Chapter 49 The Coup (Part 1)
The emperor's ascension to the throne was ill-fated. Throughout history, about half of all emperors have been subject to such rumors.
However, Yan Dibai has never been the subject of such controversy. Nor could she possibly be.
He was the undisputed crown prince, personally tutored and raised by three reigns' elders. Along his path, many princes were killed by the late emperor in a fit of rage, clearing the way for Yan Dibai.
The little thoughts in my heart seemed insignificant in an instant after being bombarded by Fu'an's words.
She suddenly remembered many things.
…The system's preface, an overview of the mission, and the biography of Yan Dibai as recorded in historical texts.
Last year was the fourth year of the Deming era. Now it is the fifth year of the Deming era. Emperor Wu of the Northern Dynasty appeared in this year and took Yan Dibai as his concubine.
Qingqing's mind was in a whirl, her gaze fixed blankly on Fu'an, as if the endless flames of war were unfolding right before her eyes.
The girl gripped the cup tightly with her right hand, seemingly unaware that the tea was hot enough to scald her skin.
Feng An poured out the leftover tea and replaced it with a fresh pot.
The small stove was burning brightly.
The young man was no longer as awkward as when he first arrived at the palace; he had long since regarded the Wende Hall as his own home. Every gesture, every smile, was natural and at ease.
The aroma of tea wafted through the air, and he raised his cup with a graceful gesture that rivaled that of a noble family.
The same applies to tea.
A moment later, the pain in her palm pulled Qingqing back to reality. Her gaze cleared again. Fu'an seemed to have anticipated her confusion:
"The palace servants who emptied the chamber pots probably heard some clues outside."
"Who spread the rumors is unknown. But in this world... perhaps they don't care whether the rumors are true or false. There are rumors that His Majesty has inherited the late Emperor's madness, and that he is becoming more and more insane with age. The hearts of the people have always been volatile; one or two acts of kindness cannot outweigh a thousand or a hundred acts of violence."
Feng An sneered inwardly.
The political situation was under his control. Although it was slightly different from what he remembered, dealing with "them" was a piece of cake.
Too many people have been waiting for this day.
The young emperor's two periods of good reputation were unexpected. Even after gradually removing these minor flaws that affected him, he was still a utterly defeated and useless person.
However, as Feng An examined Yang Liuqing, who appeared to be facing a formidable enemy, another long-standing curiosity arose within him.
She was neither a concubine nor a slave.
Most others wouldn't notice, but it didn't escape his notice.
Through multiple encounters, this woman of commoner origin, who had never appeared by the young emperor's side before, seemed never to have identified herself with any specific identity.
What exactly does she want?
It can't really be a case of world peace and tranquility.
He was just saying those things to deceive her.
Feng'an lowered his eyes.
Unlike Xue Ying'er, who is straightforward and easy to understand, Yang Liuqing is not so easily manipulated.
Thinking of Xue Ying'er, Feng An frowned slightly. Suddenly, he took the tongs and removed a few pieces of charcoal.
The carbon ball shattered on the ground with a thud. "The steam didn't burn you, did it?"
The red and yellow flames leaped into her eyes as she moved. Qingqing snapped back to reality, let out a soft cry, and released the teacup.
She turned her bright red palm down and shook her head: "It's nothing."
"You're right." Now that things have come to this, no one wants to know the so-called truth.
Overthrowing the tyrant who is the target of everyone's hatred is enough.
Qingqing's face was a mixture of pale and green.
She gripped her right hand, intending to leave, but as soon as she exerted force with her legs, she abruptly sat down. Her mind raced.
At this critical juncture, why did Yan Xifang send someone to serve Yan Dibai?
She was so compassionate and kind to the people. She repeatedly urged Yan Dibai to do good—
If even an ordinary eunuch like Fu'an could hear these things, how could the princess be completely unaware?
She didn't know whether Consort Jin's identity was real or not, and they wouldn't let her know.
Qingqing suddenly remembered the beginning of the year, and Li Mingshao seemed to have immediately helped Yan Xifang up.
Li Mingshao is also a possessor of imperial aura.
...
The unpredictable Yan Dibai, the worried Wo Xue, and Xiao Yuanjing who has been staying in the capital.
My sunburns are throbbing painfully.
"Can this news be guaranteed to be true?" After a while, Qingqing still had some doubts.
Fu'an seemed puzzled, his gaze clear and bright: "If Qingniang really doesn't believe me, go ask Daixian?"
