Chapter 1165 Die-hard Remonstrance
Guan Chiying's eyes dimmed slightly.
Three days ago, he finally returned to Luoyang. Because he had brought back almost no food and Chen Cai had been killed, he and his group were almost punished and executed by Liang Shide. It was only because they escaped to Xiao Yuansui's camp and learned some things about his camp that Liang Shide spared their lives as a battle report.
After that, he immediately sought an opportunity to return to the government.
In the previous years, because he had surrendered, the government had long severed ties with him. This time was no different; even the gatekeeper wouldn't allow him to step through the gate. At the crucial moment, it was the jade pendant that Shang Ruyi had given him that came in handy—finally, Guan Ao finally saw him, and although reluctantly, he finally believed his words.
Then, Guan'ao also took him to meet several other old acquaintances in Luoyang.
Like the emperor, these people also refused to surrender to Liang Shide. This was because they were all prominent families in the Eastern Capital. In order to maintain public order, Liang Shide could not easily take action against them. He would send people to persuade them to surrender from time to time, but they would always be turned away in vain.
But this time, when he announced that he would ascend the altar to perform sacrifices and declare himself king, the group finally "surrendered".
The reason for their surrender was that Guan Chiying told them that the Princess Consort of Qin had promised that on the day Liang Shide ascended the altar to offer sacrifices, the King of Qin would lead his troops to attack Luoyang and stop this farce.
But so far, they have not heard any noise outside the city gate, nor have the soldiers on the city tower sounded any alarms indicating that they have discovered the enemy.
Did they make a mistake?
Or did the Princess Consort of Qin break her promise?
To be honest, it seems unwise to place such a big responsibility on a woman, but Guan Chiying recalled Shang Ruyi's composure even in the enemy camp. Her wisdom and insight were far beyond those of ordinary women—no, even men couldn't compare. She had promised, so she should be able to do it.
However, Prince Qin, Yuwen Ye, is facing Xiao Yuansui's army of 100,000. Can he win?
Seeing Guan Chiying's gaze become conflicted and complicated, Guan Ao's eyes also deepened. Although these people hadn't been subjected to severe torture in Luoyang, and Liang Shide, out of consideration for their reputation, hadn't even imprisoned them, they had been under house arrest for years, unable to even step out of Luoyang. Ever since they learned that Yuwen Yuan had declared himself emperor in Chang'an, they had never thought of submitting to him. Now, this seemed to be their only hope.
Guan Chiying pondered for a long time before finally saying, "Brother, I have been back in Luoyang for several days now, and I truly know nothing about what has happened outside."
"..."
Guan'ao frowned.
Guan Chiying continued, "But I believe in Princess Qin. Since she made a promise and gave me the jade token, they will definitely come."
"..."
"I also believe in His Highness Prince Qin; he will definitely defeat Xiao Yuansui!"
"..."
Guan Ao said nothing more, only staring intently at him for a long time before finally saying in a deep voice, "I hope that you and Princess Qin will not betray that jade pendant..."
"..."
Guan Chiying remained silent, but her mood grew even heavier.
He looked up and saw Wei Yu leaning close to the golden carriage, muttering something under his breath, glancing in their direction with a venomous look that made them very uncomfortable.
Seeing him like this, Guan Chiying frowned—what kind of slander is this villain going to spread now?
A short while later, a group of guards came running back along the long street.
Guan Chiying frowned as he watched several guards lead their men to the back of the street. He gave an order to the alleys on both sides of the street, and the guards immediately rushed in. They found people and started smashing and kicking doors at will. They didn't just target ordinary houses, but also restaurants and inns. The people were all frightened and came out, looking terrified and at a loss.
Seeing this, Guan Chiying couldn't help but step forward and ask, "What are you doing?"
A sharp voice rang out from behind: "Sir, this is none of your business."
Guan Chiying and the others immediately turned around and, sure enough, saw Wei Yu waving his whisk as he slowly walked over. Guan Ao also said with a stern face, "Didn't we just inform the King of Xia that calling the people out would delay the auspicious time—"
Wei Yu sneered, "King Xia has ordered all these people to come out—although we can't let them miss the auspicious time, after King Xia ascends the throne, there will always be people who come to pay their respects. Otherwise, they won't know who their master is."
Guan Chiying frowned, and Guan Ao let out a heavy sigh.
While Wei Yu continued to have the commanders lead their men to bang on doors and drag the terrified people out of their homes, he sneered, "Gentlemen, you'd better hurry up and go out with us. If you all miss the auspicious time, things will get complicated."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a loud shout rang out from ahead—
"Open the city gates!"
Several soldiers guarding the city immediately stepped forward, about to open the city gate, when suddenly a man ran out from the side, shouting that it couldn't be opened, and blocked the city gate, kneeling down and kowtowing repeatedly.
"Lord Liang, Lord Liang, you can't open the city gates!"
The group was thrown into disarray for a moment. Liang Shide, who was in the golden carriage, frowned but remained silent. Wei Yu, who had been leading his men to break down the door and arrest people, rushed over upon hearing the commotion. After a closer look, he said coldly, "Mr. Liu, what are you doing?"
