Hearing Cui Lingjing’s words, Xueya was initially stunned, then began to feel uneasy.
What merit could he possibly achieve?
Seeing Xueya’s evident unease, Cui Lingjing added, “If you succeed in this, I can grant you a wish.”
Hearing this, Xueya couldn’t help but feel tempted. “Any wish?” he asked.
Cui Lingjing hesitated for a moment before nodding slightly. He thought that if the rain ritual succeeded, there would be no harm in taking Xueya as his concubine. If he did, Xueya could no longer stay in Ningfu Palace, and he would make arrangements for him to live in a palace near Fengrui Palace. However, this matter couldn’t reach the front court.
Xueya’s next words took Cui Lingjing by surprise; he never expected him to make such a wish.
“Then, could Your Majesty help me and my mother change our status from slaves to commoners?”
The thought of possibly freeing himself and his mother from their slave status made Xueya excited, so much so that he didn’t even ask what Cui Lingjing wanted him to do. His eyes sparkled with hope as he gazed at the emperor.
It hadn’t rained for months. Could sending Xueya as a tribute truly bring rain? If it didn’t rain, this young man, half a year younger than Cui Lingjing, would have only one fate: death.
Cui Lingjing thought of how Xueya had served by his side. Although he was a bit foolish at times, there were moments when he was rather endearing.
Seeing that Cui Lingjing hadn’t spoken, Xueya’s anticipation turned into anxiety again. “Is this request too much?”
Cui Lingjing turned his face away. “I’ve thought it over carefully; asking you to earn merit is too difficult.”
Perhaps due to a small sense of reluctance or pity, Cui Lingjing didn’t tell Xueya to go and pray for rain. Instead, he turned and left directly. Seeing Cui Lingjing leave, Xueya was devastated. When He Xulan entered his room, Xueya was still feeling down.
“What’s going on? What did His Majesty say to you?” He Xulan sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Xueya lying there listlessly, and asked softly.
Xueya was visibly upset. “His Majesty just told me to go earn merit, and he said if I did, he would grant me any wish I wanted. But when I asked him to help clear my mother and me from our lowly status, he refused and walked away.” He turned his head to look at He Xulan, and it was as if invisible rabbit ears drooped on his head. “Was my wish too much to ask?”
From Xueya’s perspective, since Cui Lingjing was the emperor, all it would take was a single command for someone to arrange the matter. If even Cui Lingjing couldn’t help him and his mother shed their slave status, who else could he rely on?
Suddenly, Xueya locked eyes with He Xulan, and his body shot up straight.
He had forgotten—wasn’t the man in front of him the next emperor?
“Brother,” Xueya immediately clung to He Xulan, being mindful of the wound on his left chest and only embracing his right arm.
Understanding what Xueya wanted, He Xulan, however, wasn’t able to fulfill his wish at that moment. “In the future, okay?”
“Yes! Yes!” Xueya pressed his face against He Xulan’s arm, rubbing his cheek against it, and his mood instantly lifted. After comforting Xueya, He Xulan’s thoughts shifted to what Cui Lingjing had mentioned about “earning merit.”
At this critical moment, it seemed that the only merit Xueya could earn was related to praying for rain.
If it was indeed related to praying for rain, why would the Chief Imperial Astronomer suggest that Xueya should pray for rain? And why hadn’t Cui Lingjing told Xueya to do it?
But soon, another major event occurred.
General Lei Qiurong had rebelled.
Under Lei Qiurong’s command was a deputy general who was utterly loyal to him. This time, during their rebellion, they split their forces into two. In less than three days, the path led by Lei Qiurong himself had already captured a city.
By the time an urgent report arrived in the court, Cui Lingjing had already lost one city, and a second was on the brink of falling.
Cui Lingjing had anticipated that Lei Qiurong would rebel, but he hadn’t expected him to split his forces.
“Where did he get so many soldiers?” Cui Lingjing’s face was extremely grim during the morning court session.
