Chapter 62: The Story of Shuling Yunzhou
"Do you know anything?" Li Yu stared at Gong Shuling.
Gong Shuling was still gentle and kind, but her usual timidity was gone: "I left in a hurry. I only heard that the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices said that the plague in Yunzhou was a divine punishment. The eunuch Huang, who was by His Majesty's side, came with an imperial edict and ordered my father to prepare the army and drive straight to Yunzhou. I guess it was not a good thing."
Divine punishment? Involving superstitious and mystical things is indeed a very good reason for punishment.
Qin Song pondered the crux of the matter, and Li Yu suddenly realized: "So that's how it is. So everything has a traceable origin."
As soon as she finished speaking, Li Yu glanced at Qin Song and felt a sudden sense of relief, yet also a chill run down her spine.
The two said in unison, "The imperial court wants to trap everyone in Yunzhou, including the 100,000 Zhenbei Army soldiers."
No wonder we encountered setbacks everywhere when we went south to borrow grain; no wonder the Northern Barbarians were able to easily bypass the heart of Dayu and launch a surprise attack on Yunzhou; no wonder Xue Ci colluded with the Northern Barbarians. In fact, the court tacitly approved of it, and may even have issued a secret edict, which led to the fall of Danzhou and the siege of Yunzhou.
The problem is not with the cabinet, but with imperial power, with the mandate of heaven.
Qin Song felt a chill in his heart, not because he was afraid of fighting against imperial power, but because he was worried that power corrupted him and terrified of the moral depravity of those in power.
She composed herself, but one question remained unanswered: if all of this was orchestrated by the imperial court, what was its purpose?
Was the loss of two prefectures and 100,000 Zhenbei troops really just to eliminate Qin Daoji, a treacherous minister in a high position?
But he had already been removed from his position as Grand Tutor and was far removed from the cabinet, so the threat was nothing more than that, and there was no need to go to such great lengths.
No, it wasn't to eliminate the Qin family, or at least not entirely to remove her father's power.
The clues about Yun and Dan prefectures had already emerged from the case of treason that led to the loss of Danzhou by the Zhenbei Army.
Lu Youchuan discovered that the crucial case of treason was left unresolved because the imperial family intentionally suppressed it. Chen Peizhi's army was able to act with impunity in Yunzhou because the imperial power was blind, preventing news from Yunzhou from reaching the capital.
All of this happened before Qin Daoji took office in Yunzhou, so the situation in Yunzhou was definitely not just about taking Qin Daoji down with him.
Qin Li and the other man pondered in silence, while Gong Shuling had already discerned the implications.
She clenched her fists and said in a worried voice, "Although I don't know the situation in Yun and Dan prefectures, the rumored raging disease is clearly caused by poisoning, but it has been labeled as divine punishment. This situation is not about saving them, but about suppressing them. Moreover, my father leads an army of 300,000, which is far outnumbered by the Zhenbei Army. The Gong family's army will arrive soon, and I'm afraid Yun prefecture will not be able to be saved. If you rush back, you will only be going to your deaths."
“Divine punishment,” Qin Song sneered, “is indeed a brilliant move, but this time, God is on our side.”
Gong Shuling asked, puzzled, "So, you're still going back?"
Qin Song did not speak directly, but her eyes were resolute and her attitude was clear.
Gong Shuling sighed and said calmly, "If you've made up your minds, I won't try to persuade you any further. Anyway, I went through a lot of trouble to escape here, and I'm not going to throw my life away so easily. Good luck to you."
"Shuling, what happened to you?" Li Yu, being Gong Shuling's cousin, asked with concern.
Qin Song had also noticed that Gong Shuling's clothes were not as exquisite and gorgeous as before, her hair ornaments were simple, her clothes were worn out, and her fingers were much rougher than before.
Qin Song scrutinized Yu Gong Shuling. Gong Shuling didn't seem to feel any unease about her attire. Instead, she seemed lost in memories of the past, a barely perceptible hint of resentment flashing in her eyes. "Indeed, something unexpected happened. Before the Empress gave birth, she begged His Majesty to grant me a marriage with Lei Heyang. On our wedding night, he humiliated me in every way. In a fit of anger, I slit his throat and fled the capital overnight."
