Yuwen Chonghe emerged from the Daxing Palace, and for much of the journey home he could barely suppress his laughter — because he was now absolutely certain that the Emperor could not do without him.
The capital currently had tens of thousands of Imperial Guards, and their commanders were all Liu Chongxin’s men. If the Emperor were to issue an open decree moving against Liu Chongxin, those commanders might, out of fear, preemptively depose the Emperor himself. Liu Chongxin was not without options — he could still go and respectfully welcome the Third Prince back to ascend the throne.
“His Majesty dares not use the Imperial Guards. He must wait for Liu Chongxin to die before he can move against them.”
Yuwen Chonghe stroked his beard with a light smile. “Your Majesty, it is perfectly plain to see now — who else can he rely on but the Yuwen family? It is not only the Third Prince who has his eye on that throne; His Majesty’s various uncles are watching as well.”
His eldest son, Yuwen Chi, laughed. “For the moment, the Left Vanguard Guard and the Right Martial Guard in the capital are His Majesty’s only bulwark.”
The府兵 — garrison troops — of both guard divisions were presently in the Yuwen family’s hands. If the Emperor wished to do anything at all, his every move depended on the Yuwen family’s goodwill.
“Father.”
Yuwen Cong asked, “Then — shall we truly obey the Emperor’s order and draw up the two guard divisions in battle formation outside the city walls?”
“It makes no difference.”
Yuwen Chonghe smiled. “I have already forewarned the Imperial Guard commander, Liu Bu’ang. I told him that if he wants to live, he must come over to our side rather than cling to Liu Chongxin. Liu Chongxin is finished. By standing with us, he can continue to serve as Imperial Guard commander under me.”
Yuwen Cong smiled and said, “Liu Bu’ang is no fool. He will certainly attach himself to Father. If His Majesty can change his master, Liu Bu’ang can change his as well.”
Yuwen Chonghe said, “You and your brothers take up positions outside the city walls; I will watch from the battlements. Keep the city gates secured. I’ll have Liu Bu’ang’s Imperial Guards hold the four gates of the palace city. Detach units to stand ready for deployment at any moment. Who else does our Emperor have to call upon? The palace maids and eunuchs inside Daxing Palace?”
“Ha ha ha ha…”
Yuwen Chi doubled over with laughter. “Father,” he said through his laughter, “once Liu Chongxin is killed, all we need to do is petition the throne to seal and investigate the Surveillance Bureau — the take will be at least several million taels.”
Yuwen Chonghe nodded. “Dispatch your scouts. If Liu Chongxin truly returns with the troops from the Jingzhou Grand Camp, let him learn what it means to have nowhere to turn.”
“In front of him stands the impregnable capital, backed by the two guard divisions in your hands. Behind him stands Prince Wu’s Left Martial Guard. What do you suppose the officers and men of the Jingzhou Grand Camp will think — will they be willing to lay down their lives for Liu Chongxin?”
Yuwen Chonghe said, “Once Prince Wu enters the capital, we seize the military authority of the Left Martial Guard. With several hundred thousand troops in our Yuwen family’s grasp, His Majesty will have no choice but to dance to our tune.”
He let out a long breath and struck the air beside him with a heavy, decisive slap.
“It is the Yuwen family’s turn!”
—
Daxing Palace.
Emperor Yang Jing studied the middle-aged man standing before him, and after a moment of silence said, “Pu Nu — Father used you for sixteen years. I have no intention of finding a replacement. I will always trust you.”
Pu Nu bowed low. “Your servant is grateful, Your Majesty.”
Yang Jing said, “I know that when you went to apprehend the assassin Yao Wuhen, your sword was cut down by him. Therefore I intend to give you a blade.”
He rose and accepted a wooden sword case from the chief eunuch, Jing Tingming. He held it out to Pu Nu and said, “This is one of Dachu’s Three Imperial Swords — Breaker of Armor. This sword can cleave iron as though it were mud, and there is nothing it cannot cut through. Today I entrust this sword to you. Bear it in my stead.”
“Your servant prostrates himself in gratitude, Your Majesty.”
Pu Nu immediately fell to his knees. He knew full well what the Three Imperial Swords represented — blades of the Great Chu dynasty’s imperial line, symbols of the Emperor himself. What mattered most to him was the recognition of his standing.
“With this sword on your person, you act in my name. So long as the sword remains, you carry the Emperor’s mandate.”
The Emperor took a measured breath and said, “I hope you will serve me as you served my father. The realm has not changed — it is still the imperial house’s realm…”
Yang Jing reached out and helped Pu Nu to his feet. “Others may not know who you truly are, but do you think I don’t? The Chu Imperial Sword Art is not transmitted to outsiders — yet a Chu Imperial Sword Art practiced without an actual Chu Imperial Sword will always fall short.”
