Chapter 54 Abdication Don't you want to know why the Crown Prince died at their hands...?
"Hey, hey!"
Jiang Bojin was being held captive, but his ears were not idle. Chen Liangyu and Gu Xie were talking in front of him, and he strained his ears to listen. However, due to the distance and the fact that they were in a noisy place, he could not hear a single word clearly, and he reluctantly gave up.
Chen Liangyu stopped, put her hands behind her back, and turned to look at him.
There was a small teahouse here, and across from it a simple tea stall. Leftover tea scraps and tea dust from the teahouse were taken to the stall to be brewed and sold to casual customers. The customers coming and going at the stall were all in a hurry, mostly just looking for a bowl of tea to quench their thirst. They didn't have time to sit down, drinking the tea in one gulp from the wide bowl, then taking off their water bags and having the young waiter at the stall fill them with water, tossing down two copper coins before leaving. Despite the many customers, most of the tables and chairs at the stall were empty.
Chen Liangyu and Gu Xie casually found a spot in the tea stall and sat down. The young waiter tending the tea stall tried to invite them to the tea room across the street, but they declined and quickly served a pot of tea.
This is a ventilation opening; the shed is supported by several wooden stakes and is open to the wind from all sides.
Chen Liangyu and Gu Xie both looked in the same direction, and kept glancing back at each other.
Who are you waiting for?
Jiang Bojin shook off the guards holding him, nimbly ran into the teahouse, and with a jerk of his severed arm, tore apart the tattered fishing net binding him, throwing it away. The guards came forward to plead guilty and arrest him, but he darted around like an old mudfish, impossible to catch, disturbing many of the teahouse's customers.
Two of the men were government officials sent to escort Bu Ping'er, while the others appeared to be soldiers, presumably sent by Zhao Mingqin to protect her. Chen Liangyu said, "Never mind them, just go back and report."
Her unpopular "uncle" might not have many other skills, but if he wanted to run away, no ordinary person could stop him. Even though Bu Ping'er was quite skilled and managed to thwart him by setting up a fishing net, he would have escaped on the way here if he hadn't been willing to be captured.
Once the officials left, Jiang Bojin felt much more relaxed. He had been thirsty for a long time, and neither Chen Liangyu nor Gu Xie had touched the tea that the tea stall attendant had poured for him. Since his hands were not in good condition, he bent down and slurped down both bowls of tea.
No one paid attention to his question, and he didn't press for details. Since they were waiting for someone, they would see whoever they were waiting for sooner or later.
With a shrug, Jiang Bojin wiped the water droplets around his mouth onto the fabric around his shoulder, and began to chatter on and on.
"Since ancient times, it has always been men who join the army, not because they are stronger and more capable of protecting the country than women, but simply because they are useless—useless to the emperor and to the state. Strength breeds recklessness, and recklessness breeds chaos. So, we send them to war; a few deaths are not a pity! Women are content to stay at home, to bear children, so that the state can continue. The battlefield is a place of bloodshed and death, extremely dangerous. Sending women to war is absurd!"
You wouldn't understand.
Chen Liangyu did not want to argue with him. Those outside the cage only felt peace and tranquility when they looked inside.
Jiang Bojin said, "I don't understand? Your maternal grandfather, who was my teacher, once said that I was his most intelligent student. What is there that I don't understand?"
Chen Liangyu: "No matter how high your comprehension is, you still lost, didn't you?"
"The three of them!"
Jiang Bojin's right arm was stretched out in half. If he still had his hand, he would definitely be pointing a "three" in front of Chen Liangyu's eyes.
"Your father, your Uncle Yan, Lin Guitou and the other two, and me alone! If I don't lose, those three might as well go to our teacher's grave and commit suicide to atone for their sins!"
Chen Liangyu: "You still believe that today's defeat is just bad luck. During the Rebellion of the Five Kings, you persuaded Uncle Lin to join forces with King Fengde. If you were right, why did Uncle Lin later betray King Fengde and serve a new master?"
Jiang Bojin sneered: "And what kind of good person did he later serve?"
Lin Jianshu later served the current emperor.
In Jiang Bojin's eyes, Lin Jianshu was always an unrealistic and stubborn person who fantasized that there must be a king in the world who loved his people like his own children. When Prince Fengde chased Xie Lin to a village, he killed the whole family over a ladle of water. To save his young son, Xie Lin endured the humiliation and knelt down, but the child still became a victim of the blade. Lin Jianshu immediately betrayed him, took Prince Fengde hostage, and released Xie Lin. Later, he traveled thousands of miles to join his new master, believing that he had followed a wise ruler.
