Su Buwei glanced back at Zhuge Zhan, whispering, "Don't go anywhere, just wait here for His Majesty to return." Then he looked at the Emperor, his heart involuntarily clenching. The Emperor seemed to have aged twenty years in an instant; the hair at his temples had quietly turned completely white. His steps were unsteady as he walked out, his shoulders trembling slightly.
"Your Majesty."
Su Buwei called out, and the Emperor's eyes were empty when he turned around.
"What is it?"
He asked.
But Su Buwei could tell that the Emperor's action was entirely subconscious. His Majesty's mind was entirely on the northwestern battlefield, entirely on the 700,000 troops who had already been wiped out. That was the backbone of the Sui army; 700,000 men were enough to flatten the northern, eastern, and southern borders of the Sui Dynasty like plowing through the land, but in the west, it seemed they had vanished so easily. That's seven hundred thousand lives! Hand in hand, they could stretch from Chang'an all the way out of the capital region.
Feeling the emperor's grief and anger, Su Buwei realized his own body was trembling.
He held the bronze mirror before the emperor, who looked at his reflection and paused. The emperor raised his hand and slowly gathered the white hairs at his temples, tucking them into his crown. His once remarkably steady hands trembled uncontrollably, yet his movements were so earnest and meticulous.
Su Buwei felt his heart breaking. He had never seen the emperor so aged and frail. He was a lucky man; soon after entering the palace, he had followed Wu Peisheng in the imperial study. Wu Peisheng was his mentor, and he had been fortunate enough to witness the majesty of two emperors.
After Wu Peisheng's death, he became one of the emperor's men. If the late emperor valued Wu Peisheng for his ability to handle state affairs and his keen insight... So what His Majesty values most is Su Buwei's loyalty. Although Wu Peisheng is a high-ranking eunuch, he has never stood by the Emperor's side as consistently as Su Buwei. It is precisely because the Emperor has placed this trust in him that he can truly empathize with the Emperor's grief.
He put the bronze mirror back and reached out to help the Emperor leave. But his hand froze in mid-air, hesitant to touch the Emperor.
As if sensing his intention, the Emperor shook his head slightly.
"I'm fine… Send someone to inform Dean Zhou that the day has arrived. After court, invite the Vice Minister of War Zong Lianghu, the Left General of the Imperial Guard Yang Shunhui, and the Right General of the Imperial Guard Xu Xiaogong to the East Warm Pavilion for a meeting."
"Yes, sir."
Su Buwei responded, noticing his voice trembling.
"Your Majesty, shouldn't we postpone tomorrow's military expedition ceremony?"
He hesitated for a long time before finally asking.
The Emperor was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "Since the situation in the Northwest is beyond repair, let's deal with the affairs of the capital first. I now realize that I overestimated myself and underestimated others. I always thought I was watching everything, that no one could hide anything from me. The Sui Dynasty is too vast… and there are too many people in the Sui Dynasty. So vast that my eyes can see everything, so numerous that my eyes cannot see through them all."
"The situation in the Northwest cannot be revealed, at least not until after tomorrow's military departure ceremony. Those treacherous officials have already dealt me a heavy blow in the Northwest, letting me know that not everything is firmly in my grasp. In any case, the capital cannot slip through my fingers again."
He paused and continued: "Also, summon Luo Weiran to see me. The Northwest intelligence agency hasn't sent a single message back to Chang'an… Hou Wenji has clearly betrayed me long ago. I sent him to the Northwest, only to find that I've given those treacherous officials a valuable ally. From today onwards..." "You take over the affairs of the Intelligence Bureau. Have Luo Weiran lead a thorough investigation; leave no one alive of Hou Wenji's cronies and henchmen. Don't act now; wait until before the military ceremony tomorrow."
"Yes, sir."
Su Buwei bowed her head and replied, "This servant is just afraid that the Intelligence Bureau is such a large operation, this servant cannot handle it."
"You lead it for now, I will find a suitable person later."
The Emperor smiled, his face full of bitterness: "I remember discussing this topic with you before, after all, it was Luo Weiran who..." "Am I more loyal, or is Hou Wenji more loyal...? You said you couldn't see clearly back then, and I even laughed at you. I said that although Luo Weiran was sent by the Seventh Prince, he was, after all, a rough-and-tumble person from the martial world, with wild ambitions. Hou Wenji comes from a noble family, and was personally promoted by me; he's more loyal than Luo Weiran. Although I've been suspicious of him for some time now, I thought he was just greedy and didn't have any major flaws..."
