Chapter 346: Decision
After leaving the palace, General Zhao Mu returned to his own residence, closed the door and refused to see visitors. He did not go to the backyard and stayed in the hall drinking alone.
As they were drinking, the servant announced that Madam Zhou had arrived.
Madam Zhou was the wife of Zhao Mu. She married him at the age of seventeen and had two sons: the eldest, fifteen, and the second, ten. Although already thirty-five, Madam Zhou maintained a remarkably good figure, proving to have been a striking young woman. However, she was a bit short-sighted and timid.
When Prince Xiao Ming of Qi responded to the Second Prince's call to arms and attacked the capital, Zhao Mu was torn. If he assisted Emperor Yongde, he would be unjust to the Prince of Qi. If he assisted the Prince of Qi against the Emperor, he would be disloyal. Madam Zhou then whispered in his ear that since the Prince of Qi and the Emperor were irreconcilable, it would be unfavorable to support either side. It would be better to hold back and wait and see what would happen. This way, he could avoid offending either side.
Mrs. Zhou thought this was a good idea. In fact, this fence-sitting approach was very inappropriate. However, at that time, Xiao Ming could understand his difficulties in not sending troops. If it were someone else, he would have long been resentful.
Zhao Mu was a skilled commander of troops, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to defend the border. However, he was a bit soft-hearted and, believing Madam Zhou's suggestion had merit, adopted it. Later, Emperor Yongde burned himself to death in Fengqi Palace, and Xiao Zhuo and the King of Qi reconciled after the Battle of Shengjing, finally freeing him from this headache. Xiao Ming, upon ascending the throne, treated him well, promoting him directly to Grand General, commanding the entire Great Yan army.
After safely getting through this crisis, he gained more trust in Mrs. Zhou's judgment.
Now that Emperor Ming of Qi had passed away, Xiao Beiheng had ordered him to prepare his army and choose a date to attack Prince An Xiao Zhuo. This put him in a dilemma. After all, Xiao Zhuo and Xiao Beiheng were brothers, so it seemed inappropriate to support either side.
After Madam Zhou arrived, Zhao Mu told her what had happened that day. Madam Zhou exclaimed, "This matter is clear, how could the master still be unsure?"
Zhao Mu put the wine bowl on the table and said, "How can this be so easy?"
"The decree of Prince Ping to establish a crown prince was fabricated?"
"The Prime Minister has confirmed that this is His Majesty's decree."
Madam Zhou picked up the wine pot and poured him some wine, saying, "That's it. Now that His Majesty has passed away, it's only natural that Prince Ping ascends the throne. How dare you, Master, contradict the Emperor in person? Do you really want to die?"
Zhao Mu felt a little uneasy when he thought about his own offense against Xiao Beiheng in the Golden Palace. No matter how rude Xiao Beiheng was, the prime minister and other ministers had all knelt to acknowledge Xiao Beiheng as the emperor, but he was the only one who still stood there stubbornly, refusing to kneel. It was indeed a mistake.
"Prince Ping sat directly on the throne at that time, and I was anxious..."
"Master, even if the emperor failed to observe proper etiquette and refused to bring back his father's coffin, it is not our place as ministers to criticize him," said Madam Zhou. "As ministers, we must not make mistakes first. Otherwise, the emperor will find fault with us..."
Zhao Mu's forehead broke out in sweat as he listened. He put down the wine bowl he had picked up and said, "Madam, then... then what do you think?"
Madam Zhou said, "Master, His Majesty has ordered you to lead the army to attack Xiao Zhuo. This clearly means you are of use. Otherwise, why would His Majesty tolerate your disrespect in the Golden Palace? Master, you should be safe. I will have the servants prepare a generous gift. At noon, Master will bring it to the palace to apologize to His Majesty. Then, you can lead the army to eliminate Xiao Zhuo. From then on, you can rest easy and rise to prominence."
Zhao Mu gave a bitter laugh and said, "I have been promoted to the rank of general, the highest position in the government. There is nothing worth pursuing anymore."
