Ji Zeyu remained silent, standing with his hands behind his back, looking down at the person kneeling not far away.
Chen An looked uneasily at Ji Zeyu. Seeing that his expression showed no change and he didn’t appear furious, Chen An continued his efforts: “Duke Dingguo, you are a hero. Your lifelong reputation cannot be ruined by a moment of impulsiveness. If you insist on helping rebels, wouldn’t you yourself become a rebel? How will future historians record you?”
Ji Zeyu still said nothing, only slowly paced a few more steps.
Though Chen An was a spy who had followed Li Qitian for years and understood imperial authority, Ji Zeyu was someone who had fought bloody battles on battlefields for years. Having just returned from the Tatar battlefield, he carried an aura of killing intent that was even more terrifying than Li Qitian’s imperial majesty.
Chen An swallowed and carefully observed Ji Zeyu’s expression. Seeing still no signs of anger, he finally relaxed.
“Duke Dingguo is an intelligent man and surely can see how much sincerity the Son of Heaven has shown by allowing me to come here. Please reconsider, Duke Dingguo. First, there’s the matter of loyalty to the ruler; second, stability for the realm is most important; and Duke Dingguo must also care about your reputation. Moreover, Princess Anyang was killed by the Qin family. If Duke Dingguo insists on helping Pang Xiao, who knows how many people will resent you in the future and curse you behind your back? Are you truly willing to accept that?”
At this point, Ji Zeyu had walked up to Chen An.
He was tall with peerless features. When he looked at people expressionlessly, there was a sense of superiority, and combined with his aura of cold killing intent, Chen An immediately broke out in cold sweat.
Ji Zeyu’s voice was very calm: “So you’ve all been calling Pang Zhixi a rebel out there? What other rumors have you been spreading in the capital to slander him?”
Hearing this, Chen An immediately sensed something was wrong.
“Duke Dingguo… why are you taking the rebel’s side?”
“You dare say that again?”
Ji Zeyu bent down and, as if picking a flower, casually grabbed Chen An’s throat with one hand and lifted him up effortlessly.
Chen An’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Ji Zeyu, making “heh heh” gasping sounds from his throat.
Ji Zeyu smiled and leaned close to whisper in Chen An’s ear: “Do you know what I find most unbearable?”
Without giving Chen An a chance to speak, Ji Zeyu continued: “What I find most unbearable is when people who are clearly filthy and corrupt, whose souls are dirtier than rotting mud in pig pens, insist on putting on airs of nobility and treating others like blind fools, not realizing that their stench can’t be hidden by that human-looking skin!”
Chen An opened his mouth wide, kicking wildly with his feet and clawing at Ji Zeyu’s hand with both hands, but it had no effect whatsoever.
“Your master is exactly that kind of creature. Jealous of talent, ungrateful, treacherous—shameful and laughable!”
Chen An could no longer speak and seemed to have no reaction to Ji Zeyu’s insults anymore, because he was suffocating and could barely hear.
Seeing this, Ji Zeyu suddenly applied force. There was a “crack” from Chen An’s throat, and he fell to the ground like a puppet with cut strings, blood gushing from his mouth and nose.
Ji Zeyu disgustedly took out a snow-white handkerchief from his sleeve to wipe his hands, casually threw it on Chen An’s body, and walked toward the camp with his horse whip, calling his trusted subordinate: “Go clean this up. Also, increase the guards around the main tent and those tents where the Prince’s family members are staying. Add more patrols—don’t let anyone slip through.”
“Yes!” The subordinate was somewhat surprised that Ji Zeyu had said so much at once, but didn’t dare delay and immediately went to give orders.
Returning to the campfire, Pang Xiao had finished wrestling and was holding a bowl, downing the wine. Seeing Ji Zeyu return, he smiled and asked: “Ah Lan, want to join?”
Ji Zeyu smiled: “Forget it. We’ve had enough fun. Now isn’t the time for us to relax. You should stop drinking too.”
Pang Xiao nodded with a smile, walked around the crowd, put his arm around Ji Zeyu’s shoulder and patted it, then casually tied up his disheveled hair.
“It’s fine. I’m just so happy that my family can be reunited.”
The two walked shoulder to shoulder toward the main tent. As they walked, Pang Xiao raised his arms to tie his hair while Ji Zeyu followed at a leisurely pace.
Ji Zeyu could see that Pang Xiao was completely unguarded around him. Actually, if he wanted to harm Pang Xiao, it would be easiest to succeed here. No wonder Li Qitian had chosen him for persuasion.
But he had no such thoughts at all.
Thinking of what Chen An had said earlier, Ji Zeyu couldn’t help but sneer coldly.
Li Qitian had calculated well, actually wanting him to kill Pang Xiao, or capture him alive if he couldn’t kill him. What kind of person did he take him for? Though Ji Lan couldn’t be called a gentleman, he knew there were things one should and shouldn’t do.
Pang Xiao had never done anything against righteousness, nor had he violated the oath they made when they first raised their banners to rebel against Northern Ji’s tyranny. On the contrary, Li Qitian, who had ascended to the throne, broke his promises, was selfish, ignored the people’s suffering, and could sacrifice innocent civilians’ lives for his own gain.
