The Emperor of Yan was the winner of the last power struggle. When the world was in chaos and war was raging, he cut wood to make weapons and raised a pole as a flag to create the century-old foundation of Great Yan. He was definitely not an ordinary person.
He just came to the throne to be the emperor, but his passion was worn away by the years, and what was left was only a suspicious, sensitive and jealous emperor.
When the Emperor of Yan entered the inner hall from the outer room, all the ministers stood up and saluted, shouting "Long live the Emperor". The sound shook the palace, with a mighty momentum that moved mountains, and the echo lasted for a long time.
Chu Xinian looked outside the door inconspicuously, and saw a middle-aged man in imperial robes sitting on the dragon throne surrounded by palace maids. A twelve-tassel jade crown hung in front of his eyes, covering his eyes and making it difficult to discern his emotions.
The Emperor of Yan spoke in a low voice, which was full of majesty: "No need to be polite, my friends."
"Thank you, Your Majesty—"
Everyone accepted the gifts and sat down. Chu Xinian saw a general wearing silver-scale armor standing beside the Emperor of Yan. His temperament was as deep as the sea and his figure was as immovable as a mountain. He guessed that it was Zhou Wenchen, the commander of the imperial guards.
Just looking at the watch, I can't find any loopholes at first.
Chu Xinian refocused his gaze on Xie Jingyuan, tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, and continued the previous topic, asking in a low voice with a hint of meaning: "Who should I get rid of in order for the general to give me the other half of his life?"
Xie Jingyuan curled his lips and asked back: "Do you want my life so badly?"
Chu Xinian said: "Rather than letting the general give his life to others easily, it is better to give it to me, don't you think so?"
As he said this, he held Xie Jingyuan's hand under the table and held it tightly.
Somehow, Xie Jingyuan's heart skipped a beat. He struggled for a moment, but Fang held him tighter. Emperor Yan looked down at the people below and found that Xie Jingyuan had also come to the banquet. He asked:
"Thank you for your long-term illness. You came to the banquet today and looked less sick than before. This shows that the historian's prediction was correct. Take good care of yourself. You are the pillar of Great Yan, and I will need to rely on you a lot in the future."
From the outside, even though Xie Jingyuan had not been to court for a long time, he was still favored by the emperor, and the emperor frequently asked about his concerns. However, Chu Xinian heard a bit of alienation and fear from him. Xie Jingyuan silently moved his lips and said four words: "Hide your strength and bide your time."
The prince meant the same thing. He glanced at Xie Jingyuan inconspicuously, shook his head, and signaled him to continue pretending to be sick.
Xie Jingyuan stood up to thank the Emperor of Yan, lowering his eyes to hide his expression. He covered his lips with a handkerchief, his voice was hoarse, his complexion was pale and weak, as if he would die at any time: "I thank your Majesty for your concern..."
The ministers exchanged glances silently, thinking that Xie Jingyuan was too ill to take over, and wondered whether His Majesty would find someone to take over his military power. Hearing that the Prince of Jin had won successive victories in Shuofang and had suppressed the bandit rebellion in just a few days, the news spread to the capital, causing rumors to spread everywhere. Even worse, the ministers said that the Prince of Jin was both civil and military, and was indeed a model for all the princes.
If the Prince of Jin is a role model for the other princes, then where does that put the Crown Prince
Some wealthy and powerful families with quick minds have already begun to consider whether to change sides.
Emperor Yan didn't know what his ministers were thinking. He saw a young man in a white shirt sitting next to Xie Jingyuan. He was wearing a jade belt and a brocade robe. He was really outstanding. He looked familiar and asked, "Is he the second son of the Quyang Marquis family?"
Chu Xinian stood up from his seat when he heard this, and said calmly, "Your Majesty, I am a commoner."
Emperor Yan hummed when he saw this: "I heard that you solved a strange case with your wisdom at the banquet of heroes. You are truly a hero among men. Today I see that you are indeed extraordinary and your aura is not inferior to your brother. Marquis Quyang has two good sons. Please sit down."
It can be seen that Emperor Yan Chu Xinian admired people like him who were outstanding and not very threatening, and there was a hint of smile in his words.
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty."
Chu Xinian had no intention of showing off in front of this suspicious emperor. He sat down with a faint smile, unperturbed by praise or criticism.
