novelraw Chapter 383
Chapter 383
Yan Zheng waved his hand, and the soldiers immediately took the person away.
He ascended the city tower. Below, Taizhou City was a scene of utter devastation. Deserters and commoners scattered across the streets, and heart-wrenching cries were carried by the wind, mingling with a thick, metallic stench of blood that turned the entire city into a hellish sea of gore.
Yan Zheng closed his eyes, and the gentle smile of a certain woman floated into his mind.
The heaviness in his heart dissipated significantly. He opened his eyes, turned, and gazed in the direction of the imperial capital. "Pass down the order! After the army enters the city, they are to rest in place. They must not disturb the commoners. Order Seventh Master Pei to temporarily act as the prefect and take full charge of Taizhou City's affairs!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Also, relay this to the three armies: The world has suffered enough from the ravages of war, and the people are left destitute. For the sake of the commoners' well-being, you will rest for five days. In five days, we march on the capital to dethrone the tyrant and crown a new emperor!"
A thunderous roar of acknowledgment followed his words, and a fervent light gleamed in the eyes of all the generals.
As long as they conquered the capital, they would be the meritorious subjects who supported the new dragon, and their rapid rise to power would be just around the corner!
Hearing this imposing and spirited shout, Xie Zhizhou looked momentarily dazed.
Once upon a time, he had seen such an army. It was in his youth, when the Yan family army returned triumphantly to the court, possessing this exact same high morale!
What a pity that the emperor himself had forced their commander into rebellion...
Thud!
Xie Zhizhou's body went limp, and he collapsed.
When he woke up again, he was not in the underworld, but in a clean and comfortable guest room.
A familiar figure sat by the edge of the bed with a smile...
"Princess Changle?" Xie Zhizhou sat up abruptly, clutching the back of his still-dizzy head. "The Chief Minister actually didn't kill me?"
"He is your cousin-in-law, why would he kill you?" Chu Ruoyan smiled, handing over a cup of hot tea.
Xie Zhizhou didn't take it, his face as pale as paper. "But if I don't die, how can the Nanping Count's Manor be absolved of guilt? And Ling'er..."
"Cousin-in-law, how can you still be so naive?" Chu Ruoyan restrained her smile. "As the deputy commander of the imperial army, did you think the emperor wouldn't pursue the matter just because you died in defeat? Have you thought about what Prince Yu would do to absolve himself of the blame as the main commander, now that he has fled back?"
Xie Zhizhou was a scholar after all, and he was not clear about these battlefield machinations.
Now, reminded by her, he practically swayed on the verge of collapse. "You... are you saying Prince Yu will push all the blame onto me? Then wouldn't Ling'er and the others be in danger!"
He struggled to get out of bed, but somehow his knees gave way, and he planted face-first onto the ground.
Chu Ruoyan called for Heiya, who helped him up. "Top Scholar Xie, it's too late for you to be anxious. Prince Yu has already returned to the capital, and I reckon his words have already been passed on!"
Xie Zhizhou's vision went dark, and he sat there with blank, empty eyes.
Chu Ruoyan sighed. "Cousin-in-law, you worry too much. With Uncle around, he will definitely protect Cousin and the others no matter what. Besides..."
She paused, holding back the fact that Yan Zheng's side had already taken action.
Thinking of Cao Yang, Xie Zhizhou covered his face and said, "I only hope Father can save them... otherwise, even ten thousand deaths won't be enough to atone for my sins!"
Chu Ruoyan's expression turned stern. "What sin do you have? The emperor used the lives of your entire household to force you onto the battlefield. Was that your choice? The Murong clan has lost the hearts of the people. Look at how long it has been since we raised our army—less than two months, yet half the world is responding!"
"Cousin-in-law, you know very well in your heart that the current emperor has no talent. The Yellow River floods frequently, officialdom is rife with corruption and fraud... It relies entirely on pillars of the state like your father and mine to hold it up! But now he kills loyal officials and good generals alike. The court is in a state of extreme panic. Who has the mind to work for the common people? Are you still going to serve such a monarch?"
Xie Zhizhou shuddered all over. The teachings of Confucius and Mencius, the principles of ruler and minister flashed through his mind scene by scene, but ultimately stopped on the dirty face of a little girl.
That was when the Huaishui County dam collapsed. The local officials covered it up layer by layer, ultimately resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of people!
This little girl's entire family died in that man-made disaster. He walked up to her, wanting to comfort her, but saw her look up and ask numbly, "Daddy and Mommy said someone from the government would come to save us. Big brother, where are they?"
