Kill one to warn a hundred
A Qiu could guess that the edict must have announced that Hulü Guang would succeed to the throne and become the new emperor of Wei. As for Hulü Jin, whether it stated his illness or his death, it didn't matter.
From last night to this morning, the Zichen Palace has quietly completed a power transfer and purge.
It was the Han officials who showed little change in expression.
With the Han dynasty destroyed, whether the emperor on the throne was Hulü Jin or Hulü Guang was no longer that important to them.
The entire hall erupted in uproar, everyone's expression changing. The only ones who remained unmoved were Wan Qiqing and Huli Guang.
After his initial surprise, Wan Qiqing's expression quickly returned to normal, and he began to read the imperial edict in Chinese as if nothing had happened.
As A Qiu had predicted, the conversation began with prayers for peace and harmony throughout the land. Then, the tone shifted, and the speaker began to praise Prince Ning, Huli Guang, for his wisdom, talent, ability to unite the people, and meritorious service to the country in his campaigns, calling him an unparalleled and brilliant ruler.
It is likely that Wanqiqing read this passage when he received the last edict in the Northern Qiang script, and was immediately alarmed by the change in events.
Since it had already been read once in the Northern Qiang language, the audience was not as shaken when this passage was read in Chinese. Instead, they continued to whisper among themselves.
The next paragraph of the edict finally explained Huli Jin's current condition, stating that he had been working hard for the country for days and had finally fallen ill. He also appointed his younger brother Huli Guang as the new emperor to succeed to the throne and establish order in the country.
When Wan Qiqing read this passage, the discussion in the hall suddenly became louder and seemed unstoppable.
The reason is quite simple. Most of the people standing in the hall were former subjects and confidants of Huli Jin, and they must have had intricate connections with Huli Jin himself. Now that his former master Huli Jin has suddenly fallen ill without any prior notice, and even intends to pass the throne to Huli Guang before the coronation ceremony, anyone can see that this is not just unusual, but a huge conspiracy.
But until now, no one has dared to openly question him; it was Wan Qiqing's imposing presence that kept the scene in check.
He used his superior internal energy to read the edict word by word. There seemed to be a long gap between each word, enough for people to recall and ponder the contents of the edict, but his breath was not stagnant at all. He read it out in one breath with a powerful pressure, so that no one could find a chance to interrupt him.
Otherwise, the scene would probably be in chaos by now, with questions already rising one after another.
A-Qiu knew his master's temperament well. From this perspective, he had already accepted the fact that Hulü Guang had ascended to the throne.
Otherwise, his reaction would have been to refuse the imperial edict and publicly protest against it.
But if that happened, the coronation ceremony that the whole world had been looking forward to would become a pipe dream and a joke. The Northern Qiang would immediately have to face the problems of investigating the life and death of Hulü Jin and determining the crimes of Hulü Guang. Neither of these two tasks would be easy and would take time. Then, the five tribes would split and fight over the position of heir.
Judging from the current situation, Hulü Guang's act of murdering his brother and seizing the throne was not discussed with Wanqi Qing beforehand. However, the reason why Wanqi Qing was willing to swallow this insult was for the sake of the overall situation.
The opportunity to unify the world was fleeting, yet it was now just around the corner. If this chance was missed, the north would once again be embroiled in a protracted war. None of the five nomadic tribes were willing to submit to the others, and besides, Huli Jin had five brothers and thirteen sons.
In terms of manipulating the power of the realm, Wanqiqing didn't care who sat on the throne, whether it was Hulü Jin or Hulü Guang. He didn't even care whether that person was a barbarian or a Han Chinese. All he wanted was to end the two-hundred-year-old division and antagonism between North and South and to re-establish a unified empire.
Once this order is established and stabilized, the unification of North and South will become a consensus across the world. Ah Qiu has no doubt that he will choose someone he finds agreeable to sit in that position.
Therefore, Wanqiqing currently has no objection to this edict and is willing to help Hulü Guang realize his dream.
After the last word was read, Wanqiqing finally closed the edict in his hand, looked deeply at Hulü Guang, and said clearly, "Please, Your Highness Prince Ning, ascend the throne and take your place."
They didn't give anyone time or space to refute them.
Beneath the imperial crown, Hulü Guang ascended the steps with a smile, first bowing deeply to Wanqi Qing as a gesture of gratitude for his graciousness.
Then, he straightened his clothes and prepared to sit on the dragon throne.
But between the reading of the edict twice and his ascent of the jade steps in front of the palace, so much time had passed that some people in the palace must have already figured out the cause and effect, the benefits and harms.
With a loud thud, a king in his thirties, dressed in magnificent robes, suddenly stood up, slammed his staff heavily on the ground, and shouted, "Elder brother, you have never shown any signs of illness before. Why do you suddenly claim to be seriously ill? We need not say anything else. Please show yourself. As long as you admit it yourself, whether you abdicate or resign, I, Huli Nuliang, will have no objection!"
He spoke these words in Mandarin, demonstrating his excellent cultural refinement. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to utter such a statement, which was both offensive and defensive, in the face of a sudden change in the situation.
Although Aqiu was in the Southern Dynasty, he had at least heard of Huli Nulang. He was one of Huli Jin's five brothers, and second only to Huli Guang in strength among them, and was extremely skilled in battle. It could be said that he contributed to the conquest of most of the land by the Northern Qiang.
His speech at this moment was not because he and Huli Jin were particularly close brothers, but because he saw that the throne, which he had worked so hard to build, had inexplicably fallen into Huli Guang's hands. Once this was a settled matter, it would be difficult to reverse. Therefore, he finally could not hold back and made a public attack.
