Chapter 100: Dilemma
Emperor Yongde announced his order and sent 30,000 troops to attack the deposed Crown Prince Xiao Zhuo.
Wu Mingzi received the order and was about to leave when Concubine Xian stopped him: "Wait."
Wu Mingsheng, knowing that his life was saved by Concubine Xian, knew how much she held in Emperor Yongde's heart. If she could save him with a few words, she could certainly kill him with a few more. Seeing that Concubine Xian had something to say, he respectfully said to Emperor Yongde, "Your humble servant will be waiting outside the palace."
Emperor Yongde glanced at Consort Xian and nodded to Wu Mingzi: "Wait outside the palace."
When Concubine Xian saw Wu Mingzi leave, she revealed a sad and beautiful expression. She had a perfect sense of proportion in this regard, not being overly sad, but rather endearing. She wrapped her hands around Emperor Yongde's arm and whispered:
"Your Majesty, you are so cruel..."
She sat beside Emperor Yongde, taking in all the documents. She already understood the whole story.
Emperor Yongde placed the document on the dragon table, stroked the back of her hand and said:
"I know what my beloved concubine is thinking. You blame me for not sending troops to rescue the King of Xiliang, right?"
"It is clearly written in the document that my father has lost two cities in a row. If this continues, if something happens to my father, I will have to go to the border. How can I stay with Your Majesty for a long time?" As the virtuous concubine spoke, two tears fell from her eyes.
Emperor Yongde showed an embarrassment and remained silent for a while.
Even without this expedited document, he would have known about the war with the King of Xiliang long ago. It wasn't that he wanted to sit idly by, but there were some things that even as an emperor, he couldn't handle.
When the King of Xiliang assisted the previous emperor in his conquests, he was crowned king for his military exploits and occupied the four best counties in the northwest, a fiefdom that was hereditary. This caused dissatisfaction among the other princes, especially Prince Jing.
The reason was simple: the two most powerful kings, the King of Qi and the King of Jing, both had the surname Xiao. The King of Xiliang, however, was a different surname. He wasn't a descendant of the Xiao family, yet he controlled the four most fertile and prosperous counties in the west, a fact that naturally drew envy from the others.
There were undercurrents at the time, but ultimately no conflict arose, primarily because the King of Xiliang had accompanied the late emperor in his conquests, enjoying remarkable military exploits and a commanding presence. With the late emperor's favor, other kings naturally remained in the dark.
Two years ago, the old King of Xiliang passed away, and the throne was inherited by his son, Mei Cheng. Mei Cheng was a far cry from his father. He had nothing, just the title of King of Xiliang. He lacked his father's authority, yet occupied his territory. Naturally, the other kings' resentment grew.
Emperor Yongde could also see his brothers' dissatisfaction, so he vaguely wanted to eliminate Mei Cheng.
The old King of Xiliang was one step ahead of the others. He had long seen that his son was not fit to be king. Before his death, he ordered Mei Cheng to send his sixteen-year-old daughter Mei Dai to the palace to protect his fiefdom.
Mei Dai was a beauty that could captivate a country, so Emperor Yongde took her as his virtuous concubine. After Empress Pei passed away, she immediately became the exclusive favorite of Emperor Yongde.
With the relationship with Consort Xian, Emperor Yongde could not make any further moves. On the left was a relative, on the right was a brother. He could only turn a blind eye.
The Prince of Xiliang was currently under attack from the Western Rong, having lost two cities in a row. Emperor Yongde did not dare to send troops to rescue him, fearing he would offend his brothers, including Prince Jing and Prince Qi. However, he could not speak openly to Consort Xian.
After all, this kind of thing can't be said clearly.
Meanwhile, Concubine Xian had already received a letter from her father, the King, pleading with the Emperor to send troops to rescue her. Having been unable to find a solution, she finally saw a glimmer of hope thanks to this expedited letter.
The Princes of Qi and Jing both wished her father would die sooner, so they would never send troops to rescue him. Emperor Yongde, however, would not dare to offend Prince Jing and would certainly not send troops to rescue the Prince of Xiliang. Her only hope was Xiao Zhuo, who was currently fighting against the Western Rong.
She wiped her tears with her sleeve and said, "Your Majesty, I have some foolish opinions. I wonder if Your Majesty would be willing to listen?"
"Tell me about it, my beloved."
