Chapter 82: The Power Struggle Between Tao, Lu, and Li; The Origins of Lu and Tao
After returning to the city, Qin Song had a premonition that Long An would not leave Kaifeng easily.
In preparation for the enemy's major move, she strengthened the defenses of the city gates.
But a day passed, and Long'an disappeared without a trace, without any movement. Qin Song then ordered his men to relax the defenses.
But that very night, Long An appeared.
She launched a surprise attack in the dead of night, bringing only 30,000 elite imperial guards into Kaifeng.
Qin Song offered no resistance, but she was not allowed to enter the city either. Instead, she went ahead to the nearest post station to Kaifeng to wait.
Emperor Long'an, seated in his sedan chair, personally led his expedition and encountered Qin Song at a post station.
She glanced around and saw that Qin Song had set up a table outside the post station and was sitting in the courtyard with Lu Youchuan and Li Yu, leisurely drinking tea.
She had only a few hundred men with her.
Hmph! What gives her the confidence to be so careless with such a small force?
After a brief exchange, Qin Song remained calm and relaxed, showing no signs of tension.
Long An sneered, first glancing at Lu Youchuan: "Lord Lu, are you planning to step down from your post in the Censorate?"
"Of course I will listen to Your Majesty." Lu Youchuan said "Your Majesty" but raised his hand to pour Qin Song a cup of tea.
Long An was determined to win today, and she didn't care if Lu Youchuan died one more time.
Her gaze swept over Lu Youchuan, then fixed on Qin Song: "So it seems Miss Qin is the one in charge of Kaifeng? My cousin, who's still under investigation, hasn't come yet?"
Qin Song sat at the head of the small table, facing Long An's men. "Who said they weren't here? If Your Majesty can get past me, the Crown Prince will naturally be yours."
Sitting in the sedan chair, Long An scoffed contemptuously: "Bluster! I already know that Tao Qingyang has led the Zhenbei Army back to the northern border. Do you think you can stop me with your meager numbers?"
"Your Majesty is right, but I have said that I have no intention of opposing you, much less of instigating internal strife in the Great Yu. Does Your Majesty intend to win by force?"
“Well said. Bloodshed and casualties are not what anyone wants to see. In that case, Miss Qin, please hand over Li Xu. I will immediately withdraw my troops and will not harm any of you.”
"Not hurt me?" Qin Song scoffed. "Does His Majesty really think you have a chance of winning?"
“Isn’t it obvious?” Long An leaned back against the sedan chair draped with light gauze curtains. “Do you know that Tao Qingyang’s journey will surely be a one-way trip? There is already a surprise waiting for him in the north.”
Qin Song instantly understood the deeper meaning behind Long An's words.
She took the bait; she actually believed Xue Ci's words, and she committed the same atrocities as her father.
He wanted to use the Northern Barbarians to eliminate his greatest threat.
Qin Song paused in his tea-drinking motion, slamming the teacup down on the table. His gaze turned menacing as he looked at her: "Long'an, I warned you not to take a single wrong step. You can be foolish, you can be ruthless, but you should never collude with the Northern Barbarians to ruin my Great Yu soldiers!"
Long An lazily shook his head, causing the beaded curtain in front of his crown to sway. "Victory and defeat are common occurrences in war. The Zhenbei Army is indeed brave and skilled in battle, but they have occupied Kaifeng for many years and have become spineless. When they encounter the Northern Barbarians again, it is inevitable that they will be defeated. How can there be any talk of colluding with the Northern Barbarians?"
"Still trying to deny it? What promises did you make to the Northern Barbarians?" Qin Song's anger was palpable. "It's not going to be two more cities, is it?"
Qin Song had hoped that Long An only wanted to take advantage of the gap when Tao Qingyang led his troops away, rather than just throwing out a bait and taking the bait to commit the heinous crime of harming innocent and loyal people.
She was furious.
She actually said that the generals of the Zhenbei Army would never return. If she hadn't accused me of deliberately sending Xue Ci to the palace to present the plan, how could she have made such a statement?
