Chapter 79: The Final Cycle Begins!
Chapter 79
Ye Xiren was taken aback and looked at Jiang You in astonishment. It turned out that what he was thinking about when he stood by the ice coffin was not that the Great Liang was going to win, but rather... how the Great Liang was going to win.
This is the kind of person who gets things done; they have foresight and a clear understanding.
Liang Yue jumped up, his expression instantly changing: "Prime Minister Jiang, do you know what you're saying? If you go to Northern Yan in person, do you think you'll come back alive?"
Jiang You knelt in the hall, his expression respectful, his voice resounding and powerful:
"Your Majesty, after I leave, Ye Pei, the Minister of Revenue, is upright, loyal, and highly capable. He is suitable to be appointed as the Chancellor, assisted by Liu Duoxi, the Vice Chancellor. However, Ye Pei is too upright, and Liu Duoxi is too shrewd. Neither of them should be given too much power."
"Fortunately, both of them are loyal to the emperor and love their country, and are wholeheartedly devoted to the people. If they can cooperate in governing, they will surely complement each other and benefit the country."
"The Minister of Rites and the Minister of Revenue can be chosen by Zhao Que and Yu Zhize. The Minister of Works is focused on researching ingenious and frivolous skills and should not be promoted too much. However, the Ministry of Works must remain in his hands so that he can study and improve the craftsmanship of the Great Liang."
"The reform needs to be spearheaded by His Majesty. Ye Pei, Liu Duoxi, Bai Chengguang, and Zheng Wenjue are all capable of assisting. Ye Changming, Li Qian, Miao Mingkun, and the Jinshi selected in this imperial examination should be carefully cultivated, as they are all promising talents. Ye Changming is the best, as he possesses his father's loyalty and is also shrewd and adaptable..."
He recounted the important affairs of the court and the appointment of officials that he couldn't let go of, leaving them for Liang Yue's reference.
If I don't finish speaking today, I'll never have another chance.
Liang Yue shook his head, quickly descended from the dragon throne, nearly tripping on the steps, and spoke urgently:
"And what about you, Prime Minister Jiang? When you welcomed me out of the Prince Yu's residence, you said, 'The Great Liang is in dire straits now, and it will not be easy in the future either. You and I, as ruler and subject, will work together to heal our wounds and protect the millions of people.' Now, everything has only just begun, are you going to leave me alone?"
[Your Highness, have you thought this through? If you come with me today, from now on, you and I, ruler and subject, will share life and death with this crumbling Liang Dynasty.]
The words spoken in the past are still vivid in my mind, how could Jiang You have come to this?
"That's why I'm going to Northern Yan."
Jiang You looked up at the emperor, his eyes reddening:
"I knew Yan Danqing was innocent, yet I secretly intercepted six of his secret letters and imprisoned him, intending to use his life to exchange for peace talks between Daliang and Northern Yan. On the first day of the third month, I instructed the Minister of Rites to frame Ye Changming for cheating in the examinations, intending to have the entire Ye family executed. On the second day of the third month, I ordered Lu Qian to frame the Ye family in an attempt to push for peace talks. On the third day of the third month, I intended to force Yan Danqing to commit suicide..."
What did Liang Yue want to say?
Jiang You shook his head, his voice trembling slightly: "I have no regrets. If the peace talks are successful, and the Great Liang and Northern Yan do not go to war, thus preserving our country, then I have no fear of judgment or divine retribution for what I have done."
"But I was wrong. I trusted Zhang Yuanmou, who betrayed the people; I recruited the traitor Lu Qian; I pushed for peace talks; I wanted to kill the Marquis of Zhongyong... I deserve to die for every single one of these crimes!"
He almost ruined the Great Liang!
These past few days, he's been having nightmares. If his scheme had actually succeeded, would the Great Liang still exist? And what would the world be like now?
Every time I wake up in a fright, a lingering fear will linger.
"I know that if I were to do it all over again, looking at the empty treasury and holding the secret letters from Xuzhou and Jiaozhou, I would probably still make the same choice..."
Jiang You, his face streaked with tears, cried out, "I was so wrong!"
