ebookland Chapter 1316 Wife Dies with Husband, Deep Love Between Husband and Wife
Chapter 1316 Wife Dies with Husband, Deep Love Between Husband and Wife
When Ma Chao entered Ye City, the streets were already in disarray. People were fleeing in all directions, carrying their belongings; disheveled palace maids and frantic eunuchs mingled in the crowd, cries and the clanging of objects echoing through the air. The entire city resembled a rammed honeycomb. Fortunately, the Xiliang army was disciplined; before entering the city, they had issued an order that "anyone who steals from the people will be executed." Although chaotic, there was no disturbance; soldiers occasionally maintained order along the streets, their reprimands tempered with restraint.
The mansions of those aristocratic families who had occupied Ye City for generations had already been guarded by troops. However, the guards were mostly just for show. Those with connections had already broken through the walls and dug tunnels by the third month of the siege, escaping to the rear with their families and valuables. The rest were either old people who couldn't bear to leave their ancestral homes or descendants who were unable to escape. At this moment, they all huddled inside their doors, not daring to even break through the window paper.
Ma Chao rode his horse across Zhuque Avenue until he reached the outskirts of the palace before reining in. The fighting in front of the palace had long since subsided, and the bloodstains on the ground were half-congealed, tinged with a dark brown hue by the rain. He dismounted, followed closely by Xu Huang, Pang De, and other civil and military officials. As they entered the palace, the air was still thick with the stench of blood.
"My lord," Xu Huang stepped forward, his voice low, "Yuan Shang has committed suicide in the palace, and Gao Gan, Wang Zhao, Ju Yi, and others have all died in battle. Not a single one has surrendered."
Ma Chao looked up and saw corpses lying haphazardly in the hall. Ju Yi's body was still in the posture of wielding a sword. Gao Gan and Wang Zhao lay dead in front of the dragon throne, clearly having protected it until the very last moment. On the high dragon throne, Yuan Shang sat upright in his dragon robe, his eyes closed, a faint smile playing on his lips, as if he were merely asleep.
Zhang Xiu frowned and said to his personal guard, "Go, move him down."
“No need.” Ma Chao raised his hand to stop him, his gaze falling on Yuan Shang. “Although this kid acted recklessly, he had some backbone in the end. He stood with Ye City to the death, which can be considered as not disgracing the name of the Yuan family.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Pang De led a woman in her forties into the hall. The woman's hair was disheveled, and her elegant robes were stained, but she still held her back straight and did not bow her head when she saw Ma Chao. Pang De said in a deep voice, "My lord, this is Liu, the wife of Yuan Shao and the mother of Yuan Shang. Yuan Shang's wife has already hanged herself in the side hall."
Ma Chao's gaze fell on Lady Liu, who glared back angrily, her eyes filled with defiance. Ma Chao composed himself, cupped his hands, and said, "Lady Yuan, the Yuan family has held high office for four generations, enjoying great prestige. Unexpectedly, Yuan Shang brazenly usurped the throne and established a false dynasty, leading to the united condemnation of the world. Today, Ma Chao has led his army here to eliminate him, not out of personal grudges, but in response to public outrage."
A trace of sorrow flashed across Liu's face, and a self-deprecating smile appeared on her lips: "The victor is king, the loser is villain; it has always been so. What's the use of saying all this?"
Ma Chao sighed: "So be it. Although Yuan Shang is gone, Yuan Tan is still alive, and I heard that he is now under Cao Ang's command. If you wish, Madam, I can send someone to take you there so that you and your son can be reunited."
"Reunion?" Liu suddenly sneered, a resolute glint in her eyes. "What is Yuan Tan? My son Yuan Shang is the emperor. He has already shared the fate of Ye City and died with the Great Cause. How can I, as his mother, live on?" She looked up at Ma Chao, her expression calm. "If Your Majesty wishes to kill me, then kill me. If not, I only ask to guard my son's grave and live out the rest of my life."
Upon hearing this, Ma Chao's heart stirred slightly, and he nodded, saying, "Since you have this intention, Ma Chao has no intention of committing further bloodshed. I will arrange a residence for you near the Yuan family ancestral tombs shortly, to ensure your peace and quiet."