During the banquet, the Qiang leader Muchaha had been observing the Yan Emperor's mood without making a sound. Seeing that the Yan Emperor was very pleased, he took the opportunity to raise his glass to toast him and performed a tribal salute: "Your Majesty, Muchaha has come all the way here and has seen the prosperity of the capital and the prosperity of the people. It is really an eye-opener."
"Only the most courageous king can govern such a prosperous country. Please allow Muchaha to toast you!"
It can be seen that the Emperor of Yan was very pleased with this kind of flattering words. He raised his glass to show respect to Muchaha from a distance, and did not mind showing the strength of the Great Yan: "You and I are friendly neighbors. If you like the customs and people of the capital, you might as well stay for a while and walk around to see the world."
The words "friendly neighbor" are really used in a subtle way. The Qiang people repeatedly invaded Dayan on the border, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of evil. Unfortunately, there were so many tribes, big and small, that it was always difficult to eradicate them.
Every time the Qiang lost a battle, they negotiated for peace. However, not long after, they began to rob. It was really hard to get rid of the bad habits of negotiating peace after losing a battle. The sharp ministers had already sensed something unusual.
Sure enough, before the banquet was half over, Muchaha revealed the purpose of his visit: "Your Majesty, the Qiang people have always lived in the bitter cold of the grassland. Last year, the heavy snow froze countless cattle and sheep to death, and the people are starving. Muchaha begs you to show mercy and allow the Qiang people to enter Baiyue City to trade salt, iron, cotton and cloth with Dayan merchants. I will be very grateful."
As soon as Muchaha finished speaking, Xie Jingyuan narrowed his eyes coldly. A general received the instruction and immediately rebelled. Emperor Yan bowed and said, "Your Majesty, this matter must not be agreed to! Baiyue City is a border fortress of the grassland. If foreigners are allowed to enter at will, the consequences will be disastrous!"
Emperor Yan was not a fool either. He frowned. Muchaha said, "Although you and I are friendly nations, our territories are clearly divided. It is better not to cross the border easily."
Mu Chaha was so anxious that he bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please believe in the sincerity of our people in this peace negotiation. The Ri Qiang people will be the most solid ally of Dayan, and we will be friends forever."
The Crown Prince saw this and said to the Emperor of Yan: "Father, I don't know whether the Qiang tribe is willing to make peace. I only know that they tore up the treaty when the Emperor was in power. You can't trust them. Please think twice."
Opening up trade between the two tribes would only strengthen the power of the Qiang tribe, and would not benefit Dayan. The strength of the enemy would mean a loss for oneself in some ways, so many ministers disagreed with Muchaha's request.
Qin Daoyan had not moved. Seeing Mu Chaha's look of seeking help, he signaled Fang to calm down and slowly stood up and said to Emperor Yan: "Your Majesty, I don't know whether I should say this or not."
Emperor Yan: "Just say it."
Qin Daoyan: "As the saying goes, neighbors are close and friendly. The Qiang tribe is now sincere in negotiating peace, so why should we hold on to the past? Your Majesty cares about the world. To show the style of our great dynasty, it is not a bad idea to help the Qiang tribe open up trade. On the one hand, it will show your kindness, and on the other hand, it will also benefit our dynasty's trade routes."
The prince had long disliked the one-eyed dragon, and said sarcastically, "According to what Minister Qin meant, should we open our doors wide and allow foreigners to come and go?"
"I have no such intention. Baiyue City is a grassland fortress, so people cannot enter or leave. Just because the Qiang people cannot enter does not mean that we cannot leave. As long as Your Majesty orders our merchants to go to the grassland to trade, all problems will be solved."
Qin Daoyan was indeed an old fox. He chose a compromise solution and solved the problem. However, the ministers still disagreed, and there was a lot of discussion in the hall for a while."
"But the Qiang people have been robbing the caravans we sent to the grasslands. Letting those merchants take their goods to trade is like letting sheep fall into the mouth of a tiger. I wonder how much benefit Lord Qin has received from the Qiang people to be so considerate of the foreigners."
It was Jin Ruhai who spoke. His words were sharp, and once they were out, everyone was quiet. Qin Daoyan looked at him subconsciously, not understanding why Jin Ruhai suddenly became angry, and his face was gloomy.
Emperor Qin Daoyan of Yan was also somewhat favored, and he spoke to calm the situation after hearing this: "I believe that Minister Qin has no such intention, Lord Jin is too serious."
