Chapter 116, Chapter Nine: Star Destruction and Light Separation
Just past midnight, Liu Jun was awakened by Lu Jing. "What is it?"
Lu Jing said in a low voice, "Eunuch Bi Gong has come in person. He said that His Majesty has been waiting for the Lord for a long time and is wondering if the Lord was unable to meet him immediately due to injury, as was the case in the tenth and twelfth years. He wants to confirm that the Lord is safe. If he is injured, there is no need to hide it. Go to the palace and ask the imperial physician to treat him."
Liu Jun frowned, struggled to his feet, and ordered Bi Gong to enter. "How is His Majesty himself? How is his health?"
"I caught a cold earlier and I'm still not fully recovered," Bi Gong replied, bowing his head.
Liu Jun was still somewhat dazed in his dream. He subconsciously put on his clothes one by one, but the cold night wind eventually woke him up, clearing his mind and jolting him out of his daze.
Liu Jun slowly sat back on the couch, raised his eyes to look at Bi Gong, and said, "Take him down!"
Without saying a word, the surrounding guards immediately threw Bi Gong to the ground and held him down by the shoulders.
"General, what are you doing?" Bi Gong exclaimed in terror. "I am an envoy of the Emperor, how can I be humiliated like this? Do you harbor any disloyal intentions?"
Liu Jun glanced at him coldly and explained to Lu Jing beside him, "Firstly, the Emperor, being considerate of his subjects' hardships in battle, suspects I am injured and would not summon me in the dead of night. Secondly, Eunuch Bi usually serves His Majesty with writing and writing, and it is usually Eunuch Bi Jing or other minor eunuchs who come to deliver messages. Why would such a powerful eunuch need to personally run errands for such a matter? It can only mean that His Majesty does not even trust Bi Jing at this time, and this matter is extremely confidential and extremely important. Thirdly, although His Majesty is a good-natured person, I am about to become the sole ruler of the state, and there is no reason for him to care about my health at this time."
Liu Jun smiled in a half-smile, but Lu Jing felt a chill run down his spine—his lord often mentioned the Duke of Gaogui Township, could it be that the one in the palace couldn't stand it anymore and was planning to kick him away after using him?
Bi Gong, however, was already ashen-faced, and gritted his teeth, saying, "His Majesty has shown the General such sincerity, is he really going to treat it like this?"
Liu Jun glanced at him, his resolve only growing stronger.
Lu Jing frowned. "My lord, you absolutely must not go!"
"Wrong!" Liu Jun sneered. "With the emperor and father ill, how can a subject remain uninvolved?"
"The Duke of Zhongshan, General Liu Jun, requests an audience!" Bi Gong announced loudly.
Not many people were left in the hall to serve him. Sima Ye, with disheveled hair and a pale face, lay on his side on the couch. Upon hearing that Liu Jun had arrived, he struggled to get up.
Liu Jun strode forward, first looking him over from head to toe to make sure he was alright, then bowed and said, "I was unaware that Your Majesty was unwell; I am late."
These few simple words brought tears to Sima Ye's eyes, which surprised Liu Jun. "Your Majesty has rarely shed tears in recent years. Why is that?"
Sima Ye beckoned him to his side, took his hand, and said gently, "Now that the world is at peace, let's not go on any more campaigns, okay?"
Liu Jun shook his head and laughed, "There are still Bashu that have not been subdued, and Jiangdong does not obey the king's orders. If Your Majesty's country cannot be unified in a day, then the day will not come when your subjects can be released to roam the southern mountains."
Sima Ye's hands were extremely cold, even slightly sweaty. Liu Jun tenderly took both of his hands in his own and warmed them against his chest. "This time, your subject..."
Before he could finish speaking, Sima Ye abruptly shook off his hand and shouted sternly, "This is intolerable! I'd rather die as the Duke of Gaogui than live as the Duke of Changdao!"
He suddenly smashed a celadon bowl beside his bed, shouting, "If you still consider yourselves subjects of Jin, then today we will seize this traitor!"
Just then, thunder roared, and the already dim night became even darker.
Suddenly, a large number of figures appeared from behind the curtains of the side hall, wielding various weapons, and rushed towards Liu Jun without regard for their own safety.
