Chapter 108 The Underground Tunnel: I knew it was you.
Chengyang Earl Yue Dun was an old subordinate who followed Emperor Xuanyuan during the Rebellion of the Five Princes. After the empire was pacified, he focused on recuperating and had not fought for many years. Although he claimed to be recuperating, it was clear to anyone with discerning eyes that he was hiding his strength. Emperor Xuanyuan bestowed upon him the title of earl, and he contentedly enjoyed half a lifetime of wealth and honor. If it weren't for the fact that there were truly no capable generals in the court, Xie Yuan would have forgotten about this old general as well.
Behind the Earl of Chengyang were two young men. One was Yue Shicheng, the eldest son of Yue Yue, who had served as a principal officer in the Ministry of War and was later promoted to Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Stud, responsible for raising and dispatching warhorses for the imperial court.
Another Chen Liangyu looked familiar; I had seen him once at the Nanyou horse farm during the Wanhe Festival. He was Yue Zhengyang, the sixth son of the Earl of Chengyang.
On that day, he presented a formal letter of invitation to Chen Liangyu to formally become her disciple, but Chen Liangyu refused.
The group exchanged greetings.
After bowing to Chen Liangyu, Yue Zhengyang stepped behind the Earl of Chengyang and quietly tugged at his father's sleeve, gesturing with his eyes, "Father."
The Marquis of Chengyang seemed not to hear him at all, and spread his hand, "General, the military tally."
Chen Liangyu glanced at the sky and distant mountains, which marked the location of Shuncheng. "Was there any bridge that collapsed on the way when the Earl of Chengyang came?"
No, not at all.
"The road is stuck?"
No, not at all.
Chen Liangyu gave him a furtive sidelong glance.
"No? I think so."
He's an old general who's been through the Five Kings Rebellion, yet he lacks even this basic discernment.
Du, the eunuch, was puzzled. "The Earl of Chengyang was traveling on the official road?"
"Of course."
“When I came, I also took the official road and did not see the bridge collapse or the road sink.”
The Earl of Chengyang said, "Eunuch Du was half a day ahead of me, so naturally the bridge collapsed and the road caved in after Eunuch Du had already passed by!"
That seems reasonable.
But something felt off, though Du couldn't quite put his finger on it.
Chen Liangyu said, "In that case, I will have to wait until the road is repaired tomorrow before I return to Yongdu with you, sir."
Du, the eunuch, paused for a moment and said, "Yes."
Chen Liangyu stretched out his arm and led the way to the main tent, saying, "Lord of Chengyang, please."
Several people entered the tent one after another. Chen Liangyu held a few small triangular flags in his hand, inserted them into the sand table, and first explained the terrain and key points of Xiling to the Earl of Chengyang. Then he said, "Tongmen Pass is now in our hands. As long as we break through Shuncheng, Biancheng can be taken easily. Yesterday, our men bypassed Tongmen Pass and launched a night attack on the two cities, which caught the rebels off guard. The defense map that Imperial Censor Zhao found was completely wrong in terms of the battle lines, but judging from the situation at Tongmen Pass, the rebels only switched from defense to offense at the last minute."
The Earl of Chengyang asked, "A traitor?"
Chen Liangyu nodded.
"Have you found out who it was?"
Chen Liangyu said, "He's stubborn and won't admit it. The rebels have retreated to Shuncheng. As long as we capture the rebel leader in Shuncheng alive, he won't be able to deny it."
The Earl of Chengyang said, "So, General, you're asking for an extra half day so you can personally lead your troops to capture Shun City?"
Chen Liangyu said, "Thank you, Marquis of Chengyang, for granting me this favor."
The Earl of Chengyang said, “When leading troops into battle, the right time, the right place, and the right people are all indispensable. Since the general only borrows half a day, he must be confident in taking Shuncheng. If I insist on my own way, I might miss this opportunity.”
Chen Liangyu cupped his hands and said, "The Earl of Chengyang is a reasonable man."
The Earl of Chengyang suddenly changed the subject, "Speaking of face, it is impolite not to reciprocate." He pushed Yue Zhengyang forward, "This young man of mine is quite talented, but he lacks a good teacher."
You decide what to do.
Chen Liangyu said, "Does the Earl of Chengyang want to make a deal with me?"
The Earl of Chengyang vehemently denied it, waving his hand and saying, "I wouldn't dare. How could it be a transaction? This is about saving face."
What a convenient deal of saving face.
Zhao Xingli sneered from the side.
Although he didn't say a word, Chen Liangyu understood the meaning behind the cold laugh. It was clearly saying: Serves you right, you've been coerced before.
Chen Liangyu put his hands behind his back and said, "The battle situation is urgent, let's put this matter aside for now."
The Earl of Chengyang immediately accepted the offer, saying, "No rush, no rush, it's easy to talk."
With the fall of Tongmen Pass, Shuncheng was left an isolated city. Chen Liangyu gathered his troops outside the city and divided them into three routes to encircle and besiege it. After a fierce battle last night, reinforcements from Shuncheng were not expected to arrive quickly, and half of the soldiers in the city were wounded.