He survived his defeat by sheer luck and spent a long time recovering from his injuries. As a result, he was unaware of what happened during that period. On the eve of Xie Lin's ascension to the throne, when Lin Jianshu was only one step away from being ennobled and appointed prime minister, he led his elite cavalry and personal guards away and never returned for half his life.
"All crows under heaven are black, and whoever sits on that dragon throne is all the same, with little difference between them. In this one lifetime, the real goal is to achieve fame and glory for a hundred years. After a hundred years, who cares whose eternal hegemony this world will be?" Jiang Bojin pondered for a moment and said, "You call Lin Guitou your senior uncle? He chased after your father and tried to kill him back then."
Gu Xie listened to their bickering for a long time until he heard Jiang Bojin mention Zhenguo Gong He Nian Gong and his four famous students. Only then did he seriously examine the one-armed old man in front of him.
Who is this?
Chen Liangyu said, "Flying gadfly arrows."
Who can run that fast without arms! His nickname, upon closer examination, doesn't have any profound meaning; he's incredibly skilled in light-footed martial arts, rumored to be able to outrun an arrow. If one were to delve deeper, it's probably because he practices the Hundred Deceptions Path, specializing in assassinating people with hidden arrows.
Gu Xiemeng stood up, bowed to Jiang Bojin, addressed him as "Mr. Jiang," and then asked, "Are you still alive?"
"Still alive, still alive."
Jiang Bojin finally seized the opportunity to speak, giving Chen Liangyu a lecture: "Look at her, and then look at you..."
"If you keep making noise, I'll send you to see Uncle Yan."
"I'm not going. I hate him the most."
Not long after he sat down, Gao Guan rode his horse around the street corner. When he saw the teahouse in the distance, he cracked his whip, and the horse, in pain, galloped even faster.
Gao Guan dismounted in front of the tea stall, tying the reins to the horse post.
"It worked, but it didn't. I should have brought that kid Xing Rui with me and had him stand in front of me and fan the yin wind. That would have made things much easier."
Gu Xie placed the tea money on the table.
Gao Guan had never met Gu Xie before and was very wary of the two strangers who suddenly appeared beside Chen Liangyu.
Jiang Bojin was completely bewildered. "What do you mean by 'successful' and 'failed'? You're a grown man, can't you even speak clearly!"
Gu Xie peeked out from the tea stall and looked around. "There are too many people around. Let's talk about it back at the palace. The princess is still waiting there."
The group rode back to Prince Shen's residence.
There was no horse prepared for Jiang Bojin. He stared for a while, then asked, "What about me?"
"Run by yourself."
"You little brat, don't you know how old I am?"
Gu Xie, however, respectfully gave him his own car.
Chen Liangyu warned, "Miss Gu, this man is no good and not worth associating with. I advise you to stay away from him."
After expressing his gratitude, Gu Xie said, "Sir, you are Duke He's prized student. For that reason alone, I should show you some respect."
"Gu? Gu something?" Jiang Bojin rolled his eyes, thought for a moment, and seemed to finally remember a name. "Gu Changxue, that's you?"
Gu Xie said, "He is my grandfather. You know my grandfather, sir?"
We met once.
Back at Prince Shen's residence, Jiang Bojin was left standing in the courtyard with a few guards watching over him. Chen Liangyu and Gu Xie then went to the flower hall with Chen Luan, who was waiting there.
Chen Luan said, "Qiu Renshan has arrived."
Upon entering the flower hall, one finds a roaring fire in the stove, making the hall warm.
Xie Wenjun sat behind the main desk, holding a piece of paper, a slight smile playing on her lips, as if something had just happened that made her happy.
Chen Liangyu entered the room with her eyes lowered, trying to avoid looking at the desk and that person...
She pursed her lips; the spot where she had been bitten was now completely unmarked, yet it had left an imprint on her heart. A flame seemed to leap from that small but significant mark, bringing warmth to the still chilly weather.
But even after she entered, she couldn't help but glance in that direction.
Qiu Renshan seemed to have just arrived as well. He was presenting some items across the desk when he stepped back and reported, "This Marquis Lu Ping is quite cunning. Despite possessing wealth comparable to the Yao and Chen families of Cangnan back then, he managed to conceal it and evade the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Zhang's relocation order. He only sent Heng Zhao to Yongdu. Later, when His Highness selected companions, he sent Heng Yang as well. Heng Zhao and Heng Yang are both children of Marquis Lu Ping and his first wife. Sending this son and daughter to the capital ensured their comfortable life in the south. Currently, besides a few veteran generals, Heng Jinan's eldest son, Heng Miao, is the most capable. General Chen should have met him before. He is very capable and adept at dealing with river pirates, but he is narrow-minded, intolerant, and often harbors deep grudges."
