RMACAUH Chapter 70
by VolareChapter 70 Chapter 70 Facing your deceptions, all will be erased…
Sending ten thousand troops to resist the several tens of thousands of Chen family’s army was undoubtedly like hitting a stone with an egg.
Feng Chao felt grief and indignation in his heart. So many years of father and son, besides exploitation, there was nothing else. In the end, he was just using up his last bit of value, and then pushing him to his death.
But he had no choice but to accept the order and prepare to lead his troops to resist.
The Emperor had another reason for doing this. He had always been suspicious of him, suspecting that there were still remnants of the Zhou family army. If he went to defend against the enemy, in order to survive, he would have to use the remaining power of the Zhou family army.
In this way, it was killing two birds with one stone. If he wanted to live, he would definitely do his best to negotiate with the Chen family army to the end, resulting in both sides being injured and clearing all the stumbling blocks on the road ahead for the new Emperor.
But the Emperor miscalculated. The eldest and third sons seemed incompatible as fire and water, but in fact, they had already reached a cooperative relationship.
Over the years, the Emperor had painstakingly promoted the third son, belittled the second son, and supported the eldest son, all in order to benefit from thethe fisherman profits, allowing the second son to be free from power struggles, and to grow up safely without relying on his mother’s family, and to steadily hold the position of prince as the son of a concubine.
He had been observing the overall situation with this chess move, and now he was starting to collect the net, but he had overlooked that even small chess pieces had their own ideas and would no longer follow his pace towards the ending.
With the army approaching the city, the common people still did not know what had happened. The city began to be heavily guarded, the city gates were tightly closed, and not even a fly could fly out.
Small news began to circulate among the people, with all sorts of rumors.
Only a mighty team was seen leading more than ten thousand soldiers out of the city, led by Feng Chao, the eldest son of the imperial family.
It was two hours before dawn when they left the city.
Feng Chao hurriedly returned to the Prince’s mansion. Ying’er had already fallen asleep, and Chu Lingqiao anxiously paced back and forth in the bedroom until the door opened with a sound. The night wind, wrapped in the breath of ice and snow, rushed towards him. Feng Chao, under the starry sky and moon, with white frost on his temples, wearing silver-white armor and a long sword at his waist, calmly walked towards him.
Chu Lingqiao’s heart tightened, and he greeted him: “Chao’er! I’ll go with you. I know medicine, and I have experience as a military doctor on the border. Don’t… don’t leave me and Ying’er behind.”
Everyone knew that this trip was a narrow escape from death, with almost no chance of winning. The Emperor clearly wanted to send him to his death!
Feng Chao closed the door, pulled Chu Lingqiao behind the curtain, and pulled him to sit down in front of the small table. He took hot water from the charcoal fire and brewed two cups of tea.
“Have some tea first.”
“How can I be in the mood to drink tea now?!” Chu Lingqiao was extremely anxious. “There’s still time to run now! Instead of sitting here drinking tea.”
Feng Chao chuckled: “Don’t panic, Doctor Chu.”
Chu Lingqiao was speechless for a while: “Give me a reason not to panic? Anyway, if you… I’ll entrust Ying’er to someone else, and don’t say I’m not fit to be a father. I’ll go wherever you go, whether it’s to the underworld or the heavens.”
These words contained some threat, some pique, but mostly seriousness.
Feng Chao sighed helplessly and comforted him: “I’ll be fine.”
“How can you be sure? This is going to the battlefield to kill enemies! The opposite is the Chen family army! The most valiant army in the entire Da Yuan!!”
“I know, but the person leading the troops is Feng Yue. My third brother and I have actually joined forces long ago.”
Only then did Chu Lingqiao remember the person who emerged when thetàizǐ: crown prince (tàizǐ) ‘s people intercepted them that day. He didn’t seem to be Chao’er’s subordinate. Could it be the Guangling Prince?
“So that’s how it is!” Chu Lingqiao suddenly understood.
