The Slender Waist-Chapter 70 - 56: A Tacit Slap in the Face_2
Indeed, there was Wen Xingsu’s signature on it, as well as an official document from Pei Jue that formally bestowed the title "General Who Vanquishes the Invaders" to Wen Xingsu on the battlefield.
The Great General had this authority.
This incident also occurred before the Imperial Court made any arrests.
Pei Jue had long prepared a contingency plan.
Ao Zheng’s eyelids twitched fiercely, signaling his attendant to present the document to Wei Zheng.
Wei Zheng’s face had already turned ashen.
The characters on the document were larger than one another; his eyes were so frightened that he couldn’t focus on reading the words...
He had not expected Pei Jue to oppose the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Court for the sake of a concubine.
Caught off-guard, he had fallen into the trap set by Pei Jue and that young woman.
While he was taking his anger out on the caretaker, the treacherous couple hid inside the room, silently listening, leading him to mistakenly believe the Feng Family’s girl was too scared to show herself, and that since Pei Jue was at the Huaishui Bay camp, he became overconfident and struck too harshly...
They were after his mistakes.
They intended to deal with him severely.
Alas, his realization came too late.
"Great General..." Wei Zheng’s legs went weak, and with a choked voice, his eyes showed a plea for mercy, "It was my lack of understanding, disturbing the General’s peace, and not knowing which villain spoke ill of me to the Empress Dowager, leading to this misunderstanding..."
He saw no reaction from Pei Jue.
Those indifferent eyes did not even linger on him for long.
Alou had already been carried into the inner room, and Xing Bing had gone to call for a doctor.
Wei Zheng, looking at the glaring pool of fresh blood on the ground, felt he was finished.
"General..."
No one in the entire courtyard paid any attention to him.
Wei Zheng, still young and too eager to make a name for himself in front of Li Sangruo, had overlooked Pei Jue’s ruthlessness. He now realized he had fallen into a disadvantageous position and had lost all his momentum.
"I was following orders in my actions, even if I injured someone by mistake, it was not intentional..."
Ao Zheng retorted, "General Wei, are you suggesting that the Empress Dowager sent you out of the capital to commit murder? Why haven’t I, a court official, received such an order?"
Wei Zheng wished he could slap Ao Zheng to death for kicking him while he was down.
Pei Jue, as if he hadn’t heard, glanced sideways at Feng Yun.
"Alou is your servant, you’re the aggrieved party, what do you think should be done?"
What? Not only was Wei Zheng so angry he felt faint, but even Ao Zheng thought this was improper.
He stepped forward with a bow, "Great General, General Wei is a court official. Even if he is at fault, how can he be..."
Pei Jue said, "The Emperor is subject to the same laws as his subjects. According to Master Taiwan’s wisdom, General Wei carried out private punishment without trial, causing serious injury. What should his crime be?"
This was the exact phrase Wei Zheng had just used earlier to silence Ao Zheng, and there was no better way to use his words against him.
Ao Zheng sheepishly glanced at Wei Zheng and showed a helpless look.
Wei Zheng still wanted to struggle, "Even if I am guilty, I should return to the Central Capital and be judged by the Imperial Court."
Pei Jue said, "Under the jurisdiction of the Northern Yong army, we follow my rules."
After he finished speaking, he looked down at Feng Yun, "You come."
Feng Yun’s mind was now exceptionally clear.
All the things she couldn’t understand before, she now comprehended.
No wonder Pei Jue had been silently coming to Changmen Village these past few nights, lying motionless in her room until dawn before leaving...
He must have foreseen the Great Jin Dynasty’s sudden aggression...
If Pei Jue didn’t protect her this time and she was taken away from Andu, falling into Li Sang’s hands, any serious accusation would be enough to make her life worse than death, and one could imagine what would happen...
He hadn’t taken advantage of the situation to hand her and Wen Xingsu over, so Feng Yun owed him a favor.
But what Pei Jue was presenting her with now was a dilemma.
Without punishment, she couldn’t assert her authority; too harsh a punishment would just bring endless trouble to herself and Pei Jue, especially since Alou was only injured.
The saying goes, "a doctor is not to be punished."
No matter how severely Alou was injured, it wouldn’t amount to a capital crime for a court official—
Pei Jue currently commanded a formidable army, his authority immense as a senior minister of the Great Jin Dynasty, and during the war between the Jin and Qi armies, naturally, no one dared to trouble him.
But what about later?
How many heroes who contributed to the prosperity of the kingdom ended up with the fate of abandoned birds and hidden bows.
Pei Jue wouldn’t be ignorant of the gamble for power.
He certainly wouldn’t want people pointing at his spine, accusing him of being too proud and powerful, thus incurring the displeasure of both court and country...
Perhaps this was Pei Jue’s test for her desire to become a strategist.
Feng Yun asked Pei Jue, "May I ask the General, how would military law judge this?"
Pei Jue replied, "Beheading."
Wei Zheng shivered with cold, scared to the core.
Even with the Empress Dowager’s deep trust, if Pei Jue truly had him killed, nobody would avenge him...
"General, spare my life! General, spare my life!"
Wei Zheng, no longer caring about his dignity, kept begging for mercy.
That group of Imperial Guards also turned pale, unsure of their own fates.
Unexpectedly, Feng Yun gently placed her hand on the back of Pei Jue’s hand with a light smile.
"It’s just a misunderstanding. There’s no need for a beheading..."
Hearing her say this, Wei Zheng breathed a sigh of relief.
"However..." Feng Yun sighed, her voice carrying a trace of helpless resignation, "Alou is my man; if I don’t stand up for him, how can I convince others in the future..."
Everyone’s hearts were once again suspended.
Feng Yun pondered for a moment, looking at Wei Zheng with difficulty.
"The Empress Dowager is deeply concerned about the soldiers at the front and the lives of the people in Andu, that’s why she was so anxious to send the General over, right...?"
As soon as Wei Zheng heard this, indeed.
He nodded vigorously, affirming her statement.
Feng Yun continued, "Then, wouldn’t it please the Empress Dowager if General Wei and the soldiers of the Imperial Guards did something for the well-being of Andu County?"
Once again, Wei Zheng nodded, "Yes, yes, the deep love of the Empress Dowager for the people is known to heaven and earth. This misunderstanding arose only because of the Empress Dowager’s care for the people and the soldiers at the front..."
Feng Yun too nodded, looking deeply impressed.
"The benevolence and virtue of the Empress Dowager extend far and wide, bringing blessings to the people; truly the fortune of the villagers in Huaxi Village..."
What did this have to do with Huaxi Village?
Wei Zheng’s mind went blank for a moment, only to see Feng Yun gracefully turn around and bow deeply to Pei Jue.
"Great General, there are still several hundred acres of uncultivated lands in Huaxi Village, and ten of those belong to the Feng Family alone. We lack manpower and sufficient farming tools, so the land remains untended... Since General Wei is willing, why not let General Wei and the heroes of the Imperial Guards take care of the wasteland in Huaxi Village, to atone for their mistakes? Once the land is divided and assigned to families, they can start farming. By then, who knows how grateful they will be to the Empress Dowager, to the General?"
Pei Jue stared into her eyes.
Pondering, his gaze was undulating and as profound as the ocean depths.
After a long moment, he uttered a single word, "Granted!"
Wei Zheng, watching the fiery red sun in the sky, almost fainted on the spot.
In such scorching weather, the Feng Family’s lady actually wanted him to work the fields?