"How dare you doubt me like this?" Long An rubbed his temples helplessly and straightened his sleeves. "Fine, the victor is king and the loser is villain. Only the winner has the right to judge the other. I'll give you one last chance. Either hand over Li Xu, or I'll personally step over you."
Qin Song looked at her coldly: "So you're sure the Zhenbei Army will suffer a crushing defeat? And you're certain you can successfully take Li Xu away?"
"Of course." Long An said confidently. As if she had timed it perfectly, a spy came to report from behind Qin Song as soon as she finished speaking.
Following Qin Song's instructions, a spy quickly delivered a note containing information about the Zhenbei Army.
She glanced at it only once, and her eyes suddenly narrowed.
Long An smiled smugly, "See? General Tao is already dead in the northern border. Even if he hadn't died, he would still be a rebel who colluded with the northern barbarians, and he would have no way out either."
Qin Song was still stunned by the note and did not respond for a moment.
Long An became even more emboldened. "Alright, I don't intend to go on a killing spree. Call your Crown Prince out. As long as you hand him over to me, I guarantee I won't harm any of you."
"What if I don't?" Qin Song beckoned, and a tall, thin, and frail middle-aged man walked out of the post station.
The man had a dejected face, did not bow to anyone, and stood five steps behind Qin Song with his hands at his sides, quietly listening to the questions from the people on either side.
Long An glanced at him, his body shifting slightly, clearly showing a hint of surprise, but it was so subtle that it was almost impossible to discern any obvious emotion.
She leaned back lazily, "Lord Xue, you're still alive?"
Xue Ci numbly cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty is fortunate to have escaped this calamity. I thank Your Majesty for not exterminating us."
Xue Ci was imprisoned by Qin Song for five years. For the sake of his family's lives, he obeyed orders and rushed to the capital. He told Emperor Long'an about the plan that the late emperor had instructed him to make, and deliberately suggested that the Northern Barbarians were strong and capable and could be used.
They also presented documents and contact information for the Northern Barbarians.
He only intended to set up a trap, but unexpectedly, he was chased and killed by Long'an's men. If Kaifeng hadn't been prepared, he might have died on the way.
Qin Song witnessed Long An's ruthlessness firsthand. She took a sip of tea and said, "I suspect His Majesty listened to what Lord Xue said and used the powerful troops of the Northern Barbarians to eliminate the Zhenbei Army, thus dismantling Kaifeng, this major threat. After all, the late Emperor also wanted to cooperate with the Northern Barbarians. In order to obtain the money and beauties promised by the Northern Barbarians and solve the problem of the empty treasury, he did not hesitate to give away two cities. I wonder if His Majesty is even more greedy and will do something even more heinous?"
Long An said frankly, "Now that you know what the late emperor did, shouldn't I kill a government official whose hands are stained with blood? Lord Xue, tell me, don't you deserve to die?"
Xue Ci swallowed hard and closed his eyes: "This sinful subject... truly deserves to die."
Long An didn't even glance at Xue Ci, his gaze fixed intently on Qin Song: "So why did Miss Qin save such a sinner?"
“He deserves to die, but you can’t execute him in secret,” Qin Song said calmly. “I called him out just to tell you one thing: Xue Ci is my man, and your plan will not succeed.”
Long An suddenly laughed, “Hehe, Miss Qin, you are also very naive. Do you think I really don’t know his background, or do you think I don’t know what Father Emperor has done? It’s a pity, I know everything. Moreover, even without Xue Ci’s suggestion, I can still contact the Northern Barbarians. So, who Xue Ci works for does not affect Tao Qingyang’s life or death.”
Qin Song suddenly realized she had misjudged him; it turned out that Long An wasn't as stupid as she had imagined.
Seeing her silence, Long An felt even more confident of victory. He raised his hand slightly and commanded, "Step over there directly, regardless of life or death."
Looking at Lu Youchuan, Li Yu, and even Qin Song, Long An felt it was a pity. Only after she had the power to rule the country did she realize how precious talent was. Any one of the three people in front of her was a peerless genius who could stand alone.
It's a pity that it can't be used by her.
