Chapter 111 The Regent
It would take at least a month to travel from Tanzhou to Bianjing. The long queue stretched as far as the eye could see. They traveled day after day, and finally, at the end of summer, the army approached Bianjing.
Many righteous people joined along the way, and by the time they arrived in Bianjing, the army had doubled in size.
Halfway there, Pei Wu also received an imperial decree from Bianjing, informing him that the soldiers he brought were all righteous troops. Although the emperor was wary of them, he also felt that the soldiers he had recruited were just old, weak, sick, and disabled, and did not take them seriously. Therefore, Pei Wu's journey was not hindered by much.
However, just before entering the capital, the army encountered obstruction from many officials in Bianjing. Some even demanded that Pei Wu lead his troops into the capital immediately, as the war was urgent and troops were in high demand. The court was in an uproar, so Pei Wu could only temporarily station his troops a few dozen miles outside Bianjing.
That night, Pei Wu remained in his tent. Not long after, a man in black was secretly brought into the tent. The man was Zhang Meng, a secretary in the Imperial Secretariat.
Upon entering the tent, tears streamed down his face as he bowed and said, "Prime Minister Pei."
Pei Wu quickly stepped forward and helped Zhang Meng up. He and Zhang Meng had served under Song Pingzhang and were quite close. During their year in Tanzhou, Zhang Meng frequently sent Pei Wu letters informing him of news from Bianjing. The letter from a few months ago was also written by Zhang Meng.
Zhang Meng was helped to his feet, and Pei Wu said, "No need for such formalities, Lord Zhang. Please tell me about the situation in Bianjing."
In just one year, Zhang Meng had grown a lot of white hair. When he saw Pei Wu again, he was moved to tears.
He wiped away his tears and was about to speak when he saw Jiang Ru standing behind the desk. Jiang Ru was wearing a simple pale yellow dress, and even in the dim light, she looked as beautiful and refined as a lotus emerging from the water.
Seeing Zhang Meng turn his gaze over, Jiang Ru nodded to him and smiled.
Zhang Meng was startled. If he remembered correctly, Pei Wu's cousin had passed away a year ago. So who was this person standing there now?
Zhang Meng thought he was seeing things, so he rubbed his eyes hard. There really was someone standing behind Pei Wu. Zhang Meng said in a trembling voice, "Prime Minister Pei, behind you..."
Pei Wu turned to look at Jiang Ru before saying, "Lord Zhang, you may not know this, but I was already married when I was in Tanzhou. This is my wife."
Fortunately, Pei Wu could also see the person behind him, so it wasn't a ghost, and Zhang Meng breathed a sigh of relief.
During his years in Bianjing, all the officials who were familiar with Pei Wu knew that he had a very close cousin. Later, when "Jiang Ru" died, Pei Wu was depressed for a long time and then asked to be transferred away from Bianjing.
Could it be that Jiang Ru has a twin sister?
Zhang Meng looked at Jiang Ru hesitantly, wanting to ask but not daring to. Pei Wu then explained, "My wife is my cousin."
This statement indirectly acknowledged that Pei Wu's current wife was his former cousin. Although Pei Wu did not reveal the details, Zhang Meng could guess some of them. He nodded in realization: "So that's how it is."
Having figured it out, Zhang Meng didn't ask any more questions. He sat down at the table with Pei Wu, and Jiang Ru sat quietly behind him. Zhang Meng began, "Prime Minister Pei, since Prime Minister Song left, the court has truly been..."
Zhang Meng sighed: "Prime Minister Su is feared by the Emperor and is now on sick leave at home. When something happens, he has no one to make decisions for him."
Su Mu was, after all, the Privy Councilor. If he were to lead troops into battle, he could at least avoid being utterly defeated, if not completely recover the lost territories. But the emperor refused to let him go.
Zhang Meng lowered his voice: "These days, people in the court are in a state of panic. Everyone is saying that as long as the Northern Qi invades the Great Xia, Bianjing will fall. There is a lot of noise about moving the capital."
