The Three Kingdoms: Zhaolie, the strategist, and the rise of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 309 Li Yi: You unfilial son, do you want to challenge me to a duel?
Ye City, the Prime Minister's Residence.

Night, long night.

After the banquet ended, the guests hurriedly took their leave. Even the usually magnanimous Gao Lan only bowed once before quickly leaving with his head down.

Before leaving, Xu Huang wanted to say a few words of advice, but Chen Qun secretly tugged at his sleeve, so he had to give up.

Everyone here is a smart professional, and fearing they might get into trouble, they all used various excuses to say goodbye and leave.

By evening, everyone had dispersed.

The candlelight flickered in the hall, casting many shadows.

Only leftover food and cold dishes remained on the table, and the cups and plates were in disarray.

Inside the study, Li Yi stood with his hands behind his back, his face ashen.

Li Zhi and Liu Shan knelt before the table, each holding an ink stick, slowly grinding ink on the inkstone.

The ink was as black as night, heavy and difficult to turn, just like the somber atmosphere at this moment.

The wind howled outside the window, and the occasional hooting of an owl added to the eeriness.

Yuan Ying stood by the door, hesitant to speak.

She watched as Li Zhi's fingertips turned red from rubbing, yet he dared not stop. Feeling a pang of pity, she finally whispered:
"My lord, it's late, perhaps..."

Li Yi gave her a cold glance, and Yuan Ying immediately fell silent and left.

As soon as he stepped out, he bumped into his older sister, Yuan Ying.

Yuan Ying, deeply concerned for her son, rushed over to inquire, asking:

"How is it, Sister? How are Adou... or the two children?"

Yuan Ying shook her head. Although she didn't speak, Yuan Ying could tell that what she meant was not good.

She peered gently through the window into the room.

Liu Shan was so exhausted that he could not straighten his back, and his fingers were swollen and red, making it impossible for him to bend over.

"Well……"

Yuan Ying covered her lips, her beautiful eyes already brimming with tears.

"A Dou is just a child; how could he know about conspiracies, tricks, and the ways of the world?"

"He did not eat dinner, and was punished by the Prime Minister to grind ink."

"It's been almost two hours now, how can the child's body withstand this?"

Yuan Ying sighed and didn't say anything more.

The children made a mistake and were punished by their father.

But didn't Li Yi also stay in the study for two hours?
"Sister, what's wrong with you?"

Yuan Ying seemed to remember something and looked at her sister with some disbelief.

"When did you become like this?"

"Me? What's wrong with me?"

Yuan Ying raised an eyebrow and asked, puzzled.

"You used to always care about the children."

"Zhi'er was punished for two hours today, why didn't you go to the Prime Minister to plead for him and say a few good words for him?"

"……Ugh."

Yuan Ying sighed.

“When a child makes a mistake, punish him only to make him remember it.”

"The Prime Minister's judgment is wise; all of this is like polishing jade into a fine vessel."

"We will wait and see; the Prime Minister will know what to do."

Children are punished for making mistakes so that they will remember them.

Yuan Ying advised her sister to trust the Prime Minister's judgment, saying that it was all for the good of the children.

It wasn't that Yuan Ying was unwilling to plead for the children.

Rather, Li Yi, a person with a strong personality, was equally strict in his children's education.

As a mother, if her views do not conflict with Li Yi's, she will let Yuan Ying reward or punish him as she sees fit.

However, once their educational philosophies conflicted with Li Yi's, it would be Li Yi's arbitrary and domineering approach.

This is a matter of principle, and no one in the Prime Minister's residence can challenge it.

Similar to corporal punishment,

Li Yi had physically punished his children before.

At that time, not to mention Yuan Ying, even Mi Zhen and Tao Hong stepped forward to stop them and plead for the children.

But the more the women acted this way, the more Li Yi wanted to punish them.

Originally, he was to be forced to kneel for an hour, but if he dared to plead for mercy, he would be allowed to kneel for an additional half hour.

As time went on, no one dared to plead for Li Yi when he physically punished the children anymore.

Because they knew that the more they pleaded, the worse the children would suffer.

It was precisely because Li Yi practiced this principle that his children were not spoiled by their mother.

The night was deep, and many lights in the Prime Minister's residence had been extinguished.

The sisters Yuan Ying and Yuan Ying stood quietly outside the study, the flickering candlelight in the corridor casting an inscrutable shadow on their expressions.

And so another half hour passed.

