FYM - 5

“That was the late emperor being deceived by treacherous sycophants!”

Fan Yucheng’s eyes narrowed sharply, each word cutting like a blade.

“Chang’an has already fallen, and how can we afford to lose Dongdu as well? Since ancient times, the imperial qi has always resided in the Central Plains. If we hastily retreat southward, the hearts of the people will surely scatter, and that would truly be an omen of national ruin!”

The words “national ruin” reverberated like thunder, not only shattering the resolve of the officials below but also draining the color from the young emperor standing atop the imperial steps—he was merely a thirteen-year-old boy who had just inherited this fractured and precarious realm from his father. How could he possibly become a ruler remembered for losing the empire?

…That would invite ridicule for generations to come.

The officials of the Jinling faction saw the emperor’s wavering and realized that if they did not stabilize the situation now, they would face an abyss of no return. Song Bo thus steeled himself, stepping forward once more to fiercely interrogate: “Then may I ask Chancellor Fan, do you have any brilliant strategies to repel the enemy? At present, the royal family is divided, Wei Zheng holds Fengxiang Prefecture with covetous eyes, and Zhong He, together with Wu Huaimin, has fought their way from Longyou all the way to Xizhou! The border regions are unstable, and the Tibetans and Turks are stirring—what then if Luoyang falls? Where do you place the safety of His Majesty?”

“Fight if there’s a fight!”

Duke Yinping bellowed boldly.

“The invaders are nothing but bandits; how can they destroy three hundred years of our Zhou dynasty’s foundation! You lot must be scared witless, which is why you’re so eager to scurry back to your hometown of Jinling!”

“Utter nonsense!” Another elderly minister from the Jinling faction stepped out, angrily retorting, “Duke Yinping boasts here now, but where was he when the chaos erupted at Hezhong Prefecture? Why didn’t he volunteer to lead troops against the enemy then? Now, it’s only Lord Hou who is bravely fighting on the frontlines to save our nation. Where can we see the Duke of Yinping’s valiant and heroic figure?”

This barb stung deeply, striking Duke Yinping like a slap across the face. Enraged, he pointed accusingly at the group of Jinling-aligned officials, cursing: “I am no coward or deserter! My presence in the court is to prevent these rebels from taking advantage of the chaos!—Do you think others don’t know? Song Cheng conspired with several provincial governors to march north directly toward Dongdu, clearly plotting to hold the emperor hostage and command the lords!”

With that, he suddenly cast a cold, taunting glance at Song Shuyan standing quietly nearby, sneering: “The calamity of the Dou clan from the previous dynasty is still fresh in memory. Now that the young sovereign has just ascended the throne, you all should take heed!”

These…

These heart-piercing words were clearly aimed at the Empress, implying suspicion that she intended to seize power under the guise of relocating south and thereby endanger the Wei dynasty. And by mentioning Governor Song Cheng, he drove another nail into the hearts of the Jinling officials, making it clear that reinforcements would never arrive and Luoyang would remain an isolated city firmly in his grasp.

Some of the older ministers couldn’t bear such a blow and collapsed to their knees. Even Song Bo, upon hearing this dire news, couldn’t help but pale and close his eyes momentarily. A sharp glint of triumph flashed in Duke Yinping’s eyes as he subtly signaled to Chancellor Fan Yucheng beside him. Immediately understanding, Fan turned to Consort Dong, who stood trembling and dazed at the side of the hall, bowed deeply, and loudly proclaimed: “Please, Your Majesty, ascend the Phoenix Throne—”

…Her Majesty? Empress Dowager?

The chamber erupted in murmurs as everyone turned their gaze back to Consort Dong. The once-discarded concubine from Bailu Terrace seemed even more frightened, her whole body trembling. Hesitating, she caught a chilling look from Duke Yinping and broke into a cold sweat. Ultimately, she forced herself to walk step by step toward the imperial platform under the watchful eyes of all.

“How presumptuous.”

A quiet, icy voice fell like shattered snowflakes upon everyone’s ears. In her confusion, Consort Dong turned to look, meeting the Empress’s cool, piercing gaze. She looked down at her from above, as though regarding an insignificant speck of dust.

“As a fifth-rank consort, why do you not bow before me?”

Her tone was neither harsh nor loud, yet the authority belonging solely to the empress dowager was unmistakably perceived by everyone present. Consort Dong’s face flushed and paled alternately, making the difference in their dignity immediately apparent.

The Luoyang faction watched with regret, inwardly cursing this Dong woman as a wall of dung unfit for plaster. Fan Yucheng, seeing the situation deteriorate, quickly stepped forward to intervene: “The Empress Dowager is the mother of the emperor; who in this world can receive her obeisance? Your Highness, do not confuse the hierarchy!”

“Hierarchy?”

Song Shuyan smiled faintly, with a hint of sarcasm.

“The late emperor never deposed the empress, yet Chancellor Fan dares to place a discarded concubine above me. Before the emperor has even spoken, all of you chorus in agreement as if His Majesty does not exist—do you not find it absurd to lecture me on hierarchy?”

