Fang Jie's carriage slowly made its way through the street, its wheels shattering the morning light. It was already February, and dawn was breaking earlier than usual. But the city gates were still closed, so there were few pedestrians on the streets. Breakfast stalls were already set up, and the aromas of various dishes filled the air.
Nie Xiaoju drove the carriage, with Chen Xiaoru and Hei Xiaozi sitting on either side of the shaft. The slow-moving horse seemed to find the carriage too heavy, snorting a few times in dissatisfaction. It lowered its head and struggled to start, only raising it again after it had started pulling. The horse's hooves clattered crisply on the cobblestones, disturbing the sleep of many.
As soon as Fang Jie and his companions left, people peeked out from several alleys to keep watch. These shadowy figures, like ghosts, followed from a distance, knowing that Fang Jie was accompanied by a skilled warrior, and dared not get too close. The carriage continued along the main street, stopping at a corner. Those secretly watching saw the dark-skinned young man get out and buy some fried dough sticks and millet porridge. They all seemed calm, showing no unusual behavior.
The people monitoring Fang Jie were the Snake Guards, a secret intelligence unit newly formed by Prince Yi within the past year. Their main tasks were tracking, ambushing, assassinating, and gathering intelligence. Unbeknownst to Fang Jie, his good friend Zhang Kuang from the martial arts academy had also joined the Snake Guards to change his life.
The dark-skinned young man climbed back into the carriage after buying breakfast, handing one portion to the carriage. He, Chen Xiaoru, and Nie Xiaoju shared the rest.
The Snake Guards had been watching Fang Jie's stall all night. Seeing them seemingly enjoying their meal, one of them couldn't help but lick his lips.
Standing in a corner, peeking out from behind the carriage, Zhang Kuang's brows furrowed deeply. He had received orders yesterday to monitor Fang Jie's every move, and his heart had tightened when he heard the command. To be honest, he genuinely considered Fang Jie a friend. This youngest student from the border army, he felt a certain affinity for him from the first time they met. Zhang Kuang also had a younger brother who died of a serious illness at the age of fourteen.
Perhaps it was because Fang Jie and his brother shared some personality traits—their occasional mischief and willfulness—that he was willing to befriend Fang Jie. But yesterday, he suddenly realized that he might be standing opposite Fang Jie, holding a sharp knife. He didn't know when their knives would plunge into each other's abdomens.
He tried to resist, but was powerless.
After joining the Snake Guard, he realized how terrifying this organization was. All those who tried to resist were eliminated. It was a group of assassins secretly trained by Prince Yi. Although they hadn't yet done anything against the court, Zhang Kuang was certain that Prince Yi's purpose in establishing the Snake Guard was definitely aimed at the Emperor.
Standing at the street corner, he watched the carriage slowly disappear from sight.
Someone tapped him on the shoulder from behind. Zhang Kuang turned around, looked, and then gave a bitter smile.
"Do we have any way out?"
He asked.
The person standing behind him remained silent for a moment before shaking his head: "You and I both initially thought we embarked on this path because of the injustice of the court, telling ourselves it was merely a way to secure our future. But ultimately, it's because of greed in our hearts. Now, I don't even know if there's any way back. Perhaps... the next moment we'll be drawing our swords against our former friends and brothers. Since that's the case, why bother thinking about a way back?"
Zhang Kuang sighed: "I was driven by greed, and you, it's truly because the court is unfair. Your contributions are so great, yet the court hasn't rewarded you. Although the emperor granted you admission to the Martial Arts Academy without examination, what did you gain? With your cultivation, you could easily have entered the Taiji Palace at the New Year's Eve banquet. With your contributions, you could have easily lived a life of comfort and ease. But we're both struggling and agonizing over money... Why can those aristocratic scions squander their ill-gotten gains, while we toss and turn, unable to sleep, worrying over a few copper coins?"
The person standing behind him was Mo Xidao.
Mo Xidao slowly said, "It's precisely because we harbor resentment and discontent that we joined the Serpent Guard. Let's go… what we need to do must continue. If we really end up facing Fang Jie and the brothers of the Martial Arts Academy… let me handle it, you just stand behind me."
Zhang Kuang was taken aback, unsure what to say.
"Does Prince Yi really only want to return to the court and seize power?"
He asked.
Mo Xidao smiled: "Even now, you still think that way. If he only wanted to return to the court and seize power, the Serpent Guard wouldn't need to exist at all. Because we're already inside, we should have clearly realized long ago… this is fundamentally a war."
"Can we really get what we want?"
Zhang Kuang asked again.
Mo Xidao said, "I only know that if we don't really fight, we'll never get what we want. The emperor allowing those from military backgrounds to enter the Martial Arts Academy is just a beautifully worded lie. Look at the students who have graduated from the academy over the years; those who truly rise to prominence are still the scions of noble families. Even if people like us enter the academy, it will only mean three more years of being looked down upon. Once we leave the academy and return to the army, when it's our turn to die, we'll still die, and we won't leave a single word in history."
"Perhaps you're right."
Zhang Kuang nodded, taking a deep breath: "Brother, if Prince Yi wins in the end, can we spare Fang Jie's life?"