Jin Ruhai straightened his clothes and stepped out from his seat. It was the Emperor of Yan who knelt down and bowed to him: "Your Majesty is kind-hearted, and I love you, but I cannot sit idly by and watch Your Majesty being deceived!"
The Emperor of Yan could not tolerate his subjects deceiving their superiors and hiding the truth from their subordinates. Jin Ruhai's words hit a sore spot, and his face darkened: "Jin Ruhai, why do you say that?!"
Qin Daoyan remembered that he had given the Jin family a lot of rare treasures some time ago, and his face changed drastically, thinking that Jin Ruhai might have sold him out. He was about to speak out to stop him, but it was too late.
"I have reported that Qin Daoyan secretly accepted bribes from foreign tribes and treated the country with impunity. In order to help the Qiang tribe open up trade routes, he presented gold and silver to my house. I was terrified and angry, and wanted to refuse entry, but I was afraid that Your Majesty was unaware of his evil behavior, so I had to pretend to accept it as a serious testimony."
Qin Daoyan didn't care about anything at this time. He hurriedly stepped out from the side and pointed at Jin Ruhai and said angrily: "Jin Ruhai, stop talking nonsense!"
Jin Ruhai remained indifferent: "Whether it is nonsense or not, Lord Qin will know in a moment."
After he finished speaking, he ordered people to bring in two large boxes of jewels from outside the palace. When the lids were opened, light shone everywhere, and inside, the night-shining pearls were as big as a baby's fist, and the gems were as red as blood, all of which were rare treasures. There were also antique porcelains, all of which were tribute items for the emperor's use.
“Wow—”
The people around were shocked when they saw this. The Emperor of Yan looked even uglier and slammed the table, shocking the civil and military officials. "What happened? Tell me everything!"
Chu Xinian lowered his eyes and drank a glass of wine, covering the curve of his lips.
Jin Ruhai said in a loud voice: "Your Majesty, Qin Daoyan privately accepted bribes from the Qiang people and ignored the gains and losses of Dayan. I implore Your Majesty to punish him severely and serve as a warning to others!"
Qin Daoyan knelt down and argued: "Your Majesty, I have never done such a thing. Can it be considered as ironclad evidence that Lord Jin casually took out a box of gold and silver? I do not accept it."
Mu Chaha did not expect things to turn out like this, and quickly followed up with a voice: "Your Majesty, Mu Chaha can guarantee that this is absolutely not the case."
The prince was watching the situation unfold. When he saw that the time was almost right, he suddenly stood up in front of everyone and said, "Your Majesty, I am reporting this to you!"
For some reason, Qin Daoyan's heart suddenly skipped a beat and he had a bad feeling for no reason.
Seeing that the Crown Prince had also gotten involved for no reason, Emperor Yan suppressed his anger and said, "Chenghao, what do you want to say?"
The prince handed over a memorial that he had prepared long ago, and walked to the bottom to salute and said, "Reporting to Your Majesty, I impeach the Minister of War Qin Daoyan for colluding with foreign countries, framing loyal officials, and disregarding human lives. I implore Your Majesty to investigate!"
After that, under Qin Daoyan's horrified eyes, he told the story one by one, including Jiu Niang's death, the letter hidden in the ancient well, Qin Shuang's assassination, and finally presented Jiu Niang's jade pendant and letter.
"Father, if General Xie and Chu Xinian had not been suspicious about Jiu Niang's death that day, and had not happened to ride in a carriage with me to go out of the city to investigate, I'm afraid we wouldn't have discovered this. Qin Daoyan secretly adopted hundreds of adopted sons, and each of them had a jade pendant, which was enough to prove that Jiu Niang was the adopted daughter, and the content of the letter was indeed."
The prince concealed some things, and three-tenths and seven-tenths of them were false. If all the evidence were listed, it would be enough to beat Qin Daoyan to death.
Qin Daoyan was so frightened that his face turned pale, his cheek muscles twitched, and he couldn't speak for a long time. However, this was not the end. The prince presented a very familiar black box:
"I wonder if your Majesty has heard that there were a thousand thieves in the capital recently. This person has excellent martial arts skills and can come and go without a trace. Although he steals, he has a chivalrous heart. She sneaked into Qin Daoyan's house and originally wanted to steal treasures, but she accidentally discovered evidence of treason. She threw it directly into your house at night. I dare not hide it and let your Majesty take everything."
