Chapter 189 Rebellion
[In the twelfth year of Beishu, the Regent King Huo Lang launched a rebellion.
Everyone knows that the Northern Emperor is incompetent and born with a weak body. His power has long been sidelined. The Regent Prince Huo Lang commands the country's troops and controls world affairs. He is an uncrowned emperor in the court.
For such a person, it would be effortless to rebel.
But I didn't expect that he could endure it for so many years...
On the day of the mutiny, it was the middle of winter with heavy snow. Huo Lang led his personal guards and fought all the way from Zhaowu Gate to Shenkang Palace. However, not much blood was shed because no one dared to stop them, and no one was willing to stop them.
I walked out of the dark underground palace in the side hall and sat on the ground. In front of me was a golden stove with auspicious beasts for heating. Because no one had added charcoal, the sparks inside had gradually gone out and there was no warmth at all.
I closed my eyes and waited for death. My heart was calmer than ever before. The sounds of weapons and killing outside were so close that they seemed to be right next to my ears. However, until the fire in front of me went out and dimmed, I still did not hear any congratulations on the new emperor's ascension to the throne.
The palace door was suddenly pushed open with a creaking sound. A biting cold wind blew past my ears, and snow immediately filled the room. I looked up and saw Northern Emperor Zhao Kang staggering in from outside. His crown was askew, his clothes were disheveled, and his handsome face was covered in blood.
I looked at him and he looked at me, and there was silence for a moment.
If a third person comes at this time, they will find that we look exactly the same.
The Zhao royal family had a weak bloodline, and the previous emperor only had a precious baby, Crown Prince Zhao Kang, when he was in his twilight years. However, he was weak and sickly, and doctors said that he would not live past the age of thirty. At that time, the Wei and Huo families controlled the government and had a tendency to divide the country. The clan members were eyeing the throne covetously, waiting for the emperor to pass away so that they could change the dynasty.
Under the guise of seeking a doctor, the late emperor searched the whole country for someone who looked like Zhao Kang. Finally, he found me, a young child, in a small town in Ruzhou. He ordered the soldiers to massacre all the people in the town to ensure that no one would recognize me. Then he secretly sent me to the palace as a substitute for Zhao Kang.
One thousand three hundred and sixty-two lives were lost because of my face.
When Zhao Kang was not feeling well, I attended court on his behalf.
When Zhao Kang neglected his studies, I reviewed memorials for him.
When Zhao Kang was assassinated, I took the blame for him.
I am the emperor, but I am not the emperor.
I have the same face as him, but I hate him to the core and only want to overthrow the Zhao family.
I know that Huo Lang likes me, but he swore to never commit treason in accordance with the will of Huo's ancestors, so even though he holds great power, he is reluctant to rebel. In addition, he thinks that I am the current emperor, so he is even more unwilling to start an army.
Since love cannot make Huo Lang rebel, then can hatred make him rebel?
I thought about how, in the past few years, I had deliberately weakened Huo Lang's faction in the court, deliberately forced him to hand over his military power, deliberately allowed Zhao Kang to expand his harem, and deliberately used a blunt knife to cut the flesh in Huo Lang's heart... All these things, coupled with Zhao Kang's increasing incompetence, finally forced this man to rebel.
But why is Zhao Kang still alive?
Shouldn't he have been stabbed to death on the dragon throne by Huo Lang's sword?
"Why aren't you dead yet?" I asked softly.
Zhao Kang had just escaped death, and before he could recover from the shock, he heard my treasonous words. He was shocked and furious, looking at me sinisterly: "Die? How can I die? I am the Son of Heaven! The one who should die is Huo Lang, the traitor and scoundrel!"
He laughed crazily, holding my shoulders tightly, and said, "He approached me with a sword, raised his blade several times but didn't kill me. I took advantage of his inattention and stabbed him in the heart with the sword, and the blood spurted out!"
Zhao Kang said this with a horrified look on his face, as if he had recalled the tragic situation at that time. I thought that Huo Lang was an excellent martial artist, and even if he had a lot of problems from fighting on the battlefield, he should be able to fight back after being stabbed with a sword. I continued to ask softly:
"And then, he didn't kill you?"
Zhao Kang was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't understand why Huo Lang said that: "No, he said... he said I was not worthy to die with him, and ordered the soldiers not to kill me, and then he fell down..."
His last words were so light that they were almost drowned out by the wind.
I seemed to be able to imagine Huo Lang, covered in blood, falling heavily to the ground.
Zhao Kang ignored my deathly silence and said in panic, "You are usually the smartest. Tell me what to do now. Even if Huo Lang is dead, he still has a younger brother. The Zhao family's kingdom cannot be left in my hands..."