Madam Zhou glanced at him and said, "You only care about your own affairs. Our son will depend on you in the future. Once Xiao Zhuo is destroyed, Jingzhou and Liangzhou will be vacant. When Your Majesty becomes the Emperor, Anzhou and Yuzhou will also be vacant. If you don't make military achievements, how can Your Majesty confer a title on our son?"
Zhao Mu pondered and said, "I once dealt with Xiao Zhuo's wife, Shen Yuexi, and I think she is a very good person. I'm afraid there is something wrong with Xiao Zhuo's regicide..."
"Master, why are you thinking all this?" Madam Zhou said with feigned anger. "Do you think what the Empress said is false? It's been said since ancient times that one can only know a person by his appearance but not by his heart. Didn't Xiao Zhuo kill his teacher in the past? It makes sense that he would assassinate his father now."
Zhao Mu was still hesitating when a servant came to report, "Master, General An Guo is here to visit."
After hearing this, Madam Zhou looked at Zhao Mu and asked, "Master, is General Anguo the Qi Shengjue who brought the news? Why is he here at this time?"
It was only dawn when Zhao Mu came back, and generally no one would come to the door at this time.
Zhao Mu was shocked. He had contradicted Xiao Beiheng in the Golden Palace. Did Xiao Beiheng send him to capture him?
He tried to appear calm and asked, "Does General Anguo have any troops with him?"
"No, there is only one person," the servant said, "General Anguo is very secretive and seems to be hiding from outsiders."
Hearing that Qi Shengjue came alone, Zhao Mu finally felt relieved and said to Madam Zhou, "General Anguo is here to visit. Madam, please step aside for the time being."
Mrs. Zhou agreed, but she knew in her heart that Qi Shengjue's arrival was strange and must have some ulterior motive. She refused to leave and secretly hid in the next room to listen.
Qi Shengjue was led down by his servant to meet Zhao Mu. After the two exchanged greetings, Zhao Mu said to Qi Shengjue:
"You know my rules. You have to drink three bowls of liquor before you can talk. Otherwise, forget it."
Qi Shengjue also knew about his special request. Without being polite or refusing, he directly picked up the wine jar and poured three bowls of wine into it. He drank all three bowls in one breath and put the bowls down.
Seeing how happy he was, Zhao Mu couldn't help but clap his hands and said, "Good, it's a happy one."
Qi Shengjue wiped his mouth with his sleeve and said to Zhao Mu, "General, please allow me to leave. I have something to say to you."
Seeing Zhao Muping dismiss his servants, Qi Shengjue said to Zhao Mu, "I've heard for a long time that the general has a close personal relationship with the emperor. When the general offended Emperor Yongde, it was the emperor who saved the general. Is this true?"
When Zhao Mu heard Qi Shengjue mention his relationship with Xiao Ming, he didn't know what he meant, so he could only say, "Your Majesty and I are king and subject. How dare I claim to have a close relationship with Your Majesty?"
Qi Shengjue lowered his voice and asked, "Is the general angry that His Majesty was assassinated?"
Zhao Mu said, "Of course. Tomorrow I will bid farewell to the emperor and lead my army to defeat the rebels and avenge the late emperor."
Qi Shengjue looked him up and down and said, "General, are you telling the truth? Do you really think Xiao Zhuo did it?"
Zhao Mu didn't quite believe that Xiao Zhuo would do such a thing. Now that Qi Shengjue asked him the question, he became hesitant and didn't know how to answer since he was a warrior and not good at hiding his thoughts.
Qi Shengjue noticed his hesitation and felt a sense of relief. He whispered, "General, you also saw Prince Ping's expression in the Golden Palace today. In fact, Your Majesty was assassinated by Prince Ping."
"What!" Zhao Mu jumped up as if frightened, and his face turned pale.
He actually had his doubts about Xiao Beiheng, but deep down he still didn't quite believe he would actually do something like this. After all, Xiao Beiheng was different from Xiao Zhuo; Xiao Ming had raised him for twenty years. Now that Qi Shengjue had come to personally express his suspicions, he was still quite frightened.
Qi Shengjue said calmly, "The General and the Emperor have a brotherly relationship. I've come here to tell the General the truth. I hope the General can distinguish right from wrong and not aid the tyrant."
