Chapter 29
◎End◎
Yunzhou City, Prince Gong's headquarters.
The atmosphere in the study was gloomy and the book boy didn't even dare to breathe, for fear of being kicked out and punished again.
Prince Gong Li Rongyu threw the secret letter in his hand to the ground, and his usually elegant and handsome face was slightly distorted by anger.
"Waste! A bunch of waste!" He cursed under his breath. "Those old bastards in the capital, all they can do is hold on to a few carts of grain! And my father is the same, so sick he can't even tell who's loyal and who's treacherous!"
Eunuch Tong quickly stepped forward, patted his back, and flattered him, "Your Highness, please calm down. Once the great cause in the north is accomplished, those scoundrels will naturally shut up."
"Hmph, the north..." Li Rongyu's eyes flashed with disdain. "That stubborn old man Shen Zhenyuan, dares to go against me? Even his precious daughter ran off with the people of Shunyang. He got himself into such a mess, and he still has the energy to challenge me? What a fool!"
Just then, a message came from outside the door: the military advisor of the Sand Fox Tribe had urgent military information to report to him. Upon hearing this, Lee Yong-yu's face brightened again. "Please, please, come in!"
The leader of the Sand Foxes is his benefactor, and Li Rongyu is not so ignorant of the seriousness of the matter that he cannot afford to offend this man.
A moment later, a disheveled figure was brought in. It was Hu Shan.
"Your Highness!" Hu Shan knelt down excitedly when he saw Lee Yong-yu and presented him a letter sealed with wax.
Despite his Northern Di face, he spoke in standard Chinese: "Great...great victory! Great victory in Silver Moon Valley! We captured that witch alive! Your Highness!"
Li Rongyu's heart was excited. He quickly looked at the envelope and stroked the wax seal. His fingers were shaking with excitement and he couldn't open it for a long time.
The letter was written in the arrogant handwriting of Sha Hu, claiming that they had launched a general attack last night and won a great victory. Not only did they capture Li Hengqing alive, but they also flattened the Silver Moon Valley in one fell swoop!
Ecstasy instantly rushed through Lee Yong-yu's internal organs, and he laughed uncontrollably.
He won! He won this gamble after all! Now those old men in the court should shut up. With such great achievements and the expansion of territory, the position of crown prince should be his!
He laughed for a long time before continuing to read the second half of the letter. His face quickly darkened again, changing from red to black, more spectacular than a street artist's face-changing performance.
In the letter, Sha Hu, with the attitude of a victor, greedily demanded that he immediately fulfill his promise and cede all military and political power in the three states of northern Xinjiang.
"Barbarians are barbarians. They become arrogant when they succeed!" Li Rongyu snorted coldly, squeezed the letter into a ball with his fingers, and threw it into the brazier in the house.
He stood up and paced around the room. "How can I cede military power to the Northern Di people? It's absurd. Sha Hu is so old and confused that he dares to believe such words."
"Come here." He raised his chin slightly, "Pass on my order. Immediately count the elite guards and follow me... to the Governor's Mansion to celebrate the great victory with Lord Shen."
He turned to Hu Shan behind him and said, "You, come with me. Once I have taken control of the army, you will lead the way to count the spoils of war on the grassland."
"Yes...yes, Your Highness." Hu Shan lowered his head humbly, and there seemed to be a hint of excitement in his voice.
Li Rongyu nodded with satisfaction and walked out of the tent with high spirits. "Don't let your hands shake. Have you never seen such a big scene? Take care of yourself and don't let me down."
Just as he passed Hu Shan and was about to step out of the tent door—
Hu Shan, who had been following him, attacked him without any warning!
A flash of cold light, passing at a treacherous angle, pierced the back of the venerable Prince Gong. Lee Yong-woo's body stiffened. He lowered his head in disbelief, watching the sharp, bloody tip of the dagger protrude from his chest. In an instant, blood gushed out like a fountain, soaking his noble, embroidered golden dragon robe.
He wanted to call for help, but the man seemed unsatisfied and cut his throat with his knife.
Slowly, slowly, he fell forward.
In his final moments, through his blurred vision, he saw "Hu Shan" raise his hand and wipe the blood splattered on his face with his sleeve. Because of this action, the edge of the human skin mask slightly tilted up.
That's not Hu Shan!
So who is he...
The Sixth Prince never figured out the answer to this question until his death.
*
The bonfire of victory was lit again in Silver Moon Valley, illuminating the sky all night long.
"A great victory in Silver Moon Valley." Helian Xiao raised the golden cup and looked at Li Hengqing beside him with a smile, "The credit should go to you. Cheers to my Khatun."
Li Hengqing accepted the offer without hesitation. He drank the wine in his glass in one gulp. His senses were invigorated by the alcohol. He leaned his shoulder against Helian Xiao's chest, raised the corner of his lips and asked, "How does the Khan intend to thank me?"
Firelight danced in her eyes, and Helian Xiao felt his mouth dry for a moment: "I..."
Before he could come up with a result, a personal guard came to report: "Khatun, Khan, Shahu has woken up."
Li Hengqing retracted his gaze and said decisively: "Let's go and take a look."
Sha Hu's hands were bound, so he knelt on the ground, looking up at Li Hengqing. His ordinary, middle-aged face was covered in dust and a twisted hatred. Beside him was Hu Shan, also captured alive, now unconscious and unable to regain consciousness.
"Leader Sand Fox." Li Hengqing stopped in his tracks. "Now we can talk about the 'system'."
