Chapter Forty-Eight: A Dangerous Person

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In truth, what truly gave Gao Changsheng a headache was not the turmoil in Fengxi County.

At the end of the day, this upheaval was merely an internal conflict within the Great Yong Dynasty.

So long as he handed Cao Rui over to Emperor Shenwu, his task would be complete. After that, Emperor Shenwu would naturally reward merit and punish wrongdoing.

There would be no unexpected complications.

What truly troubled him was how to deal with Song Ziyong and these Northern Qi soldiers.

Song Ziyong, naturally, needed no further explanation. Since he had promised Gao Changsheng that he would return to Jinyong City and submit himself to Emperor Shenwu’s judgment, he would certainly keep his word.

The condition was that Gao Changsheng had to release the Northern Qi soldiers.

Yet if Gao Changsheng did so, there was no telling what accusations the officials who disliked him might level against him.

And whether Emperor Shenwu would grow suspicious of him as a result was even harder to say.

The Crown Prince and the Empress in particular would surely spare no effort to spread rumors that Gao Changsheng had colluded with a foreign enemy.

Thus, whether to accept Song Ziyong’s bargain had become the most difficult choice before him!

“Your Highness intends to go back on your word?”

Song Ziyong asked coldly.

The thousand Northern Qi soldiers stood behind him, glaring furiously at Gao Changsheng.

Just one hour earlier, they had been allies fighting side by side.

Now, they had become mortal enemies.

Life could indeed be strange at times.

“Do you think I have a choice?”

“I know that Lord Song is a man of iron and blood, and that even in the face of torture, you would never utter a single word.”

“But if you were unable to withstand the torture and died suddenly in the Ministry of Justice’s prison, all of His Majesty’s suspicions would be transferred onto me.”

“Releasing a thousand Northern Qi soldiers for someone who possesses no intelligence value whatsoever is hardly a worthwhile bargain.”

Gao Changsheng shook his head and sighed.

He was not a heartless man.

During the time he had spent with Song Ziyong and the others, he had indeed considered letting these foreigners go.

But once his own interests were involved, he had no choice but to think more carefully.

There was nothing he could do.

After all, he still could not completely control his own fate.

“Heaven truly has no eyes!”

Song Ziyong tilted his head back and sighed.

“I once believed that among Gao Huan’s many princes, only the Crown Prince, Gao Changling, was worthy of being entrusted with great affairs.”

“As for Gao Changwen and Gao Changfei, they were nothing more than incompetent men included merely to make up the numbers.”

“Yet I never imagined that he had another son like you—one so deep in scheming and so meticulous in thought.”

“If Gao Changling ascends the throne in the future, Northern Qi may still have a chance to covet the northern frontier.”

“But if you take the imperial throne, the entire realm will be in danger!”

Song Ziyong had given Gao Changsheng an extremely high assessment.

But to Gao Changsheng and Dou Yuan, it sounded anything but flattering.

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There were too many people present, and wherever there were many people, there would be too many eyes and ears.

It was entirely possible that spies belonging to the Crown Prince, the Empress, or Emperor Shenwu were hidden among the crowd.

Song Ziyong clearly harbored malicious intentions. He was deliberately praising Gao Changsheng in order to destroy him!

“You treacherous bastard have far too many schemes. If we do not kill you, you will cause grave trouble sooner or later!”

Dou Yuan flew into a rage. He immediately drew his sword and moved to strike Song Ziyong down.

“Wait!”

Gao Changsheng stopped Dou Yuan in time.

He stared coldly at Song Ziyong and said in a low voice, “Tuoba Lei, it seems you still have not understood the situation.”

“I am the one who holds the advantage now, not you.”

“The lives of you and the thousand Northern Qi soldiers are all in my hands. With a single order from me, every one of you will die.”

“If you still wish to save them, then you have no choice but to ask me for mercy.”

“Do not spend every moment plotting to drag me down with you!”

Gao Changsheng understood better than anyone how dangerous Song Ziyong was.