Before he could finish his words, his chest suddenly felt cold. The long sword I had hidden in my sleeve pierced his heart. Blood spurted out and landed on his face, warm and hot.
Zhao Kang stumbled back, looked at me in disbelief, and uttered through his teeth: "How dare you..."
Yeah, how dare I.
I have been planning for many years. I have eliminated the Zhao clan and forced Huo Lang to rebel. Is there anything I dare not do?
Or did Zhao Kang think that I had planted a poisonous snake in his body, and if he, the mother snake, died, my chicks would die too, so he never thought that I would hurt him?
But I didn’t want to live anymore.
I ignored Zhao Kang's fallen body and staggered out of the hall, spitting out blood, with snow all over my body.
Huo Lang, it turns out that I have let you down...】
In the sixth year of Beishu, in the dead of winter, Xiling led his troops to invade the border. Duke Zhenguo Wei Han led his troops to meet the enemy, but food and fodder were slow to arrive, and tens of thousands of soldiers died outside Guiyan Pass, buried in the wind and snow.
Hong Ling sent an urgent messenger to report that Duke Wei Han of Zhenguo was killed in battle. His eldest son Wei Xuan took over as the chief commander, but was seriously injured while killing the enemy in the battlefield and died. The second son Wei Hong was ordered to deliver food and fodder, but he disappeared in the snowy weather. The third son Wei Tan led his troops to break through the siege, but was hit by a poisoned arrow and was in critical condition.
The Wei family was full of loyal and brave people, but all of their direct descendants had died. Lady Huo, the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo, disregarded the emperor's order and left the capital, traveling thousands of miles to bring back the bodies of her husband and young son. Now, she was holding the spirit tablet, wearing linen mourning clothes, and blocking the palace gate with thousands of troops.
"Your Majesty, this daughter of the Huo family is so bold that she dared to lead troops to block the palace gate, claiming that her husband's beloved son was killed by treacherous officials, and questioning Your Majesty why the food and grass have not arrived. The long streets are full of white flags and gold ingots and paper money are everywhere. It is clear that she is planning a rebellion! You should quickly send troops to suppress them and punish them for treason!"
Behind a dense jade bead curtain, Jingyang Prince Zhao Qin was standing on the stairs, filled with righteous indignation. He was the uncle of the current emperor and held an extraordinary status. Everyone who saw him had to give him some face. With such a report, the daughter of the Huo family might be charged with a serious crime.
Zhao Kang sat behind the pearl curtain, coughing in anger. He covered his lips with a white handkerchief, and a tearing sound came from his lungs: "Bullshit! It's absolutely bullshit, are they all going to rebel?"
Prince Jingyang stepped forward and added fuel to the fire, "Your Majesty, since ancient times, the commander-in-chief has always stayed in the camp, and there has never been a rule of going to the battlefield to kill the enemy in person. The Duke of Zhenguo and his eldest son rushed to meet the enemy rashly, and ended up dying on the battlefield. It is clearly their own fault, and they should be charged with incompetent command!"
He was so loud and powerful that he didn't notice the emperor's personal eunuch Wumei coming out from behind the dragon throne and gently placing a piece of white paper on the table. On it was a line of sharp words that could be seen through the back of the paper:
Why don’t the grain and grass arrive?
Zhao Kang saw the handwriting on the paper, took a breath, and then asked in a deep voice: "Uncle Wang, I ordered you to escort the army's food and fodder, and you said that it had been delivered long ago. Why did Wei Han send several memorials in a row, saying that the army had no food and the soldiers could only eat ice and snow to fill their stomachs?!"
The King of Jingyang rolled his eyes and stammered, "This... this humble official does not know. The grain and fodder have already been handed over, and the certificate is also stamped with the commander's seal. If your majesty does not believe it, you can personally take a look."
While the two of them were talking, an eunuch suddenly came in in a hurry to report, kneeling down in panic and said, "Your Majesty, it's bad! The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo has hit the palace gate with her coffin. Thousands of Fuyuan soldiers are shouting to help, and the sound is shaking the sky. The city guards dare not stop them. Please give your instructions!"
Zhao Kang was already furious, and upon hearing this, he became even more furious: "What a bunch of rubbish!"
He was an emperor in name only. When he ascended the throne, he didn't even take back the military power. Relying on the group of guards in the palace was of little use. Now that the Huo girl led her troops to knock on his door, he didn't even have anyone available.
"Bang--!"
Zhao Kang slammed the table and shouted hoarsely:
"Quickly send the regent Huo Lang to bring his troops to escort the emperor!"