It wasn't that the Heng family escaped the relocation order; it was that Xie Yu deliberately let them go. At that time, the people of Cangnan were suffering, and the northern border was undergoing a major military downsizing. The southern border couldn't be allowed to descend into chaos, so he turned a blind eye and only allowed Heng Zhao from their family to enter Yongdu.
Granting official positions and residences was, in reality, a form of collateral.
Xie Wenjun's smile clearly had nothing to do with Qiu Renshan's report; the focus was on the letter. She stood up, walked out from behind her desk, and handed the letter to Chen Liangyu. It was signed Du Peisun.
“In the past, the petitions sent by the Agricultural and Sericultural Bureau to Yongdu were the fewest from Chong'an. This time, when Third Brother was raising funds for the army, officials of all ranks in the southeast were trying their best to send money, but he stubbornly insisted that the court issue a list of taxes and that the Secretariat and the Chancellery issue an official document stamped by the court. Otherwise, the people of Chong'an would refuse to pay taxes without a list.”
Chen Liangyu skimmed the contents of the letter. Du Peisun refused to impose miscellaneous taxes on the people of Chong'an in order to raise funds for the army's northern expedition. His attitude was tough, and some of the language in the letter was sharp and critical, with a strong sense of censure.
Where does the joy come from?
Xie Wenjun raised an eyebrow. "Du Peisun doesn't seem so boring after all."
Chen Liangyu glanced at her expression and understood immediately that Xie Wenjun probably intended to keep Du Peisun for her own use.
“There’s movement in Yongdu,” Xie Wenjun said.
Chen Liangyu asked, "Is it certain?"
Xie Wenjun nodded and said, "Absolutely certain!"
Yan Baizhang used flying flies to learn that Prince Qi was forcing Emperor Xuanyuan to abdicate, but Jiang Bojin was not dead. He had appeared and then disappeared again, and Yan Baizhang did not know what this person was up to. He dared not completely trust the flying flies. After arriving at Prince Shen's residence in Linxia, Rong Jun went to great lengths to finally mobilize the Inspectorate again, and today he received news.
Rong Jun said, "Your Majesty abdicates, and Prince Qi ascends the throne."
Prince Qi still lost his composure.
Although Chen Linjun of the Northern Border was entangled with Bei Yong and Dong Yin and was not a threat for the time being, Xie Yuan and Chen Liangyu recruited troops and deployed defenses, cutting off the southeastern garrison and preventing them from coming out. In his panic, he made the worst move.
If Emperor Xuanyuan had not abdicated, he would still have had room to maneuver. Now, however, he no longer held the only "royal mandate" that could control Xie Yuan and Chen Liangyu, and the imperial seal had been taken out of the palace by Xie Wenjun. Who was the rightful heir was no longer up to him.
Gao Guan's mouth moved faster than his brain. "If His Majesty abdicates, then there's no need to worry about the relationship between ruler and subject anymore. Aren't you afraid that if a royal decree were issued during the fighting, everyone here would be labeled as traitors? Dealing with just one Prince Qi would be a piece of cake."
Chen Liangyu said, "It's not that easy. The powerful families support Prince Qi. Each family, large and small, occupies a piece of land and provides Prince Qi with supplies and troops. They are not to be underestimated. If Prince Qi didn't have this confidence, he wouldn't have dared to force the emperor to abdicate."
Chen Luan asked, "Lord Gao, what is the situation at the main camp?"
Gao Guan glanced at everyone's face in the flower hall a few times, and finally looked at Chen Liangyu.
"There are no outsiders here, so tell the truth."
Gao Guan nodded in agreement, saying, "Military Advisor Yan instructed me to spread the news of His Majesty's abdication in the Linxia camp, telling me to make it a bluff. Yongdu claims that His Highness Prince Shen is disobeying the imperial edict and harbors rebellious intentions. The new emperor has dispatched a large army to Linxia to eliminate the rebellious minister. Last night, several commanders of the Linxia garrison blocked His Highness at the main camp, urging him to declare himself emperor, and everyone was willing to follow His Highness to attack Yongdu. The plan failed, and His Highness Prince Shen flew into a rage, punishing several people with military flogging. I said, 'Why aren't you worried at all?'"
Chen Liangyu said, "What's the rush?"
Gao Guan broke out in a cold sweat. "It's come to this. If His Highness Prince Shen doesn't ascend the throne, everyone in this room, along with the soldiers of the Linxia army and the generals who came to pledge allegiance, is doomed!"
Chen Liangyu said, "What you can think of, His Highness Prince Shen, can't you consider?"
Gao Guan stood there, stunned, and it took a long time for the goosebumps to subside. "Showing off your act? Did you know about this all along? No wonder you slipped away so quickly yesterday! But there's no one else in the camp, who are you putting on this show for?"
"For the world to see."