Kneeling before the city gate was none other than another of Liang Shide's confidants, named Liu Fuyan. Originally a schoolteacher, he had been arrested years ago for writing a so-called rebellious poem and subsequently wandered the country. To protect himself, he joined Liang Shide, who had openly rebelled against the court, and became his advisor, offering him strategies for many years. It was Liu Fuyan who suggested seizing Luoyang while Chu Yang marched south to Jiangdu. After Liang Shide occupied Luoyang, Liu Fuyan remained by his side until Liang Shide decided to ascend the altar for a sacrificial ceremony and declare himself king.
When he proposed this, Liu Fuyan was the first to object. Firstly, he believed that Liang Shide had no sense of responsibility for the country and had done nothing to benefit his people, so he was not fit to be king. Secondly, because the war in Luoyang was not yet over and foreign enemies were surrounding them, declaring himself king at this time would only be a temporary pleasure.
However, at this point, Liang Shide could no longer listen to anything other than court congratulations, and even ordered Liu Fuyan to be imprisoned.
Unexpectedly, he still ran out at this moment to stop them.
Upon seeing him, Liang Shide's good mood instantly vanished, as if the sun had been obscured by dark clouds, and his face darkened. Seeing his expression, Wei Yu pointed at the surrounding guards and shouted, "Drag this criminal away!"
Upon hearing this, another group of guards immediately stepped forward to pull Liu Fuyan away.
Liu Fuyan was merely a weak scholar, naturally no match for these burly martial artists. He was quickly torn apart, but he still struggled and kept shouting at the people on the golden carriage: "Lord Liang, you mustn't! The famine in the city has not yet subsided, and enemies surround the city from the outside. If you open the city gate like this, you are opening the door to thieves. Heaven will not protect you!"
Liang Shide's face turned ashen, and he said in a deep voice, "Gag him!"
Upon hearing this, Wei Yu dared not delay and immediately went down to give orders. Soon, the guards dragged Liu Fuyan to a corner of the city wall, stuffed some clods of earth and stones into his mouth, making him whimper and struggle but unable to speak. They then beat him until he was lying on the ground unable to get up before leaving him behind and returning.
Liang Shide then coldly said, "Anyone who dares to spout nonsense again will be killed without mercy!"
Wei Yu immediately pointed at everyone: "Did you all hear that?!"
Among them, everyone had already kept their mouths shut after Liu Fuyan was imprisoned and other officials who spoke out to stop him were also imprisoned. Now, none of the people standing in this honor guard would dare to "talk nonsense," and they all nodded in agreement.
Only Guan Ao looked at Liu Fuyan, who was beaten to the point of near death by several guards and lay on the ground almost unable to move, and shook his head and sighed heavily.
At this moment, seeing that the time had come, Wei Yu shouted again: "Open—the—city—gates!"
As his shrill voice rang out, a hoarse hiss echoed through the long street.
Everyone immediately looked up, and a gust of wind blew in their faces, carrying with it the cool moisture and sand from outside the city, causing everyone to squint slightly. At the same time, sunlight shone through the open gate, casting a ray of light onto the long street. Then, as the city gate opened, the light spread out like a fan, eventually illuminating everyone on the long street.
The East Gate is now fully open!
At a command, the golden carriage in front slowly began to drive out of the city gate, followed closely by Liang Shide's guards, and behind the guards were the group of civil and military officials.
Before long, the long queue passed through the tall Shangdong Gate.
There are three city gates in the east of Luoyang. The Luo River flows through the city from the east, and the Upper East Gate is the northernmost and the only east gate located on the north bank of the Luo River. As soon as they stepped out of the city, everyone was immediately greeted by a golden glow. The sunlight was shining down on the earth with almost no restraint. In recent days, almost no one had been able to leave the city, and it had been a long time since they had seen the world outside the city walls.
Now that they've suddenly come out, everyone feels a strange sense of relief.
But it's not just about being carefree.
They hadn't forgotten that Luoyang was still under siege. Although they couldn't see any troops around them at the moment, and the soldiers on the city walls hadn't issued any warnings, Yuwen Cheng couldn't possibly be unaware of such a large-scale movement. Once his scouts discovered so many people leaving the city, they would likely immediately lead their troops to attack.
By then, it's still unknown what the situation will be like.
Just thinking about it made everyone a little nervous, but Liang Shide, sitting in the golden carriage, became even more smug. Especially when the sunlight shone on the golden carriage, making him feel as if he were sitting on a mountain of gold, he didn't consider himself a greedy or power-hungry person. But after being in such a high position for the past few years, he seemed to be unable to step down and give up the feeling of being in a high position and commanding the world.
And ahead, that high, raised earthen platform is his final step toward the pinnacle of power!
Liang Shide was so excited that he kept panting, and he couldn't help but tighten his grip on the armrests of the chair.
Just as his entourage was slowly passing through the city gate and heading out of the city, suddenly, a dark figure fell from the city wall. Before Liang Shide could see clearly, he heard a "smack" and blood splattered in front of him.
He stared wide-eyed at the person who had landed in front of the golden carriage.
It was Liu Fuyan! He had somehow gotten onto the city wall and jumped off!
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