novelraw Chapter 385
Chapter 385
Yan Zheng raised an eyebrow, and beside him, Meng Yang abruptly drew his sword.
Without even a chance to let out a scream, the eunuch's head fell off, rolling to a stop at Grand Tutor Rong's feet.
The remaining envoys trembled in fear, not daring to utter another word.
Grand Tutor Rong suddenly spoke, "Yan Zheng, may we speak in private?"
Before Yan Zheng could answer, Mei Sheng and the other generals said in unison, "Commander, you must not!"
Let alone the fact that Grand Tutor Rong was a man of the imperial court, even if he were a complete stranger, they absolutely could not let their commander take such a risk.
But Yan Zheng looked at him quietly for a moment and said, "Alright."
"Commander!!"
The generals hurriedly tried to stop him, but Yan Zheng said, "All of you, withdraw and wait outside the tent."
Since they would only be just outside the tent, if anything unexpected happened, they would still be in time to help.
Only then did Mei Sheng and the others retreat, and Grand Tutor Rong also dismissed the accompanying officials.
Only the two of them were left in the tent.
Yan Zheng said, "Grand Tutor, whatever you have to say, please speak frankly."
Grand Tutor Rong's lips moved slightly, and he looked at him with a bitter smile. "Xun'er was right. His third brother truly possesses peerless talent. We all underestimated you."
At the mention of his elder brother, a crack finally appeared on Yan Zheng's usually calm and indifferent face. "I am not as good as him!"
Grand Tutor Rong shook his head. "There is no need to be modest. I was merely mentioning it in passing. Yan Zheng, I now want to ask you two questions, and I hope you will answer me truthfully."
Yan Zheng nodded, and then heard him say, "I want to ask you about the way of a ruler."
Yan Zheng was taken aback for a moment, then said with a solemn expression, "The way of a ruler is to prioritize the people, lead by example, select the wise and appoint the capable, reject extravagance and embrace frugality, reduce corvée and lower taxes, and seek governance in tranquility."
With every phrase he spoke, Grand Tutor Rong's eyes grew brighter, and he finally could not help but clap his hands. "Good! This is exactly what I taught the current Emperor! Then let me ask you again, how does one achieve great governance after great chaos?"
This time, Yan Zheng only said four words: "Rest with the people."
Grand Tutor Rong was stunned for a long time before bursting into loud laughter. He laughed until tears came to his eyes. "Excellent! What an excellent 'rest with the people'. Yan Zheng, I hope you never forget the words you have spoken today. Protect others with the same heart you use to protect your kin, and pity the people with the same heart you use to pity yourself. Farewell!"
He turned and strode away. Yan Zheng watched his resolute back and couldn't help but call out, "Grand Tutor, it doesn't have to come to this!"
Grand Tutor Rong paused but did not look back. "A ruler must not bear a tainted name! I have played it safe to protect myself for so many years; it is time I did something for the world!" His voice hesitated slightly. "But Su'er..."
Yan Zheng said in a deep voice, "Do not worry, Grand Tutor. Consort Rong is the younger sister of my eldest sister-in-law. I will certainly ensure her safety!"
Grand Tutor Rong did not get the answer he wanted, but he did not press the matter further. He waved his hand and left.
Yan Zheng bowed deeply to his retreating figure, remaining in that posture for a long time.
Back in the imperial court, the Emperor hurriedly asked, "How did it go, Grand Tutor? Did the rebel Yan agree?"
Grand Tutor Rong bowed. "To reply to Your Majesty, Yan Zheng has proposed three conditions. As long as you agree, he will withdraw his troops immediately."
"Speak quickly!"
The courtiers also looked at him with burning gazes. They saw Grand Tutor Rong pause before saying, "First, after this battle, Your Majesty must not pursue the soldiers and officers who rose in rebellion with him."
The Emperor agreed without hesitation, "Fine!"
In any case, once the rebellion was over and power returned to his hands, he could slowly kill them off later!
Grand Tutor Rong continued, "Second, within ten years, Your Majesty must not wage war again, allowing the people time to rest and recover."
"I agree to this as well!" What did those commoners know? If a war really started again and he increased taxes, would they dare refuse to pay?
The corners of Grand Tutor Rong's mouth twitched, and a deep sigh flashed in his eyes.
He had been the Emperor's teacher since he was still the Crown Prince. How could he not see through his thoughts?
He could not fulfill either of these two conditions, or rather, he clearly could, but he was unwilling to.