"Your Majesty, I have already made a grave mistake, and I must do something right." A murderous glint flashed in his eyes, churning with turbulent emotions. "Yan Danqing only brought a batch of provisions to the battlefield. He cannot afford to lose. Northern Yan is strong, while Great Liang is currently weak. If we can disrupt Northern Yan from within, this one act alone can cut off their retreat and save tens of thousands of soldiers from suffering!"
“Since I can exchange them by going to Northern Yan alone, why not do it?” Jiang You countered.
Liang Yue opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.
"Realizing that the past cannot be changed, but the future can be shaped, I have said that in this life I do not seek to be famous for eternity or to achieve great feats, but only to safeguard the country and protect the people."
Jiang You bent down, his words ringing out with force and conviction:
"We beg Your Majesty to grant our request!"
The hall fell silent. Ye Xiren stood to the side, speechless for a long time, while the two people on the hall, one standing and one kneeling, also remained silent, the silence reaching its peak.
Outside the window, the sun was setting, its afterglow like blood.
After a long, long time, Liang Yue turned around and finally spoke, his voice choked and trembling: "Very well, I agree. Once the peace treaty is drafted, I will affix my imperial seal..."
Jiang You slowly sat up, solemnly removed his official hat, placed it aside, and smiled:
"My lord, I obey the order."
He bowed deeply one last time and shouted, "Jiang You bids farewell to His Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
After saying that, he stood up, turned around, and strode away.
"Prime Minister Jiang!" Liang Yue turned around, took two steps forward, and said urgently, "What else do you want? I will grant it to you as well."
Jiang You thought for a moment, then laughed loudly, "Then Your Majesty shall grant me a horse to accompany me on my journey, and may I have a smooth trip and achieve great success."
Liang Yue closed his eyes and nodded gently.
Jiang You strode away with a flick of his sleeves. The wide sleeves of his purple official robe swept across the threshold of the Wende Hall, swaying as he walked. He walked with his head held high along the narrow passageway of the Southern Capital Palace, heading towards the end.
He was the only person in the long corridor. As the sun set, it cast his shadow, which gradually receded into the distance and became smaller and smaller.
Ye Xiren stared blankly at his retreating figure.
For a moment, I didn't know how to describe this person. He could be a treacherous minister and a villain, valuing the survival of the dynasty above all else. Along the way, he could do many wrong things and stain his hands with blood.
But as he said, as long as he could protect the country and its people, he would have no regrets even if he died. Among those who could be sacrificed was himself.
"This person is really..."
She murmured, unsure how to describe it.
-
Early the next morning, Jiang You's delegation set off. Unlike Chi Zhanlan Ce, who brought many people to Nandu, Jiang You didn't bring many people to Beiyan, just enough to ensure safety and keep an eye on Chi Zhanlan Ce's ice coffin.
To save time, they first took a boat, then a horse-drawn carriage, and rode at full speed to reach Northern Yan.
As for why Ye Xiren knew all this...
Oh, she followed me.
Staying in Nandu would only mean watching the Ye family suffer because of her influence, and there would be nothing that could be done. It would be better to come out with her and see what Jiang You is going to do. Ideally, we could see the chaos in Northern Yan and the victory of Great Liang!
"Changfeng, how come you don't get seasick or complain about being tired?" Ye Xiren squatted down next to the white horse, reaching out her hand but not touching it. "Changfeng, you must be very bored, since no one is riding you. I can ride a horse too, although my skills aren't great, but I can learn diligently on the road!"
Changfeng was a white dragon horse bestowed upon Jiang You by the Emperor. Originally, the Emperor intended to name it "Changfeng," meaning smooth sailing, but after some thought, Liang Yue changed it to "Changfeng," meaning abundant harvest.
As expected, Jiang You liked it very much.
Ye Xiren also likes it.
But the journey was just so incredibly boring!
When traveling, she stayed in the carriage. When they stopped to rest, she would talk to Changfeng. Changfeng's white fur was extremely beautiful, and his dark eyes were bright and clear, as if he could see through everything. He would occasionally look at her.
Jiang You was too old to ride a horse, and if he did, he probably wouldn't live to see the Northern Yan. So Changfeng stayed by the carriage, acting as a mascot.
"Changfeng, talk to me," Ye Xiren continued.
The white horse seemed to glance at her, then snorted loudly, striding after the caravan, swaying back and forth, leaving only its rear end for her to see.
Ye Xiren: "..."
Sometimes she really wondered if the horse could see her!