“You—” Fan Yucheng urgently tried to argue.

“The late emperor lies in state in the western hall, and both Duke Yinping and Chancellor Fan seem to have lost respect for him,” she interrupted him bluntly, gazing down at the ministers with the bearing of a sovereign. “Now, with the emperor seated in the Hall of Brightness, issuing his golden decrees, do the two of you listen or not?”

With that, she slowly turned her head to look at the young emperor standing on the imperial steps, her calm gaze unruffled as she called softly: “My son.”

The new emperor, previously stunned and pale as if his soul had fled, snapped back to attention at this call. His filial affection for Song Shuyan overflowed as he immediately responded: “Mother Empress, your humble servant—”

How could the Luoyang-aligned officials not know what choice the young emperor would make?

Since the age of five, he had been raised in Xianju Hall under the Empress’s care. He had always been ashamed of his birth mother. How could he now abandon the Empress for Consort Dong? Seeing the tide turn against them, Duke Yinping immediately waved his hand forcefully, barking: “Guards! Arrest all those who dare defy the Empress Dowager and send them to the Supreme Court for trial! Do not let these evil words confuse the Emperor!”

Wei Lin, stationed outside the Hall of Brightness, had been waiting for this moment. Upon hearing his father’s summons, he instantly struck down two Northern Guard soldiers—how long had he endured this insolent dog Lou Wei! What was the Lou family, anyway? Nothing more than lapdogs serving the Fang family of Yingchuan! Except for Lou Feng, who had some merit, what else were the other members of the Lou clan worth mentioning? Now, with nearly ten thousand private troops under the Duke of Yinping’s control and thirty thousand stationed in Dongdu, they could firmly dominate the imperial palace. It was only because his father sought to avoid a complete rupture with the palace guards that he repeatedly ordered Wei Lin to retreat. Did this Lou fellow truly believe they were afraid of him?

Seeing the ferocity in Wei Lin’s eyes, Lou Wei immediately drew his sword to meet him. The courtyard, which had maintained a semblance of peace, instantly became a bloody battlefield. The soldiers’ blood stained the frost-covered white marble ground, and cries of pain echoed everywhere like ghostly wails.

However, though the Northern Guard’s six armies were valiant, their mere ten thousand men were no match for the thirty thousand troops of the Duke of Yinping. Moreover, only about three thousand were gathered before the Hall of Brightness, and it wasn’t long before they were overwhelmed. General Lou Wei himself was deeply embroiled in the melee, unable to extricate himself.

Most of the ministers inside the hall were scholarly officials with no physical strength, unused to witnessing such brutal scenes of life-and-death combat. Chaos erupted among them in moments. Only a few elder statesmen from the Jinling faction remembered to shield their Empress. Song Bo stood at the forefront, steadfastly holding off several burly soldiers wielding blades, shouting continuously: “Traitors! Traitors!—Wei Bi! With what face do you meet the late emperor? With what face do you face the world?”

Duke Yinping paid no heed, one hand restraining the screaming young emperor as he ran down the imperial steps, while a ruthless gleam flashed in his eyes. Today, with their true intentions revealed, there would be no chance for reconciliation with the Jinling faction. It would be better to eliminate them entirely—

“Wei Lin, my son—”

He shouted to Wei Lin, who was fighting madly outside the Hall of Brightness.

“Kill—”

The single word “kill” weighed heavily, like the opening of the gates of hell unleashing hordes of demons. Wei Lin’s eyes blazed crimson as he coordinated with several others to pin Lou Wei to the ground and dislocate his right shoulder. Then, seizing a longbow from a subordinate, he aimed an arrow over the fleeing crowd directly at the noble figure of the Empress.

He… he intends to…

“Your Majesty—”

Lou Wei’s eyes bulged with despair, but he was pinned down by several men and could not move an inch.

“Your Majesty—be careful—”

The heart-wrenching cry was easily drowned out by the clamor of battle. The Empress’s delicate and graceful figure resembled a flower on the verge of wilting, exquisite beyond compare yet fated to endure hardships and evade storms.

In an instant—

The sharp arrow—

Flew—

Toward—

Her—

Clang!

A crisp sound of metal clashing lightly drowned amidst the deafening chaos. A fierce wind howled at this moment, obscuring the thunderous clash of weapons.

—It was divine intervention, like a rolling tide sweeping toward the Hall of Brightness. The black armor of the newcomers was a reassuring banner, stark against the blood-soaked white marble. At the forefront, a man sat astride a horse, a bow in his left hand and a jade token held high in his right. Under the gloomy sky, the clear character “Fang” branded itself firmly in everyone’s eyes, plunging the previously chaotic hall into deathly silence.

“Behold this token as if beholding Lord Hou—”

The newcomer’s commanding shout rang through the courtyard like a bell.

“Any who dare rebel against their superiors shall be executed—”