Dynastic changes and the transfer of power are never easy. If one does not demonstrate benevolence and humility at such times, one will give others ammunition against them. Open ambition makes it difficult to win over the people.
Gao Guan suddenly understood, and then said something extremely thought-provoking: "It was not my own wish, but for the sake of the people! How could I not have thought of that!"
"Words that shouldn't be said should be kept to yourself."
"A slip of the tongue!"
Jiang Bojin swept over like a gust of wind, appearing at the long window of the flower hall without anyone noticing, and poked a hole in the paper covering the window.
Chen Liangyu was getting tired of his inappropriate antics and ordered, "Drag him away!"
"Don't you want to know why the Crown Prince died at their hands?" Jiang Bojin was dragged away by the guards, neither dodging nor struggling.
He was certain that someone would call him back.
Chen Liangyu didn't want to kill him anymore. Considering that he was once He Niangong's student and Chen Yuanqing's junior brother, he treated him as an old relic left by a relative. Once the matter was settled, he would find him a place to live out his remaining years.
But at this moment, she was overcome with murderous intent.
She only saw Jiang Bojin as a crippled man, whose only value was his ability to kill. She momentarily forgot that this man had once stirred up a storm, and how many bloody storms during the Ying Tong era were caused by him. In just a fleeting glance through the paper hole into the flower hall, he accurately identified the most influential person among them and went straight to the heart of the matter.
Xie Wenjun's eyes turned cold, and he ordered someone to bring him back.
Lancang's Xuan Blade pierced Jiang Bojin's chest. His eyes widened. If the sword tip had gone in another half inch, he would have been a mutilated corpse.
The mere sliver of luck was not because Chen Liangyu showed mercy at the last moment.
Gu Xie gripped Lancang tightly, his hand almost breaking, blood pooling along the blade and dripping down.
She doubled over in pain.
"If General Chen is going to kill, please allow the gentleman and the princess to finish their conversation first."
Jiang Bojin sighed and said, "You little girl! She's just trying to scare me. Do you think the Lancang Sword is an ordinary weapon that your flesh and blood can withstand?" He glared at Chen Liangyu, whose face was cold, and raised his chin at Xie Wenjun. "Why are you so nervous? It's none of your business that I'm talking to her."
Gu Xie clenched his fists and curled up on the bamboo chair. Xie Wenjun examined the injury and called in Yuan Rong, "Please call the doctor."
Chen Liangyu gripped the hilt of the sword and twisted it inward, causing Jiang Bojin to suddenly fall into a rage and become speechless.
"Ah Li, let him speak."
Xie Wenjun placed his hand on Chen Liangyu's bulging veins on the back of his hand, pressing down on his sword, and said to Jiang Bojin, "I would like to hear your insights!"
Chen Liangyu suddenly drew his sword, and Jiang Bojin, clutching his wound, slumped to the ground, slowly panting for a while to catch his breath.
"Although the powerful families of today are not as arrogant as the aristocratic clans of the past, which one doesn't have a few key figures in the court? Where don't they have their people? Even the military brigades in the south have placed their distant relatives in there. If you trace them by bloodline and marriage, you'll find they're deeply entrenched and complex! If one family is like this, how many families are there in Daqing? Have you counted them? They're all united as one! The Crown Prince wants to suppress land annexation, which is essentially cutting off people's livelihoods. If you confront them head-on, the result will be mutual destruction! To deal with these people, you have to let them fight among themselves. Throw them a piece of fat meat, let them fight and grab it, fight to the death, until they're all exhausted, then you can come out and clean up the mess."
"Let me ask you, what do the prominent families of today, especially those with hereditary marquisates like Heng Jinan of the Southern Territory, value most?"
Gu Xie said, "Naturally, it's about titles and honors."
"Fame and fortune are certainly important, but what I'm asking you is, what do you value most within your extended family?"
Jiang Bojin asked the question himself and answered it himself.
"Legitimate or illegitimate children!"
Xie Wenjun remained silent, deep in thought.
"It has become customary for the eldest son to inherit the family's titles and honors. Even if the son of a concubine is several times more talented than the eldest son, he is still inferior to others. They are all born of the same father. Over time, who can help but feel resentful?"
Jiang Bojin felt waves of pain in his chest and glared fiercely at the culprit.
"Chen Chongming and Yan Baizhang didn't even teach you this? Then what did they teach you? How to be loyal to the country? Let me tell you, Yan Baizhang's set of upright methods is too fake and useless in chaotic times! You have to kill your opponent in a proper and orderly way, and you also have to adhere to the rules and not overstep the bounds. You pay attention to these things, but the other side doesn't care. A just cause is enough. If there is no just cause, then make up a reason for them."
Author's note: Thank you for reading this far!
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