Ye Xiren hurriedly chased after her and climbed onto the carriage. Once she was on the carriage, she could go with it, but she didn't know what strange phenomenon it was.
Inside the carriage, Jiang You was munching on dry rations, pondering how to deal with the situation after leaving Beiyan, deep in thought.
After finishing each stack of writing, he would immediately set it on fire and burn it without leaving a trace. Ye Xiren would sometimes sigh at this, thinking that at his advanced age, he still had to work so hard, no wonder he looked older than his actual age...
The journey was relatively smooth. Jiang You only sent a letter saying that he was returning Chi Zhanlan Ce's body, without mentioning the specific time or route. He also provided cover along the way and safely reached the territory of Northern Yan.
But the situation is a bit different here.
As they drew closer to the capital of Northern Yan, the King of Northern Yan and Chi Zhanlan's subordinates received the news and began to intercept and kill them, trying to destroy the evidence. Fortunately, Jiang You had already sent a letter to the major tribes of Northern Yan, avoiding danger while allowing them to provide support, thus narrowly escaping the King of Northern Yan.
Even so, they continued to change horses and carriages along the way, losing many things. Only the coffin and Changfeng were protected by Jiang You and successfully entered the capital of Northern Yan.
"General Yan has won all three battles against the Northern Yan army and even seized some of their supplies. Now, the new crown prince of Northern Yan, Chizhan Chengye, is avoiding battle!"
This news was from ten days ago; now, the great war has probably already begun.
Ye Xiren jumped up, her face full of surprise.
Jiang You could no longer contain himself. He patted the carriage beside him with wild joy, his lips curving into a wide smile: "Excellent, excellent!"
This gave him even more confidence for the trip.
Jiang You shook his sleeves, took a deep breath, raised his chin, and followed the tribe from Northern Yan who were there to meet them, striding towards the Northern Yan royal tent. Behind him, the ice coffin was being towed by a cart, getting closer and closer.
"The Holy Son's corpse?"
"One who dies of a heart ailment is not necessarily a saint."
"Shh! Your Majesty, you mustn't talk nonsense. We haven't even checked yet. What if those Liang dogs are just spouting nonsense?"
"In any case, it's a pity about our Prince Lan Ce. Without him, how could Northern Yan have won?"
...
The voices of discussion beside me were clear.
Ye Xiren felt somewhat uncomfortable walking on the foreign grassland between the two groups of people, but when she saw Jiang You ahead raising his chin, looking straight ahead with an arrogant expression, she followed suit, raising her chin and straightening her chest.
No one can see her, so what's there to be afraid of?
Ye Xiren stepped forward, walked to the front, held her head high, and waved to the Northern Yan people on both sides of the road, ignoring their hateful and murderous eyes, and greeted them with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Jiang You took out the imperial edict from his sleeve, raised it high, and proclaimed, "I, Jiang You, the Prime Minister of Great Liang, have come to negotiate peace by order of His Majesty. If you kill me, you will be mortal enemies with Great Liang!"
"Nonsense!" the red-clad brown-slave cursed. "How could your Great Liang possibly negotiate peace? You've come here to stir up trouble!"
After saying that, his eyes flashed with malice, and he was about to take action to avenge his most beloved son.
Ye Xiren gasped, startled.
Jiang You kept his head up the whole time, showing no sign of guilt. The knife was hanging above him. The red-clad servant was stopped by the other people from Northern Yan, who were all trying to persuade him.
"Your Majesty, let's hear what he has to say."
"Yes, they are escorting Prince Lan Ce back to Northern Yan. It is not the right time to kill them."
“Killing him won’t help us defeat the Great Liang. Our most urgent task is to think carefully about whether we should negotiate peace.”
"Your Majesty, let's discuss this carefully and not rush things..."
...
They held Chizhan Henu back tightly, and the leaders of the various tribes remained silent. Some had already opened the coffin and confirmed that Chizhan Lance was inside; their faces turned deathly pale.
Standing in the middle, Ye Xiren could clearly see the glint in the eyes of the royal officials and the undercurrents that flowed between them when their eyes met.
The chaos that once plagued the Liang Dynasty court, the struggle between the pro-peace and pro-war factions, has been reenacted here.
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Author's Note: The finale (Part 1) is tomorrow!
See you tomorrow! [Dog head with rose in hand]
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