Xian Fei knew this was a critical moment, so she leaned against Emperor Yongde's arms and said softly:
"Your Majesty, the Northern Di have already penetrated deep into Dayan's territory. If Your Majesty mobilizes troops against the Western Rong, I'm afraid the Northern Di will have no troops left. Xiao Zhuo's army is helping my father fight against the Western Rong. Your Majesty, please spare him for now. You can punish him after we defeat the Western Rong. What do you think?"
Although she was in the harem, she had heard of Xiao Zhuo's reputation for military prowess. When she entered the palace two years ago, Xiao Zhuo was fighting against the Northern Di, his reputation known throughout the world.
If Xiao Zhuo could help the King of Xiliang fight, not only would it relieve the embarrassment of Emperor Yongde's inability to send troops, but her father would also no longer have to look at the faces of the King of Qi and his men. This would allow the King of Xiliang to preserve his fiefdom and even recapture the lost city.
For her, the most important thing at the moment is to protect her father's fiefdom. As for killing Xiao Zhuo, it can be done at any time.
After hearing this, Emperor Yongde remained silent.
The virtuous concubine secretly observed the Yongde Emperor's expression and saw that he had no intention of refusing, but was just hesitant. So she used a trick to tease him, twisting her body in the Yongde Emperor's arms and saying in a sweet voice:
"Your Majesty, if you want to kill Xiao Zhuo, you can do it anytime. My father is in a very dangerous situation right now... Your Majesty, please make a decision quickly."
She knew that Emperor Yongde was obsessed with her beauty and was completely captivated by her. This was the secret of her ability to convince Emperor Yongde.
Emperor Yongde really hugged her shoulders and said with a smile, "As my dear concubine, as my dear concubine, I will do. Let that traitor go for now."
Xian Fei felt relieved and smiled:
"Your Majesty, I will write a letter immediately and send it to my father, the King, six hundred miles away, to recruit Xiao Zhuo to help fight. Once the war is over, I will immediately capture Xiao Zhuo and bring him back to the capital for Your Majesty's decision. How do you do that?"
"My beloved concubine, this plan is brilliant. Use them first and capture them later. I approve," Emperor Yongde said, slamming the table. "But what if the traitor refuses to cooperate?"
"Your Majesty, please be at ease. Xiao Zhuo only has a few hundred soldiers under his command. How can he resist the Western Rong alone? This is a mutually beneficial matter. He has no reason to refuse." The Concubine stood up and took the four treasures of the study from the table. "As for the Northern Di, does Your Majesty have any ideas?"
Emperor Yongde said, "I am worried about this as well. The northern barbarians are coming with great force, and the generals we sent previously have been defeated."
The virtuous concubine rolled up her sleeves and stretched out her slender snow-white hands to gently grind the ink.
"I have a suggestion that would allow the King of Qi to go and fight the enemy."
"Prince of Qi?" Emperor Yongde was stunned for a moment, then revealed a look of sudden enlightenment. "I'm so confused! Why didn't I think of such a brilliant plan before?"
"Your Majesty is so busy that he naturally overlooks some things. The Prince of Qi is your brother, so it's only natural that he can share your worries."
The virtuous concubine lied without batting an eyelid. Ever since Empress Pei's death, Emperor Yongde had lost all restraint and would frequently visit her. Sometimes, when he felt like it, he wouldn't even attend court. He was far from being able to handle even a thousand or even a hundred affairs of state, let alone a myriad of them.
If Emperor Yongde was a wise and powerful emperor, she would be helpless. But Emperor Yongde was obsessed with beauty.
"Call Wu Mingzi." Emperor Yongde let go of Concubine Xian, sat down in front of the dragon table, and said to the outside of the hall.
Wu Mingzi had been waiting there for a long time and hurried into the hall to pay his respects.
"Long live our emperor, long live our emperor, long live our emperor."
"My dear minister, please stand." Emperor Yongde said, "For the time being, we will not send troops to eliminate the traitor Xiao Zhuo. Instead, I will announce my oral order to the King of Qi to attack the Northern Di. Upon receiving this order, we will mobilize our forces."
Wu Mingzi said loudly: "This humble official receives the order."
As he left the palace, he thought to himself how incredible this virtuous concubine was. Not only had she saved him from Emperor Yongde, but she had also managed to convince him to change his mind and stop pursuing Xiao Zhuo. It was simply incredible.
A eunuch stepped forward to greet Wu Mingzi and said, "Greetings, Commander. Does His Majesty have any instructions?"
Wu Mingzi said to the eunuch, "Send an urgent message six hundred miles away immediately to inform the King of Qi. Your Majesty has ordered him to attack the Northern Di. Raise the army upon receiving the order."
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