Yuan Ying twisted the handkerchief between her fingers, glancing frequently at the closed door, her heart filled with lingering worry.

Yuan Ying remained calm, but her phoenix eyes were slightly narrowed, revealing her displeasure.

At that moment, the clanging sound of armored vehicles grew louder as they approached.

Wei Yan strode forward, still in his armor, the sword at his waist swaying slightly with each step, making a dull clanging sound.

His face was flushed with pride, clearly feeling he had done a great service and was waiting to receive his reward.

Of all the departing guests and officials, he was the only one who did not leave.

Wei Yan approached, clasped his hands in a salute, and spoke in a loud voice:

"This humble general pays his respects to the Prime Minister's wife and the Queen!"

Yuan Ying's gaze turned slightly cold, but she remained composed and simply said:
"General Wei, you've had a hard night."

Wei Yan grinned, making no attempt to hide his smugness:

"You flatter me, Madam! It is my duty, how could I dare to complain?"

“The fugitive Aruo possessed the young master’s jade seal, and I knew there was something fishy about it.”

"So they made a special trip to capture him and interrogate him."

"I have already reported the matter of the two young masters to the Prime Minister..."

Yuan Ying's fingertips trembled slightly, but her expression remained calm. She simply raised her delicate hand to stop him from continuing.

"General, you have done very well today. Go down to the storeroom and collect your reward."

Upon hearing this, Wei Yan was overjoyed and said loudly:
"This is my duty, and I dare not claim credit for it!"

In terms of his upright character, Wei Yan can be considered a "great Guan Yu".

Although Guan Yu did not get along well with his colleagues, he did not offend everyone.

Wei Yan, on the other hand, offended every single colleague equally.

Historically, Sima was the Grand General Who Conquered the West and the Chancellor.

Theoretically speaking, after Zhuge Liang's death, Wei Yan became the number one military figure in Shu Han.

But why was the army easily turned against them by Yang Yi?

Because he had no allies not only in the court, but also in the army.

Wei Yan, a general who loved his soldiers like his own children, was easily turned against his army in his power struggle with Yang Yi.

Even to the point that he was deserted by his own people and few soldiers followed him, doesn't that seem contradictory?

This is because Yang Yi had Wang Ping invoke Prime Minister Zhuge Liang's name, saying:

"The Prime Minister's body is barely cold, how dare you?"

Upon hearing this, the Shu army all believed that Wei Yan had truly rebelled.

So they all abandoned him.

The key point here is when Yang Yi announced Wei Yan's rebellion.

Not a single mid- to high-ranking officer in the Shu army stood up to speak for Wei Yan.

To put it bluntly, if only a few highly respected generals stepped forward and stabilized the soldiers in their own units...

Why did Wei Yan end up being betrayed and abandoned by his followers?

Both being military generals, Jiang Wei, a member of the surrendered generals faction, sided with Yang Yi.

Wang Ping, a member of the Yizhou faction, personally came to persuade Wei Yan's troops to defect.

Ma Dai, from the Liangzhou faction, even personally led troops to pursue and kill Wei Yan.

Then you'll know how low Wei Yan's emotional intelligence is; he really doesn't know how to get along with his colleagues.

But Wei Yan was indeed a qualified general.

Otherwise, Liu Bei would not have defied public opinion and given Zhang Fei's position as commander-in-chief of the northern war zone to Wei Yan.

Therefore, we often say that Wei Yan was a continuation of Guan Yu's political life.

Like Guan Yu, he was spoiled by Liu Bei and coaxed by Zhuge Liang.

After Liu Bei's death, Wei Yan privately complained, saying—

"Zhuge Liang was too timid. If the late emperor were still alive, things would have been better."

Even so, Zhuge Liang still coaxed and pampered Wei Yan.

For example, when General Liu Yan and Wei Yan were at odds, Zhuge Liang personally stepped in to reprimand Liu Yan and made him apologize to Wei Yan.

But what if Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang were no longer around?
As it turned out, Wei Yan followed Zhuge Liang almost immediately after his death.

Liu Shan, the last emperor of the Southern Tang dynasty, did consider protecting Wei Yan.

When Wei Yan and Yang Yi were vying for power, Liu Shan sent Jiang Wan to mediate.

But Liu Shan was not Liu Bei after all; he lacked prestige and could not subdue his two powerful ministers.

Seeing that Wei Yan had failed to understand her implied meaning, Yuan Ying slightly curled her lips, but the smile did not reach her eyes.

