Chapter 101: Surrender without a fight (Part 1) Update
He strode out of the tent, ordered the guards on his left and right to escort him, and walked towards the outskirts of the camp with great dignity.
The setting sun was still hanging above the horizon, and the entire camp and the vast land of Xiguan were shrouded in a layer of orange light.
Liu Ziyan walked closer little by little.
What caught my eye was Liu Ziye, who was wearing a lake blue slim-fitting silk dress, a brocade belt with jade buckles around her waist, and a high ponytail, standing tall and graceful in the golden light of the setting sun.
Liu Ziye faced Liu Ziyan, facing west, his entire face coated with the orange light of the sun.
When he saw the second prince Liu Ziyan, who was on high alert and had his way made solemnly by the guards, the corner of his lips curled up slightly.
Liu Ziyan's heart trembled violently.
Who would have expected that the only daughter of the King of Xiguan in the legend would actually look like this!
Moreover, he was so bold when they met, and came dressed as a woman, clearly hiding his gender from her, and had no intention of hiding his deceiving the emperor!
What made him feel even more strange was that although she was wearing a silk dress, both the style of the dress and her hairstyle were very different from the women's attire he had seen in Yanjing before.
When she looked at him and smiled with the corners of her lips pursed, Liu Ziyan felt a layer of white sweat rising on his back.
Just like that, he suddenly didn't dare to go any further.
The circle of guards who were protecting him also stopped where he was, facing the rumored young marquis of Xiguan across the gate of the garrison barracks.
When Deputy General Qin saw Liu Ziyan coming out, he quickly ran over.
"Second Prince!"
At this moment, he no longer had the sense of stability and suppression he had before setting out for Yucheng, and a look of panic appeared on his face.
"Second Prince..."
Liu Ziyan glared at him angrily: "What on earth is going on? You went to Yucheng to bring Liu Ziye, but ended up losing your soul!"
Deputy General Qin frowned deeply, smiled bitterly and said, "It's more than that, but it's almost there."
Liu Ziyan felt flustered again, but he forced himself to hold on and was about to scold him.
Deputy General Qin said, "Second Prince, we have underestimated the young Marquis of Xiguan and Xiguan County! Those rumors about Xiguan County spread throughout Yanjing and the Great Zhou are indeed true! The reason why our army has never set foot in the real Xiguan before is because of the marching route planned by Chi Mu..."
"What did you say!?"
When talking about what he saw and heard during his trip to Yucheng, Deputy General Qin opened up completely and told Liu Ziyan everything he had seen since he looked out the east gate of Yucheng.
The more Liu Ziyan listened, the more frightened he became. Finally, he asked anxiously, "Then, what should I do now?"
He secretly turned his gaze to look at the young Marquis of Xiguan who was waiting leisurely at the entrance of the camp.
Deputy General Qin said, "This young Marquis of Xiguan is strange and inexplicable, and his strength should not be underestimated. Furthermore, judging by his behavior and conversation, even if we reveal that he has committed the gravest crime of deceiving the emperor, he will never surrender! This is a difficult situation..."
"As a matter of fact, the first thing we need to do is to obtain the Emperor's decree and publicly announce it, thus suppressing her morally! If she shows any resistance afterwards, it will be considered treason and a violation of moral principles!"
Liu Ziyan calmed himself down and said, "Okay, you're right. We have an imperial decree, and we stand on the moral high ground!"
He said to the guards beside him, "Go to my tent and bring me the imperial edict! I will announce it in public!"
The guard took the order and left. After a moment, he brought the brocade box containing the imperial edict and handed it to Liu Ziyan.
Liu Ziyan took a deep breath and took the brocade box solemnly.
He mustered his courage and took a few steps towards Liu Ziye. He looked directly into the other's stern eyes, and with all his might, he said loudly, "Liu Ziye, daughter of the late King of Xiguan, accepts the decree!"
He deliberately raised his voice so that it would be loud enough to shake the camp and make Liu Ziye in front of him feel the power of the Heavenly Family.
