Go to Beijing to be questioned
The wind on the wild desert was like a steel knife scraping against bones, carrying blood and sand as it blew through the Western Qiang royal court, which had just experienced a brutal raid.
Wang Mengzi stood in the mess, leaning on a knife. The blood on his armor had turned dark brown, and the new wound on his face was hideously exposed, but he was completely unaware of it. He just stared at the old man in front of him who was pressed to his knees on the ground.
King of Western Qiang.
This once arrogant hero, who drove his cavalry to trample on Hebei and plunder countless people of the Southern Dynasty, and even dared to speak rudely to Princess Zhaoyang in a letter, now had torn clothes and disheveled hair, like an old wolf with its teeth pulled out.
"Damn bastard!" Wang Mengzi approached step by step, raising the knife with a curved blade in his hand, wishing he could chop the old thief into meat paste immediately to commemorate the 3,000 young men of Mingzhou and the thousands of heroes who died in the Northern Expedition in the past few years!
When the blade was about to touch the neck of the Western Qiang King, Wang Mengzi stopped.
Killing him would be too easy for him.
Your Majesty... Your Majesty hated this beast so much that you personally issued an order to exterminate its descendants.
Your Majesty should personally order the beheading of this old dog, and display it before thousands of soldiers and civilians to comfort the souls of all those who died unjustly!
He had to take the old dog back and present it to His Majesty.
When Your Majesty sees this great gift, he will definitely...definitely be delighted, right?
Thinking of Ning Lingyi, Wang Mengzi stopped his violent emotions. The battle was finally over.
"Tie him up tightly! Keep an eye on him! This is a great gift to His Majesty! If you lose even a hair, I'll skin you alive!" He gave the order in a rough voice, his voice hoarse from days of yelling.
The personal guards responded loudly and tied up the King of Western Qiang like a dumpling with the strongest cow tendon rope.
Wang Mengzi spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and was about to order his men to clean up the battlefield and report the victory when a horse galloped through the wind and sand like crazy and galloped straight in front of him.
The knight fell from his horse, his face as pale as paper. He held a dusty document high in his hand, his voice trembling and incoherent: "General! Urgent message from the capital, eight hundred miles away! Prime Minister Wang, Concubine Yu... jointly issued a letter..."
Wang Mengzi's heart skipped a beat. He snatched the document and tore off the sealing wax.
"Your Majesty was ambushed in Shanshan... fought valiantly and unyieldingly... fell off a cliff and died for his country... Beishuo returned his coffin... The capital mourned... The national mourning... replaced days with months, and he will be buried in the imperial mausoleum after twenty-seven days..."
He was completely oblivious to the subsequent discussions on how to arrange military operations on the front lines and whether generals could return to Beijing to pay their respects as appropriate.
The document fell from his trembling hands and was picked up by the wind, swept into the blood.
"Bullshit!" Wang Mengzi squeezed out two words from between his teeth. "Nonsense! Who the hell spread this rumor? How could His Majesty die? Huh?"
He suddenly grabbed the messenger's collar, like a mad tiger. "Tell me! Who asked you to deliver this crap? Is this a counter-espionage plot by Beishuo? Are those idle bastards in the capital cursing Your Majesty?"
The soldier was terrified. "General! It's true! It's spread all over the capital... Beishuo Khan... even said he wanted to bury the queen temporarily and demand a new one... The court has already rejected the request and is bringing the coffin back for burial..."
"Queen Concubine?" Wang Mengzi's body shook violently, he let go of his hand, and staggered back a few steps.
Beishuo? Tuoba Hong?
Yes, it was that scoundrel Tuoba Hong who besieged Your Majesty! He was the one who forced Your Majesty to death! Now that Your Majesty is gone, how dare he still have such wishful thinking and tarnish Your Majesty's posthumous reputation?!
An indescribable grief and rage erupted in his chest, burning his internal organs!
"Wow!"
He suddenly opened his mouth and a large amount of hot blood spurted out, splashing onto the yellow sand under his feet, which was shocking.
"General!"
"Boss!"
The surrounding soldiers exclaimed and surrounded them.
Wang Mengzi pushed away the person who was supporting him and stared at the stained document on the ground, as if he wanted to pick out each word on it and crush it.
