On the thirtieth day of the first month in the fifth year of Chengxi’s reign in the Hua Dynasty, the former Great General of Yuan Da, Bo Yunshan, issued a manifesto. He proclaimed the young son of the late Prince Jing as Emperor Su and assumed the role of General for Suppressing Rebellion, mobilizing an army of 100,000 men to start an uprising in Long Province.
On the same day, Zhang Zhicheng and Yi Liang, under the command of the General for Suppressing Rebellion, led 60,000 troops to capture Zheng and Xin Prefectures.
Three days later, General Bo Yunshan personally led the central army, with Zhang Zhicheng commanding the left flank and Yi Liang on the right. They separately conquered Mingshan Prefecture, Qin Province, Wei Province, and Wei Province.
On the night of the fourth day of the second month, the Xiaojing River breached its banks, blocking Bo Yunshan’s southward route.
The Changfeng Cavalry under Ning Jianyu was defeated and retreated to the west of Lou Mountain and south of the Xiaojing River. The two armies faced off at the Xiaojing River and Lou Mountain.
As night fell, clouds thickened in the sky, bringing a damp chill with the night wind, creating a stifling atmosphere that made it hard to breathe.
In the Yanhui Hall, the high officials wore grave expressions. The candle flames flickered, startling several people into a bloodless pallor.
The voice of Chief Eunuch Tao Zizhu echoed in the hall, his hands trembling as he held the manifesto. He stole glances at the stern-faced Emperor on the throne, his voice growing increasingly faint:
“General for Suppressing Rebellion Bo Yunshan, by the decree of the rightful Emperor Su, hereby proclaims to all under heaven: The false Emperor Cheng, with the nature of a wolf, has ascended to the throne through deception. His crimes are innumerable, incurring the wrath of both gods and men. First, he has obliterated familial bonds and plotted against the late Emperor, forging a false will. Second, he has falsely decreed the execution of his brother, bringing calamity upon the people. Third, he persecuted the loyal and slaughtered the late Emperor’s ministers. Fourth, he has imposed burdensome policies and heavy taxes, showing no mercy to the people’s suffering. Fifth, he has favored sycophants and indulged in debauchery with young boys, appointing jesters to high positions—”
The Emperor’s face turned ashen. He suddenly grabbed the jade paperweight from the dragon desk and hurled it at Tao Zizhu. The eunuch dared not dodge, and blood gushed from his forehead, dripping onto the manifesto. All the officials in the hall prostrated themselves: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger! We deserve death a thousand times over!”
The Emperor, seething with rage, violently overturned the dragon desk and paced back and forth on the imperial dais, veins bulging on his forehead. “Deserve death a thousand times over? I think even dying ten thousand times wouldn’t be enough for you lot!”
Growing increasingly furious, he strode down from the dais and kicked the Minister of War, Shao Zihe. “Bo Yunshan is plotting rebellion, and your Ministry of War is as blind and deaf as can be. How did you not get even a whiff of this? Are you all dead?!”
Shao Zihe kowtowed repeatedly: “Your Majesty, please calm your anger and take care of your dragon body!”
The Emperor pointed at him, his finger trembling: “Even if Bo Yunshan plotted rebellion in secret and you were unaware, how do you explain Xin and Zheng Prefectures falling in a single day? What do you have to say for yourself as Minister of War?!”
Although Shao Zihe was terrified, he mustered his courage to respond: “Your Majesty, the Changfeng Cavalry was stationed in Xin and Zheng Prefectures. However, around the New Year, the Huan Kingdom repeatedly sent scattered troops to harass the borders of Cheng Prefecture. To prevent a large-scale invasion from Huan, General Ning Jianyu of the Changfeng Cavalry requested permission from the Ministry of War to move half of the troops from that area to defend Cheng Prefecture, so—”
“What about Mingshan Prefecture, Qin Province, Wei Province, and Wei Province?!” the Emperor shouted. He threw the urgent military report he had been clutching at Shao Zihe. “The rebels took Xin and Zheng Prefectures, then captured Mingshan Prefecture, Qin Province, Wei Province, and Wei Province within three days. Did all the local garrisons just die? If it weren’t for Wei Zhao risking his life to breach the Xiaojing River and block the rebels’ southward path, they might be knocking on the capital’s gates by now!”
Thinking of Wei Zhao, who was gravely wounded and fell into the Xiaojing River with his fate unknown, and the blood-stained letter and military intelligence he had sent to Luo Province through Wei Yiwu of the Guangming Bureau, the Emperor felt a pang in his heart. He kicked Shao Zihe again.
