Yaojiashan Mutiny
Upon hearing this, Li Yunyu couldn't help but feel anxious. "What if Third Brother really rebels and marches all the way to Xiling City? What should we do then?"
"With Ziliang, it won't happen," Tang Feng couldn't help but cough again. Seeing this, Li Yunyu stepped forward and said, "Sir, are you alright?" Tang Feng shook his head, looking at Li Yunyu with a hint of doubt in his eyes, then asked, "Your Highness, there are some things I think you understand very well. The struggle for the throne is not child's play." Li Yunyu didn't know why Tang Feng suddenly said this, and quickly nodded, "Of course."
"It's good that you understand this," Tang Feng said softly, leaning against the bedside with his eyes closed. "The Marquis of An'nan dared to rebel because Shen Qinghang told him that Ziliang and I had joined Li Yunye. Therefore, after he raised his army, the Dingbei Army wouldn't interfere. With just the Imperial Guards, Xiling wouldn't last long. By the time the border troops arrive, the throne will have already changed hands. Just observe the situation; His Majesty will eventually need you."
When Zhou Ziliang saw Li Yunyu come out, he got up to see him off, but Li Yunyu stopped him. "Young Marquis, please stay! I can go back by myself. Please take care of the master." Tang Feng's appearance today instilled a sense of fear in Li Yunyu. He was afraid that one day Tang Feng would really leave him, not with this feigned betrayal, but like his elder brother, separated by life and death. Li Yunyu didn't know anything about medicine, nor did he know what illness Tang Feng had. He just felt that he didn't want to lose anyone by his side. He had witnessed his brothers killing each other, and he didn't want to become like them. He didn't want to harm anyone, and he didn't want to become a so-called crown prince or emperor. He only wanted to clear his brother's name.
Zhou Ziliang closed the door, turned around and saw Tang Feng sitting on the bed in a daze. He walked over and asked gently, "What's wrong? Why are you spacing out?"
Tang Feng looked up at Zhou Ziliang and smiled. "It's nothing, just... I'm suddenly a little tired." Zhou Ziliang sat down on the edge of the bed, put his arm around Tang Feng, and let him lean against him. "If you're tired, just rest. You're always like this, forcing yourself even when you're already exhausted."
Tang Feng snuggled closer to Zhou Ziliang, finding a comfortable position, then looked up at Zhou Ziliang. "Ziliang... in a few days..." Although Tang Feng knew that as long as they acted quickly enough, everything could be contained—Shen Qinghang wasn't the type to act recklessly—Tang Feng still felt inexplicably worried. However, fearing that Zhou Ziliang would find him fussy, he didn't continue.
Zhou Ziliang knew exactly what Tang Feng was going to say. While rubbing Tang Feng's slightly cold hands, he comforted him, "I know, don't worry. I've led troops in battle for so many years, I can't let a farce hurt me! Don't worry, a few will go, a few will come back, I won't let anything happen to anyone."
"With your current status, how could I not know your capabilities?" Tang Feng lay in Zhou Ziliang's arms, exhausted from today's commotion. He gently tugged at Zhou Ziliang's sleeve. "I want to eat something. I haven't eaten since this morning." Hearing Tang Feng's request for food, Zhou Ziliang was about to get up to give the order, but Tang Feng stopped him. "Stay with me, don't go."
"How will you get to eat if I don't go?" Zhou Ziliang said, but seeing that Tang Feng still hadn't let go, he could only sigh and call out, "Someone come here."
Hearing Zhou Ziliang's voice, the maidservant pushed open the door and entered. Looking up, she saw Tang Feng being held in Zhou Ziliang's arms through the gauze curtain on the bed. She quickly lowered her head, her cheeks slightly flushed, and asked, "What are your orders, young master?"
"Go and cook a bowl of porridge for the young master, make sure it's very soft, and also get some refreshing pickled vegetables." The young girl agreed and quickly went to prepare.
Li Yunye didn't sleep a wink all night. He knew what would happen if he met with the Marquis of Annan. If he won, the throne would be his, and his mother wouldn't have to suffer in the palace. If he lost, he would end up like Li Yunrui, forever branded a traitor and dying with resentment. Although the Marquis of Annan had brought elite troops, he wasn't a clever man, and his words were often crude and vulgar.
