In the central military tent, Yan Ze sat at the position below Yan Chi’s left, speaking with a slightly cool tone, “Yan Chi, you truly haven’t disappointed me.”
Yan Chi sat in the main seat, while Qin Wan sat opposite Yan Ze. Besides these three, there was no one else in the tent.
Hearing these words, Yan Chi gave an ambiguous smile, “Third Brother comes to negotiate a surrender, yet these words don’t suit your position.”
Upon hearing this, Yan Ze laughed, and this laugh was genuine, with several traces of bright waves appearing in his eyes, “I truly didn’t expect the Empress would abandon the Northern Prefecture Army so easily, freely handing the opportunity to you.”
Yan Chi raised an eyebrow, and Qin Wan exchanged a glance with him before saying, “It wasn’t the Empress’s decision, but General Zhao’s. The Empress was severely injured, and when we headed south, she was still unconscious. That injury affected her internal organs, and it likely won’t heal for three to five years. The old general’s health is also deteriorating.”
A flash of surprise crossed Yan Ze’s eyes, followed by sudden understanding, “So that’s how it is. In that case, I haven’t misjudged the Empress after all.”
Yan Ze muttered as if talking to himself, then continued, “But let’s return to the matter at hand. I know you’re determined to take Lin’an, and in the current situation, His Majesty has no strength to resist. However, I know you are both kindhearted people who presumably don’t want Lin’an to experience warfare, otherwise you wouldn’t have camped outside the city.”
Yan Chi narrowed his eyes, “So what can Third Brother do for us?”
As these words fell, Yan Ze’s eyebrows raised slightly. First saying he came to negotiate a surrender, but now asking what he could do for them—clearly showing that Yan Chi had known his intentions from the start.
Seeing Yan Ze’s intriguing expression, Yan Chi said, “Third Brother possesses both strategy and countless schemes. Since you’ve seen the current situation clearly and aren’t truly serving the Emperor, you naturally haven’t come to negotiate surrender. Since you’ve come under the banner of negotiation, you must have something to tell me personally.”
Yan Ze looked at Yan Chi with slightly narrowed eyes, “I was originally unwilling, but since you’ve come to Lin’an, I suppose it’s fine.”
Yan Chi fixed his gaze on Yan Ze, “If it weren’t me who came, would Third Brother have wanted to be the one on that imperial throne?”
Yan Ze merely smiled without speaking, and Yan Chi continued, “You took pains to help the Empress go north, and a hundred thousand Northern Prefecture troops are no small number. You anticipated that the Emperor wouldn’t spare the Empress, and at that time, dealing with her would require all his effort, not to mention there was also Shuoxi. Thus, Lin’an came to have such empty defenses. However, you didn’t expect that I would come south, and so quickly at that, leaving you with no countermeasures. Moreover, we know about the evil deeds you’ve done, so you’ve come to negotiate surrender.”
Each word Yan Chi spoke penetrated the heart, and after finishing, he added, “Though you had your reasons, you’ve implicated too many innocent people. How do you plan to atone for your crimes now?”
The smile on Yan Ze’s face disappeared, as he could hear that Yan Chi was not joking.
Yan Chi was one thing, but Qin Wan was someone who clearly distinguished right from wrong. Even if he had no flaws, this matter was already tacitly understood. If Yan Chi ascended to the throne, how could Prince Yi’s mansion or he remain as before?
Seeing Qin Wan also looking at him with grave eyes, Yan Ze still maintained his composure, “I can help you achieve your wishes while sparing Lin’an from warfare.”
Yan Chi frowned at Yan Ze, who smiled and stood up, “Wait for my news in two days. After two days, I can naturally let you enter the city without expending a single soldier.”
After saying this, Yan Ze turned to leave. Yan Chi and Qin Wan both stood up, and they saw Yan Ze stop at the doorway without turning back, saying, “I’m not trying to atone for my crimes. I just want him to pay the price he should. In this world, no one can judge my crimes.”
Yan Ze left after dropping these words.
Yan Chi and Qin Wan exchanged glances, both with eyes full of hesitation.
After a moment, Qin Wan asked, “What should we do? Should we wait for his two days?”
Yan Chi narrowed his eyes and gave a cold laugh, “What harm is there in giving him two days? It doesn’t matter either way.”
Yan Ze left the central military tent and walked out under the watchful eyes of all the soldiers in the camp.
At the camp entrance, he mounted his horse, looked back once more in the direction of the central tent, then turned and rode into the city!
Now the Lin’an city gates were under the control of the Nine Cities Patrol. At this time, Yue Jia and the Duke of Weiguo Peng Huaichu were both on the city wall. Seeing Yan Ze return, they immediately ordered the gates to be opened wide. After Yan Ze entered, the two came down from the wall, with Peng Huaichu wearing an anxious expression, “How did it go?”
