Chapter 60 The Rebellion Begins: "He's not dead! Mr. Li is not dead!"

Yao Ruyi's eyes widened. He and Gu Huizhou exchanged a glance, their expressions instantly turning serious. Gu Huizhou stood up and strode towards the door. "Come in."

Thirteen hurriedly went inside, his brows furrowed tightly. The city had been under strict guard for days, waiting for Liang Chengfeng to lead his men to attack. They had guessed many people, but they never expected that the one who would rebel with Liang Chengfeng was actually Pang Qiying.

"Pang Qiying?" Yao Ruyi had never heard of this person before.

Thirteen nodded. "He was originally the commander of the Imperial Guards, but was later sent to the capital's main camp to train soldiers. The daily training of soldiers eventually gave him this idea."

Pang Qiying was not young, but he had only been in the army for five years. He was conscripted during the reign of the late emperor and later followed Han Dahai, where he earned many military merits and could be considered a general.

“He used to have some influence in the Imperial Guards, and then he became a general and rose even higher,” Thirteen sneered. “I didn’t expect him to still be so dissatisfied.”

To become a military general like General Han, one cannot simply remain holed up in the capital.

Gu Huizhou's expression turned serious, and the beads in his hand began to jingle again. "Where is Guan Yunshan?"

"Your Majesty, General Guan has been guarding the city gates of the capital. He immediately detected any unusual movements by the rebels. I estimate that the number of people in the capital who rebelled with Liang Chengfeng, plus the soldiers who followed Liang Chengfeng and obeyed his orders, totals about 50,000."

He frowned.

Fifty thousand people...

Gu Huizhou nodded slowly. The 50,000 men were still within his strategy. "Hmm, you and Fourteenth keep a close eye on them. If anything happens, come and tell me."

"yes."

Thirteen nodded, turned around and left.

Suddenly, only the two of them remained in the hall. The ripples of the atmosphere vanished completely. Yao Ruyi couldn't help but worry. Fifty thousand rebels was no small number, not to mention the civilians in the city among them.

They actually managed to fool them.

"His Majesty……"

"Um?"

Yao Ruyi lay face down on the table, his hands folded over his head and his head resting on his arms, the flesh on the side of his face distorted by the pressure. "What will happen to those rebels after the rebellion is quelled?"

"Recruit them to serve the imperial court."

"Recruitment?"

Gu Huizhou raised an eyebrow. "Does the Nineteenth Prince really think I can kill them all?"

Yao Ruyi remained silent.

After a moment, the man said loudly, "If the bandit leader dies, the remaining bandits will not amount to anything."

Therefore, we should arrest Liang Chengfeng and Gu Huai'an together first. Mushroom nodded, "To catch the thief, catch the king first."

"clever."

Yao Ruyi smiled in a bad mood, feeling that the emperor was teasing him. If he couldn't even understand this sentence, he wouldn't need to study with Mr. Wang in the future, and might as well stay in the palace as a secret guard.

What should we do now?

"What do you want to do?" The man's originally serious expression turned into a smile. He looked Yao Ruyi up and down and said in a teasing tone, "What does the Nineteenth Prince want to do? Tell me, and I will cooperate."

"I don't!"

He was also worried about the rebellion. Although everything was within Gu Huizhou's plans, he was afraid that something might go wrong. "Your Majesty, I can't sleep."

Gu Huizhou was taken aback. His smile was tinged with self-mockery. How could he possibly sleep? The man sighed inwardly. He slowly walked to the table and beckoned to the person, "Come, I'll teach you to write."

"good."

—

Twenty miles outside the capital city, under the moonlight, a villa sat at the foot of a mountain. The courtyard was small, but it contained a considerable amount of things. Most of them were grain and silver; Liang Chengfeng had converted almost all of the Liang family's possessions into silver.

The rice in the fields is gradually improving, but it's not harvest time yet. If they want to sell a large amount of grain, they still have to transport it from Jiangnan or buy it from the people of Xiao.

Everything seemed tranquil under the moonlight; the flames of war ten miles away were barely visible here. Liang Pingxia strolled around the courtyard, then paused, staring at the image of the Xiao Kingdom Chamber of Commerce on Liang's bag, before turning away as if she hadn't seen it.

She held her waist and stared blankly in the direction of the capital for a long time.

She had been staying here since leaving the capital not long ago. The girl's charm had faded slightly, and a hint of melancholy crossed her eyes. Liang Pingxia reached out to brush her cheek and turned to walk towards the lit room.