Pei Wu was silent for a moment, then asked, "Where do they want to move to?"
Zhang Meng said, "Xijing."
The weakness of the northern border defense has been a long-standing problem for the Great Xia Dynasty. When the Great Xia Dynasty was first established, the founding emperor wanted to move the capital, but it was shelved for various reasons. Now that the Great Xia Dynasty is in danger, the matter of moving the capital has been brought up again.
Xijing is not far from Bianjing, so there is no need to travel there. However, once the news was leaked, the people were in a panic, and the officials and nobles tried every means to leave Bianjing. The city of Bianjing was filled with fear and unease.
At times like these, the relocation of the capital is more likely to cause morale to plummet. If even the emperor were to flee, the officers and soldiers left to fight on the frontier would be even more disheartened.
Pei Wu asked, "Then why wasn't it moved?"
Zhang Meng hesitated for a moment: "Because it was Minister Su who proposed the relocation of the capital."
The matter of moving the capital could have been brought up by anyone else, but it was Su Mu who brought it up, which made the emperor even more suspicious. He was always afraid that Su Mu had a hidden agenda against him, so the matter was ultimately not settled.
It's strange, really. The emperor was so wary of Su Mu, yet he didn't take any action against him. Was he exhausted by the Northern Qi, or was he maintaining a superficial relationship with Su Mu to keep things in balance for the time being?
Before Pei Wu could ask, Zhang Meng said, "Prime Minister Su has Emperor Wen's secret edict. No one knows exactly what it is, only that he has it."
As long as the secret edict remains in effect, the emperor cannot take action against Su Mu; at most, there will be a rift between the emperor and his minister.
Emperor Wen favored Su Mu. Although he passed away, he not only kept Su Mu as a trump card for Emperor Yuan Tai, but also left him a way out. Perhaps he knew that his son was suspicious by nature, so even so, Su Mu was still able to remain safe and sound.
I don't know whether I should feel sorry for Song Pingzhang. He was the prime minister personally appointed by Emperor Wen, but in the end, Emperor Wen was wary of him, and Emperor Yuantai was also wary of him.
Pei Wu also steered the conversation away from the topic, not mentioning the relocation of the capital again, and instead asked, "How is the battle going?"
Zhang Meng took out a piece of paper from his pocket and added, "Seeing that the Great Xia had failed to defeat the Northern Qi, the State of Lu also came to interfere."
If it were just the Northern Qi, Zhen Ding Prefecture would have Xie Jun and others in charge, preventing things from escalating to this point. But what if we add the State of Lu to the mix?
Pei Wu's heart sank. He looked down at the paper in his hand, and Jiang Ru leaned against his arm to look at it with him.
On March 17, the prefect of Xining surrendered to the State of Lu.
On April 21, the prefect of Weizhou surrendered to the State of Lu.
On the first day of the fifth month, the prefect of Fenzhou surrendered to the State of Lu.
On the ninth day of the fifth month, Huangzhou fell and surrendered to the Taiping Army.
On May 18, Ezhou fell and surrendered to the Taiping Army.
...
Looking directly at the light, flimsy piece of paper, Jiang Ru seemed frozen in place, staring blankly at the few lines of text.
The prefect's voluntary surrender of the city truly plunged the people into misery. Such a cowardly Xia dynasty had such a cowardly official.
Did this happen in her past life? Huangzhou and Ezhou are very close to Shuzhou. She had never heard of such a thing. There was no rebel army in her past life. In this life, many things have indeed deviated.
Jiang Ru lowered her head, seemingly forgetting to breathe. She could only see Pei Wu's trembling hand. Jiang Ru's hands and feet had also turned cold. But looking at Pei Wu's tense body, she still reached out her hand to him.
Pei Wu clenched the paper in his hand as if he wanted to crush it with all his might. At that moment, his palm touched something soft. Jiang Ru reached into his palm and held Pei Wu's hand.
