Back to the Song Dynasty: The Rise of an Empire

If the Tang Empire won, it would say to its opponents: "You damn well behave yourself in the future, or be careful that I wipe out your entire clan. Pay tribute obediently every year!"

<...

Chapter 238 The Emperor's Nighttime Departure from the City! (Sakura, everyone misses you!)

Yao Pingzhong's balls are practically crushed now.

His entire brain was green.

It should be said that its entire body is green.

His concubine, whom he had pampered for over a year, suddenly became a spy for the Tanguts.

Suddenly, he started having an affair with the military commander under him, and also slept with two commanders and three captains!

This is absolutely a disgrace to men!

It wasn't just shame, it was fear.

He almost became an unfaithful and unfilial person.

The crucial point is that he didn't discover the fact that his concubine was a Tangut spy himself.

It was discovered by the Imperial City Guard, specifically by the Imperial City Guard of the Longyou Protectorate when they were conducting anti-spy surveillance there.

This means that the emperor already knew about this matter.

Imagine what the emperor would think of him if he knew that he had been sleeping with a spy from the Tanguts.

The general of the Western Frontier was colluding with a Tangut spy; even ten heads wouldn't be enough to behead Yao Pingzhong.

Fortunately, the emperor did not pursue the matter, otherwise not only would his head have rolled, but the Yao family would have suffered a terrible fate, and his adoptive father, Yao Gu, the current deputy military commissioner of the Yan-Yun war zone, would also have been in trouble.

It would have been one thing if he had died, but the entire Yao family was dragged down with him, and they would be branded as traitors for eternity. That's the worst part.

Yao Pingzhong was filled with gratitude for the emperor, praising him ten thousand times and vowing that if the emperor asked him to die now, he would definitely draw his sword and cut himself.

The emperor did not order him to atone with his death, but instead ordered him to lead troops to Chang'an overnight to welcome the emperor.

What an honor! When the emperor came to Jingzhao Prefecture, he specifically asked to see me first among the troops in the war zone.

So Yao Pingzhong led a thousand cavalrymen and began their journey towards Chang'an in the afternoon.

The image of him personally beheading that concubine occasionally flashed through his mind. Seeing that beautiful head fall from her jade-like neck, his hatred intensified.

Damn it! I almost got my whole clan implicated by those Tangut bastards!

Not content with beheading the concubine, he also ordered her head to be thrown into the countryside to feed wild dogs, and then ordered her body to be chopped up and fed to the men she had affairs with.

Once you've finished eating, chop them all up!

Today, a strange thing is circulating in Yao Pingzhong's army.

Several officers suddenly died of illness, and the new officers were quickly promoted by the Political Propaganda Department.

Putting all that aside, the moonlight was bright, and the distant mountains blended into the dark night. With the autumn wind blowing, a sense of desolation arose.

Sun Bangyuan led his men to the emperor's temporary palace in a hurry.

"Your Majesty, I kowtow. Everything is ready."

After Zhao Huan bathed and changed his clothes, he came out.

At this moment, he was dressed in a blue robe, his long hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, a purple-gold dragon-patterned belt was worn at his waist, and he held the precious sword he had used to fight on the battlefield in his hand.

He mounted his horse and asked Sun Bangyuan, "Where are Li Yanjing and Shangguan Qingren? And Chang Ziheng and Lü Xian?"

"Your Majesty, they will arrive shortly."

Tonight, a curfew is imposed throughout Chang'an.

Groups of soldiers marched in orderly steps down the street, arresting and interrogating anyone they saw.

The hour of Chou (1-3 AM) has passed, and the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) has begun.

After receiving the imperial decree summoning him, Li Yanjing had a bad feeling.

Why did the emperor want to see this transport commissioner at this moment?

Shouldn't the emperor be sleeping right now?

What he didn't know was that the prime ministers in the capital were already used to the emperor summoning them at this time.

No one knows what's going on in this emperor's mind. He might summon you to the palace at any time to discuss his grand imperial dreams, or he might just call you out for a drink to boast and chat about everyday matters.

Li Yanjing changed her clothes, then had her servants prepare a horse and hurriedly headed towards the emperor's palace.

Shangguan Qing had just climbed out of the woman's bed in a hurry.

Lu Xian, the Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture, and Chang Ziheng, the Commissioner of Ever-Normal Granaries, arrived at the same time.

"Your Majesty, I am late and beg for punishment."

"My beloved ministers, you may rise and ride with me out of the city."

Li Yanjing wondered, what was the emperor doing leaving the city at this time?

He had planned to ambush and kill the emperor tonight; the plan was all set up.

As the hour of Yin (3-5 AM) was drawing to a close, the guards on the city wall changed shifts, and they took the opportunity to blend into the city's patrol teams.

The first wave of 500 men swiftly attacked the emperor's palace, and the second wave followed closely behind, within the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

Why split into two groups?

An army of a thousand men marching down the street is too conspicuous, even in the dead of night.

This time, Li Yanjing mobilized her true military cronies.

Although these people were few in number, they could be considered Li's personal guard.

Each of them has something on them, and each of them has been thoroughly exploited.

Tonight, they will be rewarded with a thousand strings of cash for every imperial guard they kill!

What does a thousand strings of cash mean to them?

You have to work hard in the army for twenty years without spending a single penny to save up a thousand strings of cash.

Tonight, they only need to kill one of the emperor's guards to receive a reward of one thousand strings of cash.

Kill two and you'll get two thousand strings of cash!

Whoever personally cuts off the dog emperor's head will be rewarded with 100,000 strings of cash!

A generous reward will surely attract brave men!

Some people have been sharpening their knives for a long time.

But now the emperor's sudden decision to leave the city seems to have disrupted his plans.

So, before he arrived, his confidant made another trip.

The plan has changed, so the operation is suspended for now.

Li Yanjing said, "Your Majesty, Jingzhao Prefecture is different from the capital. If we leave the city now, I am worried about Your Majesty's safety."

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!