Chapter 21: Inescapable Fate

  Chapter Twenty: Inescapable Fate

  An irreconcilable storm has thus subsided, and all the ministers feel as if they were dreaming.

  As the terminator of this storm, Lin Xiangru did not receive much attention from the group of ministers. On the contrary, Qin Yiren attracted the attention of the group of ministers, because they all understood that King Xiaocheng of Zhao could spare the life of Zhao Kuo's family was due to Qin Yiren's reason.

  If it were not for Qin's ridicule and scolding, Zhao Xiao Cheng Wang would have been shamed to the point of no return. Even if Lin Xiangru was able to speak eloquently a thousand or hundred times over, he still wouldn't be able to persuade Zhao Xiao Cheng Wang to change his mind.

  "Li Mu thanked the young master." Li Mu supported Zhao's mother and quickly came over to thank Qin Yi.

  "General Li is being polite." Qin Yiren said humbly.

  "Li Mu has one thing unclear, Qin Zhao is originally a mortal enemy, why did the young master plead for us?" Li Mu's tiger eyes shot out sharp lights, staring at Qin Yiren without letting go of any details.

  These words were exactly what everyone was thinking about, and the curiosity of the group of ministers was greatly aroused, staring at Qin Yiren.

  It was Zhao Xiaocheng Wang who was also curious, his eyes wide with wonder, staring at Qin Yiren.

  The Qin and Zhao had a deep-seated grudge. Logically speaking, even if King Xiaocheng of Zhao were to kill every last person in Zhao, it would still be a pleasure for the Qin state. There was no need for Wei Liao to plead on behalf of Li Mu and the others.

  "General, your honor is unparalleled, sharp as a sword. Even if you are to die, you should die on the battlefield, not in such a miserable way!" Qin Yiren's response was unexpected by everyone, and it wasn't those hypocritical words of righteousness and morality that the guardians were used to hearing, but rather a lament for Li Mu.

  Li Mu is a great hero, a hero worthy of admiration, and naturally Qin Yi did not want him to die like this.

  "Thank you, sir!" Li Mu's body bowed to a ninety-degree angle, his voice loud with gratitude, and tears sparkled in his tiger-like eyes.

  Qin Yiren's words struck a chord in his heart, and he felt a strong sense of affinity.

  Li Mu is not afraid of death and does not want to die in a cowardly manner. His greatest wish is to die on the battlefield, so as not to shame being a man.

  "The kindness you've shown me today, Li Mu will never forget. However, Qin and Zhao are sworn enemies, and when they meet again, it will be as foes, not friends." Li Mu distinguished between public and private matters, thanked him for the personal favor, and then clarified the greater principle.

  This is a bit of an overkill, but Qin Yiren not only didn't have any resentment, but instead had a great deal of admiration. He raised his head, puffed out his chest and said loudly: "Qin Guo has a majestic view of the world, unafraid of any challenge. If we meet on the battlefield one day, General, just let loose!"

  "Good! Adopt!" The words were full of heroic spirit and style. Meng Zhao, Ma Gai, Fan Tong, Hei Bo and Miao Er all cheered in unison.

  Li Muhou's eyes shone brightly, his gaze sweeping back and forth across Qin Yiren's face like a sharp sword. Qin Yiren's eyes sparkled with an unusual light as he met Li Muhou's stare.

  "Good! Adopted!" Li Mu exclaimed loudly.

  Li Mu is a hot-blooded soldier, and he admires hot-blooded men. Qin Yiren may be thin and weak at the moment, but his character and words are full of heroic spirit, which deeply moves Li Mu.

  "Gentlemen, Li Mu bids farewell." Li Mu hastily bid farewell to Qin Yiren with a bow.

  "Many thanks to you, young master, for speaking up for me." Madam Zhao was a woman of great integrity and distinction between public and private matters. First, she thanked him for his kindness, then immediately composed herself and said: "The Qin and Zhao families have a deadly feud; from now on, whenever we meet, we will be enemies, not friends."

  What a strange girl! Qin Yiren's good impression of her increased by several points, and he smiled: "I'll do as you say!"

  The words are brief, but they are full of grandeur. Whether we are enemies or friends is up to you; I'll follow suit!

  Li Mu supported Zhao's mother and took Zhao Kuang's family away, and a storm of anger finally came to an end.

  The storm of anger has ended, and another storm is unfolding.

  Zhao Xiaocheng Wang, Pingyuan Jun, Lin Xiangru, and the rest of the Zhao officials all focused their gaze on Qin Yiren, each pair of eyes burning with intense heat, as if they could melt him ten times over.

  Zhao Xiaocheng's chest heaved violently, like a wave, his lips tightly pursed, his eyes gleaming like knives and swords, staring fixedly at Qin Yiren, as if Qin Yiren was the murderer of his father.

  The state of Zhao's 500,000 elite troops were completely annihilated by the state of Qin, and only more than 200 people returned to Zhao. What a deep hatred! What a great resentment!