Pei Wu was finally able to breathe, and the paper in his hand suddenly slipped and fell lightly to the ground.
Seeing that he had finished reading, Zhang Meng continued, "This is the current situation. The Taiping Army is moving north, and the imperial court is powerless to suppress it. In fact, there are far more prefectures that have actually surrendered than this. Perhaps in a few days, we will receive a few more urgent letters."
Zhang Meng's expression wasn't much better. He simply said, "We really have no other choice now. The country is in grave danger. Does Prime Minister Pei have any solutions?"
Pei Wu pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "Tomorrow, I will lead troops into Bianjing City."
Zhang Meng was so shocked that he dared not speak again. Leading troops into the capital without an imperial edict was a capital offense!
He quickly looked at Jiang Ru, trying to get her to persuade Pei Wu, but Jiang Ru didn't understand. She looked at Pei Wu without saying anything to stop him.
Pei Wu is currently only stationed outside with his troops, and the emperor has not yet issued an edict. If he were to lead his troops into the city now, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the emperor? How could the emperor possibly tolerate such a provocation?
Even if they don't kill Pei Wu now because they need him, they will still take action against him later when they realize what's going on.
Pei Wu was indeed serious. He raised his eyes and said, "When Lu invaded Da Xia, I led troops into the capital only to protect the Emperor. I believe the Emperor will understand my actions."
Zhang Meng didn't dare to utter a sound and quickly said, "Prime Minister Pei, perhaps we should wait until the Emperor issues an edict before entering the city."
He did come to Pei Wu for advice, but he didn't ask Pei Wu to lead troops into the city. To put it bluntly, that would be treason!
Pei Wu was completely unable to dissuade him, and he continued, "There are treacherous and wicked people around the Emperor. My purpose in coming here is only to cleanse the court of these treacherous officials and restore peace to the Great Xia Dynasty."
The emperor's heavy reliance on eunuchs not only threw the court into chaos but also interfered in wars. Now, the Great Xia is suffering defeat after defeat, and the emperor is partly to blame.
Pei Wu brought a large number of troops with him on this trip. The state of Lu is not as strong as that of Northern Qi. Even if the Great Xia is poor and weak, there is no reason why it should be unable to defeat the state of Lu. What need is there to give face to such an emperor?
Pei Wu's gaze was firm, as if he had made up his mind. Zhang Meng, who was originally only worried about the war, now turned to worry about Pei Wu. He quickly turned to Jiang Ru: "Madam Jiang, please persuade Prime Minister Pei."
Jiang Ru was taken aback, and asked blankly, "Huh?"
She hesitated for a moment, then moved closer to Pei Wu, wrapping her hand around his so that their fingers were completely intertwined. Then she looked up at Zhang Meng innocently, her voice soft and lacking any intimidation: "But I think what you said is very true, my lord."
Zhang Meng was almost driven mad by the sight of the young couple. He could only bow to Pei Wu and say, "Prime Minister Pei, this is a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of your family."
She thought this would persuade Pei Wu, but it didn't. Instead, her words reminded Jiang Ru. Jiang Ru thought of Cheng Hao, who was still in the next tent, and got up and said, "I'm going to find my godfather."
Zhang Meng looked at Jiang Ru with his last glimmer of hope, and heard Jiang Ru say, "Let me ask him what he needs to do after entering Bianjing."
Zhang Meng felt utterly hopeless.
Before Pei Wu could nod, Jiang Ru had already run out of the tent. As her footsteps faded into the distance, Pei Wu's intense emotions finally subsided as Jiang Ru walked away, and he was no longer so tense.
Before long, Jiang Ru had invited Cheng Hao. As Cheng Hao entered the tent, Zhang Meng quickly stood up.
He knew Cheng Hao, but he never expected that Cheng Hao would reappear in Bianjing after more than ten years.
He stared blankly at Cheng Hao and bowed, but Cheng Hao didn't even look at him. He walked straight to the table. Jiang Ru quickly picked up the paper on the ground and gave it to Cheng Hao. She didn't need to say anything; Cheng Hao would understand it.