She spoke concisely, without revealing any obvious emotional fluctuations, but Qin Song and Li Yu still sensed the endless sorrow in her words.
"Damn it!" Li Yu slammed his fist on the wall beside him, trying hard to suppress any inappropriate emotions so as not to upset the person involved.
Qin Song glanced at Li Yu and quickly guessed her background.
After the Crown Prince disappeared on charges of treason, the power dynamics in the capital shifted. The Empress was pregnant with the Emperor's child. Minister Lei's scandal was not only not punished, but he was also framed, which even brought some sympathy to the Lei family, making them extremely powerful.
With the Gong family cleared of suspicion of treason, their situation improved, and they held military power, naturally becoming the Lei family's first choice for marriage alliance.
In truth, they were in the same boat. Back then, the Lei family used every trick in the book to force her to marry Lei Heyang. After the Qin family fell, Gong Shuling became the Lei family's target again.
Seeing that she was unwilling to talk about it, Qin Song didn't offer much comfort, but simply asked, "So, is Lei Heyang dead?"
Gong Shuling raised her hand and looked at her palm. "It's a pity that I've been staying in the inner chambers for too long. Even killing someone is difficult for me."
Whether it was a misperception or not, Qin Song saw a completely different temperament in Gong Shuling's face compared to the Gong family's young lady who only wanted to lie down and read books.
She paused for a moment before asking softly, "Then why did you run away? Lei Heyang isn't dead. With Governor Gong's power, he could easily protect you."
Gong Shuling raised her head: "Miss Qin, have you forgotten that the Lei family has already fallen and no longer needs the protection of the Gong family? I no longer need to be hunted down by the government soldiers."
Qin Song didn't say anything more, because she already knew perfectly well that Gong Shuling might have initially fled because she accidentally injured someone, but now she was fleeing for her own peace. The Gong family held a birthday banquet for the old lady to find her a husband.
The extravagant banquet, inviting most of the nobles in the capital, clearly revealed the motive: to use her marriage to establish a more useful in-law relationship. Then, after the Lei family's resurgence, her marriage to a disgraced playboy showed that returning to the Gong family meant facing only the helplessness of becoming a tool for political alliances.
"Alright, enough about me. Before we become enemies, let's talk about how to cure the scourge in the city." Gong Shuling quickly put her earlier emotions behind her.
Qin Song also realized that Gong Shiliang was leading his army north with the aim of trapping the entire Yunzhou. The Gong family and the Qin family would inevitably clash head-on.
·
Three days later, Qin Song and his party finally arrived in Yunzhou.
However, Yunzhou was already besieged by a large army.
Gong Shiliang led an army of 300,000 to seize the city walls. Within five miles of Yunzhou City, there were military camps everywhere, and the area north of Yunzhou was completely isolated.
Qin Song and his party were unable to even get close to the city gate.
"Yunzhou City is ravaged by disease. Those who don't want to die should stay away." Qin Song tried to approach the city, but the centurion guarding the outer perimeter coldly told him to leave.
"Then why aren't you afraid of death?" Qin Song remained unmoved, his gaze fixed on the man.
The man looked her up and down. She was a delicate young woman, dressed in a veiled hat and a large cloak. Despite her wanton behavior, she still wanted to maintain a facade of chastity.
He felt contempt in his heart, and glanced behind her again. There were quite a few people dressed simply, but with extraordinary bearing. There were also two carriages in the distance. He wondered if there were people inside. Further back, there were many ordinary people gathered, probably refugees from nearby cities.
The centurion was inexplicably arrogant: "Of course we are not afraid. The celestial phenomena are unusual. The Taichang Temple has already divined that Yunzhou has been punished by the gods. It is Heaven's will to destroy Yunzhou City. We have come here to pray and beg for forgiveness. How could it affect us?"
