The Road to Glory

Chapter 222: "Angered?"

King Chen shot Wen Yu two venomous glances before disappointedly ascending to the throne above. After sitting down with a flick of his sleeve, he looked at Qi Simiao and the others and said, "Does Chancellor Qi have anything to say to me?"

Qi Simiao kept his eyes closed for a long time without speaking. Anger surfaced on King Chen's face as he sneered, "Has Chancellor Qi been struck dumb?"

Only then did Qi Simiao speak: "I only hope Your Majesty and the Duke will show more compassion for the people of Chen."

King Chen clenched his jaw, the venom in his eyes growing more intense.

Yan Zhen had suddenly lifted the lockdown on Zhanghua Hall to pledge his loyalty, claiming that his year of lying low was to await the right opportunity. Now that Xiao Li was besieging the royal court demanding Wen Yu's release, that opportunity had arrived.

He also mentioned that Jiang San had secretly given birth to a son in the palace. This child, raised under his name, would allow him to publicly claim he had an heir, thereby regaining the support of many old ministers.

King Chen was no fool. He knew that if Yan Zhen was considering things so "thoroughly" on his behalf, Jiang San's child was likely connected to him.

But so what? He had been under house arrest by Wen Yu for over a year. Every day, aside from the young eunuch who brought his meals, he had seen no one else and had not left his bedchamber.

Several times he had claimed illness, but no one summoned the imperial physician. Outside the locked hall doors, a group of foul Taoists chanted scriptures endlessly toward the chamber day after day. He had nearly been driven mad.

As long as he could escape such confinement, even if the Yan family wanted to become the next Jiang Family, he would accept it.

But Qi Simiao publicly pairing Duke Yan's name with his in the main hall was like tearing away the last shred of his dignity.

King Chen suddenly slammed the armrest of his throne hard, glaring furiously at Qi Simiao as he roared in rage, "I am the king of Chen! The fourteenth ruler of Chen who worshipped our ancestors in the ancestral temple and was crowned with the royal seal! Are you saying, Qi Simiao, that I care less for the people of Chen than this venomous woman from Liang?"

With a ferocious expression, he shouted to his guards, "Guards! Drag this traitor out and behead him!"

Qi Simiao stood motionless. The minor officials below exchanged uneasy glances, nervously looking around, yet the Imperial Guards made no move.

In the silence that unmistakably revealed something, Duke Yan bowed to King Chen and said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. Although Chancellor Qi has committed offenses, our state of Chen currently faces internal and external threats. This is a time when we need capable people. I suggest we temporarily imprison him and his faction?"

King Chen's face was icy cold, but the next moment, he pulled a trembling palace maid tightly into his embrace and laughed heartily as if it meant nothing. "The Duke plans for our state of Chen's future! Let it be as the Duke says!"

Wen Yu lowered her long eyelashes slightly, taking in everything.

The Imperial Guards and palace guards soon entered the hall to arrest people, imprisoning all court officials who had not clearly pledged allegiance to King Chen and the Yan family.

The female officials of Morning Cloud Pavilion were also taken away.

Before Yang Baolin and her mother were led away, they called out to Wen Yu with reddened eyes. Wen Yu gave them a reassuring look and said calmly, "Take care of your aunt. Wait for someone from Liang to come take you back."

Her words seemed to carry some hidden meaning.

After exchanging glances, Yan Zhen made a gesture of invitation to Wen Yu: "Princess, if you please."Wen Yu, with her hands bound, walked calmly outwards. After proceeding some distance, she realized they were heading towards a side hall, and a cold smile involuntarily touched her lips. "Didn't Deputy Commander Yan say you were sending me to the Xiao Army?"

Yan Zhen maintained his pretense at this point: "This humble general is acting for the sake of our king and the Chen Kingdom. Xiao Li is ruthless and vicious, far from benevolent, with precedents like slaughtering twenty thousand of Pei Song's surrendered soldiers after breaching the city walls. Given Your Highness's past grievances with him, and to prevent our Chen Kingdom from suffering calamity, we have no choice but to take these measures. Your Highness has always shown compassion for the common people, so surely you can understand our difficult position."

They had reached the side hall. Through the wide-open doors, she could see a desk inside equipped with the four treasures of the study.

Yan Zhen untied the ropes binding Wen Yu's arms and gestured for her to take a seat. "We must trouble Your Highness to draft a letter stating that after handing over all royal court affairs, you will personally go to his camp to apologize. All past grievances were Your Highness's fault alone, unrelated to our Chen Kingdom. We only hope Xiao Jun will not vent his anger on the court officials and citizens. Additionally, we offer ten beauties to Xiao Jun as preliminary atonement."

Wen Yu glanced sideways at the father and son of the Yan family.

