When people were in Qin, they captured Zhao and questioned Qin.

Chapter 43 Grandfather and Grandson

As soon as King Zhao shouted his question, even Zhao Yan, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but stiffen slightly. He was inexplicably afraid and stood there stunned, not knowing what to do.

Gao Qu stood by the imperial platform, a faint smile playing on his lips as he glanced at the prostrate boy, a secret sense of satisfaction rising within him.

Isn't your son Heng quite capable? Aren't you eloquent and persuasive?

Now it's up to you how you're going to handle this situation!

Zhao Heng lay prostrate on the ground, his eyelids slightly closed, instantly suppressing the turmoil surging within him. Then, he slowly rose to his feet on his own.

Surprisingly, although the boy's face was somewhat pale, there was not much fear or panic in his eyes. After getting up, he did not immediately speak in defense. Instead, under the gaze of several people, he walked straight towards the four corpses covered with plain white linen.

The people in the hall all turned their heads to look.

King Zhao's anger had not subsided, but upon seeing this scene, his sharp eyes narrowed slightly as he scrutinized his grandson's every move.

Then Zhao Heng squatted down next to the nearest corpse and gently lifted a corner of the white cloth covering it.

A boy's face appeared.

His face was pale and bluish, his eyes were tightly closed, and his lips were a dark purple. He looked to be about twelve or thirteen years old, with a few lingering pimple scars on his cheeks. On his neck, a dark red gash stretched across his throat, the skin turned inside out, no longer bleeding, but the color was a deep black.

Zhao Heng sighed silently in his heart, but his gaze remained fixed on the wound, examining it closely.

He did not check the three bodies behind him. After a moment, he straightened up, turned back to face the imperial desk, remained silent for a while, and then spoke:

"If you say that I dare not look, I admit that I truly dare not. But if we consider my true feelings, my reluctance to look outweighs my fear."

He paused briefly, raised his head, and looked openly at King Zhao, who sat at the far end of the hall, and said again: "But if we delve deeper, the grief and indignation far outweigh the reluctance."

King Zhao sat upright behind his desk, his sharp eyes revealing no emotion; only his voice echoed in the hall:

"What is it that you cannot bear? What is it that you are filled with grief and indignation? Tell me."

Zhao Heng cupped his hands and bent down slightly:

"One reason I couldn't bear it was that after Sun Chen recovered from his illness and regained consciousness, he asked his mother and the servants in the mansion to tell the outside world that he had accidentally fallen into the water and that no one had harmed him. He also asked them not to pursue him any further."

Sun Chen thought to himself, "Since this has already happened, and I've miraculously survived, let it go. A large-scale investigation would implicate countless people, causing unnecessary trouble and unrest in Handan. It's better to let it go; Sun Chen will remain safe, and those others... won't be punished. Both sides will be at peace."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise flashing across his face, but ultimately said nothing, and slowly returned to his seat.

Zhao Heng simply shook his head: "Sun Chen thought that this would be the end of it. But alas... Sun Chen's attempt to appease them ultimately failed. They... still couldn't escape."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yan leaned back slightly against the armchair. His face remained expressionless; he merely glanced between Zhao Heng and the corpses before lowering his head again, seemingly lost in thought.

King Zhao remained noncommittal, but his sharp gaze remained fixed on Zhao Heng, never wavering.

"The second reason I can't bear it," Zhao Heng turned to the side and pointed again to the areas covered by white cloth, his voice lowering, "is that Sun Chen is looking at them and thinking that they are just young people about the same age as him."

"At this age, their bones and muscles are growing and their strength is increasing day by day. In an ordinary family, in two or three years, they will be able to work in the fields, or learn some martial arts, serve as soldiers, share the labor of their families, and add a new member to the country. Their parents have raised them for more than ten years, hoping for the day when they grow up and establish their own households."

At this point, he paused for a moment before speaking in an even lower tone:

"But now, just because of being involved in this matter, four lives have been lost in an instant. The men of Zhao were already dwindling after the Battle of Changping, and the siege of Handan added to their suffering. Now, four more young men who could have grown into strong laborers are gone. Thinking of this, Sun Chen... feels truly heartbroken and grieves for the state of Zhao."

Upon hearing this, the previously silent elder of the royal family nodded slightly, his serious and rigid expression softening somewhat, clearly indicating his agreement with Zhao Heng's words.

A glint flashed in the King of Zhao's eyes, but his expression remained impassive. He merely leaned forward slightly and casually remarked:

"So, according to you, your uncle did something wrong this time? He went to great lengths to send people to apprehend the culprit, only to have it all become unnecessary, and even cost these young men their lives?"

Zhao Yan was secretly wondering when his nephew had become so articulate and articulate when he heard King Zhao's words, and his expression changed drastically.