Liu's expression calmed down, and she bowed slightly to Ma Chao, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Ma Chao turned to Pang De and asked, "Did Yuan Shang's wife, Zhang, really hang herself in the palace?"
Pound bowed and replied, "Indeed, I have had the body examined and found to be still there."
“She was a woman of strong character,” Ma Chao pondered. “Yuan Shang died protecting the country as an emperor, and she followed him as an empress. They were a truly devoted couple. Issue an order to bury them together outside Ye City, according to the rites for princes and nobles. It need not be too extravagant, but it should not be too simple either.”
Zhang Xiu, standing to the side, replied, "This subordinate obeys."
The wind and rain outside the palace gradually subsided, and sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting dappled shadows inside. Ma Chao gazed at Yuan Shang's body on the dragon throne, then at the calm-faced Liu Shi, and suddenly felt that the battles for power were ultimately nothing but emptiness; only that bit of flesh and blood could leave a trace in the dust.
At this moment, Ma Tie hurriedly entered the hall to report: "Brother, Han Meng, the garrison commander of the West Gate, swore to fight to the death and died in battle. The remaining enemy in the city has been pacified, and another person has been captured - Xu You, who tried to escape in the chaos, as well as the corpse of Wang Yun."
As soon as he finished speaking, two soldiers escorted Xu You in. Wang Yun's body was simply wrapped in a straw mat and placed in the corner of the hall. Xu You looked up and saw Ma Chao sitting upright in the main seat. Although he had not ascended the dragon throne, he already possessed an imposing presence. The civil and military officials around him stood solemnly. Xu You was immediately terrified and knelt down with a thud. He crawled a few steps and cried out, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty, spare my life! You and I have a history. I was also acquainted with your brother-in-law Cao Ang back then! Now that Your Majesty has recaptured Ye City, the north is pacified, and your hegemony is about to be achieved, Xu You is willing to serve Your Majesty like a dog or a horse, even if it means pulling your horse or putting it in your stirrup!"
Ma Chao's lips curled into a cold smile, his voice icy: "Oh? You have no guts whatsoever." He said to his personal guards, "Bring up Feng Ji's body."
Moments later, Feng Ji's body was carried into the hall. He had died when Yuan Shang committed suicide by crashing his head into a pillar of the hall; the wound on his forehead was gruesome, yet he remained in a forward-leaning posture.
Ma Chao rose from his seat and walked step by step to Xu You. Xu You trembled with fear, his head almost touching the ground. Ma Chao looked down at him and slowly said, "You, Wang Yun, and Feng Ji can be considered the three main culprits behind the destruction of the Yuan family."
“Wang Yun was fickle and has long since died under Han Meng’s blade, so I will not mutilate his corpse.” He glanced at the straw mat in the corner of the hall. “Although Feng Ji is greedy for power and good at flattering his master, he was able to die with the king when the city fell. Even if he has made a hundred mistakes, this bit of courage can be considered to offset his merits and demerits.”
He leaned down and stared at Xu You's pale face: "And what about you? You used to stir up trouble under Yuan Shao, and now you're a shameless opportunist, wagging your tail and begging for mercy. You've disgraced all scholars! The Yuan family has treated you well, yet you can't even match Feng Ji's petty manners."
Xu You was so frightened that tears streamed down his face, and he begged for mercy incoherently: "Your Majesty, have mercy... I know I was wrong... I am willing to atone for my sins by performing meritorious service..."
Ma Chao straightened up, waved to his personal guards, and said in a cold voice, "These traitors who betray their masters for personal gain are only a disgrace to this hall. Drag them out and leave their bodies in the wilderness so that the world can see that this is the fate of those who betray their masters for personal gain."
Xu You's screams faded into the distance outside the hall, eventually carried away by the wind. Inside, silence reigned, broken only by the flickering candlelight.
