Chapter 1551 – Strike Nie Liang, Attack Yang Tao, Sword Pointing at the World (Eighty-Nine)
“You say, you say who is gone?”
Nie Qing’s slender shoulders trembled, his hands started to shake, as if he were isolated from the world, not really hearing any sounds.
“You say, who is gone!”
The gentle and courteous Nie Qing seemed to have died at that moment, leaving behind only an emotional wreck.
He uncontrollably clutched the messenger’s clothes, breathing rapidly as he lifted him up, trembling, “Tell me, who died?”
The messenger was frightened by Nie Qing, trembling as he clutched his thighs, trying to suppress the urge to wet himself.
He said, “Wei Ying, the military adviser, he unfortunately…”
Before the messenger could finish, Nie Qing crazily threw him out. It was unbelievable how such a frail body could have such strength. The messenger didn’t fall too badly, quickly scrambling up from the ground, returning to a guilty posture, bowing low.
“The deceased has departed… Lord, please accept my condolences…”
Seeing Nie Qing react this way, the ministers accompanying him rushed to offer comfort.
“Condolences… how can you ask me to hold back…” Nie Qing’s eyes were already bloodshot, glistening tears rolled down his face, his expression was weak as if just a slight setback could shatter him. In a choked voice, he said, “My father is gone, that jerk Nie Yang is gone, and now even my father-in-law has abandoned me—what have I done wrong? In just a few months, I’ve lost my closest family?”
Nie Qing nearly shouted this out, the veins on his forehead bulging, sweat mixed with tears streaming down his face.
“The Lord hasn’t done anything wrong, you’ve done nothing wrong.” A minister, seeing Nie Qing slumped on the ground, approached to comfort him, “If there’s any wrong, it can only be that you were born at the wrong time. The Nie family is crumbling, enemies are lurking, if you continue to wallow in grief, how will you meet the former leaders after you’re gone? At this moment, you must pick yourself up. Only by regrouping and conserving your strength can you ensure your own safety.”
Nie Qing said hoarsely, “I know… I just need some time to calm down.”
The minister understood that Nie Qing was too young to handle such consecutive blows and needed ample time to accept reality.
After crying, Nie Qing finally asked where Wei Ying’s corpse was.
When he learned that Wei Ci had sent Wei Ying’s body to be buried in Langya County, he fell silent for a long time.
“Langya County… returning to one’s roots, that would be good.”
The next day, Nie Qing slightly composed himself and personally went to inform his mother-in-law of the terrible news. Wei Ying’s wife was a standard noble lady, flawless in every regard. Even upon hearing of her husband’s death, she could still forcibly suppress her tears.
Nie Qing looked haggard, sounding weak as he said, “Father-in-law’s body has been sent to Langya County, but I feel that perhaps Bianzhou is where he would most want to rest. Mother-in-law, could you help me sort out some of father-in-law’s clothing and items to establish a grave marker in his honor—”
Wei Ying’s wife naturally agreed.
She prepared clothing and such, but the items, books, and paintings that Wei Ying cherished during his lifetime were in the study, a place Nie Qing was more familiar with.
Nie Qing pushed open the familiar study door, the brilliant sunlight pouring in from outside.
The master had been away for a long time, but the servants kept the study clean, not a speck of dust to be found.
The tears Nie Qing had managed to hold back surged back forth.
He wasn’t a weak person, but in just a few months, three of his most important relatives had passed away; even steel might bend under such stress.
Nie Liang was his respected father, Wei Ying was both his teacher and father-in-law, playing a fatherly role.
That jerk Nie Yang, no matter how flawed, had been someone Nie Qing genuinely cared for as a brother before the incident; the feelings were real.
Now, all three had departed this world before him, the impact on Nie Qing was unimaginable.
He picked a few of Wei Ying’s favorite items, and his gaze fell suddenly onto the bookshelf in the study, memories of a particular phrase surfacing in his mind.
[“Father-in-law! I’m your son-in-law, I swear! I even know there’s a—” ]
[“Shut up!”]
He unknowingly walked over to that bookshelf, and sure enough, saw several scrolls.
Nie Qing opened one scroll; the painting depicted a young boy in a blue robe reading a bamboo slip among flowers and rocks. He found the boy somewhat familiar.
Upon closer inspection, he vaguely spotted some resemblance to Wei Ci, then upon seeing the inscription, it indeed was Wei Ci in the painting.
He opened another scroll, this time depicting a lively scene.
A gently handsome middle-aged man competed in a game of chess with his eldest son, while a beautiful woman held a baby in her arms, watching tenderly, and three children of varying ages were either sitting, standing, reading, or playing. Nie Qing immediately recognized this was his father-in-law’s family, with the beautiful woman being his mother-in-law.
When the Mountain Spirit rambled on, Nie Qing had thought the bookshelf housed some forbidden item or something similar, but as he perused the paintings, he found nothing of the sort. The most memorable piece was a depiction of when Nie Liang first met Wei Ying. Nie Qing stood in place for a long while, sighing, “I don’t know whether to call it regret, disappointment, or something else—”
Regardless of whether it was the artist or the subjects of the paintings, they were all no longer in this world.
Nie Qing selected four paintings to bury with the clothing marker, leaving the rest for Wei Ying’s wife and children as mementos.
One painting was of Wei Ying’s wife and children, another of Wei Ying’s parents, one of Nie Liang, and the last of Nie Qing himself.
Seeing Nie Qing’s thoughtfulness, Wei Ying’s wife wore a slightly appreciative expression.
When the news of the great defeat of the Nie Army reached Zhong Zhao, the pressure on Nie Qing was unimaginable. Yet he did not collapse; instead, he gritted his teeth and held up the wreckage. Regrouping the troops and calming the hearts, he was so busy he could only sleep for one or two hours at most.
Despite Nie Liang having cleared out those ambitious individuals during his lifetime, he had not expected the Nie Army to falter so completely.
The Nie family’s weakened position naturally made those who previously depended on them start to harbor other ambitions.
To pacify these people, Nie Qing expended an unimaginable amount of energy.
However, with insufficient troops and intimidation, more and more people felt emboldened to defy him. In just a few days, Nie Qing witnessed countless fickle faces. Just a few days prior, those who flattered him now stomped all over his dignity, using threats to force Nie Qing to relinquish power.
It was bad enough from outsiders, but even the Nie clan members were getting involved, all expressing the same sentiment—Nie Liang and Wei Ying had squandered the Nie family’s resources, Nie Qing was too young to handle the situation, and perhaps it would be better to let them take over to try and save the Nie family.
Hearing this, Nie Qing felt a chill and could only smile coldly.
At this critical moment, when the Nie family was battling for survival, these people were only thinking about vying for power instead of unifying to overcome the crisis.
Did they really think that he, Nie Qing, was weak and easily bullied?
In chaotic times, strength is the ultimate truth; without it, all he could do was endure the blows.
For the first time, Nie Qing recognized the importance of military might and power—without them, he couldn’t protect anything!