  At this moment, all the officials of Zhao are united in their determination to kill the Qin envoy and vent their anger!

  "Your Majesty is above; I, your subject, have a memorial to present." Lin Xiangru broke the silence first.

  "Speak." Zhao Xiao's voice was low and menacing, like that of a ferocious beast on the verge of going wild.

  "Your Majesty, I request that you behead the Qin envoy." Lin Xiangru loudly petitioned.

  "Lin Xiangru, you old man don't know what's good for you. I have no past grievances with you, nor recent grudges. Do you need to put me to death?" Qin Yiren heard this and immediately knew things were not going well, feeling extremely depressed.

  "Right!" As expected, King Zhao of Chu didn't think twice and blurted out the truth.

  So unexpectedly, Xiangru Lian won the first prize. Pingyuan Jun was somewhat disheartened but didn't want to let Xiangru Lian have all the glory. With a wave of his right hand and a loud shout, he ordered: "Bring in the torture instruments!"

  "Present!" Several executioners had already brought up the instruments of torture and placed them in the imperial court.

  Qin Yi's eyes widened in shock, his scalp tingling with fear.

  These instruments of torture were not sharp knives or swords, nor were they wooden clubs or sticks, but bamboo splits.

  This bamboo shield is not an ordinary one, but a specially made bamboo shield that is both tough and sharp, no worse than a sword.

  "Flogging punishment!" Qin Yiren knew what Zhao Xiaocheng and others were going to do according to the memory of his predecessor.

  Flogging punishment was a cruel punishment in the Warring States period, even more terrifying than the "lingchi" of later generations.

  Lingchi, also known as death by a thousand cuts, is a form of torture and execution in which the victim's body is subjected to numerous small cuts, often inflicted with a sharp knife, until they succumb to their injuries.

  But being flogged was using sharp bamboo splits that were not as sharp as knives or swords to whip, can be imagined, whipping on the body is continuous beating and cutting, what a disaster?

  "Tigers and wolves of Qin, I want you to neither seek life nor death!" Zhao Xiaocheng King sneered, picked up a bamboo stick, shook his wrist, and the whooshing sound started, striding towards Qin Yiren.

  Pingyuan Jun, Lin Xiangru, and all the other officials each held a bamboo slip, excited like wolves discovering lambs, standing behind King Zhao Xiao Cheng of Zhao, forming a long dragon.

  It's better to have many people flogging, it's more exciting when they beat together, listening to the screams of the person being punished, that's what makes it wonderful. Such a good opportunity, severely punish the tiger and wolf-like Qin people, Pingyuan Jun, Lin Xiangru and the group of ministers will not miss it.

  Everyone's eyes were fixed on him, waiting for Zhao Xiaocheng to come quickly, and then they would fight.

  "Hoo-hoo!" Zhao Xiao Cheng Wang swung the bamboo whip in his hand, making a whooshing sound, and lashed out at thin air. He raised his chin and sneered at Qin Yi Ren: "You tiger-wolf people of Qin, this flogging punishment has a predestined relationship with you! First it was Fan Sui who suffered this flogging, now it's your turn! After Fan Sui received the flogging, he rose from being a commoner to becoming the Prime Minister of your tiger-wolf Qin state. Now that you've been flogged, what position will you rise to?"

  The words come neither too fast nor too slow, without hurry or impatience, and the intended meaning is fully expressed without any doubt.

  Fan Ju, the current Chancellor of Qin, was originally from Daliang, Wei State. He served as a clerk under Shu Jian, equivalent to a modern-day secretary, and due to his exceptional abilities, he received double recognition and heavy reliance from Shu Jian.

  The King of Wei wanted to form an alliance with Qi, so Shi Jia was sent as an envoy to Qi. He was arrogant and didn't take Qi seriously, speaking improperly and angering the King of Qi, who was on the verge of calling off the alliance. At a critical moment, Fan Sui stepped in and turned things around with his tactful words, winning over the King of Qi and ensuring the success of the alliance.

  King Qi highly valued Fan Sui and wanted to keep him in the state of Qi as an official, so he sent Prime Minister Tian Dan to extend an invitation. Fan Sui missed his hometown and politely declined King Qi's kindness, returning to the state of Wei.

  This time, Fan Sui achieved great merit and should have been rewarded. However, Xu Jia was jealous of him and thought that if he told the truth, he would lose face. So he played the villain and accused Fan Sui to Chancellor Wei Qi, saying that Fan Sui was secretly in league with the state of Qi. Wei Qi did not distinguish right from wrong and had Fan Sui flogged, beating him nearly to death.

  It's a well-known fact, and now that Zhao Xiaocheng brings it up, he can't help but feel delighted.

  "Your Majesty is wise!" The ministers loudly praised, but everyone's eyes were sinister.

  "What can be done about this?" Qin Yi's mind was burning with anxiety, constantly thinking: "How can this be resolved?"

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