Your Majesty is dead?
The emperor who had led them from Mingzhou, recovered Heshuo, and marched into the northern desert, guiding them like a god, was he really dead? Was he forced to jump off a cliff by a scoundrel? Was he still being haunted by that scoundrel after his death?
This is impossible! How can this be possible!
"Ah!" He let out a shrill roar towards the sky, tears and blood streaming down his face.
After crying for a long time, he suddenly turned his head and stared at the King of Western Qiang with bloodshot eyes.
It's all because of these bastards! If it weren't for the Western Qiang's repeated border incursions, why would Your Majesty have personally led the army? If it weren't for the Northern Expedition, how could the Beishuo thieves have such an opportunity?
And the capital! Your Majesty's body is barely cold, and they're already arranging the funeral? They're already debating who will be the emperor? Who still remembers your Majesty's vengeance? Who still remembers the blood debt of the Northern Expedition?
Prince Qing? That's your Majesty's younger brother, who he personally raised! How could he...
How dare he just accept that? Has he forgotten how his sister treated him?
"You bastards! You are all bastards!" Wang Mengzi drew his sword and walked step by step towards the terrified King of Western Qiang.
"General! No! This is to be presented to His Majesty..." Some generals tried to dissuade him.
"His Majesty is gone! Who should I present this to?" Wang Mengzi swung his knife and drove away those who were trying to dissuade him. The knife fell down with a loud slash!
A sharp blade flashed, and the Western Qiang King's face was frozen with terror. His head tumbled to the ground. Wang Mengzi grabbed the gray-haired head and held it high. He said to the silent soldiers around him, "Brothers! His Majesty has been murdered! The nobles in the capital are anxious to hold the funeral and to welcome the new emperor! But our blood feud is not yet complete!"
"This old dog's head is our first sacrifice to His Majesty! Follow me! Wear mourning clothes! Return to the capital! I want to ask the soon-to-be-throne Prince Qing if he still remembers his sister, who rescued him from the dead! Does he remember who conquered this world? This blood feud, will it be avenged?"
The entire army is in mourning!
Return to Beijing!
Question the new emperor!
The Mingzhou Army, the iron army created by Ning Lingyi through fighting in blood and fire, was now filled with grief and indignation. Inspired by Wang Mengzi's words, they embarked on the journey back to the east, carrying the head of the King of Western Qiang, with their resentment and loyalty soaring to the sky.
*
Almost at the same time, Xue Cheng also received news from the capital and the battle report that the King of Western Qiang had surrendered.
He locked himself in his tent for the whole day.
After coming out, the face of this calm commander seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. The main force of the Northern Expedition had already succeeded, the Western Qiang royal court was destroyed, and the remnants were no longer a concern.
He left his deputy general to take charge of the overall situation and continue to eliminate the remaining enemies. He himself took Wang Zhen, Pan Hao, Zhao Kun, Li Mao and other generals, as well as an elite guard, and immediately set off to return to Beijing to attend the funeral.
He wants to go back to see His Majesty off for the last time.
Two teams, one filled with grief and fury, the other filled with sorrow and solemnity, rushed from different directions with mixed feelings towards the same destination - the capital.
*
The capital city has become a world of mourning.
Since Ning Lingyi's coffin was returned by Beishuo and his death was confirmed, white lanterns were hung on the eaves of every household and flags rustled in the cold wind.
The bustling streets of the past became silent. The people spontaneously put on plain clothes, burned incense and offered sacrifices, and the sounds of weeping were endless. Those who lost their peace and order were the people of the world.
The imperial palace was submerged in endless white.
The mourning hall is located in the main hall, which is solemn and dignified. Ning Lingyi's coffin is placed there.
Ning Yanhe's younger brother took over his son's position as the chief priest.
He took off his fine clothes, put on the coarsest linen clothes, and knelt before the cold spirit, day and night.
According to the ritual system of "replacing months with days", he needs to observe mourning for twenty-seven days.
Every day, he personally burned incense, offered wine, and offered food. After handling necessary government affairs, he returned to kneel in front of the coffin and silently burned paper money.
The dancing firelight illuminated his pale, young face, which was calm and filled with deep sorrow.