Fortunately, Liu Jun now possessed the honor of being allowed to enter the palace with a sword and shoes. He immediately drew his Flying Shadow Sword from his waist and engaged in combat with these assassins, crying out in alarm, "What does Your Majesty mean by this? Gentlemen, save me!"
Sima Ye felt a sense of foreboding. He gritted his teeth and said, "If necessary, we can injure him, but leave him alive!"
It seems that those who assassinated Liu Jun were all imperial guards, who usually guarded the palace. How could they compare to Liu Jun, who had spent half his life on the battlefield? In addition, they all had some respect for Liu Jun, so even though there were more of them, Liu Jun did not suffer much loss.
The crowd outside the hall had already heard the noise. Wen Qiao and Liu Jun's gang had already burst through the door, while Du and Xun were also bewildered and terrified. Du Dan was even thinking to himself how to clear his name.
It turned out that Liu Jun had ordered someone to inform the important officials in the capital overnight that the emperor was seriously ill and needed the officials to go and visit him. Therefore, the shocking chaos of the emperor and his ministers killing each other was clearly seen by the Three Dukes and Nine Ministers.
Some military officers in the distance had already picked up some sharp weapons and rushed up, and the Imperial Guards' offensive became increasingly hesitant and weak.
At the opportune moment, Liu Jun gritted his teeth and saw that the tip of a certain soldier's knife was still in a good position and the force was not too great. So he did not deliberately block it, but instead used his forearm to block the knife. Then, he roared and killed the bewildered soldier on the spot.
Upon seeing Liu Jun injured, Wen Qiao was filled with shock and anger, but also felt deeply frustrated. All these years, he had been mediating between the emperor, with whom he had a teacher-student relationship, and his lord, with whom he was related by blood, and wanted to prevent them from falling into a life-or-death struggle. But now that Sima Ye had made his move, this was destined to end badly.
Unable to deliver a fatal blow, and facing the enraged Liu Jun, Sima Ye had no chance of victory.
Outside, the imperial guards under Liu Jun's control had also rushed into the hall and quickly stabilized the situation.
Liu Jun stood firm, leaning on his sword, and said through gritted teeth, "Your Majesty has been in a daze and delirious lately. You have been misled by villains and have done such a thing that hurts your loved ones and pleases your enemies. Quickly summon a physician to examine Your Majesty."
Everyone was shocked to see that half of his body was soaked in blood. "General, your injury!"
Liu Jun was no longer a young and vigorous man in his early twenties. Although he had some expectations, when the time came, he was filled with grief and indignation. He said in a deep voice, "My injuries are not serious, but the court is terminally ill... Your Majesty, I will ask you one last time: In the past twenty years, I have fought for the country. When have I ever fought without following the orders of the court? When have officials been promoted and appointed, without the seal of the Secretariat?"
Sima Ye had now completely calmed down. He sat calmly on the dragon throne and said indifferently, "If Your Majesty can assist me, then I will be grateful; otherwise, I hope you will grant me this favor."
This statement was reportedly made by Emperor Xian of Han, Liu Xie, to Cao Cao, Emperor Wu of Wei. It was almost a direct accusation that Liu Jun had usurped the throne. The assembled officials all gasped and looked at Liu Jun cautiously.
Unexpectedly, Liu Jun showed no displeasure whatsoever. Instead, he said, "Emperor Wu of our dynasty once said, 'When the virtue of Han declined, Emperor Wu of the Northern Wei Dynasty restored order and saved the Liu family, and was thus entrusted with the mandate of Han.' The Central Plains were in turmoil. Without Emperor Wu of Wei, who knows how much suffering the people would have endured. Moreover, from Yanzhou to Qingzhou and then to Guanzhong in Yuzhou, all were pacified by Emperor Wu of the Northern Wei Dynasty. He certainly did not bully orphans and widows or use cunning to seize the world!"
His words were barbed and sarcastic, almost openly mocking the Sima family for their illegitimate accession to the throne. But no one expected him to change his tone, adding a touch of self-deprecation: "But then again, wasn't the Han dynasty also a family of orphans and widows back then?"
Wen Qiao stepped forward to support him, and Liu Jun said softly, "I'm going back to rest now. There's a court assembly early tomorrow morning."
He did not look at Sima Ye again, and led his ministers out of the main hall.
More than a hundred soldiers in full armor stood every five steps inside and outside the hall, and the heavy vermilion doors slowly closed.
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