Chapter 102
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Great Wei.
To the capital, the Imperial City.
The door creaked open.
The biting cold wind poured into the room, lifting the corners of the young man’s clothes, freezing the still moist frost on his eyelashes.
“Who currently holds the other half of the Changming Army’s military token?” Jiang Yanchi, standing in the bitter wind, spoke with a voice that was hoarse but much better than the disheveled appearance just now.
Zhou Wen seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief and immediately clasped his fists in salute, saying, “In the hands of Yubei County Prince, Jiang Silan.”
It was the son of the Yubei County Prince, who was leading fifty thousand troops to approach the capital.
The young emperor squinted his eyes slightly.
“It seems that the Yubei County Prince are not completely in agreement.” Qi Sui seemed to have just realized this, “Otherwise, there would be no movement in the north at all.”
“I have dealt with Jiang Silan a few times. He has a fair and upright personality and is a close friend of the young marquis from the northern border, Xu Chunmu.”
Xu Chunmu.
It was Xu Chunmu again.
A white flower in front of the coffin trembled in the wind.
Thinking that Chu Xie was afraid of the cold, Jiang Yanchi closed the coffin with a turn of his hand.
Under the tearing pain in his heart, he walked slowly to the front of the coffin. “Chu Xie.”
“Are you trying to retaliate against me?” His movements were gentle, as if caressing his face, but the unhealed fingertip wounds reopened, and blood oozed from the nail seams. “Do you know how much I like you? Do you know that I will definitely save Xu Chunmu for you? But the way you treat me, have you ever hesitated?”
Jiang Yanchi suddenly laughed softly, a laughter that was sorrowful and bitter. It seemed that he finally understood the indifference and estrangement in Chu Xie’s eyes. “Your entire life has been wasted for hatred, for your brother. Have you ever done anything for yourself?”
“You have never liked me, have you?”
In the moment his hand loosened, blood dripped next to the coffin.
“You even calculated your own death, paving the way for Xu Chunmu’s remaining years. And I, foolishly dreamt of growing old with you.”
The more he spoke, the lighter his voice became, ending with a choked sob.
In the end, with teary eyes, he murmured next to the coffin.
“Enough, enough.”
“Finally, I willingly let myself be calculated by you time and time again.”
Zhou Wen was instructed to fetch the map of the surroundings of the capital.
Jiang Yanchi examined it by candlelight at night, while Zhou Wen pondered how to solve the problem of the fifty thousand troops besieging the city. Su Mingan accurately estimated that the emperor would never depose Chu Xie.
But trying to force him to abdicate so easily was too reckless.
It was unknown whether Zhao Lingqu had survived or not. Zhao Xuan was right, if he was still alive, he would surely use the half military token in his hand to mobilize three hundred thousand troops from the northern border.
A cry of surprise came from Little Xizi outside, and Qi Sui, braving the snowstorm, came over with a letter in his hand.
As soon as he stepped in, he immediately said, “Your Majesty, it’s a letter from the Northern Territory! It’s a reply from Young Marquis Xu!”
A reply.
From the Northern Territory.
Jiang Yanchi took the letter, and after a hasty read, his expression changed abruptly.
“Your Majesty, what does the letter say?”
Qi Sui asked immediately upon seeing the emperor’s significant change in expression.
“He has control of the Changming Army in the Northern Territory and is currently heading south…” Jiang Yanchi muttered, recalling the letter that Chu Xie wrote that night.
Perhaps, that letter was intended to persuade Xu Chunmu to stabilize his military power by going to the Northern Territory first.
Even Su Mingan’s rebellion was calculated by Chu Xie.
The paper in his hand gradually crumpled, and the last line on it clearly stated: “Captured the defector and main leader, Zhao Lingqu.”
With the prestige of the Xu family in the Northern Territory, even Zhao Lingqu, who held half a military token, was far from being a match for the Xu family’s young marquis, who fought his way up with each knife and each battle.
Chu Xie was right.
Xu Chunmu had never had any rebellious intentions from the beginning; otherwise, his position as king would not be so secure.
Chu Xie even calculated this step.
On the tenth day of the first month, Young Marquis Xu led the cavalry and infantry to march south first. When facing the fifty thousand troops of Prince of Yubei County outside the capital, Jiang Silan seemed surprised that Xu Chunmu was still alive and almost couldn’t believe it.
“Silan, you must not rebel,” Xu Chunmu looked at the Prince of Yubei County’s expression, glanced past him, and only looked at Jiang Silan behind him. “The emperor is not foolish; it’s Grand Tutor Su Mingan’s cunning and calculating ways. Silan, you must not attack the city. Don’t cause chaos again, further causing the decline of the royal family. He is a Yue Clan member, not to mention other things, the death of Emperor Xuanhe is inseparable from Grand Tutor Su.”
“What?” Jiang Silan looked at his father’s expression, for a moment not knowing whether to advance or retreat.
“You have been away from the capital for too long and do not understand the many intrigues within. Do not be used by others, unwittingly causing Great Wei to fall into an irreparable situation. The chaos in the Western Capital has just been quelled. If a battle breaks out now, it will result in the slaughter of countless lives.”
Xu Chunmu’s words remained earnest.
But Prince of Yubei County was thinking that an arrow released from the bowstring should not turn back midway.
Once a rebellion starts, if it stops halfway, it will only end up with the same fate as Xu Yi, not a good death.
He sternly said, “Yue Clan, the current emperor still has half of the Yue blood! According to what you said, the crafty and wicked should be eliminated, and the emperor should be replaced! In the end, he is just a teenager who hasn’t received much education since childhood. Can he be a good emperor? Chunmu, have you forgotten how your grandfather died? At this time, how can you blindly remain loyal!”
