Chapter 47: Punishment and Discussion

Listen to the decree? What does that mean? Is the verdict about to be delivered? Wei Wuji hurriedly pricked up his ears.

Even Wei Chengze, who had been scolded the worst, lifted his head slightly and looked toward his father seated above.

Upon hearing the Marquis of Wei’s command, Wei Hu, who stood by, stepped forward first, his icy gaze fixed on the two below.

With one hand resting on his sword, Wei Hu’s rough voice rang out, “His Lordship has a decree…”

Immediately, Wei Wuji and his companion pressed their heads to the floor, showing obedience and reverence.

“Prince Chengze…” The decree was now addressed to Wei Chengze.

Wei Chengze lowered himself a few more inches, making Wei Wuji beside him utterly bewildered—was that really necessary?

At this moment, Wei Hu’s coarse voice continued, “Prince Chengze, you have failed to meet my expectations. As a brother, you could not set an example; as a general, you could not command your troops. Your actions caused your brother to overstep, leading your subordinates into disorder. You are unfit for responsibility. Therefore, you are demoted to clerk of the central army, pending further observation.”

Upon hearing such a sentence, Wei Chengze felt as if his heart and soul were torn apart. What wrong had he committed, to be struck down so completely by his father?

A clerk of the central army—ha! Compared to a general commanding thirty thousand armored soldiers, it was no different than a death sentence for Wei Chengze.

But at this moment, he dared not reveal any dissatisfaction. He had no power to oppose this verdict.

Yet... Wei Chengze was unwilling to accept it. How much effort had he poured in, how many connections had his mother orchestrated, just for him to obtain this post?

Yet—it was all because of him. Wei Chengze tilted his head slightly, looking with venom at Wei Wuji beside him. It was all his doing.

Wei Wuji, however, paid no mind to his brother’s resentment. He too was terrified by the decree.

Wei Chengze had committed no major error, merely come to watch the spectacle, and yet he was completely stripped of rank.

Wei Wuji, on the other hand, was the true instigator of this incident.

How miserable would his own punishment be? Wei Wuji wondered silently. He had little left that his father could confiscate.

This time, he feared not only dismissal, but the loss of his title, perhaps even corporal punishment. Wei Wuji imagined his tragic fate.

Only now did Wei Wuji truly feel the power and ruthlessness of his father, the Marquis of Wei.

After the punishment for Wei Chengze was announced, Wei Hu glanced at him, then turned his gaze to Wei Wuji.

Clearing his throat, Wei Hu spoke, “Prince Wuji…”

Wei Wuji felt as though he’d been struck by lightning, as if the world was ending.

Here it comes! Wei Wuji closed his eyes, clenched his teeth, and braced himself for the blow.

“Prince Wuji, you have shown contempt for military law, acted recklessly…”

Listening to the accusations from above, Wei Wuji felt as if his bones would break under the weight.

Wei Hu continued to recite Wuji’s faults, but some archaic phrases left him confused.

As Wei Wuji struggled to comprehend the decree, he was stunned by Wei Hu’s next words.

“You are reassigned to the northern army, to escort provisions. No errors will be tolerated.”

This was the Marquis of Wei’s final judgment for Wei Wuji.

But... was this too unreal? Wei Wuji wondered privately. How could this be?

The Marquis of Wei was sending him to escort provisions—no dismissal, no loss of title, not even a beating. The matter ended so lightly.

Wei Wuji lifted his head slightly, only to find the Marquis of Wei had already departed, leaving only Wei Hu standing beside the lord’s couch.

He glanced at Wei Chengze, whose gaze toward Wuji had turned frosty. The injustice ignited a rage that threatened to burst from his chest.

Suppressing his fury made Wei Chengze even more uncomfortable.

If he had previously sensed Wuji as a threat, now he regarded him as a mortal enemy—one of life and death.

Wei Wuji was unaware he had gained an implacable foe, wrapped as he was in sudden relief.

He even wondered if Zheng Dali had lied to him—perhaps his father truly loved him.

But regardless, he had survived the ordeal.

“Gentlemen, you may leave now!” Wei Hu, having finished reading the decree, issued the order to depart and proceeded to the rear tent.

“We take our leave!” The two princes bowed again and slowly rose. Though both the Marquis and Wei Hu were gone, neither dared show the slightest disrespect.

