Chapter 128: Daring to Die for the World

Cai Cong had nowhere left to turn. The power of the aristocratic families beat against him like relentless, surging waves; if he could not find an effective way to resist, he would be torn to shreds in the storm.

Behind him, his fragile family would also cease to exist. The world was superstitious about the inheritance of bloodlines, and these families would never allow his kin to remain, lest another Cai Cong emerge to exact a fierce revenge upon them.

The next day, Cai Cong stepped into the military camp. He had not set foot there since he was stripped of his position. The drums for assembling the generals sounded, shocking all who heard them. Within a quarter of an hour, every soldier was fully equipped and stood before Cai Cong.

"Greetings, Marquis!"

The sound was like a thunderclap, shaking the very earth. In military etiquette, one does not bow, only acknowledges. Cai Cong looked at the burning eyes before him and nodded with satisfaction.

"It has been a long time; you remain an army of tigers and wolves. I have come today with an important mission that requires one hundred men. Success means wealth and glory, but failure means leaving not even bones behind. Who among you is willing to fight alongside me?"

Cai Cong spoke loudly to the men below. They immediately clamored, eager to go; living by the sword meant struggling between life and death, so they would not miss such an opportunity.

"I must make it clear: this is not to fight a war, nor to assassinate anyone. It is to become a test subject. I intend to defeat the pox, and I need one hundred human guinea pigs."

The field fell into a dead silence. Those who had shouted the loudest moments ago now kept their mouths shut, not daring to look at Cai Cong. The others were the same. What was the pox? It was a curse from heaven. How could human effort possibly overcome it?

"Is there no one willing to follow me?"

"Marquis, are you saying that you will go too?" someone raised a hand and asked in a whisper, barely audible in the stillness of the field.

"Naturally, I will go, along with four physicians. But I must say... once you join, you cannot withdraw. Those who are afraid should not come; I fear they would be scared to death by the pox itself."

"I will go! If the Marquis is not afraid, neither am I." The soldier’s voice trembled, but his resolve was ironclad.

"The pox kills. Are you not afraid of death?"

"I am afraid of death, but the Marquis has been good to me. I want to protect him. I will be the test subject; the Marquis should not have to." The soldier spoke loudly. He remembered that during their initial training, when he was too exhausted to move, it was the Marquis who had rubbed his muscles and helped him recover, sweating alongside him.

"I will go too! The Marquis gave me my dignity as a man; I will protect the Marquis." Others began to shout, and soon the whole crowd followed. If a man of such noble status as the Marquis dared to risk his life, why should they, these "mud-legged" soldiers, not dare to gamble? Before long, one hundred men were assembled.

"Marquis, your subordinate is willing to follow you to fight the pox. Please let me join." Xu Jingzong shouted. He had been assigned to the camp to oversee moral and patriotic education, which was not the path he wanted, so he had to seize this chance.

"If we succeed, I will let you join then! Right now, I need the fiercest warriors; a civil official like you won't do." Cai Cong shook his head with a smile. Xu Jingzong slapped his palm in frustration; if he waited until after the success, there would be no meat left to eat—only broth.

"Meng Baolai!"

"Here!"

"Find a canyon with cliffs on three sides in the mountains. We, these hundred men, will stay there. You are to lead the guards. If we need anything, we will signal you. I will give you a code; if we succeed, we will use it to tell you we are leaving the canyon. Aside from that, if anyone attempts to leave the canyon, shoot them, then burn it. If we fail, you must incinerate the entire canyon. Do you understand?"

"Baolai understands. I will not fail the Marquis's trust," Meng Baolai said solemnly. The matter of the pox was of great importance; he dared not be careless.

"We have known each other for a year. There is one thing I wish to ask of you."

Cai Cong and Meng Baolai walked to a secluded spot, and Cai Cong spoke slowly while looking at him.

"Marquis, please do not say such things. If it weren't for you, I would still be a minor captain in the Imperial Guard. How could I have what I have today? Just command me, and I will do it without hesitation."

