The Villain's Counterattack

The second step of the trial was conducted by Fan Qinghui, the abbot of Cihang Jingzhai, but the power of judgment was given to a group of Cihang Jingzhai disciples.

Yang Guang sat upright on a high platform with a document placed on the table in front of him. He asked the disciples of Cihang Jingzhai to come forward one by one. Each disciple first read the document. The document described and recorded Fan Qinghui's planning of the Turks' invasion of the pass, as well as the tragic situation and losses suffered by Yanmen County under the iron hoofs of foreign races.

He had only three questions. The first one was: Are you a Han Chinese disciple of Jingzhai?

The second question: When foreign races invade and harm the Han people, do you feel hatred in your heart?

The third question: As a Han Chinese, was Fan Qinghui guilty of inviting foreign barbarians into the country, causing hundreds of thousands of people in a county to suffer?

The three questions were clear and simple, and the first one to take the stage was the only surviving master besides Fan Qinghui of Cihang Jingzhai. The "Cihang Sword Canon" originated from the "Random Thoughts on the Demonic Path" and also had the effect of keeping one's face young. Although she was over sixty years old, she still looked like a beautiful middle-aged woman.

To the first question, the injured Master Jingzhai answered yes without hesitation. To the second question, he hesitated for a moment and then replied that there was a knot in his heart that could be resolved through Buddhism. This answer made Yang Guang, Yang Xuyan and others speechless.

But what Yang Guang couldn't accept the most was her third answer, "Senior Sister Fan has committed a crime, but the disaster in Yanmen County stems entirely from the tyrant emperor. If he weren't so cruel and incompetent, how could the foreign race invade? The strong should keep the enemy out of the country."

Yang Guang was not satisfied with this answer, but Yang Xuyan nodded slightly. The two brothers Yang Yi and Yang Ke looked at their uncle with a sullen face with a slightly playful look, and they couldn't suppress the curve of their mouth corners.

The higher the level, the different the perspective on things. If we only talk about family feuds, their father, the late Crown Prince Yang Yong, did die at the hands of Yang Guang. After all, the forged imperial edict was for his own benefit. But if you put yourself in his shoes, your father, who had the support of Buddhism, was indeed a huge hidden danger at the time. If they were in the same situation, they would most likely take action. The only difference is whether to get rid of the problem once and for all or to keep him under close surveillance.

Now that his uncle Yang Guang has lost his kingdom, he seems to be entrusting the Sui Dynasty to his younger brother Yang Xuyan. He will concentrate on being a martial arts emperor and assist his younger brother from the side. Isn't this more satisfying than killing him?

Through what they have seen and heard over the years, as well as various intelligence support and data analysis from their younger brother, how could they not know about their uncle's great talent and strategy? It's a pity that the blacksmith must be strong himself. He has enough vision and a strong attitude, but his own strength is seriously insufficient, which is why he failed and his brothers got the better of him.

Yes, after Yang Guang fell, the throne was most likely taken by his younger brother Yang Xuyan. He and his seven brothers would surely be given the title of prince in the future, but unlike the powerless princes in previous dynasties, they would have real fiefdoms.

Yes, it was not a fiefdom, but a kingdom.

His younger brother, Yang Xuyan, befriended the Dongming faction and the Song clan, promoting commerce and trade, resulting in numerous maps. He had stated that the territory of the Great Sui Dynasty encompassed Ryukyu, Lingnan, Liaodong, Goguryeo, Baekje, Silla, and even the Western Regions, and that none of them could be divided up. However, areas other than Luzon, India, and the Arab Empire were exempt from this restriction. He could even lend troops or send them to conquer them, handing them over to their rule and administration, and allowing immigrants from the Great Sui Dynasty.

Yang Yi, Yang Ke and other seven brothers were not the little princes of the Crown Prince's Mansion in the past, whose vision was only as big as Chang'an City. After traveling all over the country for so many years, their minds and vision even went beyond the Sui Dynasty, and they saw the wider world outside.

Is the territory of the Sui Dynasty large?

But the grassland is in no way inferior to the Sui Dynasty.

However, the grassland and the Sui Dynasty combined are not as vast as the territory outside, not to mention the sea. The hearts of the brothers are becoming more and more wild, but Yang Yu and Yang Jun have set their sights on Tianzhu because they have been stationed in the Western Regions for a long time. The four brothers including Yang Yi and Yang Ke are more inclined to Luzon and the sea because they have many connections with Jeju Island and Ryukyu.

Are you talking about Yang Shao?

Haha, he is now a Buddhist. His future path is not to be an emperor but a religious leader. He is the only one confirmed to stay in the Central Plains to assist his younger brother.

