After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine Chapter 81
“What’s the matter?” he anxiously asked.
Only after a short while did Huo Wujiu open his mouth. When he did, his voice was hoarse.
“Pang Shao copied this?” he asked.
Jiang Suizhou nodded. “Yes, is something wrong?”
Huo Wujiu stared fixedly at that seal, his eyes ablaze, as if wanting to burn those letters.
“It’s Liang’s crown prince’s personal seal,” he slowly said.
“Without flaw.”
Jiang Suizhou blinked, puzzled.
Liang’s crown prince?
The current Northern Liang emperor’s heir was weak. There were only three sons altogether, two of whom died on the battlefield. It was the Battle of Xunyang that nearly wiped out the Liang army, causing Huo Wujiu’s father and Emperor Zhaoyuan’s two sons to die, as well as leaving Emperor Zhaoyuan’s whole body with old injuries. Henceforth, he remained weak.
And his only remaining son Huo Yuyan also fell ill on the battlefield. Less than two years after his accession, he would die because of the illness, dying just as he passed the age of thirty.
In other words, this seal was Huo Yuyan’s.
“Then?” Jiang Suizhou continued to ask.
Huo Wujiu stared at that seal and opened his mouth, but no sound came out.
He couldn’t utter a word. This seal was his tangxiong’s* personal seal, it was usually used for confidential letters that were extremely important.
*tang xiong - older male cousin (son of father’s brother)
When they were young, the two brothers were garrisoned in different positions. When Huo Yuyan sent him letters, he would always stamp using this seal. After his shufu* ascended the throne, his tangxiong became the crown prince. This seal was frequently used to pass on messages to his subordinates outside the area.
*shu fu - uncle (father’s younger brother)
So…how could Pang Shao copy this seal?
That day, Jiang Suizhou didn’t get a straight answer. Huo Wujiu looked at the letter for a moment, then said he wanted to keep it, and that he would inform him if he found anything.
Jiang Suizhou somewhat trusted him. Hearing him say that, he told him to keep the letters safe, then left it with him.
Afterwards, in his residence, he quietly devised strategies.
Ten days later, the palace suddenly fell into chaos.
Something happened to Qi Min.
Allegedly, when Qi Min’s student Zhao Dunting was chatting with him in Qi Min’s study, he suddenly saw something he shouldn’t have. After he left, he rushed into the imperial palace to meet the emperor. Tears streamed down as he spoke, saying that his own teacher was confused for a while, having done something he shouldn’t have, and begged the emperor to spare his teacher’s life.
He cried so much that the Hou Zhu was baffled, so he simply sent people to check Qi Min’s residence. Unexpectedly, one thing was ascertained after the investigation, they found Qi Min’s letters colluding with another country.
A senior minister to three emperors actually had a mutual exchange with Northern Liang!
Everyone believed, this disciple who was filial and treated Qi Min as his own father would never frame him, and when Qi Min faced this disciple in the court, he was also speechless.
He only gazed at those letters that were found from the search, as well as Zhao Dunting who knelt crying on the side, saying that he was confused. His face ghastly, he didn’t speak for a moment.
Much later, he crouched on the ground, deeply giving three loud kowtows to the Hou Zhu.
Meaning, he had nothing to say.
For a while, the court and the common people were in great shock, and the Hou Zhu also flew into rage, immediately wanting to pull Qi Min’s whole family for a beheading. Luckily, many ministers held him back, told him that he should confine Qi Min first, thoroughly investigate this case, and ascertain if there were other accomplices, especially finding out those people collaborating with the force outside.
When handling Northern Liang matters, the Hou Zhu always dealt with extraordinarily stupendous energy.
So, he forcefully swallowed his fury and locked Qi Min’s whole family in prison, waiting for a clear result before deciding how he should die.
For a period of time, all the imperial court officials were in a mess, only Jingwang Manor was peaceful.
Huo Wujiu looked outside the window for the third time.
He knew Qi Min’s case had caused great trouble these few days. After he discussed the plan with Jiang Suizhou, Jiang Suizhou sent people to handle it.
Today was the day when this case broke out. Jiang Suizhou hurried to Xu Du’s place early in the morning, waiting for information from the spy.
“General?”
He heard the call from the side.
It was Li Changning. He and Wei Kai were gathered around in front of his bed, looking at him with gleaming eyes.
“General doesn’t need to worry, just try,” Li Changing said.
Huo Wujiu withdrew his gaze, turning his body over to get out of bed, his feet placed on the steps in front of the bed, slowly exerting strength.
And came a familiar feeling that had left him for a long time.
His meridian still hurt, but there was a surging strength he had not felt for a long time amidst the pain. The muscles of his legs were stiff, but there was strength along his meridian, linking all the way until his toes.
He clumsily yet steadily stood up.
The two people around him immediately gave out surprised cries.
Huo Wujiu tried to lift his legs, but he still couldn’t really walk. Nevertheless, it was the first time in two months that he stood up.
Joyful cheers rang in his ears, he could even see the glistening teardrops in Wei Kai’s twinkling eyes. But Huo Wujiu was not as happy as he had imagined.
He raised his eyes for the fourth time, looking outside.
The doors of Anyin Hall’s main house were open. People went in and out, but its master was not inside.
Huo Wujiu paused, withdrew his gaze, and sat back on the bed.
This was the first time he realized: joy, it turned out, must be shared with other people to be truly be set free.
And, it also must be with a specific, certain someone.