Scholar Dong, with a grave expression, stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, please calm your anger and take care of your health!”
The Emperor had always respected Scholar Dong. Heeding his advice, he realized he had been somewhat impetuous today. He suppressed the surging true qi in his body, gave Shao Zihe one last glare, and returned to the dragon throne.
Scholar Dong said, “Your Majesty, the rebels are currently riding high, having conquered several prefectures and provinces. But this is because they had planned and caught us off guard. We need not be overly alarmed. The current priority, in my humble opinion, is for Your Majesty to issue an edict commanding the Changfeng Cavalry to defend Lou Mountain and the Xiaojing River at all costs. Simultaneously, we should dispatch troops from Gao Cheng in Ji Bei to provide support, and mobilize forces from the capital region to reinforce defenses north of the Xiaojing River.”
The Emperor gradually regained his composure and nodded, “Scholar Dong’s words are most wise. Draft the edict immediately. Order Ning Jianyu to defend the Xiaojing River and Lou Mountain to the west at all costs. Quickly dispatch 50,000 troops from Gao Cheng in Ji Bei to support Lou Mountain. The forces stationed at Qi Mountain Pass are to move north immediately to set up defenses south of the Xiaojing River. We must not allow the rebels to cross the Xiaojing River!”
He paused briefly and added, “Include in the edict an order for all units to search for Wei Zhao along the Xiaojing River. Once he is rescued, he is to be sent back to the capital immediately!”
Seeing the Emperor’s anger subside, the officials in the hall breathed a slight sigh of relief. Right Minister Tao Xingde said, “Your Majesty, we must investigate who has colluded with the rebels, allowing them to kill all our spies in Long Province and causing General Wei Zhao’s covert investigation to fail, exposing his whereabouts and leading to his pursuit.”
The Emperor said, “Indeed, there must be someone in the court secretly collaborating with the rebels. The Ministry of Justice is to thoroughly investigate all court officials. No one is to be overlooked!”
Prince Jing stepped forward and said, “Father, in my humble opinion, we must also guard against the Huan Kingdom taking advantage of the chaos to invade from the south.”
The Emperor pondered, “Yes, we must be wary of Huan Kingdom breaking the peace treaty and exploiting our vulnerability. It seems we cannot recall all of the Changfeng Cavalry from Cheng Prefecture. Let’s do this: withdraw 30,000 troops from Wang Lang’s forces and send them to Lou Mountain.”
The Crown Prince looked helplessly at Scholar Dong, who shook his head slightly.
The Emperor’s gaze swept over the manifesto in Tao Zizhu’s hands, and he sneered, “Bo Yunshan has the guts to rebel but not to crown himself emperor. Instead, he’s found some bastard to impersonate the Rebel Prince’s son!”
None of the officials dared to respond. The “Rebel Prince Uprising” from over twenty years ago had wide-reaching implications. Although Prince Jing and his entire household were executed at the time, he was known to have many consorts and a reputation for philandering. It wasn’t entirely impossible that he might have left behind an heir. However, whether the so-called “Emperor Su” that General Bo had now presented was true of Prince Jing’s bloodline was anyone’s guess.
Suddenly, the Emperor remembered something and his expression changed drastically. He ordered, “Issue an immediate decree to seal the city gates and summon the Crown Prince of Yue Fan to the palace!”
Prince Zhuang’s face drained of color, and he mumbled, “Father, I’m afraid it’s too late—”
The Emperor angrily demanded, “What do you mean it’s too late?!”
Prince Zhuang knelt and kowtowed, “Father, please calm your anger. Today, the Crown Prince of Yue invited me to go hunting at Red Maple Mountain. I declined due to official duties. But my second cousin, he… he’s fond of hunting and left the city with the Crown Prince of Yue at the hour of Chen—”
The Emperor was too angry to speak. Prince Zhuang’s birth mother was from the Gao clan, a prominent family in the western regions. Countless empresses and noble consorts had come from the Gao clan throughout history. After ascending to the throne, the Emperor relied on the Gao clan’s influence to maintain political balance. However, in recent years, the Gao clan has become increasingly arrogant.
The “second cousin” Prince Zhuang mentioned was none other than the “Tyrant Gao” who ran rampant in the western regions. During his recent visit to the capital for the Emperor’s birthday celebrations, he had already abducted several civilian women and injured over a dozen people. The Ministry of Justice had turned a blind eye, and the Emperor had pretended not to know. Unexpectedly, at this critical moment, he had taken the Crown Prince of Yue, who was essentially a hostage, out of the capital, causing a major problem.