Zhao Kang said hurriedly: "That's right, that's right, the daughter of the Huo family is the aunt of the Regent Prince, it is most appropriate for him to persuade her!"
It was snowing heavily outside. The emperor issued twelve edicts in the middle of the night, ordering the eunuchs to pass on the orders. However, without exception, they were blocked outside the palace and were not allowed to enter:
"It's late at night and the weather is cold. The prince has already gone to bed. Please go back now, eunuch."
Huo Lang was the only king of a different surname in the entire Beishu. He shared military power with the Wei family, and no one dared to disobey him in the court. He blatantly disobeyed the emperor's order, and the emperor not only had no way to punish him, but also had to persuade and plead with him. However, the messenger was refused entry before he even took a single step into the door of the Regent's Palace. The only thing he was told was that he was sick and couldn't get out of bed.
"Huo Lang, his heart deserves death!"
Zhao Kang was so angry that he vomited blood and finally passed out due to exhaustion. Wu Mei secretly sent his trusted imperial physician to come and see him. At the same time, he walked quickly into the back hall holding his whisk and kowtowed to the man sitting in the study:
"Your Majesty has fainted. Tonight is indeed a very eventful night. I hope you can take charge of the situation."
A man was sitting behind the rosewood carved table. He was dressed in light-colored casual clothes, with a cool demeanor and a dignified demeanor. He was holding a brush and writing calmly on rice paper. His face was exactly the same as Zhao Kang's, except that he looked less sickly and more elegant. He lowered his eyes and said,
"knew."
Lu Yan stopped writing, and a poem was written on the paper:
The king is not a king, the king is not a king,
Children should laugh at the Northern Emperor.
Today the world is divided into three parts.
Neither his surname is Li nor his surname is Wang.
A small boat with a light sail,
Snow falls across the mountains and birds hide.
Under the throne of the emperor, there are black-veiled people.
I wonder how many people are worshipping the Mingtang?
Lu Yan dried the ink, twisted the rice paper and threw it lightly, and it landed in front of Wu Mei's eyes. He stared at the old eunuch in front of him with an inexplicable smile. It reminded him of the moonlight for no reason, gentle and bright but cold: "Have you heard of this poem?"
Wu Mei's cloudy eyes moved: "It's just a doggerel poem from the folks, don't take it seriously."
The current emperor is a puppet emperor, that's all, but he is mediocre in qualifications and likes to listen to the slander of treacherous ministers. Even the children among the people point at him and laugh, knowing that this world has long ceased to belong to the Zhao family.
A small boat with a sail rolled up refers to the word "Wei".
Snow falls on the mountain and birds hide, which refers to the character "Huo".
Among the officials who were paying homage to Zhao Kang under the dragon throne, how many of them truly obeyed Zhao Kang?
"Yeah, it can't be true..."
Lu Yan chuckled softly, then tilted his head to look at the frost and snow outside. The night was cold and quiet. He asked in a low voice, "Is Madam Wei still outside the palace gate?"
Wu Mei nodded, "The Regent Prince Huo Lang claimed to be ill and refused to accept the imperial edict. The commander of the patrol troops was Huo Lang's disciple, but he also made excuses. Now no one dares to stop it. The wife of the Duke of Zhenguo has lost her husband's beloved son. I'm afraid this matter will not be so easy to resolve."
"It's only a little snow in Beishu, but it's already freezing cold. I heard that the snow in Guiyan Pass never melts all year round, and it's a hundred times colder than here. Tens of thousands of soldiers died outside the pass due to lack of food and grass, forcing the commander-in-chief Wei Han to lead his troops to kill the enemy in person. He died on the battlefield, and he deserves an explanation."
Lu Yan stood up and walked to the stove, stretching out his hands to warm the fire. The orange flames coated his slender fingertips with a layer of warm color. He lowered his eyes to look at the charcoal fire and said to himself, "It's really cold. I think his leg disease has recurred."
Before Wu Mei had time to ponder the meaning of these words, he heard Lu Yan say, "The Regent has worked hard and made great contributions. It is so cold today, please ask Doctor Yu to send me a bowl of wind-removing and damp-removing soup, and tell him to take good care of himself and not to worry me."
Wu Mei: "But as for the wife of the Duke of Zhen..."
Lu Yan said calmly, "Go and do it."
"yes."
Wu Mei had no choice but to accept the order and leave. Not long after he left, Lu Yan stopped warming himself by the fire. He looked around, gazing at the luxurious yet empty palace in front of him. He felt as if he had forgotten something. His heartbeat quickened for no reason and he felt an indescribable sense of confusion.
