Chapter 223: Surrender
A White-feathered Sparrow flew over the courtyard wall, fluttering its wings under the eaves before landing in Tong Que's outstretched hand.
After removing the letter tied to the sparrow's leg, Tong Que unrolled the slender paper strip and read it, his brow furrowing.
The Azure Guard holding A Li asked, "Xiao Li's army is attacking the city. Should we immediately dispatch personnel to escort the princess out of the palace?"
A Li, nestled in the Azure Guard's arms, echoed with soft "ah ah" sounds, her chubby paws still tightly clutching Wen Yu's sachet. Long eyelashes framed her eyes, where a single tear droplet remained undried.
Having not seen Wen Yu for two days, the child would wake each time only to throw small tantrums with tears. Previously the most agreeable baby—who would flash four tiny, milky teeth at anyone's coaxing—now counted it a victory if she merely refrained from crying in whoever's arms she found herself.
Tong Que shook his head. "The princess instructs us to proceed according to the original plan."
The Azure Guard responded, "With Xiao Li besieging the city at this moment, can the royal court's Imperial Guards hold out until reinforcements arrive from the border? Even if General Gu receives the message en route and rushes here, it will still take considerable time."
After the Battle of Luodu concluded, Xiao Li and Fan Yuan had continued pressing deeper into the western frontier in pursuit of Pei Song. As the Chen Kingdom's conflict with Western Mausoleum intensified, Wen Yu subsequently ordered additional troops transferred from Liang territory to reinforce Chen.
However, the journey from Luodu to Pingzhou alone remained considerable—nearly a month's march for non-cavalry units. Then another month's travel from Pingzhou through the passes to reach Chen territory.
Moreover, Wen Yu's forceful measures last year compelling major aristocratic families to disgorge their illegally seized autumn grain had bred deepening private resentment among the court's noble houses.
While she could resolve conflicts between Chen and the Keji tribe through fairness, power and profit remained potent corrupting influences.
Aside from veteran ministers like Qi Simiao—who genuinely worked for the people's welfare and steadfastly allied with Wen Yu for public benefit—other officials followed varied motives: the ambitious schemed for profit, the shrewd trimmed their sails to the wind, and the timid prioritized self-preservation.
To truly forge the Chen court into solid iron still required uprooting several rotten trees.
During her year of pregnancy, she had installed sufficient personnel in the court. Once those appointees mapped the rotten networks beneath positions vacated after overthrowing the Jiang and Liu factions, her moment to strike would come.
Yet these great families were no passive victims. Sensing Wen Yu's intentions, they too sought self-preservation strategies.
Wen Yu refrained from further pressure precisely to prevent these families from desperate measures.
So long as their fundamental interests remained untouched, they preferred maneuvering. But should they realize Wen Yu intended their complete eradication, they would gamble their lives to carve new survival paths.
Both the royal court's Imperial Guards and the Imperial Guards maintained intricate connections with major aristocratic families.
Thus, Wen Yu had cited the Chen army contingent from Liang territory's prolonged return journey from Luodu as pretext to transfer troops from Liang forces garrisoning Pingzhou.
Her objective: stationing her own troops within the royal court.
Yet human calculations prove no match for heaven's designs. Xiao Li's preemptive siege of the royal court—demanding Wen Yu as if seeking vengeance—provided ambitious families like the Yans and other restless clans the opportunity to seize power and place Wen Yu under house arrest.
Whether from discomfort in her holding position or other reasons, A Li's lips trembled as gurgling sobs began forming in her throat.The Azure Guard member patted her back soothingly, her heart aching with concern. Unable to contain her anger toward the one who caused this situation, she exclaimed: "Commander Zhao Bai was right—that Xiao fellow is truly an ungrateful wretch! When he faced trouble in the Wei camp and was slandered by the Pei camp, it was Her Highness who repeatedly helped him. And how does he repay her? By clinging to past grudges!"
The lower-ranking Azure Guard members were unaware of Wen Yu's relationship with Xiao Li. Since Zhao Bai always spoke of Xiao Li with disdain, they too believed Xiao Li was someone who remembered grievances but forgot kindness, utterly unworthy of Wen Yu's efforts to recruit him. They felt deeply indignant on Wen Yu's behalf.
Now, with this incident unfolding, their resentment toward him only grew stronger.
Tong Que, hesitant to say too much, took A Li into her arms and comforted her for a while before remarking, "Her Highness intends to use this opportunity to thoroughly purge the court while winning over the neutral faction of ministers. After all, fortune and misfortune often come hand in hand."
On the day Xiao Li laid siege to the city, after reporting the movements at the city gates to Wen Yu at Zhaohua Palace, Tong Que also informed her of the secret meetings between the Yan family, several aristocratic families, and the Imperial Guards, as uncovered by the Azure Guard's intelligence.
Wen Yu had already confided all her plans to Tong Que at that time.
If the Imperial Guards were to defect, Tong Que was to immediately take A Li out of the palace and hide her in one of the Azure Guard's secretly established properties outside the palace, used for covert communications. Once it was safe to leave the city, she was to take A Li to Gu Xiyun.
Though the Azure Guard and the Imperial Guards could put up a fight, the Imperial Guards were the royal court's defense force. With just over a hundred Azure Guard members facing tens of thousands of Imperial Guards, it would be a one-sided slaughter.
