Firmament Sword

”As for feeling guilty? Perhaps there’s a hint of it, but not much. In my eyes, everyone in this world is a chess piece! Therefore, anyone can be sacrificed!”

”In fact, if you didn’t have such a capable son, the one sitting in your seat right now would undoubtedly be me! And the one standing here on trial might be you, or perhaps... all your dear friends and family!”

”I admit my crimes, but I do not submit to you! Xu Ji, we may have fought for years, but we’ve also known each other for decades, haven’t we? You’d have to agree with what I’ve said, wouldn’t you?”

A mocking smile spread across Wei Feng’s face, completely unconcealed. He looked at the three men above him, and without waiting for Xu Ji to reply, he turned to Sun Yunpeng and Zhao Wenzhao. ”You two are incredibly lucky, you know that? I never would have imagined you’d have such faith in the Xu Family, that you’d dare to stand up for them at a time like that. Heh, it just proves one thing: life is a gamble! Win, and you can soar to the heavens. Lose, and you fall into a bottomless abyss.”

Sun Yunpeng shot Wei Feng a cold glare. ”Death is at your door, and you’re still trying to sow discord. Do you really think that’s meaningful? As for why we dared to stand up for them... to put it bluntly, it’s because we still have justice in our hearts! As for you, Wei Feng... I’m afraid your sense of justice was eaten by dogs twenty years ago!”

”Enough. We’ve all known each other for years, there’s no need for this charade. As I’ve said, to the victor go the spoils. You’ve already won, and you’ve succeeded in humiliating me. There are no outsiders here; you don’t have to try so hard to put on a show.” Wei Feng waved his hand dismissively, his expression nonchalant.

”It seems you truly feel not a shred of remorse for what you did back then,” Zhao Wenzhao sighed from the side, looking at Xu Ji. ”Your Highness, I believe this case can be concluded...”

The mocking smile on Wei Feng’s face deepened, and he began to laugh, his voice hoarse.

”What are you laughing at?” Zhao Wenzhao asked coolly, watching Wei Feng. ”Don’t tell me you’re resorting to feigning madness now that you know death is certain? That’s quite unbefitting. The Prime Minister Wei I recall wouldn’t have batted an eye even if a mountain were collapsing before him.”

”Zhao Wenzhao, spare me your sarcasm. I’m laughing because... do you have any proof?” Wei Feng laughed so hard that tears streamed down his face. He looked up at the three men with utter contempt. ”Fine, I confessed. But what good is that? In the future... what will you write in my official file? When future generations read it, won’t they just assume it was a confession forced under torture? HAHAHAHA! When that time comes, scandalous rumors will spread, casting a shadow over your precious reputations for the rest of history! HAHAHAHA!”

Wei Feng couldn’t help but laugh maniacally. At this point, death was inevitable, but he had once held power over the entire court, second to only one and above tens of thousands. How could he truly be resigned to this?

Watching the former colleagues he once trampled underfoot now sitting high above to interrogate him, Wei Feng’s heart filled with bitter resentment.

He had made an agreement with Xu Luo, but ’could he really trust Xu Luo?’ So he wouldn’t let even the slightest chance of survival slip through his fingers.

’Begging for mercy is pointless,’ Wei Feng knew. ’Almost everyone wants me dead. My death will put an end to many things. If I live, even more people and problems could be dragged into this.’

’If I want to live, I’ll have to find another way!’

”Don’t you claim to be righteous? Don’t you want a spotless reputation? Fine, I’ll give you that chance! Bring out the evidence, prove I did those things!” Wei Feng stopped his wild laughter and looked coldly at the men on the dais.

He was almost certain that after so many years, all the evidence from back then had long since vanished like smoke.

”That’s right, I’m skilled at imitating others’ handwriting. But what does that prove? Can you sentence me to death based on that alone? Does that mean every calligrapher in the world skilled at imitation is also guilty?”

”When faced with Huangfu Haoyue, it’s true I didn’t uphold my principles, but that’s because I was coerced!”

”Many others were coerced that day!”

”Must you kill me simply because I held the highest official rank?”

”I could even claim I was merely feigning compliance, playing along with the enemy on purpose! I could say it was the only way to prevent a massacre in the Imperial Capital!”

”See? What a wonderful excuse! I, Wei Feng, willingly bore infamy and endured humiliation, all to prevent the Imperial Capital from being plunged into war...”

Seeing the three men on the platform frowning, the smile on Wei Feng’s face grew even wider.

Just then, Xu Luo, who had been leaning lazily against a pillar the whole time, suddenly spoke. ”Old Traitor, I’m surprised. Even at a time like this, you can still spout such shameless arguments. A cornered dog really does bite the hardest, doesn’t it? In truth, I’ve had the complete evidence that you orchestrated the Wansong Town massacre for a long time. But, to make sure you die without any lingering complaints, I’ll show you something else.”