Dozens of catapults, splattered with wet mud, were lined up in front.
At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), a northeast wind rose, and rolling stones, doused with kerosene and ignited in the dim twilight, swept across the moat and crashed into the city tower. In an instant, half of the northwest corner tower collapsed.
At Chen Liangyu's command, "Release the fire hawks!"
In an instant, a straw hawk covered in pine resin took to the air. The arrows from the rebel city walls missed their mark and struck the hawk, instantly igniting it. Flames flickered between the giant bird's wings as it swooped down towards the archers on the city walls.
The defenders on the walls of Shuncheng were thrown into disarray, busy extinguishing the flames on their own bodies. Taking advantage of this moment, the young soldiers wearing giant kite wings had already fastened their straps, long swords at their waists, and each held a dagger in their hands. The kite wings required careful weight control when carrying people, so the soldiers strapped to the wings were all young and light, allowing them to use the wind to leap onto the city walls.
Yue Zhengyang was among them.
A sudden gust of wind arose, and the giant kite glided down from a great height, descending directly to the city tower of Shuncheng.
Yue Zhengyang landed steadily on the crenellation, detached his kite from its wings, and leaped down. He spotted a man running towards the city gate tower, taking three steps at a time. Judging from his clothes and boots, he was undoubtedly the garrison commander of Shuncheng. He drew his long sword and slashed at the man. The garrison commander hastily met Yue Zhengyang's sword with his spear. The clanging of metal against metal was painful, and in his panic, the steel blade was at his neck.
Yue Zhengyang said, "The General has ordered that you open the city gates and surrender, or you will be spared. Otherwise, you will be killed on the spot!"
The commander glanced at the towering flames in the city; half of the northwest corner tower had collapsed. And further to the west, there was no sign of reinforcements.
Yue Zhengyang pressed the steel knife against his neck again. "Will you surrender or not?"
The garrison commander sighed and slowly lowered the long spear in his hand.
The heavy city gates of Shuncheng opened from the inside, and Yue Zhengyang, leading the Shuncheng garrison commander, knelt before Chen Liangyu's warhorse, presenting the seal and map of Shuncheng as a sign of surrender.
Lin Yin dismounted and took the seal and map for Chen Liangyu to review.
After reviewing the document, Chen Liangyu said, "Leave the rest to the Earl of Chengyang." He then pointed to the garrison commander and said, "Take him back; I have some questions for him."
Before leaving, Chen Liangyu glanced at Yue Zhengyang briefly and said, "Good lad."
Yue Zhengyang's ears suddenly burned, and his already taut back straightened even more. Only after the jade lion had run far away from his sight did he remember to clasp his hands in thanks as usual, "Thank you, General!" He didn't care whether Chen Liangyu could hear him or not.
***
The Ministry of Revenue and the Secretariat investigated grain taxes, and a lot of people were transferred from various government departments. Even the Hanlin Academy, which was usually very idle, was put to work by lamplight.
The accounts of each prefecture and county are submitted once a year. In the middle of this year, Xie Yuan suddenly issued an edict ordering the prefects and governors of various places to submit their accounts to the palace immediately.
The illicit activities involving just one item—land—affected thousands of people in the imperial court.
If it were when Su Chasang was the Minister of Revenue, it would be much easier. He could communicate with the Ministry of Revenue, prepare blank documents in advance, reconcile the accounts at the Ministry of Revenue's office, and then submit the report. That would be more reliable. With the establishment of the Agriculture and Sericulture Bureau, it is more troublesome. As long as there are no major mistakes, Xie Wenjun's accounts are acceptable, so he is too lazy to bother with them.
But things are not so easy now.
The current Minister of Revenue, Xun Shutai, is a troublemaker. As a newly appointed official, he is burning with ruthlessness and has no intention of showing any mercy. He has thoroughly investigated many officials in the court based on the Ministry of Revenue's records of money and grain, the Ministry of Agriculture and Sericulture's records of grain taxes, and the Imperial Archives' records of fish scales.
Unfortunately, this troublemaker is the Empress's elder brother, the Emperor's brother-in-law. If the Empress is pregnant with a prince, Xun Shutai's future status will be even more noble, and he is not someone to be trifled with.
At a critical juncture when the imperial court needed money, Xie Yuan, in a fit of rage, executed hundreds of officials and confiscated their property to fill the national treasury.
The court was in a state of panic, and many officials were willing to sway the Princess's family with personal relationships.
Xie Wenjun was also generous in pointing out a clear path for them.
"To save lives, we must cut off the tail and return the land to the people."
At first, many people were unwilling to give their land to commoners for free. But as time went on, they realized that it was a race to see who could give it away the fastest. Even if they hesitated for only half a day, the imperial decree to confiscate their property would arrive.
Well, it's best to cut off the tail for now. There are plenty of ways to take the land back after this period.
As autumn arrived and the first chill of winter set in, officials across the country began to settle accounts.
Two white, plump melons were still growing on the melon vines in Xie Wenjun's back garden. Roujia would squat there and stare at them whenever she had nothing to do. Yuanrong was afraid that she would get tired of squatting, so she brought over a low, soft stool and helped her sit on it.
