The autumn days were getting cooler, and even the wind carried the cool scent of chrysanthemums. The lotus flowers in Taiqing Pond had already withered, and the leaves of the sycamore trees had fallen all over the lake bank. The main hall was as quiet as a lake of transparent and waveless autumn water. Sun Di's voice was like the lingering fragrance in a large gilded copper cauldron, floating quietly in the hall, making it seem even more empty and lonely.
"Princess Yunkang, Lady Huayang, Princess Runan, Princess Duanqing, and Princess Jing'an have all submitted petitions, expressing their willingness to enter the palace to raise the emperor; Prince Runan, Prince Duanqing, Prince Jing'an, General Situ, Prince Consort An, and Prince Yun have also submitted petitions to support them. The court and the public are currently divided into two factions. Most military generals praise Prince Jing'an, while the civil officials advocate that the three princesses raise the emperor together, and the three princes supervise the country and assist in government affairs together."
A gentle breeze blew by, and the flowers and trees outside the window shook, breaking the moonlight. Chu Qiao sat on a soft mat, wearing a white cotton inner brocade robe. She placed one hand on the window frame, supporting her chin as she quietly gazed out the window at the moonlit night under the parasol trees. Her wide sleeves drooped slightly, revealing a piece of her snow-white forearm. Her face was thin and her eyes were calm, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
"General Xie Xu of the Ministry of War has arrived at Xizhao Mountain with 70,000 southern troops and will arrive in the capital soon. Xie Xu used to be a servant of King Jing'an. Now he is coming with troops, so we must be on guard. I have ordered General Xu Su to set up defenses at the Handan River. If Xie Xu comes under the banner of meeting the new emperor, he can only cross the river alone and is not allowed to bring any soldiers with him."
"Xie Xu?" Chu Qiao leaned against the window, without turning her head, and said in a deep voice, "When King Luo rebelled, he was not so loyal to the emperor and patriotic, but now he has become domineering."
Sun Di kept his voice unchanged and said in a deep voice: "If the name is not right, the words will not flow. No wonder the civil and military officials in the court have different intentions."
Chu Qiao slightly side-glanced and looked at Sun Di steadily, as if she knew what he wanted to say, but she didn't say it in the end, nor did she give him a concrete answer. She just turned her head quietly, looking at the sparkling blue waves outside the window, without saying a word for a long time.
"In addition, Elder Liu's son, Liu Yuanzong, once contacted me privately and said that he was willing to contact some of Liu's former subordinates to help you at the right time. However, he still needs a time and a reason."
At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly sounded outside the hall. They both turned their heads and saw the emperor wearing a small golden dragon robe, barefoot without even boots, running into the hall with tears on his face, throwing himself into Chu Qiao's arms and bursting into tears. Two maids followed behind, and when they saw Chu Qiao and Sun Di, they immediately knelt on the ground.
The child was small and soft, holding Chu Qiao's waist tightly with both hands, crying and shouting: "Aunt! Mother is here to find me, Mother is here to find me!"
Chu Qiao pulled the little emperor up with pity, took out a handkerchief to wipe away his tears, and whispered: "Is the emperor dreaming again?"
The child pouted and cried, "Mother's head is covered with blood, and it's all on me."
Chu Qiao comforted him, "Don't be afraid, Your Majesty. It was just a dream, don't take it seriously. The Queen Mother loved you so much when she was alive, how could she scare you?"
"Aunt..." Li Xiuyi hugged Chu Qiao tightly and refused to let go.
Sun Di looked at the emperor and said with regret: "Your Majesty is still so young. If he falls into the hands of someone with ulterior motives, I don't know how much suffering he will have to endure."
Chu Qiao suddenly felt annoyed. Without even looking at Sun Di, she said in a cold and deep voice, "It's late at night. Your Excellency should not stay in the palace any longer. Meixiang, show the guest away."
Sun Di was not angry. He bowed politely to Chu Qiao and turned away leisurely.
Meixiang stared at Sun Di's back, her eyes full of resentment. After he left, she said angrily, "Miss, don't listen to this man's nonsense. At worst, when the fourth young master comes, we can take the young emperor away."
