Chapter 81

Edited and Proofread by KitKat

The situation in the South was ultimately resolved and Xiao Zhige had to leave for two reasons; one was to help the refugees and recruit the youths within them who were willing to join his army and, the second reason was to escort the group of criminals back to Yejing. Even though it was Emperor An Qing who had ordered him to stamp out the rebellion, he had killed quite a few bigwigs in such a short amount of time and, this was bound to impinge on the benefits of many people in court. He knew his trip back to Yejing would be filled with reproval and adversity but it was imperative that he returned.

If he had followed his previous plan, he definitely would not bare his fangs so boldly. It was better to continue to have his name sullied and take the infamy of the Northern Warlord to the next level. This way, he could stay in the shadow while the two princes fight it out and finally reap the benefits, leaving Emperor An Qing no other choice but to pass the throne to him. Furthermore, with Yanzhou’s powerful militia, he could easily seize the throne. However, now that he had An Chang Qing along with their two children, he was unwilling to do so.

If he were by himself, he could care less about his reputation. But now he was a family man. If he ascended the throne, An Chang Qing would be right beside him and their children would be his successors. Since ancient times, tyrants had been plagued with villainous concubines and disasters that could bring the downfall of a nation. And because An Chang Qing was a man, he could imagine that years later, historians will brand him as the sinful consort that led a country to ruin.

He wanted An Chang Qing to be able to stand with him at the peak and watch over Da Ye as equals but he refused to let him be criticized by later generations because of him.

If he could lead his army to consume a crumbling nation, he could rebuild ruins into mountains and rivers. He wanted their names to be fondly remembered in historical books and passed down for generations to come. 

Therefore, at this point, it was inevitable to clash with the two princes upfront. Albeit things would get more difficult but, it was just a matter of putting in more effort.

While the people of Da Ye were still immersed in the Spring Festival celebration, Xiao Zhige had already led his troops from Yanzhou to Yongzhou.

Of the three Southern States of Yenan, Qing Zhou’s Zuo Qiu and Yong Zhou’s Kang Hong were already dead. On the surface, Qing Zhou was under the supervision of its vice general but in truth, Zhou He Lan was the one in control. As for Yong Zhou, after Kang Hong’s death, his subordinates had surrendered voluntarily, and Xie Ling had taken the helm.

The only person left was Ruan Zhou’s Su Huai Yi. Su Huai Yi had all along only obeyed the orders of the Great General Shi Le Zheng. In the eyes of the public, Shi Le Zheng was well known for being loyal to the Emperor and  hadn’t participated in the fight between the two princes. However, according to An Chang Qing’s dream, Shi Le Zheng had later aided the deposed crown prince to besiege Yejing, revealing his sly and ambitious nature. As such, by this time, Shi Le Zheng should have already developed some friendship with the Crown Prince. Therefore, Ruan Zhou most likely will lean towards the Crown Prince.

Of Da Ye’s thirteen states, Suzhou, Qizhou, Ruan Zhou, and Yu Zhou were four states that surrounded and protected Yejing. Qizhou’s Zhao Yue supports the Crown Prince; Yuzhou’s Shu Lin Ting was Shu Guifei’s confidant and supported the Third Prince; Suzhou’s Shen Tu Xu was the Emperor’s confidant; Ruan Zhou’s Su Huai Yi may seem impartial but it was highly probable that he was supporting the Crown Prince.

Of the four states, half was monopolized by the Crown Prince.

With the current situation in Yejing – Emperor An Qing had to handle state affairs despite his ailing body, the Crown Prince had not been reprimanded but Shu Guifei had regained the Emperor’s trust and her faction was gaining momentum. The Crown Prince was losing his influence. The power of having the whole country at his feet he once held was slipping away. With his nature, it was high time he lost control of himself.

Xiao Zhige decided to change his strategy. There was no rush to deal with Su Huai Yi. Qingzhou and Yongzhou were already under his control, Ruanzhou did not pose a threat.

