Qin Zhiyan, how are you doing now? You were injured so severely, how do you still have the energy to remember these trivial matters? What should I do to take your pain, your injuries, your suffering upon myself?
Mu Lian’s voice said in a low tone: “You don’t need to worry too much about His Highness’s condition. His Highness has been operating in Great Qin for over ten years, and his strength should not be underestimated. Now the garrison generals from various places have all submitted memorials to the court, requesting a retrial of this case. The Eight Shamans of Nanjiang are imprisoned together with His Highness, and his injuries have basically been brought under control.”
Qing Xia was startled, suddenly raising her head with terror in her voice: “You said the garrisons from all regions have submitted memorials?”
“Yes.”
“Does Zhiyan know about this?”
Mu Lian was slightly stunned, saying in a deep voice: “After His Highness woke up, he only said those few words I just told you. I haven’t had time to inform him yet. But you can rest assured, I will handle these matters properly. If the Fourth Prince wants to cover the sky with one hand, it’s not that simple. After all, the military power is in our hands.”
“Foolish!” Qing Xia suddenly said in a deep voice: “You’re going to get him killed.”
Mu Lian’s eyebrows shot up, angrily saying: “What do you mean by that?”
“Prince Xuan privately mobilizing troops, allowing his mother to commit violence, assassinating Prince Qin—what grave crimes are these? If you add another charge of wielding troops for personal power and forming factions for private gain, the accusations will be firmly established. By then, there won’t even be a chance to turn things around.”
Mu Lian said dismissively: “Such pedantic thinking. As long as we hold military power, those civilian officials and ministers will compromise at the final moment. You needn’t concern yourself.”
“Among those people, can you distinguish who truly submitted memorials wanting to protect Zhiyan, who is merely going with the flow, and who harbors ulterior motives under someone else’s instructions? Moreover, from last night to today is only one day. According to the usual speed of message transmission, the border towns couldn’t possibly have received the news. Yet in such a short time, their memorials have already reached the Golden Throne Hall. Can’t you see through the reasons behind this? If you truly raise troops, how confident are you that those ministers will all follow behind your horse? Anyone can wave flags and cheer, but once it comes to open conflict, how many can truly be used by you? These layers of relationships, the undercurrents of human connections—are you certain you can sort them all out? Once your uprising fails, you’ll instead be branded with the crime of rebellion. By then, Prince Xuan’s manor will be even more unable to clear its name!”
Qing Xia’s voice was clear and sharp. Mu Lian’s face gradually turned pale. She had certainly harbored doubts about these matters, but hadn’t thought as far ahead as Qing Xia. Hearing Qing Xia’s analysis now, she couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat, rendered speechless.
“Then, what should we do now?”
Qing Xia slowly took a deep breath, saying in a deep voice: “First tell me the specific situation outside.”
Mu Lian said: “Although Prince Xuan’s manor hasn’t been confiscated yet, people’s hearts are wavering, and it’s already in complete chaos. Several stewards of the outer courtyards have already fled with their belongings. The Yan Character Battalion has been incorporated by the Fourth Prince and will be disbanded and scattered tomorrow, distributed among various military camps. The Crown Prince is dead, the Emperor is severely injured and unconscious, Prince Yan is under house arrest, the other princes have all withdrawn to their homes not daring to make any noise. The Fourth Prince has incorporated Xianyang’s city defense and gained military power over two garrison locations. Now he’s already the implicit new master of Great Qin. Consort Yao and Princesses Hong Xiao and An Kang have been imprisoned in the Shanglü Academy, forced to confess under torture, their crimes already established. Now they only need to try His Highness once more to finalize the sentence. The Fourth Prince is conducting a great purge in court. In just one day, ministers and military generals who were once closely associated with His Highness have been arrested and their homes confiscated. The prison cells at Shanglü Academy are already overcrowded, and they’ve begun moving prisoners to the Supervision Pavilion on your side. The capital is under lockdown—no one can leave through the city gates. The Eighth Prince and General Lu Huayang haven’t received the news and are still on their way to Xianyang.”
Qing Xia nodded, saying in a deep voice: “For now, the priority is to stabilize the morale at Prince Xuan’s manor, control the properties under his name, and find a way to notify the Eighth Prince and General Lu. As long as we have those two, no one will dare to easily harm His Highness.”
“What should I do?”
“I must get out immediately!”
“What?”
Qing Xia turned her head, staring fixedly into Mu Lian’s eyes, saying word by word: “I must get out immediately!”
In the third year and first spring after Great Qin’s division, on the seventh day of the fourth month, marked the beginning of a turbulent situation. On that very evening, Great Qin’s war god Qin Zhiyan took the lead in striking on his wedding day, executing the Crown Prince, injuring Prince Qin, privately mobilizing troops, and preparing to force the palace, yet failed at the final moment. He was decisively defeated by the Fourth Prince Qin Zhiye, who had always kept a low profile. Like a mountain collapsing, Prince Xuan’s manor fell, its great banner toppled. The ever-victorious war god Qin Zhiyan finally suffered defeat in the court’s calculations, imprisoned in Shanglü Academy for investigation. Great Qin’s iron cavalry, the Yan Character Battalion, was disbanded, Prince Xuan’s manor properties were confiscated, and in one night, over three hundred and seventy veteran ministers of the court were arrested and their homes raided. Within Xianyang city, people were panicked, military morale was unstable, and everyone lived in fear.
