Meet again
Inside the Purple Palace, a bronze beast furnace was emitting wisps of green smoke. Emperor Guangqi Ningyan sat at the imperial desk after a ceremony. His bright yellow dragon robe made his expression even gloomier.
There stood a man in front of the desk. He was of burly build and was wearing a set of leather armor, the standard for ordinary imperial guards. However, it was extremely tight, making him look awkward and uncomfortable, as if the clothes were not meant to be worn on him.
He had a deep face and sunken eye sockets, a typical appearance of a Western Qiang person. The most striking thing was his eyes. They lacked the awe that a subject should have. Instead, they were staring at the face of the emperor in front of him with the arrogance of an eagle examining its prey.
"The agreed three million taels of silver in cash have been prepared. The general can take it away later." Emperor Guangqi's voice was calm, but his words were earth-shattering.
The corner of General Xiqiang's mouth curled up slightly, as if he had heard something insignificant and did not take it seriously.
He casually flicked the nonexistent dust off his armor and added, "Your Majesty is forthright. However, the silver is only the appetizer, and the three towns of Heshuo are the main course."
"We, the men of Xiqiang, shed blood for Your Majesty, broke through the city walls, and helped Your Majesty sit on the throne. Your Majesty doesn't think that we can just pay it off with silver like we would a beggar, right?" He leaned forward slightly, his eyes hooked.
"We, the King of Qiang, are waiting for your Majesty's delivery documents."
The three million taels of silver drawn from the inner treasury were like water sprinkled on the ground.
Not only did it fail to feed the evil wolf, it also aroused its ferocity, and it seemed that it was about to bite back.
There was silence in the hall for a moment. General Xiqiang didn't seem to care about the stagnant atmosphere. His five thousand men were still in the capital. Emperor Guangqi had just ascended the throne for a few days. If he dared to go back on his word, he could be killed in an instant without a burial place.
The flickering candlelight flickered on Emperor Guangqi's face. He took a deep breath, his Adam's apple rolling, and lowered his voice: "General, you are too kind. How dare I break my promise to your country?"
"It's just that I've just ascended the throne, and my foundation isn't stable yet. The three towns of Heshuo are crucial for national defense, and the garrisons are all former ministers of the previous emperor, with their power intertwined. A sudden handover would surely lead to rebellion, and I'm afraid it would break the agreement between the Qiang King and me."
He paused, meeting the other party's scrutinizing gaze, and continued, "This matter requires a slow process. I will first gradually transfer the trusted generals from the three towns under the pretext of rotation, and will also gradually raise military pay and food. When their morale is low and their defenses are weakened..."
"The cavalry under your command will be able to march straight in, as if entering an empty territory. Then, the three towns of Heshuo will be in the Qiang King's hands. This is the most foolproof strategy. What do you think, General?"
A trace of determination flashed in Emperor Guangqi's eyes. He would rather let the people of the world become corrupt and displaced and become beasts than lose the throne.
General Xiqiang narrowed his eyes and stared at Emperor Guangqi for a long while, thinking to himself, if we talk about insidiousness, it is still the people of the Southern Dynasty who are cruel. They even sold out their country to this extent just to become emperor. It is rare in history books. However, what he said makes some sense. Xiqiang is only one-third of the territory of the Southern Dynasty. It would be inappropriate to rashly swallow up the three towns.
In the hall, one could hear a pin drop, only the ticking of the clock was heard. After a long while, General Xi Qiang chuckled, indicating that he had approved this delaying tactic.
Then he threw out another object: "Your Majesty, don't forget that, as a token of sincerity, you promised a bonus: Princess Zhaoyang, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Southern Dynasty, to be the concubine of our Qiang King. There's no need to delay this marriage, right?"
"There's still room in the Qiang King's tent."
Emperor Guangqi felt a sweet taste rising up his throat, but he forced himself to swallow it down, maintaining a calm expression. "Don't worry, General. Once the palace is settled, I will make arrangements and escort Princess Zhaoyang to Xiqiang with great fanfare."
"Okay, Your Majesty is a wise man! I will inform the King of Qiang and establish an everlasting friendship with Your Majesty, and we will become brotherly nations." General Xiqiang grinned with satisfaction, and without any courtesy, he turned around and strode out of the hall. The scabbard at his waist tapped the ground with each step, as if knocking on Emperor Guangqi's heart.
It was not until the disgusting figure completely disappeared outside the palace gate that Emperor Guangqi's tense back collapsed. He stared at the jade seal on the imperial desk, and suddenly, he swept his arms fiercely!