Xu Luo smiled faintly, then tipped his Storage Ring, pouring out a huge pile of scrolls. With a flick of his wrist, they tumbled in front of Wei Feng. ”The contents of any one of these scrolls is enough to have you killed several times over,” Xu Luo said casually. ”All of it together is enough to warrant the execution of your entire clan. And that’s not even mentioning the fortune equivalent to the Empire’s revenue for twenty years that we found when we searched your family’s properties...”

Wei Feng was slightly startled. Then, he bent down with some effort, picked up one of the scrolls from the pile, and opened it with slightly trembling hands. After just a single glance, his expression changed dramatically. His pale face twitched violently, and a venomous look flashed in his eyes.

He then picked up another. After reading it, he seemed to age decades in an instant. His already bloodless face turned white as a sheet, and his eyes filled with venom. He ground out the words, ”Xu Luo... you’re vicious!”

The three men sitting above—Xu Ji, Sun Donghai, and Zhao Wenzhao—were rather surprised. They stared curiously at the pile of scrolls below, some of which were yellowed with age, ’wondering what could possibly be written on them.’

Xu Luo then said coolly, ”The only way to keep a secret is to not do it in the first place. Old Traitor Wei, to be honest, I was quite surprised myself when I saw all this. I never thought a man who appears so virtuous as you would not only have multiple hideouts like a crafty rabbit, but would also be such a prolific philanderer!”

As he spoke, Xu Luo smiled at Wei Feng. ”The Cangqiong Empire has over fifty major cities. You have vast properties in thirty-two of them. And in each of those cities, you have at least one woman. As for the children...”

”Don’t say another word, I beg you!” With a THUD, Wei Feng suddenly collapsed to his knees before Xu Luo, smashing his head against the floor. THUD! THUD! His forehead split open and blood began to stream down his face. ”I confess!” he cried, his voice raspy. ”I’ll confess to all of it! I’ll write a confession, a letter of repentance, I... I’ll write anything! Whatever you tell me to write, I’ll write it!”

Wei Feng’s face was a mess of tears. ”Just... spare them, I beg you,” he pleaded. ”They’re just helpless women and children. They... they don’t know anything! They don’t know who I am! They’ll... they’ll never try to get revenge on you... I’m begging you!”

Xu Ji and the other two judges were dumbfounded. They stared at the mountain of scrolls piled beside Wei Feng, the corners of their mouths twitching. Zhao Wenzhao and Sun Yunpeng, in particular, felt a chill run down their spines. Their gazes toward Xu Luo were filled with absolute shock.

’I’d only heard rumors before... that the Xu Family’s second young master had suddenly come into his own, that his methods were astonishing. That even the all-powerful Wei Feng had suffered defeats at his hands time and again, to say nothing of small fry like Wei Ziting. But only now do I see it. His capabilities run far deeper than what he lets on!’

’Just a glance at a few of those scrolls was enough to make Wei Feng drop to his knees and beg for mercy. I can only imagine what’s in them. For a cunning old fox like Wei Feng to have so much incriminating evidence fall into Xu Luo’s hands... This young man... he’s terrifying!’

’Among the high officials of the Cangqiong Empire, who among us is truly clean? Who doesn’t have a few skeletons in their closet? But in front of Xu Luo, all those secrets are like a child’s game. It seems... I can afford to offend anyone in the future, but I must never, ever offend Xu Luo!’

The two men exchanged a look, each seeing the same wry helplessness in the other’s eyes. A single thought surfaced in both their minds.

’Heroes have always been born from the young. The new generation always surpasses the old.’

Xu Luo looked down at Wei Feng kneeling before him, calmly watching his tear-streaked face. He smiled, an exceptionally gentle smile. He actually reached out and gently patted Wei Feng’s head, as if comforting a small child.

Sitting above, Xu Ji frowned slightly. His mouth opened as if to say something, but in the end, he swallowed his words.

He knew his son wasn’t the type to lose control. Besides, Xu Ji himself wanted to see... just how many more secrets this second son of his was hiding!

”There, there. Why are you crying?” Xu Luo’s voice was incredibly soft, yet it sent a deep chill through everyone present. ”You were once a great man who held the entire court in the palm of your hand. A single word from you could ruin a family. How powerful is that? So don’t cry, okay?”

”You see, you’re actually quite impressive. Very cunning. You almost had me fooled,” Xu Luo said with a smile. ”Back then, when you offered up that information to trade for Wei Ziting’s life, I almost believed you!”

Xu Luo continued with a smile, ”But when I thought about it later, something didn’t feel right. Because even though you care a great deal about Wei Ziting, you’re not that stupid. You knew perfectly well that even if I were willing to spare Wei Ziting’s life, I... would never give him any chance to get revenge on me!”

”Is a useless waste of space like him really worth all that effort?”

Xu Luo’s smile never faded. ”And what a coincidence, a long time ago, I accidentally found out about something. Right here in the Imperial Capital... you had an illegitimate son, named... Zhao Chong, wasn’t it? Heh, for the great Prime Minister Wei to do such a thing... cuckolding a proper nobleman... Back then, I started thinking, ’If you could do it once, you could do it again.’ And so... a very long time ago, I sent my people out to every corner of the Empire to start looking into it...”