It could be said that Beitang He's suggestion was quite beneficial to Meng Zhao. At most, it left him feeling somewhat uncomfortable, since he would not be able to take revenge on the true culprit.
Nor was there no price to pay. Those scapegoats targeted by Meng Zhao and Beitang He would be the price. And it was not as though no clever people could see through what they were doing; they might very well draw some criticism, though that was only a possibility.
In these times, the law of the jungle still ruled: the weak were meat for the strong. The victor became king; the loser, a bandit.
Yet Meng Zhao did not agree. After pondering for a moment, he said,
"What the Heir Apparent says is indeed reasonable. It sounds feasible enough.
"However, the key issue now does not lie with me, but with those from the Demonic Path. They do not seem willing to stop.
"Even if I follow your suggestion and select several other sacrificial lambs to vent my fury upon, can you guarantee that the Demonic Path will lower their banners and cease targeting the industries and forces under my command?"
Indeed, Meng Zhao could choose to show mercy, but after stirring up such a huge commotion, the Demonic Path might not be willing to take a step back.
In the eyes of many, all the blows Meng Zhao was suffering now were payment for Meng Jizu of Nan'an having previously led troops to besiege and annihilate a Grandmaster. He had been dragged into the mess and implicated by association.
Yet that was only common. Meng Zhao was a member of the Meng Family, had profited from the Meng Family's power, and was now even its standard-bearer. If the Demonic Path did not take revenge