Feng Chao smiled and nodded: “Now you know, right? There’s a secret room here. I’ll tell you about it later. If thetàizǐ: crown prince (tàizǐ) and the Emperor’s people come, take Ying’er and hide in the secret room. There’s enough water and dry food in the secret room. Wait for me to come back and find you.”
Chu Lingqiao thought carefully for a moment and felt that something was wrong: “The Emperor is sending out ten thousand troops, probably the least effective ones. He wants to send you to fight a war of attrition, and the elite troops are still behind?”
Feng Chao: “That’s right. The Imperial Guards have more than forty guards under their jurisdiction. They can take advantage of my ten thousand soldiers to contain the Chen family army for a while. Plus, the East Depot can immediately mobilize nearly sixty thousand troops! And there are more than one hundred thousand reserve troops in succession, enough to compete with the Chen family army!”
“That’s not right…” Chu Lingqiao suddenly remembered, “The Emperor doesn’t have many days left to live!”
“You’re right. This bloodless battle depends on how we win the complete victory.”
Chu Lingqiao was slightly relieved to hear this, but after all, it was a bloody storm, and it was impossible not to be injured or die. He was still extremely worried.
“Take care of yourself. Let others do the dangerous things.”
Feng Chao smiled again: “Alright, I have to leave the city now.”
“Want to see Ying’er?”
Feng Chao’s eyes were lost and filled with some longing: “No, it’s not good to wake her up. Let her sleep well. Anyway, this father doesn’t often accompany her.”
“But after all, you are Ying’er’s father. She misses you very much. I was afraid of implicating you, so I didn’t let her recognize you. She secretly hid and cried for a long time during that time.”
Feng Chao’s eyes gradually turned red. “Yes, when everything is over, I’ll really be an idle prince, accompanying Doctor Chu and Ying’er, practicing medicine and traveling all over this vast land.”
“I’ll wait for you.”
Meeting Chu Lingqiao’s firm eyes, Feng Chao’s wandering heart had a home, and everything had new meaning.
Feng Chao turned and strode away without looking back.
He was afraid that if he turned around, he would see Doctor Chu’s moist eyes, filled with worry and love looking at him, and he would not be able to move anymore.
Chu Lingqiao waited and waited. He had never dared to give him a definite future and promise.
This time, he didn’t want to make Doctor Chu wait any longer.
*
Before leaving the city to meet the enemy, Feng Yue secretly disguised himself as a guard and met with Feng Chao in the secret room.
Feng Chao had no chance of winning. The soldiers also knew that this was undoubtedly a death wish. But now there was a way out in front of them, which was to act out a scene of complete annihilation of the army. However, this play could not be completed in one day. Ten thousand soldiers had to die for a few days.
When all the soldiers were dead, and they dragged it out until the news of the Emperor’s sudden death came, everyone could live.
So outside the city, they fought for several days and nights, and Feng Chao’s reputation spread all the way to the Imperial Palace.
The officials of the court secretly praised: “A general! More than ten thousand soldiers, able to resist for so long without collapsing.”
“Lord Liu, what do you think?”
Liu Wenyong stroked his beard and nodded: “Let’s watch slowly.” The good show had just begun, how could they be anxious?
In the morning, the Emperor went to the morning court with a radiant face. The Grand Eunuch Xu Baobao also praised: “That Chu Lingqiao is worthy of being the most famous divine doctor of today. After the Emperor took a few doses of medicine, he has now recovered, and his spirit is even better than before!”
The Emperor nodded approvingly: “It’s a pity that this person is free and unfettered and is unwilling to be used by me.”
Who knew that that night, the Emperor suddenly bled from all seven orifices, kicked his legs, and fell to the ground lifeless.
They hurriedly called the imperial physicians to diagnose, and each of them was terrified, trembling and saying: “The Emperor… has died!”
