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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 186 Betrayal
Empress Xiao wept uncontrollably as she held her husband, for the Great Wall Duke was none other than Chen Shubao.
Back when Yang Guang was still Prince Jin, he had united with Yang Su and others to pacify the south, capturing Chen Houzhu in a single decisive victory. How full of vigor he had been then! Now, he found himself reduced to a mere defeated general under his former subordinate, revealing just how deeply his spirit had sunk.
The couple cried together until the moon hung high in the sky, supporting each other as they returned to their chambers. The Queen gathered her strength to groom her husband, even personally bringing a basin of water to wash his feet.
"Your Majesty, Jian Cheng has returned. He is your nephew, and his wife is my own niece. If you truly wish to become Chang Le Gong, then..."
Yang Guang did not grow angry; instead, he gently stroked his wife's head. "It is precisely because of this that he is the least likely to spare my life. However, if it were you, perhaps you could find a peaceful end under their hands."
Turning his head to glance at the Golden Back Mirror beside him, Yang Guang gazed at his aged reflection and muttered to himself, "What a fine neck; who shall strike it?"
Empress Xiao clung to his legs and lamented, "Your Majesty, why speak such words!"
Yang Guang looked at himself and chuckled. "Nobility and commoners alike suffer joys and sorrows; what harm does it do to change?"
Suddenly, the emperor burst into song, his voice echoing through the palace grounds alongside the Queen's sobs. The court ladies wept in unison; if the emperor were gone, what honor would remain for them as mere servants?
Outside the palace, Shen Guang secretly visited the imprisoned Li Shimin. "Er Lang Jun, are you really not going to leave? Whether it's to Chang'an or Taiyuan, why waste away here?"
Li Shimin was writing a letter to his fiancée Changsun Wugou. They were supposed to have married long ago, but with the sudden passing of his grandmother and his imprisonment in Jiangdu, their union had been delayed until now.
Carefully placing the letter into an envelope, Li Shimin's smile lingered on his face, causing Shen Guang to frown in concern.
Li Shimin asked, "Is the Valiant Fruit Army still on the run?"
The Valiant Fruit Army is made up of the sons of Guanzhong, responding to the emperor's call to achieve great deeds, not to leave their homes and serve as Imperial Guards in this Jiangdu.
Moreover, there are many roguish wanderers among them. Without the emperor's authority, how could they be restrained?
Since last year, soldiers have been fleeing at night. The emperor initially thought it was because they lacked wives and concubines, which made it difficult for them to stay in Jiangdu. Thus, he issued an edict to gather the unmarried women and widows from Jiangdu into the camp, allowing the Heroic Fruit Soldiers to choose freely.
This did have some effect, but not much. This method might work better for other armies, but the Valiant Fruit Army Soldiers are all sons of landowners in Guanzhong; they are not local ruffians who cannot afford wives and concubines.
As a result, many fled. The emperor, seeing this, could only resort to severe measures—executing any fleeing soldiers on sight and punishing the responsible officers harshly, which somewhat curbed the situation.
Shen Guang replied, "Under my command, Sima Dekan, Yuan Li, and Pei Qiantong are forming factions everywhere. They have even recruited Minister of Internal Affairs Yuan Min, Tiger Tooth General Zhao Xingzhu, and Eagle-Soaring General Meng Bing among others.
They have become so bold that they meet day and night to openly discuss defection in public without any regard."
"Does the emperor not know?"
"The emperor knows and kills those who report it, pretending to be unaware."
Li Shimin laughed heartily: "Covering one's ears while stealing a bell—ridiculous!"
Shen Guang did not laugh; after all, the emperor had treated him well.
"They have not approached General Shen; none of your soldiers have ever fled."
Shen Guang responded, "Of course they have approached me, but I cannot leave. I must protect His Majesty."
Li Shimin stood up and said, "I see you are not guarding the emperor but Jiangdu instead. Is this your elder brother's intention?"
Shen Guang remained silent, while Li Shimin frowned and said, "He deserves to die. I won't leave until this matter is resolved. If he doesn't die, the Crown Prince will be of no use, and this world will never find peace!"
Li Shimin pointed at Shen Guang's heart and added, "Don't forget what the Emperor has done. Don't forget why you approached the Emperor. Do not let small favors blind you to the plight of the common people!"
Shen Guang's face turned pale. He had not forgotten, but it was true that the Emperor had shown him some courtesy and trust.
Under Li Shimin's piercing gaze, Shen Guang could only nod in agreement.
A few days later, the Imperial Architect's Deputy Yuwen Zhiji found Tiger General Sima Dekan and commented on their escape plan: "Although the Sovereign has lost power, his authority still holds in Jiangdu. If you flee, you will surely be pursued and meet your end."
This was also the reason they had been openly discussing this matter yet had not taken action; just because the Emperor did not want to confront it did not mean he would tolerate it forever. Besides the Valiant Fruit Army, there were still hundreds of thousands of troops in Jiangdu.
The others hurriedly sought advice, and Yuwen Zhiji gestured with his hand like a blade: "The Valiant Fruit Army is the Emperor's personal guard. Rather than defecting, why not take decisive action? If we kill the Emperor, there will be no pursuers left."
Sima Dekan and the others were left speechless. After a long pause, they finally managed to say, "Commander Shen Guang has significant prestige and is also His Majesty's confidant. Moreover, there are Imperial Guards around His Majesty..."
At this point, they were startled; wasn't the commander of the Imperial Guards none other than Yuwen Huaji, Shen Guang's own brother?
If they could deal with Shen Guang, then this plan could indeed be feasible.
...
The Wagang faction that had occupied Luo Kou Warehouse had split into two camps. Zhai Rang insisted on slowly expanding their forces with supplies, believing that they could not escape from Luoyang City and need not worry about reinforcements from elsewhere; they would eventually take it down.
However, upon receiving news of Li Jian Cheng's return, Li Mi became restless. He understood all too well the impact Li Jian Cheng's return would have; this was a family whose influence and reputation surpassed that of the former Yang Xuangan among the top Noble Families of Guanlong.
Li Jian Cheng and Yang Xuangan both missed the opportune moment, and now Li Mi was so jealous that he felt like his teeth might shatter. If things continued at this pace, by the time the expansion of the army was completed, Li Jian Cheng would have already unified the realm.
The only way forward, as he suggested, was to open the granaries and distribute grain to win the hearts of the people. This would allow him to amass hundreds of thousands of troops in the shortest time possible, giving him a chance to seize control of the world.
However, Zhai Rang disagreed. No matter how much he tried to persuade him, this talentless individual with no grand ambitions refused to act on his advice. Li Mi had thoughts of killing Zhai Rang, but with Xu Shijie lurking nearby, there was simply no opportunity.
Splitting up! This was the last resort. If Li Jian Cheng did not return, he could gradually sideline Zhai Rang, but now he didn’t have that kind of time.
Zhai Rang initially did not want to agree, but Xu Shijie insisted that he do so. Zhai Rang asked, “Is this your idea, or did the Lord give prior instructions?”
“Li Mi is someone the Lord wants to recruit for himself; therefore, he must be made to suffer a bit first.”
Zhai Rang waved his hand dismissively. “Then it seems the Lord did not give any instructions. I oppose this, but I am no match for you. So if this is your decision, I have no choice but to agree.”
Xu Shijie sighed. “You will soon find wealth and honor!”
Zhai Rang smiled without speaking, merely patting the excess flesh around his waist.
……………
(End of Chapter)
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