Duke Yan, thinking Wen Yu was unwilling to write such a letter, threatened: "Your Highness should consider the officials who support you in prison and the female officials from Liang."

Wen Yu walked towards the long desk, her lowered eyes concealing her emotions. "Prepare the ink," she said.

Yan Zhen slightly lifted his chin, and a young eunuch tremblingly stepped forward to grind the inkstone.

Wen Yu wrote the letter as Yan Zhen had instructed. After setting down the brush, the Yan father and son personally reviewed the letter before having it sealed.

When ordering Wen Yu to be temporarily taken back to Zhaohua Palace under house arrest, Yan Zhen hypocritically said: "We too are reluctant to send Your Highness into the tiger's den. If reinforcements can arrive in time to aid the royal court, wouldn't that be ideal?"

Wen Yu merely smiled coldly. "Deputy Commander Yan and the Duke have calculated well."

Their claim about sending her out of the city to apologize and prevent Xiao Li from targeting Chen was false; seizing power was their true aim.

Now, they were likely planning to buy time.

As long as they could delay Xiao Li first, when reinforcements arrived, the imperial guards in the city could still put up some resistance, and Xiao Li would be the one caught between two fronts.

If the reinforcements won, with her in their hands, they could continue forcing her to communicate with the Liang Camp, clarifying that today's events were all misunderstandings, and the Liang Camp would then not trouble Chen.

Even if Xiao Li won, they could push her out to take the blame, claiming all previous resistance was directed by her, their "past enemy." Xiao Li would likely not doubt this, and they could then pledge allegiance to him. To better take over Chen, Xiao Li would not engage in further slaughter.

After Wen Yu was taken away by the Imperial Guards, Duke Yan shook his head as he watched her retreating figure. "This woman's cunning and temperament are remarkable. Once we've used her to scheme for Liang territory, we must not let her live."

Yan Zhen, looking at the letter Wen Yu had personally written and considering his clan's plans, hesitated slightly. "Father, what if that Xiao detects we're stalling for time and doesn't delay his attack?"

Duke Yan replied: "This man killed twenty thousand of Pei Song's surrendered soldiers for a brothel prostitute, earning himself such infamy. Though brave, he's ultimately a slave to wine and women. Today, we'll hang the truce plaque. Tomorrow, we'll send the letter and the beauties to his camp. Even if he does attack, with the imperial guards defending desperately, can't they hold out for two days?"

Yan Zhen asked: "What about Western Mausoleum?"Duke Yan sneered coldly: "The Emperor of Western Mausoleum promised our Yan family autonomy over Chen Kingdom in the future, but now your child is already the royal heir, and we hold the Liang woman captive. Once the Liang Army and Xiao Army exhaust each other, we'll reap the benefits and use the Liang woman to return to the Central Plains. After that, we can rest easy—why continue cooperating with Western Mausoleum?"

He patted his son's shoulder: "Thanks to you discovering the secret Empress Dowager and the Jiang Family had been hiding for so long during the Mid-Autumn palace banquet two years ago."

King Chen is a useless man.

If the Empress Dowager wants to use the Liang woman's womb to bear a Jiang heir for the throne, why can't our Yan family have a Jiang woman bear a Yan heir instead?

Duke Yan snorted coldly: "That Liang woman refused to raise our Yan child back then, so don't blame our Yan family for showing no mercy now!"

After the Jiang woman gave birth to a son, he had planned to use the Empress Dowager's connections to make Wen Yu acknowledge the boy.

Whether Wen Yu gave birth to a boy or girl, couldn't they just claim it was twins?

The court officials would only wish for the royal family to have more descendants.

If Wen Yu also bore a son, it would take over a decade for the child to grow up—surely our Yan family could find an opportunity to act during that time?

What angered him was that Wen Yu only gave birth to a daughter, yet still refused to acknowledge his Yan heir.

At that time, the royal court wasn't in crisis, and Wen Yu had the entire Great Liang behind her. He couldn't persuade the dissatisfied aristocratic families or the general commanding the royal guards to join him against Wen Yu, fearing retaliation from Great Liang later, so he bided his time.

Now Heaven favors our Yan family—it's all destiny!

Lingxi Palace.

The Third Jiang Young Lady stood before the Empress Dowager holding a child, tear stains still fresh on her lashes, her face full of despair.

The Jiang family members were all good-looking—the Empress Dowager had entered the palace precisely because of her exceptional beauty. The Third Jiang Young Lady had a pear-blossom complexion, and because the Jiang family had been purged and she entered the palace as a maid with no backing, she carried an additional air of fragile vulnerability.

The Empress Dowager sat with closed eyes on her couch, slowly rotating the bodhi beads in her hand: "At this point, even if you beg before me, there's nothing I can do."