She closed her eyes tightly and lowered her face.
"...I understand. Thank you."
A light blue jacket and skirt swayed out from behind the door.
The worry on Feng An's face vanished, the rising steam from the tea masking all his emotions.
A series of loud banging sounds came from inside the house, quite forceful, containing unspoken resentment and hatred.
Feng An acted as if he hadn't heard, and added back the charcoal that had just been removed, along with three more pieces.
Orange sparks climbed onto the new fuel, and he stared intently at the ever-growing flames.
…the third year after the death of the young emperor.
With Xiao Yuanjing and Li Mingshao vying for power in the front, he slowly conquered territory from behind. Finally, he killed Cui Shu, obtained the position of family head, and successfully became the ruler of Boling.
The whole world will be his.
Then... Xue Ying'er, who could hardly be considered a pawn, turned a promising situation into a complete mess.
Feng An breathed softly.
This time it won't be like that.
Even though she relentlessly pursued her to the capital, using that fierce woman Deng to gain entry into the palace—
One mistake is enough.
Inside the Wende Hall stood a small statue of the Celestial Master. The young man suddenly shattered the image of the girl into his mind. He closed the door, sat on a prayer mat, and gazed at the solemn Taoist patriarch for a moment.
He suddenly grabbed the wooden fish and, just as he had done on Qingyun Mountain in Jizhou, calmly began to chant scriptures.
When the world is governed by the Way, even warhorses are used for manure. When the world is not governed by the Way, warhorses breed in the suburbs.
The common people cannot even afford five pecks of rice a month, which Heaven cannot bear.
It was during an uprising.
-
Mid-May.
Memorials to the emperor from all over the country were pouring in like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.
"Immediate report: chaos has broken out in Boling!"
"Urgent report! Bandits from Moling are robbing travelers!"
"Suddenly, a large number of religious refugees have appeared outside the capital, claiming that Heaven has decreed that the Emperor will surely perish! Now even court officials are secretly suspicious and searching for the so-called prince! Lord Woxue, what should we do?"
Wo Xue gripped the whisk tightly, biting down hard:
"Zhen! Who said that? Kill him and display him to the public! That's utterly absurd! Everyone knows that the late emperor only had one son left!"
Wang Bi bowed respectfully: "My lord, please calm your anger. These rumors are spreading rapidly and cannot be eradicated in a short time. It would be best to ask His Majesty—"
He hesitated, then stopped speaking. Wo Xue was frantic: "If I could see His Majesty, would I still be here listening to your nonsense?!"
Wang Bi nodded: "This servant is useless."
"Useless? You are very useful! Her Highness the Princess has given you a very generous reward!" Wo Xue glared fiercely at the indifferent Wang Bi. The clues he had found over the past few days had become a dense web, making him unable to suppress his anger.
"If His Majesty loses power, how can a princess still act so arrogantly? What good is it if she has the Li family backing her? Don't forget Xiao Yuanjing!"
It was already May. Although the implementation of the Green Sprouts Act had its effects, it was extinguished by the continuous outbreaks of refugees and the government's renewed inaction. Even Prime Minister Lin was powerless to reverse the situation.
The refugees who had previously gathered outside the city refused to endure any longer. Someone started spreading rumors about ghosts and gods, raising the banner that the old heaven was dead and the new heaven should rise. This led them to clamor for the young emperor to abdicate, and they even knocked on the palace gates at night.
Among the refugees emerged a leader wielding shattered jade, claiming to be the prince who had been secretly framed and forced to leave the capital years ago. The fact that the young emperor's ascension to the throne was illegitimate was inexplicably transformed into an undeniable truth through gossip.
Even the old palace servants can now explain the current situation in great detail.
The relentless pressure and the young emperor's neglect of state affairs had left Woxue exhausted. And it was precisely at this critical juncture that Wang Bi and his group of palace servants became increasingly unreliable.
They all possessed the sharp wit and intelligence honed in the palace, and these days they were becoming increasingly unreserved in their performance.
Wo Xue could no longer tolerate it.
His immediate superior was furious. In the past, he would have been terrified. This time, however, Wang surprisingly smiled. Completely ignoring the warning in Wo Xue's words, he said:
"They are different after all."
Wo Xue was stunned.
Wang Bi casually bowed. "The main road lies ahead; we certainly cannot cross that narrow bridge. A single misstep could mean losing our heads. Isn't the current situation clear to you, sir?"