This was the first time in his life that he spoke with such dignity.
After shouting this, Liu Ziyan felt that all his courage had been shouted out by himself.
That's right, he came here on behalf of the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty! No matter how evil you are, Liu Ziye, you must submit to the power of the Emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Feeling complacent about his own momentum, Liu Ziyan held his head high, waiting for the scene where Liu Ziye, who was more than ten steps away, would kneel down in fear and trepidation to receive the order.
However.
After a few breaths, the other party was motionless.
Liu Ziyan blinked, and after another dozen breaths, the other party was still motionless.
Liu Ziyan couldn't hold it in any longer. He shouted again, "Liu Ziye, daughter of the late King of Xiguan, kneel down to receive the imperial edict!" He yelled at the guards around him, "All of you, shout! Shout loudly!"
For a moment, the guards' collective mechanical shouts echoed in the outer city, and the sound shook for several miles.
If an outsider approaches at this time, he will probably be frightened by the scene from a distance.
But unfortunately...
The person who should have been shocked the most remained as unmoved as the pine and cypress trees on the mountain top from beginning to end.
In this case, Liu Ziyan and his gang looked even more ridiculous.
Finally, Liu Ziyan lost his temper and waved his hand to stop the shouting that was already becoming sparse.
There was a hint of pleading in his tone. In the gradually dimming light of the sky, he asked Liu Ziye, "The imperial edict of the Emperor of Yanjing is for you, Liu Ziye. Will you accept it or not?"
The person on the other side smiled and looked at him: "Of course not."
"If you want to accept it, why would this Marquis have waited until now?"
Liu Ziyan's face flushed red from being choked by him: "You, you are so bold! You refused the imperial edict. You are just a woman, and you dare to rebel?!"
He thought he had said this with great confidence, but the person opposite him let out a soft "tsk" with a look of disapproval.
"Compared to Liu Ziling, having a counterpart like you is really a loss of face."
Liu Ziyan didn't understand what she said, but it probably meant that he was not as good as the Crown Prince Liu Ziling.
Now he couldn't stand hearing such words and would get angry as soon as he glared at them.
However, Liu Ziye on the other side continued at this time: "Let's not talk about the so-called imperial edict in your hand. Today, I, the Marquis, also brought an imperial edict to you to announce. By the way, I will also take the news back to the person in the Yanjing Palace."
"What!? You also have an imperial edict?"
Liu Ziyan's anger was interrupted, and when he heard these unbelievable words, he had no time to lose his temper.
"That's right."
Liu Ziye simply replied and waved towards the group behind her. "Mr. Du, please read the imperial edict left by the Holy Emperor for my cousin from Yanjing."
"The Holy, Holy Emperor's edict!?"
Liu Ziyan was stunned as if struck by lightning: "What are you trying to be mysterious about? How could the Holy Ancestor still have a will? Even if there was a will, how could it be in your hands, Liu Ziye!"
However, Liu Ziye ignored his shouting and walked away.
A middle-aged man dressed in a scholar's long gown walked to the position near the garrison entrance, holding a brocade box in his hand. He faced Liu Ziyan, but did not even look at him, the second prince of the dynasty who commanded the army.
Du Hui solemnly took out the imperial edict from the brocade box in his hand, and unlike Liu Ziyan, he did not insist on kneeling to receive the imperial edict.
What he did was so earth-shattering that everyone focused all their attention on him.
"The Liu royal family of the Great Zhou Dynasty listen to my teachings. I rose from humble beginnings in troubled times, ultimately pacifying the turmoil and founding the Great Zhou Dynasty, establishing a world of universal peace. However, I often studied with historians, and though I ended troubled times and established a peaceful, unified dynasty, my reign has always been short-lived. This was due to poorly chosen successors, and we remember vividly how dynasties ended in the second generation, plunging the people into chaos. Therefore, in selecting the next ruler of the Great Zhou Dynasty, I prioritize virtue and talent, not the status of legitimate sons or illegitimate children. I have three sons, all of whom have reached adulthood. In terms of governing virtue and talent, my third son, Liu Mian, is the best. I hereby issue an imperial decree, decreeing that after a hundred years from now, my third son, Liu Mian, will ascend to the throne."