He practically sprang from his seat, hastily rising and bowing: "Father, my intention was—"

"Of course, this isn't your uncle's fault!"

Zhao Heng's voice suddenly rose, cutting off Zhao Yan's words and attracting everyone's attention in the hall.

The people inside the hall were all taken aback.

Zhao Heng looked at King Zhao with a solemn expression:

"Upon learning of Sun Chen's peril, his uncle was furious and ordered a thorough investigation of the perpetrators. This was not only an act of elder's care but also a defense of the dignity of the Zhao royal family. Sun Chen felt only gratitude. If there was any fault in this matter, it lay solely with Sun Chen. If Sun Chen hadn't associated with the Qin hostage, drawing attention, how could he have fallen into the water? And if he hadn't fallen into the water, how could there have been a subsequent manhunt? And how could these four young men have ended up like this?"

Zhao Yan was taken aback.

"All the causes and effects originated from Sun Chen." Zhao Heng's voice slowed down: "If this matter truly arose because of Sun Chen, and ended so tragically because of him, then Sun Chen should have no regrets and let his grandfather punish him according to the law, and let the people of the country talk and spit on him."

Zhao Yan's tense body relaxed slightly, but the surprise in his eyes became more obvious. He couldn't help but take a closer look at Zhao Heng again, as if he wanted to get to know this nephew who he had never paid attention to before.

He calmed down a little and was about to think about how to deal with it when he heard Zhao Heng's voice suddenly rise again, his passion overflowing, which made his heart skip a beat again.

"But it is precisely because of this that Sun Chen's grief and indignation are even greater at this moment!"

Zhao Heng took a step forward, pointing to the corpses on the ground, his young face slightly flushed with excitement:

"This matter clearly didn't need to escalate to this point! If Sun Chen truly deserves unforgivable punishment, then please punish him, Grandfather, and Sun Chen will humbly accept it! Why... why must these four living lives be lost?!"

The elder member of the royal family's expression shifted, and he leaned forward slightly, revealing a look of listening intent.

King Zhao narrowed his eyes completely: "What do you mean by that?"

Zhao Heng clenched his fists slightly at his sides, as if forcing himself to calm down from his anger, so that people could see that he was trying his best to maintain his rationality.

"Father, if these four...righteous men were truly determined to die and were willing to sacrifice their lives to eliminate Sun Chen, then when they pushed me into the water, if the plan had failed, they could have simply committed suicide on the spot to fulfill their purpose. Wouldn't that have been cleaner and more efficient? Why didn't they die? Instead, they risked the grave sin of failing and implicating their families by fleeing the scene in a panic?"

"Furthermore, since I did not die from falling into the water, their plan failed. For nearly half a month afterward, I also walked in and out of the mansion and streets with only one or two guards. At that time, the city's defenses were not particularly strengthened because of Sun Chen's assassination attempt. If they really wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible, or wanted to prove their innocence with their deaths, why didn't they take the risk of assassinating me when I was out, or commit suicide in the street? Wouldn't they have had more opportunities then, and it would have been more heroic?"

"They didn't immediately seek death at first, nor did they attempt it for the next half month. Instead, they disappeared without a trace, as if they had vanished into thin air. This clearly shows they wanted to live and were deeply afraid of being captured by the authorities and bringing ruin upon their families!"

At this point, Zhao Heng looked at the corpses covered with white sheets, and his tone suddenly turned cold.

"But just as they were about to be captured by their uncle's men, they suddenly realized their mistake, all resolved to die, and were even able to successfully draw their swords and commit suicide? How could such a coincidence happen? Too many coincidences cease to be coincidences!"

Zhao Yan's expression changed slightly. He suddenly grabbed the hem of his robe and then his gaze drifted silently to Gao Qu, who was standing beside King Zhao. At this moment, there was a hint of annoyance in his eyes, but he quickly looked away.

Gao Qu simply lowered his head, his pale, beardless face expressionless, but his eyes kept darting around, revealing a slight unease in his heart.

However, at this moment, the elder from the royal family suddenly pondered and said:

"What you say, Young Master Heng, is not without reason. However, as far as I know, these four youths were not arrested in the same place. They were captured at different locations one after another. The claim that they were arrested 'all at once' may not be entirely true."

Without hesitation, Zhao Heng immediately turned around and bowed to him.

"Your wisdom is profound. The fact that they were apprehended at different locations and times makes this matter all the more suspicious. Consider this: how could four people, separated in various places and unable to communicate with each other, all choose to commit suicide to demonstrate their resolve upon their arrest?"

Zhao Heng's voice carried a hint of coldness: "Furthermore, if one person were arrested and resolved to die, it might be understandable. But all four? None of them had the slightest thought of survival, the most intention to defend themselves, or any fear or hesitation, simply and decisively facing death?"