Pu Nu’s expression shifted and changed repeatedly. This sword — its weight was far too great.
The founding emperor of Great Chu had risen from the jianghu, and his swordsmanship had been without peer. By the precedent he established, each new emperor upon ascending the throne was to select a person of exceptional talent from within the imperial clan and transmit to him the Chu Imperial Sword Manual. This person, having mastered the Chu Imperial Sword Art, would thereafter conceal his identity — even forfeit his sense of self, even his life — with one sole purpose: to protect the Emperor.
When the old emperor passed and a new emperor ascended, he would likewise select someone from within the clan, handing that person over to the previous sword-bearer to be trained in the Chu Imperial Sword Art.
Yet here lay Pu Nu’s particular sorrow: the old Emperor had never given him the Breaker of Armor from beginning to end. The old Emperor was at once pitiable and hateful — he was the Emperor, yet he had grown ever less willing to trust any man who bore the Yang surname. Even as he entrusted his very life to Pu Nu, he refused to give him the sword.
The old Emperor’s reign had been long. The previous sword-bearer had died unexpectedly from illness, and Pu Nu had stepped in to succeed him. His gifts were considerable, and he had taught himself the Chu Imperial Sword Art — but Breaker of Armor had never been in his hand. That had always been a thorn lodged in his heart.
Yet Pu Nu continued to hold fast to the founding emperor’s teachings, even though this had never been fair to him.
The founding emperor had been a man of the jianghu — once the master of a school. In the days before he rose to power, his sect had been divided into an inner house and an outer house. The inner-house disciples were considered his personal students; the outer-house disciples occupied a far lower standing. Though they too would learn swordcraft, they would never receive the true transmission, and no matter how gifted they were, they could never inherit the position of sect master.
After the founding emperor ascended the throne and established Great Chu, he divided the Yang clan in the same manner — into an inner lineage and an outer lineage. The inner lineage was composed of his direct descendants, while the outer lineage comprised the collateral branches of the Yang clan.
Every generation of the outer lineage was fated to give their lives to protect the inner lineage. Every generation’s sword-bearer, too, was chosen from the outer Yang.
The same Yang blood in their veins — and yet they were made sword-slaves.
Yang Jing looked at Pu Nu and spoke with sincerity. “I have already drafted the decree. Once Liu Chongxin is killed, I will abolish the inner and outer distinction established by the founding emperor. We are all Dachu’s imperial clan together — what need is there to divide us into inner and outer? The outer lineage’s blood is Yang blood as well.”
He paused before continuing. “I have already reached out to the outer lineage in advance, asking them to return and assist me. Now the whole court and all its ministers are each pursuing their private interests, not one of them sincerely serving the throne. The Yang family’s realm must stay in the Yang family’s own hands.”
Pu Nu prostrated himself once more. His eyes had already reddened. His Majesty’s words had struck the deepest wound in his heart.
Hundreds of years. The outer lineage could at last hold its head high.
“Once Liu Chongxin is dead, I intend to select men from the outer lineage to take command of the Imperial Guards, the Jingzhou Grand Camp, the…”
He lowered his voice and murmured several sentences in Pu Nu’s ear. Pu Nu’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with astonishment.
The Emperor slowly exhaled. His voice took on a faint chill as he said, “Those contemptible wretches — all the power they hold was given to them by the imperial clan, given to them by the Yang family. Yet they use the very power the imperial clan bestowed upon them to coerce the imperial clan, to deceive the imperial clan, and now even to plot treason! I will take all of that imperial authority back.”
He looked at Pu Nu and said, “The imperial clan shall not be trifled with!”
Pu Nu gave a firm nod. “The imperial clan shall not be trifled with!”
—
Several days later, outside the capital.
Liu Chongxin stared at the tens of thousands of troops arrayed outside the city in disciplined battle formation, his expression as sour as a man who had just swallowed a dead rat. Yuwen Chonghe actually dared to bar him from the city gates. That old fox who had always been so meek and deferential before him had transformed into a biting wolf.
—
Daxing Palace.
The Emperor sat on the dragon throne and gazed out at the several hundred people gathered in the great hall. After a long silence he said, “Today I entrust my life and death to all of you.”
Several hundred people prostrated themselves in unison. “We will follow unto death!”
These several hundred people were the Emperor’s personal guard of sworn retainers from his Eastern Palace, men he had spent years training.
“Hold Daxing Palace.”