Seeing that Li Yunye hadn't spoken since meeting the Marquis of Annan, Shen Qinghang didn't know what he was thinking. He stepped forward and asked, "Your Highness, is there anything else you're worried about?"
Looking at the candlelight in the tent, Li Yunye gave a bitter smile. "I need to write a letter to Tang Feng. The struggle for the throne is dangerous, full of open and covert struggles and deep scheming. Tang Feng is too cunning. I'm afraid he'll betray me. If that's really the case, I might as well surrender to my father now and turn the tables on him." Shen Qinghang didn't expect that Li Yunye still suspected Tang Feng, so he could only ask, "Then how do you plan to judge?"
Li Yunye stood up and said, "How to judge is my own business. I can't tell you. After all, I can't trust anyone right now." Shen Qinghang couldn't help but feel uneasy, but fearing that Li Yunye would become suspicious, he naturally didn't dare to ask any more questions. He could only pray that Tang Feng wouldn't make a mistake due to his illness and mess things up again.
Li Yunye randomly selected a soldier from the army and had him disguise himself as a commoner. During the midday changing of the guard at the Xiling city gates, the soldier was instructed to quickly deliver the money to the Marquis's residence. The soldier initially didn't want to get involved, but he couldn't resist Li Yunye's temptation and accepted a few taels of silver before heading towards Xiling.
Many days had passed since Li Yunye left Xiling, and there had been no movement outside the city. Therefore, in order to save manpower, Xiling's defenses had been reduced considerably. Tang Feng looked at the autumnal atmosphere outside the house, stood up, put on an outer garment, walked to the door, leaned against the door frame, and looked out with a smile on his face.
The old butler, carrying the medicine, walked into the corridor and saw Tang Feng coming out. He hurried over and said, "Young Master, it's been windy these past few days. You can't come out dressed so lightly, or the young master will scold us."
Tang Feng smiled after hearing this and said softly, "You've spent more time with him than I have. Don't you know whether Ziliang will scold you or not? If he really does blame you, I'll speak up for him."
The old butler carried the medicine to a bench in the corridor and then brought Tang Feng an extra coat from inside the house. "Young Master, let me help you to a seat. Please take good care of yourself. Our young master has always wanted to grow old with you."
Tang Feng gripped the fabric of his clothes tightly, pursed his lips, and remained silent, immediately creating an awkward atmosphere. Just as he was at a loss, Zhou Ziliang returned from court. Seeing Tang Feng sitting outside, he walked over and asked, "Why are you sitting outside?"
"It's so stuffy in the house, it's making me feel suffocated, and you're not home..."
Seeing that the two had started chatting, the old butler bowed, reminded Tang Feng to take his medicine as soon as possible, and then left.
Seeing that no one was around, Zhou Ziliang took out a letter from his sleeve. "When I returned today, I saw someone acting suspiciously in front of the Marquis's mansion. I went up to ask him something, but he handed me this letter and ran away." Tang Feng took the letter, opened it, glanced at it, and then closed it. Tang Feng rested his head against a pillar in the corridor, closed his eyes, and sighed.
"Xiao Feng, what's wrong?"
Tang Feng raised his hand and handed the letter to Zhou Ziliang, gesturing for him to open it and read it. After reading it, Zhou Ziliang sneered, "He still doesn't believe you."
Tang Feng smiled as he accepted the letter. "Although Li Yunye isn't overly suspicious, I am, after all, the Ninth Prince's tutor. It's not impossible that we colluded to frame him... cough cough cough..." Tang Feng stood up, drank the medicine in his bowl in one gulp, then went into the room and burned the letter over the candlelight.
"So, are you still going to reply to him?"
"Of course, if I don't reply, Li Yunye will most likely think I'm secretly tampering with him. Rebellion is a risky move; if you do it well, you'll rise to power; if you do it poorly, your entire family will be implicated. He's waiting for my reply, and so are you... You're simply afraid of being betrayed and want to confirm my intentions, to put your mind at ease. If I tell him that the Dingbei Army won't interfere in this matter, he'll have no worries about the consequences if he rebels again."
Seeing that Tang Feng wanted to write a letter, Zhou Ziliang stood aside and ground the ink for him, asking, "So how do you want to write this letter?"
"I have no interest in the court; I'll observe from behind closed doors. Any requests will be refused." Tang Feng wrote only sixteen characters before handing the letter to Zhou Ziliang. "Have your trusted confidant deliver this letter; it will show more sincerity."
