Chapter 112 My cousin is going to war.
Ultimately, if it weren't for the fact that his rule was illegitimate and lacked legitimacy, Pei Wu could have directly usurped the throne. The fact that he only acted as regent was a great show of respect to the emperor.
The emperor was at his wit's end. He had first lost the war against the Northern Qi, and now the State of Lu had invaded his homeland. He had no more trump cards to use against Pei Wu.
Pei Wu declared that he would assume regency, said no more, accepted the decree, and left with his men, leaving the emperor alone on his throne.
People came and went quickly, and the hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; no one dared to offend the emperor at this time.
The emperor's body, which he had been holding up, finally collapsed completely at that moment. He shrunk in his throne, and although he was only a teenager, at the age when he should be most energetic, he looked like an old man.
The imperial guards and palace guards knelt on the ground, and the emperor suddenly looked up at Su Mu in the main hall.
Su Mu entered the hall with Pei Wu just now, but he seemed to be invisible, just like when the Chen family and Song Pingzhang were still around. He always hid in a corner without saying a word, as if he were so harmless.
The emperor turned his gaze to him, then suddenly sneered, "Su Mu, you did this on purpose."
Su Mu looked surprised: "Why does Your Majesty say such a thing?"
Before anyone knew it, the imperial guards around the emperor had dispersed like a tide, and even the palace attendants had been forcibly taken away, leaving only Su Mu and the emperor in the main hall.
Su Mu remained hidden in the darkness. The emperor stared at his face, half in the light and half in the shadows. That face, as terrifying as a venomous snake, was always poised to strike him, and it inexplicably made the emperor feel a chill.
He said, almost in a fit of rage, "You just resent that I'm wary of you. Now that Wei Ming has been eliminated, I can only be controlled by you again."
To this day, the emperor still resents the late emperor, resents the mess he left behind, and resents the fact that he left behind Su Mu. He used to have no choice but to listen to Su Mu, and he still has no choice but to listen to Su Mu now.
Even now, he is being controlled by Pei Wu, and in the end, he can only listen to Su Mu again, because only Su Mu can help him regain power.
Su Mu merely bowed slightly, and said earnestly, "The Wei faction has deceived Your Majesty, and everything the Prince of Liang has done is for Your Majesty's benefit."
That's all well and good. The emperor glared angrily at Su Mu, sweeping the memorials off the table in a fit of impotent rage. At this point, he had no choice but to seek Su Mu's help again: "Then tell me, with him interfering in politics, how am I supposed to conduct myself from now on?"
Pei Wu, a king of a different surname, seized his power through such means. What a disgrace this is! How will the civil and military officials view him in the future?
Su Mu finally smiled, feigning helplessness: "Why is Your Majesty so worried? Now that Lu and Qi are coming on strong, it may not be a good thing for King Liang to take on this mess."
Su Mu's alluring face blossomed into a smile: "Wouldn't it be better to let him clear the obstacles for the government?"
“If he succeeds, the Emperor will reap the benefits; if he fails…” Su Mu smiled enigmatically, “then his position as Prince of Liang will be unstable. How can he gain the support of the people if he wants to rule as regent?”
The emperor's expression shifted between light and shadow, but he finally began to waver slightly as he listened to the latter part of the story. Although Su Mu's words made a lot of sense, he still had doubts: "But..."
He wanted to ask Su Mu what he should do if Pei Wu really defeated the Lu army and even recovered the lost territory of Yanshan.
However, Su Mu interrupted him: "Your Majesty, we have come this far, there is no turning back."
The emperor looked at him, the last glimmer of light in his eyes fading away. He murmured, "Did I do something wrong?"
If Song Pingzhang hadn't been plotted against by him back then, if he hadn't been wary of Song Pingzhang back then, would this day have come to an end?
His voice was so soft that Su Mu didn't hear it clearly. He grunted in response, and the emperor waved his hand, saying, "You may leave."
Su Mu then bowed and took his leave.
...