Xie Wenjun saw her reach out with one small hand, "Roujia, don't pick it."
Roujia obediently withdrew her hand.
Yuan Rong said, "The young prince likes to pick fruit, from the trees and vines, he likes to pull them down. This patch of melons is almost empty except for two. But the young prince doesn't like to eat the fruit he picks, he always gives it to the servants. Your Highness, I think the young prince is more lively than usual."
Xie Wenjun lay half-reclined on the rattan rocking chair under the pavilion, lost in thought, and said, "Only two are left."
Yuan Rong saw through Xie Wenjun's thoughts and said, "The Emperor has urgently summoned the General back to Yongdu. He should arrive in three or four days."
Xie Wenjun said, "When did I mention Chen Liangyu?"
"It was my fault for being so talkative." Yuan Rong stood beside Rou Jia, the two of them, one big and one small, resting their chins on their hands, all four eyes fixed on the two remaining melons. "Your Highness, my mouth has been bland lately, and I have no taste for food. Why don't you reward me with these two sweet melons?"
"If you can't taste the food, don't eat it."
When Rong Jun arrived at the back garden, he saw Yuan Rong imitating Princess Roujia by making a scarecrow in the melon patch. He jokingly remarked, "Yuan Rong, why are you dressed up as a stone sculpture too?"
Yuan Rong retorted, "I think you're asking for a beating. You have nothing to do, and you're becoming more and more irresponsible."
Rong Jun smiled broadly.
Yuan Rong asked, "Did you go out and pick up silver?"
Rong Jun pointed to the sky outside the wall, "Your Highness, look there."
Roujia hesitated for a moment before looking up in the direction Rong Jun pointed. A kite, painted with the shape of an eagle, floated by from somewhere. The northwest wind was blowing in Shangyong City today, and the kite flew higher and higher against the northwest wind.
Roujia's eyes brightened, and she got off the soft stool, walked to Xie Wenjun's side, took her hand, and pulled Xie Wenjun towards the outside of the pavilion. She was small and weak, and she couldn't move her even after pulling for a long time.
Xie Wenjun teased her for a while before getting up to go with her.
The kite flew so high that it seemed to be embedded in the clouds, appearing only as small as a bird.
Xie Wenjun curled her palm against her forehead, shielding her eyes from the light as she gazed at the kite. After a while, a slight smile appeared on her lips. "Rong Jun, nock the bow and shoot the kite down."
Rong Jun replied, "Yes."
He then ordered his men to fetch a bow and arrows.
Just as the bow was fully drawn, the kite seemed to break free of its shackles, swaying and falling from the sky, carried by the wind, into the Princess's residence.
Rong Jun picked up the kite and examined it. It had a rough sketch of an eagle's head and wings, but no writing on it. The string was still securely tied to the kite, showing no signs of being broken, as if the person flying the kite had intentionally let go.
"Your Highness, look."
Xie Wenjun held up the kite, examined it closely against the sun, but couldn't discern anything. She then turned and handed the kite to Roujia, who was looking on expectantly.
Roujia received the kite and shook Xie Wenjun's arm, wanting him to take her to fly it. Yuanrong squatted down, coaxing and cajoling, "Your Highness, Your Highness is going to study and practice writing. Shall I accompany you to fly a kite?"
Roujia glanced at Xie Wenjun. To her, the words "studying and writing" meant being forced to sit at a table for a long time, facing some incomprehensible scribbles, with someone constantly chanting incomprehensible words in her ear, without being able to play or eat delicious pastries. That was simply terrifying.
She quickly nodded to Yuan Rong.
Beneath the Princess's residence lies an extremely deep and long passageway, the former residence of Emperor Xuanyuan, where some shameful secrets are buried. The passageway leads directly to the local earth god temple outside Shangyong City, and at the other end connects to the Princess's study.
No one is allowed to enter Xie Wenjun's study.
Normally, the study is the most strictly guarded area in the Princess's residence, and no suspicious persons are allowed to approach it. However, today Rong Jun has reassigned the guards, leaving only one group of guards, who only patrol once every two hours.
Xie Wenjun finally decided to have someone pick the two white melons.
The fruit is just right; in a few more days, it will be overripe and can only be used as fertilizer in the melon patch.
The cheerful sounds of them flying kites drifted from the back garden. Xie Wenjun locked herself in her study, closing the door tightly. A copy of "Essentials of Governance" lay before her, and she didn't turn a single page all afternoon.
The sunlight slants westward inch by inch under the eaves, and the lanterns under the eaves light up one by one.
A commotion gradually arose behind the study.
Xie Wenjun turned the mechanism, and the book pavilion split open to both sides, revealing a square opening in the ground.
Chen Liangyu carried a lantern through the tunnel. The tunnel was too long and had many forks, and even with the map in hand, she was delayed for quite some time. Her clothes and face were covered in dust, and she emerged from the four-sided opening, looking dusty.
"I knew it was you."
Author's note: Thank you for reading this far!
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