Chapter 108

Tang Qi's sword, still stained with Kong Jun's blood, now left a red mark against Cheng Junshi's neck.

"The rebellion in Juecheng was abducted. Ta Qing took the Ninth Prince hostage and rebelled. Cheng Shaoqing, Princess Yunluo, and others resisted to no avail and fled Juecheng under the cover of the remaining garrison to report the news to Jingzhou." He stared into Cheng Junshi's eyes as he finished speaking, and then continued under his shocked gaze, "This is the truth of today."

"Do you understand?" His voice was devoid of any emotion.

Cheng Junshi grasped his hand, utterly incredulous, and exclaimed, "What are you saying!"

“Your father is in Jingzhou, the Tang family is in Jingzhou, you have a way out, you don’t need to rebel.” His eyes were full of reluctance: “I have no way out, Cheng Wang, the Crown Prince is dead. There is no other way for me to take, I have no choice.”

“If you have a weakness in Jingzhou, then go back to Jingzhou.” Tang Qi gripped his sword, his eyes gradually calming down: “Shuo Dynasty doesn’t need so many rebels, I alone am enough.”

—Being infamous for eternity is enough for me alone.

"Why are you always so self-righteous?" Cheng Junshi gripped the sword, blood flowing from his palm. Tang Qi tried to pull the sword away, but the man gripped it even tighter. "Do you think you're so great? Do you think we should all be grateful to you, thank you for thinking of us, thank you for saving our lives?!"

He pressed the sword tip against his neck, his eyes filled with an unusual madness: "If you have the guts, kill me now, and I can go to the underworld to wait for you sooner."

“Junshi,” he said, his voice trembling, his expression filled with anguish, “we have no choice. You can’t stay here, you have to go to Jingzhou, you can’t be a rebel. You are the backup plan, you are the only possible backup plan!”

Tang Qi's sword trembled, whether it was himself or Cheng Junshi, it was unclear. Finally, the man opposite him suddenly closed his eyes as if resigned to his fate. When he opened them again, there was no madness in his eyes, but rather silence.

"Don't give me the chance to collect your corpse."

His hand was still dripping blood, but Tang Qi had already protected him and they had secretly left the city with the others.

Immediately, his eyes remained fixed on the man.

Soon, perhaps not long, they will become people from two completely different worlds. One will live, the other will die. This meeting today may very well be their last.

He had so much to say, but his breathing was labored and he couldn't open his mouth. Cheng Junshi could only grip the medicine bottle tightly in his hand and watch the person opposite him give him a slight smile.

Then--

"Take care of yourself."

There are so many things I want to say, but in the end, all I want is for you to be safe and sound.

They rode away into the distance, leaving behind in Jue City only a fight to the death.

Back in the city, only Ye Qian, Ye An, and a few generals whom Sheng Xingxing had summoned remained in their seats. They never expected that such a thing would happen during their mission to reinforce Juecheng.

Sheng Xingxing was still in the back room. Sheng Xiaoxin in front of him had long since turned cold. Sheng Xingxing had wiped Sheng Xiaoxin's eyes shut, otherwise they would still be open with resentment. He sat cross-legged next to Sheng Xiaoxin, not saying a word, just staring at him.

Only when the people at the door were getting chills did Tang Qi slowly walk over and squat down beside him.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?" Sheng Xingxing suddenly asked, resting her head on her hands.

The person next to him hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yes."

"What would you do if your brother died?" Sheng Xingxing asked, continuing to stare at Sheng Xiaoxin's corpse.

Before Tang Qi could reply, the person beside him continued speaking to himself: "I have many siblings, but the only ones who are good to me are my eldest brother and my elder sister, Changge."

“My elder brother went to war when he was young and rarely returned to the palace, as did my elder sister. I am the only one trapped in the palace.” Sheng Xingxing sighed. “I want to travel around like them. I don’t want to stay in the capital.”

“My elder brother rarely returns to the capital after going to the northern frontier, and neither does my elder sister. She has a princess's residence outside the palace. You see, once people leave the palace, none of them want to go back.” He chuckled. “They are all free, and I want freedom too.”

Sheng Xingxing turned her head to look at Tang Qi: "But I can't have any more, right?"

Tang Qi lowered her eyes, avoiding eye contact with him.

From the moment Sheng Xiaoxin died, he could no longer have freedom.

The current prince, Sheng Xiaoxin, is dead. If he doesn't fight for power, the Shuo Dynasty will fall into Sheng Ye's hands. Moreover, Tang Qi has already told him everything about his background, including the Crown Princess and Jin Anhe.

Sheng Xingxing looked at him with red eyes: "You're trying to use me, aren't you?"

Tang Qi intends to use Sheng Xingxing's status as the posthumous son of the late Crown Prince to unite all the oppressed soldiers, civilians, and anyone disillusioned with the dynasty in the name of upholding legitimacy.

He needed to give everyone a reason, a legitimate reason to convince himself to rebel.

The current emperor murdered his father and brother and usurped the throne, while Sheng Xingxing, as the posthumous son of the former crown prince, naturally has the title of the heir apparent.

He was the perfect excuse.

That's also the only reason.

"I'm sorry," Tang Qi said, her head bowed.

“I’m going to die eventually.” Sheng Xingxing poked Sheng Xiaoxin’s already cold hand, tilted her head and continued, “It’s only a matter of time before I die in the palace. He doesn’t want me to live, he has since I was a child. I should thank you, at least you gave me a reason to be hated. That’s good, I don’t have to worry about what I did wrong to be hated anymore.”

"I'm sorry," Tang Qi said as before.

"The mistake is in the present, but the merit will last for generations." Sheng Xingxing withdrew his hand and continued, "Even if we fail, I will still be the first prince to rise up in rebellion. That can be considered as leaving my mark in history." He suddenly laughed and said.