"Crash, clang!"
Memorials, writing brushes, inkstones, teacups...
He swept all the objects on the table to the ground, smashing them into pieces and staining the hem of the bright yellow dragon robe.
"Your Majesty, please calm down!" The eunuchs outside the palace were so frightened that they fell to their knees and apologized.
Emperor Guangqi's chest heaved violently, and he felt only resentment. Who did he hate?
He hated the Western Qiang General, the Qiang King, the deposed Crown Prince, and the retired Emperor. He hated them all, and in the end, he hated himself even more.
In the mess, the jade seal also rolled to the ground. He staggered to his feet and felt a sharp pain in the palm of his hand. He didn't know when it was cut by broken porcelain, and blood was flowing.
He stretched out his bloodstained hands and held up the jade seal almost reverently, stroking the dragon pattern with his fingertips. The blood spread on the warm white jade, a glaring red.
"The throne, my throne..."
He placed the jade seal on the table and sat back on the dragon throne. Looking at the hazy bloodstains on the jade seal, his eyes seemed to become blurred.
A way out? From the moment he extended his hand to the Qiang people, a bottomless abyss had already opened up under his feet. He could only move forward; he had no way out.
At this moment, a young eunuch quietly entered the hall, his voice filled with panic: "Your Majesty! This is bad! Princess Mingzhu, Princess Zhaoyang, and the fifth prince and sixth princess born to Concubine Jing are all missing!"
"What?"
Zhaoyang had just been traded as a bargaining chip and now he was gone. What could he use to satisfy the jackal's greed?
"Useless! A bunch of useless people! Find them for me! Seal off all nine gates immediately! Dig three feet underground to find them for me! Send two thousand Yulin Guards! No, three thousand! Chase them immediately! If you can't find them, bring them to me with your heads!"
The new emperor's rage turned into a series of blood-stained decrees that rushed out of the Purple Palace.
At the same time, on Zhuque Street, General Xi Qiang was riding his horse, surrounded by a group of personal soldiers. Behind them were carriages loaded with countless gold, silver and treasures. The sound of horses' hooves knocked against the bluestone slabs arrogantly, scaring the doors and windows of the shops on both sides so that they closed their doors and windows, leaving only frightened eyes behind the cracks in the doors.
He looked down at the deadly streets on both sides, a cruel grin on his lips, and shouted, "See? This is the Southern Dynasty!"
He weighed the heavy gold ingot in his hand, making an alluring clinking sound. "It's just a fat sheep that my Western Qiang can take whatever they want. My men, the old emperor has emptied his own treasury to let us have fun! Tonight, have fun however you want!"
*
The cold wind was like a knife, blowing across the desolate ancient road. The withered grass on the roadside was covered with a thin layer of frost and shivered in the wind.
Ning Lingyi and her group had already left the capital for over a hundred miles. They were hurrying along a small path beside the official road. Princess Zhaoyang, wearing a coarse headscarf and looking pale, followed closely beside Ning Lingyi. The two younger ones, Yanhe and Lingyao, were being carried by two loyal servants in turn, their faces turning blue from the cold.
"Lingyi, aren't we going to Mingzhou?" Zhaoyang asked in a low voice while panting, his eyes full of confusion.
Ning Lingyi glanced warily at the empty surroundings, her voice low, "The new emperor is no fool. If we were to disappear, the first thing he'd think of would be Mingzhou. The official roads, post stations, and checkpoints everywhere would probably have already been set up with a tight net. Going straight to Mingzhou would be like walking into a trap."
She cast her gaze towards the desolate hills in the distance. "We'll take a detour north into the mountains, then turn east. Even if it means walking hundreds of miles of dangerous mountain roads, it's better than running headfirst into a trap."
Everyone's heart trembled, knowing that the road ahead would be doubly difficult and dangerous, but looking at Ning Lingyi's calm profile, no one raised any objections, but just silently quickened their pace.
By noon, everyone was exhausted.
From a distance, I saw a simple thatched hut by the roadside, with a flag with the word "tea" fluttering in the wind. It was a small teahouse for travelers to rest.
Ning Lingyi didn't want to rest, but her younger brother and sister really couldn't walk anymore, and their little faces were full of fatigue.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Let's go in and rest for a while, get a bowl of hot water and eat something, and then leave immediately. Remember, we are peasant women who have come to stay with relatives. Our child is sick and we are in a hurry to get on with our journey. Don't say anything."