"Now, thinking about it, I've actually been confused all along. I know there are quite a few in the Imperial Guards..." "Those spies of those rebellious officials, the Imperial Guards and Intelligence Bureau, are no longer as pure as they were at the founding of the dynasty. But I never doubted their loyalty. Yet now, those stabbing me in the back are people I never suspected."
He paused for a moment, then ordered, "Tomorrow, everything as usual. Not only as usual, but make it even more grand and magnificent… Go tell Fang Jie that he wants the Red Sleeves Dance Troupe to perform at the departure ceremony, so make it even bigger, let the people see that Chang'an is still a place of peace and prosperity."
"This servant will send someone immediately."
"Let Fang Jie withdraw. I sent him to investigate the Sixth Prince simply to keep his attention on him… The Sixth Prince is naturally suspicious. With his attention focused on Fang Jie, my people will have an easier time investigating. Actually, Fang Jie is just a very obvious decoy I arranged, but the more obvious that is, the more the Sixth Prince will overthink. I never thought Fang Jie would uncover everything; he's still too young…"
"Fang Jie…" Su Buwei paused, then suddenly knelt down: "This servant has something to hide from Your Majesty."
The Emperor was startled, looking at Su Buwei: "Even you have something to hide from me?"
"Your Majesty...this servant is guilty...this morning Chen Xiaoru sent a message by carrier pigeon, saying that Fang Jie, in order to force those people to reveal their weaknesses, plans to impersonate Wu Yidao and escape from Chang'an, thus luring them into attacking. Chen Xiaoru said Fang Jie also wants to make Prince Yi's purpose even clearer, so he plans to risk his life."
"Hmm?"
The Emperor frowned, then sighed: "So the person I suspected is a loyal and fearless individual. Send someone to keep an eye on him. If Fang Jie doesn't die today, I'll have him do something important tomorrow...It's time. If I could be ruthless enough to remove these cancerous growths before waging war against the Northwest, perhaps this wouldn't have happened there. I originally thought the Sixth Prince was going to the Northwest, but now I understand...Li Yuanshan and the Sixth Prince are not on the same page."
...
...
Prince Yi's Residence.
On the warship. With a thud, Prince Yi, who was copying a famous landscape painting, froze, his brush falling from his hand. The ink-soaked brush landed on the paper, like a blooming ink chrysanthemum. He abruptly looked up at Qin Liuqi, who stood before him with an extremely grim expression, his eyes filled with surprise and disbelief.
"You...you say that again!"
He pointed a finger at Qin Liuqi and shouted. Qin Liuqi trembled, lowered his head, and said in a sorrowful and indignant tone, "Hou Wenji returned with a message from the northwest: the imperial army of 700,000 is all gone... Li Yuanshan first sent troops disguised as Mongol cavalry to break through the defenses of General Yu Zhengdong of the Right Imperial Guard from the rear, colluding with the Mongol cavalry to slaughter the entire Right Imperial Guard. Then, he led his men, feigning defeat and retreating to the central army, suddenly launching an attack on Prince Xu's central camp... With the cooperation of 300,000 Mongol cavalry, they routed Prince Xu's central army. Prince Xu, Mou Liangbi, and the Left Valiant Guard General..." "Jun Jinshixiong's fate is unknown."
"Then the Mongol cavalry split into three routes and surrounded the forces of General Pei Huan of the Left Imperial Guard. After several days of bloody fighting, the entire Left Imperial Guard was annihilated, and General Pei Huan was killed in battle. Li Yuanshan, in collusion with the Mongols, has already crossed the Langru Mountain and Qingxia Gorge. The governors of the three northwestern provinces, Yuan Chongwu, Yang Shanchen, and Wu Peizhi, have dispatched local troops to block roads and prevent the spread of news. The people are unaware that the army has been defeated. The secret letter says that Yuan Chongwu and his men are preparing to raise the banner of 'purging the court of corrupt officials,' first controlling the three northwestern provinces, and then marching on Chang'an..."