Gu Huai'an has been lying in bed for the past few days. After waking up, he made a huge fuss and almost went mad, wanting to end his life. When he saw Liang Pingxia, he froze and spilled most of the medicine in his hand.

With bloodshot eyes, he yelled at the girl, "Get out! Didn't you hear me tell you to get out?!"

Liang Pingxia wasn't afraid. Tears streaming down her face, she stepped forward and grabbed Gu Huai'an's hand, shouting loudly as he lost control of his emotions, "Brother Huai'an! Brother Huai'an! It's me, Xia'er!"

"Brother Huai'an, we're having a baby!"

Like a blow to the head, Gu Huai'an froze. The medicine in his hand burned blisters on the back of his hand. His eyes were numb as he turned his head, unable to believe it. "My...child?"

"Yes, Brother Huai'an's child." The girl's cheeks flushed, and a tear slid down her cheek, making her look pitiful. Gu Huai'an seemed lost in thought. After a long while, he suddenly threw his head back and laughed, laughing almost maniacally.

"Heaven has favored Gu Huai'an!"

Overwhelmed with joy, he had thought his life was over, but God had been so kind to him! His eyes were filled with excitement as he looked at the person in front of him, Gu Huai'an was trembling with excitement, and his attitude changed abruptly.

He forgot the pain in his lower body, and trembling, he leaned over and hugged her, "Xia'er, you are my only wife!"

"You are my only empress."

"Squeak—" The door made a slight sound.

Liang Pingxia recalled how the man looked when he first woke up the day before. After entering the room, she turned around and closed the door. She walked gracefully to the bedside. Gu Huai'an was also vaguely awake at this time. When he saw that it was Liang Pingxia, he smiled and said, "Xia'er."

“Brother Huai’an”.

The girl giggled and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Brother Huai'an, the physician just brewed the medicine. It's still a little hot, so let me put it on the bedside for you to cool down."

"Thank you, Xia'er," Gu Huai'an said with a forced smile, his lips pale. "Xia'er is the best to me. I must have done too many good deeds in my past life to be able to meet such a beautiful and virtuous woman as Xia'er in this life."

As he spoke, he reached out and grasped the woman's soft, boneless hand. Liang Pingxia's hands, which were originally delicate and fair, had become somewhat dry and cracked after just two days.

The girl's eyes reddened. "Brother Huai'an, don't look anymore, it's not pretty."

"What's wrong with you?" Gu Huai'an took Liang Pingxia's hand, placed it to his lips, and kissed it with a smile. "Xia'er is beautiful at any time."

This caused the girl to chuckle softly, "Brother Huai'an always knows how to make Xia'er happy."

Gu Huai'an didn't speak. He turned his head to look at the sky outside the window. The paper window blocked his view, so he could only see darkness outside. A moment of resentment flashed in his eyes. At this moment, he could only lie on the bed.

He should have ridden his horse and charged towards the city gate with his soldiers, letting the people in the city see who the real emperor was, but instead it turned out like this.

He gritted his teeth and took a long breath, "Xia'er, how is Young Master Liang?"

Liang Pingxia froze. "Brother and General Pang have already attacked the city gate. Don't worry, Brother Huai'an. Most of the soldiers in the city are under your command. We will definitely succeed."

Gu Huai'an raised the corners of his mouth upon hearing this, feigning weakness. His already frail body had weakened even more recently, and as he lay on the bed, the flesh on the side of his face appeared swollen and round. He had intended to pretend to be a sickly young master, but Liang Pingxia couldn't help but look away.

"Since Xia'er said so, then it will definitely work."

Liang Pingxia smiled and said, "Brother Huai'an, please rest first. Xia'er will go and get you some food."

"Okay, go ahead."

The girl stood up with a smile, but after turning around, she suppressed the smile on her lips, her face filled with resentment, and her hands clenched tightly.

Why?! Why should she marry a useless man who can't even have sex?! If she becomes empress someday, that's one thing, but if this fails...

She dared not think too much. Her delicate and lively eyes had been filled with resentment. She hated that she wasn't the one who was pampered at her coming-of-age ceremony, and that she wasn't the one who married the top scholar!

Why did her second uncle and father just die like that?

She is now to be married to a eunuch...

A tear slid down her cheek, and Liang Pingxia hurriedly wiped it away with the back of her hand. She knew that Gu Huai'an wouldn't come out now, but if he saw her, she would really have no way out.

She'll wait a little longer! Her brother said they'll definitely succeed, and when that happens, she'll be the most honored woman in the entire Yun Kingdom!

Moreover, Gu Huai'an can only have this one child, and she will remain the Empress Dowager.

