Chapter 26: Not for a single moment did I feel any sorrow for their deaths; what followed immediately was...

Hao Chujun has fallen.

Liang Xin looked toward Xue Zhen and waved his hand. Two nearby soldiers of the Hundred Cavalry immediately stepped forward, pinning the old man’s arms firmly. Liang Xin reached out again with the rope, tightening it around Xue Zhen’s throat.

The rope pulled taut, suddenly and sharply.

The dungeon was dim, lit by flickering torchlight that cast rigid, distorted shadows against the walls. A moment later, amidst those shadows, one hand rose tremulously, as if in a silent, agonizing plea.

Then, that shadow slumped softly to the ground.

"He’s dead. They’re both dead."

Liang Xin’s voice was hoarse. He felt his heart hammering wildly against his ribs. In his twenty-seven years of life, he never imagined he would personally execute one—no, two—chancellors who, only days ago, had stood at the very pinnacle of power in the Great Tang.

He was mad. Truly, he had gone mad.

He turned his head toward the young man in black armor beside him. Unlike himself, the man even had the leisure to crouch before the corpses to check their breath. Following the habits Wu An had cultivated on the battlefield, he might not always have the time to decapitate an enemy once they had fallen, but he would certainly drive another blade into them to be sure.

Wu An caught the look of utter despair on Liang Xin’s face and guessed that the man likely thought he, too, had become a "scapegoat" like Zhang Wu. And given their prior entanglement of interests, even if he hadn’t done these things, he would have been doomed all the same.

"No matter how high and mighty they were in life, when death comes knocking, this is all they amount to."

Wu An pried open Hao Chujun’s face and gave it a light pat. The look of calm indifference that the man had worn until the very moment he was strangled to death had finally vanished, replaced by profound confusion and shock.

He stood up and glanced at the stiff-looking Liang Xin, who was still staring down at the corpses, looking as though he wished he were the one who had been strangled instead.

"Commandant Wu."

Liang Xin took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the floor, and said melancholically, "I must return now."

"Return?" Wu An seemed to be smiling.

"Go home, pack a few belongings, and prepare for the road ahead." Liang Xin’s tone was filled with despair.

"Tell me, why did you actually dare to kill them?"

"...... Before I came, I had already thought it through. Since I had already accepted your reward, there was no way to extricate myself afterward. Whether I stretched my neck or pulled it back, it was the same blade. So, I figured......"

Liang Xin gritted his teeth, his voice raspy:

"I might as well kill two chancellors first, and we can all head out on that road together."

If he was going to die, taking two chancellors with him made it worth it. But now that the deed was done, he had reached a moment of sober reflection. Murdering a chancellor meant either exile or the executioner's block.

"How does it feel?" Wu An gestured to the corpses on the ground.

Liang Xin pondered for a moment and nodded silently.

"When there is an opportunity in the future, I will take you to Hexi to kill the generals of the Tubo. Let them die like dogs in front of you. That feeling will be even better than this."

Liang Xin merely offered a bitter smile. Commandant Wu had the Empress backing him, so there was some leeway to be had. Since he had now helped kill Hao Chujun as well, the Empress would certainly provide a safety net. At the very least, she would ensure he didn't die.

"Rest assured, once we step out of this door, the deaths of these two will be on my head."

Wu An had already formulated his plan before arriving. He turned to walk out, only to see Liang Xin standing still.

"What is it?"

"Commandant, are you planning to...... take the blame all by yourself?"

Although Liang Xin’s mind was still somewhat muddled, he instinctively hoped the man was truly that "kind." Yet, he dared not show it, only drawing a deep breath:

"I have received many rewards from you these past few days. I am willing to bear the guilt; I only ask that the Commandant look after my family......"

Before he could finish, Wu An interrupted: "What is your status? Do you think you are worthy of bearing this crime?"

Liang Xin: "......"

Though he felt the Commandant meant well, the words were truly wounding.

"What kind of guilt could a person like you bear?" Wu An led him toward the exit without looking back. "You are really no different from Zhang Wu."

Liang Xin remained silent, his heart turning cold.

"But you are indeed smarter than him."

Liang Xin suddenly looked up, a shameful flicker of gratitude flashing through his heart.

"You don't understand why I let Zhang Wu kill people in the Xue residence today, nor why I was in such a hurry to finish off these two old men. Do you think it was just to vent my anger?"

"I would not dare......"

"Do you also not understand that the Emperor only spoke of confiscating their property? He never issued a sentence, and we received no written edict—we only acted on a verbal order."

Wu An said slowly: "Do you know what this means?"

Liang Xin understood, of course. He twitched the corners of his mouth and said slowly:

"Afterward, His Majesty can deny everything, claiming the confiscation was merely the underlings overstepping their bounds and acting on their own initiative."

The reason Liang Xin had been so solicitous toward Wu An today was to leave himself a retreat, hoping to use Wu An’s connections to fully board the Empress's ship.

"Correct. Confiscating property is a minor matter. The Emperor can easily push it onto others, and his goal will still be achieved...... Regardless of whether we are held accountable, this handle will be firmly held in the Emperor’s hands from today on."