"...General, you truly deserve to be called a man promoted by my husband. You are indeed thorough in your work."

Wei Yan, completely oblivious to the sarcasm in his words, became even more smug and took another step forward, lowering his voice to say:
"...Madam, I have heard that the Prince of Qi has granted the positions of General of the Four Garrisons of Hebei. I wonder which one the Prime Minister prefers?"

"To whom will the Prime Minister appoint the General Who Guards the North?"

Generally speaking,
The ranks of the Four Expeditionary Generals, the Four Garrison Generals, the Four Pacification Generals, and the Four Peace Generals are roughly the same.

They are all major generals.

Equivalent to a modern-day corps commander or army group commander, this is a high-ranking official at the level of a corps commander.

However, at the end of the Han Dynasty, the Cao Wei regime and the Shu Han regime differed in size and status.

Specifically regarding the Shu Han camp, it should be:

Four Directions > Four Towns > Four Peaceful Areas > Four Expeditions

However, as mentioned above, these are all major general-level military ranks, and all are commanders of local group armies.

Strictly speaking, there is not much difference.

For example, Chen Deng was the General Who Conquers the South, but that doesn't mean he would be inferior to General Huang Zhong or General Zhang Fei.

After all, they are all local military commanders, and whoever is in charge has the final say.

After the positions of the four generals were divided up, Liu Bei deliberately left the people of Hebei waiting for several years.

Then, at this moment, they pulled out a big surprise and gave the position of General Who Guards the North to Hebei.

As the magistrate of Yecheng, Wei Yan had the advantage of being close to the source, and thus learned of the news before the generals of Hebei.

So, taking advantage of this opportunity to "make a contribution," he made no attempt to hide his ambition and clearly stated that he wanted the position of General Who Guards the North.

He felt that with his talent, he was fully qualified for the position.

"Madam, I believe that the position of General Who Guards the North should be filled by someone who is responsible, virtuous, and capable."

"This humble general is unworthy, but I am willing to recommend myself."

"Please, madam, put in a good word for me with the Prime Minister."

Wei Yan, undeterred, once again expressed his desire for the position of General Who Guards the North.

In his view, he dared to question even the son of the prime minister and the heir apparent of the Prince of Qi.

They acted entirely impartially, without any favoritism or bending of the law.

This is absolutely a model of justice and integrity.

If Hebei doesn't elect him as the General Who Guards the North, the people of Hebei won't accept it.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Ying frowned deeply and sighed inwardly:
"How can this person be so ignorant of propriety?"

She had some contact with officials in Xuzhou during her time there.

Most of them wanted to get promoted and make money through their own efforts.

But at least he phrased it tactfully; how could he have brought it up so blatantly?

Yuan Ying's eyes grew even colder. She tapped the back of her hand lightly with her fingertips and said coldly:
"The positions of the four generals must be determined according to the laws of Hebei, and cannot be decided by one person alone."

"As for the selection..."

She paused, her tone growing increasingly indifferent, "The Prime Minister's residence has its own considerations. General, please return and await news."

Yuan Ying meant that the position of General Zhenbei should be determined according to the laws and basic laws of Hebei.

She doesn't have the final say.

But before ending, he emphasized that decisions made within our Prime Minister's residence are also very important.

As for the outcome—go home and wait for news!
That's the attitude: go home and wait for news.

You're asking too many questions.

Wei Yan then realized that something was amiss, but he still did not understand Yuan Ying's true intentions.

Taking it as a matter of official business, he clasped his hands in a fist and smiled, saying:

"This subordinate understands! Thank you for your guidance, Madam!"

Having said that, he turned and strode away.

The sound of iron boots pounding the ground faded into the distance, leaving only silence under the eaves.

Seeing him walk away, Yuan Ying finally couldn't help but whisper:
"Sister, what's wrong with this person?"

"Not to mention Xuzhou, even back in Huainan, those under my father's command who sought official positions..."

"At least they know to send a piece of calligraphy or painting first, or a fine horse as a gift."

She lightly tapped her temple with her fingertip. "Who asks for an official position so bluntly? Are all the officials in Hebei like this?"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ying sneered, covering her lips with her fan:
"I know most of the officials in Hebei."

"They are all good at observing words and know when to advance and retreat."

Even a rough man like Zhang Liao knew to slip a name card into his holiday gifts.