Knowing the situation was dire, Prince Zhuang signaled to Tao Xingde. Tao quickly turned to Jiang Yuan, the Commander of the Imperial Guard, and said, “Quickly, go out of the city and apprehend Yue Jinglong!”
Jiang Yuan looked towards the Emperor, who was too exhausted to speak and merely waved his hand. Jiang Yuan hurriedly left the great hall.
The Emperor sat on his throne, and when his emotions had slightly calmed, he turned to Xu Duan, the Minister of Revenue: “How much silver and grain do we currently have in the treasury?”
Xu Duan made a mental calculation and replied, “We have a total of 56 million taels of silver in the treasury. The grain reserves in various regions are quite abundant, enough to last through the spring shortage with some surplus.”
The Emperor felt somewhat reassured. After pondering for a moment, he said, “If Yue Jinglong escapes and the Yue clan in the southwest rebels, we’ll need to divert troops from Yujian Prefecture. We have enough grain, but the silver might be insufficient.”
Scholar Dong cautiously suggested, “Your Majesty, perhaps we could implement the ‘Land Tax Reform’ that was shelved previously—”
The Emperor’s eyes lit up. “Quickly issue an edict to implement the ‘Land Tax Reform.’ Any local prefecture that disobeys will be severely punished!”
Among those in the hall, about seven out of ten felt a pang in their hearts. This ‘Land Tax Reform’ had been proposed several years ago when the court’s finances were strained. It would levy taxes based on each household’s land holdings and the number of dependents and servants. It had been strongly opposed by princes, high officials, and prominent families, and was subsequently shelved. Now, with General Bo’s rebellion and his rapid conquest of several prefectures and provinces in just a few days, the country faced a critical moment of survival. As the Emperor and Scholar Dong brought up the “Land Tax Reform” again, no one could voice any opposition. However, the thought of having to pay significantly more taxes each year was inevitably painful.
The Emperor thought for a moment longer, then said with a cold expression, “The Crown Prince will work with the Ministry of War to draft troop deployment plans immediately. Prince Jing will oversee the Ministry of Revenue’s allocation of silver and grain. Prince Zhuang… Prince Zhuang will be responsible for the ‘Land Tax Reform.’ I want to see all the plans by tomorrow morning. Scholar Dong, come with me.”
The night was dark, and the palace lanterns beneath the walls swayed in the wind, casting the shadows of the Emperor and Scholar Dong sometimes long, sometimes short.
The Emperor walked slowly with his hands behind his back, while Scholar Dong followed half a step behind, both silent.
The night watch drum sounded softly, startling the Emperor from his thoughts. He said, “Scholar Dong.”
“Your servant is here.”
“Do you think my third brother left behind an heir?”
Scholar Dong replied in a low voice, “In my opinion, it’s unlikely that the Rebel Prince has a surviving heir.”
“So, it’s fake then?”
“Yes. Bo the traitor is rebelling, but if he were to proclaim himself emperor, it would lack legitimacy and lose public support. His only option is to put forward a puppet, using Prince Jing’s name to gain some popular support.”
The Emperor pondered for a moment, then stopped and turned back, “Scholar Dong, do you think this has anything to do with Pei Zifang?”
Scholar Dong thought for a moment and said, “Pei Zifang shouldn’t have the courage for this. Moreover, with Madam Rong and Pei Yan in Your Majesty’s grasp, Pei Zifang has been living in seclusion in You Province for over twenty years. He wouldn’t have the nerve.”
The Emperor nodded, “Indeed, he wouldn’t dare risk his entire Pei clan.”
The Grand Tutor Dong paused briefly. “Yes, the Pei Clan is wealthy and powerful, and Pei Yan has relinquished both military and political authority. It should have nothing to do with him. In my opinion—”
“Speak freely, Grand Tutor Dong. You’re the only confidant I have left now,” the Emperor said.
“Your Majesty is too kind,” Grand Tutor Dong bowed and continued, “I suspect that if someone has long been in league with the Bo traitor, the old Prince of Qingde can’t be uninvolved.”
The Emperor clasped his hands together. “Indeed. When San Lang first told me about the old Prince of Qingde’s treasonous intentions, I didn’t quite believe it. It seems they’ve been in cahoots for a while. That dog of a traitor! At least he died quickly!”
Grand Tutor Dong replied, “In that case, although the young Prince of Qingde has handed over part of his father’s 80,000 troops from Yujian Prefecture, we probably can’t trust using them.”
