Crown Princess Dowager Lu, hearing the news, also felt a chill in her heart. Prince Zhennan was the Grand Prince’s direct lineage, controlled military authority himself with the Prefecture Guard, and though old was still vigorous and capable. If something happened to him in Jin region, it would truly be disadvantageous for Zhou Weizhao. As for the Cui family, there was even less to say—the Cui family was Song Chuyi’s maternal family, a prominent clan in Jin region. Once Prince Gong seized military power and completely rebelled, the first thing he would do was use Prince Zhennan and the Cui family as sacrificial flags.
But now with heaven high and the emperor far away, both the Cui family and Prince Zhennan were far off in Jin region. No matter how long the capital’s reach, it couldn’t extend to Jin region. Crown Princess Dowager Lu was deeply worried, her well-maintained fingernails breaking off a section unconsciously. She looked toward Song Chuyi and asked: “If Prince Gong obtains military power, will he immediately rebel?”
If he immediately rebelled, others aside, the Cui family and Prince Zhennan would have no salvation.
Speaking of which, the error had occurred with Hongfa. If he hadn’t been bribed, with the Imperial Guard’s methods, Prince Gong would have long since been beheaded. Where would there be so many troubles?
Now there was also the troublesome character Han Zhengqing, which truly gave everyone a severe headache.
Prince Gong himself was also asking Chief Clerk the same question: “Rebel or not?”
Chief Clerk stroked his chin and observed the sky, carefully studying the celestial phenomena for a while before turning back and shaking his head: “The time is not yet ripe.” Seeing Prince Gong already anxious like a raging lion, he first reached out to pour him a cup of tea: “Your Highness, now is still not the time.”
Behind them, towering flames reflected in the distant lake, turning half of it red. Prince Gong glanced back and sneered aloud: “How is the time not ripe? Once this prince captures Prince Zhennan and uses his head as a sacrificial flag, what would not be the right time?!”
The pursuit and blockades along this entire journey had exhausted his body and spirit. With great difficulty, with the help of Guangping Prefecture’s magistrate, he successfully escaped the Cui family’s pursuit and blockade, secretly returned to Taiyuan to contact his trusted confidant—Left Guard Army Commander Wu Qianli. Together with Wu Qianli, he had schemed and plotted to trap Prince Zhennan’s party in the Taiyuan Prefecture magistrate’s office. Now this towering firelight was the best revenge against them.
Even Prince Zhennan was already in their hands. Inside were also Left Guard Commander Lin Chong and Central Guard Commander Bai Guan, who had originally prepared to transfer military authority to Prince Zhennan. With these three people caught in one net, how could he worry about not being able to grasp all of Jin region in his hands again?!
Speaking of this, he couldn’t spare time to waste words with Chief Clerk anymore. He turned back to ask Wu Feng: “Only left one exit?”
Speaking of which, this was still Han Zhengqing’s suggestion to him. Han Zhengqing had him secretly contact Wu Qianli through the extremely skilled Wu Feng, then have Wu Qianli pretend to agree to transfer military power and have the Taiyuan magistrate host a banquet inviting Prince Zhennan’s party along with Lin Chong and Bai Guan to visit the magistrate’s office. Then they devised this fire attack strategy, planning to control Prince Zhennan and Vice Minister of Personnel’s entire party.
Originally the Cui family was also included in this plan, but unfortunately the Cui family’s sense of smell was sharper than a fox’s. Long ago they had already begun to close their doors and not venture out, and were sending people everywhere to gather intelligence. Prince Gong sneered coldly, the loathing in his eyes becoming even more obvious.
Wu Feng’s face bore a triumphant smile, his words decisive and resonant: “Your Highness can rest assured. It’s already surrounded like an iron barrel, with only one opening left. They’ll either be burned to death by fire, or escape and be captured alive by us.”
Excitement burst forth in Prince Gong’s eyes. He called out “Good!” and stood with his hands behind his back, watching the residence before him being engulfed by the fire dragon. However much he had been hunted in such wretched circumstances, however many times he had nearly died by the blade, today he would collect it all back with principal and interest.
This was only a beginning. Prince Zhennan—his face bore a smile, yet his eyes held no mirth at all. After Prince Zhennan would come the Cui family. He wanted this Cui family, which had extended in Jin region for several hundred years without being uprooted, to be utterly destroyed with their families ruined and people dead. He wanted Jin region to have no more Cui clan. He wanted everyone who supported Zhou Weizhao to die.
Chief Clerk remained somewhat worried throughout. Seeing Prince Gong ignore him, he couldn’t help but call out “Your Highness.”
Prince Gong finally turned his head to look at him. That gaze was ice-cold and emotionless, making Chief Clerk involuntarily shudder.
“If you are afraid, sir, you may go to my treasury and select whatever you wish. Whatever sir fancies, take it all. I guarantee sir’s wealth for this lifetime and will send sir to a place unaffected by me.” After speaking, he strode forward with Wu Feng and others to observe the fire’s intensity.
From inside came vague sounds of people crying and screaming for help. Chief Clerk turned a deaf ear, his face white, nearly shedding tears. Where was fear?! If he were afraid, this single hand wouldn’t have been severed! Looking at his empty left arm, he felt sorrow well up from within. He rushed forward and knelt before Prince Gong, blocking his path, speaking sentence by sentence with tears streaming down: “Your Highness! How am I such a person who fears death?! If I truly had that intention, may heaven strike me with lightning and let me die a terrible death! When I say the time is not ripe, it truly is not ripe. Your Highness has indeed returned to Jin region now and has trapped Prince Zhennan in the residence to either burn to death or capture alive, but what will Your Highness use to win the hearts of the people? Even adding General Han’s one hundred forty thousand troops, you altogether have only two hundred thousand soldiers. With just these people, what will you use to contend with the court?!”
Prince Gong stopped his steps and looked at Chief Clerk’s left sleeve fluttering in the wind, finally sighing: “Rise!” He also extended his hand to help him up.
Chief Clerk’s left hand had been lost when protecting him and fighting off pursuers sent by Prince Zhennan. Thinking of this, he did feel grateful for Chief Clerk’s devotion. Chief Clerk had after all followed him for quite some time.
Chief Clerk, seeing he was finally willing to listen, breathed a sigh of relief and stood up, his voice already carrying sobs: “Your Highness, please see clearly—I am absolutely not one who fears death. But Your Highness should know, where the people’s hearts go is where the people’s will lies. Now His Majesty has already issued an edict saying you are dead. As long as His Majesty lives one more day, if you dare raise the banner of rebellion, you are a rebellious subject and traitor. With one sentence from His Majesty calling you a rebellious subject and unfilial traitor, your mouth will be blocked. What will you use then to win hearts? Since ancient times, those who win the people’s hearts win the realm…”
Scholars always liked to think about such convoluted matters. Prince Gong was somewhat dismissive: “With General Han assisting me, success should come smoothly.”
But this time even Wu Feng frankly echoed Chief Clerk’s words: “Chief Clerk is not wrong, Your Highness. His Majesty is your father and also the ruler of the nation. If your reason for raising troops cannot convince the masses, I fear all under heaven will refuse to submit to you.”
Throughout history, rebellions always needed a suitable pretext. If Emperor Jianzhang had died, it would be easy to fabricate a reason. The trouble was precisely that Emperor Jianzhang was alive and well. No matter what Prince Gong said, rebelling against his own father violated ritual and law, and would be spurned by all under heaven.