The refugees in Yongzhou had been resettled and to exchange merit for land, many able-bodied youths had signed up to join the army which Xie Ling accepted without hesitation. Together with the remaining soldiers of Yongzhou, they were reorganized into units and retrained according to Yanzhou’s military drills.

Although Yongzhou’s army was better than Qingzhou’s by heaps and bounds, they were still lacking in training. Without being exposed to war, the soldiers had become lax. Some lieutenants were dissatisfied being forced to do basic drills but after Xie Ling ordered the stationed Yanzhou soldiers to show off their fighting prowess, they closed their mouths and obediently complied.

After Kan Hong committed suicide, the soldiers had hoped that another famed General would take his place. They had heard many things about the infamous Northern Warlord and although they admired his accomplishments, they did not want to work under him. After all, a ruthless leader was not easy to get along with. And witnessing the terrifying skills of the Yanzhou army only enforced the credibility of the rumors.

However, after being under his command, they realized that although the Northern Warlord had a stone-cold appearance, he was not bloodthirsty. He was good to the people and treated his men with fairness, giving out rewards and punishments without bias. The soldiers eventually dispelled their misgivings and pledged their loyalty to him.

Once you decide to use someone, there shouldn’t be any suspicions as a suspicious person cannot be used. After reviewing the documents compiled by Xie Ling, Xiao Zhige decided to entrust Yongzhou to Xie Ling and the remaining soldiers of the Yongzhou army.

As the stately affairs in Yongzhou had been settled, on the 25th of January, Xiao Zhige pulled out his army of twenty thousand soldiers and headed for Yejing, bringing along a group of criminals and evidence for the court.

…

By the time they arrived in Yejing, it was already February. The twenty thousand soldiers were stationed a hundred miles outside Yejing while Xiao Zhige took with him one hundred soldiers to escort the criminals into the city.

On this day, Emperor An Qing sat high on the throne overlooking the court and too often, muffled coughs could be heard from him.

“Send in the Northern Warlord.” In only half a year, he had grown old much too fast. There were traces of frailty in his voice which exuded a sense of powerlessness.

An eunuch relayed his order in a high pitched voice and another eunuch at the door relayed the same message to the outside. 

Xiao Zhige removed his armor and handed his spear to a palace attendant before striding into the main hall.

The court officials were divided into two columns, leaving a path in the middle laid with a carpet embroidered with a golden dragon design. Xiao Zhige took steady strides forward, calm and composed. Several courtiers who had been against him were suddenly startled. Ever since he got married and left for Yanzhou, the hostility in his eyes had faded and unexpectedly, his features had become noble, exuding a majestic aura.

Not to mention the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, even Emperor An Qing who had been sitting on the dragon throne did not look as dignified as this son when he was young.

Standing in the forefront was Li Min An who secretly nodded in his heart. Others might not have noticed but he found that Xiao Zhige bore a resemblance to the First Emperor in his youth.

Emperor An Qing had to sit up and squint his eyes when looking at this increasingly unfamiliar son. “You did well this time,” he said in a feeble voice.

Xiao Zhige knelt down and lowered his head, “It was fortunate that I did not disappoint father.”

Emperor An Qing smiled inexplicably. Like a dying beast, he kept a steady eye on Xiao Zhige. “You have made some contributions in culling the rebellion but at the same time, I’ve also received countless complaints. See for yourself.”

Once he had finished speaking, the eunuch beside him presented a high stack of scrolls in front of Xiao Zhige.

Xiao Zhige did not have to open the scrolls to know what was written on them. Both Zuo Qiu and Kang Hong were backed by heavyweights and he had killed their cash cow. Many must’ve gritted death teeth and wanted payback.

Xiao Zhige pretended to flip over a scroll then threw it aside and said firmly, “I’ve done nothing wrong to garner such impeachment. Zuo Qiu fled in the midst of battle, abandoning his duties and the people of Qingzhou, unworthy of his title as General. Killing him was the only way to appease the people’s anger. As for Kang Hong, raising a private army, colluding with bandits, inciting a rebellion, all evidence is clear as day. Furthermore, he committed suicide out of guilt, his death has nothing to do with me.”