“Hmm.” The Emperor looked worried. “If Yue Jinglong truly escaped, and we can’t rely on the young Prince of Qingde, and can’t trust using the 80,000 troops from Yujian Prefecture, our military strength might be insufficient.”
“In my opinion, Yue Fan at most would declare independence. He wouldn’t dare to cross the Nanzhao Mountains and march north. So we only need to send troops to guard the Nanzhao Mountains in the southwest. We can delay the punitive expedition and consider subduing Yue Fan after we’ve dealt with the Bo traitor.”
The Emperor nodded. “That’s all we can do for now. Ah, Grand Tutor Dong, keep an eye on the troop deployment. I don’t want the Gao Clan’s influence to extend too far.”
“Yes, I understand, Your Majesty.”
In the latter half of the night, lightning flashed across the sky, followed by the rumble of spring thunder.
The Emperor woke up suddenly in the middle of the night and said in a cold voice, “Who’s out there?!”
Eunuch Tao hurriedly reported from outside, “Your Majesty, Yi Wu has been brought back!”
The Emperor threw off his covers and got up, startling the young man beside him who fell to his knees. As the eunuch entered to help the Emperor put on his robes, the Emperor walked and asked, “Where is he? Where?!”
Eunuch Tao quickly waved his hand, and the other eunuchs followed. He said, “He was brought back by a fast horse. Knowing Your Majesty would want to question him personally, we’ve taken him to the Juyang Pavilion.”
The Emperor hurried along. More lightning flashed in the sky, and raindrops as big as soybeans began to fall. The attendants couldn’t raise the imperial yellow canopy in time, and the Emperor’s dragon robe was already soaked. He paid no attention and rushed straight to the Juyang Pavilion.
Inside the pavilion, imperial physicians knelt in a sea of black. The Emperor waved his hand, and everyone retreated.
The Emperor approached the couch and saw the young man lying there, pale-faced and barely breathing, with two long sword wounds on his ribs that hadn’t been properly bandaged. He examined them closely and pressed several acupoints on Yi Wu’s body.
Yi Wu opened his eyes, his gaze a bit unfocused. The Emperor said in a deep voice, “No need for formalities. Tell me exactly what happened.”
Yi Wu seemed startled and gasped, “Is it Your Majesty?”
“Speak quickly. What exactly happened to San Lang? How did you escape? And how did you cut off Xiaojing River?”
Yi Wu’s spirit seemed to revive a little, and he said in a low voice, “Official Wei and this slave followed Pei Yan to Changfeng Manor. Seeing that nothing went wrong at the martial arts gathering and everything proceeded according to Your Majesty’s wishes, Official Wei even though it wasn’t exciting enough. But when Yao Dingbang died seeking revenge at Su Yan’s hands, Official Wei became suspicious.”
“I know about this. San Lang mentioned it in his report. I’m asking about what happened after you reached Mount Bo Yun.”
“Yes. Official Wei felt something was amiss with Yao Dingbang’s matter, so he took this slave to Longzhou. We investigated Mount Bo Yun’s background along the way but couldn’t find anything unusual. By the time we reached Longzhou, it was nearly the New Year. Official Wei even joked about rushing back to the capital to wish Your Majesty a happy birthday after finishing the investigation in Longzhou. But who knew—” Yi Wu became increasingly agitated, his breathing labored and his gaze growing unfocused.
The Emperor propped him up and pressed his hand against Yi Wu’s back acupoint, channeling his Yuan Power. Yi Wu’s spirit revived again, and he said in a low voice, “Thank you, Your Majesty. Official Wei took this slave to meet the undercover agents sent from the court to Longzhou separately. Finding nothing suspicious about Mount Bo Yun, we prepared to head back. But that night, we were ambushed by a group of masked men in black. We barely fought our way out and went back to find those undercover agents, only to discover they had all disappeared.
“Official Wei knew something was wrong and snuck into General Dingyan’s mansion to investigate. This slave waited outside, and after an hour, Official Wei came out wounded. He said… he said there was a traitor in the palace who had betrayed us. We fled the city that night, heading back, but were pursued by people from Mount Bo Yun. We fought and retreated, chased to Mihun Crossing, where we hid for two days before shaking off our pursuers.
“When we emerged from Mihun Crossing, Mount Bo Yun’s forces had already taken Qinzhou. Official Wei knew the rebel army would surely come south via the Xiaojing River, so he took this slave and rushed for two days and two nights to reach the Xiaojing River. We used explosives to breach the river, cutting off the rebel army’s southern route. But Official Wei, he—”
“What happened to him?!” the Emperor shouted.