The Emperor rose to his feet and cried out, “If we can hold Daxing Palace, we hold the realm of Great Chu. If we cannot hold it, then today I will die alongside all of you.”
“Long live His Majesty!”
The crowd shouted from below.
“Long live His Majesty!”
“Long live His Majesty!”
Someone came sprinting in from outside the hall and dropped to his knees. “Your Majesty — it has — it has begun! The fighting has started!”
The Emperor made a sound of acknowledgment. He let out a slow, measured breath and said, “Seal the palace gates. Wait for Prince Wu to enter the city.”
Two hours later, Yuwen Chonghe stood on the city wall and glanced back toward the palace city. Sudden understanding washed over him. He let out a cold snort and said, “So that is it. Go and pass the order to Liu Bu’ang — tell him to storm Daxing Palace and drag the Emperor out!”
His subordinates moved immediately to relay the command.
Another hour passed. The Imperial Guards launched a fierce assault on Daxing Palace. Holding the interior were the Emperor’s sworn retainers from the Eastern Palace — and the palace maids and eunuchs — every last one of them having taken up weapons to defend the palace gates.
—
The following day.
The Emperor donned his armor and stood on the battlements alongside his sworn retainers to resist the Imperial Guards’ relentless assault. By the afternoon, for reasons no one could quite explain, vast numbers of common people came flooding in from all directions. With no fear of death, they charged at the Imperial Guards and formed a ring of defense around the outer perimeter of the palace.
After another full day of bitter fighting, Prince Wu arrived.
Outside the city gates, Prince Wu spurred his horse to within a dozen or so yards of Liu Chongxin and asked him, “Why have you attacked the capital?”
Liu Chongxin roared in fury, “That old traitor Yuwen Chonghe has already taken His Majesty captive! I am here to rescue His Majesty!”
Prince Wu was silent for a moment. Then he snapped his head around toward Tong Meng and shouted, “What are you waiting for? The time has come to slay this eunuch villain!”
Tong Meng started, then his face went white with terror. He looked toward Liu Chongxin. “Director — Godfather! Do not be swayed by his provocation!”
Prince Wu drew his long saber and bellowed, “Raise my banner!”
The personal guards behind him immediately raised the standard of the Left Martial Guard.
“By imperial decree — punish the rebels, slay the traitors!”
Prince Wu roared and spurred his horse into a charge. The Jingzhou Army numbered more than a hundred thousand, but none of them dared stand in Prince Wu’s path. Wherever his banner passed, soldiers threw down their weapons and surrendered.
In only half a day, Prince Wu took command of the Jingzhou Grand Camp. He also captured both Liu Chongxin and Tong Meng alive. He ordered the army to pull back, then rode to the city gates with his personal guard. With his long saber pointing toward the defenders on the walls, he cried, “Open the gates and you will not be held to account. If you force me to storm this city, every one of your nine familial lines will be exterminated.”
Prince Wu bore the reputation of being the Martial God of Great Chu. Was there a soldier in the entire Chu military who did not hold him in awe?
The garrison troops on the walls exchanged glances. No matter how urgently the Yuwen family’s men commanded them, not one of them dared to loose an arrow at Prince Wu.
“If you do not dare to kill me, why will you not join me in slaying these traitors?! Open the gates, execute the wicked, and you will all be meritorious subjects of Great Chu!”
Prince Wu’s voice thundered out. “Whoever opens the gates first — first honors!”
The Yuwen family had been convinced that holding the two guard divisions gave them control of the capital. What they had not anticipated was that a single declaration from Prince Wu would reduce those garrison soldiers to helpless terror.
The city gates opened wide. Prince Wu led his army pouring into the capital.
That day, Prince Wu unleashed a storm of killing throughout the city. Of the more than thirty thousand Imperial Guards who had besieged Daxing Palace, Prince Wu cut down more than ten thousand; the rest all knelt in surrender.
Prince Wu then issued orders to seal off the Yuwen family’s estate, to raid and search Liu Chongxin’s mansion, and to have Imperial Guard Commander Liu Bu’ang’s entire household exterminated. He commanded the Left Martial Guard to take over the city’s defenses, put the surrendered Imperial Guard troops under the watch of the Jingzhou Grand Camp forces, and ordered the Left Vanguard Guard and the Right Martial Guard to withdraw outside the capital and await further orders.
—
Daxing Palace — outside the palace gates.
Prince Wu, drenched in the blood of battle, walked to the gates and knelt on both knees.
“Your Majesty — your servant has returned!”
On the palace walls, Emperor Yang Jing burst into laughter — roaring with laughter until his voice cracked and his throat gave out.
—