latelenovela Chapter 615 Questioning
Chapter 615 Questioning
Panda was startled at first and subconsciously wanted to stand up and turn around to run away. But then he thought that he now had Minister Yang of the Ministry of War backing him up, and the Emperor's shadow was vaguely behind him. Why should he be afraid of this general from another region?
He straightened his back, sat on the recliner, waved for his two concubines to leave, and asked slowly, "General Liu, this is the second time you've broken in, isn't it? I wonder what brings you here this time?" He deliberately avoided mentioning the other's rank, not wanting to feel inferior to him. If he were just a general, he wouldn't have anything to boast about in front of the powerful military commissioner.
"A subject dies for his lord's dishonor." Qin Tian and the others saw Panda sitting on a recliner, asking questions with obvious contempt. Their faces darkened, and they stepped forward, gripping the hilts of their knives and drawing them halfway out, which gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
Panda's heart tightened. He had forgotten that these people were blinded by rage from killing the Tartars. If they suddenly acted recklessly and stabbed him, it would be truly unjust. He wanted to stand up and ease the tension, but that would sound like he was admitting defeat, and his momentum would be dampened. He rolled his eyes, but decided to remain lying there, steeling himself.
Liu Ye gestured for Qin Tian and the others to calm down, then stepped forward calmly and said, "Last time we came about the grain supplies, but it seems we can't discuss that this time, as so much grain has already been burned..."
Upon hearing this, Panda breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed completely. No matter how arrogant you are, as long as you're a soldier of the imperial court, receiving the imperial rations, you can't escape our grasp. He replied sarcastically, "Speaking of which, this matter needs to be discussed with General Liu—it's against the rules for troops from other regions to demand rations without the Ministry of War's order. Your men stormed the granary and set it on fire; you must give me an explanation, otherwise I won't be able to explain myself to the imperial court..."
With a clang, the steel knife was drawn from its sheath, flashing a dazzling cold light, and pinned Panda's left hand to the armrest.
Panda felt a chill on the back of his hand, and after a moment of stunned silence, the intense pain shot through his brain. He finally understood what had happened, staring at his palm in disbelief and screaming at the top of his lungs. He tried to pull his left hand back, but the cold blade was firmly embedded in it, and even the slightest tug only intensified the pain.
Liu Ye gripped the hilt of his sword, placed his foot on Panda's forearm, leaned down, and said with a half-smile, "Does Lord Panda think he has me figured out? That I have to be subservient to you whenever it comes to provisions?"
Panda was pale, large beads of sweat dripping down his face, and he stammered, "You... quickly let go of my foot and pull out the knife..."
Liu Ye seemed not to have heard him at all, continuing on his own: "The lack of supplies has indeed affected me; that's one of the reasons I failed to kill Abatai this time. But to try and use that to blackmail me only shows your ignorance! Burning the granary is a huge undertaking; a mere military commander like you wouldn't dare. Tell me, who ordered it? If you tell me readily, I might consider sparing your life if I'm in a good mood..."
Although the pain of having his hand pierced by a sharp blade nearly made Panda faint, he remained lucid. He knew the impact revealing the whole story would have on Yang Sichang's reputation and career, and might even implicate the current emperor. Not to mention that Yang Sichang, soon to be appointed Minister of War, could easily manipulate him, the consequences of the emperor's wrath, leading to rivers of blood, were far beyond what Panda could bear.
Panda quickly grasped the gravity of the situation. Enduring the pain, he gritted his teeth and said, "The granary was burned down by your men… I… I am the Imperial Military Commissioner, in charge of… in charge of the transport and allocation of grain and provisions in Tianjin… You… a mere military man, how dare you… dare to lay a hand on me…"
With a sharp "slap," Panda received a crisp slap across the face. Liu Ye said disdainfully, "I've laid hands on countless people. Who do you think you are? I'll give you a chance. It's up to you whether you talk or not. My patience is limited. After I kill you, I'll turn your hideout upside down. I refuse to believe I won't find any clues!"
Panda winced in pain, then slapped himself across the face. This humiliation was far worse than the pain of rape. He was completely enraged and said with a ferocious expression, "If you have the guts, then kill me! Let's see... let's see if you have the courage! In this dynasty... in this dynasty for hundreds of years, there has never been a precedent of a military general unjustly... unjustly killing a civil official and getting away with it!"
Liu Ye looked up and thought carefully for a moment, then snapped his fingers. "You're right, there really isn't a precedent for this. Although I've dealt with quite a few people, it seems that only one eunuch has actually died at my hands. I haven't personally killed any proper civil officials yet. But there's always a first time for everything. How about you be the one to lead the charge?"
He stepped on Panda's injured hand, preventing him from escaping, then drew his knife, slowly extended it, and sighed, "I don't want to get my hands dirty with blood, but it would be too disgraceful for a dignified military commander to die at the hands of an unknown soldier, so I had no choice but to do it myself. Why are you forcing me to do something I don't want to do?"
Panda stared intently at the sharp blade in front of him, countless thoughts racing through his mind. He finally concluded that the other party was only threatening and wouldn't dare to really hurt him. With a determined heart, he said, "Then why don't you make a move!"
Without saying a word, Liu Ye drew his sword back and stabbed it towards Panda's chest.
Panda was shocked to see that the other party was serious. He tried to dodge, but his injured hand was firmly pinned down and he couldn't move. He tried to scream, but he was too nervous to speak and could only watch helplessly as the blade came stabbing towards him.
Just then, a shrill female voice rang out from the side—"No!"
With a "hiss," the blade moved a few inches, passed under Panda's armpit, and embedded itself deeply in the back of the recliner.
It took Panda a few seconds to confirm that he was still alive. He immediately felt weak and limp, slumped in the chair, unable to move, his whole body soaked in sweat.
A frail figure staggered over, clung to Panda, and cried out, "General, please, don't kill my master..."
Liu Ye looked closely and realized it was one of the concubines who had just massaged Panda's back. He praised, "Who says women are inferior to men? In the face of life-or-death tests, women are far braver than men. Since you are so loyal to your master, I will grant your wish and send you on your way first, then let him come and join you."
The blade hovered above the woman's back; a single, gentle thrust would take her life. Seeing this, Panda quickly reached out his still-intact right hand and embraced her, hissing, "Don't harm your wife and children! Don't kill her!"
The blade pressed against the woman's back, not plunging any further. Liu Ye smiled, "I didn't realize that the ruthless Lord Pan was also a romantic. For the sake of your deep affection, I'll give you another chance."