Chapter 126 - Silent Tears

"Could it be... Eunuch Yue?!"

Madam Tan was astonished. Although she knew her husband and Eunuch Yue had always been at odds, Eunuch Yue was clearly trying to get her husband killed by withholding such information.

Qi Zongbi let out a cold laugh. "If not him, then who else would dare delay an imperial edict?"

"But... how could this be?" Madam Tan furrowed her brow, looking puzzled. "What benefits does this bring him?"

"There are no benefits," Qi Zongbi muttered, lowering his eyelids, lost in thought.

"Then why would he—" Madam Tan's words were cut off by Qi Zongbi.

"Because he is a eunuch... the most loyal dog by

that person's

side." Qi Zongbi's gaze was sharp. "Whatever

that person

likes, he likes... whatever

that person

opposes, he also opposes.

Hmph...

Isn't his behavior completely in line with the nature of a eunuch?"

Prompted by Qi Zongbi's words, Madam Tan began to piece things together. "My lord means that—"

Qi Zongbi waved his hand, interrupting his wife’s speculation, and said, "When it comes to this war, those whose interests have been hindered aren't actually the ones who are the most vehemently opposed.

"The one least willing to go to war is actually the Grand Eunuch of the Eastern Depot, who is an outsider on the surface... because

that person

doesn't want war.

"That's why Eunuch Yue acts this way. And to stop the war... the simplest way is to silence me, the leader of the pro-war faction... Which is why he planned on getting me killed."

Madam Tan fell silent. After a long while, she slowly said, "He's trying to kill you with a borrowed blade."

"That's right, he's going to kill me with a borrowed blade," Qi Zongbi admitted. A scornful and self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips.

"That old dog is truly something else. He has borrowed a formidable blade too... Stormqueller Ye Biezhi, the most difficult person to deal with amongst the Nihil-rankers, has been manipulated to come here. "

Madam Tan looked even more worried.

"Stormqueller is quite dangerous, isn't he?"

Qi Zongbi patted Madam Tan's hand. "You don't need to worry. Stormqueller Ye Beizhi is already severely injured, so he probably won't come for a while."

Just as Madam Tan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she heard a muffled voice from outside the study window say, "That's not certain... Stormqueller's injuries that day might seem alarming to you, but they're just flesh wounds."

Madam Tan turned to look at Qi Zongbi. He glanced at her, signaling not to worry. Then, he stood up and walked to the window, pushing it open.

Outside the window stood a sturdy man, leaning against the wall with a horse-slaughtering blade in his arms.

Qi Zongbi pointed to the man and introduced him to his wife, "This is Frozen Daybreak Lin Jiulao. He was the one who injured Stormqueller that day... and also the one who let Stormqueller go."

Qi Zongbi's said the last bit with a hint of amusement, clearly poking fun at Lin Jiulao, but Lin Jiulao chose to ignore him and didn’t respond.

Seeing that Lin Jiulao was ignoring him, Qi Zongbi walked back from the window and said, "My lady, you don't need to worry. After the New Year, I’ll be heading north with the troops. No matter how formidable Stormqueller is, does he dare to charge into a hundred thousand soldiers to kill me?"

Madam Tan nodded at Lin Jiulao, who was sitting outside the window. Seeing Qi Zongbi return, she hurriedly lowered her voice and asked, "I heard about that before... but why did he let Stormqueller go?"

"

Hmph...

" Qi Zongbi seemed quite angry about this too. "Those people in the jianghu have their own set of rules. I don't understand what goes on in their heads. How would I know why?"

Madam Tan smiled wryly. When Qi Zongbi said this, he did not even bother to hide it from Lin Jiulao, standing outside the window, clearly stating it deliberately for him to hear. She knew her husband had never had a reasonable opinion of people of the jianghu, which was probably due to his teacher's influence.

Nevertheless, Qi Zongbi still needed Lin Jiulao's protection at this moment, so how could they afford to offend him? Seeing Qi Zongbi growing more agitated, she hurriedly tugged at his sleeve, hoping to make him stop.

Who would have thought that Qi Zongbi suddenly waved his hand and shouted, "Stop that! All he did was prove that my teacher was right all along. These people of the jianghu must be controlled and be unified with discipline... Otherwise, chaos will surely arise!

"They rely on their martial arts to create chaos in the Ruen Dynasty! Just look! Nine out of ten murders in our nation are related to people from the jianghu! If they are so strong, why don’t they go to the border and enlist to fight foreign invaders?

"They only know how to kill and cause chaos, completely disregarding the law. These people are simply the source of all strife! One day, if I get the chance, I will definitely kill all the unruly ones—"

Just as Qi Zongbi was getting worked up, he suddenly paused, his voice abruptly stopping, and even the hand raised in the air fell down dejectedly.

Because he suddenly realized that he would never have the opportunity to discipline any people of the jianghu... Once the war was over, regardless of victory or defeat, his execution would surely follow, as would the death sentence of his entire family.

Qi Zongbi hung his head, staring at the ground. Whenever he thought of this matter, he felt lost. Each time he felt confused, he would tell himself in his heart, "This is for the country, for the Ruen Dynasty... I am doing what must be done."

He hadn’t told his wife about this matter. Perhaps he was worried about her, or maybe he simply didn’t have the courage.

Regardless, he wasn’t a good husband.

Suddenly, a soft, warm hand reached out, holding his drooping hand. His wife’s gentle voice came from beside him. "The opportunity will come. My husband is a great hero of the Ruen Dynasty..."

"Am, am I really?" Qi Zongbi tried to let out a laugh to appear more natural, but the sound that came out was choked with bitterness. "I..."

Qi Zongbi wanted to say something more, but Madam Tan stood up, gently caressing Qi Zongbi’s somewhat sunken cheeks, and softly said, "My husband, it’s getting late. Let’s rest."

"Ah... yes." Qi Zongbi looked somewhat dazed, nodding subconsciously. "You go get some rest first. I’ll finish reviewing these memorials..."

"Then I shall take my leave..." Madam Tan slightly bent her knees in a curtsy and turned to walk out.

"

Hah

?"

Outside the door, Lin Jiulao, leaning against the wall, let out a slightly puzzled nasal sound. His gaze glanced over, seeing Madam Tan’s profile standing at the door.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

In his line of sight, Madam Tan’s tears flowed down her cheeks like broken pearls, her body trembling slightly, clearly trying her best to suppress the sounds of her sobs.

Tears fell silently, her sadness unspoken.

Madam Tan seemed to realize that Lin Jiulao was watching her. She slightly shook her head, indicating that he should remain silent, before she quickly walked away from the study.

Qi Zongbi watched as Madam Tan’s figure disappeared outside the study, his expression dazed. He didn’t think much about why his wife stood at the door with her back to him for a while...

Does she blame me for being too focused on my work and neglecting her?

But I am doing this for the Ruen Dynasty... She will understand.

Qi Zongbi turned back and focused his gaze on the documents in front of him, but he couldn’t concentrate anymore.

Lin Jiulao watched Madam Tan leave, then looked at the man with greying hair at the table. He didn’t intend on saying anything. His only responsibility was to ensure that this man wouldn’t die in front of him.

These officials are truly hard to understand...

Lin Jiulao looked up at the crescent moon in the sky.

Can a nation be more important than your own woman?

In their bedroom, Madam Tan suppressed her voice and tears soaked the bright red pillow as she cried her heart out.