Seeing that words were not getting through, Xu Chunmu slowly drew his long sword from his waist, “The Prince only has fifty thousand troops, while I hold the military power of three hundred thousand. Prince, aren’t you going to reconsider.”
Prince of Yubei County, who didn’t know where he heard the news, laughed instead, “Don’t make empty threats. The three hundred thousand troops that the little emperor should have taken from your Xu family are now in the hands of someone surnamed Zhao. You—”
But he heard the urgent sound of horseshoes behind him.
There seemed to be something unusual in the mountains and forests. The sentinels in the distance saw the dense black mass in the distance and immediately signaled by waving their flags.
Xu Chunmu looked at the tall city wall with the glaring words “Capital” hanging on it. His gaze swept past the indifferent figure standing under the flag, Zhao Xuan, the Duke of Yueguo.
The voice was cold and indifferent but rose high, “The Changming Army that has guarded the Northern Territory for decades, a mere Zhao surname, can also drive them.”
“All of you are involved in rebellious activities. Don’t talk about half a military token. Even if Zhao Lingqu holds two complete ones, he cannot command the Changming Army, sworn to protect the country, to march south and attack the imperial capital of Great Wei!”
Having said that, he raised the long sword in his hand and threw it towards the city wall, cutting down a flag that was fluttering in the wind. The figure of the Duke of Yueguo behind the flag appeared.
The banner fluttered down in front of Xu Chunmu’s horse from tens of zhang above, but it didn’t startle his warhorse underneath.
Prince of Yubei County frowned tightly, listening to the overwhelming momentum behind him and seeing that the figure of the Duke of Yueguo had disappeared from the city wall. After looking at the color of his child beside him and nodding in agreement, he could only order the army to retreat fifty miles and temporarily cease the battle.
When Xu Chunmu entered the capital, he was covered in dust, with some unhealed wounds on his body. Jiang Silan did not follow his father back to the capital. Instead, after meeting Xu Chunmu outside, he disguised himself as his deputy and entered the capital together.
Unexpectedly, as soon as they entered the city, when they reached the palace gate, they saw Jiang Yanchi already waiting outside.
Before Xu Chunmu could say anything, he saw the person riding on a horse, faintly revealing red eyes. He raised the crumpled letter in his hand and asked, “Where is Zhao Lingqu?”
The young marquis was stunned for a moment.
Then he heard him ask again, “Where is Zhao Lingqu?”
The tone seemed very wrong.
Xu Chunmu answered truthfully, “Currently detained at the relay station outside the city, Your Majesty…”
Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Yanchi had already fiercely whipped his horse from behind, rushing away.
For some reason, Xu Chunmu only saw General Zhou Wen leading troops to follow. Turning his head, he asked Zhao Xuan, “Where is Grand Tutor Su Mingan?”
“He? He has long escaped from the city. You might as well ask Prince of Yubei where he hid him.”
Xu Chunmu felt strange. Why didn’t he see Chu Xie?
After hesitating for a moment, he asked again, “Then, where is the Empress?”
Zhao Xuan and Qi Sui exchanged glances, their faces changing several times. In the end, they both fell silent.
The young marquis’ eyelids twitched, and he said in a deep voice, “Where is he?”
Tap, tap.
The sound of the pen pressing down and bouncing back continued.
He looked at the woman in the corner and the thirteen-year-old boy who kept calling her.
“Little Chu.”
“The child of a murderer will still commit murder. A child with a mental illness will still fall ill… There is no hope at all. Let’s go find Dad together.”
The darkness in front of him gradually shrank.
Shen Chu didn’t know when tears had already filled his face, finally repeating that sentence.
“The child of a murderer will still commit murder. A child with a mental illness will still fall ill. This was the last thing my mom said to me before she committed suicide…”
The voice gradually choked.
It seemed that many memories were slowly piecing together, becoming clearer and clearer.
When his mother said these words, her eyes were numb and desperate, gently embracing himself.
The scene flashed, and many fragmented images filled in again.
The clearly visible words “B*stard son of a b*stard” on the first-grade desk, the lonely last-row seat without a desk mate. When it rained, the umbrella was cut, and he had to run back home soaking wet. Little Yin asked, “Brother, where’s your umbrella?” He just smiled and said, “It’s nothing, accidentally broke it.”
Little Yin looked at the umbrella in his hand, clearly tattered, pursed her lips, grabbed Shen Chu’s arm from behind, pulled him down, and then raised her hand to rub Shen Chu’s soft hair. “Brother, don’t be sad. I’m here…”
However, he just squatted halfway, held the soft hand, and smiled, “Sad? Why should I be sad? I’m not sad, Little Yin, brother will protect you.” Shen Yin pursed her lips and didn’t speak.
When Little Yin suddenly fell ill at the age of ten, with severe problems in her lungs, she couldn’t breathe at all.
However, she opened her eyes a little on the sickbed, holding the nurse’s hand tightly: “Don’t tell… my brother… he, he has a severe…”
But Shen Chu pushed the door open and interrupted Little Yin’s words.
The nurse truthfully informed Shen Yin’s condition, and the teenager had to accept the heavy critical illness notice.
“It’s okay, brother. I… I’m not in pain at all. Brother, don’t steal things anymore… go to high school, really. I hope brother can live a good life, even if I die this time, it doesn’t matter. I will watch over brother in the sky, bless brother…”
He stood between the two, from the perspective of a third party, looking at his own expression at that time.
It was surprisingly calm, almost numb.
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