"Isn't this the Empress's decree?" Zhao Mu forced himself to calm down and looked at Qi Shengjue.
"When His Majesty was assassinated, Prince Ping Xiao Zhuo hadn't arrived yet. Xiao Beiheng told me that a wild boar had injured His Majesty. The imperial physician and I examined it, and it turned out to be a sword wound," Qi Shengjue's voice lowered. "Later, the Empress said that His Majesty was murdered by Prince Ping. This shows that the Empress and Xiao Beiheng were in cahoots."
Zhao Mu wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Then why did you say this to me?"
After learning these inside stories, he had a vague idea of what Qi Shengjue wanted him to do. But he was terrified when he thought about what was going to happen next.
Qi Shengjue said, "Your Majesty has treated me well. Although I am not talented, I cannot tolerate a man who killed his father ascending the throne. The general has received great favor from Your Majesty and is in command of the Yan army. If he turns around and helps Xiao Beiheng, Your Majesty would be heartbroken even in the afterlife. I hope the general can consider the people of Great Yan, capture the real traitor, and bring back Prince An."
The matter has been made clear, now it depends on Zhao Mu's attitude.
Zhao Mu hesitated, not daring to respond directly. He wasn't a decisive person to begin with, otherwise he wouldn't have needed Madam Zhou's advice. After hesitating for a long time, he said to Qi Shengjue, "This matter is truly too important. Allow me to consider it carefully before giving you a reply."
Qi Shengjue was a little anxious and said, "General, you contradicted Xiao Beiheng during the morning court today. Xiao Beiheng seemed not to care, but you have no idea what he was thinking. What do you think a man who could kill his own father can do?"
After hearing this, Zhao Mu hesitated again.
Qi Shengjue's words made sense. He had contradicted Xiao Beiheng in the Golden Palace, which was already a crime of disrespect, but Xiao Beiheng hadn't reacted at all. Madam Zhou thought this was because Xiao Beiheng still had some use for him. Since Xiao Beiheng still wanted to use him, he probably wouldn't harm him, right?
After thinking it over, he felt that his wife was right. He said to Qi Shengjue, "I understand everything, but this matter is of great importance. My mind is in a mess. Let me think it over carefully."
Qi Shengjue said, "General, this matter does not allow for slow deliberation. If you hesitate on important matters, you will suffer the consequences. You are the commander-in-chief of the Yan army, and the 100,000-strong border garrison is led by your trusted confidant Wei Liang. As long as you raise your arm and call, the whole world will respond. With such an army and such power, why would you hesitate?"
Zhao Mu frowned, turned around, picked up a bowl of wine, and drank it. A sense of pride rose in his heart, and he said to Qi Shengjue, "General Anguo is right. I saw Xiao Beiheng's face was terrified and guilty in the Golden Palace. Now that the general has told me the truth, I have no doubts. Does the general have any good suggestions?"
Qi Shengjue was overjoyed. He pulled Zhao Mu to sit down and whispered, "The army in the capital is now under the command of the general. Although Xiao Beiheng has ascended the throne, he is unable to mobilize the army. It will be easy for the general to capture him. You and I will prepare the troops in the barracks at noon. Then the general will invite him to give a speech to the three armies, and I will send a few strong men to capture him."
Zhao Mu nodded, but he still had some concerns. He asked, "The Prime Minister has confirmed Xiao Beiheng's decree, confirming that he is indeed the Crown Prince. Now that His Majesty has passed away, Xiao Beiheng's ascension to the throne is legitimate. If I capture him in the army, will I be criticized by the world?"
Qi Shengjue said, "General, you captured the traitor who murdered his father for the sake of the people of the world. How can you criticize him? If Your Majesty knew that Xiao Beiheng would commit patricide when he issued the decree, would he still have issued it? General, there is no need to worry."
Zhao Mu nodded repeatedly and said, "General, you are right. I have made up my mind and will do as you say."
Qi Shengjue stood up and said, "I will go to the military camp outside the city to prepare. General, proceed according to the plan. This matter concerns life and death. General, please do not tell anyone else to avoid any complications."