Du Hui's powerful voice was transmitted to the other side of the garrison checkpoint in waves.
When Liu Ziyan heard this, he felt like he was struck by lightning.
Did Emperor Shengzu issue an imperial edict during his lifetime, passing the throne to his third son, Liu Mian, the former Prince of Xiguan?!
Then why did his father, Emperor Liu Jian, eventually sit on the throne?!
In the past, he certainly had some knowledge of the process of succession to the throne. At that time, Emperor Shengzu suddenly fell ill while out hunting and eventually died.
Before his death, he summoned the eldest prince Liu Jian, the assistant minister Chu Bozhan, and the sixty-year-old right general Qin Liang to entrust him with important state affairs, and personally appointed the eldest prince Liu Jian as the crown prince, who would succeed to the throne after his death.
In addition, there are rumors that before the late emperor died, he asked Liu Jian, who had just become the crown prince, to kneel in front of his bed and promise that he would never learn the fratricidal methods that destroyed the country.
He also specifically instructed Liu Jian to treat his most beloved third prince well. Crown Prince Liu Jian also promised in person that he would let the third prince Liu Mian leave the capital and give him the largest fiefdom.
This led to Liu Mian's later title of Qianli Xiguan.
Even a blind person could see that Liu Jian was deeply resentful of the late emperor's excessive favoritism towards the third prince. However, Liu Jian had not broken his promise to the late emperor.
At that time, there were some people who spoke up for Liu Mian, but they eventually disappeared one by one.
This is what Liu Ziyan knew about Liu Jian's succession to the throne, and this is also the understanding of most people in the Great Zhou today.
I have never heard of the Emperor Kangxi’s decree of succession!
Liu Ziyan immediately refuted it: "What nonsense! This must be something you, Liu Ziye, made up to stir up trouble! Back in the royal hunting grounds, the late emperor passed the throne to my father with his own words! Everyone knows it!"
Du Hui calmly put away the imperial edict in his hand and refuted him, "Everyone knows!? Who knows? Did you actually see it with your own eyes? Only four people know: Liu Jian, the Crown Prince at the time; Chu Bozhan, the current Prime Minister; the late General Qin Liang of the Qin family; and the current chief eunuch in the palace!"
Liu Ziyan didn't care about the identity of the person he was talking to at this moment. He continued, "Chu Bozhan is a loyal minister of our Great Zhou Dynasty, and General Qin is one of the founding generals. They were the only ones who stayed by the late emperor's side before his death! Who can not believe what they say about the late emperor's will!?"
Du Hui sneered, "You're so devoted to the late emperor's will, even when it's passed down orally. Why do you close your eyes and refuse to listen when the real imperial edict is right before your eyes?"
Liu Ziyan finally realized at this time that he, the second prince, was actually refuted by an unknown scholar under the command of the Marquis of Xiguan. He immediately waved his hand in anger.
"How dare you, a commoner, disobey this prince?"
He turned his gaze to Liu Ziye, who seemed to be watching the show intently at the side. "Traitor Liu Ziye, not only did your father and you deceive the emperor by using your daughter in his place, but today you are defying his authority and refusing to obey the imperial decree, fabricating the late emperor's will in an attempt to cause chaos! It's not that I didn't give you the opportunity to bow your head and confess your guilt, it's you who didn't cherish it!"
Liu Ziye didn't say anything, but continued to look at him calmly.
Liu Ziyan gritted his teeth and gave the generals he had brought with him an order: "Capture Liu Ziye and all those who are rebelling against the Marquis of Xiguan! The army will advance at full speed today. Anyone who causes trouble in Xiguan because of the young Marquis of Xiguan will be spared!"
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