A metallic taste filled Wo Xue's throat, and Wang Bi's eyes gleamed with a sharp light:
"My lord, how long has it been since His Majesty last attended court?"
how long?
His lips trembled unintentionally. The profound meaning in Wang Bi's words was chilling. His suspicions, which he had doubted for days but dared not investigate further, were confirmed at this moment.
"It's a change of emperor, not a princess. The situation in the court is unclear, and even a new emperor will inevitably have to rely on his predecessors. They are all of royal blood, so why must they be estranged?"
Under a clear blue sky, the young eunuch stood silently at the foot of the jade steps, a swivel in his hand fluttering in the wind, his long, hunched figure silhouetted against the light.
After a long pause, he sighed blankly. Suddenly, he looked up at the sky.
White clouds drift by, and everything seems normal.
How could this be… He hung his head in dejection, about to leave, when he cried out, “Wo Xue! Wo Xue!”
The girl burst into the darkness, her voice urgent. Wo Xue was stunned; he hadn't seen Qingqing standing before him, breathless, for a long time. Her eyes were full of pleading.
"I want to see His Majesty! Let me see His Majesty!"
Having not seen Qingqing for several days, Woxue was momentarily stunned and instinctively repeated, "Your Majesty?"
Qingqing was sweating profusely with anxiety: "Everyone's talking about the new prince right now. The reason these rumors are spreading so widely is simply because someone is deliberately creating hype. There are villains in the palace, and these villains are..."
The traitor had been lying in wait all along.
Thinking of Yan Xifang's gentle and dignified description, she took a deep breath and didn't know how to say it for a moment.
She hadn't dared to think about it before, nor had she considered it in that direction. But for the past two weeks, she had been inquiring everywhere and meticulously reviewing every detail of her daily life.
The veil that Qingqing had never dared to tear open in her heart was suddenly ripped open.
…His older sister conspired with others to gradually push him to the brink of despair.
This might be too cruel for Yan Dibai.
Her imperial aura had been reduced to zero. Before coming here, she was at a loss for what to do. Perhaps Heaven couldn't bear to see her suffer and made the decision for her. This morning, Qingqing had a bewildered and embarrassed dream.
Amidst the scorched earth, a towering figure stands amidst the ruins.
She was startled awake by the somber atmosphere of the scene. Panting, she looked around. The cabinet was still the same old cabinet, and the clothes were still the same clothes.
The copy of the Gongyang Commentary that she had made under Yan Dibai's guidance lay there quietly.
Qingqing picked up the bound copybook, intending to organize and put it away, but after seeing the sentence on the first page, "To quell the chaos and restore righteousness," she was stunned for a long time.
A thought flashed through her mind. She suddenly remembered that arrogant young man, clutching the book with confidence, seemingly enveloped in a radiant glow.
Something's really wrong.
He clearly understood things very well. Would someone who understands things so well really suddenly fall into depravity?
She was probably born in the 21st century and had read some online novels and watched some TV dramas. Yan Xifang's method of sending him women wasn't particularly clever.
The towering figure in the scorched earth leaped before her eyes once more... For no apparent reason, she inexplicably connected him with Yan Dibai.
What about Yan Dibai in the future?
Suddenly, she made up her mind and decided to do whatever it took to turn the tide.
Wo Xue stared at her intently, a sudden surge of emotion igniting in her eyes, tears welling up in her eyes: "Why did you take so long to come! Where have you been these past few days!"
Where else could she go? Ever since Yan Dibai chose Consort Jin to accompany her, she had become practically invisible. Having learned her lesson from the past, the palace servants dared not make things difficult for her and thus chose to ignore her.
For some reason, Yan Xifang didn't confront her. She had a chance to catch her breath and desperately tried to figure out what to do.
She had no one to turn to for help; at some point, everyone in the palace had come to act entirely according to Yan Xifang's wishes.
Qingqing had no time to explain; unease filled her entire being, and her heart pounded like a drum: "Is there any way to let me in?"
Wo Xue's eyes narrowed, and she looked troubled: "His Majesty has been indulging in pleasure lately and won't even let me in. There's only that woman serving him day and night in Hexianning Palace."
“Where’s the path?” she interrupted.
His face twisted in pain, and after a moment of hesitation, he suddenly sighed, "Come with me!"
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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 2023-11-06 23:34:12 and 2023-11-15 22:21:19!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Moonrise 2 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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