesty!"
Li Che's face darkened, his tone full of reproach: "It's the dead of winter now, and the roads are slippery and difficult to travel. As a naval admiral, how dare you ride alone for hundreds of miles?!"
"What if the horse stumbles or encounters some other accident along the way?!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jie finally understood that the Emperor's anger stemmed from his concern for his safety.
A warmth instantly warmed his heart, but he felt even more ashamed: "This humble general was inconsiderate, only concerned with reporting good news, neglecting his own duties. I beg Your Majesty to punish me severely!"
Seeing that Li Jie was sincere in admitting his mistake, Li Che's expression softened slightly, and he waved his hand: "Alright, considering your sincerity and that this is your first offense, I will not pursue the matter this time."
"Go down and rest well. You must be tired from the long journey."
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty. This humble general will take his leave!"
Li Jie bowed again, then rose and respectfully withdrew.
As soon as Li Jie left, Li Che immediately instructed Huai En: "Quickly summon Ma Zhong and order him to lead a team of elite cavalry to set off immediately to meet the escorting convoy."
"Tell him that it doesn't matter if they travel slowly, but he must make sure the prisoner arrives in the capital safely, without any mistakes!"
"The slaves obey the order."
Huai En responded and was about to turn around to relay the order when Li Che stopped him.
"Wait!" Li Che pondered for a moment, then added, "Go to the Prince of Yan's residence again and ask Fourth Brother to come to the palace immediately."
"Yes."
Silence returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, but the joy on Li Che's face gradually faded, replaced by a thoughtful expression.
Emperor Wenchu has been captured, finally ending the situation of two rulers in one country, and his own throne is now completely secure...
The next question is, what should we do with him?
After all, they are his own brothers, bound by blood. Killing them directly would be going too far.
Although he was coerced by powerful families to ascend the throne, none of the foolish things he did afterward could be completely excused by simply saying he was forced.
How to deal with him is a sensitive and thorny issue, concerning the face of the imperial family, the fairness of the law, and the historical record of future generations.
He needed to discuss this matter thoroughly with Li Lin before they could come up with a sound plan.
Li Lin arrived quickly. Before he even entered the hall, his complaints were already starting: "Sixth Brother, I heard you personally cooked Laba porridge to reward the ministers today, but why was I the only one left out?"
Li Che looked up and saw him rushing in. He couldn't help but laugh and scold, "When does your Prince Yan's mansion not serve delicacies every day? Do you think you'd even look at my bowl of coarse porridge?"
Even so, he still gestured for Huai'en to offer Li Lin a seat and had someone bring over some porridge.
Even after he ascended the throne, his friendship with Li Lin, who fought side by side, remained unchanged, and they still got along casually.
Li Lin sat down on the stool with an air of nonchalance, casually grabbed a pear from the fruit plate next to him, took a bite, and asked indistinctly, "You called me here in such a hurry, is there something you need?"
Li Che suppressed his smile and nodded: "We won the Battle of Qiongzhou. The Southern Army's crossing fleet was completely wiped out."
"We won?!" Li Lin stood up, his face instantly beaming with joy. "Great! Well done!"
He slapped his thigh hard, and the tension in his heart, which had been stretched by the war for so long, eased a little.
Years of war not only depleted the nation's resources, but also buried countless familiar soldiers on the battlefield.
Even a warlord like Li Lin, who was used to seeing bloodshed, was already tired of this endless turmoil.
"Yes, we won." Li Che's tone carried a hint of complexity.
He paused, looked into Li Lin's eyes, and slowly said, "Eighth Brother has also been captured and is being escorted to Beijing."
The joy on Li Lin's face suddenly froze, and he slowly sat back down.
After a moment of silence, he looked up at Li Che and asked, "You called me here to discuss how to deal with Lao Ba?"
"As expected, you can't hide it from Fourth Brother." Li Che sighed.
Li Lin's expression turned serious, and he said in a resolute tone, "What is there to discuss? Treason, usurpation, and resistance against the royal army—which of these isn't an unforgivable crime?"
"According to the law, he should be executed; there is absolutely no leniency!"
Li Che looked at him with some surprise: "I thought you would speak up for him like you did for the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qin back then."
Li Lin shook his head, his expression serious: "That's different. The Crown Prince and the Prince of Jin are vying for the throne. Although they have made moves, they have not caused widespread chaos or resulted in widespread suffering."
"But what about the Eighth Prince? He declared himself emperor and carved out his own territory, enlisting the help of powerful families, which led to continuous warfare in the south, and countless soldiers and civilians died because of him?"
"If I can spare him, can the heroic souls who died in battle spare him? Can the families who lost their homes and lives spare him?"
Although Li Lin possessed the heart of a chivalrous king, he was by no means a blindly kind person who couldn't distinguish right from wrong; he clearly distinguished right from wrong when faced with matters of principle.
Upon hearing this, a hint of relief flashed in Li Che's eyes.
He stood up and paced back and forth, saying, "Fourth Brother is right, but... there's no need to be so ruthless."
"Otherwise, the people of the world, especially those aristocratic families, will inevitably use this as an opportunity to attack me as a tyrannical ruler who is accustomed to killing his brothers."
Li Lin breathed a sigh of relief when he heard him say that.
He ultimately couldn't bear to see the bloody ending of brothers killing each other, so he quickly asked, "Then what do you mean?"
Li Che stopped, a meaningful smile playing on his lips: "How about... we find him a good place?"
"Where to?" Li Lin was taken aback, not understanding.
"A few days ago, several Zen masters from the Buddhist sect came to the capital to pay their respects, but I have been too busy to deal with them."
Li Che said slowly, "Now it seems that we can have a good talk with them. The Buddha's teachings are boundless and can best purify people's hearts and guide them towards goodness."