Chapter 517
Chapter 517 The Lip Print on the Jade Flute
"Brother Lin, of course I know you have lofty ambitions and are a man of integrity. If it were women of our Great Hua, I, Gao Qiu, would never do such a heinous act. But she's a Turkic woman! Do you know how many Great Hua women the Turkic people have ravaged? When will this blood feud be avenged? Taking a Turkic woman—can that even be considered theft? This is the duty of every righteous Great Hua man, to avenge our sisters and bring honor to our nation!" Gao Qiu was indignant, spittle flying as he spoke.
"Taking Turkic women isn't considered theft? That's great—oh, no, Brother Gao, you misunderstood. What I meant is that it's too soon!" Lord Lin quickly corrected himself, his expression becoming serious. "What I mean is, we should at least wait until we reach the Turkic royal court, overthrow the tyrannical rule of Khan Bilge, and then take action. Our ideals should be grander—Brother Gao, where have you hidden that Turkic woman? I'll go seek vengeance right now!"
"I originally intended to bring her back—we found the carriage she was riding in when we searched a civilian house," Gao Qiu sighed regretfully. "But that stubborn Du Xiuyuan insisted on the Marshal's regulations against looting civilian property, punishable by military law. We hadn't even entered the courtyard when he stopped me. Isn't that infuriating? Taking women and looting property are two completely different things! Brother Lin, you must teach Du Xiuyuan a lesson. If he could be even one percent as flexible as you, he'd surely defeat the noamds."
‘So, Yueya'er hasn't been captured yet,’ Lin Wanrong sighed deeply, feeling a slight sense of disappointment. He patted Gao Qiu on the shoulder and said, "Brother Gao, Du Xiuyuan has a point. Forcibly taking civilian women is not acceptable; we should condemn such atrocities. However, if the woman is a spy, that's a different matter. But without evidence, you can't accuse someone just because they're beautiful. That doesn't hold up; we must persuade through virtue."
"Prove that she's a spy?" Gao Qiu chuckled sinisterly. "Do we even need proof? In the chaos of war, would a decent family allow their daughter to show her face in such dangerous territory? Only a female spy would have the audacity and the need. Look at her charming appearance; one glance from her is as powerful as a thousand troops. If she's not a spy, then where's the justice in this world?"
"Ah, is that so?" Lin Wanrong nodded slightly. "That seems somewhat reasonable. However, our army is disciplined; without evidence, we can't make baseless accusations."
Seeing that Brother Lin seemed unmoved, Gao Qiu hurriedly grabbed him, making exaggerated gestures. "Brother Lin, wartime is different. So many things have happened tonight; even the Marshal almost met with an accident. And that female spy just happens to appear in the city at this time. How coincidental can it be? It's better to be safe than sorry! Even if she's not a spy, we can't let a pure and innocent young woman suffer in a war zone. To watch a beautiful flower wither—that would be a great sin! Brother Lin, you are so elegant and dashing, how could you bear to commit such cruelty? This is not your style!"
"Fine, being too soft-hearted has always been my greatest weakness," General Lin sighed deeply. "I'll go take a look with you. If she really is a spy, then we'll bring her back to my tent for a thorough interrogation! But if she's a virtuous woman from the nomadic tribes, then we should let her leave immediately. The cannon fire is indiscriminate; if it ruins her face, imagine how distraught her parents would be! If she can't find her family in the meantime, I'll have no choice but to temporarily take her in, based on humanitarian principles—Hey, Brother Gao, why are you glaring at me? You doubt my integrity? It's only a temporary arrangement, not taking her in as a concubine."