If he could share wealth and status with such a person, wouldn’t he also become scum?
No matter what, Ji Lan could still distinguish between right and wrong.
The two chatted for a while longer before going to rest.
The next day they broke camp. After a day of forced march, the front of the formation could see the capital’s city walls.
Pang Xiao didn’t allow anyone to act rashly, only ordering them to set up camp as they arrived.
The guards on the city gates, seeing the vast sea of people approaching, were already pale with fear. They ran down from the walls in panic, shouting: “Close the gates! Close the city gates! The rebels are attacking!”
The clear sky was crystal blue without a cloud. Even the cool breeze that occasionally blew couldn’t dispel the panic in people’s hearts.
This panicked shouting threw the entire area in front of the city gates into chaos.
Citizens who had been entering and leaving the gates now ran madly into the city like lunatics. Dust flew everywhere on the roads. When the gates slammed shut with a “clang,” there were still shoes, bundles, and small carts scattered on the ground outside that people had dropped and couldn’t retrieve.
This was exactly how everyone had reacted when the Tatars attacked.
Seeing the gates close, the Huben Army and Pingnan Army paid no attention, simply following orders to set up camp. The troops arriving from behind also advanced according to formation. Starting from outside the capital’s north gate, they moved in an embracing formation toward both sides of the capital, clearly intending to completely surround the city. The three hundred thousand troops Pang Xiao had brought certainly had this capability.
The city guards rushed to the palace to report the situation.
The city immediately fell into chaos.
Citizens gathered everywhere in streets and alleys to discuss this matter. No one wanted to die, and with the army truly at the gates, no one could confidently guarantee that Prince Zhongshun definitely wouldn’t kill people.
However, compared to the city guards and court officials, the citizens’ mood was indeed more relaxed. After all, Pang Xiao had never been one to slaughter innocents—everyone’s worry was simply about being caught in the crossfire.
“Your Majesty, please give orders quickly! What do we do now?”
All the court ministers who were reasonably intelligent and strategic had been summoned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Li Qitian paced the floor with an ashen face: “You’re asking me? Are all of you just eating for free? At crucial moments, you come to ask me about everything—what use are you?”
Li Qitian was sweating all over from anxiety.
The ministers’ hearts were also in complete disarray, feeling seven-up-eight-down.
Only when they truly saw Pang Xiao’s army at the gates did they experience the terror of military pressure. It was a sense of despair like a flood or tsunami approaching—something human power couldn’t reverse.
“Your Majesty, the current plan absolutely cannot involve battle! Once we fight, the great army will charge straight in. How could we possibly have any chance of victory? It would certainly result in devastation!”
“Yes, Your Majesty! We must find a way to appease Pang Xiao. We absolutely cannot go to war!”
Li Qitian frowned tightly and said through gritted teeth: “Are you saying I should immediately seek peace? Ask Pang Xiao not to lead his army in, just to preserve your dog lives?”
“Your Majesty, our deaths don’t matter—we feel sorry for the people in the court! Moreover, how is this the time to strike a stone with an egg? The faster we go to war, the faster we’ll accelerate Great Zhou’s destruction!”
“Impudent!”
Li Qitian suddenly turned around and glared angrily at the old minister who had spoken, only then realizing that several of those who had just spoken were Northern Ji remnants.
“Yu Ziqiu! Is this your way of being a minister? Is your loyalty to endlessly slander the imperial court and ruler?”
“Your Majesty, please calm your anger. I had no such intention. It’s just that with the army at our gates now, if we want to preserve Your Majesty, the imperial family, and the people, we can only find a way to avoid war.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty, please forgive this minister’s impropriety. To speak bluntly, over ten years ago, when Pang Xiao and Ji Lan led their army into the capital, it was a scene of devastation! The people in the city closed their doors and didn’t walk the streets, which was still better—they were just frightened. But how much burning, killing, and looting occurred within these palace walls? Your Majesty experienced it personally—have you forgotten?”
“Song Quan! How dare you! Is that something you can bring up?” Li Qitian, reminded of the experience of Northern Ji’s destruction, couldn’t help but glare furiously, pointing at the speaker.
This was also a Northern Ji remnant who usually kept a low profile, but now spoke with piercing sharpness that struck straight to the heart!
Song Quan completely ignored this and said directly: “Your Majesty hasn’t forgotten, have you? Back then, Your Majesty issued the decree, so almost no one within the palace walls survived. If we really go to war now and Pang Xiao and Ji Lan attack, won’t we inevitably repeat history? Back then, Your Majesty fought alongside Pang and Ji with overwhelming advantage to defeat Northern Ji. Now they’re still allies, but Your Majesty stands on the opposing side!”
Li Qitian felt as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water over his head, shuddering all over.
Seek peace? How? Just throw away his dignity like that, say something submissive, and hand over the realm? Then, like Yuchi Yan, become a fallen ruler who might be spared but would live without dignity for the rest of his life?