"Come here, and I'll tell you." Sand Fox's vicious expression was even more ferocious in the firelight. He struggled to crawl forward on his knees, only to be dragged back by his guards, leaving him with a mouthful of mud. He straightened up again and repeated, "Come here. Unless you come, I won't tell you, even if it means we're separated."
The system in Li Hengqing's mind suddenly said: [Host, kill him.]
Kill him, and this system will absorb his remaining energy. This person is harmful to the long-term development of the grassland. Killing him is a just act.
So this is what they did to Li Yunyan. Li Hengqing laughed and nodded to his guards: "Then pry open his mouth, and be careful not to let anyone die."
…
An 800-li express military report from the Northern Frontier Governor arrived at the emperor's desk. He had been ill for several days, and the checks and balances he had prided himself on in his prime were now backfiring. The princes and courtiers were in chaos, and the Sixth Prince, sent to the Northern Frontier, disobeyed orders and, using the plague as an excuse, launched an attack on the Northern Di people, with whom he had recently married.
He was not feeling well, and memorials had been piling up for a long time. He rubbed his dim eyes and said, "My dear companion, read this to me."
"...I, the guilty minister, the Northern Governor-General and Northern Frontier General Shen Zhenyuan, weep and kowtow, submitting my death sentence to Your Majesty..."
When the emperor heard this, he snorted impatiently: "Get to the point."
"Yes." The eunuch quickly skipped the opening apology and went straight to the core part.
"...His Royal Highness Prince Gong... unfortunately passed away at the hands of the bandits! Heaven is blind, and pillars are broken! I failed to protect you, and my crime is unforgivable! Only by wielding my three-foot sword, leading the soldiers of the Northern Frontier, and fighting those Sand Fox bandits to the bitter end, can I repay your Highness's kindness!"
When the emperor heard the words "died at the hands of a thief," his blood surged, and his already sallow face suddenly regained a touch of life. He grabbed the edge of the bed and pushed himself up. "Who did it?! Who killed my little six?"
The eunuch swallowed his saliva and continued, "...However, fortunately, our dynasty has not yet lost its loyal and righteous people. Her Royal Highness Princess Shunyang, though on the grasslands, her heart is with her homeland. Upon hearing the tragic news of her brother's assassination, she was heartbroken. Her Royal Highness, both wise and brave, and deeply understanding of justice, personally led her Canglang tribe... and personally beheaded the Sand Fox leader Sulezhi in battle, avenging the death of His Royal Highness Prince Gong!"
"What?" The emperor widened his eyes in disbelief.
That docile and harmless daughter had actually... killed the leader of the Sand Foxes in battle? He snatched the memorial away, his bony fingers trembling slightly from the excessive force, his gaze passing over the tedious descriptions and clichés to the last paragraph.
"...Now, the Sand Fox has been destroyed, but the northern border is shaken and the people are in panic. Prince Gong has passed away, and the northern border is leaderless. I, a mere military man, cannot handle this heavy responsibility...
...I, along with all the soldiers, civil and military officials of the Northern Frontier, and even tens of thousands of border residents, we implore Your Majesty with tears in our eyes: We implore Your Majesty to make a wise decision and allow Princess Shunyang, on the basis of her relationship with the royal family and her merits in revenge, to temporarily take over the position of Prince Gong and take charge of the military and political affairs of the Northern Frontier, in order to reassure the people and consolidate the foundation of the country!
"Only Her Royal Highness can overcome this crisis. This isn't just for Her Royal Highness, but for the safety of Dasheng's northern border for a hundred years!"
"How outrageous!" The emperor slammed the memorial to the ground, his chest heaving violently, almost choking. "Shen Zhenyuan... What does he want to do? He's forcing the emperor to abdicate!"
The chief eunuch knelt down immediately and said, "Your Majesty, please take care of yourself!"
puff--
A mouthful of blood suddenly spurted out, splattering on the bright yellow dragon quilt.
The Northern Frontier is no longer his Northern Frontier.
*
Spring, the third year of Jinghe.
Yunzhou City used to be an important border town, and now it is prosperous beyond compare. The spacious Sanhe Tu Road outside the city gate is loaded with silk and porcelain from the south heading north, and transports snowflake steel, fat cattle and sheep from the north to the Central Plains. It can be said to be an important hub with convenient transportation.
Besides, this place is no longer a frontier. The territory of the Great Sheng Dynasty now stretches all the way to the vast, snow-covered icy plains in the north. Years ago, when the current Emperor Qiyuan was still a princess, she personally led her tribe to wipe out the remnants of the Sand Fox Tribe, restoring peace to the vast grasslands.
The Northern Goods Company has changed its appearance and penetrated into various industries. It can now be regarded as a royal merchant and is no longer restricted to the origin of the goods.
The case of treason committed by Concubine Li in the previous emperor's harem was rehabilitated, and the new emperor posthumously conferred a title on her, which was quite intriguing - the General Zhenbei Dingyuan.
The imperial edict shook the world. The legendary female general, heralded for twenty years, finally emerged from the dust and resurfaced. Ren Wenliu, whose career had been denied due to the aftermath of the case, was finally able to enter the military through the women's imperial examinations, and her career has since soared.
The most praised by later generations is the "Empress" of Emperor Qiyuan. Although she was called Empress, she was not given the title of Empress in the end, but was treated as a prince. She was the sharpest knife in the hands of the empress, the most ferocious wolfhound.
The miracles of Silver Moon Valley are still happening again, and the crumbling Nansheng has actually been revived, which is known in history as the Jinghe Reign.
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