Yan Ze didn’t dismount, just smiled and said, “Your Grace need not worry, the Prince of Rui won’t attack the city within two days.”
Yue Jia’s eyes brightened, surprised that Yan Ze had succeeded. Peng Huaichu wanted to ask more, but Yan Ze had already ridden toward the palace gates.
Peng Huaichu sighed, “Only two days, but what about after that?”
Yue Jia thought for a moment, then couldn’t help saying, “Your Grace, do you think you and I can defend this city?”
Peng Huaichu looked at Yue Jia, “Young Master’s words… His Majesty has given orders, we can only obey, surely we can’t…”
Yue Jia smiled without saying more, but Peng Huaichu, seeing such a calculating look in Yue Jia’s eyes, understood. As the head of the three great ducal families and a military man, Peng Huaichu’s mind was no slower than Yue Rong’s. He thought for a moment and caught up to ask, “Has the Marquis of An’yang sent any family letters?”
Seeing no one around, Yue Jia said, “The Rong barbarians fled to Cang Prefecture, and Father must recapture it.”
Hearing this, a faint light flashed in Peng Huaichu’s eyes, and after a while, he let out a long breath.
Meanwhile, Yan Ze rode quickly to the palace gates, entered the palace, and went straight to Chongzheng Hall. Yan Han was waiting for his news in Chongzheng Hall, and upon seeing him arrive, didn’t even wait for him to perform courtesies before asking, “What did Yan Chi say?! Did he agree to return to Shuoxi?”
Yan Ze cupped his hands, “He hasn’t agreed! He made a demand!”
Yan Han frowned, “Demand? What demand?”
Yan Ze said with a grave face, “He came this time firstly for the death of Prince Rui, and secondly for the more than ten thousand Shuoxi army officers and soldiers who died in the north. He wants Your Majesty to issue an edict of self-reproach, admitting to the world that the several matters rumored in the city these days were indeed done out of Your Majesty’s narrow-mindedness and cruelty. Only then will he be willing to withdraw his troops.”
Yan Han suddenly slammed the table, “What?! He dares—”
Yan Ze quickly knelt, saying anxiously, “It’s this subject’s incompetence. Yan Chi has brought one hundred and twenty thousand troops, intending to replace you. This subject tried to reason with him but couldn’t persuade him. He’s not afraid of being labeled a rebel, nor does he fear the historians’ brushes. Later, when this subject mentioned the late Prince Rui, saying he was loyal all his life and would never want to see his son rebel against his sovereign, only then did he show some hesitation. This subject also said Your Majesty wouldn’t pursue his crimes and would even make him the King of Shuoxi. At this, he showed some more hesitation. He only gave this subject twenty-four hours, saying if Your Majesty doesn’t write it when night falls the day after tomorrow, that will be when he attacks the city.”
Yan Han ground his teeth, his eyes red with anger. He suddenly swept the inkstone, brush holder, and other items off the table, saying fiercely, “He… he dreams! Those things I never did! I will never write such a self-reproaching edict. If so, how would the world view me, how would future generations judge me…”
Yan Ze hurriedly said, “Yes… this subject also said Your Majesty would never submit to such threats, but…”
Yan Ze hesitated for a moment, then said very puzzledly, “But he said that even if Your Majesty doesn’t write it after he enters the city, he will personally write one for Your Majesty. Moreover, he said Your Majesty’s greatest crime isn’t these things, saying Your Majesty’s greatest crime was failing your elder brother.”
Yan Ze finished speaking with his head lowered, then looked up with very confused eyes, “But Your Majesty is the late Emperor’s eldest legitimate son, what elder brother could there be?”
“What… what did you say…”
Yan Han’s face turned ashen, cold sweat pouring down like rain. His back stiffened against the chair back, and his hand at the edge of the imperial desk clenched into a fist.
However, the more he tried to suppress it, the more his hand trembled uncontrollably.
Yet Yan Ze continued looking at Yan Han, “Yes, those were his exact words. This subject thought that since Yan Chi was determined to seize the throne, he would stop at nothing and thus make up many excuses to counter this subject. This subject didn’t understand at the time, and Yan Chi left no room for negotiation, so this subject had to leave.”
In Chongzheng Hall, only Yan Han’s gasping sounds could be heard. He seemed to be suffering from a wind evil illness as he couldn’t stop panting, cold sweat dropping from his forehead. His entire person looked as if he was terminally ill. Outside, the sky had already darkened, with large patches of orange-red sunset clouds gathering at the horizon. Yan Han saw this, and his vision blurred for a moment as if returning to the Battle of Fenglei Ridge twenty years ago. Suddenly, Yan Han spat out a mouthful of bloody foam with a hiss, then his body slumped down from the imperial throne—