Chapter 1351 - 1284: Agreeing to Enter the Capital
Seeing his submissive attitude, Yuan Li immediately pushed him back a distance, placing his trusted aide between the father and son, and continued to persuade, "Now that the King of Dai is captured, he can no longer harm you. You should think about how to resolve the predicament and give yourself and those who follow you an explanation. Killing him now is only to vent your anger, beyond that, it has no benefit whatsoever."
"Look at the brothers and followers around you. They have followed you in accomplishing such a great task. Do you still want them to risk their lives?"
Su Hexiong and Tuoba Susuo immediately looked at Tuoba Liuxiu with tear-filled eyes, "Eldest Prince..."
Tuoba Liuxiu opened his mouth, tears rolling down as the fury in his chest receded like the tide.
Yuan Li sighed, patting his shoulder, "Even for the sake of caring for Lady Jujube and Your Majesty, you should restrain the anger in your heart. If you kill the King of Dai, even if Your Majesty does not send troops, the Second Prince will not let you go, and neither will the Thirty-two Tribes who follow the King of Dai."
Tuoba Liuxiu’s taut arms completely relaxed, and he dropped his hands, kneeling to the ground, crying bitterly, "My mother is dead, my mother is dead..."
Tuoba Yilu stared blankly at him, his most beloved son was also dead...
Tuoba Yilu suddenly burst into tears.
Yuan Li, seeing this, felt contempt in his heart. Is it too late to regret now? At the same time, he was on guard. For an emperor, if he cannot favor the legitimate eldest, the consequences are endless.
When Tuoba Liuxiu finished crying, Yuan Li proposed that he would guard the imprisoned Tuoba Yilu.
Tuoba Liuxiu wiped his face with his large hand, wiping away all tears and snot, and asked, "How will my aunt handle this matter?"
Yuan Li said, "I came in a hurry, Your Majesty does not know the details of this matter, fearing you made an irreparable mistake, hence he dispatched me hurriedly without specifying the method of handling."
"However, Your Majesty is soon to ascend the throne. Eldest Prince and the King of Dai were to go to the Capital City to celebrate, so why not go to the Capital City together and ask Your Majesty for judgment?"
Tuoba Liuxiu remained silent.
Su Hexiong moved slightly, asking the most worrying question for him, "Will Your Majesty allow the Great King to return to Ping City?"
Yuan Li hinted, "Eldest Prince, the King of Dai has favored ones, and so does Your Majesty."
The one Zhao Hanzhang has always favored is naturally Tuoba Liuxiu.
Although she formed a sworn bond with Tuoba Yilu, both the god-siblings had their own little agendas, unable to be candid with each other, and Tuoba Yilu had three sons, Zhao Hanzhang’s treatment of the three nephews differed due to their varied relationships with Tuoba Yilu.
This is not Zhao Hanzhang’s unilateral choice, maintaining a relationship always requires mutual probing and decision-making.
Zhao Hanzhang ultimately interacted most closely with Tuoba Liuxiu, their emotional bond deepest, naturally a result of their mutual choice.
She did not choose the ultimate winner among the three brothers, Tuoba Pusugen, but chose Tuoba Liuxiu because she saw limitless possibilities in him.
Because of Yuan Li’s words, Tuoba Liuxiu accepted his suggestion, deciding to take Tuoba Yilu to the Capital City to request the emperor’s judgment on this father-son dispute.
He even stated his bottom line, "If my aunt is troubled, I can choose not to return to Dai Country, but I want to take all the people from Xinping City with me, willing to be at my aunt’s command."
Yuan Li was very satisfied, smiling, "Don’t worry, Eldest Prince, though it’s said that even an impartial official finds it hard to settle domestic disputes, but Your Majesty is extraordinary. She is heaven-sent and will surely resolve your family matter clearly, ensuring you won’t suffer grievance."
Thus, Tuoba Liuxiu began preparations to bring people to the Capital City.
Yuan Li naturally would not let him bring too many personnel to the Capital City, even though he was trusted, certain rules must be followed.
Hence, he was only allowed to bring two hundred followers.
Tuoba Liuxiu was very worried, asking, "What about Xinping City? My second brother holds an army of a hundred thousand, he should have received the news. If he moves to avenge, and I am not in Xinping City..."
"Don’t worry, Eldest Prince. The ceasefire edict from the court should have already reached his army. You are taking the King of Dai to the Capital City; he probably wouldn’t dare act rashly," Yuan Li said, "Besides, there are General Beigong and Governor Shi."
Shi Le originally wanted to go to the Capital City for the spectacle; he was ready to set off but received Zhao Hanzhang’s telegram just before his departure.
Although he wanted to go to the Capital City for the spectacle, watching the Tuoba father and son’s drama was also interesting, so when the Xianbei father and son were engulfed in love-hate emotions, Shi Le quietly led the army into Dai Country.
While the father and son were embroiled in mutual destruction, he also took advantage of them unprepared, quickly capturing three cities.
Due to the distance, military reports had not yet reached Ping City and Xinping City.
If Zhao Hanzhang hadn’t sent two telegrams scolding him, Shi Le could have seized more cities; he originally intended to bite off eight counties near Dai Country.