No one knew what he was thinking, but the sadness of his persistence gradually moved many of his old ministers who were originally skeptical.
Concubine Yu came several times, looking at his thin back, watching his movements of paying tribute, and watching the pain hidden in his eyes. All the resentment about the oppression of the Jing family finally turned into crying with her head in her hands.
She hugged the boy who had been forced to grow up overnight, crying heartbreakingly: "My son, you and your siblings...why are you so miserable..."
Ning Yanhe hugged her back and patted her back gently, just like his sister comforted him when he was a child.
On this day, Ning Yanhe had just agreed on the final funeral rites with the officials of the Ministry of Rites and returned to the mourning hall exhausted, where he met Jing Puze who had come to pay his respects.
The two of them bowed silently and offered incense.
Looking at the curling green smoke, Jing Puze sighed softly and said to Ning Yanhe, "Her Royal Highness Princess Mingzhu is the most brilliant, resolute and decisive person this old minister has ever seen. She deserves to be sacrificed by the whole world."
Ning Yanhe looked at his sister's tablet and whispered, "If my sister is still alive, she would be relieved to hear what Mr. Jing said. I... I can't forget Mr. Jing's years of guidance and support for me."
"Your Highness, you are too kind." Jing Puze bowed. "In the past, we were teacher and student. In the future, we will be ruler and subject. I dare not take credit for anything. I only wish to assist you wholeheartedly."
Ning Yanhe extended his hand to help him up: "I will always remember the Jing family's contribution."
He paused, as if remembering something, and his tone turned normal. "The draft of the reward I saw the other day seemed quite restrained towards the Jing family. Was that Mr. Jing's intention?"
"That's right," Jing Puze said calmly. "Among the Jing clan, there are very few who are talented and virtuous enough to hold high positions. Your Majesty, if you act impartially and appoint people based on their abilities, it will be a blessing for the country. If you indiscriminately reward people just because they are relatives by marriage, it will not only be detrimental to the country, but also detrimental to the Jing family."
Ning Yanhe nodded and then casually asked, "General Wang Zhen, isn't your promotion to the second rank a bit hasty? His achievements in the Northern Expedition don't seem to be the most outstanding."
Jing Puze's expression remained unchanged as he calmly replied, "Your Majesty, you are wise. General Wang's achievements are certainly not the most significant. However, these are extraordinary times, and extraordinary rewards are given to maintain a balance of power. The generals who fought in the Northern Expedition are all former subordinates of Mingzhu, highly respected and accomplished. Now that the new dynasty has been established, and Your Majesty has inherited the throne, you must let the generals and soldiers know that Your Majesty has your own discretion in rewarding and distributing gifts, and it's not just out of sympathy for old times."
Ning Yanhe was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Mr. Jing is a mature and wise man who advises the state. This is indeed the way to go. We should comfort the old ministers left behind by my sister. Only then can we stabilize people's hearts and rule the world together."
"Your Majesty is wise."
The two stood in silence for a while before Jing Pu Ze took his leave.
The mourning hall returned to silence, with only the crackling sound of burning paper money remaining.
Ning Yanhe knelt on the mat again, picked up a stack of paper money, and slowly put it into the brazier.
The flames danced, reflecting his bottomless eyes.
*
The days passed one by one, and tomorrow, the 27th, would be the day when the mourning period would end and it would also be the day when Ning Yanhe ascended the throne.
He still knelt in front of the coffin and continued to burn paper money, silent and silent.
It was late at night, so late that the entire palace became dark and hazy.
After all, this dragon throne cannot accommodate two people.
From the moment he took this seat, there was only one way left between them - when close relatives fight, one of them will get hurt.
Since ancient times, the most ruthless people have been the imperial families.
Either he and the Jing family would be completely defeated, or all the efforts of his sister and old ministers would be wasted.
This was the fate of them, the siblings. From the moment he nodded in agreement to go down the well, it was destined that the royal family would kill each other, and he had to watch blood and tears flow together.
Suddenly, he felt very cold, so cold that he seemed to be hallucinating, and he heard footsteps.
He looked up into the dim light and saw only a figure.
He smiled: "Sister, you are back."
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