The group walked into a simple teahouse. The proprietress was a middle-aged woman with a sad face. When she saw the guests, she greeted them busily.
Ning Lingyi ordered a few bowls of coarse tea and some hard-wheat cakes and shared them silently. The tea was boiling hot, temporarily dispelling the biting cold.
There were two or three peddlers resting in the teahouse, chatting in low voices and not paying much attention to the group of peasant women.
After resting for only half a moment, Ning Lingyi stood up decisively and said, "Let's go."
She placed a few copper coins on the greasy table and pulled up Yan He and Ling Yao.
Less than two hours after their figures disappeared around the bend of the ancient road, the hurried and chaotic sound of horse hooves swept in and stopped in front of the teahouse.
Amidst the flying dust, a team of Yulin cavalrymen in distinctive armor reined in their horses.
"Have you seen any women with children passing by? Two younger ones, probably daughters of the host family, with two children of five or six years old, and three or four servants."
The proprietress was so frightened that her legs went weak and the spoon she was using to stir the tea almost fell into the pot.
She subconsciously glanced in the direction Ning Lingyi and the others had left, her lips trembling, "Yes, just after noon, a few women took the child to the mountains in the north. They said the child was sick and was in a hurry to go to live with relatives..."
A cold light flashed in the captain's eyes, he found the person!
"Chase!"
Dozens of riders rushed like arrows towards the northern mountain road pointed by the proprietress, raising a cloud of dust.
The night was like thick ink, completely splashed down. The cold wind was howling in the valley. Yan He and Ling Yao had already fallen asleep on the backs of the maid, with traces of tears still on their little faces.
Zhaoyang's physical strength had reached its limit, his steps were weak, and he was supported entirely by his willpower. Ning Lingyi herself was also exhausted, and every step she took involved sore muscles.
But she didn't dare stop, as she seemed to hear the sound of pursuers' horses' hooves behind her.
"Hold on a little longer, find a place sheltered from the wind..." She panted, and before she could finish her words, a burst of horse neighing suddenly sounded in the darkness ahead!
Countless black shadows emerged from behind the rocks and dead trees on both sides, blocking the front and back of the narrow mountain path. Torches were lit one after another, and the jumping flames illuminated the murderous faces, surrounding Ning Lingyi and his group tightly!
Ning Lingyi pulled Zhaoyang behind her, and at the same time pulled out the dagger that had been hidden in her sleeve, holding it across her chest, and tried her best to protect the maid who was carrying her brother and sister-in-law.
"Protect the princess!" The loyal servants were shocked and angry. They drew their weapons and formed a circle, but facing the large number of elite cavalry, their resistance seemed so pale.
The leading Imperial Guards officer rode forward a few steps, looking down at the group of women and children. "Princess Mingzhu, Princess Zhaoyang, and the two young princes, His Majesty has ordered that you return to the palace immediately!"
His eyes swept over the dagger in Ning Lingyi's hand, full of disdain, "Anyone who resists will be killed without mercy!"
Torches crackled, sparks danced in the cold wind, and she looked around at the dense swarm of blades, her heart icy.
Couldn't escape after all?
Ning Yanhe, frightened or something, burst into tears, crying, "Sister Mingzhu, are we going to die?"
Zhaoyang looked at his sister who was standing in front of him, and felt that the sky was high and the earth was vast, and there was no one better than her. The prosperity in the past seemed like an illusion, and the difficulties at this moment were real.
Ning Lingyi confronted him with a knife in hand, thinking to herself, "Return to the palace? What awaits them might be more terrifying than death. She would never let her brother and sister-in-law fall into the hands of that beast!"
At this critical moment.
"Kill without mercy? What a big tone."
A deep voice suddenly sounded on the dark mountain road. The voice was not loud, but it clearly penetrated the howling of the cold wind and attracted everyone's attention.
The Yulin Guards were startled and turned their swords and guns around, looking vigilantly towards the source of the sound.
In the dark night, a horse was leading the way, slowly reining in and stepping out of the shadows. Behind him, a team of light cavalry had surrounded the Yulin Guards silently.
The man in the lead was tall and straight, wrapped in a dark cloak, with a wide hood covering his face in shadow. There was no weapon in his hand, only a black horse whip hanging casually, the tip of the whip swaying lazily with the rhythm of the horse's hooves tapping the ground.
The firelight flickered, barely illuminating half of his face under the hood. When Ning Lingyi saw the familiar eyebrows and eyes, the hand holding the dagger trembled.
It’s Tuoba Hong!
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