The Third Jiang Young Lady wept: "Aunt, Ruer is truly terrified."

The Empress Dowager remained silent.

The Third Jiang Young Lady had always feared this powerful, uncompromising aunt, so she could only continue crying, not daring to speak further.

It was the Second Jiang Young Lady who spoke on her behalf: "Aunt, you know Third Sister's temperament—she's been timid since childhood. Previously, when that Yan scoundrel took her to the cold palace for pregnancy, I only learned about Yan Zhen's despicable deeds when Third Sister was near delivery and needed assistance."

"Life in the palace is harsh, and the princess's people are sharp. Third Sister struggled to conceal her pregnancy this past year. Now that the child is born and growing quickly, we need to find a solution. Thinking the matter had reached this point, we considered having Third Sister become a concubine in the Yan family, but who would have thought Yan Zhen would keep delaying her departure from the palace?"

"Today, upon learning he planned to take Third Sister's child before the King and seek a consort title for her, I rushed here immediately to find you. Unfortunately, I was too late to stop it." She unconsciously clasped her hands in anxiety, looking at the Empress Dowager: "Third Sister's temperament isn't suited for palace life. The King already suspects the child's identity—if this is exposed, I fear it will mean another catastrophic disaster for our Jiang family..."The Empress Dowager finally lifted her eyelids and looked at her two nieces, but only uttered indifferently: "Since the King has acknowledged this child, there will be no further repercussions. Do not trouble yourselves with needless worries. You may leave."

The Third Jiang Miss still wished to speak further, but the Second Jiang Miss, noticing the Empress Dowager had closed her eyes again as if unwilling to discuss the matter further, gently tugged her sister's sleeve and shook her head slightly. The Third Jiang Miss then fell silent and followed her sister in performing a curtsy before departing.

After the two sisters had left the room, an elderly maid approached to serve tea to the Empress Dowager, remarking: "Who would have thought the Yan family's ambition would be so great?"

The Empress Dowager shook her head lightly, accepted the teacup, and sighed: "It is also my fault for having fueled the Yan family's ambitions in the first place."

Having served the Empress Dowager for many years, the elderly maid understood without further explanation that Her Majesty was referring to her previous attempt to have Wen Yu raise the son born to the Third Jiang Miss as the royal heir.

At that time, the Empress Dowager had assumed Wen Yu would definitely "give birth" to a male infant. Rather than seeking a suitable child from commoners, the Third Jiang Miss had a suitable one—sharing the Jiang bloodline—making it ideal for Wen Yu to raise.

Unexpectedly, Wen Yu refused outright, leaving no room for negotiation.

It was assumed the matter had been dropped, and the Third Jiang Miss would later go to the Yan family. Yet, through a twist of fate, Xiao Li's siege of the royal court occurred, giving the Yan family an opportunity.

The elderly maid said: "If I may speak plainly, the Yan family has always had wolfish ambitions."

The Empress Dowager raised a hand to massage her temple, seeming unwilling to elaborate further, and wearily stated: "This is giving me a headache. Fortunately, Yu'er's bloodline has been preserved. Have you seen the child? What does she look like?"

The elderly maid replied: "The young princess appears to have been well cared for by that Liang woman."

The Empress Dowager softly uttered "Oh," then added: "What a pity. I never got to see her with my own eyes."

The elderly maid said: "There is still time. You will have another chance to see her."

She paused, then brought up the Third Jiang Miss's matter once more: "Today, the Third Miss came to…"

The Empress Dowager, with half-closed eyes, said: "What she fears is the King."

Without needing further explanation, the elderly maid understood completely.

The Third Jiang Miss had given birth to a Yan family descendant but was now enfeoffed as King Chen's consort. How would she position herself from now on?

The fact that King Chen had a hidden ailment was a royal secret, unknown to the Jiang family ladies.

The Third Jiang Miss probably still wished to take the child to the Yan residence, but the matter was already settled. Not to mention whether King Chen would visit her chambers, she likely remained confused about whether to sever ties with Yan Zhen.

After all, in her view, even if King Chen had acknowledged the child, could he tolerate his consort having an affair within the palace?

Another reason for her distress was likely resentment toward Yan Zhen for his heartlessness and cruelty.

The elderly maid also sighed, "The Third Miss is not suited for palace life."

The truce placards at the four gates of the royal court remained hung overnight. Whenever generals went to challenge the enemy, the defending officers on the city walls would reply that discussions were still ongoing in the royal palace and a response would be given later.

By the morning of the second day, Xiao Li once again ordered a challenge to battle, declaring that if no response was received by noon, he would storm the city.