Cheng Hao read it quickly, and he was so angry that his beard trembled. He threw the paper on the ground and cursed, "You're a coward who's afraid of death!"
No one could see something like this without getting angry, and it's no wonder that Su Mu proposed moving the capital. If the State of Lu had gone any further, it would have been only a matter of time before Bianjing was captured.
Cheng Hao, being a veteran official, naturally understood the seriousness of the matter. So Zhang Meng recounted the events to Cheng Hao in detail, hoping that Cheng Hao could persuade Pei Wu to back down.
To everyone's surprise, Cheng Hao nodded after listening and said, "I agree wholeheartedly."
Zhang Meng: "..."
Even Duke Cheng Hao approves of Pei Wu's proposal, so what reason does Zhang Meng have to stop him? Unable to dissuade him, Zhang Meng could only say, "Prime Minister Pei, please be careful in everything you do."
Pei Wu nodded, and Zhang Meng, not wanting to linger any longer, left the tent and quietly returned to Bianjing.
The three of them remained in the tent. Cheng Hao sat down at the table and discussed some precautions and plans with Pei Wu. It wasn't until late at night that Jiang Ru and Pei Wu took Cheng Hao back.
The remaining two were Jiang Ru and Pei Wu. The late summer days were exceptionally hot, with only the nights offering a slight respite from the heat. Jiang Ru had just gone out, and she felt a cool sensation all over her body.
Back in the tent, Jiang Ru hugged Pei Wu, absorbing his body heat. Leaning against him, she whispered, "Pei Wu, after you enter Bianjing, will you become the regent?"
It's highly likely that Bianjing only had this many troops, and Pei Wu's decision to lead his troops into the city already indicated his intentions.
Pei Wu hummed in agreement. Jiang Ru felt a tightness in her chest and said, "Pei Wu, let's usurp the throne."
Being a regent and being an emperor are two different things. Being a regent is easy; all you have to do is control the court. However, being an emperor requires much more effort. Jiang Ru didn't know if Pei Wu would agree with this, so she looked up at him and asked, "Do you want to be an emperor?"
Pei Wu said, "I don't want to." He paused, then continued, "But it seems that only by becoming emperor can I do what I want to do."
Jiang Ru felt her vision blurring. She wiped her tears on Pei Wu's clothes and cursed, "The emperor is a beast."
In the past, whenever they brought up such topics, they would never directly say the words "usurpation." Jiang Ru had concerns; she was afraid that Pei Wu would die. Pei Wu also had concerns, so they never spoke openly, thinking that this would leave room for maneuver.
But today, they finally brought up the topic.
Jiang Ru choked up and said, "Even without you, there would still be the Taiping Army, or other rebel armies, but I think you are still the best. Rather than letting someone else do it, it's better for you to do it yourself."
Jiang Ru's voice was very low and muffled, so much so that Pei Wu had to listen very carefully to hear her. She said, "Anyway, it's too late to turn back now. Even if you don't become emperor in the future, you'll still die eventually."
Pei Wu lowered his head. Their embrace was always tight, as if they wanted to completely pull each other into their arms. Jiang Ru hugged him very tightly. Pei Wu whispered, "I will make him willingly write the abdication edict."
Ambition finally appeared in Pei Wu's eyes; he no longer wanted to be a subject.
...
The next morning, the rebel army marched in a grand procession to Bianjing City. Before they even entered the city, the people inside were already so frightened that they hid in their houses, thinking it was the army of the State of Lu.
It wasn't until Pei Wu sent someone to report that a righteous army from the south was coming to their aid with troops led by the Vice Chancellor that the people finally dared to come out of their houses. This time, they encountered no obstruction, and the city gates opened for the righteous army on their own initiative. Pei Wu led his troops into Bianjing City without any hindrance.
