"A wise sovereign, an upright minister." Those words both flattered the sovereign and delivered him from his own predicament.
You are not Wei Zheng, and I am not Emperor Taizong?
No matter.
So long as the Ruler-Father is wise, his minister must speak frankly.
Was this not precisely the kind of man the emperor sought?
A minister who dared speak the truth without fearing thunderous wrath, a sovereign who could tolerate ringing remonstrance without punishing a man for his words.
Such harmony between sovereign and minister could be celebrated for a thousand ages.
This Wei Zi truly understands the human heart. His words have struck His Majesty right where it matters.
Wang Cheng stood attending at the side, marveling inwardly.
Anyone who did not know better would think the disposition I cultivated through half a lifetime of rootless practice
had been distilled into this one man.
"Zi'an." Emperor Jing of Zhou's voice grew a little softer still.
"You said just now that within five years, you would make the Tangut chieftain perform the sheep-leading rite of surrender,
"and within ten years, make the Khitan khagan personally present a declaration of submission."
"I did indeed say so," Wei Nisheng answered.
"Is that a promise to me?" Emperor Jing of Zhou asked.
"A promise from your minister to his Ruler-Father," Wei Nisheng said, stressing each word.
"And if you fail?" Emperor Jing of Zhou's gaze suddenly sharpened.
Wei Nisheng did not hesitate in the slightest.
"Cut off my head. Flay my body."
The weight of those words silenced the room.
Even Wang Cheng's breath caught.
Such words were not something an ordinary man dared utter.
They were so weighty that speaking them placed his life at the mercy of a single thought from the Son of Heaven.
Yet Wei Nisheng said