“He had sword wounds from before and seemed to sense his time was short. He wrote a blood letter and military intelligence for this slave. When the rebel army reached Xiaojing River, the breach was at a critical moment. To stop the enemy forces, Official Wei was… was shot by an arrow from the rebel general and fell into the river. I don’t know—” Yi Wu became increasingly agitated and sorrowful as he spoke, unable to catch his breath, and fainted.
The Emperor stood motionless for a moment, then stormed out, coldly ordering, “Use the best medicine and keep him alive for me!”
He hurried along and soon arrived at Hongtai Hall. Inside, Grand Tutor Dong and the Crown Prince were drafting troop deployment orders. Seeing the Emperor enter, they all knelt: “Greetings, Your Majesty!”
The Emperor, with a gloomy face, said, “Convey my imperial edict: Close the palace gates immediately. No one inside the palace is to leave without my decree. Thoroughly investigate everyone!”
Outside the hall, another flash of lightning startled everyone, draining the blood from their faces. Minister of War Shao Zihe trembled, dropping his writing brush with a “plop” on the ground.
Mist rose from the water as Pei Yan soaked in the Baoqing Spring. He closed his eyes and, hearing An Chen’s footsteps, smiled slightly. “Today’s military report has come early.”
“My Lord, it’s not the military report from Jianyu’s side. It’s news about Yue Luo from Xiao Fei,” An Chen replied.
“Oh?” Pei Yan smiled. “I want to see if San Lang’s military talents are as outstanding as his demeanor!”
Seeing his hands were wet, An Chen held the secret report in front of him. Pei Yan read it carefully from top to bottom, the smile gradually fading from his face, his gaze becoming misty from the rising steam. He snorted coldly, his figure rising from the water amid a spray of droplets. An Chen hurriedly draped an outer robe over him. Pei Yan strode quickly into the thatched cottage and paced back and forth several times, gradually calming down. He called out, “An Chen.”
“Yes, My Lord.” An Chen entered.
“Send orders down the line from Mount Yue Luo to the capital. Keep a close watch. Wei San Lang rushes back with the little girl. Report immediately if you discover any trace of the two,” Pei Yan said, his gaze turning sharp as he looked at the fox fur hanging on the wall.
Shortly after, An Chen returned: “My Lord, Young Master Nangong has arrived.”
Pei Yan turned with a smile: “Yude is here.”
Nangong Yu stepped into the cottage, looked around, and smiled. “You seem quite at ease, Lesser Monarch. Outside, they say you’re so badly injured you can’t get out of bed.”
Pei Yan laughed heartily and walked to the desk. “Yude, come and see how this line of poetry is.”
Nangong Yu approached and slowly recited: “Spring flowers bloom hidden by roadside mulberries, sending word to wait for the east wind in the groves and hills.”
He smiled faintly and said, “I just don’t know if this east wind is the one Lesser Monarch wants right now.”
“This east wind is still a bit weak, so the fire isn’t burning hot enough. Yude needs to add some more firewood,” Pei Yan replied.
“Yes.” Nangong Yu smiled. “I haven’t been idle on my journey. I estimate that Liu Feng is busy issuing the Alliance Leader’s decree right now, calling for a martial arts gathering to discuss how to resolve the various sects’ revenge-seeking and troublemaking.”
Pei Yan pondered, “There must be people from the Xing Yue Sect Leader in the council hall. Yude, observes and identifies his people. Since we’re playing this game of chess with him, I need to know what pieces he has.”
“Yes, Lesser Monarch, rest assured.”
After considering for a while longer, Pei Yan said, “Yude, I need you to do one more thing for me.”
Seeing Pei Yan’s solemn expression, quite unlike his usual demeanor, Nangong Yu quickly said, “Lesser Monarch, please give your instructions. Nangong Yu will do his utmost.”
Pei Yan’s calm demeanor returned. He walked out of the cottage with his hands behind his back, and Nangong Yu followed. The two sat down at the chessboard on the small hill.
In the forest, wildflowers were budding, and the spring breeze caressed their faces. The mist from the hot spring danced and dispersed through the hills like gentle willow branches.
The sound of chess pieces being placed was like idle flowers falling or pine cones dropping to the ground. Nangong Yu’s expression gradually became serious. He looked up at Pei Yan’s slightly moving lips, and after a long while, he nodded gently.