Before Chu Qiao could speak, Li Xiuyi in her arms raised her head and asked, "Where are you going, aunt?"
Chu Qiao lowered her head and looked into the child's dark eyes. She seemed to vaguely see the shadow of another person through these eyes. At that time, catkins were flying all over the sky and the wind was as cold as a knife. He ignored the opposition and doubts of the whole country and led his army to Longyin Pass to rescue her from the chaos. His armor was so cold, and it felt like a mountain blocking the wind when it touched her cheek, or as tall as a building that would never fall down.
She closed her arms little by little and held the child tightly in her arms.
The white candles are burning brightly, and the night in the deep palace is always so long.
The corner door beside Tai'an Gate slowly opened, and Sun Di, dressed in a light robe and loose belt, walked out slowly.
Tieyou was squatting in a dark corner, and when he saw him come out, he walked towards him calmly. Sun Di looked at him with a faint smile and said nonchalantly, "Commander Tie, do you want to have a drink with me?"
"Did you kill Empress Dowager Yuan?" Tie You suddenly said in a low voice, his eyes as calm as water.
Sun Di's face was calm, with a faint smile on his lips. He said loudly, "What do you mean, Commander Tie? Empress Dowager Yuan died by hitting the wall. Everyone in the palace saw it. You saw it with your own eyes. What does it have to do with me?"
Tieyou frowned and said in a unchanged tone: "Qingyuan said that the night before the abdication, you sent a secret letter from prison, specifically to Empress Dowager Yuan. After reading your letter, Empress Dowager Yuan went to the emperor's bedroom and did not leave until the night of the abdication. The maid who served the Empress Dowager said that Empress Dowager Yuan cried all night and did not even eat. What did you say to her?"
"What can I say? I can only ask the Queen Mother to be careful and guard against the Zhan brothers and sisters."
Tie You suddenly took two steps forward, staring at Sun Di, and said in a deep voice: "Then why did you secretly execute the eunuchs who delivered the letter for you, and search the Yixin Palace in the name of Qing Palace last night?"
Sun Di's expression also turned cold. He turned around sternly and said coldly: "I don't know what you are talking about." After that, he raised his foot and wanted to leave.
"Sun Di!" Tie You suddenly shouted, scaring the guards in the distance to look over here. His chest rose and fell, and he lowered his voice and said slowly, "If you don't want others to know, then you'd better not do it yourself. There are thousands of eyes on you in the palace. Do you think you can do it perfectly?"
The moonlight was cold, casting a silvery-white glow on Sun Di's back. He was dressed in a simple, elegant green robe, but there was an indescribable brilliance emanating from this young nobleman.
He slowly turned around, staring at Tieyou with his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Tieyou, you don't forget where you came from, do you?"
Tieyou was stunned, a trace of displeasure suddenly flashed across his face, and he said coldly: "Tieyou is a lowly person, so naturally he cannot be compared with Lord Sun."
"That's not what I'm asking you." Sun Di said calmly. Under the cold moonlight, his face looked handsome and evil. The man stood straight with his sleeves fluttering. He said in a deep voice, "I mean, you won't forget the kindness His Majesty has shown you and me, right?"
Tie You was stunned for a moment, but then he said coldly: "Killing the young emperor's only mother and inciting people in the court and the public to change their minds, is this your way of repaying the emperor's kindness?"
"What else can we do? Let His Majesty ascend the throne and let Empress Dowager Yuan assist in governing the country? Humph, if that's the case, within three years, the Tang Dynasty will be named Zhou after Prince Jing'an Zhou Yun."
Sun Di had a sneer on his lips, his young eyes were as cunning as a fox. When the night wind blew, his clothes fluttered, and he didn't look like a human being.
