Chapter 4

Wu Zhao's hand tapping the dragon throne stopped abruptly, and her phoenix eyes suddenly brightened.

Gao Feng had originally breathed a sigh of relief.

The answer "next time we meet, I will not show mercy" was standard and conformed to Da Qian's spirit of benevolence and righteousness.

As a result, this degenerate son followed up the next second by saying he would turn and walk away, then suddenly look back.

So, does that mean there is no need to show mercy this time?

He closed his eyes, then gritted his teeth and stepped out, saying, "The degenerate son has no talent and has offended Your Majesty. It is my failure to discipline him; everything is my fault. I beg Your Majesty to punish him."

"Why should I punish him?" Wu Zhao's lips curled, and she spoke indifferently.

For a moment, Gao Feng was stunned.

Da Qian rules by law, and benevolence and righteousness are the norm. Implicating an unarmed child goes against morality.

Could it be that Wu Zhao likes this answer?

As Wu Zhao spoke, the gazes of the officials were also very astonished.

Immediately after, a voice rang out.

"Your Majesty, killing someone is just a matter of a head falling to the ground. The past grudge and the corpses on the ground are enough. The child is unarmed; if you kill him wantonly, the method is too cruel!"

"Such a cold-blooded person, once in office, will surely bring disaster to the region!"

Gao Yang looked over and saw a young man in official robes, looking spirited, speaking indifferently.

Following his words, a white-haired military general clad in armor echoed, "The top scholar Cui's words are reasonable. The swords of our Da Qian men should be used to kill enemies on the battlefield, not to slaughter unarmed old and young!"

"To slaughter such a child is simply brutal!"

Gao Yang squinted and looked over. The white-haired old general who spoke was the Da Qian General who Defeats the Barbarians, Wang Zhong.

This person was a mortal enemy of his grandfather, Gao Tianlong.

Following Wang Zhong's words, a group of ministers echoed in agreement.

This made Gao Feng's face look ugly, his fists clenched tight.

His Gao family had been dormant for too long; now, in this court, everyone dared to kick them while they were down.

Wu Zhao's phoenix eyes looked at Gao Yang without speaking.

She really wanted to see how Gao Yang would respond.

Whether it was Wang Zhong or the newly appointed top scholar Cui Xinghe, they were both difficult people to deal with.

Even she found them troublesome.

Gao Yang curled his lips into a smile. He first looked at Wang Zhong and said, "Old General Wang's words are very reasonable. Gao's big sword indeed does not kill the old or young, but Gao also has a small knife."

Wang Zhong: "???"

The civil and military officials: "???"

Cui Xinghe's mouth twitched, and he said coldly, "Your tongue is like a spring, but it cannot hide your cruel nature!"

Gao Yang looked at Cui Xinghe and continued, "Top Scholar Cui has high integrity; this commoner admires you."

"But this commoner is just an ordinary person; I cannot let him go and leave my family to live in anxiety for the next dozen years."

Cui Xinghe looked at Gao Yang, "How do you know that after a dozen years, he will seek revenge for the extermination of his family?"

Gao Yang laughed, "According to Your Majesty's hypothesis, if the little boy's father had understood the principle of pulling out weeds by the roots back then, how could there be the disaster of family extermination today?"

"Conversely, if I don't pull out the weeds by the roots now, ten years later, twenty years later, another disaster of family extermination might befall me."

"This commoner can live a lifetime of guilt, but I absolutely cannot live a lifetime of fear."

"Pulling out weeds must be done by the roots; this is the principle his father taught!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Cui Xinghe's pupils shrank.

Wu Zhao's phoenix eyes were filled with a hint of brilliance.

Gao Yang continued eloquently, "Of course, the previous 'turn and walk away, then suddenly look back' was just a joke."

"If this commoner were facing this situation, I would give him a few pieces of silver, and as General Wang Zhong said, say 'Gao's big sword does not kill the old or young,' and let him go."

"Then, I would watch which relatives he goes to, or who picks him up, and eliminate them all together!"

"Of course, the fact that he suddenly appeared is a bit contrary to common sense. In this commoner's humble opinion, it is likely a deceptive tactic. One must strictly guard against him hiding his younger brothers or sisters under the bed, in wooden cabinets, or in rice jars."

"If there are any, they should be eliminated together!"

"When acting, a normal person's heart is roughly on the left, but a small number of people have their hearts on the right. It is best to strike one blow on each side."