Xu Baobao simply couldn’t believe his ears. Clearly, the Emperor had been fine the moment before, able to eat, sleep, and jump, how could he…
Thetàizǐ: crown prince (tàizǐ) rushed over upon hearing the news, and after confirming that the Emperor was no longer breathing, tears of regret streamed down his face, but it was of no help.
“Your Highness, please restrain your grief.” Xu Baobao knelt down with a ‘plop’, also crying with tears streaming down his face.
Feng Xiao quickly calmed down, wiped the tears from his face, and said: “Now is a critical moment. My father’s death will inevitably be a heavy blow to the soldiers. The funeral will be postponed. First, we must resist foreign enemies together, and taking down the treacherous officials and villains is the top priority!”
Xiao Xuanyi got the news as soon as possible and sent the secret letter out of the palace.
On the sixth day, the school commandant guarding the city sent a letter to the palace that the Grand Prince Feng Chao had died in battle.
The death of the Grand Prince also heralded the true demise of the Zhou family army. From then on, there would be no more Zhou family army in the world!
Feng Xiao sat on the dragon chair, reading the letter over and over again, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably rising.
“Commander Xiao, this palace appoints you as Generalpiàojì: cavalry general (piàojì), leading sixty thousand Imperial Guards to leave the city to meet the enemy!”
“This subordinate obeys the order.”
Xiao Xuanyi looked at the petty person sitting on the dragon chair and sneered in his heart. He had previously been loyal to the Emperor. Even though the Emperor was ruthless and unrighteous, he was still courageous and resourceful.
Now thistàizǐ: crown prince (tàizǐ) , didn’t realize it was death that was upon him.
How could he think that he, Xiao Xuanyi, would be loyal to a good-for-nothing? Since he was to be loyal to the royal family, as long as someone with the surname Feng sat on that dragon chair, why not Feng Chao, and why couldn’t it be Feng Yue?
Feng Xiao had not been sleeping soundly recently. He woke up in a nightmare and found that the palace was ablaze with light, illuminating a piece of heaven and earth.
“Someone! Someone!!”
Feng Xiao called for a long time, but no one came in. He scolded: “Are you all dead? A bunch of negligent servants!”
He got out of bed, put on his clothes, frowned, and opened the door unhappily, walking out of the hall.
When he saw the scene in front of him, he was still dazed as if in a dream.
He saw thousands of guards surrounding his East Palace so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through. The murderous aura soared to the ninth heaven, causing his legs to tremble and staggering back several steps.
“You, you… have you rebelled?!”
This wasn’t real, this must be a dream! Feng Xiao pinched himself hard, and it hurt.
Suddenly, the guards automatically separated into two teams, making way for a man in black armor, as upright as a pine tree, to walk in from the courtyard gate, his eyes as sharp as an eagle falcon looking at him.
Two gazes were like sharp, curved hooks, gouging his flesh. Feng Xiao was so frightened that his body softened and he fell to the ground.
Feng Yue’s face was as heavy as water as he approached him step by step.
“Third brother? Why are you here?”
“Second brother, long time no see, how have you been?”
Fine beads of sweat oozed from Feng Xiao’s forehead. Facing Feng Yue’s provocation, he was no longer timid and fearful but straightened his back and glared back angrily.
“You really have wolfish ambitions!”
Feng Yue sneered, unmoved. “If I didn’t know what kind of person you were, I would still be working hard for your imperial cause. Your life-saving grace and the Empress’s earnest admonitions were once two shackles on me. I only realized it after living two lifetimes. Now I have broken free of these two shackles. I don’t believe in this destiny. What can it do to me?”
“You, you can’t kill me!”
“Why can’t I kill you?”
Feng Xiao took a deep breath and confronted him: “When I was young, you owed me a life-saving grace. How can you do such an ungrateful thing? Besides, I am your elder brother!”
“Has second brother ever thought that the life-saving grace you gave me that time was all an arrangement to control my destiny?”