As Zhao Yan listened, the pressure on his heart increased sharply, and a light sweat seemed to seep from his forehead. He couldn't help but curse Gao Qu in his heart again for his incompetence and the error of the intelligence.

Wasn't it said that this kid was only able to cope because of Wei Jia's guidance? Wei Jia was clearly transferred away in advance, so why is he still making such a reasoned and well-founded argument today, combining criticism and attack?

How could a young boy come up with this in a hurry?

Before anyone could question or add anything, Zhao Heng spoke again in a cold voice:

"Of course, the classics do contain the teaching of 'sacrificing one's life for righteousness.' However, life is the greatest desire of humankind. If one could live, who would choose to die? It is precisely because it is difficult, precisely because it goes against one's instincts, that 'righteousness' is so precious, and it is precisely for this reason that it is so detestable!"

At this point, the grief and indignation in Zhao Heng's heart for the unjustly killed youth seemed impossible to express through words alone. He said no more, abruptly turned around, and strode back towards the corpses.

This time, he completely ripped off the white cloth covering the first corpse, then the second, the third, and the fourth.

Gao Qu's eyelids twitched violently a few times, alarm bells rang in his mind, and he couldn't help but want to step forward to stop them.

However, Li Lingcheng, who had been silently standing on the other side of King Zhao, suddenly coughed lightly. The sound was not loud, but it was unusually clear in the quiet hall.

He still had his hands hanging down, his eyelids half-closed, but his calm and unwavering gaze was precisely fixed on Gao Qu.

Gao Qu abruptly stopped in his tracks, instinctively looking up at King Zhao on the throne, seeking a signal.

But King Zhao was quietly watching his grandson below the steps, who seemed to be acting recklessly and out of line. His aged face was expressionless, showing neither praise nor reprimand, nor any intention to stop him.

Gao Qu's facial muscles twitched slightly as he forced a smile at Li Lingcheng, then snorted coldly and reluctantly withdrew his foot, returning to his original position, his face even more gloomy.

Zhao Heng seemed oblivious to everything happening behind him. He simply bent down to examine the wounds on the necks of each corpse he lifted the white sheet from.

Apart from the rustling sound of him lifting the burlap sack, there was no other sound in the hall for a while.

Just as everyone in the hall was wondering what he intended to do and what he could possibly understand, Zhao Heng straightened up and turned to King Zhao.

"Grandfather, elders, please look. These four men's throat wounds are undoubtedly sword wounds, and at first glance, they do appear to have died from having their throats slit. However, upon closer inspection, I have discovered two suspicious points that cannot be ignored."

He walked toward the first corpse and pointed his finger at the dark red gash in its throat.

"One point of suspicion is the strange angle and direction of the wound."

As Zhao Heng spoke, he gestured with his other hand, explaining: "When an ordinary person commits suicide by sword while standing or kneeling, whether with their left or right hand, the direction of the force exerted by the arm is usually a horizontal pull, or slightly downward pressure due to the momentum. Therefore, the resulting wound should generally be parallel to the shoulder line, or slightly inclined downwards."

"However, these four wounds are clearly different."

He pointed to the four corpses in turn: "This one has a wound that slopes downwards excessively, as if it was cut forcefully from top to bottom. This one, on the contrary, slopes upwards, as if the force was applied from bottom to top. This one is twisted, with a sense of abruptness in the middle. Only this fourth one is close to the same level."

Zhao Heng raised his head and looked at the people in the hall.

"Such different angles of wounds could not have been caused by four teenagers with the same will and determination to commit suicide in similar circumstances. Rather, it is more like... when injuries are forcibly inflicted by external force, the trajectory and angle of the blade across the neck are different due to the position of the force-applyer, the posture of holding the weapon, or the struggle and body position of the victim."

At this point, he paused briefly, and as if to make it easier for everyone to understand, he began to demonstrate the actions again.

He first imitated the person exerting force, standing behind or to the side of the person being restrained, using one hand to firmly grip the other person's shoulder or head to fix them in place, while using the other hand as if holding a short sword to suddenly pull and slash horizontally across the other person's neck.

Next, mimicking the person exerting force by pressing down on the other person's head or gripping their chin, forcing their neck to tilt back or bend forward, exposing their throat, and then slitting their throat.

His actions were simple and direct, without any fancy moves, yet he clearly demonstrated the two possible methods of slitting the throat with external force.

As Zhao Yan watched Zhao Heng's simulated movements, his body involuntarily tilted slightly, and his eyes narrowed.

Gao Qu felt inexplicably horrified, his face turned even paler, and fine beads of sweat even appeared on his forehead.