Tang Qi put his arm around his shoulder and laughed as well: "If we win this battle, you will become the new king. If we lose, you will only exist in the history books as the Ninth Prince, who was held hostage by the rebel Ta Qing."

Sheng Xingxing looked at him: "What do you mean?"

The person opposite him had already stood up. He looked at Sheng Xiaoxin's body and said slowly, "Where should he be buried? Shouldn't a prince be buried in the imperial mausoleum after his death?"

“He won’t enter the capital even if he’s alive.” Sheng Xingxing said calmly, “Just bury him here, let him sleep here, maybe he can still see the snow in the northern frontier.”

Tang Qi straightened up, glanced at the person in front of him, who was still holding Sheng Xiaoxin's hand, neither moving nor speaking. Tang Qi himself didn't know what to say, and could only finally say, "Please accept my condolences."

After Ye Qian went outside, he waited at the door. Before he could speak, the person on the other end spoke first: "My father is not in Jingzhou. I will not go back."

Tang Qi grinned and chuckled, "Even if your father were here, he couldn't let you go back. Without you guys, I wouldn't be confident I could win this battle."

He looked at Ye An. He was still young, but he had the demeanor of a great general. If the times were peaceful and prosperous, he would surely be famous in the future. But now, he probably didn't have time to grow.

“I know what you’re trying to say, but I can’t risk Li Guangjun for you.” Ye An stared into his eyes and continued very seriously, “My soldiers cannot bear the name of a rebel.”

“You can’t afford it, but His Majesty can.” Tang Qi took two steps toward him indifferently: “You can choose not to rebel, or you can take your soldiers back to the capital right now.”

"The Wolf Strategy Army is in His Majesty's hands. Now, Li Guang's army is all-powerful. How about we make a bet and see if Li Guang can survive when we return from Jingzhou?" He stopped in front of Ye An, who suddenly stared blankly, as if he was really thinking.

He certainly understood that Tang Qi wasn't lying, but—

“But it doesn’t matter whether you agree or not,” Tang Qi said, twirling the object in his hand and laughing with a hint of roguishness. “Because I’m planning to get a new commander for Li Guang.”

Ye An stared incredulously at what Tang Qi was holding—wasn't that Li Guang's military tag? He quickly reached for his waist, only to find it empty.

"you!"

Under Ye An's furious accusations, Tang Qi had already thrown the token to Ye Qian.

The two brothers exchanged a glance, and Ye An spoke first, addressing Tang Qi: "What do you want to do?"

Tang Qi crossed her arms and pouted, "Haven't I made myself clear enough?"

“I’m going to change the commander for Li Guangjun.” He tilted his head and continued smiling, “Is that clear enough now?”

Ye An was still not quite processing what he meant when Ye Qian suddenly stepped forward and said to him, "Xiao Jin is gone. I am not someone the Ye family can rely on. Compared to me, you are the future of the Ye family."

“If this trip goes smoothly, Li Guang will be rewarded with great merit for supporting the new ruler, and the Ye family will not fall. If this trip does not go smoothly, and Father is far from Jingzhou and the news is not timely enough, you will have to kill me with your own hands.” Ye Qian looked at him, no longer as gentle as usual; “It was I who had ulterior motives, it was I who plotted to seize power, it was I who raised an army to rebel, you must remember, all of this is me alone, and has nothing to do with you or the Ye family. In fact, you must personally send me to the executioner’s block.”

"Impossible! Brother, I can't not be with you. So what if it's a rebellion? I'll do it! Give me the military token, and I'll join him in the rebellion. If the rebellion fails, let His Majesty take my life!" Ye An immediately became agitated.

"I'm the eldest brother."

That hateful phrase again.

“I’m already taller than you. Besides, who says I have to listen to you just because you’re the older brother?” Ye An retorted defiantly.

"Besides, my second sister died here, on this land, and soon you will also be fighting for this land. If I go back, what difference will it make whether I live or die? Whether the Ye family falls or not does not matter whether anyone lives or not. There are so many people with the surname Ye in the world, and Jingzhou is not the only one with our family. My sister can die, and you can die," Ye An continued heavily, "I can die too. There are no cowards in the Ye family who are afraid of death."

His stubborn gaze rendered the other person speechless. In the end, perhaps moved, or perhaps relieved, Ye Qian simply looked at him and smiled softly.

*

Among the people leaving the city on the other side, Tang Yan quietly broke away from the group. Her hand holding the reins trembled slightly, but her eyes were unusually firm. She followed the pre-arranged route to a secluded, rocky ravine.

The moonlight cast long shadows of the strange rocks, making them look like menacing monsters. A figure silently appeared in the shadow of the largest rock, wearing the iconic blue demon mask. It was Gui Luo. He stood with his arms crossed and chuckled softly, "If you had come any later, I would have been gone."

Tang Yan pulled the horse to a stop, her eyebrows raised and her eyes flashing with arrogance as she said, "If you leave, you'll miss a great opportunity, and I'll feel bad for you."

"Tell me, what opportunity is worth waiting so long for?"

She took a deep breath and then got straight to the point: "Time is of the essence, so I'll get straight to the point. You must have heard about what happened in Juecheng. The Shuo Dynasty is in turmoil, and soon Jingzhou will be plunged into chaos. Nanzhou will not let this golden opportunity slip by; they will definitely garrison troops on the border and may even seize the chance to invade."

"Oh?" Gui Luo's tone was flat, revealing no emotion. "So? Did you come to Beidai for help, or to issue a warning?"

“Neither.” Tang Yan looked directly into the eyes behind the mask and said clearly, “I’m here to give Bei Dai a choice, a mutually beneficial choice.”