roccoschili Chapter 7 Father and Son's Night Talk, Yi Wu's Schemes
Chapter 7 Father and Son's Night Talk, Yi Wu's Schemes
As night deepened, the people finished their day's work and wearily collapsed onto their beds, falling into a deep sleep. The candles and palace lanterns in the main hall remained lit, and together with the flickering lanterns outside, they made the grand hall, which the Han emperor had built at great expense, appear even more magnificent.
There were no phoenix trees, no cicadas, not even the startled cry of a nightingale. They all seemed afraid of this place, unwilling to take refuge in this cold temple. A thin figure knelt in the center, a striking handprint on his face, yet his expression remained calm. It was none other than Liu Qi, the Great Chess Saint of the Han Dynasty during the day.
Liu Qi's coma lasted much shorter than Liu Xiao's. He had just woken up and was about to discuss countermeasures with his mother when his father, the emperor, arrived. As soon as Liu Qi got up to pay his respects, his capricious father slapped him to the ground. He didn't look at his son lying on the ground with blood streaming from his nose or mouth, nor did he pay attention to his wife who was crying and pleading for him. It seemed that he had only come to slap him. Emperor Liu Ming of Han coldly left with the words, "Go kneel before me," and then left indifferently.
Having knelt for half a day, Liu Qi's legs had long since lost all feeling. Without a drop of water, he even began to see faint double images before his eyes. In his dazed state, a very soft sound of a door opening brought Liu Qi back to full consciousness.
"Rise." That majestic voice rang out again, as if it held the fate of everyone in the world in its hands.
Liu Qi hurriedly got up, but because he had been kneeling for a long time, he staggered when he suddenly stood up. He saw his father holding an ancient book and reading it casually, but he didn't dare to look at it too much and just stood by with his hands at his sides.
"Prince Liu Yuan of the You King is dead. Does he have anything to say to me?" Liu Ming didn't even glance at Liu Qi, still staring at the ancient book.
"Father, although the Crown Prince of You is usually arrogant and domineering, he is by no means a person who doesn't understand the bigger picture. Given my usual character, I would never do something so impulsive. Therefore, I suspect that this is a conspiracy carefully designed by someone to provoke conflict between the court and the three kings," Liu Qi said calmly after a moment of contemplation.
"I have already investigated and found that both your incense and Prince You's Pillow River Mountain have been laced with a drug. One drug is to invigorate the mind, and the other is to nourish the vital energy. But when combined, they can disturb the mind. That is why the two of you fought so fiercely that day," the Emperor said slowly and solemnly.
"Furthermore... furthermore," Liu Qi stammered, looking as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
"Speak your mind! How can you possibly govern the land of my Great Han Dynasty if you keep beating around the bush like this?" the Emperor reprimanded, his gaze never leaving the ancient scroll, as if it contained some priceless treasure.
Liu Qi took a deep breath and slowly said, "King You was rendered infertile due to an 'accident' in his early years. Now that I have killed his only son, it will be easier to reclaim the territory after King You passes away. Furthermore..."
"Continue," the emperor finally said, his gaze fixed on Liu Qi with his majestic eyes.
"My uncle, the Prince of Liang, personally visits the capital every year and is especially respectful to the Emperor; the Prince of Ji visits the capital every three to five years, but he also prepares generous gifts and sends people to pay homage every year; only the Prince of You is truly hateful, often not visiting the court for two or three years, and the gifts he sends each time are pitifully small. I have also heard that in recent years, he and his son often spoke disrespectfully to the Emperor during banquets..."
"Shut up! You brat, you dare to discuss our dynasty's princes here after hearing just a few rumors outside!" A rebuke interrupted Liu Qi once again.
"Your subject knows his crime and begs for punishment from Your Majesty," Liu Qi said respectfully.
"Issue the decree: The Xianbei secret guards are treacherous and cunning. They are using a poisonous drug to harm Crown Prince Liu Qi, Prince Liu Yuan of the You Kingdom, and Prince Liu Xiao of the Ji Kingdom, intending to sow discord within our Han Dynasty. Order Tao Po to lead 100,000 elite troops, and order Liu Bao of the Red Character Battalion to lead the Blazing Plains Cavalry to assist them, and garrison them at Langyan City." Emperor Liu Ming of Han pondered as he read the decree.
A figure appeared silently before the imperial desk, respectfully took the imperial edict, and bowed as he withdrew.
Tao Po, courtesy name Yiran, is universally recognized as a great builder of the Han Dynasty. There is also a popular saying: "When rich, Dou Guoan; when poor, Tao Yiran."
