When the emperor saw him fall silent, he let out a derisive laugh. "See? Once the skin is torn from the face, there is nothing that cannot be said. I have already fallen this low; you need not hide anything from me. Tell me directly—whose scheme was all this?"
Yun Yan and the others kneeling there remained silent.
Only Pan Yun stood before him. She sheathed her sword and answered for the bewildered, helpless crowd. "Human hearts."
"What?" The emperor looked at her.
"It was caused by hearts that sought profit and avoided harm, that were selfish and self-serving, that concealed evidence of guilt," Pan Yun said. "Other than those who had always urged the emperor not to personally lead an expedition and to turn back to the capital, the officials all sought profit and avoided harm. They indulged the foolish Wang Zhen, blindly listened and blindly believed, and let you—who possessed no military talent whatsoever—command the great army. One wrong step led to wrong step after wrong step."
Pan Yun was not Yun Yan, much less one of the officials. When she saw poisonous pus, she could not help but lance it open; she would not endure it as the others did.
Since the man was about to die, she did not mind letting him know the truth. Whether he believed it or not was his own affair.
Pan Yun said, "The officials' indulgence allowed you and Wang Zhen to lead the great army deep into peril. The officials were at fault, but you and Wang Zhen were guilty! As emperor, you acted willfully. You had so many capable ministers and great generals beneath you, yet you did not know how to use a single one. You bear the greatest guilt!
"Yang Jun delayed the battle opportunity. He was