Chapter 427 - Chapter 427: Chapter 434: Making an Earlier Decision (1/2)
Chapter 427: Chapter 434: Making an Earlier Decision
“I really don’t understand what Xiu Qi is thinking, but I see that he cares a lot about his wife’s family. Likewise, the Su Family serves me loyally. Now that they’re facing difficulties, I can’t just sit by and do nothing.”
Liu Xiu also found this matter vexing. If he let it continue without intervention, he wouldn’t feel at ease, fearing that Han Yu and the Su Family would truly be coerced by Wang Mang, leading to a betrayal against him. With the power Han Yu held in his hands, should he turn against him, Liu Xiu knew he would be unable to contain the situation. Yet, to get involved—Chang’an was beyond his reach and influence, and even with effort, there was no guarantee of the desired outcome.
Although Liu Xiu thought this, he couldn’t reveal his inner thoughts, lest he dishearten his followers and lead them to believe him heartless and disloyal. He didn’t want that, but the realities had to be considered. He was no longer the innocent youth filled with poems and propriety from before.
“But General, how are we to manage this? We have no power in Chang’an, and moreover, the people are in the hands of that villain Wang Mang. Rescuing them won’t be easy. Or else, I, old Tan, will lead some men to Chang’an and storm in, breaking into the prison to rescue them!” The speaker was a man who had a reasonably good relationship with Han Yu on normal days; however, the man was simple-minded, his reliance on nothing but good strength and martial arts scarcely yielded any useful ideas.
Hearing old Tan speak thus, Liu Xiu helplessly rubbed his forehead. Why did he bring such a reckless person along? This wasn’t giving advice but causing trouble. Fortunately, most present were reliable, and before Liu Xiu even spoke, someone else began to speak.
“Old Tan, what kind of terrible idea are you suggesting? That Prison is not so easily breached. Do you really think you’re invincible just because of your strength? I’m afraid you’d be captured by Mang’s men before even reaching the Prison, and instead of rescuing anyone, you’d end up imprisoned yourself.”
“So what should we do? This won’t work, that won’t work. That Mang scoundrel is really despicable, actually coming up with such a scheme. You all say what we should do. I’m just simple old Tan; I might not have the brains, but I’m still good for muscle.”
After old Tan finished speaking, there was a moment of silence. Such a dilemma wasn’t easy to resolve in a short time.
“Handling this matter now is genuinely tricky. We aren’t afraid of Mang’s villainy, but we fear complications on General Han’s side. If something goes awry, the consequences are unimaginable. The Imperial Court is already planning to send troops against us; we have no certainty of victory, and we cannot afford mishaps on General Han’s end.” This sentiment was actually shared by most people there.
Yin Shi’s eyes darted around, gauging everyone’s reactions as if he wanted to say something but remained silent. Someone noticed Yin Shi’s reaction.
Seeing this, Liu Xiu had a thought and turned to Yin Shi, asking, “Uncle Ci, you always have plenty of ideas. Perhaps you’ve thought of a solution?”
Yin Shi, seeing Liu Xiu’s personal inquiry, didn’t hold back any further and with a flash of ruthlessness in his eyes, he said, “In this situation, rather than allowing the people in Marquis Bei’an Mansion to become a threat to General Han and the Su Family, it would be better for us to send men to Chang’an. If we’re going to do anything, might as well go all out and nip the danger in the bud. It’s difficult to save people anyway, eliminating a threat, however, is much easier.”