The ministers exchanged glances, and one military officer stepped forward. “Previously, General Lei… Lei Qiurong went to the Eastern Danfu region with Prime Minister Yin. It was said that the former governor of Eastern Danfu had raised many private soldiers, numbering over ten thousand. If Lei Qiurong absorbed these private soldiers into his ranks, he would indeed be able to split his forces.”
Upon hearing this, Cui Lingjing immediately looked toward Yin Qingxuan, who stood at the head of the civil officials.
Yin Qingxuan’s expression remained calm as he stepped forward. “At that time, I and Lei Qiurong disbanded the private soldiers in Eastern Danfu, ordering them to return to their farms. All their names were recorded, and I have the records here. Lei Qiurong does not have a copy.”
“If he doesn’t have a copy, where did he get the soldiers?” Cui Lingjing asked.
Yin Qingxuan hesitated before responding, “I don’t know, Your Majesty. Please grant me a few days to investigate this matter.”
Cui Lingjing furrowed his brows in frustration. Originally, he had planned for Yi Yefeng and Ning Can to lead the army together, with Yi Yefeng as the main general and Ning Can as the deputy. But now, he had no choice but to split them up. As for the other generals in court, he couldn’t trust any of them.
Yi Yefeng and Ning Can set out separately to confront Lei Qiurong’s forces. Knowing that Ning Can was young and lacked Yi Yefeng’s experience, Cui Lingjing assigned two seasoned deputies to assist him and sent Ning Can to face Lei Qiurong’s deputy general.
However, before the troops even departed, Cui Lingjing received an urgent late-night report of Ning Can’s death.
The letter, written by Ning Can’s military advisor, explained that they had been following the emperor’s orders to hold the city until reinforcements arrived. But Lei Qiurong’s army taunted them outside the city day and night, even going so far as to insult Ning Can’s ancestors. When they mocked Ning Can’s mother, he could no longer endure it and challenged Lei Qiurong’s deputy general to a duel.
The others tried to stop him, but Ning Can was determined. He rode out alone, and Lei Qiurong’s army, treacherous as ever, agreed to the duel but secretly set an ambush, killing Ning Can on the spot.
With their leader ambushed and slain, the army was leaderless. The two deputies each had their own opinions, and in the end, the city fell, and they surrendered.
As Cui Lingjing was on the verge of spitting blood in anger, another urgent letter arrived. Upon seeing the Yi family’s seal on the letter, Cui Lingjing took several deep breaths before opening it.
After reading its contents, Cui Lingjing finally showed his first smile in days.
“Well done! Yi Yefeng truly lives up to his nickname, ‘King of H*ll.’ He’s managed to reclaim a city from Lei Qiurong!”
The chief eunuch immediately smiled and congratulated him, “Congratulations, Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty!”
But those words of congratulations instantly darkened Cui Lingjing’s face again.
Yi Yefeng had reclaimed one city, but Ning Can was dead, leaving the other path unguarded. Lei Qiurong’s army could still march all the way to the capital.
During the morning court session, the ministers endlessly debated over who should replace Ning Can and lead the army. As Cui Lingjing looked at the chaotic hall that resembled a marketplace, he felt utterly exhausted.
After all, he was only nineteen years old—a young emperor who had barely ascended the throne, only to face rebellion from senior officials leading armies, along with snowstorms and droughts. The weight of all these crises was pressing heavily on his shoulders.
Cui Lingjing wanted to find a safe place to hide for a while, so he went to Ningfu Palace.
In stark contrast to the angry young emperor in the morning court, Cui Lingjing now shed his facade in front of He Xulan, revealing his vulnerable side. “Godfather, I’m too tired. I’m even thinking about giving up the throne and letting Lei Qiurong take it.”
He Xulan remained calm in the face of Cui Lingjing’s childish words. “And what does Your Majesty plan to do then? With Lei Qiurong’s temperament, he probably wouldn’t even let you be a nominal king.”
Throughout history, many new emperors who overthrew their predecessors, in order to show their mercy, wouldn’t kill the previous emperor but would confine them to a remote palace and give them an honorary title—becoming a figurehead with no real power.