Let’s not talk about that nonsense anymore, let’s just say that the Grandmaster of Cihang Jingzhai stared at Yang Guang with hatred in his eyes and said something that made him extremely angry. Not far away, Fan Qinghui showed an imperceptible joy on his face, while the Evil King Shi Zhixuan and the Queen of Yin Zhu Yuyan could not help but shake their heads slightly.

Yang Guang tapped his fingers lightly on the table, a "dong" sound shocking everyone. "That's all. As a Han Chinese, you saw your fellow tribesmen suffer without feeling any hatred, you couldn't distinguish right from wrong, and you couldn't tell good from evil. As an accomplice of the criminals, you turned a blind eye to their crimes and even defended them. I deem you guilty!"

As he spoke, Yang Guang cast his gaze towards the Evil King Shi Zhixuan and the Yin Queen Zhu Yuyan. Shi Zhixuan nodded slightly in agreement, "They are traitors who blame others for their mistakes. They enjoy the offerings of the people of the Sui Dynasty and feast on the flesh and blood of the Han people, yet they collude with foreign enemies to harm the people. Their crimes are punishable by death."

Queen Yin was overjoyed when she heard this. If she were to say who had the biggest grudge against Cihang Jingzhai, it would be the Yingui Sect. She wished to kill all the disciples of Cihang Jingzhai, but among the five great masters here, her own martial arts skills might only be at the bottom, and her say was not that big. Seeing that Shi Zhixuan, the son-in-law of Jingzhai, actually wanted to execute the great master of Jingzhai, how could she not be happy?

"She has brought disaster to the country and the people, and has been disrespectful to the emperor. Her crime should be punished by death." Zhu Yuyan was worthy of being the head of a clan. She first flattered Yang Guang, and added disrespecting the emperor to her crime, and then changed Shi Zhixuan's words "her crime is punishable by death" to "her crime should be punished by death", and the meaning was immediately different.

One can be killed, the other should be killed.

At this moment, Yang Guang, Shi Zhixuan, and Zhu Yuyan all turned their gazes to Yang Xuyan, who also held the power of judgement. He paused for a moment before speaking loudly, "Punishment should serve as a deterrent to future offenses, should be flexible, and should take the victims into consideration."

"So?" Yang Guang raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling a little moved.

"The top leaders of Jingzhai knew about and even participated in the Yanmen County tragedy. Their crimes are extremely heinous and unforgivable. It is planned to break their dantian and destroy their tendons and veins, and send them to the Turks to be handed over to Princess Yicheng to atone for their sins with their mutilated bodies. When will they be forgiven by all the Han people who were abducted to the Turks, and when will they be freed?" As soon as Yang Xuyan's words came out, the faces of all the disciples of Jingzhai changed drastically.

Shi Zhixuan's mouth twitched slightly. His own disciples were even more ruthless than himself. Zhu Yuyan raised her eyebrows, and her look towards Yang Guang and Yang Xuyan suddenly changed. Did they discuss this beforehand?

Or, is this secret guard leader just following the orders of Emperor Wu?

But no matter which possibility it was, she was only happy and not unhappy. This was more deterrent than killing her directly. Fan Qinghui was shocked when she heard this, but her acupoints all over her body were controlled, and Yang Xuyan even pressed her mute point so she couldn't utter a word.

Master Liaochen chanted a Buddhist name, frowned, and said, "It's over."

Yang Xuyan sneered, "Don't do to others what you don't want done to you. Since Cihang Jingzhai orchestrated the Yanmen Massacre, causing countless Han people to suffer, how can they know the extent of their sins if they don't experience it firsthand? Oh, those innocent victims were implicated by you after all. It would be unreasonable for you to suffer better than them. So, impose some additional punishment."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and grabbed at the air. A fierce cold air flashed by, and with a flick of his fingers, three cold lights penetrated into the master's body. There was no pain at all. In the blink of an eye, a feeling of soreness, numbness and itching spread. The whole person trembled violently, his face was ferocious, and his teeth were clenched to prevent himself from making a sound.

However, this state lasted less than a minute before she failed. She rolled to the ground and desperately tore her clothes and scratched her body. Yang Xuyan fixed her with a finger in the air, preventing her from tearing herself all over.

"This is the talisman of life and death. The wound will feel numb and itchy, and there will be pricking pain, just like being bitten by thousands of ants. It will be worse than death when it occurs. It will get worse day by day. The itching and pain will increase for 9981 days, and then gradually subside. After 81 days, it will increase again, and this cycle will continue endlessly." Yang Xuyan's words shocked everyone in Jingzhai.