In the past, Liang Xin would never have dared to discuss the Emperor’s inner thoughts with a colleague. But since working under Commandant Wu, every day’s experience had constantly reset his bottom line. With the still-warm corpses of two current chancellors lying in the dungeon beneath his feet, even if Wu An were to say the Emperor was impotent, Liang Xin would dare to carry the conversation.

"But now, we have confiscated the homes of two chancellors and killed them both. If you were an official at court, hearing this news suddenly, what would you think?"

Liang Xin thought seriously and said slowly:

"They would not believe this is something a few palace guards could or would dare to do."

Wu An nodded slightly. He stopped at the dungeon exit, the fresh night breeze brushing his face. He exhaled a breath of stale air and said calmly:

"If we had just followed orders and confiscated the property, even if outsiders knew it was at the Emperor’s behest, it would still be within the realm of the tolerable. Everyone would turn a blind eye, and it would pass. But now, we have killed two serving chancellors in one go. If this wasn't the Emperor's order, who would believe it? A few lowly soldiers, mere grunts, daring to risk decapitation and exile to do such a thing—what grudge could they possibly have against the chancellors? Even if they believed it, the civil and military officials would never let this matter be glossed over, because they would fear that they might be the next to be treated this way. So, they will make a scene. But the current Emperor will certainly not bow his head and admit fault. He has his own reasons to use this as an excuse, and if he admits fault today and hands us over, it would be a slap to his own face...... An Emperor cannot be wrong."

Liang Xin thought carefully for a while, beginning to feel a headache. *Can't you just give me the conclusion?*

"How will the Emperor quell the resentment in the court next?"

Wu An made a downward pressing gesture.

"He will continue to use me to suppress them, to prove that Imperial majesty cannot be challenged."

Once this matter subsided, Wu An would certainly be purged by the Emperor.

But conversely, he was now as safe as one could possibly be. Anyone who dared to touch him would be slapping the face of the current Emperor!

"But......"

Liang Xin hesitated. He realized the man before him had already begun to calculate against the Emperor. But the Emperor was the Emperor; if he became willful, what did it matter if he killed everyone on both sides?

"There is still Brother Zhang Wu, isn't there? We acted on an order to kill guilty chancellors; he acted on his own to loot a chancellor's private residence and slaughter a minister's family."

Wu An said calmly: "One cannot admit to major mistakes, but one cannot avoid minor ones. When the time comes, pushing him out will serve as a compromise between the Emperor and the ministers. Then, it will be even harder for the Emperor to act against us."

"But that is, after all, the Emperor of the Great Tang......"

Wu An sighed and said calmly: "Xue Zhen is now openly challenging the Imperial family and has a grudge with the Emperor. Hao Chujun tried to stop the Empress from expanding her power a few years ago; do you think the Empress is happy about that?"

One had a grudge with the Empress, the other with the Emperor. If you said the couple didn't orchestrate this, who would believe it? The more officials who speak out, the less the Emperor and Empress can retreat. Once they show weakness, their power and prestige will be damaged. The less they can retreat, the safer Wu An is.

"Just think, why did I kill two of them in one go?"

......

"He was doing just fine! Killing Hao Chujun alone would have been enough, why did he have to add Xue Zhen to the mix? Is he mad? How is this Palace supposed to protect him!"

The Empress slapped the table, her chest heaving with anger. Shangguan Wan'er knelt before her, her face pale. The Pei woman had just been settled in a sleeping chamber and was staying in the palace tonight; she could not hear this.

The curfew had begun, and the palace gates were locked. To get anyone in, they had to rely on ropes and baskets from the city walls. Thus, the Empress could only send people to scout for information; she had no way to pull that scoundrel to her side for protection for the time being.

"I don't even know if His Majesty is asleep. If he finds out about this...... how could he ever let him live!"

She was restless, failing to notice the young court lady kneeling before her, who had frozen in place, motionless.

*So, even the Empress cannot save him this time.*

In the hall, the mistress and the servant each had their own thoughts. But at that moment, the sound of light footsteps echoed outside.

The old eunuch who ran errands for the Empress appeared at the hall entrance, holding a large tray carrying a scroll of edicts, a set of martial official's robes, and a gown.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor's verbal order has arrived."

The Empress’s hands balled into fists inside her sleeves, only to slowly relax a moment later.

*Is it here?*

She had finally found a junior she was somewhat satisfied with, but now it seemed, this man really could not be saved.

The Empress’s eyes were calm, but her thoughts were chaotic. She looked at the edict on the tray, a trace of reluctance finally appearing in her gaze. She let out a heavy, bitter breath, her expression turning somber.

She had to accept the facts.

"The Emperor’s verbal order: Commandant Wu An, a man of simple and dutiful character, has uncovered numerous treasonous and forbidden items from the residences of the Left Chancellor and others. For his meritorious service in the search...... he is awarded a military tally and a set of fine brocade robes. His rank remains unchanged, and he is ordered to temporarily serve as the Folded-Wing Commandant under the Hundred Cavalry, leading the Hundred Cavalry to continue the investigation!"

Empress: "（゜ρ゜)"

Shangguan Wan'er: "or2"

The two women were stunned.