The people were overjoyed and offered their own food to the rebel army, but the army refused to accept any of it. They were disciplined and treated the people very kindly.
Not long after entering the city gate, the imperial court sent people to welcome him, and the emperor finally agreed to invite Su Mu, who was "ill at home," out of the city.
The army was stopped before it even entered the Imperial Street. Su Mu, sitting on his horse, looked at Pei Wu from afar and greeted him with a smile: "Prime Minister Pei, it's been a year. How have you been in Tanzhou?"
Pei Wu, dressed in red brocade robes and with his hair tied up in a jade crown, exuded an even more aloof and cold aura. He raised his phoenix eyes slightly and said, "Thanks to Prime Minister Su's clothes, everything is fine. Prime Minister Su, how have you been?"
Su Mu's face was as alluring as ever, his features strikingly beautiful and aggressive, his peach blossom eyes slightly upturned, and he gave a forced smile: "Of course it's good."
Su Mu smiled and said, "His Majesty sent me to welcome Prime Minister Pei to the palace. My men will take care of the troops behind you. Prime Minister Pei, please."
The crowd of people lining the road was impossible to stop; they were so excited that they wanted to get closer and closer to the rebel army. Su Mu lowered his gaze, and the soldiers tried to stop the people, but no matter what they did, they couldn't.
The rebel army behind Pei Wu was imposing and refused to listen to Su Mu. Pei Wu calmly said, "There are treacherous officials around the Emperor. My purpose in coming to the capital this time is twofold: first, to lead troops against Lu, and second..."
Pei Wu paused for a moment, then said, "To purge the emperor's inner circle."
Su Mu's smile froze: "What treacherous officials? Prime Minister Pei, you must have just heard rumors and mistaken them for truth."
Pei Wu did not refute. At this moment, a person jumped out from the crowd. The imperial guards brought by Su Mu were about to step forward to stop him, but before they could make a move, the rebels blocked them.
The people who had rushed out knelt before Pei Wu's horse and kowtowed repeatedly, crying out, "Please, Your Excellency, uphold justice for us! My son was killed by Wei Ming!"
Wei Ming is the eunuch most valued by Emperor Yuantai. In just one year, he has countless henchmen, and many officials have no choice but to submit to him. He has even begun to subtly surpass Su Mu.
Then came the second and the third, and the people knelt on the ground. Many people in the crowd echoed this sentiment. The people couldn't lie, and Su Mu's expression darkened completely.
With witnesses present, Pei Wu finally raised his eyes: "Does Prime Minister Su have anything else to say?"
Su Mu forced a reply: "Of course not. With treacherous officials in power and Prime Minister Pei's schemes so far-reaching, I naturally cannot stop him."
Regardless of whether he could be stopped, the rebel army behind Pei Wu alone could tear him to pieces. Su Mu could only rein in his horse and turn around, sending someone to report the news.
The emperor ultimately underestimated Pei Wu. He thought that Pei Wu was a protégé of Song Pingzhang and would never have come to this point. However, this time, he was wrong.
The army passed through the Imperial Street without incident and headed straight for the palace. Before long, the palace was completely surrounded.
Pei Wu then led a few subordinates through the palace gate. They didn't encounter anyone along the way and arrived at the Chui Gong Hall where the emperor was.
The emperor sat upright on his throne, surrounded by many imperial guards. Perhaps he had been informed by Su Mu in advance and had ordered his men to protect him. However, he was still quite resolute and did not flee.
Pei Wu bowed in greeting, but the emperor did not tell him to rise. Instead, his face darkened, he asked, "Minister Pei, what is the purpose of your leading troops into the palace?"
A year had passed, and the emperor on the throne had changed a lot. He had grown much taller and his posture had become more upright. However, there was always a lingering melancholy on his face. Although he was only a teenager, he was always gloomy.
Pei Wu calmly recounted: "I have heard that the Emperor favors eunuchs, and the court is in a state of chaos. I only want to cleanse the court of these treacherous officials."
