Chapter 349 Extra Chapter 2: What if the transmigrator hadn't appeared (4)
Less than a month later, Liu Jinzhang suddenly submitted a memorial, requesting to retire and return to his hometown on the grounds that he was "old and frail and unable to shoulder heavy responsibilities".
Chen Yanqing pretended to decline for a moment, but then readily agreed and generously rewarded the petitioner with gold, silver and silk.
Currently, the imperial court is presided over by two prime ministers, Zheng and Su.
In the army, Xiao Duo, who was grateful to him and swore to be loyal to him to the death, firmly controlled the defense of the capital region.
Furthermore, his maternal uncle, General Shen, was stationed at the border, commanding a large army.
Li Yuanzhao, this potential threat, had long since perished in the fire.
Even Li Yuanzhao's loyal subordinates had long been killed or exiled by him.
Now, his throne is very secure.
Therefore, without Liu Jinzhang, the "Grand Tutor" who liked to boss people around and "abuse his seniority," Chen Yanqing only felt that there was peace and quiet around him, and he could hold onto imperial power more easily.
Two months later, in order to show its submission to the new emperor, Tibet sent a Tibetan princess to marry him.
The princess was named Chizhu. She had golden hair and blue eyes. Unlike the gentle women of the Central Plains, she was bold and straightforward. She was skilled in horseback riding and archery and had a unique wild charm.
Upon entering the palace, she quickly gained Chen Yanqing's favor and was bestowed the title of Imperial Concubine.
Six months after Chen Yanqing ascended the throne, Weizhou, which had previously suffered from drought, saw its people's discontent boil over again due to the continued imposition of exorbitant taxes and levies, leading to a large-scale riot.
Just then, the imperial physician diagnosed that Su Qingci was three months pregnant.
This news made Chen Yanqing ecstatic, his heart filled with the joy of becoming a father, and he no longer cared about the riots in Weizhou.
He simply issued an imperial edict, as was customary, ordering the local garrison to work with state officials to "quickly quell the unrest and appease the innocent."
In another month, Tibet was thrown into chaos. Princess Chizun launched a rebellion under the pretext of "purging the court of corrupt officials," leading her army in a swift and decisive advance, directly attacking the Tibetan capital and quickly capturing the king and his relatives.
Upon hearing the news, the Imperial Concubine wept bitterly before Chen Yanqing, pleading with the Great Qi to send troops to rescue her father, mother, and brother.
Chen Yanqing was softened by his beloved concubine's tears and felt that this was a golden opportunity to show off his power in foreign lands and consolidate his reputation.
Despite strong opposition from senior officials such as Zheng Xiang and Su Xiang, he resolutely issued an edict ordering Shen Guojiu to mobilize elite troops and send them to Tibet to "assist the Tibetan royal family in suppressing the rebellion and to demonstrate the might of the Celestial Empire."
Little did anyone know that this military expedition would instantly drag the Great Qi into a quagmire.
The rebellion in Weizhou has not yet been quelled. Instead, the court's efforts to raise military funds and increase taxes have attracted more desperate people to join the rebellion, making it increasingly powerful and threatening the safety of several surrounding prefectures.
The Qi army suffered heavy losses due to the long march and unfamiliar climate, coupled with the complex terrain of Tibet and the brave and skilled troops under Princess Chizun.
With internal rebellions unresolved, external wars at a stalemate, heavy taxes, and widespread poverty, the once stable Qi dynasty has fallen into a desperate situation of internal and external troubles in just a few months.
At this point, Chen Yanqing began to panic.
He originally thought that ascending the throne would be the pinnacle of his life.
After all, that's how it's written in the comic book: the protagonist ascends the throne, and the story ends.
But little did they know, the throne wasn't so easy to sit on.
Before he could resolve the immediate crisis, an urgent military report arrived from Luozhou, stating that someone had raised an army and captured Luozhou, and was now heading straight for the capital.
This Luozhou was the fiefdom of the deceased Li Yuanzhao.
No one expected that after her death, she would still have such loyal and powerful former subordinates who dared to openly raise the flag of rebellion at this time.
Meanwhile, strange rumors were spreading throughout the capital.
Whispers circulated in the marketplace that a "skin-painting demon" had appeared, neither male nor female, capable of transforming into the likeness of others with such lifelike accuracy that even close relatives could not recognize her.
The rumors grew increasingly outlandish, eventually pointing to the emperor.
Some say that the current emperor is actually a demon in disguise, who used his demonic powers to bewitch the late emperor, steal his princely status, and usurp the throne from the eldest princess.
The current calamities plaguing the Great Qi and the unbearable suffering of its people are all the result of this monster's mischief.
Chen Yanqing was furious and issued an edict to severely punish several people who had incited the people.
But the rumors, like weeds, not only failed to be quelled, but instead intensified.
Beset by internal and external troubles, Chen Yanqing could only focus his efforts on dealing with the rebel army approaching the capital.
He directly dispatched Xiao Duo with troops to quell the rebellion.
However, within two months, Xiao Duo was forced into a series of defeats.
The rebels not only joined forces with the rioters from Weizhou, but also swept through eight cities surrounding the capital, heading straight for the capital.
Chen Yanqing then realized that the enemy's advance was fierce and no longer an ordinary rebellion.
In his panic, he could no longer care about Tibet and urgently summoned Shen Guojiu to lead a large army back to defend the area overnight, so that they could attack from both sides with Xiao Duo's remaining troops and make sure to annihilate the rebels.
But to his utter surprise, his own uncle not only did not launch an attack on the rebels, but instead defected and led his entire army to join the rebel camp.
This sudden turn of events completely shattered the Great Qi's defenses.
However, just two months later, Xiao Duo was killed in battle, and the rebel army besieged the city.
The people of the capital were in a state of panic, and many of the loyal ministers and generals of the past fled or ran away.
On the day the city fell, Chen Yanqing donned his armor and climbed the city walls, attempting a final stand.
However, when he saw the figure on the black horse in front of the rebel army, surrounded by his generals, his last bit of strength seemed to be drained away.
It's her!
It's Li Yuanzhao!
The leader of the rebels was none other than Li Yuanzhao, who should have died in the fire long ago!
She was dressed in silver armor, her long hair tied up high, and she still had that undisguised contemptuous smile on her lips as she looked at him coldly.
At that moment, Chen Yanqing instantly recalled the deep-seated despair from his dream.
No matter how much effort he puts in or how many tricks he uses, he can never beat this woman!
The last vestige of resistance crumbled under that gaze.
Ultimately, Chen Yanqing, who had been on the throne for less than a year, was captured by Li Yuanzhao's troops.
He once considered emulating those former deposed monarchs by drawing his sword and committing suicide to preserve his final imperial dignity.
But when the cold blade touched his neck, he realized that he was ultimately afraid.
Overwhelmed by the fear of death, he lost all dignity and pride, dropped his sword, and collapsed to the ground.
In the end, Chen Yanqing was drugged by Li Yuanzhao and thrown into the pigsty...
He died from being overwhelmed.
Half a month later, Li Yuanzhao ascended the throne and became emperor.
A brief farce came to an abrupt end with the return of the original owner!
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