The succession struggle among Great Qin’s princes had finally begun with such a bloody opening. The Crown Prince was dead, Prince Yan imprisoned, Prince Xuan charged with crimes, Prince Qin in critical condition and unconscious—the entire Great Qin imperial family’s power balance was instantly disrupted. Fourth Prince Qin Zhiye made his high-profile entrance, brazenly stepping onto the Taihe Great Hall with the status of a prince of foreign blood, sitting upright and proud before the supreme dragon throne, casually commanding troops and wielding his brush with composure. In an instant, the court was in upheaval and purged, personnel frequently transferred. This prince who had always been quiet and silent suddenly seized Great Qin’s territory with lightning speed, grasping the handle of the world’s blade.
At this very moment, Eighth Prince Qin Zhixiang and Southeast Navy Junior General Lu Huayang were still on their way to the imperial capital, while eight hundred thousand troops from Xuanqi and Baihui provinces were stationed on the eastern advance road, waiting for them to walk into the trap.
Just when the entire imperial city was filled with alarm and everyone believed Prince Xuan’s faction had suffered such a crushing defeat that recovery was impossible, completely withdrawing from Great Qin’s imperial succession struggle, secret orders flew out like snowflakes, starting from inconspicuous small matters, increasingly and chaotically triggering this bloody coup.
Qing Xia finished writing the last letter, handed it to Mu Lian outside, then slowly leaned back in her chair and gradually closed her eyes.
“Will this really work?” Mu Lian looked it over once, then frowned, saying in a deep voice: “Do those two have this capability?”
“Capability isn’t important—what’s important is whether they have this ambition.” Qing Xia’s voice was cold as ice, giving a chilly laugh: “He thinks that by eliminating Zhiyan and Prince Yan, he can monopolize power and rest easy. I refuse to let him have his wish. As long as someone steps forward to stir up trouble, we can have sufficient time to extricate ourselves from this involvement. What you need to do now is meet with Consort Yao and her daughters. These foolish women who accomplish nothing but ruin everything will become the key to this reversal.”
“When do you plan to get out?”
“Today.”
On the evening of the ninth day of the fourth month, a tremendous explosion shattered the sweet dreams of everyone in Xianyang. A massive fireball burned fiercely in the direction of the city’s south, affecting three main streets. Fortunately, this area housed the military’s Construction Bureau with no civilian residents, otherwise it might have caused even greater casualties.
Xianyang’s current prominent figure was enjoying pleasant dreams when he was suddenly awakened, making him quite angry. Qin Zhiye frowned, pushed away the charming dancing girl, stood up naked without any shame, threw on an outer robe, and said in a deep voice: “You’d better give me a reasonable explanation.”
“Your Highness Prince Xiang, the Construction Bureau has exploded. The fire is spreading uncontrollably and has already burned three streets in succession.”
Qin Zhiye was startled, his brow furrowing tightly. With his long-cherished wish finally fulfilled, he had inevitably become somewhat carried away. He had just consecutively favored three dancing girls and hadn’t even heard such a loud noise.
“Dress me, and come with me to take a look.”
The Construction Bureau in the city’s south had now become a sea of flames. Even elders in their sixties had never seen such a massive fire. Water poured on it was completely ineffective—instead, it seemed to make the fire grow larger. Though combustible materials around the area had been removed, the very air seemed to be burning. By the time Qin Zhiye arrived, the fire had spread from three streets to six. Countless residents gathered around, while those who had lost their homes wept bitterly. The elderly were greatly alarmed, chattering about how in their decades of life they had never seen such an ominous fire—there must be something evil about it.
Qin Zhiye’s expression was gloomy. Just as he was about to scold the people for spreading superstitious nonsense, suddenly there was a loud explosion. Several capital soldiers were blown to pieces, not even having time to scream before losing their lives.
“Your Highness! Please summon Princess Minrui. She previously warned us to be careful of fires, saying that once a fire started it would be difficult to extinguish, and to notify her immediately.”
“Get lost!” Qin Zhiye snorted coldly, his gaze sharp: “You can’t even put out a simple fire—what use are you? Drag him away and execute him!”
A scream immediately rang out as the Construction Bureau’s deputy commander became a victim of the blade. Several Hu barbarian attendants followed beside Qin Zhiye—broad-shouldered, thick-waisted, and extremely fierce. These barbarians had originally been lower-class people in Great Qin, frequently suffering discrimination from the Han Chinese. But after Qin Zhiye took power, these people rose with the tide, becoming even more ruthless in their actions.
In this brief time, the fire spread even further. Numerous citizens fled their homes, dragging their families to watch the great fire consume all their possessions.
When the fire engulfed the entire southern part of the city, even Qin Zhiye began to feel somewhat alarmed. He couldn’t let the capital city of Xianyang be reduced to ashes on his first day in power. At this moment, the Construction Bureau’s master craftsman ran forward weeping bitterly, shouting loudly: “Your Highness, please summon Princess Minrui quickly, or by tomorrow morning, all of Xianyang will be reduced to ruins!”
Qin Zhiye felt his scalp tingling as he saw the flames roaring fiercely, torrential tongues of fire having already devoured the southern districts’ streets and alleys, seemingly about to reach the imperial city. The people all knelt at Qin Zhiye’s feet, crying loudly and begging him to release that woman from Penglai Immortal Valley to save their property.