“Ha, nonsense!! It was me who was punished by the Emperor, not you! Everyone dotes on you, loves you, and spoils you. What about me? Your and the Empress’s hypocrisy, and the Emperor’s cold-faced ruthlessness, are branded on my heart, one ugly scar after another!!”
Feng Yue raised his face and sank into distant memories: “I remember that I was taken into the deep forest by a small eunuch, and he disappeared in the blink of an eye. Later, only you found me. So many palace people and guards, why was it you who found me?”
Feng Xiao scolded: “You are too suspicious!”
“It’s not that I’m too suspicious, but rather that I should have understood a long time ago. I should have broken the truth to you a long time ago, but it has been left until now to reveal.” Feng Yue walked up to him with his hands behind his back, his eyebrows and eyes as cold as ice, “Second brother, stop pretending. In fact, you know in your heart that the person who is truly protected, the person who is loved, is you! It’s just that you have taken all the advantages and still want to stand on morality and condemn me, this treacherous official and villain.”
“You, you have hysteria!”
Feng Yue sighed softly, “Second brother, why don’t you admit it? Do you feel guilty in your heart, or do you feel that you didn’t get this favor in a fair and upright way? The Emperor and Empress both helped you to succeed, but you still ended up in complete defeat.”
Feng Xiao’s face turned red, wanting to refute, but not knowing where to start because what Feng Yue said was the truth.
All of them were facts!
Feng Yue suddenly felt sorrow welling up from within, “I am the one who should be crying and accusing injustice. I have lived in deceit and exploitation since I was a child, blinded by all the false affection and righteousness! But I will not cry for you because it is not worth it! I went to the battlefield to kill enemies when I was fifteen years old, guarding this Da Yuan country, and facing your deceptions, all will be erased under my blade, ceasing to exist.”
“Come, take thetàizǐ: crown prince (tàizǐ) into custody in theyè tíng yù: imperial prison (yè tíng yù) and await orders.”
Suddenly, Feng Xiao laughed wildly.
“Ahahahaha, Feng Yue, do you really think you’ve won?”
“Oh?”
“Do you know why you were able to enter this Imperial Palace so smoothly without anyone stopping you?”
“I’m all ears.”
“The Chen family army now relies on you as their backbone. As long as you are taken away as their backbone, they will no longer be able to kill their way into the capital under the banner of supporting a Feng family prince! But you are too difficult to kill, so this palace devised a plan to catch a turtle in a jar! Ahahahaha… Now that you have thrown yourself into the net, one hundred thousand Imperial Guards outside the palace have already assembled. If you surrender now, thistàizǐ: crown prince (tàizǐ) will spare your life!!”
Feng Yue looked surprised, with a hint of panic in his eyes.
Feng Xiao became more and more complacent as he watched: “You’re right, everyone is helping me, even heaven is helping me! What are you going to fight me with? The person who is now completely defeated is you!”
“Second brother, the Emperor really loved you very much. If the Emperor were still alive, our palace coup would not have been so smooth, and you could have lived a few more years. It’s a pity that you cut down the big tree that sheltered you with your own hands. How pitiful and hateful!”
“You’re about to die, and you still dare to talk back?”
Feng Yue put away the trace of panic and cooperated with him to act out the last play, “Then do you know who brought me here?”
“Of course, it’s the Imperial Guard Commander, Xiao Xuanyi! He is only loyal to the Emperor. This is what the Emperor had already arranged.”
“Commander Xiao is not loyal to the Emperor, but to power. To him, and to the world, it doesn’t matter who sits on this throne. What matters is that their own lives are good.”
“You, what do you mean by this?” Only at this moment did Feng Xiao know true fear.
Only to hear Feng Yue give a command: “Commander Xiao!”
As the words fell, Xiao Xuanyi, wearing a flying fish suit, strode into the hall and bowed deeply to Feng Yue, “This subordinate pays respects to the Prince.”
“Thetàizǐ: crown prince (tàizǐ) plotted to harm the late Emperor and concealed the news of his death, a crime that cannot be forgiven. Take him down!”