With a crash! Prince Yi swept everything off the table: "Li Yuanshan! Yuan Chongwu! I truly underestimated you! From the very beginning... from the very beginning, Li Yuanshan harbored treacherous intentions!"
"Your Highness..."
Qin Liuqi said urgently, "These aren't the most worrying things. Hou Wenji's secret letter says that Li Yuanshan colluded with the Mongols, signing a treaty whereby the Mongols would help Li Yuanshan attack Chang'an, but in return, the three northwestern provinces would be ceded to the Mongols. And Li Yuanshan actually offered up a secret that would have been of great use to Your Highness to the Mongols! Most shameful of all... Hou Wenji said that Li Yuanshan overturned Yuan Chongwu's banner of 'purging the emperor's corrupt officials,' instead intending to use the banner of deposing the incompetent emperor and installing Your Highness as emperor."
"Ah!"
Prince Yi gasped in shock, nearly losing his balance. "What a vicious scheme!"
"He dares not raise the banner of rebellion, so he must send troops in my name... I now understand how deep Li Yuanshan's calculations are! If I go to the Northwest, he will coerce me into marching on Chang'an. If I don't go to the Northwest, he will still raise the same banner, making the world believe that it is I, not Li Yuanshan, who is colluding with the Mongols! If Fourth Brother kills me because of this, he will probably raise the white flag again and raise an army to avenge me! What secret is that in the Northwest now? How many weapons and armors have been forged from that accidentally discovered iron mine over the years? Now they have all become gifts that Li Yuanshan is offering to the Mongols! Li Yuanshan, that idiot! Once the Mongols have the iron mine, what will the Great Sui have to contend with them?!"
"I always thought Li Yuanshan was nothing more than..." "He's a clown! Now I understand he harbors such grand ambitions! Turning his family into a nation… haha… even someone like Li Yuanshan is thinking of turning his family into a nation!"
"Your Highness… we must think of a solution now."
Qin Liuqi said urgently, "Should we postpone tomorrow's matter?"
Prince Yi was taken aback, then gritted his teeth and said, "Postpone? If we postpone it any longer, I will surely die! Once Li Yuanshan has occupied all three northwestern routes, plus the Mongol cavalry, he will have enough strength to advance on Chang'an. The Northwest has the Left and Right Imperial Guards and the Left Valiant Guard—these are the three guards that Li Yuanshan dares not rebel against. Now he has devised a plan to join forces with the Mongols to eliminate these three guards in one fell swoop. The Northwest has no natural barriers; those county troops, even if they weren't controlled by Yuan Chongwu and others, would still be able to stop them." "Unable to withstand the combined forces of the Mongol Yuan and Li Yuanshan... Once the news reaches Chang'an that they are welcoming me as emperor, do you think the emperor will still spare me out of respect for the Empress Dowager?"
"Then..."
Qin Liuqi hesitated, "Shall we proceed according to plan tomorrow?"
Prince Yi nodded vigorously: "Send someone to the palace to tell the Empress Dowager to prepare. After my success tomorrow, the Empress Dowager will immediately issue an edict to establish me as emperor. Using the late emperor's edict we prepared to silence those blindly loyalists, coupled with the Empress Dowager's intervention, we should be able to stabilize the situation in Chang'an quickly. As long as Chang'an is stable, I will immediately issue an edict to punish the rebels after ascending the throne!"
"Yes, sir!"
Qin Liuqi responded, "I will do it immediately."
"Wait!"
Prince Yi was silent for a moment, then instructed: "Let those courtiers do what they're told today. Kill Wu Yidao and Fang Jie—leave no one alive. No need for further probing. Only with Wu Yidao and Fang Jie dead will those courtiers feel secure enough to serve me. I need them more than ever before. From tomorrow onward, they will be the first courtiers to kneel before me! Send the Snake Guards too. We can't afford any more trouble because of Wu Yidao."
"Now that they're all dead, the Emperor will surely send people to investigate. Dispersing the Imperial Guards will be beneficial for tomorrow. The Emperor won't cancel tomorrow's military campaign because of today's events; it will only make him more confused. I have courtiers on my side, the Grand General on my side, and the Empress Dowager… and…"
Prince Yi's eyes sharpened: "Fourth Brother will be quite surprised by what tomorrow will bring!"