Li Qitian’s eyes blazed with fury: “Zhou Lian again! That Zhou Lian again! Are the Shuntian Prefecture and Capital Guards just eating for free? The capital is only so big—just one young man, and you can’t catch him! You just can’t catch him!”
All the ministers bowed their heads and bodies in unison: “May Your Majesty calm your anger.”
“Empty clichés! Every time something happens, you only tell me to calm my anger!” Li Qitian’s chest heaved violently, a stifling breath lodged in his chest that he couldn’t inhale or swallow, choking him until his face turned purple.
Just hearing Li Qitian’s furious roars, the ministers could feel the Son of Heaven’s rage. Terrified, they all knelt down in prostration, not daring to speak.
Xiong Jinshui, who was serving at Li Qitian’s side, nearly fainted upon seeing the Son of Heaven’s complexion.
If the Son of Heaven truly became ill from anger, would any of them who served closely to him have a way to survive?
Xiong Jinshui silently prayed in his heart that nothing else would happen to anger the Son of Heaven. But contrary to his wishes, someone soon brought up Zhou Lian’s newly issued manifesto.
Li Qitian took one glance and crumpled the manifesto into a complete mess.
“Scoundrel! Scoundrel! A bunch of rebels and madmen!”
This manifesto was written without any literary merit, using plain language throughout. One could see it was deliberately crafted so all common people could understand it. It once again highlighted Pang Xiao’s achievements and righteousness, while portraying the current Emperor as nothing more than a nouveau riche who, having become emperor, cared only for himself and completely disregarded whether the people lived or died.
Moreover, at the manifesto’s end, it dared to openly declare: “Can such a foolish ruler truly bring blessings to the people of Great Zhou? Better to restore the Beiji Dynasty, establish a wise ruler, and stabilize the realm—that is the proper path.”
“This Zhou Lian is truly shameless! Has he forgotten how the Beiji Dynasty was overthrown? Restoring Beiji would let these people live better than under my rule? What ridiculous nonsense!”
However, Li Qitian’s fury could not stop Pang Xiao’s group from returning to court.
By August, the hot weather could not block the chill in Li Qitian’s heart.
“Your Majesty, Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu lead an army of three hundred thousand. Wherever they pass, city gates open wide, and they’ve successfully incorporated the Three Thousand Battalion. Now they’re only three or four days’ journey from the capital.”
Li Qitian was both furious and anxious, his chest aching with anger as he clutched it and asked: “How many more troops can the Ministry of War deploy to defend the city? What about the Ministry of Revenue? Are provisions sufficient?”
Minister of War Wang Zhi stepped forward, his expression grave: “Your Majesty, because the battle with the Tatars was perilous, the imperial troops from near the capital and loyalist armies from various regions were all placed under Pang Xiao’s command. Now in the capital there are only the Capital Guards and the Five Cities Military Commission. Compared to the three hundred thousand battle-hardened elite troops Pang Xiao and Ji Zeyu are bringing back, this is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.”
Assistant Minister of Revenue Fang Shouru also said: “Your Majesty, the national treasury is empty. Even the court officials’ salaries have been in arrears for over a year. The people’s taxes have been raised to eighty percent. The citizens in various prefectures who had just been suppressed are now all dissatisfied again, clamoring that the court is inhumane…”
Li Qitian gritted his teeth, his face alternating between green and white.
The imperial mausoleum wasn’t built. The treasure wasn’t found. No silver, no people, and even the unruly citizens opposed him!
How could this battle be fought?
“You mean there’s no solution whatsoever?”
“Your Majesty, we ministers are ignorant. At this time, we truly have no solution.”
“Precisely so, Your Majesty. We ministers have already racked our brains and exhausted our efforts, but we cannot conjure silver or troops.”
Li Qitian listened with a cold laugh: “So you want me to offer my neck for slaughter!” Suppressing the stuffiness in his chest, his voice hoarse: “Don’t think you’ll have it easy when Pang Xiao brings people to attack! New emperor, new ministers—do you think you can stay out of this?”
This statement shocked everyone present to their core.
They truly had no confidence they could remain uninvolved.
Li Qitian continued: “No silver? Yes, my private treasury is empty, the Ministry of Revenue has no silver either, but I’ve owed you a year’s salary, yet I don’t see court ministers starving! How much tax have each of you evaded at home, and how many large and small benefits have you received—do you think I don’t know? Now with national crisis at hand, I’ve emptied my private treasury. Don’t you want to show some gesture?”
The ministers exchanged glances. The Son of Heaven must be desperate to be asking ministers for money!
No one was willing to pay from their own pockets. First, they simply didn’t want to bleed money. Second, they didn’t want to expose their family wealth. Third, and most importantly, everyone harbored some hope, feeling that Prince Zhongshun wasn’t someone who killed innocents indiscriminately. Moreover, if he truly intended to compete for that position, gaining a reputation for slaughtering innocents would certainly not help him follow the path of a wise ruler—wouldn’t that make him a tyrant instead? Prince Zhongshun wasn’t that foolish.
But these thoughts could only remain in their hearts.
“If peace talks were possible, perhaps this crisis could be resolved,” suggested one minister.