"If I die in that canyon, the aristocratic families will not spare the Cai family. So, if I fail, I need you to protect my mother and wife, and help them flee as far away as possible."

"The Marquis will not die. Even if there is an accident, His Majesty will protect the Cai family," Meng Baolai said urgently. Cai Cong waved his hand. If he were dead, Li Shimin would never turn against the powerful families for the sake of a corpse; the destruction of the Cai family would be inevitable.

"Baolai swears to heaven: if the Marquis meets with misfortune, I will certainly protect the Madam and leave Chang'an, finding a place to live in anonymity. If I break this oath, may I be struck by lightning."

"Thank you."

Three days later, during the morning court session, the civil and military officials were aggressive. They were once again pressuring the throne, refusing to stop until Cai Cong was executed. Lu Xing, the elder of the Lu family, had come in person and was currently playing chess with Li Yuan in the Taiji Palace.

"I submit to Your Majesty: I impeach the Marquis of Chang'an, Cai Cong, for ten major crimes. First, the wanton slaughter of the Shandong gentry; second, the extortion of Shandong officials and gentry, arresting and seizing at will, leaving them full of rage but unable to speak. Third... and tenth, his family uses his power to conduct business across the world, and now they are as wealthy as the state, harboring treasonous intent. I ask Your Majesty to execute him."

"We join in the request that Your Majesty execute the traitor, the Marquis of Chang'an!" The officials were fierce. They had left their official duties unattended for two days, and even Li Shimin had not received any memorials to review. The entire bureaucracy was in a state of panic.

Seeing that Li Shimin remained silent, the officials knelt and shouted in unison: "For the sake of the Empire, we ask Your Majesty to execute Cai Cong to uphold the laws of the court."

"I... will not agree."

Li Shimin finally stood up, his imposing figure weighing upon the hearts of everyone present like a mountain.

The complexions of the officials changed almost simultaneously. They had not expected the Emperor to be so firm.

"Your Majesty, is one Cai Cong more important than the foundation of the Great Tang? Your subjects kowtow and beg Your Majesty to reconsider!"

An old minister wept bitterly, knocking his head until it bled, hoping that Li Shimin would change his mind and not let the country fall into turmoil.

"It is precisely because I have considered it three times that I cannot agree to your demands. Is even one of these ten crimes true?" Li Shimin rebuked them sharply, his piercing gaze sweeping over the court officials.

"You are all petty schemers. While you were busy with your sordid cliques, do you know where Cai Cong is?" Li Shimin’s voice grew louder, like rolling thunder from the heavens, and the officials bowed their heads, not daring to speak.

"He is risking his life at this very moment, using himself as a human test subject in the hope of eradicating the pox so that the people of our Great Tang will no longer be harmed by it. Such a man, who thinks only of the world, you label as violent, bloodthirsty, greedy, and immoral? Have your consciences been eaten by dogs?"

The officials were stunned. They had not expected that Cai Cong would risk his life to escape their trap; for a moment, they did not know how to refute the Emperor's words.

"If he succeeds, you—and your descendants for generations to come—will benefit from his grace. If he fails, he will burn himself to death to prevent the spread of the pox. I ask you: who among you dares to die for the world as he does? Minister Fang!"

"I am here," Fang Xuanling said, bowing. These high-ranking officials had not participated directly; they were the final stabilizers in the struggle between the Emperor and the families and could not act rashly.

"The Marquis of Chang'an has important matters to attend to. You shall be responsible for this year's merit examinations for the Ministry of Personnel. You must purge those who occupy positions without doing their work, lest they harm the nation. Court dismissed!"

Li Shimin flicked his sleeves and departed. The officials slumped to the floor. Cai Cong’s move of mutual destruction was too ruthless. Regardless of whether he succeeded or failed, they had lost their chance to attack him.

They had been utterly defeated this time. In Li Shimin’s fury, no one knew how many would be forced to quietly exit the stage of history.