Chapter 492: No turning back
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Winner takes all.
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping had placed all his bets on the Crown Prince. As such, he would never let someone who could harm the Crown Prince live.
"I must calm the Crown Prince's heart. Wan Chong... please don't blame me for being vicious!" Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping's eyes glowed icily as he looked at the closed doors.
As the leader of the officials...
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping knew what the Crown Prince and the Emperor thought. As such, he needed someone to take the rap.
Crown Prince Lin Tianrong didn't speak. He didn't care much for a Minister. As long as he could remain in power, he wouldn't mind replacing the Minister repeatedly.
There was only one person who could threaten his hold on the throne. That was Fang Zhengzhi.
No!
Fang Zhengzhi had to die!
He had taken too many risks and hid in the shadows for way too long. He had worked so hard to get to his current position and he was not going to let it fall apart.
...
Early morning the next day.
The morning court session...
Crown Prince Lin Tianrong proposed that the Emperor hold a banquet for the elders at the Ten Mile Lake.
The officials concurred.
Emperor Lin Mubai praised the Crown Prince for coming up with such a brilliant proposal and put him in charge of forming the attendance list.
King Duan was silent.
After the session, the officials congratulated Crown Prince Lin Tianrong and offered up names to be included in the attendance list.
King Duan remained silent.
Nightfall...
King Duan's residence was still lit up.
However, it was much less festive and boisterous as compared to the Crown Prince's residence. A lot had changed over the past year.
King Duan sat behind the desk. He wore baggy pajamas and held a letter in his hand. However, this letter was intact. There were few creases on the paper.
There were two other people in this spacious study.
One was an aged man in a black and white robe whilst the other was Mr. Hua sporting the academic robes.
"Your Highness, did you call us over because of the Crown Prince's proposal?" Mr. Hua asked when after King Duan put down the letter.
"Mm, but we have also received news from the Northern Region." King Duan nodded as he lit the sandalwood.
"Chi Hou wrote to us?" Mr. Hua took a whiff, then looked at the letter on the table.
"Yes, Chi Hou told us that Yan Qianli has left Western Liang and is heading to the capital with them. Fang Zhengzhi is also with them. Chi Hou wanted to meet with Yan Qianli but didn't have the chance." King Duan summarized the letter.
"They didn't meet? That can only mean that Yan Qianli feels that the time isn't right." Mr. Hua guessed.
"You are right, but we must get Yan Qianli on our side. Chi Hou wants me to welcome Yan Qianli outside the city, well before the Crown Prince can get to him. However, I never expected that the Crown Prince would come up with such a great plan. He will now have the first crack at Yan Qianli."
"Your Highness, your analysis is correct. Even if you receive Yan Qianli, the Emperor will still give overall control of this to the Crown Prince. After all, Yan Qianli is the VIP here. No matter how hard you try, you will not be able to get close to him at this banquet."
"Mr. Hua is correct. That is why I have disturbed you two this late at night. I hope that I can pick your brains."
"We have already lost the initiative here. It is virtually impossible to go against the Crown Prince in the courts now. All we can do is back off."
"Back off?! I have already backed off for the past year! I can't back off anymore! All six ministers are loyal to the Crown Prince! More than half of the courts are loyal to him! And then there's the army! They used to be loyal to me, but now at least 30% are loyal to him! How much more can I pull back?"
"You have no other choice right now." Mr. Hua shook his head.
"The fight for the throne is a matter of life or death. Once I stepped forward, there is no way I can pull out. Please... help me!"
"Your Highness... why are you in such a hurry? We still have a chance to make a comeback!" Mr. Hua added.
"Please enlighten me!"
"Old Wen, what do you think?" Mr. Hua sighed when he saw King Duan's expression and turned to Mr.Wen.
"Take a step back and all will be clear." Was the reply.
"What do you mean by take a step back?" Mr. Hua was surprised that Mr. Wen would agree with him.
"Somethings become clearer when we take a step back."
King Duan's eyes glittered when he heard this. He knew that there was more to this statement, so we waited patiently.
"Please elaborate." Mr. Hua added.
"The banquet is just a cover. The Crown Prince does have some intelligent advisors. However, if you think about it, the Left Prime Minister is smarter than that. Why would he do something that is so time consuming but will yield such little results?"
"What do you mean?" King Duan queried.
"It is very important to have Yan Qianli align himself with us. However, Yan Qianli is a smart man. He spent the past two decades guarding Western Liang in order to avoid being embroiled in this fight. He will not choose until the last moment! It is virtually impossible to get him on your side in one try."
"What you're saying is I should do nothing?"
"That's not what I meant."
"That's not what you meant?"
"Yes, if you really took a step back, you would see something else."
"See something else?" King Duan was confused, but Old Wen didn't elaborate. He simply turned to look at Mr. Hua.
Mr. Hua closed his eyes.
