Chapter 737: Suppressing the Strong and Supporting the Weak (Part )

"Me?" Zhao Xin looked confused. "Master Su wants me to ask my father for mercy?"

"No!" Su He shook her head slowly with a serious expression, "I'm not asking for mercy from the Emperor of Song, but from your future husband."

As soon as these words came out, Liu Xunyi and Zhao Xin's faces changed at the same time. It seemed that they were greatly shocked when they heard the word "future husband".

"You don't know that the prince and the Khan are brothers from the same mother. If he asks the Khan for mercy..." Su He pondered over it in his mind and said intermittently, "No! There is no need to beg for mercy. Just let the Khan know and he will gladly promise not to mention this matter again. However, the only person who can convince the prince to intervene in this matter is the princess."

"I see." Zhao Xin was confused, her eyes were erratic, and she murmured, "If I can save the people of the town, I will certainly be willing to ask Hu Lie for mercy, but I'm afraid..."

"Don't worry, Princess. The Song court will not act rashly before the Mongol Khan gives a reply." Su He understood Zhao Xin's concerns, so he made a solemn promise.

"So best..."

Looking at the unhappy and absent-minded Zhao Xin, Liu Xunyi felt sad and depressed. He wanted to say something several times but finally failed to speak.

"It seems that this is the only way at the moment." Feng Tianba gritted his teeth and said, "It just gives those men in black an advantage. It was clearly them who caused the trouble, but in the end the princess has to clean up the mess... No! When I return to Lin'an, I will definitely ask the Prime Minister to investigate this matter thoroughly!"

"Those men in black left a blood letter in Yunya Town, which read 'I would rather die on the battlefield to recover the Northern Kingdom than live in humiliation and beg the barbarians.'" Wuchan recalled, "This statement expressed the aspirations of many righteous people."

"No matter what their purpose is, they shouldn't act recklessly against the imperial court." Feng Tianba said stubbornly, "They even dared to kill the imperial court's wedding procession. They are so arrogant and lawless. If we don't severely punish these lunatics, how can we enforce the imperial court's laws and regulations?"

"What I can't understand the most is how those men in black knew our whereabouts and arrangements? How did they set up an ambush in Yunya Town in advance and conceal it without anyone noticing?" Su He puzzled, "They knew how to use a few people to hold back the two hotels in the east and west, and the large group of people went straight to the North Street hotel where the princess and the King of Hexi were staying. It's clear that they knew our every move. Thousands of men in black followed orders and did not get confused. They seemed well-trained and didn't look like a mob recruited at short notice."

"What's even more strange is that the North Street Inn where we live is right next to the Qinling Mountains. If we want to get closer, we must pass through East and West Streets. But why didn't General Xu and Lieutenant General Tao notice anything?" Feng Tianba raised his doubts. "There were hundreds of men in black that night. No matter how secretive they were, they couldn't have gotten away with it under the noses of General Xu and Lieutenant General Tao. Could it be that... General Xu and Lieutenant General Tao and hundreds of others slept like dead pigs? Isn't this too strange?"

"That's right!" Su He couldn't deny it. "If General Xu and Deputy General Tao had noticed something strange, we would have been able to react early and not be caught off guard. With General Sui's many years of experience in battle, it's possible that he could kill them. What exactly is the problem? How did those men in black know our whereabouts? And how did they quietly bypass the defenses of General Xu and Deputy General Tao?"

Feng Tianba rolled his eyes and whispered, "Could there be... a traitor?"

"No!" Before Su He could reply, Liu Xunyi spoke first, "The itinerary for escorting the bride is a secret of the court. Only two people know the arrangements along the way best, one is General Sui and the other is General Xu. Other than that, everyone else, including the princess, me, and Brother Su, only knew the specific arrangements the day before they arrived at a place. If there is a traitor, the most likely ones are General Sui and General Xu, but they are both victims, and General Xu... died tragically in Yunya Town. How could he be a traitor?"

When Liu Xunyi denied being a traitor, Li Haitang looked at him with a hint of sympathy.

Liu Xunyi was not shielding Xu Guangsheng, but was considering the overall situation. After all, Xu Guangsheng was a guard general appointed by the court. If the Mongols knew that he was an accomplice in the Yunya Town massacre, the Song Dynasty would inevitably be blamed. Even if the war could be avoided, it would probably cost hundreds of millions of gold and silver to appease the anger of the Mongols.

Since this matter concerns the prosperity and decline of the country and the reputation of the imperial court, Liu Xunyi would never dare to take risks lightly.

As for why he did not give out Jin Fu Yu, it was because he had no evidence. Even if he told the truth, the Mongolian Khan might not believe it. Instead, he would think that Liu Xunyi was making excuses for the Song Dynasty court and deliberately putting the blame on his former enemy.

Moreover, Liu Xunyi was now notorious in the martial arts world. If Jin Fuyu made a slight attempt to quibble, the Central Plains martial arts community would be the first to criticize Liu Xunyi. How could the Mongols believe a "truth" that even the Han people themselves did not believe?

By then, his honesty would not only fail to save the Song Dynasty from its dire straits, but might even make the situation worse and sink deeper and deeper.