Zhou Ziliang glanced at the letter, then closed it. "Xiao Feng, do you want to be a hands-off manager?"
"Isn't that what Li Yunye wants? If I don't reply, he'll think I have something to hide. If I reply and say I want to help him, he'll think I'm being hypocritical. So I'll just tell him that I won't help anyone, that I'll close my doors to everyone, and that I won't see anyone. Wouldn't that put his mind at ease?"
Zhou Ziliang smiled helplessly. "Just as you said back then, the imperial court is far removed from reality, and the martial world is deep and complex. Li Yunye thinks he's clever, but he doesn't realize he's digging his own grave."
"He trusts me a lot, but he's also wary of me," Tang Feng looked up at Zhou Ziliang and couldn't help but tease, "Isn't it because I married you? Everyone knows my husband holds considerable military power."
Zhou Ziliang hadn't expected that Tang Feng would turn the tables on him with anything he said. He reached out and grabbed Tang Feng's wrist, pulling him closer. Tang Feng, who had been ill and weak, was easily pulled up from his chair by Zhou Ziliang and ended up in his arms. Zhou Ziliang then wrapped his arms around Tang Feng's waist and looked down at him. "Little Feng, are you regretting it?"
"You regret it? Then will you give me the divorce papers?"
"Of course not. You can't leave even if you regret it. Once you're in my Marquis's mansion, you think you can run away?"
Tang Feng turned his head away, his cheeks slightly flushed. He tried to leave but Zhou Ziliang grabbed his waist. "Zhou Ziliang, let go! Cough cough cough, let go of me! There are people outside, cough cough cough!" Seeing Tang Feng cough, Zhou Ziliang quickly let go. Seeing Tang Feng's flushed face and heavy breathing, he realized Tang Feng wasn't faking it. "Okay, okay, I won't be angry with you anymore." Zhou Ziliang knew he was in the wrong. How could he forget that Tang Feng wasn't a thick-skinned person at all? There were so many maids and servants standing and working outside, and the study had all the windows and doors wide open for ventilation.
Tang Feng didn't pursue the matter further and nudged Zhou Ziliang, "Hurry up and send the letter out." But Zhou Ziliang didn't move. "Xiao Feng, I've only been back for a little while, are you already in a hurry for me to leave?"
"This is important, go quickly!"
Seeing Tang Feng's anxiety and agitation, Zhou Ziliang tapped his forehead. "Xiao Feng, I'm not teasing you." Zhou Ziliang raised his hand and waved the letter in front of Tang Feng. "I just think it's better to deliver this at night. If you deliver it openly during the day, Li Yunye will think you've set a trap for him in Xiling." Tang Feng rubbed his aching temples, clearly feeling weak. "You're right. I'm a bit confused right now and want to rest for a while."
Late at night, Zhou Ziliang covered Tang Feng, who was already asleep, with a blanket, changed into his night clothes, and slipped out through the back door. Although the city gate was heavily guarded, Zhou Ziliang was skilled in martial arts and quickly jumped over the city wall with a swift movement.
Chen Ke was startled to see Zhou Ziliang dressed in black, thinking it was an assassin and was about to draw her sword when Zhou Ziliang stopped her. Zhou Ziliang removed the mask from his face and said, "Don't be nervous, it's me."
"Young Master? What... what are you doing out here in the middle of the night? Why aren't you with your wife? What are you doing out here?"
Zhou Ziliang pulled Chen Ke aside, took out Tang Feng's letter, and said, "Xiao Feng needs you to deliver this letter to Li Yunye." Chen Ke was startled at first, then quickly asked, "Madam...you haven't gotten involved in something, have you? You know about the Third Prince's affairs; Madam absolutely cannot interfere at this time!"
Zhou Ziliang patted Chen Ke on the shoulder. "Just go and deliver it. Xiao Feng knows what she's doing. Don't worry about anything else. After you deliver it, if Li Yunye asks you anything about Xiao Feng, just say that Xiao Feng is seriously ill and doesn't have the energy to deal with this matter anymore. I apologize for any offense."
Chen Ke nodded, putting the letter away as he asked, "How is the young mistress? I haven't seen her since our wedding day. I wonder if she's alright. My wife still misses her. She's about to give birth and is complaining that she didn't get along with the young mistress back then. Now that she can't go out, she wants the young mistress to come and chat with her and help us name our child!"