But she really didn't want to start a massacre. She wouldn't fight each other; she would just send a large army forward. Whether they survived or not would depend on their instincts.
As the horses moved forward, the sedan chair followed. Long An stared intently at the three people still sitting around the small table ahead, wondering if they would show any signs of fear.
I'm also very curious whether they'll fight desperately to survive and end up fleeing in defeat...
Just then, amidst the thunderous sounds of hooves and footsteps, a strange, mournful sound broke out.
Looking up, behind the post station, clusters of torchlight shone brightly in the distance. Then, a group of soldiers in armor sprang up from the distant field ridges and marched in unison to Qin Song.
Long An suddenly sat up straight, feeling quite surprised.
How could this be? The soldiers in Kaifeng had already split into two groups, one following Tao Yao to the coast and the other following Tao Qingyang to the northern border.
Both groups of soldiers had spies watching them, so they didn't see the soldiers turn around at all.
Besides farmers, what soldiers were left in Kaifeng?
Where did these soldiers come from?
To her even greater surprise, another person gracefully emerged from the post station.
"Greetings, General!"
A general in red robes and a silver mask walked out, and the soldiers around the post station knelt down to pay their respects.
The other side was overwhelming in strength, and Long An could not hide his shock, "You're not dead?!"
Tao Qingyang gave a roguish smile, "I'm sorry to disappoint Your Majesty."
Long An looked at Qin Song in disbelief, then asked, "What were you doing just now?"
Qin Song's lips curled slightly as he waved the note he had just received. "You mean this? It's about the two hundred fine horses that the Northern Barbarians gifted to our dynasty. I was so excited that I didn't realize what was going on."
Long An couldn't help but clench his fists, and the attendant beside him immediately leaned down and whispered words of comfort.
She paused for a moment before asking Tao Qingyang, "When did you lead your troops back to the city?"
"Leading troops back to the city?" Tao Qingyang sneered, took the red-tasseled spear handed to him by the deputy general, and waved it twice. "Your Majesty misunderstands. Only this humble general is returning to the city. The 100,000 soldiers have successfully captured the barbarian scoundrels who tried to deceive the pass. When this humble general has time, he will go and greet those overconfident barbarians."
"Nonsense!" Seeing that Long An was caught off guard, Xiao Cejun, who was accompanying him, took over the question, "If you came back alone, where did these soldiers come from?"
"Of course, it's always been available." Qin Song deliberately raised his cup, and in mid-air, he offered her a cup of tea in a perfunctory manner.
Long An's face was grim, and he remained silent.
Li Yu then added, “Your Majesty may not know, but the Zhenbei Army is large in number and there is no war in Kaifeng. These soldiers are idle anyway, so we can’t waste such good labor. It just so happens that Songniang has planted a lot of grain and needs manpower to cultivate it. So these soldiers cultivate during the busy farming season and train during the slack season. Now is the season when they should be cultivating the land. If Your Highness hadn’t made such a big fuss, it would have been fine.”
"You call this a big show?" Tao Qing swung his spear and planted it firmly in the ground. "Li Long'an, you've lost."
"Who said I lost?"
Long An seemed to have recovered and ordered someone to lift the curtain in front of the sedan chair. "General Tao, how could you stand with your enemy? Have you forgotten how the entire Tao family died? Do you really think it was because you accidentally killed the only son of the Prince of Ningnan?"
It turned out to be a psychological tactic.
Qin Song slowed his tea-drinking movements, listened quietly to Long An's words, and subtly observed Tao Qingyang's expression.
Tao Qingyang stared at Long An without changing his expression, showing no reaction whatsoever.
Long An continued, "You must know that the only son of the Prince of Ningnan is ten years older than you, and you were drugged. How could you possibly be his match? The one who truly killed him was not you, but..."
Long An deliberately waved her slender fingers around in the crowd before finally landing on Lu Youchuan. "Him, your good cousin."
Qin Song and Li Yu both looked at Lu Youchuan, who remained taciturn and cold-faced, while Tao Qingyang disdained to even glance at him.
