A Single Tie Of Long Hair Seals A Lifelong Commitment - Chapter 16.2

Yan Baizhang finally showed a hint of approval. “Fundamentally, the Crown Prince is too focused on establishing a peaceful and prosperous era. This stratagem is clever—it suppresses Prince Qi, purges corruption, cleanses the land, manages the military, and reduces taxes. It is multi-faceted and begins today. But he is acting too hastily. You must know the principle that when a thing reaches its extreme, it must reverse.”

“The Marquis has followed and supported His Majesty for over twenty years, and truly, for even longer. The first character His Majesty learned, the first bow he held, were all taught by the Marquis himself. The Northern Army under the Marquis’s command is, in fact, the Emperor’s peaceful rear guard. The Emperor recently delegated power to the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince performed well, and originally the relationship between sovereign and subject was harmonious. But for the Crown Prince to move against the Marquis and encroach upon the Northern Army—that is touching the Dragon’s Reverse Scale.”

“Although the Crown Prince has the power to oversee the state, the heir is ultimately a subject. Though the Emperor rarely inquiries about state affairs, a sovereign is a sovereign!”

A sovereign is a sovereign!

The Emperor is the supreme ruler, who holds the lives and deaths of all men. The Emperor can delegate power, but he will not tolerate a subject vying with him for it.

Yan Baizhang peeled away the layers of the imperial court situation like an onion. Finally, he asked, “Since the Imperial Guard and the Eastern Palace Guard both belong to the Crown Prince, where will the Emperor borrow strength to check the Eastern Palace?”

Chen Liangyu suddenly woke up to the answer. “The Sixteen Guards.”

The dormant Sixteen Guards of the Southern Bureau unexpectedly had a chance to rise again.

“Public resentment is boiling right now. Your act of righteous extermination will surely have those officials and scholars praising you to the heavens and elevating you to great heights,” Yan Baizhang said, squinting against the cold wind on the lake, a subtle worry in his eyes. “The higher you climb, the harder you fall. If the Sixteen Guards are revitalized now, under your command, and in a few years, people forget the pain of the Cangnan disaster, and their hatred fades, then if slanderers jump out to recount the original cause, adding color and flourish to their narrative, they will judge your actions today, and you will become the traitor who climbed to power over the stacked corpses of your own clan.”

Chen Liangyu carefully considered Yan Baizhang’s words. Indeed, his concern was not unfounded. However, serving in court and conducting military strategy were the same—timing was paramount, and a good opportunity was fleeting. As for what came later, she would simply meet challenges as they arose, no matter what.

Thinking of the Sixteen Guards’ jubilation when they had a legitimate task to perform, she knew that a person in a position of power would naturally feel a sense of mission. Since she had accepted the post, she bore the responsibility of securing a good future for her brothers in arms.

Yan Baizhang saw her resolve and sighed lightly. “With the lives of over four hundred kin on your back, this imperial edict of favor is too heavy for you to bear.”

Then, seeing the distressed expression on Chen Liangyu’s face smooth out, revealing a fleeting hint of joy, Yan Baizhang said helplessly, “Since you have made up your mind, so be it. It is not without its benefits for you.”

“What benefits?”

“Since the Emperor needs to use the Sixteen Guards to counterbalance the Imperial Guard, he will not be in a hurry to issue an edict to bestow your marriage upon the Crown Prince.”

“Well, that is a good thing.”

She thought of Xie Yuan, drawing a worried breath. For such a gentle and pure man to compete for the throne with the decisive and deeply-rooted Crown Prince—it would require nothing less than the mandate of Heaven.

A waning moon hung on the treetops.

Chen Liangyu wrapped a white fox-fur cloak around herself and paced back and forth behind the main vermillion gates.

Lady He had instructed the servants to keep the food warm repeatedly, but Chen Yuanqing and Chen Linjun had not yet returned to the residence.

The Imperial Guard had surrounded the Xuanping Marquis’s Residence, sealing it off completely. With heavy troops guarding the gates, the people inside could not leave and could only wait anxiously in the residence.

The night watchman struck the first beat of the hours, and suddenly, the Imperial Guard outside assembled and marched away.

Chen Liangyu quickly pulled out the door bolt and rushed out. No one stopped her.

Her father and brother returned under the moonlight.

The confinement of the Xuanping Marquis’s Residence was lifted.

Chen Liangyu’s rigidly held shoulders finally slumped, and the tight string in her heart relaxed.

Chen Yuanqing, taking the blame, resigned as the Grand Marshal of the Northern Army and handed over the Marshal’s military seal. Twenty thousand soldiers of the Northern Army were dismissed and merged into other units.