After hearing this, Zhou Ziliang didn't know how to tell Chen Ke, so he just smiled and said, "Xiao Feng... is already very ill, and it's probably too late. If the baby is born and I have some free time, I'll have Xiao Feng prepare a gift. Xiao Feng has always loved children."
Chen Ke hadn't expected Tang Feng to be so ill. He frowned and said, "If my wife gives birth, once she's recovered, I'll have her take the child to pay respects to the young mistress."
Li Yunye did not sleep; he was waiting for Tang Feng's reply. If he did not receive Tang Feng's letter today, he would return to Xiling tomorrow to apologize and then tell Emperor Yun everything he knew in order to protect himself.
Just as Li Yunye was in a daze, someone burst into the tent. Upon seeing Li Yunye, Chen Ke immediately knelt down and bowed, saying, "Chen Ke, Deputy General of the Dingbei Army, pays respects to Your Highness."
Upon hearing that they were from the Dingbei Army, Li Yunye was overjoyed and quickly said, "No need for formalities, please rise."
Chen Ke presented the letter from his arms with both hands, saying, "This is something my lord asked me to bring to you."
Just as Zhou Ziliang had predicted, after reading Tang Feng's letter, Li Yunye bombarded Chen Ke with questions, asking, "Did Tang Feng say anything?"
Chen Ke shook her head. "The young mistress is very ill and cannot leave the house, so she had to ask our Marquis to deliver the letter." Chen Ke didn't know what Tang Feng was doing, but she knew that as long as she helped Tang Feng clear his name, everything would be fine. Li Yunye thought for a moment and then spoke again, "What is your Marquis's attitude?" Chen Ke shrugged. "The young mistress and the Marquis have a deep relationship. The young mistress is currently seriously ill, and our Marquis is busy taking care of his own needs and has no time for her. This letter expresses their wishes."
Li Yunye looked at the sixteen large characters on the letter and inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that there was nothing more to ask, he let Chen Ke go. Shen Qinghang had been listening to the commotion inside the military camp, fearing something might go wrong. Only after Chen Ke was released did Shen Qinghang follow her. "What did you say to the Prince?" Chen Ke had always disliked Shen Qinghang because the Crown Prince's faction had forced Tang Feng to go to the Qiang and Hu tribes back then, so her tone was naturally rude. "What does it have to do with you? You betrayed the Crown Prince, and now you want to trick me into revealing information to frame our Marquis and his wife?"
Shen Qinghang then realized that only Tang Feng and Zhou Ziliang knew about his feigned allegiance to Li Yunye. How could Chen Ke, a mere deputy general, possibly know? Moreover, he had no idea why Chen Ke was so hostile towards him, acting as if he were on steroids. Trying to get information out of him was simply a pipe dream.
Inside the room, Li Yunye stood up, seemingly having made a great decision, and walked to the Marquis of Annan's tent. The candlelight flickered in the room. The Marquis of Annan was sitting cross-legged on the couch, polishing his bow and arrows. When he saw Li Yunye enter, he glanced at him and laughed, "Oh, has the young prince changed his mind? I thought you were going to make me come all this way for nothing!"
Did you know I was coming?
“I am, after all, so much older. I can’t let a child like you fool me.” Hearing Marquis Annan’s words, Li Yunye frowned. “Watch your words. No matter how much older you are than me, you are still my subordinate. Don’t be disrespectful.”
Marquis Annan snorted coldly, pressing an arrow against Li Yunye's neck. His voice turned even colder. "When Li Linglan and I were conquering the world, you hadn't even been reincarnated yet! Let me tell you, without me, what would you use to rebel? Don't forget, we're in the same boat. If you storm the palace and ascend the throne, shouldn't you bestow upon me the title of Mighty General?"
Although Li Yunye was unhappy that the Marquis of Annan was "taking an inch and wanting a mile," he knew he needed the Marquis of Annan's help. Suppressing his anger, he stepped forward, took out the blueprints from his pocket, and placed them on the couch. "What do you think?"
"What do you mean, 'how do you see it'? Just launch a surprise attack on Xiling tonight and storm in one fell swoop!"
Upon hearing this, Li Yunye frowned. "I've never fought a battle, but I've read military books. I don't believe you never plan your troops before going into battle."