The ambition in the girl's eyes was almost overflowing.

A half-smile played on her lips. Liang Pingxia suppressed her inner turmoil, reached out to touch the hairpin in the brocade pouch at her waist, and turned to go to another room with lit candles.

The rebels forced the people of the capital to hide in their homes overnight, and even the vendors who used to make a living retreated into their homes.

The gloomy capital city looked even more terrifying because of the overcast skies these past few days. There were messy piles of things that hadn't been cleaned up yet. What used to be the most prosperous and bustling capital city now looked like an abandoned city.

The bustling crowds of the New Year were nowhere to be seen, leaving Han Jiqing's lips twitching. He and Han Jiwen walked back to their residence from the palace, both looking grim. The number of rebels hadn't increased at all; Guan Yunshan was doing something else entirely, and yet they hadn't even managed to subdue a mere 50,000 rebels!

"I've wanted to tell His Majesty for a long time that I want to go to the battlefield, so why does His Majesty keep dragging it out like this!"

Han Jiqing felt a tightness in his chest; he couldn't understand what His Majesty was thinking. After he finished speaking, Han Jiwen beside him paused, "Waiting for Gu Huai'an?"

"What are you waiting for him for?"

Han Jiwen wasn't sure if his guess was right, so he tentatively said, "If I'm not mistaken, His Majesty has always known about Liang Chengfeng's plan to raise an army. After all, the tiger tally of the Liang family was passed down from the Liang family to Liang Chengfeng."

“Liang Fu still has some plans, but Liang Chengfeng might not. But if he and Gu Huai’an get together… Gu Huai’an has a get-out-of-jail-free card.”

"Heh, Gu Huai'an used up his pardon when he entered the palace a few days ago, so he won't have it again now."

"This is what His Majesty has been waiting for."

Han Jiqing asked, "What do you mean?"

Han Jiwen glanced around quietly and whispered, "What His Majesty wants is the life of the former Crown Prince."

Han Jiqing paused, "Keep your voice down."

He knew that His Majesty hated Gu Huai'an. When His Majesty was young, Gu Huai'an treated him so badly that if he were in his shoes, he would want to tear him apart. But was he just dragging Gu Huai'an along, waiting for him to personally go to the battlefield?

It would be more satisfying to take someone to prison and torture them.

The two walked slowly toward the Han residence. Han Jiwen had brought Xiao Xiaoyuan back to the Han residence these past few days. He had been busy with court affairs lately and was always worried that he wouldn't be able to take good care of her, so he felt at ease leaving his elder sister and mother to look after her.

"I always felt that His Majesty had other deeper intentions."

Han Jiwen remained silent, but when the two were almost at the Han residence, he suddenly stopped. "My elder sister has been secretly investigating with Young Master Baili to see if anyone is hoarding large quantities of grain, but there has been nothing unusual. Fifty thousand soldiers cannot go without food and water indefinitely; even if they were all eating tree bark on the mountain, they wouldn't last more than a few days."

"Where did their food come from?"

If it wasn't bought from merchants in the Yun Kingdom, then it must have been from another country.

Han Jiqing's pupils contracted. In the court, the officials were calling for the killing of Liang Chengfeng's cavalry rebellion, but some of Liang Fu's faction were not sure about the matter. So His Majesty could not openly discuss the internal and external troubles in the court.

He hurriedly said, "You go back to the manor first, I'll go back to the army!"

Han Jiwen touched his nose. "Brother! Sister-in-law is waiting for you to help her choose fabric and make clothes for her nephew..." Before he could finish speaking, he saw that the person had already walked away. He opened his mouth but didn't say anything more. Han Jiwen turned around and went back to the Han residence.

His Majesty has already taken everything into account, so they don't need to worry too much.

We can just wait for those people to get themselves into trouble.

Meanwhile, outside the capital, Guan Yunshan charged ahead on horseback, leading his troops in a relentless maneuver against Pang Qiying. Seeing the man's numerous wounds, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Hahahaha! I never thought General Pang would have this day!"

He had always served under Pang Qiying before being promoted to general. Although they were of equal rank, many soldiers still considered him to be Pang Qiying's subordinate. Over the years, he had always been overshadowed by Pang Qiying, never expecting to one day be his enemy.

As the longsword was swung out, a flash of blood appeared between the two men's eyes. Pang Qiying was exhausted from several days of fighting. His eyes were filled with hatred as he looked at the man opposite him. Pang Qiying gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

The soldiers around them were still fighting, but the two of them stood facing each other from a distance of more than ten meters.

Pang Qiying's eyes were filled with hatred.