The emperor stared at him coldly for a long time before finally sighing and calling out, "Senior Brother."
This title did not cause Pei Wu any reaction. Pei Wu said calmly, "Your Majesty is mistaken."
The emperor said helplessly, "Senior brother, I know that you came here for my sake. With your transfer to Tanzhou, all the ministers in the court are watching me. I have no choice."
He changed the subject: "I know nothing about what Wei Ming did. If I had known he had done these despicable things behind my back, I would have dealt with him myself without my senior brother having to lift a finger."
As he spoke, he gave a wink to the imperial guards beside him, who quickly pulled out a man. The man on the ground, dressed in a purple official robe, was none other than Wei Ming.
A eunuch was dressed in official robes.
Fear filled Wei Ming's eyes. Although he was bound and unable to move, he still managed to crawl to Pei Wu's feet and kowtowed to Pei Wu in a disheveled manner.
Pei Wu turned away in disgust, and the emperor above continued, "Senior brother, I have already brought back the people you wanted. No matter what you decide to do with them, I will listen to you."
Before Pei Wu could agree, he continued, "Minister Pei has rendered meritorious service in protecting me this time. I hereby bestow upon you the title of King, granting you a fief of 100,000. Guards, prepare the decree."
Seeing that Pei Wu did not object, the Imperial Secretary beside the emperor could only tremble as he drafted the edict. It was difficult for Zhang Meng, who was on duty today, to draft an edict for the emperor when he was already so frightened.
Pei Zhimiao, who served as the Vice Chancellor of the Secretariat and the Chancellery, was enfeoffed as the Prince of Liang.
Not satisfied with just that, the emperor added, "I heard that Minister Pei has already married in Tanzhou. I will bestow upon her the title of First-Rank Imperial Lady. What do you think?"
The imperial scribe continued to draft the imperial edict, but the edict should have clearly stated the names, yet no one knew the name of Pei Wu's wife.
The emperor dared not ask Pei Wu, so the Imperial Secretary could only muster his courage and ask, "Prime Minister Pei, may I ask what the name of the Chief Clerk is...?"
Pei Wu then said, "Jiang Lizhi."
Upon hearing this, the emperor on his throne abruptly looked up, a smirk playing on his lips: "Minister Pei, the wife you married also bears the surname Jiang."
Pei Wu smiled, feigning ignorance, and asked, "Who else has the surname Jiang?"
Today, Jiang Ru was to enter the palace. Pei Wu arranged for her to stay outside the city and not to enter the city with him. However, Pei Wu was not afraid that the emperor would find out, because he was now able to protect Jiang Ru.
The emperor, naturally, could not mention Jiang Ru, and could only remain silent in frustration.
After the two imperial edicts were drafted, the Imperial Secretary handed them to Pei Wu for review. Only after seeing that Pei Wu was satisfied did he finally dare to wipe the sweat from his brow.
The emperor knew that Pei Wu's trip was not for usurping the throne. He could lead troops to purge the court of corrupt officials, but if he were to actually usurp the throne, his actions would be illegitimate and he would be condemned by everyone. Therefore, the emperor was trying to please him, but he was not afraid that Pei Wu would usurp the throne.
After the decree was written, Pei Wu looked down at Wei Ming, who was still writhing on the ground, and said, "Wei Ming is a worthless human being, so hang him on the city gate and let the people vent their anger."
Wei Ming struggled to his feet, but was still taken away by the Imperial Guards.
Pei Wu added, "The eunuchs under Wei Ming's command were also killed."
His subordinates, upon receiving the order, immediately went to arrest the man.
With the dust settled, Pei Wu bowed and said, "Your Majesty is young. From today onwards, I will handle state affairs on your behalf."
The emperor's face darkened: "Pei Zhimiao!"
However, he stopped talking the moment he saw Pei Wu's indifferent gaze.
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Author's note: Happy New Year everyone!
It should be finished in January, right? There are still tens of thousands of words left, it won't be quick, but it won't be slow either.
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