The envoy sent by the Yan family, accompanied by ten carefully selected beauties, arrived outside the city to meet Xiao Li just before noon.In the central military tent, the envoy offered a fawning smile as he presented the handwritten letter from Wen Yu: "My Lord, please calm your anger. The princess originally intended to come personally to apologize, but there are numerous affairs at the royal court requiring her to coordinate with the ministers. Thus, she humbly requests Your Lordship's grace for a day or two. These beauties are but a modest gift from the princess to Your Lordship."

Xiao Li sat behind the desk, his sternly handsome face betraying no emotion, yet his entire presence exuded a chilling ferocity that forced the envoy to repeatedly wipe sweat from his brow with his sleeve while struggling to maintain his smile.

"Is this truly your princess's intention?"

He slowly raised his eyes. Though it was a seemingly calm gaze, the depth of his pitch-black pupils, dark as an abyss untouched by sunlight, inexplicably stirred unease in others—as if staring into a devouring chasm that had not seen light for years.

The envoy felt his hair stand on end under that stare, his heart pounding wildly. After swallowing hard several times, he finally nodded: "Y-yes... the princess's handwritten letter serves as proof."

Xiao Li tore open the letter he had tossed onto the desk, extracted the paper, and stared at the all-too-familiar handwriting for a long time. His gaze was so fierce, so full of hatred, it seemed to crush every character under his icy scrutiny and grind them to dust between his coldly grinning, clenched teeth.

He even let out a low laugh at the end.

The envoy, mistaking it for satisfaction with the arrangement, nervously chuckled along, only to be startled when Xiao Li suddenly drew his sword and slashed down violently.

With a sharp "clang," the long desk before him split cleanly along with the letter, sending fruit platters and tea snacks scattering across the floor.

The envoy trembled violently, his knees weakening involuntarily. Before he knew it, he had knelt on the ground inside the tent.

The beauties behind him shrieked and huddled together, kneeling in fear.

Xiao Li's face still bore that handsome yet terrifyingly mad smile. With a mere lift and lowering of his eyes, an overwhelming aura of menace seemed to surge from him, crushing the envoy with such fear that he lacked the strength to even move. He could only shake his head pleadingly at Xiao Li and beg pitifully: "This lowly... lowly official is merely a messenger..."

Fortunately, Xiao Li seemed to have no intention of taking his life. He slowly raised his eyes to him and said coldly: "Get out and tell Han Yang that I accept the beauties she has gifted me."

"The royal court—I will attack it at once!"

The envoy practically scrambled out of the tent on all fours.

Zhao Youcai, having taken over the duties of Xiao Li's personal guard, stood by holding a teapot, utterly at a loss.

He knew their purpose in coming to the royal court was to aid the king, but he hadn't expected Xiao Li to fly into such a rage over Wen Yu's actions.

As Xiao Li ordered the entire army to storm the city and strode out of the tent with his sword, Zhao Youcai stammered: "M-my Lord, what should be done with these beauties?"

Zheng Hu, who followed closely behind Xiao Li, had no time to explain anything to Zhao Youcai and said: "Find a place to lock them up for now."

The Wolf Cavalry's abrupt shift from challenging to directly attacking the city caught the Yan family faction and the major aristocratic families within the royal court completely off guard.

Duke Yan was so enraged he smashed a teacup in the council hall, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back, muttering repeatedly: "How dare they!"

The beauties had been accepted, yet not an ounce of courtesy had been extended.

A minister from an aristocratic family asked: "That wolfish man is cunning and savage, acting entirely outside reason. What are we to do now?"Duke Yan said coldly: "With the imperial guards and the Imperial Guards in the city, we have over ten thousand troops. Reinforcements will arrive in a day and a half. Can over ten thousand troops not hold the royal court for a day and a half? Since he is so arrogant as to attack our royal court, then we shall fight!"

A palace maid carrying a tray of food passed through layers of screening by the Imperial Guards and entered Zhaohua Palace.

Upon seeing the figure inside the hall holding a chess piece and playing against herself, she knelt and said in a low voice: "Princess, the Xiao Army is attacking the city. Shall I order your rescue?"

A slender, pale finger placed a black piece on the chessboard. Beyond the wide-open window, the wind swept through the courtyard of green crops, stirring up waves of light jade.

Wen Yu's gaze remained fixed on the chessboard, her tone calm and cool: "The Liang army has not yet arrived. If I leave now, all our previous efforts will be wasted."

The Azure Guard disguised as a palace maid worried: "But if the royal court cannot hold, and the Yan father and son truly offer you to the Xiao Army..."

Wen Yu only said: "Wait until Xi Yun arrives, then follow orders as planned."

Time was pressing. To avoid arousing suspicion from the guards outside, the Azure Guard dared not say more. After setting down the lunch, she withdrew.

Wen Yu did not touch the meal. Staring at the deadlock on the chessboard, she murmured very softly: "Angered?"