Marquis Annan hadn't expected Li Yunye to be so persistent about this matter. He scratched his head and said, "I'm not familiar with Xiling. How would I know which side is easy to attack and which is not?"
Shen Qinghang walked in and said, "Jinxi is very close to Xiling, so I had you camp at Yaojiashan. Because of its proximity to Xiling, Jinxi doesn't have many troops. We can launch a night attack on Jinxi tomorrow, catching Xiling off guard. Besides, a night ambush will leave Xiling no time to react." Li Yunye pointed to the west side of Yaojiashan, "Split your forces into two groups, this side and this side, heavily guarding them. Jinxi has enjoyed so much peace for so long; the city gates should be easy to breach."
Marquis Annan looked down at the blueprint, then nodded in agreement, "Whatever. I can't understand blueprints anyway. You tell me where to attack, and I'll attack."
By the time Zhou Ziliang returned, dawn had already broken. Zhou Ziliang assumed Tang Feng was still asleep, but to his surprise, when he pushed open the door, Tang Feng was sitting on the bed, lost in thought.
"Xiao Feng, why are you awake so early?"
Zhou Ziliang sat down next to Tang Feng, took his hand, and noticed that Tang Feng's hands were cold and his lips were bloodless. "Xiao Feng, what's wrong?"
When Tang Feng saw Zhou Ziliang return, he shook his head. "I had a nightmare, and I couldn't fall back asleep after waking up." Ever since he saw Xiao Wan'er's corpse in the palace, Tang Feng had been having frequent nightmares and often waking up in a fright. Zhou Ziliang gently brushed the stray hairs from Tang Feng's forehead. "Don't be afraid. I'll be by your side every night from now on."
"Has the letter been delivered?"
Zhou Ziliang nodded. "I've always trusted Ake with her work."
“He’s going? That’s reassuring,” Tang Feng sighed, his eyes closed. “I think… it’s probably time. According to Shen Qinghang, he’ll likely attack Jinxi first. Jinxi is only a dozen kilometers from Xiling, and his army will be at the city gates soon.”
Zhou Ziliang, however, was unconcerned. "You don't need to worry. The Marquis of Annan came from the southern border, and the fact that he arrived at Jinxi so quickly means he must have been traveling light; they couldn't have carried too many weapons. I'm confident in this battle."
Seeing that Tang Feng didn't speak, Zhou Ziliang leaned down, flicked his nose, and said with a smile, "You don't believe me?"
Tang Feng was naturally worried. He'd been inexplicably anxious these past few days, fearing something might happen to Zhou Ziliang and the Dingbei Army because of him. "It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I'm afraid," Tang Feng said, his grip on the blanket tightening. "I've never fought a war; this is beyond my control."
"Let's pinky swear, okay?" Zhou Ziliang raised his hand and gently hooked his little finger around Tang Feng's. "Whatever you ask of me, I will definitely do it if I agree."
Tang Feng laughed out loud, "Aren't you childish? How old are you? Still playing this game with me." Although he said that, Tang Feng still hooked his little finger with Zhou Ziliang's.
That evening in Jinxi City, several soldiers guarding the city had just changed shifts and, out of boredom, started chatting. "Have you heard? The Third Prince has started a rebellion!"
"What are you afraid of? I heard he's going to find the Marquis of Annan. Where is the Marquis of Annan? He's in the Southern Frontier! He's so far away, and even Daze isn't afraid, so what are you afraid of?"
"Oh dear, I have a wife and son at home. My wife keeps saying she's scared. I'll take my pay in a few days and then leave. I'll head towards Muxi. I think it's safer up north."
The group was engrossed in their conversation when an arrow flew and pierced one of them in the chest. They stared blankly as the man collapsed to the ground, motionless. Only after another person was killed by an arrow did they turn and run towards the drum tower, shouting, "The city gates are under attack! Beat the drums!" Jinxi, bordering the kingdom of Xiling, had never experienced war. It wasn't until the Marquis of Annan led his troops to the city walls that the Jinxi governor arrived belatedly. Seeing flames shooting into the sky from the city walls and, under the cover of night, a dense mass of soldiers below, the governor stammered, "What are you standing there for... Quick, quick, light the beacon towers! Hurry! Tell Xiling to send reinforcements!"
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