Emperor Yan did not speak, but quickly read through the letters between Qin Daoyan and foreign countries. The more he read, the more furious he became. He sneered and gritted his teeth and said, "Good, good, that's good! This is my good minister!"
With a wave of his sleeves, the cups and plates in front of him all fell to the ground with a crash. Everyone was so frightened that they all knelt on the ground and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, please calm down—"
Chu Xinian glanced at Xie Jingyuan, and his meaning was very clear. Qin Daoyan would definitely die today, and it would be difficult to escape. He whispered with a smile: "General, how can you give me that half of your life?"
Chu Xinian's attitude was completely different from the way he refused last night. Xie Jingyuan felt that he was being played with him. He lowered his eyes and pulled the corners of his mouth in an ambiguous way: "If you have the ability, come and get it yourself."
After he finished speaking, he looked at the center of the main hall and saw Qin Daoyan trembling and unable to speak. His official hat also rolled to the ground, and he looked as miserable as a dog that had lost its home. He crawled forward and tried to explain something, but was dragged away by the Emperor of Yan and thrown into prison for strict interrogation.
Mu Chaha, the leader of the Qiang tribe, became the target of public criticism. Seeing the unfriendly look of the Emperor of Yan, he broke out in a cold sweat and didn't know what to say.
The prince dealt a heavy blow to the enemy: "Father, the Qiang people said they were sincere in negotiating peace, but they clearly have evil intentions. Just now they swore that there was no such thing, but now the evidence is irrefutable, which shows that they are eloquent. The trade route between the two tribes must not be opened, and there is no need to negotiate peace. Can't our great Yan Dynasty deal with the Qiang people?!"
Qin Daoyan saw that he was already in bad luck, and anyone who spoke up for the Qiang people at this time would be a fool. Seeing this, all the civil and military officials echoed and directly demoted the Qiang people to the ground.
"In a barbarian land, there is little education. It is easy to change the country, but it is difficult to change one's nature. Your Majesty must not agree to this!"
"Your Majesty, please expel them from the palace immediately and do not pollute this place!"
The Yan Dynasty was much stronger than the Qiang people, so the Emperor of Yan would not take them seriously. When he was in a good mood, he might be able to make some friends with them, but when he was in a bad mood, it would be as easy as crushing an ant. Now that this happened, how could he still have a good face
The Emperor of Yan waved his sleeves with a sullen face, signaling the imperial guards to drive them out of the palace. The dozens of tribal warriors brought by Muchaha did not understand Chinese, and when they saw the imperial guards forcibly driving them out, they all glared at them. One of the burly men directly snatched the weapon from the imperial guards and shouted angrily in Qiang language: "Emperor of Great Yan, you are too much of a bully. Are we afraid of you?"
Mu Chaha was horrified when he heard this, and before he could speak out to stop them, a fight broke out between the two sides. No weapons could be seen within three feet of the emperor, so the Qiang people directly snatched the weapons from the imperial guards and started to kill them wantonly. How could this be tolerated
The imperial guards outside immediately rushed into the hall like a tide, fighting with swords and knives, turning the banquet into a battlefield. The officials were afraid of being hurt by mistake, so they all retreated in fear, thinking that the Qiang people were barbarians and would start killing people at the slightest disagreement.
A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Chu Xinian was not afraid of being affected, so he directly pulled Xie Jingyuan to him and retreated away from the battlefield: "General, be careful."
Seeing him blocking his way, Xie Jingyuan paused, then sneered, "You are the one who should be careful."
As soon as he finished speaking, he heard a swift sound of breaking through the air. He looked subconsciously and saw a long sword flying from nowhere and stabbing Chu Xinian directly.
They happened to be the pillars of the temple, with no room for retreat.
Seeing this, Xie Jingyuan's face changed slightly. He pushed Chu Xinian away and was about to use his internal force to knock the sword away. But he suddenly realized that a cold gaze was observing him from the dark. It was Zhou Wenchen. He paused and changed his attack to avoid, allowing the long sword to pierce his right arm and finally sink into the pillar.
"Well-"
Xie Jingyuan groaned, and his face became increasingly pale.
He knew that Zhou Wenchen was testing whether he was seriously ill. If he forcibly knocked the sword away, he would be exposed, so he could only take this move.