When the Han Dynasty's treasury was full and it was ready to expand its territory, it would send Dou Ding and Dou Guoan's large army to advance, which would surely be unstoppable. When the Han Dynasty suffered a defeat or its treasury was depleted and it was ready to defend, it would entrust Tao Po and Tao Yiran with the command of the troops, and the city would surely be as solid as a rock. Moreover, Dou Ding was a relative of the Empress, so everyone believed that Tao Po's military command ability was even superior to Dou Ding's.
The Liaoyuan Armored Cavalry were true kings of the plains, accounting for the largest share of the four Red Camp armies. They had achieved the feat of defeating 30,000 with only 1,000 in a major battle against the Xianbei. Their commander, Liu Bao, was the most talented rising star among the Han imperial family, who broke through to the Divine General realm at a young age.
North of Langyan City lies the three tribes of the Xianbei. And to the north lies Youzhou Road, the stronghold of King You.
"Step back." The authoritative voice dispelled Liu Qi's wild thoughts. Liu Qi quickly bowed respectfully and withdrew from the silent hall. Anyone with discerning eyes could see that his father was simply shifting the blame onto the three Xianbei tribes, whom his own family had fought tooth and nail to the point of exhaustion. Most people would only think of the Great Qian and Great Zhou dynasties. But Liu Qi wondered, what roles did his seemingly submissive uncle, the Prince of Liang, and his grandmother, who hoped for succession by her brother, play in all of this?
Emperor Liu Ming of Han sighed softly. He put away the ancient book, then deliberately spread out the map of the world with the ink heavily circled on the character "乾" on the table before getting up and leaving.
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"Sir, are you saying I'm next to die?" Liu Xiao exclaimed in surprise. He thought he was just an NPC in a conspiracy, never imagining that the protagonist of the conspiracy was none other than himself, who was happily watching the drama unfold.
"It can also be said that this plan is aimed at the Emperor, the King of Ji, and the King of You. As long as the two princes die in the capital, the conflict between the court and the vassal kings will inevitably be intensified. At that time, with just a little fanning the flames, the Han Dynasty will fall into a civil war." Guan Zhong said calmly as he tidied up the chessboard.
"The Great Liang Dynasty is currently at war with the Khitan and is too preoccupied to take care of itself; the Great Zhou Dynasty's court is now just a puppet, its territory has long been divided up by various vassal states, and the Jin and Qi states, which border the Great Han, were both severely weakened in the battle three years ago and have no strength to conquer a dynasty; the Golden Horde in the north is at the same time fighting the Great Xia and suppressing the rebellion in the far west, so it has no time to attend to anything else; and the only one most likely to start a war is the Great Qian, the strongest of the Ten Directions Dynasty." Liu Xiao frowned and thought.
"So, who in the Han Dynasty benefits more from the Crown Prince killing the Heir Apparent today?" Guan Zhong asked again.
"Sir, are you saying that the Crown Prince is at risk of being deposed? The Emperor still has a son, born to a palace maid, who has always been overlooked. If the Crown Prince is deposed, the Dou family, his maternal relatives, will definitely be suppressed. Now, the three-year-old illegitimate son has ascended the throne. If something happens to the Emperor in the future, the power will inevitably fall into the hands of Empress Dowager Liang, who favors her younger son. At that time, it will be much easier for Prince Liang to take over." Liu Xiao suddenly realized.
With a series of clattering sounds, two mischievous chess pieces escaped from Guan Zhong's hands, but before they could even bounce around on the ground a few times, they were captured and brought back to justice by Xiao Liu Xiao.
"The Great Qian Dynasty intends to incite a rebellion among the vassal kings to weaken the Great Han Dynasty, while the King of Liang intends to make the crown prince err and install a puppet ruler. If I'm not mistaken, what will follow is the crown prince making a mistake, the heir apparent dying a violent death, the vassal kings' rebellion breaking out, the Great Qian Dynasty moving east, the Han emperor passing away, the King of Liang succeeding to the throne and ceding territory and paying reparations. In the end, the Great Han Dynasty will perish due to a peasant uprising," Guan Zhong said leisurely, as if all the major events in the world had nothing to do with him, a commoner.
"Please save me, sir," Liu Xiao said, rising and bowing deeply.
"Your Highness need not panic. Not only can I turn danger into safety, but I might even gain some advantage for you in this treacherous conspiracy," Guan Zhong said with a relaxed smile.
"Please teach me, sir." Liu Xiao's expression became even more respectful.
"That's not difficult, but..." Guan Zhong's expression suddenly turned serious. "I'm just a guest here today, and I think that saying these words is enough to repay the Crown Prince's hospitality. The Crown Prince wants me to offer advice, so why should I comply?"