Wanqiqing, as the National Preceptor of the Northern Qiang and the one who helped Hulü Guang ascend the throne, remained silent and stood respectfully to one side, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.
A Qiu was stunned at first, then immediately understood that Wan Qiqing's attitude was very clear: he could grant Hulü Guang's request and not undermine him. But whether he could hold onto this position would depend on his own abilities.
If Hulü Guang cannot quell the public's anger at this moment, then he will not intervene.
A-Qiu also thought of something: if Hulü Guang had his throat slit in public, his master probably wouldn't object, right?
In the main hall, before everyone, Huli Guang was questioned in this way, but he was neither flustered nor angry. He only paused for a moment, and then calmly sat down as before. He then smiled and said, "The imperial edict has already made the situation of my elder brother very clear. It would be unreasonable for my second brother to press him further. However, the reason why my second brother dares to question me in court is, of course, because you have the confidence."
He clapped his hands and said, "Someone come here."
His voice wasn't loud, but with just that one shout, the soldiers outside the hall immediately responded with thunderous shouts.
Upon hearing this, everyone present paled. This meant that, without anyone noticing, the area outside the hall had been heavily surrounded by Hulü Guang's men.
Two groups of axemen rushed in from outside the hall, leading to a line of more than ten people, all with disheveled hair and torn clothes, though it was still clear they had originally worn official robes.
When Huli Nuliang saw these people, his face instantly turned extremely ugly, and all his previous confidence vanished.
Ah Qiu could see that, although he was using a cane for support, his body was trembling slightly.
Xiao Chang'an's explanation rang in her ears at just the right moment, saying, "These are all generals under Hulü Nuliang's command. The fact that these people are here means that Hulü Nuliang's army has been purged and taken over by Hulü Guang's men. The Northern Qiang people only value force. Even if Hulü Guang captured Hulü Nuliang's wives, concubines, and children here, he probably wouldn't even flinch, because he can remarry if he loses his wives and concubines, and have more children if he loses them. But the loss of his army means that Hulü Nuliang is now like a man with nothing but his bare hands, and any soldier in front of the palace could take his life."
Aqiu suddenly understood and said, "Then, Huli Nuliang is doomed to die today."
Xiao Chang'an seemed to be taken aback for a moment, and then said, "You figured it out."
Aqiu said, "Hulü Guang dared to usurp the throne not on a whim, but because he must have made arrangements in all aspects. But given his personality and the current situation, it is a situation where he is going to kill one to warn a hundred. According to what you said, even if Hulü Nuliang is killed, there will be no future trouble. So if he falls into Hulü Guang's hands, the result will inevitably be that he will be killed rather than released."
At the same time, she thought to herself that Hulü Guang must have been keeping a close eye on her biggest rival for the throne. If Hulü Nuliang had not stood up to oppose her earlier, but had instead chosen to endure it, Hulü Guang would have still sought an opportunity to eliminate him. However, if Hulü Nuliang understood the principle of taking things slowly and prioritizing survival, he might still be able to make a comeback later.
However, his attack at this moment gave Hulü Guang the perfect opportunity to make an example of him and deter others.
But Huli Guang smiled, clapped his hands, and calmly said, "Prince Ping, Huli Nuliang, defied the imperial decree in front of the palace and secretly conspired to rebel. He shall be arrested immediately and executed in court."
The situation took an unexpected turn. Huli Nuliang had not anticipated that today's ceremony would be a trap deliberately set for him. He was also a powerful figure, and seeing the situation was not going well, he retreated while shouting, "Fourth brother, fifth brother! What are you waiting for? If he kills me, you'll be in for a world of hurt!"
But then a clanging sound was heard, and a guard appeared from behind him, raising his knife like the wind, and slashing straight at his neck. It was none other than Night Owl, Hulü Guang's personal bodyguard.
But Huli Nuliang, a warrior who had conquered all sides on horseback, was also a powerful figure. Seeing that the situation was not going well, he raised his cane, a symbol of royal dignity, and actually managed to block the owl's blade.
Ye Xiao, as the leader of the Eighteen Riders of Yanyun by Huli Guang's side and the only surviving guard from the Southern Dynasty, was one of the few warriors of the Northern Qiang. He did not expect that Huli Nuliang would have the strength to resist, and a look of surprise appeared on his face. He increased the force of his hand, and Huli Nuliang was forced to kneel down.
Most of the people in the hall were already terrified, for they were obeying Hulü Guang's order to execute his own brother, Hulü Nuliang, on the spot. No one had expected that today's coronation ceremony, which had just finished praising the virtues of both civil and military officials before the altar, would turn into a bloody scene of fratricide.
Listen to what Hulü Nulang said. He was just now trying to incite the other princes to create chaos in the court today so that Hulü Guang would not be able to ascend the throne smoothly.
Hulü Guang, however, smiled calmly and said, "If Prince Ping is willing to accept his execution, I can guarantee that your family and subordinates will not be implicated. The generals who are currently prisoners can also be reinstated. Once the ringleader is executed, the others will not be pursued."
Ah Qiu listened, realizing this was clearly a strategy of sowing discord and winning over supporters. By pardoning the other faction members but sparing no one, including Hulü Nulang, they aimed to extinguish any ambitions of those who opposed them. After all, for most officials, following any emperor was the same; it wasn't worth risking their lives.
After Huli Guang uttered these words, Night Owl ignored whether Huli Nuliang was "slaughtering" or resisting. With a "crack," a bright blade flashed, and Huli Nuliang's head rolled onto the carpet, spraying out a large spurt of blood.
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