"But Wei Wenchang—he's the one who can't tell what's important!"

Yuan Ying knew most of the high-ranking officials in Hebei.

From her observation, they were all quite sensible.

Wei Yan is the only one who doesn't know how to handle things and doesn't understand polite conversation.

……

Inside the study, Li Yi took a small sip of tea.

Not uttering a word, not uttering a word.

The most terrifying thing is not losing your temper, but saying nothing at all.

Liu Shan was in great pain in his wrist at this moment. He glanced at Li Zhi and saw that he was calm.

His brows were slightly furrowed, clearly indicating that he was also pondering the events of the day.

Aruo's betrayal, Wei Yan's aggressive behavior, the father's fury...

All of this happened so fast that Liu Shan still feels dazed.

He thought saving a life was a good deed, but he never expected to be betrayed.

"Snapped!"

A drop of ink splashed from the inkstone and landed on the snow-white silk, spreading rapidly like a tear stain.

Li Yi finally spoke, his voice low and deep:

"How are you?" "Are your hands tired? Do they hurt?"

Li Zhi paused, slowly raised his head, and met Li Yi's gaze.

He immediately shook his head and lowered it again.

Li Yi's gaze was sharp as a knife, then he turned to Liu Shan:

Where is A Dou?

Liu Shan's lips trembled slightly as he whispered:

"Father...it was A Dou who implicated my cousin."

"Your subject knows he was wrong and will never dare to do it again."

Li Yi nodded. "What did you do wrong?"

Liu Shan's eyes darted around, and he quickly replied:

"Your subject should not have acted on his own initiative, and even more so... should not have trusted others so easily."

Li Yi remained silent for a long time, then suddenly let out a long sigh.

He walked to the window, gazed at the pitch-black night sky, and slowly said:
"Today's punishment is not because you saved people, but because you were unaware of the wickedness of the human heart."

The wind picked up, and the candlelight flickered.

The shadows of the three people were stretched very long...

Li Yi got up and took out "Han Feizi" from the bookshelf.

He had read all the books in the study and knew them by heart.

With a quick flip, I found the alternative chapters.

"The problem of a ruler is that he trusts others; if he trusts others, he will be controlled by them."

Li Yi held the book and slowly read a sentence from it.

He then asked Liu Shan, "A Dou, explain to me what this sentence means?"

Liu Shan's mind raced as he desperately searched for past memories.

"...Yes, yes, what this sentence means is..."

Sweat trickled down his ears from nervousness, when suddenly a brilliant idea struck him.

"Oh! Your son remembers."

"This means that the danger of a monarch lies in his tendency to trust others too easily, because if he trusts others too easily, he will be controlled by them."

"good."

Li Yi nodded in satisfaction, "This young man is teachable."

Liu Shan's answer brought Li Yi some comfort.

This at least proves that his efforts over the past few months have not been in vain.

“Your act of saving people is not wrong in itself, but you are wrong in that you cannot distinguish between loyalty and treachery, right and wrong, and you easily trust others.”

"If it weren't for Wei Yan's intervention today, you would have let a national criminal go free."

"You have disrupted the laws and regulations of my Qi state!"

Liu Shan listened attentively and nodded repeatedly:
"Your teachings, Father Prime Minister, will be remembered!"

Seeing that he was in a proper manner, Li Yi's expression softened slightly, and he looked at Li Zhi again.

Although he was already panting heavily, he remained kneeling upright, his hands clenched into fists, and he remained silent.

Li Yi frowned slightly and said calmly:

"Adou, go out. Zhi'er, stay."

Liu Shan felt as if he had been granted a pardon and hurriedly thanked Li Yi for his kindness.

Then, he bowed respectfully and withdrew.

Before leaving, he glanced at Li Zhi one last time.

“…Cousin, sigh.”

Liu Shan sighed inwardly and secretly prayed for his cousin, wishing him good luck.

Stepping out of the study, Liu Shan's tense shoulders finally relaxed.

He lowered his head, his eyes red-rimmed, but he bit his lip tightly, not daring to let the tears fall.

The Prime Minister disliked weakness the most, so he dared not cry in front of him.

But when he looked up, he saw his mother, Yuan Ying, standing under the eaves, looking at him with a worried expression.

"Adou! Good boy."

Yuan Ying quickly stepped forward and pulled her son into her arms.

"How was it? Were you punished? Are you hungry?"

Her eyes were full of her mother's concern.