Pei Wu led his men out of the palace, and the Wei faction members were all taken to the city gate. The enraged people kept throwing stones at them. Wei Ming was at the front, and his cheeks were bleeding from the stones. The soldiers tried to stop them but couldn't, and could only let the people do as they pleased.
The city gate was extremely noisy. Amid the chaos, a procession of carriages entered through the gate without attracting anyone's attention.
Jiang Ru peered through the gap in the curtains at the street scene. She hadn't been back for a year, and Bianjing hadn't changed much, but there was a sense of desolation about it. Jiang Ru turned her gaze away, excitedly estimating how long it would take to reach her new residence.
Since Pei Wu was going to the palace, it was inconvenient for Jiang Ru to go with him. Now that Pei Wu had sent someone to pick her up, it meant that Pei Wu had returned from the palace smoothly.
The carriage traveled along the street for about half an hour before finally stopping in front of an unfamiliar mansion.
This mansion is very close to the palace, and its location offers a perfect view of the entire palace. Jiang Ru jumped off the carriage, and Cheng Hao was sitting in the carriage behind him. Cheng Hao was also being helped off the horse by a servant. Jiang Ru quickly went over to help him.
As she approached, Jiang Ru heard the clatter of hooves. She looked up and saw Pei Wu on a tall horse, dressed in a scarlet robe, as radiant as the moon and the wind in the pines. Jiang Ru, who had been walking towards Cheng Hao, stopped in her tracks, her eyes following Pei Wu as he rode away.
Cheng Hao waved his hand: "Go ahead, you don't need to."
Jiang Ru really wanted to go find Pei Wu, but she had to consider etiquette. She hesitated for a moment, and Cheng Hao waved to her again. Only then did she happily turn around and run towards Pei Wu.
As she drew closer, she looked up at Pei Wu. Pei Wu lowered his eyes and looked at her gently. His crimson robes fluttered in the wind, and Jiang Ru felt a gentle breeze. Pei Wu had dismounted and was standing beside her.
Pei Wu took Jiang Ru's hand and led her, asking, "Are you tired?"
Jiang Ru shook her head; she was more concerned about Pei Wu's situation, so she asked, "How are things on your end?"
Pei Wu replied, "I'm fine too."
As they spoke, the two had already reached the steps. Cheng Hao stood at the edge of the steps, and when they got closer, he said, "Let's go inside and talk."
Pei Wu nodded, and the group entered the courtyard together. This house was chosen by Pei Wu today. It was in a very good location because it was located at the foot of the capital. This courtyard was specifically for the imperial relatives and nobles. The courtyard was unusually large, even larger than the house he had lived in in Bianjing before.
The group sat in the pavilion in the courtyard. Jiang Ru and Pei Wu sat side by side. Even though they hadn't seen each other for half a day, the two of them were still sticking together, very close to each other.
After sitting down, Pei Wu recounted what had happened in the palace that day. After listening, Jiang Ru's expression turned slightly strange: "You've conferred the title of Prince of Liang again."
In her previous life, Pei Wu was also granted the title of Prince of Liang. Jiang Ru had previously discussed with Pei Wu that everything Jiang Ru remembered from her previous life had been written down for him, and this title was naturally mentioned by Jiang Ru as well.
Pei Wu hummed in agreement and casually remarked, "It's just a title, nothing special."
Cheng Hao became curious: "What do you mean by 'again'?"
Jiang Ru and Pei Wu exchanged a glance and both chose to keep it a secret. After all, very few people would believe it if they told them about being reborn. Fortunately, Cheng Hao didn't press the matter, so the topic was dropped.
Since Pei Wu is going to assume the regency, he will inevitably have to go to the palace in the future. However, it is a time of war now. If he leaves Bianjing, his position as regent will be nominal.
Pei Wu had just been granted the title of king, and it would be of no benefit to him to plunge headlong into the border region, but he was also uneasy if he didn't go. No matter what he did, it was not a good situation.
Moreover, he has completely offended the emperor today. Now that he has led his troops away from Bianjing, the emperor might stab him in the back.