His twenty years of meritorious service, having shed blood for the royal Xie clan, finally resulted in leniency from the imperial law. While the Yao family was executed and their property confiscated, the Chen clan of Cangnan was not utterly destroyed. Adult men and women were executed, and all property was seized for the national treasury, but the remaining women were sold into slavery, and the remaining men were sent to serve in the army.

The deep-rooted influence of the Yao and Chen families in Cangnan was pulled out by the roots.

Though the ant’s nest was cleaned out, the dam had already burst.

The people of Cangnan were scattered like birds when the tree falls, most fleeing to seek survival outside. All that remained was an endless desolation and turmoil.

The number of refugees in the capital city of Yongdu grew by the day. Those driven by extreme hunger were like blood-crazed beasts with red eyes; all rules were rendered useless.

The desire to survive overtook all human moral codes. Robbery, theft, and assault became rampant. The households of Yongdu locked their doors and windows tight, and after nightfall, they were so terrified they had to sleep with cleavers and hoes beside their beds.

The court was forced to close the city gates, blocking the refugees outside Yongdu.

Prince Xie Yuan stood outside the city in the black night, his robes stained with dirt and footprints. He was clutching his forehead, blood snaking down his face from his temple.

He had been struck by a rock thrown by a refugee.

The canvas for tents was quickly used up, unable to keep up with the surging number of refugees. The donated grain was also quickly depleted, allowing them to cook only thin gruel.

When pushed to desperation, the refugees swarmed over each other to fight for the food.

The officials, fearing the conflict would escalate into a riot, stepped forward to suppress it, which only worsened the situation.

The refugees focused on one target: Prince Xie Yuan, in his royal attire. They launched a collective attack.

Xie Yuan was protected and clustered by his guards onto a high place, where he shouted with all his might, “The court will resolve this! Food and clothing are being gathered! Killing this Prince will ease your hatred, but you, your children, your elders, will all starve to death!”

Only then did the enraged crowd gradually quiet down.

Settling the refugees was a complicated, thankless task.

If gruel and grain were slightly insufficient, they would become enraged, ready to tear the person apart and consume their flesh and blood to satisfy their hunger.

It was a bitter chore, offering no profit if done well, but ensuring punishment if done poorly.

All major government offices shirked the chaotic burden.

Only Gao Guan had eagerly taken on this hard task early on.

With the Commander confined, the Southern Bureau had no one to take charge. But fortunately, no one paid attention to the whereabouts of the small Sixteen Guards. Gao Guan gritted his teeth and made a bold decision. Without requesting permission, he led the Sixteen Guards to build felt tents and boil hot water, planning only to apologize after Chen Liangyu’s confinement was lifted.

The Imperial Guard of the Northern Bureau ridiculed them harshly for this.

They must be mad with idleness, taking on any chore they could find!

It was a hundred times better to lie in bed with energy to spare than to rush into dealing with starving refugees, at least to avoid a life-threatening situation.

Dark clouds obscured the waning moon, and the ground grew even darker. The small area lit by the lanterns was like a faint spark on a vast wilderness.

Xie Yuan lifted the lamp higher, only able to make out the surrounding groups of people with deeply sunken eyes.

A large raindrop struck his nose. Xie Yuan used the wide sleeve of his white robe to wipe it away.

The rain began to pour down heavily.

The winter rain was bone-chilling. Most of the refugees were thinly dressed. Without shelter, half of them might die before morning.

Gao Guan, wiping the rain from his face, ran over. The sound of the rain was frantic, masking some of his words, so he had to half-shout, “His Highness Prince Shen, the felt is all used up, and the tents cannot be built! Please, Your Highness, make a decision! If this continues, the refugees will all die!”

The blood on his face was washed away by the icy rain, and his winter clothing was quickly soaked through. Xie Yuan looked far into the northeast. The unfinished Yanzhishan Temporary Palace was not far from here.

Since the Crown Prince prosecuted Minister Yao Chongshan of the Ministry of Works for the sale of offices, the construction of the Yanzhishan Temporary Palace, which Yao Chongshan supervised, had been halted. Although it was said to be unfinished, only the verandas, carvings, pavilions, and large statues—the expensive and time-consuming tasks—had not been completed. The main palace structures were already roofed.

The problem, however, was that a Royal Palace was strictly forbidden to commoners. To enter was considered a serious offense, punishable by a flogging death.

How much more so for refugees covered in filth?

Xie Yuan clenched his jaw, trying desperately to control the chattering of his teeth, and made a difficult choice: “Tell everyone to get up, follow the officials, and go to the Palace for shelter from the rain!”