Liu Shan could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down his face like beads from a broken string.

He gripped his mother's sleeve tightly, his voice choked with emotion:
"Mother...Father scolded me..."

Yuan Ying felt extremely distressed and quickly wiped away his tears with a handkerchief, asking softly:

"Did the Prime Minister punish you?"

Liu Shan remained noncommittal, sobbing as he said:
"The Prime Minister said... that I shouldn't have trusted Aruo so easily... and even more so, I shouldn't have... made decisions on my own..."

Yuan Ying gently patted his back and whispered words of comfort:

"Your Excellency is right, but it's good that A Dou knows he was wrong and won't repeat the mistake next time."

Liu Shan nodded, but he still couldn't stop the tears.

He grew up in a chaotic world and, despite being the heir apparent of the King of Qi, he rarely experienced the warmth and affection of ordinary children.

Liu Bei, the father, was constantly engaged in military campaigns and state affairs, and thus had little time to spend with his father.

Although his mother, Yuan Ying, loved him dearly, she was often unable to get too close to him due to her social status.

I was scolded today, and my grievances welled up inside me, so I just poured them all out at once.

“Mother… I just wanted to save her… her belly is so big.”

"If I were taken to the mine, I certainly wouldn't survive... I really didn't think that much about it..."

Yuan Ying felt a pang of sadness and hugged him even tighter.
"A Dou was kind-hearted, that's true."

“But in this world, people’s hearts are unpredictable. Your father is afraid that you will suffer losses.”

Just then, Yuan Ying rushed over and, seeing Liu Chan crying so hard, quickly asked:
"What happened to A Dou? Where is Zhi'er?"

"Where's your cousin? Why didn't he come out with you?"

Liu Shan wiped away his tears and whispered:
“Cousin…cousin refused to admit his mistake, so the Prime Minister kept him here…”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ying frowned, feeling both heartache and helplessness.

"Why is this child so stubborn?"

"What's wrong with apologizing to his father?"

Although she complained, she knew perfectly well in her heart—

Li Zhi's personality was very much like that of his maternal grandfather, Yuan Shu.

When Yuan Shu was defeated, he preferred to burn down the palace rather than surrender.

Li Zhi's inherent arrogance is now inherited from his father.

Yuan Ying sighed softly, stepped forward and hugged Yuan Ying, gently patted her back, and said softly:

"Don't worry, little sister."

"Although the Prime Minister is strict, he is ultimately doing it for the good of his son."

Ugh.

Yuan Ying sighed.
Faced with this situation, she was completely at a loss.

"Sister, you don't know this, but I've been stubborn since I was little. Once I've made up my mind about something..."

"They resolutely refused to admit their mistakes."

"For this, I have suffered countless injustices."

Liu Shan listened, feeling worried for his cousin.

Although he was reprimanded, the prime minister eventually released him.

My cousin, however, was left in the study, and it was unknown what kind of punishment he would suffer.

A cool night breeze blew under the eaves, and the flickering candlelight illuminated the three people's varied expressions.

Yuan Ying stared at the tightly closed study door, and finally couldn't help but whisper:

"No, I have to go in and take a look."

Yuan Ying quickly grabbed her:
"Sister, the Prime Minister is furious."

"If you go in now, wouldn't you be adding fuel to the fire?"

Yuan Ying bit her lip and finally stopped.

But the worry in his eyes did not diminish at all.

……

Inside the study, the candlelight still shone brightly.

Li Zhi remained kneeling upright, his back as straight as a pine tree, but fine beads of sweat had already seeped from his forehead.

Li Yi stood with his hands behind his back, gazing intently at him, and said slowly:
"Zhi'er, do you know you're wrong?"

Li Zhi was silent for a moment, then looked up and stared directly at his father before finally speaking:
"Your subject did nothing wrong in saving people."

Li Yi frowned and said coldly:
"If Aru is a wanted criminal, how dare you say you are not at fault for releasing him without authorization?"

Li Zhi neither dodged nor avoided the attack, and said loudly:

"She was pregnant and vulnerable."

"My father often taught us, 'If you see someone alive, you can't bear to see them die.'"

“I don’t know what terrible crime she has committed to deserve this abuse. What wrong have I done by saving her?”

Upon hearing this, Li Yi laughed instead of getting angry.

"Good, good! Now you remember your father's teachings?"

He slammed his hand on the table, causing ink to splatter everywhere from the inkstone.

