Lou Yue laughed coldly, unimpressed: “What can he do? No matter how powerful he is, he is only a civil official. I have more than 100,000 soldiers and horses under my control, and presently, there’s even tens of thousands camping outside the city. Can he still kill me?”
Huo Wujiu remained expressionless: “Your soldiers are still Jiang Shunheng’s in the end. What if he wants to take them back?”
“Is there anyone else who can command an army of tens of thousands?”
“Pang Shao has already gone and found someone to replace you.”
“Then I’ll just take off my armor and return home!”
“He will not let you die a natural death.”
“I am upright, and have not done a single thing worthy of a capital punishment. What can he do?”
“As long as he stretches out his hand, planting evidence and framing you is readily at his fingertips.”
“Heh, I am in Lingnan. His hands may be long, but can he reach there?”
“The current magistrate who was transferred to Lingnan is already Pang Shao’s henchman. Do you think he can?”
The two of them argued back and forth, and no one showed any weakness. Lou Yue’s speech was inherently fierce, and Huo Wujius attitude was also cold and domineering, so for a time, the atmosphere grew tense with gunpowder almost igniting in the air. Meng Qianshan and Wei Kai, who were standing nearby, were scared into cold sweats.
Once Huo Wujiu mentioned this, Lou Yue stopped.
After a moment, he frowned and asked, “… What did you say?”
Huo Wujiu smiled coldly, took the letter out of his arms, and raised it in the air. Wei Kai promptly stepped forward, took it from him, and handed it to Lou Yue.
“Take a look at it yourself.” Huo Wujiu said. “He has already made his move. Before long, your military power will be reduced and a new person will replace you. After that, any evidence of embezzlement, malfeasance, dereliction of duty and even treason will be sent back to Lin’an intentionally or unintentionally.”
Lou Yue flipped through the letters. His hand gradually began to tremble, and his eyes reddened little by little.
Jiang Suizhou could see that Huo Wujiu’s means were different from his but had exactly the same goal. He must force Lou Yue to a dead end first, and then let him submit. But Huo Wujiu was a little too sharp and bold. He left no trace of affection, while Jiang Suizhou couldn’t bear to do the same.
No matter what, Lou Yue was also a loyal minister to his sovereign. It was quite painful to see himself framed by a treacherous minister with no means of escape, but also at the end of his resources.
“As long as Pang Shao is in office for a day, he is determined to get rid of you, General. He is such an irredeemable villain. Moreover, His Majesty has trusted him since childhood. Don’t take it too much to heart, General.” Jiang Suizhou softened his voice and said. “However, you should also know that although the soldiers are under your command, there are thousands of ways to snatch them away. When a fatuous and self-indulgent ruler and treacherous ministers are pressed on your head, these soldiers won’t become your backers, but will fall into their hands sooner or later. By then, not only will your family suffer, but the lands of the state will also wither. It’s only a matter of time that the people will fall into misery and suffering.”
After a long silence, Lou Yue took a deep breath and put the letter back on the table.
“I understand everything that Your Highness has said.” Lou Yue suppressed the tremor in his voice. After a moment, he looked at Huo Wujiu.
“I won’t regret dying, but I will not let Wanjun be implicated,” he said.
Huo Wujiu let out a faint smile, revealing a hint of understanding.
Lou Wanjun’s mother was Lou Yue’s beloved when he was young. She died giving birth to Lou Wanjun, so she was Lou Yue’s lifeblood.
“However, if I pick this choice, I will be labeled a traitor in the future. I will be infamous. Secondly, one careless move and it’ll be my death,” Lou Yue stared at Huo Wujiu and whispered.
“I have no regrets dying, but Wanjun must not end up alone and miserable,” he added.
Huo Wujiu’s brow furrowed again.
What was he going to do then? Could it be that he would match Lou Wanjun with him?
Lou Yue took a deep breath.
“If I must agree, I only have one condition.” He said, “Promise me that you’ll marry Wanjun and never let her down in your life.”
Jiang Suizhou’s heart went cold, and his mind went blank in an instant.
He looked at Huo Wujiu and opened his mouth, but couldn’t utter a single word.
He wanted to say something to stop him, but he was in no position to do so. But honestly, he regretted it, so much so that his heart hurt. He regretted that he did not firmly make up his mind to stop Huo Wujiu, and came to negotiate life or death with Lou Yue himself.
But now… there was no turning back.
His eyes blurred a bit, and he just felt empty.
But at this juncture, he was stunned when he saw Huo Wujiu leaning back in his chair, raising a corner of his lips, and showing a sharp but cold smile.
“General Lou is a bit too good at business,” he said.
“But even if my father is still alive, he doesn’t have a final say on this matter. So I advise you not to even think about it.”