Ma Chao glanced back at the direction of the dragon throne, the bright yellow dragon robe gleaming coldly in the candlelight. He said in a deep voice, "Now that Yuan Xi is dead, the false dynasty of Yuan Shao's lineage has been completely destroyed. As for the remaining Yuan clan remnants in northern Ji Province, we should first send envoys to pacify them—those who are willing to submit will be forgiven; if they remain obstinate, it will not be too late to raise troops to punish them."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across Qingzhou and Youzhou on the map: "As for Zhou Lang, Qingzhou has been pacified, and he should be rushing here day and night; some time ago, military reports came from Youzhou that Xu Rong and Gongsun Zan were making good progress. Now that the news of the Yuan clan's destruction has reached them, those remaining troops are probably unwilling to fight, and the day of pacification is not far off."
Upon hearing this, the civil and military officials under his command all showed joy on their faces, and the long-suppressed atmosphere finally eased. However, Ma Chao's expression was solemn, and he raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "Gentlemen, you have all seen how great the cost of this battle has been."
He walked into the hall, his voice low but clear: "Yuan Shikai's usurpation of the false dynasty is certainly a crime deserving of death, but since the uprising in Hebei, how many brothers have we lost? On Yuan Shikai's side, Ju Yi, Gao Gan, Gao Lan, Wang Zhao, Chen Bi, Peng An... these people, though enemy generals, are all men who died on the battlefield. Pass down the order that they be buried with the same honors as our fallen soldiers."
The joy on everyone's faces gradually faded, and their expressions became heavy as they thought of their comrades who had fallen in the conquest of cities and territories.
“Starting tomorrow, we will proceed in three routes,” Ma Chao continued. “One route will pacify the people, open the granaries to distribute grain, and treat the wounded; another will inventory the treasury, register the households, and restore the city's defenses; the rest will rectify military discipline and repair weapons. Five days from now, Zhou Lang should arrive. At that time, I will personally pay tribute to the fallen soldiers of both armies, whether they were brothers from the Xiliang army or soldiers of the Yuan family. They were all flesh and blood born of our parents, and we should have something to remember them by.”
Xu Shu stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "My lord is kind and benevolent. I will make the arrangements immediately."
Ma Chao waved his hand and looked out at the deep night outside the palace: "After so many years of fighting, it's time to let this land of Hebei catch its breath."
Jia Xu walked quietly to Ma Chao's side and reported in a low voice, "Your Majesty, Xun Chen, Chen Lin, and Zhang Xiu, whom we captured earlier, still refuse to surrender. What should we do with them?"
Ma Chao was gazing at the gradually brightening sky outside the hall when he heard this and waved his hand: "No rush, let's wait five days until we've paid our respects to the fallen soldiers. Let the brothers rest well first; they've endured too much hardship these past few days."
He turned around and glanced at the generals below: "Local governance will proceed according to the old rules. As long as powerful families have not committed any evil deeds or oppressed the people, their property and land will be retained as before; the original local officials, if they are virtuous and trusted by the people, will be retained for the time being, and their actions will be observed."
"As for the vacant positions," Ma Chao paused, his tone solemn, "first let the soldiers in various places help maintain order, and then let the people elect their own people—those who are respected in their villages, can distinguish right from wrong, and are willing to serve their fellow villagers. Once the people's hearts are at peace and the hostility has subsided, we can gradually straighten out the regulations."
Jia Xu cupped his hands in response, saying, "My lord's considerations are thorough. I will make the arrangements immediately."
"You have all worked hard in this battle. Go and rest now. Make sure no soldiers disturb the people! Remember, the people are the foundation. Everything we have done is to give the people hope." Ma Chao said in a deep voice, and the generals bowed in agreement.
"Conquering the world is difficult, but governing it is even more difficult," he murmured to himself, his fingertips slowly tracing the map on the table, from Ye City to Youzhou, from Qingzhou to the plains, those lands once stained with blood would eventually slowly recover in the smoke of cooking fires.
A night breeze swept through the palace gates, carrying a slight chill, but also seemingly dispelling some of the stench of blood. Those inside gazed at the figure on the throne and suddenly felt that perhaps a different Hebei would truly emerge after this protracted war came to an end.