"Then let me ask you—"

"If Aruo betrays you all in front of all the officials, how do you feel?"

Li Zhi remained silent for a moment, but still stubbornly insisted:

“It’s her own business that she betrayed us.”

"This does not contradict my decision to save her."

"absurd!"

Li Yi shouted sternly, "You saved her, but she turned around and bit you. Aren't you heartbroken?"

Li Zhi pursed his lips, a hint of stubbornness flashing in his eyes:

"Father, she is just a weak woman, how can she withstand torture?"

"If it were you, would you just stand by and watch her be tortured to death?"

"You often say, 'The benevolent love others,' but does this 'people' have distinctions of nobility and lowliness?"

Li Yi shook his head. "The benevolent love others, but a ruler must weigh the pros and cons and distinguish right from wrong."

"If Aru is a wanted criminal, then according to your logic, shouldn't every criminal be pardoned?"

"Do you know how much pressure your father was under to secure the positions of Left Supervisor and Right Advisor for Hebei?"

"Will the newly compiled Qi Code be promulgated?"

"You are my son, yet you don't consider your father's feelings and instead side with outsiders!?"

Actually, this incident itself wasn't serious; what was serious was that Wei Yan, in his utter foolishness, dragged his son into the room in front of all the civil and military officials.

From Wei Yan's own perspective, he was indeed acting impartially and without bending the law for personal gain.

From Li Yi's perspective, this guy was practically slapping him, his leader, in the face.

Let's just put it that way.

If it were anyone else, Wei Yan's political life would be essentially over after today.

The latter half of his career was destined to be one of relentless persecution.

He was just lucky.

He met Liu Bei and Li Yi.

Liu Bei liked Wei Yan very much; he admired his upright character and his heroic spirit.

Li Yi also knew Wei Yan's character; he truly didn't do it on purpose.

It's just that my brain is bubbly.

If you insist that he did it on purpose,
That could only mean that Wei Yan felt he should confront Li Zhi and Liu Shan in front of all the civil and military officials.

This would further demonstrate his uprightness, selflessness, and fearlessness in the face of power and influence.

"Father, don't hide it from me!"

Li Zhi said loudly, "I have already heard that A Ruo is a relative of the Sima clan."

"Your previous order to massacre the Sima clan in Hanoi has already drawn much criticism."

"His Majesty the King of Qi has always upheld benevolence and righteousness as the foundation and treated people with kindness and compassion."

"The Sima family is guilty, so it is enough to execute the ringleaders. Why not even spare their family members, women and children?"

“You not only ordered the killing of their entire families, but also treated women and children in the same way.”

"Nowadays, even a woman who is six months pregnant is taken to the execution ground."

"Our Great Qi has always governed the country with benevolence and righteousness. What is wrong with my child saving her?"

"I just felt that I did what I should have done today."

"If you don't do it today, you'll regret it later!"

"Therefore, what you did today is something your father insists on questioning."

"The child's heartfelt words are—no regrets!"

Li Zhi's voice was resounding and powerful, a wake-up call to the world.

The room gradually quieted down.

The night was deep, and only the howling wind could be heard in the courtyard.

Li Yi stood alone by the window, gazing at the old plum tree in the courtyard, and suddenly felt weary.

He taught Li Zhi benevolence, but he hadn't yet taught him how to weigh things.

But today's lesson was ultimately too heavy.

She glanced back at her son's stubborn back, a complex look flashing across her eyes.

"Zhi'er, are you blaming your father?"

Li Yi's pupils contracted slightly, and his voice became somewhat hoarse.

Li Zhi took a deep breath and said loudly:

“Father, you taught me to read Mencius. Mencius said: ‘To kill an innocent person is not benevolent; to take what is not rightfully yours is not righteous.’”

“Father often taught his son to govern the country with benevolence and virtue, but the actions of the Hebei government troops are truly contrary to benevolence and virtue!”

The room was deathly silent, except for the sound of the candle wick popping.

"You little brat..."

Li Yi frowned and said in a deep voice:

"Listen carefully to what I am about to do."

"All judgments were made in accordance with the law, and the legal provisions are clear!"

Li Zhi retorted loudly:

"My father always said that there are no distinctions in punishment, and everyone is equal before the law!"

Li Yi sneered and shouted:
"Yes, I did say that: everyone is equal before the law."

"But some people are born to be more equal."

"If you weren't my son, you wouldn't even have the right to speak to me!"

……

(End of this chapter)