Mo Xidao was silent for a moment before asking in return, "If Prince Yi loses, will Fang Jie spare our lives?"
Zhang Kuang thought for a moment, realizing he didn't know the answer. Maybe yes, maybe no. Before entering the Martial Arts Academy, he had considered Fang Jie as one of his own. But later, as Fang Jie climbed higher and higher, he gradually drifted away from them. When he saw Fang Jie again, he saw not only Fang Jie's glory, but also his own destitution. When he borrowed money from Fang Jie, it felt like a knife was cutting into his pride. And the more open Fang Jie was, the more he felt his own darkness.
Sometimes, friends become enemies not because you did anything wrong, but because you did too well.
...
...
The carriage didn't stop at the entrance of the Sanjin Marquis's residence. The main gate, which had never been opened before, suddenly swung open as the carriage arrived, and the carriage drove directly into the courtyard. Several servants immediately closed the main gate, and even the side gate, which was usually open for receiving guests, was shut down.
At this moment, it wasn't just the Snake Guards hiding outside the Sanjin Marquis's residence. Many subordinates of the high-ranking officials in the court were watching, and as soon as they saw the carriage enter the courtyard, some ran back to report the news.
Meanwhile, the officials were waiting at the gate of the Taiji Palace for court.
Tomorrow is the day the army sets off, and today's court assembly will undoubtedly discuss this matter. However, unusually, few of the officials waiting at the gates of the Taiji Palace are gathered together chatting. Every now and then, an attendant of one of the officials can be seen rushing in, slipping into their master's carriage, and then hurrying away again.
When the appointed time arrives, the General on duty, the Golden Crow, gives the order. The Imperial Guards slowly open the palace gates, and two squads of Imperial Guards in their flying fish robes come out to change shifts, while those who have been on duty all night line up and withdraw. Standing on both sides of the passageway from the palace gates to the Taiji Hall are the Imperial Guards, fully armored and wielding long spears.
A eunuch comes out and announces in a affected tone, then leads the officials, divided into civil and military ranks, into the Taiji Palace. Officials from the Ministry of Rites take notes on one side, not letting any impolite behavior go unnoticed. And today, for some reason, many officials seem rather solemn. They glanced at each other every now and then, then quickly looked away.
East Warm Pavilion.
The Emperor looked at the unconscious man before him, dressed in the robes of a fifth-rank military officer, his brow furrowed deeply. The imperial physicians had been busy all night, but the man was too exhausted to wake up. This man had been hurriedly brought here yesterday by the postmaster and his men; it was said that his horse had died of exhaustion before reaching the post station. When asked what had happened, he only mentioned an urgent report from the border, and said nothing more. He had changed horses but hadn't gone far before collapsing and remained unconscious until now.
The postmaster was shrewd; instead of taking him to the Ministry of War, he had taken him directly to the outside of the Taiji Palace. The officer on duty, wearing a flying fish robe, dared not delay, rushed in to seek permission, and then had the officer carried directly to the East Warm Pavilion. The man remained unconscious. The Emperor had sat in the East Warm Pavilion all night, without closing his eyes, his face solemn.
He seemed to have foreseen something bad, hence his inability to sleep. Or perhaps he wanted to wait for the general to wake up so he could immediately ask what the urgent report was. Su Buwei searched the general's body but found nothing. The emperor's heart was pounding, and he had no desire to sleep.
As the time for the morning court session approached, Su Buwei reminded the emperor. The emperor nodded after a moment of silence and began to change into his court robes with the help of palace maids.
Just then, the general's Adam's apple bobbed, and he suddenly sat up, his hand instinctively reaching for his waist.
His sword had already been removed from his robe, so he touched nothing. Then he saw the emperor in his dragon robe. He was clearly startled, looked at him uncertainly again, and then quickly knelt down: "Your subject, Zhuge Zhan, General of the Left Guard, pays his respects to Your Majesty!"
"Left Guard? Pei Huan's subordinate?"
The emperor asked, frowning.
"Indeed."
The general named Zhuge Zhan kowtowed. "What happened?"
The Emperor asked.
"Your Majesty..."
Zhuge Zhan raised his head and quickly lowered it again, seemingly unable to meet the Emperor's eyes: "Your Majesty... the war in the Northwest... has been lost! My general has died in battle, and the strategist ordered me to return to Chang'an immediately to report the truth! When I rushed out, the strategist led the last remaining brothers to try and block the breached defenses. I looked back, and they were quickly overwhelmed by the Mongol cavalry... The Right Guard General Yu Zhengdong has also died in battle, the central army is in chaos, the Left Valiant Guard General Jin Shixiong is missing, and Prince Xu has retreated with his troops to Qingxia..."
With a thud, the palace maid holding the crown, preparing to place it on the Emperor's head, was startled and dropped the magnificent crown, which rolled to the Emperor's feet.
"Take her out and have her beaten to death!"
The Emperor glanced at the palace maid kneeling in fear and coldly gave the order. His voice seemed calm and unwavering. But no one could see that inside his wide sleeves, his fists were clenched tightly, veins bulging.