He paused then continued, “Although Kang Hong has committed suicide, his accomplices have been caught and brought back to Yejing. As there are still some questionable details regarding this conspiracy and suspicions that Kang Hong’s abettors are within this court, I will work with the Minister of the Dali Temple to conduct a thorough investigation and will not tolerate any misdeed!”

Kang Hong, together with Shu Lin Ting of Yuzhou, were under the direct command of the Great General Xue Qi. And Xue Qi’s first wife was Shu Guifei’s biological aunt. This was no secret . Xiao Zhige’s demand for conducting a thorough investigation was simply to take this opportunity to warn the Third Prince’s party to stay quiet.

By himself, Kang Hong definitely did not have the courage or funding to raise his own army. A deeper investigation would immediately reveal the Third Prince’s involvement.

After the Qingzhou and Yongzhou incident, seeing him being praised by the people and earning merit in court, both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince must’ve hated him to the core. He had overshadowed them in achievements and naturally, they both felt a sense of crisis. 

Although theoretically, having married a man, Emperor An Qing would never pass the throne to him. However, Xiao Zhige held control over a powerful army and they had to be vigilant. And as the saying goes, the enemy of the enemy is a friend. Both the Crown Prince and Third Prince temporarily ceased their confrontation and joined hands to target Xiao Zhige instead.

But Xiao Zhige had already planned out how to deal with this. His one sentence was not only to force the Third Prince’s faction to back down but also created an opportunity for the Crown’s Prince side to step on them. And hence, ended the short-lived alliance.

Emperor An Qing was indifferent regarding this matter. He was becoming increasingly powerless in state affairs and had no vested interest in them. Instead, he was more concerned with his own benefits. His murky eyes stayed on Xiao Zhige and said in a hoarse voice, “Leave it to the Dali Temple to handle the investigation. You don’t need to step in. I’ve heard… You have seized the Shi Family’s properties? They are a powerful family with immense wealth. The amount of gold and treasures you sent back to Yejing… There should still be more, right?”

What Emperor An Qing most concerned himself with was the Shi Family’s fortune. Such a large piece of meat left behind by the Shi Family, of course he wanted to swallow it whole. In fact, he and the court had been coveting the Shi Family’s fortune for many years but due to his status and not wanting to be bad-mouthed as a poor and shameless Emperor, he could only sit back and watch. 

When he heard that Xiao Zhige had confiscated the Shi Family’s fortunes, he even felt like giving out praise to this unlikeable son. However, when going through the account book for the newly acquired treasures, he was both appalled and enraged.

But at the same time, he couldn’t openly accuse Xiao Zhige of skimming the treasures and could only raise the question in court.

Xiao Zhige sneered in his heart but his expression remained solemn, “Father is wise. I’ve also had my suspicions of the Shi Family’s assets. Whatever I could confiscate has been listed in detail. The lands and fields are used to appease the people. Half of the gold and silver are used to provide disaster relief for the victims and fill the national treasury. The remaining gold and expensive knicknacks have all been sent back to Yejing.”

He then told the eunuch to pass the account book to the Minister of Taifu Temple to verify. The new minister of Taifu Temple was an honest person. He looked through the records and reported, “At first glance, the amounts all match accordingly. However, it would require a few days to actually give an accurate assessment.”

Emperor An Qing remained silent with an unpleasant expression.

Xiao Zhige then continued, “I’ve also had my doubts regarding the Shi Family’s assets and had ordered for it to be investigated. It turns out that the family head, Shi Kairen, had many wives and concubines, giving birth to quite a few daughters who were betrothed to many officials. It is said that when they married, they were given a huge dowry…”

Halfway through his words, the people in the Crown Prince’s faction turned pale.

Let alone the officials, isn’t there a Shi family daughter right in the Crown Prince’s harem? Not only that, the Shi family was so ambitious that they even sent out their illegitimate daughters. Right now in court, more than a handful of officials were believed to have housed a Shi family member…

The court had turned so quiet that the sound of a needle dropping could be heard. Xiao Zhige looked around and secretly smiled.