Therefore, Pei Wu and Cheng Hao discussed for a long time whether or not Pei Wu should leave Bianjing.
Pei Wu was inclined to go. Even if he stayed in Bianjing now, all he could do was try to win over the court officials, which would all be in vain.
Cheng Hao, however, felt that there were also generals in the court. With him as the commander and Pei Wu in the rear, he could not only secure his position but also provide support at any time.
Both sides held their own opinions until Pei Wu made the final decision, saying only, "If the king himself goes to the battlefield, it might boost morale."
Cheng Hao was taken aback, and immediately objected: "How can that be?"
The emperor is young, and if he dies on the battlefield now, it will be a devastating blow to Great Xia. However, if Great Xia wins because of him, it will be disadvantageous for Pei Wu.
Pei Wu said calmly, "Why not? If he goes to the battlefield, it will not only boost morale, but also keep him in check, so that he doesn't do anything irreversible."
It seemed reasonable, but Cheng Hao still had doubts. However, before he could refute Pei Wu, Pei Wu continued, "I urge the Duke to remain in Bianjing to provide support. The Taiping Army is also heading north. If Bianjing falls to the Taiping Army..."
In just a few months, the Taiping Army's power had grown stronger and stronger. With wolves in front and tigers behind, Bianjing had to be guarded.
Cheng Hao finally nodded: "Then let's do it that way."
With this matter settled, Pei Wu discussed the next steps of the uprising plan with Cheng Hao. Cheng Hao drew many battle formation diagrams for Pei Wu, and their conversation ended after nightfall.
Jiang Ru's head was about to explode from listening. She was still dizzy when she left. Pei Wu and the others explained it very clearly, and Jiang Ru could understand it. Ancient warfare was not as good as modern warfare. In many cases, external forces had to be relied upon. Victory or defeat was not necessarily determined by strength. There were many uncertain factors.
Jiang Ru was exhausted, both physically and mentally, while Pei Wu was in much better condition and could still help her walk.
Jiang Ru clung to Pei Wu, and when they were almost at their new room after passing through the corridor, Pei Wu simply picked her up and carried her inside.
Perhaps because of his trip to the palace, Pei Wu was still carrying the scent of palace spices, including the unique fragrance of ambergris, which had not yet dissipated. Jiang Ru hugged him, sniffing him, and frowned, saying, "It smells nice, but the thought that you smell just like the dog emperor makes me feel uncomfortable."
Pei Wu hadn't had time to bathe since returning from the palace. Upon hearing this, he leaned back slightly and said, "Then don't hug me anymore. I'll go take a bath first."
Jiang Ru didn't have time to wash either. She knew that she would be going to war in a few days, and she would probably be separated from Pei Wu for long periods of time. She shook her head and said, "No, we'll wash together later."
Pei Wu paused for a moment, but didn't say no, which meant he agreed.
Jiang Ru sat on his lap, pressing her face against Pei Wu's, and whispered, "You talked so much with my godfather today, but you didn't say anything about me. Should I go with you?"
Last time, Jiang Ru went to Nanzhao with Pei Wu because Pei Wu knew that they wouldn't fight with Bei Yan, and that the main purpose was to deal with Chen Ling. But this time it's a real war, and Pei Wu probably won't take Jiang Ru with him.
Jiang Ru lifted her head from Pei Wu's embrace, waiting for his answer. Pei Wu was silent for a moment, then said softly, "I'm sorry."
He said, "It will be safer for you to stay in Bianjing. With the Duke looking after you, I can feel at ease."
Jiang Ru knew that this was a serious matter, and Pei Wu had decided not to take her along after careful consideration. However, Jiang Ru couldn't help but feel sad: "If you go, will I not be able to see you again for a long time?"
This kind of large-scale war will take at least several years to finish. Jiang Ru lowered her head, her voice a little muffled: "I can't bear to part with you."
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Author's Note: I updated a little less today, I really want to finish it! I'll try to update a lot over the next few days until the end. Do you guys think I can do it?
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