Damn it! Weren't we supposed to attack the city together? Why hasn't the Xiao Kingdom made a move yet? He's starting to doubt whether Liang Chengfeng is lying to him!

But there was no turning back now. "Ah—" a roar escaped from his throat, and he charged forward with his longsword in hand.

Pang Qiying's armor was stained a deep red, making him look even more listless in the gloomy sky. Guan Yunshan snorted coldly, sitting upright and imposing on his horse, and waved his hand, "Brothers! Charge!"

"Aaaaaahh ...

The flames of war raged, raising plumes of smoke. Soldiers fell one after another, and new ones rushed forward, as if the dividing line in the middle was a gateway to the underworld, where most would perish.

Those who can stand there for so long are mostly skilled generals; if not, they should be in the future.

Yao Ruyi and Gu Huizhou stood on the city wall, gazing into the distance.

Gu Huizhou's face was not good. He looked at the battlefield where the fighting was incessant, his eyes were glazed over. He kept playing with the beads in his large hands. He didn't know when he had put away the string of green beads that Yao Ruyi had given him, and then he played with the red cinnabar string in his hand.

The scheming and worry in the man's eyes were completely concealed. If anyone saw the emperor like this now, they would think he was calm and experienced. Yao Ruyi was noncommittal, but he always felt that Gu Huizhou was not completely at ease with him.

He seemed to question all the results, including his own.

A commotion gradually arose from all around.

"What's that sound?" Yao Ruyi frowned. He looked at the distant battlefield, filled with shouts and howls, the chaotic footsteps mingling with the clatter of hooves and the mournful cries of horses. But this sound wasn't coming from outside the capital…

He and Gu Huizhou exchanged a glance. "In the capital!"

Yao Ruyi and Gu Huizhou stood on the city gate and suddenly turned around. He looked at the dense crowd gathered in one place from the capital, which looked like a small army, and his heart skipped a beat.

Thirteen flew forward from a distance, "Your Majesty, the students of the Capital Academy have formed a faction! They say they want to seek justice for Mr. Li!"

Yao Ruyi's tone quickened, "If you want justice, you should go outside the city and demand it from Liang Chengfeng. How can you blame the imperial court?"

"Hmph," Gu Huizhou narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression darkening as he watched the approaching shadowy figure. "A rabble."

Liang Chengfeng came up with a good excuse: whoever killed the person should be held accountable. They didn't care why the person was killed; as long as someone was killed, justice should be sought from the killer.

"That's incredibly stupid."

Yao Ruyi never expected that the scholars in the capital would be so unable to distinguish right from wrong. Even if there were many of Liang Chengfeng's people among them, it was not enough to incite so many others.

Thirteen frowned. "Your Majesty, should we have them all arrested?"

"Arrest him?"

"Where in the prison do we have that much food to feed them?" the man sneered. "Now that they can't get food, they come to my prison to beg for it?"

Thirteen,"……"

Yao Ruyi opened her mouth, "..." Never mind.

"Let them come, let me see just how stupid these students of Dayun really are."

As the people drew closer, Yao Ruyi's palms broke out in a cold sweat. He swallowed hard. He could now see the faces of the scholars at the front. Some of them were holding stones, and some were holding books, but no matter what they were holding, their faces all showed resentment and dissatisfaction.

"You dog emperor! Give me back Mr. Li's life!"

"You dog emperor! Give me back Mr. Li's life!"

The voices gathered together in a massive, overwhelming sound, indicating there must have been over a thousand people below. The sight of heads everywhere deepened Yao Ruyi's confusion.

The man at the front was a middle-aged man with a large belly. His robes were ill-fitting, but he didn't care. He casually held the scroll in his hand, raised his head, and shouted at the city wall, "You dog emperor! Give me back Mr. Li's life! Mr. Li is a rare Confucian scholar in Yun Kingdom! He is well-versed in the ways of governing the world, how can he be beaten to death!"

"If you hadn't done something wrong, why would you be afraid of being talked about!"

Gu Huizhou raised an eyebrow upon hearing those words. As the emperor, was he supposed to condone his subordinates' rebellion and treason? Thinking this, the man looked down at the city gate and listened to the fighting behind him, then suddenly smiled.

It really was the result of his indulgence.

Yao Ruyi's eyes flickered. Among the group below were several of the people who had insulted Mr. Li in prison earlier. What were they doing here...?

He thought about it and was shocked to realize that they were all people hired by Liang Chengfeng.

"His Majesty……"

Gu Huizhou raised an eyebrow at him, "If I were to kill them all, would the Nineteenth Prince be willing?"