Long'an was quite satisfied with the subtle atmosphere between them. "I know you resent him. You probably think he gained a chance to rise through the ranks by writing a memorial to General Tao about treason, which is why he became a second-rank official at such a young age. But the truth is much crueler. It was your entire Tao family that saved Lu Youchuan from disaster. He distorted the fact that he killed the only son of the Prince of Ningnan, using the Emperor's suspicion of the Tao family's military power to exchange the lives of the entire Tao family for the opportunity to become the Emperor's confidant."
It's obvious that this is a sore spot for Tao Qingyang, so how could he possibly remain calm?
He slowly turned his neck, which seemed not to belong to his own body, and glanced at Lu Youchuan, who was sitting calmly at the table, as if he might draw his gun and stab him at any moment.
Lu Youchuan, however, kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, refusing to respond to his gaze.
Seeing that Long'an's provocation had worked, Qin Song raised his voice and retorted, "What's done is done, isn't it? Does Your Majesty have any evidence?"
"Evidence? Of course there is."
Long An raised his chin as a guard dragged an old eunuch from the emperor's side to the front. "You know him, right? The chief eunuch by Father's side. He was the one who served Father on the night of the upheaval at the Tao residence. Ask him if I've said a single falsehood."
She even prepared witnesses; it seems this was premeditated, and she came prepared.
Qin Song had no choice but to be more vigilant.
Qin Song didn't recognize the old eunuch, but any official who had ever entered or left the palace would recognize him. Tao Qingyang's face grew increasingly grim, and he was on the verge of losing control.
His eyes were bloodshot as he asked the old eunuch, enunciating each word clearly: "Is what she said true?"
The old eunuch, who had already retired to his hometown, was now too weak to walk and could only sit in a wooden chair, carried by two young eunuchs. He raised his murky eyes to look at Tao Qingyang and sighed deeply. "This old servant only remembers that Imperial Censor Lu came to the Imperial Study with his face covered in blood, admitting that he had accidentally killed the Prince of Ningnan. His Majesty intended to punish him, but then the Left Pillar of State's men reported that General Tao, you were lying in the Princess's room. To appease the two high-ranking officials who had lost their beloved sons, His Majesty met with Imperial Censor Lu in private. When Imperial Censor Lu came out again, the decree was issued that the Tao family had committed treason and should be executed. General Tao, when will this cycle of revenge end? Let go of your hatred."
Let go of hatred? The loyal souls of the entire Tao family would not allow it.
Tao Qingyang gripped the spear tightly with both hands, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at Lu Youchuan.
His knuckles were white from exerting too much force. Qin Song had seen him lose control before, and he was clearly on the verge of going crazy.
Seeing that things were not going well, Qin Song immediately stood in front of Tao Qingyang.
Seeing this, Li Yu instinctively grabbed her, but couldn't stop her. She had no choice but to get up and stand behind Lu Youchuan, trying to stop the fight between the two.
Although he wished they would kill each other.
But he couldn't let them hurt Qin Song.
Qin Song was pleased with Li Yu's understanding nature. She stood back to back with Li Yu, glancing at Tao Qingyang and then at Lu Youchuan: "No, there must be some misunderstanding! Lu Youchuan, say something!"
Lu Youchuan remained seated quietly at the table, not uttering a word, awaiting Tao Qingyang's judgment.
Qin Song was anxious, but she was more rational than Tao Qingyang. Lu Youchuan's reaction was definitely not right. She turned her head to look at the old eunuch, "Old eunuch, explain yourself. Did anyone see Lu Youchuan commit the crime? If you wanted to exterminate the entire Tao family, why were the Tao siblings able to survive?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Tao Qingyang frowned even more, and Lu Youchuan also slightly raised his eyes.
However, Long'an smiled leisurely and said, "Of course it was I who pleaded with the Emperor. General Tao, look, you disregarded your savior and instead stood with your enemy. It is too disheartening for me."
"Shut up!" Tao Qing's chest heaved, his jaw muscles bulging slightly. He spoke to Long An, but his gaze was fixed fiercely on Lu Youchuan. "You all deserve to die!"
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Author's note: Qin Song: Can't this family be a little more harmonious?
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