But such a position rarely lasted long. No one could tolerate another sleeping on the emperor’s bed.
Cui Lingjing knew he was speaking out of frustration, but he truly didn’t know what to do anymore.
Ning Can was dead, and there were no usable generals left in court. The remaining generals were all trained by Lei Qiurong, and even if their loyalty wasn’t in question, defeating Lei Qiurong would be difficult.
“What else can I do? Send those people?” Cui Lingjing began listing the names of the remaining generals in court.
He Xulan lowered his eyes and pondered for a moment. “If Your Majesty trusts me, I am willing to share your burden.”
Cui Lingjing was about to ask how He Xulan intended to help, but suddenly, he understood what he meant.
“Godfather, you… you want to lead the army?” Cui Lingjing stood up abruptly, hitting the jade table with his hand, but he didn’t care about the pain. He stared intently at He Xulan. “No! Absolutely not! The battlefield is dangerous, not as simple as you imagine. This isn’t like disaster relief; you could lose your head at any moment!”
He Xulan raised his eyes. “Your Majesty should know that I’ve learned some martial arts from the masters at Qianfo Temple. Protecting my life isn’t too difficult. Moreover, if we can’t hold the cities, even if I stay in Ningfu Palace, the end result will still be death. Don’t forget, I killed Lei Dongmiao. Lei Qiurong surely hates me even more because of that.”
“No! I won’t allow it! Godfather, you can’t go. You’ve never led an army before. Even if you know a bit of martial arts, so what? This isn’t child’s play!”
Cui Lingjing was adamantly opposed, but seeing this, He Xulan spoke the last thing he had prepared to say to the emperor.
“If I lead the troops, Your Majesty can send Ao Jiazhi and Guang Wen to accompany me. Both are veteran generals with extensive experience, but due to injuries on the battlefield, they had to retire early. With them by my side to help plan, the chances of victory would be higher. Does Your Majesty remember the prophecy that the Imperial Astronomer gave me years ago? They said I would protect the Li Dynasty.”
I was said to protect the Li Dynasty, and so I, as a man, married into the palace and became a subject of gossip for the world.
***
“Master, will the emperor agree?” Huang Gonggong asked softly.
He Xulan sat by the window, his eyes narrowing slightly against the golden sun outside. The sunlight made his light brown eyes appear almost translucent.
“He will agree, because he’s afraid of death,” He Xulan said quietly. “He and his father are the same kind of people at their core.”
Hearing this, Huang Gonggong visibly relaxed. “Then I’ll start packing, beginning with Xueya’s things.”
He Xulan nodded.
As He Xulan had predicted, Cui Lingjing ultimately agreed to let him lead the army. The decision caused quite a stir in the court, with the number of opposing ministers far outnumbering those in favor, but Cui Lingjing had made up his mind. He had even privately consulted with Yin Qingshuan.
To Cui Lingjing’s surprise, Yin Qingshuan supported He Xulan leading the army.
“Prime Minister Yin, last time you opposed the empress dowager going to the disaster relief efforts so strongly. Why are you in favor of this military expedition?”
Yin Qingshuan replied, “The empress dowager is a compassionate person, and my previous objections were simply due to my own narrow-mindedness. However, this military campaign is fraught with danger. I have two skilled bodyguards who can accompany the empress dowager. As for the palace staff from Ningfu Palace, I believe they should stay behind. Having lived in the palace for so long, they might become more of a burden if they go.”
Cui Lingjing thought Yin’s reasoning made sense. “Yes, the people in the palace hardly walk a few steps. Even the eunuchs are weak after being castrated.”
At this point, Cui Lingjing thought of the weakest person in Ningfu Palace—Xueya.
Xueya had no idea that his fate was being discussed. Upon learning that he would accompany He Xulan out of the palace, the first thing he did was take out his small box of gold. He even asked Huang Gonggong for a piece of string to thread the key to the box’s lock, wearing it securely around his neck.
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