But Song Ziyong was also the only person capable of posing a genuine threat to those in the imperial court—

and of changing Emperor Shenwu’s impression of Gao Changsheng.

Only by stabilizing Emperor Shenwu would Gao Changsheng have a chance to cultivate his own power in the northern frontier.

Song Ziyong was dangerous, but at the same time, he was also a gift from heaven.

If Gao Changsheng missed this opportunity, who knew how long he would have to wait before finding another tool as useful as him?

“Let us hear it.”

Song Ziyong’s face was expressionless.

Just as Gao Changsheng had said, so long as he remained concerned about those thousand Northern Qi soldiers, he had no choice but to act with restraint.

“I want you to publicly name one minister in the imperial court who has colluded with Northern Qi.”

“He need not be the most important one, but he must be real.”

“To prevent you from going back on your word, these thousand Northern Qi soldiers will accompany the army to the northern frontier as prisoners.”

“The moment I receive a reply from the imperial court, I will release them.”

“If I discover that you have fabricated a report or attempted to sow discord among the court officials, I will immediately execute all one thousand Northern Qi soldiers on the spot.”

“I always keep my word.”

After saying this, even Gao Changsheng could not be certain that Song Ziyong would agree.

It was nothing more than the age-old question: how should one choose between the life of one person and the lives of an entire group?

In the battle the previous night, Gao Changsheng had witnessed the combat prowess of the Northern Qi soldiers with his own eyes.

These thousand men were elite troops indeed. If they were all killed, it would be a loss to any nation.

Yet the officials who had infiltrated the Great Yong court were no ordinary men either.

Which side was more valuable ultimately depended on the importance those officials held in Song Ziyong’s heart.

“Do you truly intend to make me Northern Qi’s greatest traitor throughout the ages?”

Song Ziyong glared furiously at Gao Changsheng.

Killing a man was simple enough.

But Gao Changsheng intended to destroy his spirit as well.

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How could such a vicious devil exist in this world?

“Enough nonsense!”

“Make your choice!”

Gao Changsheng spoke impatiently.

He had spent the entire night matching wits with Song Ziyong and had long since lost his patience.

For someone as dangerous as him, Gao Changsheng wished Song Ziyong would die as soon as possible.

“Very well. I agree.”

“But I have a condition as well.”

“I want Emperor Shenwu himself to issue the decree and proclaim it throughout the realm.”

“Considering what happened three years ago, I do not trust Great Yong, and I trust Dou Yuan even less.”

Song Ziyong spoke coldly.

“This…”

Gao Changsheng could not help hesitating.

He had no confidence that he could persuade Emperor Shenwu.

“Lord Song, you may set your mind at ease.”

“His Majesty anticipated long ago that you would return to Jinyong City. He has sent the Qingwu Guards to escort you back to the capital.”

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out.

Everyone turned toward it.

Sure enough, the Chief Commandant had appeared in the middle of the main street with several hundred Qingwu Guards.

Their numbers had suddenly been reduced considerably, but no one dared underestimate the strength of the Qingwu Guards.

After all, any passerby walking along the street might be one of them.

The Qingwu Guards then took Song Ziyong away.

With them escorting him, even Crown Prince Gao Changling would not dare intercept and assassinate him halfway there.

This allowed Gao Changsheng to relax considerably.

“Chief Commandant, please wait!”

Gao Changsheng suddenly called out to the Qingwu Guards.

“Your Highness!”

“I may have to offer Your Highness my congratulations in advance.”

The Chief Commandant smiled broadly.

“Oh?”

“What do you mean?”

Gao Changsheng could roughly guess what he meant, but he still pretended to look puzzled.

“Heh.”

“With Your Highness’s extraordinary intelligence, how could you fail to understand the benefits of putting down the turmoil in Fengxi County?”

“If Your Highness ever has need of my assistance in the future, Zheng Yi will certainly lend you his aid.”

“I hope Your Highness will believe in Zheng Yi’s sincerity.”