The old man's gaze focused as he made up his mind. He raised his head and slowly stated the third condition: "Third, Yan Zheng requests that Your Majesty abdicate the throne, and that the Second Prince, Murong Rui, succeed to the great lineage."
The entire hall fell dead silent.
The Emperor's originally excited face instantly froze. "What did you say?"
"He requests that Your Majesty abdicate the throne, and that the Second Prince, Murong Rui, succeed to the great lineage."
Grand Tutor Rong repeated it without changing a single word. With a sharp clang, the Son of Heaven's sword was drawn from its sheath.
The Emperor pointed his sword at him. "Rong Ying, are you also colluding with the rebel Yan to usurp my throne?!"
Inside the grand hall, the air seemed to freeze.
Grand Tutor Rong looked at him without dodging or avoiding. Suddenly, he stepped back and knelt down in a bow. "Your Majesty, this old minister has served through two reigns and received profound imperial grace. Now, holding the position of Grand Tutor, I should not say such things. However, the world is suffering, and the people's livelihoods are in dire straits. Since you are the master of this empire, you should put the myriads of common people first!"
The Emperor suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Smooth words and a flattering face! You say all this just to persuade me to abdicate, don't you?!"
Disappointment flashed across Grand Tutor Rong's face. He shook his head and sighed, "Every word this old minister says comes from the bottom of his heart. But Your Majesty, you have lived high up in this magnificent palace for too long, and you have become too far removed from the people..."
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly stood up, and before anyone could react, he threw himself fiercely onto the Son of Heaven's sword!
Splash—
A spray of hot blood splashed onto the Emperor's face. He stared blankly as his teacher grabbed his sword, and just like when he tutored him in his childhood studies, said slowly but with great difficulty: "This old minister, Rong Ying, uses his life... to offer... a remonstrance of death!"
As the word remonstrance fell, Grand Tutor Rong also collapsed to the ground.
The Hall of Revering Heaven erupted into an uproar. Gu Sun, with tears in his eyes, stomped his feet and sighed, "Grand Tutor! Why did it have to come to this!"
Prince Yu and the others revealed expressions of astonishment, clearly not having expected him to do such a thing.
Old Censor Yu suddenly stepped forward. "Your Majesty! This old minister, Yu Qian, also requests that Your Majesty abdicate, and that the Second Prince, Murong Rui, succeed to the great lineage!"
"You!"
Old Censor Wang said, "This old minister, Wang Xiuhe, also requests that Your Majesty abdicate, and that the Second Prince, Murong Rui, succeed to the great lineage!"
"This minister, Ji Yao, also requests that Your Majesty abdicate, and that the Second Prince, Murong Rui, succeed to the great lineage!"
"This minister, Shi Hong, also requests that Your Majesty abdicate, and that the Second Prince, Murong Rui, succeed to the great lineage!"
...
Voice after voice rang out in succession as more and more people stepped forward, standing in the center of the court.
The Emperor glared at them, a mix of shock and fury in his eyes, and roared at the palace guards to drag them out and behead them.
But he could behead one, could he behead dozens of them?
Even Prince Yu felt a guilty conscience and shifted slightly toward the entrance of the grand hall.
Just then, a soldier sprinted in. "Report! Your Majesty, the rebel army has begun their siege on the city! The capital's west gate has fallen, the south and north gates are in critical danger, and only Commander Yue at the east gate is still bitterly holding on!"
The Emperor's legs gave way, and he slumped into the dragon throne. Another soldier rushed in. "Report! Your Majesty, the south and north gates have fallen! The east gate is in critical danger, and Commander Yue requests reinforcements!"
The Emperor subconsciously said, "My beloved subject Cao..."
But as the words left his mouth, he froze. Cao Yang had already been imprisoned by him.
Chu Huaishan, whom he heavily relied upon in the past, had fled. Grand Tutor Rong was dead. Looking around in a daze now, he actually could not find a single person he could trust!
Seeing this, Old Censor Yu stepped forward again. "Your Majesty! If you do not abdicate now, once the rebel army breaches the city, the empire of the Murong family will change hands, Your Majesty!!"
The Emperor's lips parted slightly, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.
Suddenly, Empress Dowager Su entered the hall and commanded coldly, "Emperor! We have not lost yet! Immediately send men to drag everyone from the Cao family and the Nanping Count's estate to the city gates. Tell the rebel Yan that if he dares to attack the city again, we will take their lives!"