He had to calm himself down.
The study room was silent. The only sound came from the breeze coming through the open windows. The flames flickered.
King Duan's eyes glittered after a long pause.
"You're talking about Fang Zhengzhi?"
"Yes, finally!" Old Wen stood up and bowed to King Duan.
"It is my mistake. I never thought very highly of this man, so I tend to ignore his existence... aish, Old Wen, please enlighten me!" King Duan's expression had traces of embarrassment.
"Mm, I can understand how you feel. However, getting Fang Zhengzhi on our side is more important than getting Yan Qianli right now." Old Wen advised.
"Do I really have to beg him?"
"Yes."
"Is there any other way? Maybe..."
"There is no other way. Fang Zhengzhi is a thorn in the Crown Prince's side! He is your key to reclaiming your position!"
"So... what should I do? Fang Zhengzhi is a felon on the run! Even if the Emperor doesn't kill him, I can't possibly welcome him!" King Duan added.
"If my guess is correct, Fang Zhengzhi would not be able to enter the city so easily this time!" Old Wen added.
"What do you mean?"
"The Crown Prince's banquet is just to lure Yan Qianli away!"
"Lure Yan Qianli away? From Fang Zhengzhi's side? But the Ten Mile Lake is only half a day away from the capital. It would be difficult for him to set an ambush. Furthermore, Chi Hou is by Fang Zhengzhi's side." King Duan was confused.
"Mm, that's what I thought too. What do you think, Mr. Hua?" Old Wen nodded and turned to look at Mr. Hua.
"Haha..." Mr. Hua opened his eyes slowly, smirked, then shook his head.
...
The capital was becoming more vibrant as the flowers bloomed.
News of the banquet had spread through the empire and many of the elders of noble families set out from their homes.
Countless carriages headed straight for the capital.
Apart from this, the Imperial Examinations were beginning and the flyers were pasted all over the city.
Countless candidates were on their way to participate in the examinations after celebrating their achievements back home.
The road to the capital was bustling with activity.
"Grandfather, I heard that King Yan is the VIP for this banquet. It is to be held at the Ten Mile Lake. Were you in that battle? Do you know how King Yan looks like? Have you met him before?" Some young voices rang out from inside the carriages.
"Haha... it's been decades since I last saw King Yan. I was just a low ranking officer at that time. I never got to meet him." An aged voice replied.
"I heard that he is very arrogant and that even the Emperor respects him."
"Mm, that is true. The Yan Family was the key factor in our victory there! 30,000 Yan Cloud Cavalry reached the capital in less than seven days! If they didn't manage to do that, the capital would have fallen! There would be no Great Xia without the Yan Family!"
"From Western Liang to the Capital? Seven days?! That's... that's... ridiculously fast! Normally, that trip would take at least half a month! Even if they marched through the night, it would take between 15 and 20 days! Seven days... is that an exaggeration?" The youth was in disbelief.
"Yes, no one expected that the Yan Cloud Cavalry could arrive in seven days. Neither the Emperor nor the Demons predicted that. However, it was a bloody battle. 30,000 of them held off 150,000 demons for three days and three nights. They were virtually annihilated and the current King Yan was the only survivor in the family. However, the Demon's advance was halted and their morale took a hit. Less than 50,000 made it back."
"Grandfather, how long do you plan to stay in the capital for?"
"Haha... if you can make it to the honor rolls for this examination, I will return only after you've completed your examination."
"Really? Rest assured, I will definitely pass the examination! I also want to do our family and you proud in the court examinations!
"Good. You have matured! You will make us proud!"
...
There was one particular convoy that caught the eyes of everyone. Countless officials came out to welcome this convoy.
The armor of the soldiers glittered under the sun.
3000 Yan Cloud Cavalry and 2000 soldiers from the Red Pinion Squad. It was a grand sight, much grander than an army of tens of thousands.
These were elites, the creme de la creme.
Countless candidates and citizens lined the roads for a glimpse of the legendary Yan Cloud Cavalry.
However, they were all disappointed.
For some reason, this squad of elites traveled extremely slowly.
They would stop at every point along the way.
Then, they would even rest for an entire day before lumbering towards the capital. It felt as though they were on a tour.
The citizens didn't really understand what was happening at first, but they seemed to understand with time.
All of them saw one person. Someone who rode in the middle of the squad. They would chuckle every time they saw him.
"I bet he just wants to prolong his life."
"Exactly, if I were him, I would be in no rush to get to the capital either."
"He should have thought twice before doing what he did! He must have known that this would happen the moment he showed himself in Huai An County!"
"Forget it, he was a key factor in our victory in the Southern Region. Aish... it's a pity that his lust and courage got the better of him. How dare he violate the Princess of the Southern Region?! Then he killed their Crown Prince and injured ours! The nerve of some people!"
"Shhh, speak softer! Things may get ugly if they hear you!"