"Indeed, before His Majesty died, he had anticipated this situation and knew that the Zhan brothers and sisters were planning a rebellion, and he had made all the instructions and arrangements. But I didn't want to do that. I wanted to let the Tang Dynasty fall into chaos and let the traitor Zhan Ziyu die at the hands of General Xiu Li so that she could establish this achievement. Even if Queen Mother Yuan didn't commit suicide that day, I would have killed her afterwards. But she was smart enough to know that she didn't have the ability to do so, so she made a choice early on, saving me a lot of trouble. I was the one who muddied the waters in the court and the country. Only by forcing the situation to this point would Lord Chu be used by me instead of leaving the Tang Dynasty with Zhuge Yue."
Tieyou was stunned. The iron-red city wall looked heavy and oppressive. The night birds flew over the tall Jinwu Palace, making shrill cries. Tieyou frowned and opened his mouth slightly. After a long while, he said in disbelief: "You are crazy!"
"No, I'm not crazy."
Sun Di raised his head, his clothes fluttering in the wind, his upright figure like a gun, pointing at the distant northern night sky, his eyes sharp and said: "Did you hear it? The war drums in the north have already sounded, millions of corpses are buried under Yanming Pass, and Daxia is about to fall apart; Yanbei Yan Xun is ambitious, his literary and military strategies are unrivaled in the world, and his ruthlessness is unmatched. The reason why Daxia can still compete with him now is simply because Zhuge Yue's Qinghai army is threatening from the flank. Once Zhuge Yue leaves, Daxia will be alone. How can Zhao Che fight against Yanbei alone? Moreover, Daxia is full of internal strife and internal turmoil, and each clan is ruling its own politics. Zhao Yang is not someone who is willing to be inferior to others. Once Daxia is conquered, the northern barrier of Bian Tang will be gone. At that time, Yanbei will threaten us from the south by water in the west, the Yanbei army will attack us head-on in the north, and Nalan Hongye, who has a close relationship with Yan Xun, will attack us from the east. There are also people with ulterior motives such as King Jing'an who are secretly coveting us. At that time, will Datang still have a chance to survive?"
Tie You was stunned for a moment, and Sun Di continued to say, "In the battle with Prince Luo, the Tang Dynasty suffered heavy casualties. After His Majesty's death, the forces in the country who wanted to replace the Li family were still determined. Now if we can maintain this four-way split, we still have a chance to fight. Once the situation is broken, Daxia will be destroyed by Yanbei, and that will be the time for our Tang Dynasty to fall. His Majesty has been very kind to you and me, and now that he is gone, can you and I sit back and watch the thousand-year foundation of the Tang Dynasty be destroyed in an instant?"
"Then...then you shouldn't have killed Queen Mother Yuan. After all, she is your Majesty's concubine and the mother of the young Majesty!" Tieyou said loudly with a flushed face.
"She's just a useless woman." Sun Di snorted disdainfully and said in a deep voice, "For now, the only way is to find ways to preserve Daxia so that we can have a chance to breathe. If we can't annex Huai Song before Yanbei destroys Daxia, we will definitely fall into heavy encirclement in the future."
After saying that, a hint of fanaticism suddenly appeared in his eyes. He turned around, stared at Tie You, and said in a deep voice: "As long as Lord Chu stays in our Tang Dynasty, Zhuge Yue will never leave Daxia and return to Qinghai. As long as he doesn't leave, Yan Xun can't ignore Cuiwei Pass and send all his troops to attack Yanming Pass. As long as Daxia is not destroyed, we will have time and opportunity to recuperate. Moreover, with the relationship between Lord Chu and Yan Xun and Zhuge Yue, we will definitely gain political support from both sides. If there is any change in domestic forces, we have to consider the attitudes of the other two countries. Your Majesty's throne will be safe and secure. Even if Prince Jing'an and others want to intervene, they will have some concerns. What's more, the Xiuli Army is extremely powerful and loyal, no less than your Majesty's Wolf Army, and it should be the best guarantee for the king's division. Lord Chu himself is extremely talented in military and political affairs, and is highly respected by the remaining forces of the Datong Guild. He is capable of great responsibilities, and has feelings and loyalty for your Majesty. He himself has no relatives and family, and as a woman, he has no ambitions. Can you find another person like this in the world who can assist in the administration?"
Tieyou was left speechless by what he said and could only stare blankly at his colleague, as if he didn't know him.