Finally, they could leave! Wei Wuji breathed a sigh of relief. Though he had escaped death, he wanted nothing more than to depart this place.

The two exited, bent at the waist.

Breathing the fresh air outside the military tent, Wei Wuji suddenly felt that life was indeed beautiful.

He was about to greet Wei Chengze and depart, but saw the latter’s face dark and eyes icy.

Wei Chengze immediately abandoned the idea, lifted his leg, and walked away. He knew he had pushed the man too far.

When Wei Wuji reached the foot of the platform, he found Chen Qian still at his original spot, now standing instead of lying.

Glancing at Chen Qian, Wei Wuji turned toward his own camp. He would need to take action again—many affairs awaited arrangement.

On the platform, aside from the guards, only Wei Chengze and Chen Qian remained.

Wei Chengze slowly descended, shot Chen Qian a hateful look, and left.

Chen Qian found himself in a quandary, unable to decide whether to stay or leave. He could only await his fate.

…

In the rear tent, the Marquis of Wei sat behind his desk, quietly gazing at the blades hung opposite.

After a while, Wei Hu entered from outside.

He bowed deeply. “Your Lordship, the two princes have departed.”

The Marquis shifted his gaze from the weapons, took up Wei Hu’s words, and said slowly, “Good! Let them go. Out of sight, out of mind.”

Having delivered his orders, Wei Hu stood at his side, acting as a bodyguard.

But at this moment, Wei Hu’s heart was full of doubts.

He could not understand the Marquis’s handling of the two princes. Was it not reversed?

The real culprit, Wei Wuji, emerged unscathed with an easy assignment, while the second prince, who was only tangentially involved, suffered a devastating blow.

“If you have thoughts, speak them,” the Marquis said suddenly, reading his military treatise.

He could tell at a glance the source of Wei Hu’s confusion.

“My lord... I dare not!” Wei Hu replied hastily. He was not one to stir up trouble; the Marquis was inscrutable, and always had his reasons.

“Go on! Do you think I don’t know you? Take care not to make yourself ill with restraint,” the Marquis said, gazing into the distance.

Wei Hu, straightforward by nature, could not hold back. “I don’t understand!”

“What don’t you understand?” The Marquis smiled faintly.

“Why is the punishment for the second prince so severe?” Wei Hu asked directly.

“Severe?” The Marquis retorted, leaving Wei Hu puzzled.

“The second prince’s private actions—Tieshan has informed me, not to mention today’s events (such fraternal discord I’d rather not discuss).”

“Do you know why the fifth prince was left with only three thousand men in battle against the Chen?” the Marquis continued, his anger rising.

“He secretly recalled the left wing’s forces, and worse, left the fifth prince behind!”

“Tell me, is he a good brother? A good general? Can he still command the army?” The Marquis’s fury intensified.

With this explanation, Wei Hu understood. The second prince truly...

But why was the fifth prince’s punishment so light?

Seeing Wei Hu’s expression, the Marquis sighed. “As for the fifth prince…”

Wei Hu listened closely.

The Marquis sighed deeply. “Though the fifth prince acted recklessly this time, I cannot punish him.”

“Why?” Wei Hu asked, perplexed. The Marquis had always put the law of Wei above all else.

“Because his post was obtained through his mother’s entreaties. I cannot…” The Marquis’s gaze grew distant, his voice murmuring.

Wei Hu, who had never seen the Marquis sad, caught a trace of pain on his face.

Wei Hu knew he could not ask further. Anything that hurt the Marquis was taboo.

The Marquis composed himself. “So, I must send him far away, to keep him from this place.”

Wei Hu fell silent.

The tent grew quiet once more.

The Marquis returned to his military treatise.

But Wei Hu noticed the bamboo scroll had not been turned for a long time.

Suddenly, Wei Hu remembered something and whispered, “Your Lordship, the quartermaster Chen Qian is still outside. What should be done…”

Mentioning this matter rekindled the Marquis’s fury.

“Chen Qian, disrespectful to the princes and contemptuous of the court, shall receive forty strokes as a warning to others!” the Marquis’s voice came cold as ice, devoid of emotion.

“Yes!” Wei Hu turned to leave.

He knew—Chen Qian was finished.