[Lu Yan, this is the last level. ]
【You must survive. 】
[I cannot continue to supervise you to complete the task because I violated the rules. Once you pass this level, I will return all your memories to you.]
【Survive...】
This voice appeared inexplicably, as if it came from a very far place. Lu Yan felt his heart pounding and his breathing became uncontrollably rapid. He fell into a chair, frowned and covered his chest, and asked in a low voice to the air: "Who are you?"
“…”
No one answered him, and the voice disappeared. The hall was silent except for the sound of candles.
Lu Yan closed his eyes and took a deep breath, wondering if he was hallucinating. Zhao Kang was a foolish ruler and there were countless people who wanted to kill him. As his substitute, he had encountered many assassination attempts. But since he had suffered a bad ending in his previous life, why should he repeat the same mistake in this one?
In this life, he will definitely live well and repay Huo Lang for his kindness. There is a voice in the dark telling Lu Yan that he owes this person a lot...
Outside the Prince Regent's Palace, a carriage slowly stopped in front of the gate, and a eunuch got off. The guard at the gate thought it was another eunuch from the palace, so he said coldly, "The Prince Regent is ill, and I'm afraid he can't accept the edict."
The eunuch had a kind face and was not angry when he heard this. He just showed the food box in his hand and said, "I am not here to pass on an order, but to deliver medicine. Your Majesty heard that the Regent Prince is bedridden. I guess it is because he injured his knee last year and has a recurrence of the cold today. I have specially ordered Doctor Yu to prepare a bowl of soup to dispel wind and dampness. Please take good care of the Regent Prince and don't let Your Majesty worry."
The gatekeeper hesitated for a moment when he heard the words, then took the food box and went inside to report. He did not dare to go into the house, but knelt at the bottom of the steps and repeated the old eunuch's words through the door.
There were patches of green bamboos planted in the courtyard, covered with snow, a white frost. The palace soldier waited for a long time without hearing any movement, so he thought Huo Lang would not accept the meal. He moved his knees and was about to take the food box out to return it, but suddenly a low and hoarse voice sounded in the house:
"Come in."
This small courtyard was not a residence, but a study room used for meetings. When the palace soldier pushed the door open, he smelled a strong smell of medicine, which, after being fumigated by the warm charcoal fire, inevitably made his head swell.
A man was leaning on a couch in the inner room of the study. Although there was a floor heating and a charcoal basin in the room, he still seemed very cold. He had a white fox fur robe on his shoulders and a valuable northern fox blanket on his lower body. Because it was late at night, his long hair was untied and the inky black hair fell from his shoulders. The warm yellow candle not only failed to make his pale and sickly face look warmer, but instead revealed the cruelty hidden between his narrow eyebrows.
The Regent King, Huo Lang.
He is above all others in the entire Beishu, even the emperor has to bow before him.
The two conspirators sat at the tea table, the candles were half-burned, and it was obvious that they had been discussing for half the night.
The palace soldier placed the food box on the table and replied respectfully, "Your Highness, this is the soup medicine given by His Majesty. The eunuch who delivered the message said that it is very cold today and His Majesty thinks that you may have a recurrence of your old leg disease. This medicine is best for dispelling wind and dampness. I hope you take good care of yourself and don't worry him."
Huo Lang closed his eyes and looked indifferent when he heard this. He did not respond. His bony left hand fell on the blanket and tapped it lightly. His face was dim in the shadows. After a while, he asked, "Nothing else?"
The soldier replied, "No."
Huo Lang asked again: "Has the wife of the Duke of Zhenguo not left yet?"
The palace soldier said, "They are at a stalemate at the palace gate."
Huo Lang: "Go out, I understand."
The door opened and closed again. One of the two conspirators stroked his beard, puzzled: "How did your Majesty know that the prince's leg disease had recurred? Did you plant spies in the palace?"
Huo Lang slowly opened his eyes after hearing this. He had fought in the battlefield since he was young and had never lost a battle. His eyes were as cold as a sword and sharper than a poison needle. He sneered, "The emperor doesn't have that much ability."
The voice suddenly turned gloomy:
"It's just that I offended the late emperor last year and was punished to kneel in front of the Nine Dragon Steps for a whole night in the cold winter. He saw me and asked for mercy. Since then, I have suffered from leg disease."
The other conspirator remained silent, as he had been with Huo Lang the longest and naturally knew his character. He could not help but sigh inwardly: Even though the Regent is gritting his teeth, this bowl of medicine, which is neither light nor heavy, may be more effective than those twelve imperial edicts. There is absolutely no way he can get away tonight.
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