Chronicles of the Qin Dynasty

Chapter 147, Section 146: The Death of Wei Wu
Yan Ying could hardly help but be overjoyed.

She even thought to herself: No wonder the king wanted to make the King of Qin his queen, it's just that... it's just that... oh dear!

However, while accepting all praise, one must consider the reality: being too upright and rigid can lead to instability. With such a crucial matter as the Wei Wu Corps at hand, blindly adhering to rules and regulations could actually cause one to miss opportunities.

However, since her younger brother was appreciated by the future lord, it was a good thing, so she kept quiet.

And Yan Cong's ears also turned bright red.

He wasn't very good at studying, and his family mostly praised him for his composure and bravery. Now, the lord he would be following praised him in this way…

The young man was filled with fervent emotions, wishing he could give his life for the cause.

However, it is still inappropriate to deviate from principles because of this.

He stared intently at Qin Shi.

What an upright and virtuous gentleman!
If you become an official in the future, you will surely be trusted by your superiors and respected by your subordinates.

Therefore, we must now nurture the growth of this virtuous person, giving him time so that he can grow into a towering tree and become a pillar of society in the future.

Qin Shi smiled deeply: "What Young Master Yan said today makes perfect sense."

Zhuang raised his head and said urgently, "My lord! I know many things about Wei Wuzu. He gets drunk and beats and curses people. He has said many things before, and he is now seriously injured. That's why he asked me to carry out the assassination..."

"My lord!" he cried out in alarm. "I beg you, my lord, to help me avenge my sister!"

After saying that, he kowtowed again!

Qin Shi looked at him and said, “The Qin law cannot be violated. Even killing someone to avenge a blood relative is not allowed. However, since you came to assassinate him, you should naturally be convicted.”

Chopping him in half at the waist and abandoning him in the marketplace, or beheading him and exterminating his entire clan—both are possible.

"Given such a grave crime, and the fact that you were coerced by wolves and jackals, and that the cause of your elder sister's death is questionable, and that the other party evaded military service and forced labor... Therefore, Young Master Yan, order a special person to escort the case back to Yangling, and then reopen this case at Yangling Post Station to thoroughly interrogate everyone."

"Can it be done in violation of the law?"

Yan Cong shook his head: "No, and the King of Qin strictly enforces Qin law, so everything is in accordance with common sense."

Zhuang suddenly looked up, clearly having understood the matter, and at that moment, he was overjoyed and wept: "This sinner is willing to go! This sinner is willing to tell you personally!"

Yan Cong then added, “Thieves who kill or injure others or steal from others are cases that can be reported by the government, and both the post station and the government can accept them. In addition, cases of harm between husband and wife are also cases that can be reported by the government.”

The implication is that this case should be tried, and can be tried.

It is also in accordance with the law.

Qin Shi's lips curled slightly:
"He attempted to assassinate a nobleman, but abandoned the plan midway and surrendered without resistance. Is it possible that he will receive a lenient sentence?"

Well... Qin's current nature is to punish minor offenses severely, and even lenient sentences are very limited.

However, this action is legal and compliant, and there is room for maneuver; it has not violated any regulations.

He did not refute, and Qin Shi continued, "The report also mentioned the meritorious service of the Wei Wu soldiers. Therefore, when I return to Xianyang Palace, may I petition the King to grant a special pardon in accordance with military and political matters?"

The Qin state rarely granted general amnesties or pardons, except for military and political matters.

Given Yan Cong's understanding of Qin law, he frowned and pondered for a long time before nodding: "It's feasible."

As for whether he can survive, and what punishment he will receive if he does, it all depends on how many accusations he can report.

However, the fact that the Wei Wu soldiers went to great lengths to train him suggests that he must have some talent; it would be a real shame to kill him so casually.

Prince Qian suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

He was at an age where he yearned for heroism and chivalry; although he plotted the assassination, he did not carry it out. He then willingly accepted his death, seeking only revenge for his sister. Furthermore, having undergone special training with the Wei elite troops, his skills were clearly extraordinary, far beyond the reach of ordinary people…

Carrying a heavy load, I hurriedly walked a hundred miles in half a day!
Prince Qian couldn't do it, but he was deeply curious!
Hearing that he could save his life because of this, he relaxed.

Qin Shi gave Zhuang one last deep look—the other party had deliberately linked Zhuang with his enemy back then, and had instilled the idea of ​​"incompetent officials" over a long period of time, probably so that one day he would be made to carry out an assassination!
Given this, Qin Shi became curious instead:

"You still haven't told me how you managed to evade the heavy guards and cling to the carriage."

Zhuang cautiously glanced up into the carriage, his gaze sweeping over Princess Wen before quickly lowering his head again.
"The princess alighted from her carriage and walked around. The sunlight was scorching, so she paused briefly in the shade before her maids held up a canopy..."

He approached quickly when the crowd had retreated into the shadows.

The moment the canopy was raised, everyone's attention was drawn to it, before it nimbly slipped back under the carriage.

Upon hearing this, everyone's attention turned to Princess Wen.

Princess Wen was also stunned: "That was only for a brief moment!"

How could someone move so quickly and silently?

Zhuang lowered his head and said, "From a young age, I was exceptionally clever and agile... and then that family, together with the Wei people, prevented me from eating my fill..."

After returning from military service, he even became a bit leaner and stronger. Then he was ordered to endure hunger every day, which made him even more agile and swift.

When Qin Shi looked at him more closely, he noticed that although he was kneeling on the ground, the marks from the rope cutting into his clothes showed that he was wearing something a little thick for the season.

"...to prevent the carriage from scraping and rubbing against the ground while it is moving."

Once you take off the slightly heavy clothes, you can see that he looks thin and not tall or strong.

Such high-intensity training over a long period of time, yet people still don't get enough to eat.

Firstly, it depletes the body's natural resources, and secondly, it makes the mind dull and makes thinking difficult.

Given that the enemy was able to evade numerous soldiers under such conditions, it's no wonder that the Wei elite troops spent over a decade training him.

After all, given that family's ruthless nature, since they had killed their first wife, they should naturally also deal with the burden that came with her.

Why waste more food, move between households, and wait until the child is grown before the service fee can be deducted?

He is indeed a talented person.

After all, if the other party really takes advantage of the funeral to make a move, the entire Yan family, including himself and the prince and princess, will probably not escape disaster.

Now, just because of a story, the other party has voluntarily stepped aside. In that case, it is truly a blessing from heaven.

Now that the matter is settled, Yan Ying alighted from the carriage with the petition in hand, and soon she should begin to arrange the follow-up matters.

The people left in the car looked at each other, and Qin Shi smiled silently—when she told this story, she really just randomly came up with whichever story came to mind, just to make the two of them quiet down.

Unexpectedly, not only did the prince, princess, and Yan Cong perform exceptionally well in the debate, but they also unexpectedly caught this big fish.

That's incredibly good luck!
Prince Qian was eager to try: "Lord Qin, do you know how the Wei elite soldiers are trained? If I can persevere and train hard, can I become like them?"

Princess Wen couldn't help but feel annoyed: "As a prince, you should learn how to manage your subordinates in the future—"

He's unlikely to learn how to command officials; he probably won't have the chance in his lifetime.

However, he was quite capable as a general.

If that's the case, what's the point of learning from this person's abilities? Are we supposed to act like a wandering knight-errant, breaking the law with our martial arts?

　Coming!
　　(End of this chapter)