All this happened in a flash. When Chu Xinian came to his senses, he saw Xie Jingyuan covering his right arm with a pale face, blood between his fingers, and his pupils couldn't help but shrink.
"General!"
Chu Xinian hurriedly stepped forward and grabbed her wrist, wanting to check if the injury was serious, but Xie Jingyuan refused to let him see anything. He frowned and said in a hoarse voice, "There are too many people in the palace, let's talk about it when we get home."
Chu Xinian paused after hearing this, and immediately understood what he meant. He quickly tore the hem of his robe and wrapped the cloth around the wound to stop the bleeding. His expression was unusually solemn, and he asked Xie Jingyuan with a look of emotion that was hard to tell: "Who did it?"
"… "
Xie Jingyuan didn't say anything. He had never seen Chu Xinian frowning in anger, but now that he saw his brows furrowed, he couldn't help but look at him a few more times. His pale, bloodless lips moved silently: "... I'll tell you when I get back."
Xie Jingyuan thought, it turns out that Chu Xinian didn't know this either.
Although the Qiang warriors were good at fighting, they were outnumbered and were subdued by the imperial guards in a short time. Muchaha wanted to die at this time, regretting why he brought such a few idiots with him, and knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly to apologize.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me..."
The Emperor of Yan did not want to listen, and left the table in anger. Zhou Wenchen ordered the imperial guards to put the Qiang people under house arrest and wait for His Majesty to calm down before dealing with them. He walked out of the hall, glanced at Xie Jingyuan inconspicuously, and then left.
The prince had been paying attention to them. Seeing Xie Jingyuan injured, he frowned and walked forward: "Is the injury serious?"
Xie Jingyuan's expression remained unchanged, and he even smiled, "I won't die. Today I saw Qin Daoyan fall into the dust and mud with my own eyes, and it doesn't matter if he was stabbed by a sword."
The prince heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that he was fine. Chu Xinian said, "Take him back to the palace as soon as possible to find someone to treat him. The imperial physician in the palace is unreliable."
Chu Xinian hummed, and took Xie Jingyuan out of the palace and back home quickly. Jiuyong drove the carriage very fast along the way, and Xie Jingyuan's injuries were bumped, and the blood began to flow uncontrollably, and the blood soaked half of his sleeves.
"General..."
Chu Xinian hugged Xie Jingyuan tightly, covering his wound tightly. He wanted to say something, but didn't.
Xie Jingyuan seemed to know what to say, and hummed in a hoarse voice: "I can't die..."
When Wan Jimiao received the news and rushed to the general's mansion, he saw Xie Jingyuan's injury and felt that it was troublesome. He couldn't help cursing. He sewed up Xie Jingyuan's wound, applied medicine and bandaged it. He was busy for several hours and was furious: "If you encounter this kind of thing, don't come to me!"
Xie Jingyuan was lying on the bed half naked, with his right arm wrapped in gauze. He was pale due to excessive blood loss, and he sneered when he heard this: "If you don't want to find me, then don't look for me."
He is also a person who never admits defeat.
Wan Jimiao was so angry that he blew his beard and glared, then slammed the door and left.
Chu Xinian wrung out a clean handkerchief and wiped the remaining bloodstains for Xie Jingyuan. He said in a low voice, "General, do you know that doctors should not be offended?"
Just now, Xie Jingyuan was busy treating his injuries, and he didn't know where the tools had fallen. It was not until Chu Xinian got closer that he could clearly see his appearance from Fang's pale eyes.
Xie Jingyuan subconsciously tilted his head, his mood became a little irritable, and he asked in a sinister voice: "Where are my tools?"
Chu Xinian watched quietly without moving.
Xie Jingyuan simply looked for it himself. He forced himself to sit up from the bed, and the movement affected his injuries, and his face turned a little pale. He frowned and looked around, and then he found that the tool had fallen beside the pillow. However, just as he picked it up, his face was suddenly covered with warmth -
Chu Xinian leaned in and kissed Xie Jingyuan's scarred right face. His warm lips slowly moved down, landing on his eyes, cheeks, and lips, completing the unfinished business of last night. Lingering and ambiguous.
"… "
Xie Jingyuan's eyelids trembled, and the tool in his hand slipped quietly from his fingertips and fell to the ground with a thud.