The Perilous Palace Dream - Chapter 106
Chapter 106
Minister Geng’s passionate patriotic blood soon began to flow and spread across the stone tiles of the great hall.
That bloody scent stimulated everyone present.
The guard commander who had been thrown to the ground saw this scene and knew things were going poorly, so he scrambled up quickly to summon his men.
However, in the next moment, over a hundred soldiers from the Black Flag Army swarmed in from the side hall and detained dozens of guards who had drawn their swords at the commander’s call.
The other ministers present who had been bribed by Prince Qilu all turned as pale as ash.
The script unfolding here was vastly different from what they had discussed in the government office.
According to the original plan, the Emperor’s true identity as a woman should have been exposed.
Then, amid the chaos of the officials, they would detain the fake Emperor and collectively petition Prince Qilu, entreating him to act as the representative of the Nie imperial family and temporarily take charge of the government.
Prince Qilu had also long since left his own territory and led his troops to station outside the capital to wait for the good news.
But now, their leader Minister Geng had died from striking the pillar, and the guards who were supposed to control the scene had all been taken down by the sudden arrival of the Black Flag Army.
For a time, everyone was in a state of panic.
“This subordinate was reckless and fears he has startled the imperial carriage. Please remain seated, Your Majesty,” Lu Yuda said.
He ordered his men to drag away the group of guards and the corpse of Geng Bohuai, then bent his sturdy back to ask the little Emperor for forgiveness.
At this time, Nie Qinglin also regained her composure.
Although the Grand Tutor was missing, the prestige of the Black Flag Army remained unchanged.
Half of the military officers in the hall at this moment had come from Wei Lenghou’s Black Flag camp.
These generals were different from those high officials who came from the military examinations.
They had earned their illustrious achievements through blood and slaughter on the battlefield.
Even though they were now far from the clashing of weapons on the field of war, they had not relaxed their bodies in a comfortable environment.
Any single one of them was more brave and fierce than that group of profligate guards who only knew how to gamble and drink.
The sudden disappearance of the Grand Tutor had made those officials with sinister intentions somewhat overconfident.
However, even if there was no tiger in the mountain, there was still a pack of tiger cubs with sharp teeth raised by that tiger.
For a moment, the great hall was extremely quiet.
Nie Qinglin sat down slowly.
Her hands rested on the intricately carved armrests of the dragon throne, only then discovering that her palms were covered in cold sweat.
She looked at the officials below who had various expressions and spoke after a pause: “From this day forward, We shall personally rule and handle state affairs. Recently, rumors in the capital have been very messy. Some have even reached my ears, and their absurdity is staggering. However, this is the golden throne hall of Great Wei and it does not allow ghosts or monsters to haunt it. If anyone dares to bring folk rumors into the imperial court, do not blame me for disregarding the bond between ruler and subject. All such persons shall be executed!”
The officials below immediately lowered their heads and shouted: “We respectfully obey the Emperor’s sacred edict.”
“Your Majesty, Prince Qilu has left his territory without permission and gathered heavy troops outside the capital. How should this be handled?”
At this point, Qiu Mingyan stepped out from the ranks below the steps, lowered his head, and asked for instructions.
Nie Qinglin knew in her heart that everything today was definitely not a spontaneous reaction from the military officers.
It was likely that Qiu Mingyan had made arrangements in advance.
Since he came forward to ask, he must have a complete plan.
After thinking for a moment, she asked: “What is the penalty for a vassal prince leaving his territory without permission and leading heavy troops to approach the capital?”
The red mole on Qiu Mingyan’s forehead shimmered with a blood like light as he replied: “To answer Your Majesty, according to the law, the penalty is death!”
It would not take long for the sudden change in the great hall to spread out from the vermilion gates of the palace.
Prince Qilu would be like a mad dog backed into a corner and would be capable of doing anything.
After a brief moment of silent reflection, she asked: “I wonder if there is a capable general in the court to capture the leader of the rebels?”
Lu Yuda then stepped forward to report: “The Black Flag Army is gathering and training at Mount Fengliang near the camp of Prince Qilu. If they march around the mountain, it is a day’s journey. But if they make a forced march over the mountain, they can reach it in less than half an hour. As long as Your Majesty gives the order, the Black Flag Army will come over the mountain and behead the rebels to warn the world!”
At this time, Eunuch Ruan had already brought the map forward and handed it to the Emperor to view personally.
Mount Fengliang.
Nie Qinglin had an impression of this mountain.
When the Grand Tutor had taken her to Swallow Lake to practice horse riding and archery, they had passed that mountain.
The Grand Tutor had once pointed at the steep cliffs and said proudly: “This mountain looks high and pathless, but it is actually the easiest to climb. Compared to the desolate mountains and treacherous waters the Black Flag Army crossed during forced marches on the border, it is simply a trivial matter!”
Prince Qilu might not have been unaware that the Black Flag Army was stationed at Mount Fengliang… but following conventional logic, he certainly would have felt that a full day’s journey remained between them.
He believed that by the time the Black Flag Army arrived, he would have already fought his way into the capital and donned the dragon robes.
At that point, mobilizing an army to deal with the leaderless Black Flag soldiers would be more than enough.
Thus, he did not take to heart this army of tigers and wolves separated from him by a single mountain.
After Nie Qinglin finished reading, she raised her head and spoke her first command after taking personal power in a slightly hoarse voice: “Take your troops and go quickly. You must suppress the rebellion and capture the rebel leader!”
Inside his command tent, Prince Qilu was currently trying on a dragon robe.
The timing had been too rushed, so the stitching of this robe was not fine enough.
Fortunately, the bright yellow color was enough to dazzle the eyes, which made up for the lack of craftsmanship.