More importantly, the only solid evidence that could implicate Jin Fuyu was Xu Guangsheng, but Xu Guangsheng was already dead, leaving no evidence. Therefore, even within the Song Dynasty court, no one might believe his "exposure."

The current situation is enough to make people anxious, and it is extremely difficult to find a way to prevaricate. As for finding out the truth, in the absence of evidence and unpredictable consequences, it can be said that one move will affect the whole body. Liu Xunyi really dare not take risks, let alone make things more complicated. With the sad mentality of "less trouble is worse than more trouble, and solving one problem at a time", Liu Xunyi knew that the real murderer was at large, but he could only endure the shame and humiliation, and make a big thing small and a small thing nothing.

Although he felt wronged, he had no choice but to hope that after the Song-Meng crisis had calmed down, he could find an opportunity to put an end to Jin Fu Yu's arrogance.

“Amitabha!” Seeing that everyone was silent and worried, Kong Hui said quietly, “Things have different priorities. Right now, rescuing the innocent people in Yunya Town should be the top priority.”

"Since Princess Xinde is the only hope, it is extremely important to send the princess to the Jingbei camp safely." Yuan Ku said in a dilemma, "But... there is still a more difficult matter at the moment."

"what's up?"

"Liu Xunyi is under a hunting order. Now that he has lost the protection of Song Meng's troops, he will definitely attract the covetousness of various powerful people. If he escorts the princess to the north, I'm afraid..."

"Can Mr. Liu and the princess go their separate ways?" Kong Hui suggested.

"No! Lord Liu is the 'marriage envoy' appointed by the emperor. He cannot leave before the princess marries the Mongolian prince!" Feng Tianba shook his head firmly. "What's more, the guard general is dead. If the marriage envoy also leaves, what will happen?"

"This……"

"In fact, the Jingbei camp is not far from here. As long as we are careful along the way, with my martial arts skills, and the help of Commander Feng and Brother Li, it should not be difficult to protect the princess." Su He weighed the pros and cons, "We can disguise ourselves and travel in a low profile, not as ostentatious as before, maybe..."

"This matter is not only related to the life and death of the people in Yunya Town, but also to the survival of the Song Dynasty. We must not be careless." Yuan Ku said sadly, "Although you are masters, there are many desperate criminals in the world. I am afraid that you can only stop one or two, but not eight or ten. Although most of the heroes in the world have moral principles and clear grudges, they will not attack the innocent princess, but we should always be prepared for the worst..."

"Uncle Master!" Before Yuan Ku could finish his words, Wu Chan, who was standing beside him, suddenly spoke timidly, "God has the virtue of loving all living things, and we monks should be more compassionate. Since this matter concerns the life and death of many people, I am willing to do my best to help."

"what do you mean……"

"I am willing to accompany the princess, Mr. Liu and others to escort the princess all the way to the Jingbei camp, and beware of the 'what if' that our uncle-master just mentioned."

"I've heard that Master Wuchan has mastered the Yijinjing to a high level of perfection. There are only a handful of people in the martial arts world today who can rival him." Li Haitang teased, "If Master Wuchan were to come with us, we would have four masters on the Dragon and Elephant List. We wouldn't have to worry about threats when we travel the world. I just don't know... what Master Yuanku thinks? Would he disdain me for being a former disciple of a heretic and disdain to associate with me?"

"Since it is a matter of life and death, we naturally put the lives of the people first!" Yuan Ku weighed the pros and cons again and again, and finally nodded in agreement, "What's more, when Alliance Leader Luo was alive, he had already included Longxiang Mountain in the orthodox martial arts world, so how could it be a heresy? This is good. With Wuchan accompanying us, those who want to plot against the princess will be a little bit afraid of Shaolin's reputation. I will report the pros and cons of this matter to the abbot, and it can be regarded as my Shaolin's contribution to world peace and the people's well-being."

"Master Yuan Ku is indeed a great monk who has attained enlightenment. He is truly compassionate and wise..."

"But there is one thing I must make clear first!" Before Su He finished speaking, Yuan Ku suddenly changed the subject, looked at Liu Xunyi with complicated eyes, and said in a tangled manner, "Shaolin is, after all, a famous and upright sect in the Central Plains martial arts world. Not killing you is not against the order of the leader of Qingfeng, but monks do not kill. Therefore, even if we do not obey the order of the leader of the Central Plains martial arts world, we must not go against it."

“Master Yuanku, there’s no need to beat around the bush. Just say whatever you want to say!” Liu Xunyi vaguely guessed something and asked directly.

"Well!" Yuan Ku said solemnly, "Wu Chan is here on behalf of Shaolin, for the sake of the country, the people of Yunya Town, and the rise and fall of the Song Dynasty, not for a certain person or a certain purpose. Therefore, he can only help the princess when her life is threatened. Apart from that, Wu Chan is not allowed to take action in the face of other grudges, especially... when the heroes of the martial arts world fight with Mr. Liu, no matter the victory or loss, life or death, it is a grudge of the martial arts world, and Wu Chan must not get involved in it, so as not to humiliate the reputation of Shaolin and make enemies among the heroes of the world."

……

(End of this chapter)