Yao Ruyi was taken aback. "Killed them all?"

"Half and half."

"How do you know which scholar was deceived?"

Soldiers lined both sides of the city wall, with even Thirteen standing guard. Gu Huizhou, dressed in a striking red robe, raised an eyebrow and chuckled, “Give me a kiss, and I’ll tell you.”

Even at a time like this, he could still be thinking about that matter—

"Gu Huizhou!"

Thirteen wished he could fly to the battlefield immediately. He lowered his head, then turned to stare at the group of students below the city gate.

"The 19th Party Congress refused?"

Yao Ruyi was also unable to get angry with the man. Even though he himself was preoccupied, he still teased him, "Tell me quickly."

"Oh."

As the shouts below the city gate grew louder, Yao Ruyi could see the smile in Gu Huizhou's eyes deepen. Under the cover of dark clouds, Gu Huizhou lowered his head, the depth of his eye sockets concealing the expression in his eyes, and the high bridge of his nose concealing a mole on the side of his face. He smiled at Yao Ruyi.

He raised his hand, and a bow appeared in his grasp. Gu Huizhou suddenly pinched the arrow between his knuckles, and with a "whoosh," the arrow shot out and rushed towards the group of scholars.

"ah--"

"It's a bow and arrow!"

"Help--"

...

"Clang!" Before the thousands of people could scatter and flee, the arrow pierced straight into the trunk of a tree among them, penetrating more than halfway into it!

His face paled, and the man at the front was the first to retreat, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. He couldn't help but look back at the arrow in the tree, muttering, "Damn it—"

"He actually dared to do that!"

"Murder! Murder!"

Even a single arrow would be enough to make their legs go weak.

But before the panic in his heart could dissipate, the man at the front stared wide-eyed up in disbelief, “That’s…!”

"The Imperial Guards!"

Rows of Imperial Guards, armed with bows and arrows, appeared in orderly fashion from both sides, standing neatly on both sides of the city wall. Their bows and arrows were aimed at the area below the wall. The man turned pale, even his mouth was bloodless, and his pupils constricted as he shouted, "He—he wants to kill us!"

"The emperor wants to kill us all!"

"Look, everyone! He's a tyrant! He wants to kill us all!" he shouted hoarsely. Liang Chengfeng had clearly assured him that the dog emperor, who mingled among scholars, would never lay a hand on them, but now what was happening!

how so!

He swallowed hard, and seeing the panicked expressions of the thousands of people behind him, he continued shouting, "He doesn't deserve to be emperor! Mr. Li died at his hands! And Lord Liang! Lord Liang must have been killed by him!"

"Now he actually wants to kill us all!"

There were quite a few people like this man in the crowd. Gu Huizhou squinted, he heard these words clearly, but his face didn't even show disdain. He was too lazy to argue with these people.

Fourteen stepped forward from behind, "Your Majesty, the person has been brought."

Gu Huizhou stepped forward, "I must take a good look at the expressions on these people's faces."

Yao Ruyi held the bow and arrow that the emperor had just used and tried to draw it. Upon hearing this, she exclaimed, "What?"

After saying that, he followed the man's gaze and saw an old man being brought over by the Fourteenth Prince from the other side of the city wall. His eyes were full of seriousness, and his cheeks were much thinner, but his eyes were brighter than when Yao Ruyi had seen him last time. "Your subject greets Your Majesty!"

"Mr. Li..."

Mr. Li is not dead!

Yao Ruyi was both surprised and delighted. He looked at Gu Huizhou with joy in his eyes. He hadn't killed Mr. Li.

Li Wenjing smiled slightly and cupped her hands in greeting, "Your Excellency the Nineteenth."

Gu Huizhou nodded, "Lord Li, there's no need for such formalities. Please come and meet your students."

Li Wenjing sighed deeply, his heart filled with mixed emotions. "Yes."

At the same time, at Fourteen's wave, the Imperial Guards drew their bows to their fullest extent. Li Wenjing slowly walked to the very edge, and gasps immediately rose from below the city wall. The frantic shouts and curses that had just erupted instantly ceased, replaced by astonishment and helplessness. "Sir!"

"That, that person is... he is a gentleman!"

"Mr. Li?"

"He's not dead! Mr. Li is not dead!"

...

But in the instant the students realized what was happening, "Whoosh—"

"Whoosh—"

"Whoosh—"

Countless arrows shot out instantly, aimed at the bewildered and terrified people in the crowd.

The man at the very front of the crowd had six or seven long arrows stuck in his body.