Qin Song didn't argue with him. He raised his hand, took out a Qin family token from his sleeve, and casually threw it at the man, saying in an unfriendly tone, "Notify your leader that Qin Daoji's daughter is here. Please make way immediately."
The centurion caught the token that was thrown at him roughly. He originally wanted to humiliate her for her arrogance, but after taking a closer look, he realized that it was indeed the Qin family's token. He then scrutinized her from head to toe and dared not make a decision on his own. He turned around and strode away.
About fifteen minutes later, the centurion rushed out and said, "Miss Qin, the warlord requests your presence."
Qin Song took a step, and everyone behind him followed suit.
But before she could take two steps, the centurion raised his hand to stop her, "Miss Qin, the warlord only invites you in."
Qin Song's expression suddenly turned cold. She stopped in her tracks, raised her hand to lift her veil, and her pretty face remained calm: "Then please invite Commander Gong to come and greet us personally."
The centurion was stunned for a moment, almost unable to believe his ears.
Before he could react, the person behind Qin Song also took off their veil.
"Li Yu of the Duke of Anguo's Mansion requests an audience with Military Governor Gong." Li Yu was quite polite.
To be fair, Gong Shiliang is his uncle, so this round is quite a test for him.
Although the centurion had never met Li Yu, he had heard of the Duke of Anguo's mansion, and he couldn't possibly be unaware of the relationship between the military governor and the Duke of Anguo's mansion. After a moment's thought, he turned and left again.
Outside the city, a quiet wait ensued once more, but Qin Song was confident that he would come out, not only because of Li Yu, but also because of Li Yu's identity.
As an official who should have been stationed in Yunzhou City, he was now adrift outside the city, and he had to be vigilant—Li Yu and Qin Song were not in Yunzhou City, and there might be others outside the city as well.
The sweep of Yunzhou must be carried out flawlessly; not even an ant should be spared from those destined to die in the city.
Therefore, as the commander-in-chief leading an army of 300,000 men straight to Yunzhou, Gong Shiliang could not help but be cautious.
Sure enough, in less than a quarter of an hour, the army in front of the city gate gradually parted to make way for a wide path. Gong Shiliang, dressed in armor, strode in, accompanied by a fair-skinned man in plain clothes.
Gong Shiliang was very tall with broad shoulders and a thick waist. Wearing armor, he exuded an imposing aura. In addition, he led hundreds of thousands of troops, and his whole body radiated an extremely strong sense of power.
He took two steps closer to Qin Song, his gaze sweeping across Li Yu's face for a moment before fixing on Qin Song: "You are Grand Secretary Qin's daughter?"
Qin Song was not afraid of his scrutiny at all. He looked up and replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Yes."
Gong Shiliang stared at her solemnly for a moment, then suddenly gripped the red-tasseled spear in his hand, giving her no time to react before raising his spear.
"Uncle!" Li Yu immediately rushed forward to shield him.
The person inside the carriage in the distance also instinctively gripped the hilt of their knife.
The others behind him were all sweating bullets.
However, Qin Song remained unmoved. Just as she expected, the spear was pressed against her throat, but he suddenly withdrew his strength, only creating a gust of wind that ruffled the stray hairs on her neck.
They all knew he wouldn't kill her blindly; he was just too nervous.
"Aren't you afraid of death?" Gong Shiliang didn't look at Li Yu much, but looked at Qin Song seriously.
"Of course I'm afraid, but he won't let you touch me." Qin Song calmly pointed to the fair-skinned man next to Gong Shiliang.
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Author's Note: There will be a few more chapters of main storyline content coming up. For those who don't want to read the main story, you can wait until after the National Day holiday. After these few chapters, it'll be time to eat peaches (a euphemism for something sweet/delicious). [Heart emoji]
This is my second novel. I blame myself for setting the main plot off-track. I've compressed and revised it a lot in the middle, but I still need to sort out the foreshadowing and plot developments from the beginning.
I've been honest with myself. Until my writing reaches a certain level, I'll focus on the main characters and storyline, and diligently work on the pacing of the story. Next book, next book, and the next book after that—I'll definitely get better and better! Love you all. [Heart][Heart]
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