Zhao Mu also knew that this matter was too important, so he cut his finger with a knife and swore an oath with Qi Shengjue's blood. Qi Shengjue then left without worry and went outside the city to prepare.
After seeing Qi Shengjue off, Zhao Mu returned to the room and saw Madam Zhou waiting there.
"Master, you are so foolish!" Mrs. Zhou burst into tears when she saw him. "I wasn't here to help you, and you did something like this?"
Zhao Mu was alarmed when he saw Madam Zhou crying. He asked, "Did you eavesdrop on our conversation?"
"Fortunately, I listened to him, otherwise everyone in the general's mansion would have died at the hands of that Qi Shengjue!" Mrs. Zhou cried even harder.
Zhao Mu didn't understand why, so he asked Madam Zhou, "Why do you say that, Madam?"
Madam Zhou wiped her tears and said, "Master, you are really confused. Who is Qi Shengjue? Don't you know that he used to be Xiao Zhuo's subordinate? Now that the emperor has passed away, he, as a surrendered general, naturally has to speak for his former master. He is completely selfish and full of lies to harm our entire family."
Zhao Mu said: "He saw it with his own eyes at the Anzhou hunting ground..."
"Which eye did you see him with?" Madam Zhou said angrily. "Isn't it all just his nonsense? Could the Empress's decree be false? Could His Majesty's decree to appoint a crown prince be false? Ah, you didn't even read these things, and you believed his empty words. You want to harm His Majesty? This is treason, and it's punishable by the death of all your clans."
Zhao Mu was ready to take action, but Mrs. Zhou's words made him hesitate and he stood there without saying a word.
"Our entire family is in the capital, and you're actually plotting a rebellion against His Majesty," Madam Zhou continued crying. "Who are we? This official position and this title were given by His Majesty. If you don't want your life, do you want the lives of our entire family too? How many assassinations of emperors have you seen succeed? Even if they did, future generations would label them as traitors who usurped the throne, leaving a lasting infamy."
Zhao Mu was overwhelmed by what he heard. He had already drunk quite a bit of wine, and Mrs. Zhou's chattering gave him a headache.
But what Madam Zhou said was not wrong. Xiao Beiheng was indeed the rightful emperor now. This was acknowledged by the prime minister and other ministers. If he took action against Xiao Beiheng, even if he succeeded, he might be accused of being a traitor who plotted to usurp the throne. If he failed, his entire clan would be implicated and executed.
He also became afraid when he thought of his entire family being tied up with ropes, taken to the downtown area, and having their heads chopped off one by one by the executioner.
"Then...what do you think, madam?" he asked with difficulty, like an old man on his last legs.
"Of course, send someone to arrest Qi Shengjue," Madam Zhou spat rapidly, "and then take Qi Shengjue to His Majesty to apologize. Your reporting of the traitor is meritorious, and His Majesty will surely forgive you. He still needs your help to attack Xiao Zhuo, so why would he make things difficult for you?"
"But...but I just now..." Zhao Mu felt his face flush, "I have already made an oath of alliance with General Qi."
He had just made an oath with Qi Shengjue, and now he was arresting him. That was really shameless.
"What's an oath, you blockhead!" Mrs. Zhou scolded rudely, "Can an oath be eaten? Is an oath as important as life? The arm can't twist the thigh. It's time to save yourself first."
Zhao Mu felt that what Qi Shengjue said made sense, and so did what Madam Zhou said. This matter was too important, and it concerned the life and death of the entire family. He really didn't dare to make a conclusion lightly.
Mrs. Zhou wept before him, and kept on complaining about the severity of the situation. He could only keep drinking, bowl after bowl of wine. After a while, Mrs. Zhou got angry and snatched the wine bowl from him:
"You're a man, but you're still drinking at this hour. It's almost noon!"
Noon is the time for action agreed upon by Qi Shengjue.
Zhao Mu looked up drowsily, and when he saw the sun hanging high outside the window, he suddenly woke up. He stood up and knocked over the table. The wine bowls and jars on the table fell to the ground with a crisp cracking sound, and the wine gurgled out of the broken jars and flowed all over the ground.
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