Xie Zhizhou broke down on the spot, kneeling before her and sobbing uncontrollably. But it was only long after he returned to the capital that he learned the Huaishui County magistrate was the disciple of a certain someone, and that certain someone was the subordinate of a powerful noble in the court. Because they were afraid of delaying the Ministry of Works' year-end evaluation, they deliberately suppressed the news, and in the end, only the Huaishui County magistrate was executed.
Such an administration, such a court, should have been reformed long ago!
At this moment, Yan Zheng walked in. Xie Zhizhou immediately dropped to his knees. "I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse!"
Yan Zheng hesitated, and only after a moment did he hold up the pan-fried buns in his hand. "Cousin-in-law, you want this?"
Xie Zhizhou was also stunned. Chu Ruoyan was overjoyed and snatched them from his hand. "That won't do. I've been craving these Xu family pan-fried buns for a long time. Next time, we'll treat cousin-in-law to a taste!"
As she spoke, she went to tear the oil paper. Yan Zheng grabbed her hand. "I'll do it."
The man slowly and methodically peeled open the oil paper and brought the small pan-fried bun to her lips.
Chu Ruoyan looked at Xie Zhizhou rather uncomfortably. "I'd better do it myself..."
"No," Yan Zheng said. "You've hurt your fingers copying letters these past few days. You can't add injury to injury."
Chu Ruoyan had no choice but to take a bite, immediately exclaiming in admiration. "So crispy! As expected of Taizhou City's most famous snack!"
"Don't rush, there are also tuckahoe pies and sour jujube cakes... I sent people to the street to buy some. See if they suit your taste..."
Listening to their conversation, Xie Zhizhou was stunned again.
It had only been a few days since Taizhou City went through the chaos of war, and the commoners already dared to take to the streets to do business again?
Meanwhile, in the capital, as soon as the news of the 200,000-strong army's disastrous defeat arrived, Prince Yu threw himself crying in front of the emperor, pushing all the blame onto Xie Zhizhou. "Imperial Brother, it was all that Xie Zhizhou who refused to listen to my orders and insisted on going to battle! That's what gave the rebels an opportunity! I don't know why he insisted on doing so, I really couldn't stop him..."
Every word and sentence was leading in another direction.
The emperor was indeed furious. "Why did he insist on going to battle? Naturally, it was because he colluded with the rebel Yan, working together from the inside and outside! I really misjudged him. Men, take the entire household of the Nanping Count's Manor out to the Meridian Gate and behead them! Behead them today, do not let a single one off!"
The entire court was in an uproar.
In the past, no matter how a home was confiscated and a clan exterminated, little girls no taller than a cartwheel were spared and relegated to the untouchable caste.
Now, not even they were spared. It was clear that he had completely disregarded basic human decency!
Cao Yang stepped out of the ranks with a swoosh. "The wife of the heir of Nanping Count is my daughter. If Your Majesty wants to kill her, then please kill me along with her!"
Gu Sun and the others said in horror, "Chief Minister!"
The emperor flew into a rage out of humiliation. "Cao Yang! Do you think I really dare not touch you?"
Cao Yang had long had enough of these days of casual exterminations and cleaning up messes everywhere. Without even raising his eyes, he said, "Your Majesty even dared to kill Duke Chu and the former Chief Minister Yan, so why wouldn't you dare to touch me?"
Today, Chu Huaishan and Yan Zheng were the two thorns in the emperor's heart.
Hearing these two names, he lost all reason. "Good! I will grant your wish. Men, drag the entire Cao family out as well and behead them together, behead them all!"
The courtiers were so frightened that they knelt down one after another. "Your Majesty, please think twice!"
Gu Sun was even more blunt: "Your Majesty! The imperial court's army of two hundred thousand has been defeated, and the rebels will breach the capital in a matter of days. Looking at the entire capital today, only Chief Minister Cao's family has past ties with Yan Zheng. If you kill him, who else can you send to negotiate peace?"
The Emperor was already mad with rage. "Anyone can go! It is not as if I absolutely must rely on Cao Yang!"
Just then, Empress Dowager Su entered the hall, her cloudy old eyes unusually sharp. "Your Majesty, Gu Sun is right. Cao Yang's family has ties with the rebel Yan. We can seize them to use as leverage in our negotiations with the rebel army!"
The Emperor finally calmed down a fraction. "Then what does Imperial Mother suggest?"
"Arrest the Cao family along with the Nanping Count's household, then dispatch Grand Tutor Rong to negotiate. As long as the rebel Yan agrees to withdraw his troops, Your Majesty can bestow upon him the title of Prince Anning. But if he refuses, then not a single soul in the Cao family or the Nanping Count's household shall be left alive!"