During the New Year fortune telling, a master hired for a high price said he should pay attention to what was above his head.
But what exactly was he supposed to watch for above him? Now he finally realized with a start that a meat pie really could fall from the heavens.
When Ge Qingyuan first contacted him, he still had some thoughts of self preservation.
However, Wei Lenghou was intent on weakening the vassal princes, which threatened his century old foundation.
This man named Ge actually possessed some power, as he had raised a navy on the sea and changed their flags to take on the appearance of pirates.
He also seized upon the weakness of the Wei family’s small islands in the South China Sea, luring Wei Lenghou into a trap in one fell swoop.
Dozens of large ships surrounded his warship, and he watched the vessel capsize.
When he received the secret letter from the leader of the Blood Red Society, he was still slightly uneasy.
But the spies planted next to Qiu Mingyan reported that the southern islands were covered with corpses and no one survived.
This immediately made him feel completely at ease.
The great demon dragon Wei Lenghou was now thoroughly buried in the bellies of fish and could never return to life!
The little woman in the golden throne hall had probably had her clothes stripped off by now, right? Having that delicate skin and tender flesh exposed before all the ministers was a windfall for the various officials.
One must know that this body of royal flesh had been enjoyed exclusively by that Wei Lenghou alone! Prince Qilu stood before the bronze mirror and thought of this prideful point, his face so full of fat that his eyes were nearly squeezed shut.
Once he ascended the throne, he would have to properly favor this little cousin of the same clan.
After letting her witness what true dragon rain and dew felt like, it would be appropriate to send his cousin on her way, would it not?
Before he could continue his ecstatic and soul stirring thoughts, a sudden roar of slaughter came from outside.
Prince Qilu turned around in a panic just as a soldier rushed into the camp to report in terror: “It is… it is bad! Countless soldiers are coming down from Mount Fengliang and charging this way!”
Upon hearing this, Prince Qilu hurriedly moved his obese body out of the tent.
On the cliffs of Mount Fengliang not far away, countless ropes hung down.
The soldiers descended from the sky along the ropes like they were handling sliding poles, their movements exceptionally swift and practiced.
After the tidal wave of soldiers poured down, they quickly gathered into a square formation at the foot of the mountain and charged toward the camp.
The earth shattering cries of slaughter made people’s hearts tremble.
Prince Qilu saw that his subordinates were still standing there in a daze and he immediately screamed hysterically: “Engage them quickly! Shoot arrows at the cliff! Use fire arrows to burn the ropes! Fast!”
In war, speed is everything.
Even if the soldiers under the Qilu tent had come to their senses now, it was already too late.
Wherever the Black Flag Army went, gusts of blade wind followed.
Every Black Flag soldier was like a fierce demon.
The sound of sharp axes splitting bones rose and fell in succession.
With such fierce killing intent surging, how could the ambushed Qilu army find the time to boost their morale and block the attack?
When Prince Qilu was cut down into the dust by an axe and his fat head bounced in a pool of blood, a blurred thought finally occurred to him: It turns out that what falls from above is not just meat pies, but also a miraculous army that claims one’s life.
The battle to annihilate the Qilu army was soon declared over.
The corpse still wearing the dragon robe provided conclusive evidence.
The crime of treason was undeniable, and the fief of Prince Qilu was revoked and returned directly to the royal court.
Hearing this news, Nie Qinglin’s heart, which had been hanging high, gradually settled.
The crisis of the capital was temporarily resolved, but how could the crisis in people’s hearts be settled?
She was no longer the child she once was.
A woman’s delicate and fragile features could hardly be hidden even by a dazzling, bright yellow dragon robe.
If it were in the past, it would have been fine, as the ministers would not have thought much of it even if they felt the young Emperor looked a bit frail and delicate.
However, since everyone now harbored suspicions, it was useless even if the chest bindings were wrapped tighter or the lifts inside her boots were made higher.
Even when she stood before the mirror looking at her own reflection, she felt her appearance was full of flaws.
But what caused her even greater anxiety was that there was still no news of the Grand Tutor! The sea vessels dispatched by Prime minister Qiu had all returned empty handed.
Upon hearing this news, Nie Qinglin’s face simply turned pale, and she sat quietly on the soft couch.
Seeing that she had not moved for a long time, Nanny Shan ordered the maids to brew honeyed red date flower tea and brought it to her personally.
“Your Majesty, have some tea to moisten your throat,” she said.
Nie Qinglin regained her senses, lowered her head, and slowly took the cup of steaming red date tea.
The bright red dates were softened by the light brown tea, their wrinkled skins smoothed out and plumped once more by the heat.
They swayed gently among the petals as if they were as fresh as the moment they were picked from the tree.
Recalling the time the bald army knelt before the city gates to petition, she remembered discovering then that there was someone so incredibly different.
His eyes did not hold the decaying, stagnant air of the noble ministers who frequented the palace.
There always seemed to be something flickering in those handsome phoenix eyes, which drew her involuntary attention even back then when her heart had not yet bloomed.
During every banquet, she would sit beside her imperial mother and find herself watching him.
She noticed the subtle impatience at the corners of his eyes when he dealt with the powerful elites, the way he hollowed out date pits when bored, and the curve of his lips as he closed his eyes to taste tea.
These images were deeply etched in her mind, just like the burning and everlasting marks he left in the deepest parts of her body every night as he pulled her forcefully into his arms.
How could she ever forget or erase them one by one?
Nanny Shan turned and retreated after delivering the tea. Nie Qinglin’s pale hand held the porcelain cup filled with the scent of dates.
As she let the steam rise against her eyes, tears suddenly began to fall uncontrollably.
They would not stop, landing upon the red dates and causing that deep crimson to tremble in the water.
Wei Lenghou, where on earth are you?