“I second this motion, Your Majesty. I believe we should approach this from two angles. First, secretly contact Duke Dingguo. The Duke is related to Your Majesty by marriage, and Princess Anyang died at the hands of the Qin family. Sowing discord from this angle would surely succeed. If Duke Dingguo could assassinate Pang Xiao, the matter would be resolved. If assassination isn’t possible, even if Duke Dingguo has a change of heart, it would be great assistance to Your Majesty.
“On the other hand, we must prepare for both possibilities. If we cannot bring Duke Dingguo back to the court’s side, then we must find a way to negotiate peace.”
Li Qitian furrowed his brow and sneered: “Peace talks? You want me to beg them for mercy!”
“Your Majesty, as long as the green hills remain, there’s no fear of lacking firewood. Preserving life preserves the seed for future plans.”
Failure—such complete failure.
How could he let himself fall into such a situation? As emperor, already master of the realm with all people’s respect, how had he fallen to needing to negotiate with rebels?
He was the Son of Heaven—why should he suffer such humiliation!
Li Qitian pointed at everyone before him and laughed coldly: “This is your way of loyal service to the ruler and love of country? You don’t want to contribute silver, don’t want to touch your family foundations, so you want me to beg rebels for mercy? If this spreads, how can you expect me to conduct myself or face the people of the realm!”
“Your Majesty, a great man can bend and stretch. You are the ruler of a nation—you must not lose the greater for the lesser.”
“What fine words about bending and stretching.” Li Qitian laughed coldly and immediately ordered the palace guards to bind the speaking minister: “Hand him to the Ministry of Personnel for strict investigation. See how much property Lord Sun owns, how much is ancestral property, and how much comes from bribes! I want to see how you can bend and stretch!”
The palace guards and generals immediately rushed into the hall and dragged that minister away.
“Your Majesty, you cannot do this! This minister is wronged!”
“Your Majesty, calm your anger. Your Majesty’s action is improper…”
“Who else objects! Bind them all together!”
Li Qitian’s furious roar frightened all the ministers into silence.
That very day, Lord Sun’s family assets were listed on a document along with evidence of years of accepting bribes and colluding with factions, all delivered to Li Qitian.
The next day, the confiscation order was issued, and the national treasury was enriched by a sum.
This made the court even more tense. Even ministers with ideas didn’t dare speak before the Son of Heaven, fearing fatal consequences.
“Princess, I’ve already investigated. The city searches have gradually loosened recently. First, the investigation has made no progress, and with insufficient court salaries, the city guards are somewhat lax. Second, they’re now catching corrupt officials everywhere in the city, and soldiers and officers are all sharpening their wits to follow along and profit from confiscations. Third, the weather is too hot. In any case, this is the perfect time for us to leave. If we wait longer, who knows what changes might occur.”
Xie Yue smiled: “When the time comes, with some disguises, there certainly won’t be any mishaps.”
Qin Yining nodded and smiled: “Sir speaks truly. Fortunately we’re in the outer city, making it easier to get out. It’s just that the two children need to be carried away separately.” After all, dragon-phoenix twins together would be somewhat conspicuous.
Xie Yue said: “Rest assured, I’ll arrange it. The Prince’s group should arrive at the capital soon. We’ll head north and will surely meet the Prince.”
“Yes.” Qin Yining sighed softly, her eyes full of hope: “I can hardly wait anymore. Communication has been inconvenient recently, and the Prince’s side is often traveling, making message exchanges even more difficult. I wonder how they’re doing.”
Xie Yue laughed heartily: “Even so, you and the Prince remain very much in sync. You arranged manifestos on this end, and the Prince knew to set out for the capital on that end. Moreover, the great army’s journey has seen cities and towns along the way open their gates without losing a single soldier, making his reputation even greater than before. The Prince’s righteousness combined with your momentum-building—now the Prince’s popular support is even higher than before.”
Qin Yining said: “This is also thanks to that person above providing contrast through his efforts.”
These days, Li Qitian, driven to desperation, had done many foolish things. Perhaps Li Qitian had pent-up resentment, and his anger with nowhere to vent had finally found an outlet.
But in Qin Yining’s view, his behavior was tantamount to destroying his own defensive walls and alienating his ministers.
When he most needed manpower, he was pushing people away from himself one by one.
Perhaps this was precisely Tianji Zi’s brilliance. Though she had perished, everything afterward had already been planned.
“Princess.” Ji Yun hurried in: “Manager Zhong just sent word that a shipment of supplies and grain donated by Sitong Company has been sent to the Prince’s army along with what Manager Zhong prepared.”
Xie Yue stroked his beard and smiled: “This Boss Qiu is also an interesting person.”
These days, Qiu Feishan had been doing everything possible to win back Mu Jinghu’s heart. Though Qin Yining knew her donations were also for the Qiu family’s long-term development, they had indeed successfully softened Mu Jinghu’s heart.
Mu Jinghu had feelings for Qiu Feishan after all. Continuing this way, their reconciliation was just a matter of time. This was something Qin Yining was happy to see. After all, as friends, Qin Yining didn’t want Mu Jinghu’s life to be unhappy because of her and Pang Xiao’s situation.
“Master, several people have come outside wanting to stay overnight at our estate,” someone from the outer courtyard came to report.
Qin Yining was startled: “Our estate is so remote, yet people come seeking lodging?”
“They say they’re passing through and truly have nowhere else to go.”