“This subordinate obeys the order.”
Feng Xiao’s entire body slumped to the ground, allowing Xiao Xuanyi and others to drag him down, his face ashen.
Not long after Feng Xiao was taken down, Feng Yue’s subordinates caught a sneaky eunuch and brought him to Feng Yue.
Xu Baobao was so frightened that his face turned pale, and his body trembled violently. He knelt down with a ‘plop’, “This servant, this servant pays respects to the Guangling Prince.”
“Eunuch Xu, why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the night? What are you running around for?”
Xu Baobao swallowed his saliva, “No, no, this, this servant got up at night and was startled and lost his way.”
Feng Yue looked at the bulging things in his arms. He wanted to escape overnight, so he must still have a back-up plan.
“What is it? Take it out.”
Xu Baobao hesitated until the guard next to Feng Yue drew his saber and shouted angrily: “Bold servant, the Prince ordered you to hand over the things! How dare you disobey the order?!”
Feng Yue raised his hand to stop the guards behind him: “Eunuch Xu has served the late Emperor for a lifetime and can be considered a first-rank powerful official. Don’t be rude. Eunuch Xu, when a tree falls, thehúsūn: monkeys (húsūn) scatter. The Zhao family is unsupported and cannot achieve anything even if you look for them, and they cannot save thetàizǐ: crown prince (tàizǐ) who has now been taken into custody. A wise man submits to circumstances, no need for this Prince to say anything more, right?”
Seeing that thetàizǐ: crown prince (tàizǐ) ‘s situation was gone and that the Emperor was now gone, with his strength alone, it was nothing more than a last-ditch effort, losing his life in vain.
After thinking about it, Xu Baobao took out the two objects he was carrying.
One was Feng Yue’s birth certificate, which clearly stated his origin, with the Emperor’s seal. The other was a will, which clearly stated that Feng Xiao was to be made thetàizǐ: crown prince (tàizǐ) .
Feng Yue first looked at the will and then at his birth certificate, but his body was still involuntarily radiating pain, and his eyes gradually turned red.
So it turned out that a person could really be so ruthless, all exploitation, without even a shred of sincerity.
This was a fact that he had already understood, but these things were placed in front of him again, compared with all the warm fatherly kindness and filial piety of yesterday, it was extremely ironic and disgusting.
“Prince, it’s late at night, these two things must not be left behind, this old servant will take them to burn.” Eunuch Yuan reminded him.
“What’s the use of burning them?” Feng Yue took a breath, put away the scroll, and handed the will to Eunuch Yuan, “Take it to theyè tíng yù: imperial prison (yè tíng yù), let thetàizǐ: crown prince (tàizǐ) take a look.”
As he spoke, Feng Yue sneered, “Let him also feel what it’s like to kill someone’s heart.”
Eunuch Yuan sighed secretly, took the will with both hands, and went to theyè tíng yù: imperial prison (yè tíng yù) that night with two servants.
Feng Xiao leaned against the wall, out of his wits, his eyes glazed over and scattered, staring blankly at the dim corners in a daze.
Suddenly, a sound of footsteps came from far to near, giving him a glimmer of hope. Could it be Eunuch Xu?!
He climbed up and lay down by the fence, looking towards the dark and damp end of the corridor.
The person who came was wearing a purple python robe, and at a glance, he was a powerful eunuch. Feng Xiao’s face lit up until the person walked out of the darkness, and he could see his appearance clearly.
“You are… Eunuch Yuan?” This person had been a popular figure beside the Empress, but he had not been seen again for a long time.
“Open the prison door.”
Eunuch Yuan ordered the jailer to open the prison door. He walked in with the will. After all, he had been a prince before, so Eunuch Yuan didn’t humiliate him much but said, “My Prince asked this old servant to hand this over to you to take a look.”
As he spoke, Eunuch Yuan threw the will at his feet.
Feng Xiao recognized what it was at a glance and hurriedly picked up the will. It was an edict to pass on the throne, which had already been stamped with the imperial seal, with the date of signature two years ago.
After reading it, Feng Xiao felt even more remorseful in his heart, and a monster seemed to be tearing him apart in his heart, making him extremely uncomfortable and painful.
Feng Xiao’s face was ferocious, and he howled and vented this regret.
“Ah-! Ah-!!!”
Eunuch Yuan looked at him and couldn’t help but sigh softly, “The throne was already within your reach, but you did so many superfluous things, by chance and by mistake, how sad and lamentable!”
The snow that had stopped for several days started to fall again in the third watch, and the cold wind howled, piercingly cold.
After sending the will to Feng Xiao, Eunuch Yuan took it to burn it and didn’t feel like watching Feng Xiao go crazy there, so he hurriedly went back.
At this time, the guards of the East Palace had already gone to guard the palace gate, and only ten thousand Imperial Guards were left in the palace, and Xiao Xuanyi sent them to check and guard.
Eunuch Yuan asked a night-shǒu: to defend, to guard (shǒu) ing palace maid, “Where is the Prince?”
“In response to the eunuch, the Prince has gone to theluò xiá gōng: sunset glow palace (luò xiá gōng).”
Eunuch Yuan’s expression sank slightly, and he dismissed the two small eunuchs beside him and went to look for him alone.
The currentluò xiá gōng: sunset glow palace (luò xiá gōng) was deserted, without even a palace person.
Eunuch Yuan walked into the hall very lightly, only to see Feng Yue holding a well-preserved dried hibiscus flower, sitting on the couch in a daze.
“Prince, it’s starting to snow outside again. This servant has changed this armor for you. Why don’t you wash up and rest?”
“This is the flower I gave to my mother.”
Eunuch Yuan smiled shallowly: “It’s very beautiful.”
“It bloomed the most beautifully in the garden, so I picked it and gave it to my mother, thinking she would definitely like it very much.”
Eunuch Yuan nodded: “The Empress liked it very much. It has been perfectly preserved and has been kept until today.”
“I also found the broken jade pendant in heryíwù: relics of the dead (yíwù). She said she was worried about me, so she went to pray for my safety. The night I learned that she had used me, I broke it in front of her.”
Eunuch Yuan sighed long, “In fact, many times, don’t listen to what she said, but feel what she has done. Words can deceive people, but what a person does is all from the heart and cannot be faked.”
“So, you mean that her concern for me was real, and her use of me was also real? She had maternal love for me, but not that much.”
“People’s hearts are very complicated, Prince. There is not so much pure love and affection in this world, especially when you are in a high position, it is even rarer!”
Suddenly, Feng Yue thought of Wei Xiaofeng, and his heart warmed again, “You’re right, sincerity is rare. I have Wei Xiaofeng, that’s enough. Why should I ask for those unreal things?”
Seeming to think of something, Feng Yue sighed with regret, “This year’s New Year’s Festival, I can’t rush back to accompany Wei Xiaofeng and Yan’er. I wonder how they are in Guangling now?”
Eunuch Yuan: “The late Emperor’s death, the whole country is in mourning and there will be a good period of busyness. After that, there will be the enthronement ceremony, and then the dragon robe and thefēngshàn: ancient ceremony performed by the emperor to worship Heaven and Earth (fēngshàn) sacrifice, which will take another half a year.”
“I hope it will be faster. The tedious rituals, save as much as you can!” Wei Xiaofeng is still waiting for him to go back. Now the good news is still on the way, and it will take at least half a month to receive it, so that he can be at ease.
“Yes.”
*
Chu Lingqiao waited all night, and there was no movement outside. He took Ying’er out of the secret passage.
All the way, they heard them say that the Da Yuan was about to change!
“He succeeded!” Chu Lingqiao was very happy and drove the carriage to the outside of the North Palace Gate with Ying’er. At this time, it was already bright.