"If he hadn't besieged the royal court and turned against Her Highness, how could the Imperial Guards have been so easily swayed by the Yan family? Once General Gu arrives with the main army, Her Highness would have had plenty of ways to gradually reform the court."
Despite understanding Wen Yu's reasons for staying in the palace, the Azure Guard member was still furious. Anxiously pacing under the eaves, she said, "No, I'm too worried about Her Highness. Why don't we just rescue her from the palace now?"
Tong Que, holding A Li, replied, "When Her Highness chose to remain in the palace as a hostage, it was to protect Minister Qi, the female officials of Morning Cloud Pavilion, and others. If Her Highness were no longer in the palace, given the ruthlessness of the Yan father and son, even if they spared Bao Lin and the others, could the embroiderers, cooks, and artisans who followed Her Highness to Chen territory escape their wrath?"
Tong Que looked at the Azure Guard member earnestly and said, "Her Highness doesn't want us to die, nor does she want the subjects who followed her to Chen or the Chen officials now loyal to her to perish in this meaningless power struggle."
The Azure Guard member's eyes reddened with helpless frustration. "I'm just worried about Her Highness."
Tong Que reassured her, "Don't worry. The Yan family wants to elevate one of their own as the royal heir, but that child isn't Her Highness's bloodline. They wouldn't dare harm her."
After Wen Yu's last meeting with the Empress Dowager, she had ordered them to keep a close watch on Lingxi Palace. Wen Yu had long been aware of the affair between Lady Jiang the Third and Yan Zhen, which resulted in the birth of a son.
Wen Yu had also guessed the Empress Dowager's motive for suggesting she claim to have given birth to a male heir.
Fortunately, the Empress Dowager was sensible. After Wen Yu declined the proposal, she never brought it up again, only attempting to pressure Yan Zhen secretly to take his niece to the Yan residence.
Wen Yu simply instructed Tong Que to continue monitoring the situation.
Yan Zhen had persistently refused to bring Lady Jiang the Third out of the palace. Tong Que had privately scorned him multiple times, assuming he feared his father and his lawful wife. Little did she expect he was biding his time, waiting for the right moment to execute his cunning plan.As long as the Liang Dynasty stands, even if they are forced to hand Wen Yu over to Xiao Li, they dare not lay a finger on Wen Yu privately.
The Azure Guard soldier said, "The royal court's imperial guards have never seen the battlefield. I fear they are no match for the Wolf Cavalry under that man surnamed Xiao. If the princess truly falls into his hands..."
Tong Que said with certainty, "He will not harm the princess."
—
The soldiers Chen State sent to the frontlines were all conscripted from commoners, while those guarding the royal court were either descendants of noble families or commoners with connections who managed to secure their positions through favors.
After all, both served the imperial court, but the imperial guards' pay far exceeded that of the soldiers fighting for their lives at the border. They neither endured harsh conditions nor risked their lives for advancement. If foreign enemies reached the royal court, it would mean Chen State had already fallen, and there would be no need for them to defend it to the death.
How often did events like succession struggles or palace coups occur?
Thus, the imperial guards usually only dealt with petty criminals or carried out raids on mansions, waiting for seniority to climb the ranks.
Those from influential families, backed by their clans' privileges, started as minor officers from the day they joined the imperial guards.
Those from humbler backgrounds, if clever enough to catch the attention of nobles and have their names remembered, found their paths smoothed.
Martial generals who had honed their skills on the battlefield often looked down on the ways of the imperial guards and the Imperial Guards, yet no matter how much blood they shed in battle, they could not rise as quickly as those with family backing or noble favor.
Thus, the capable and proud ones, who disdained the ways of the royal court's aristocracy, formed their own factions to guard the frontiers.
Those in the middle, who had suffered enough on the battlefield but were stuck with no hope of promotion, still had to humble themselves and flatter the powerful.
When Jiang Yu earned the title of "Ever-Victorious General," it was due to both his own abilities and the Jiang Family's efforts to protect and promote him.
The Empress Dowager and Chancellor Jiang had always hoped he would remain in the royal court to command the Imperial Guards and the imperial guards, making him the Jiang Family's final safeguard.
Anyone wishing to move against the Jiang Family, even with ironclad evidence, would still have to fight for victory on the blade's edge.
It was precisely for this reason that many veteran martial generals in the court did not hold Jiang Yu in high regard.
Proud by nature, Jiang Yu had always wanted to prove that his achievements were not solely due to the Jiang Family's support, which was why he insisted on going to the frontlines.
After Jiang Yu's death, almost no commanders in the royal court's imperial guards insisted on going to the border to prove themselves.
When Xiao Li's Wolf Cavalry arrayed outside the royal court and intimidated the defending imperial guard commanders with a single crossbow, these reasons were among them.
The officials in the royal court learned of battlefield gains and losses, as well as the casualties among soldiers, only from memorials and urgent reports. Those numbers were tools for factional disputes, and censors might speak with righteous indignation, but they had likely never witnessed the mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
Aristocratic family ministers, relying on their intricate clan influence, often suppressed those martial artists who rose through sheer combat prowess. At banquets, they never missed the chance to mock them with elegant sarcasm, yet they had never seen generals risking their lives on the battlefield.
When Xiao Li's Wolf Cavalry attacked the city with the same ferocity they used against the barbarians on the Northern Border, the imperial guards, long accustomed to the royal court's luxury, were terrified from top to bottom.
The royal court's gates were breached as easily as crushing a wall made of tofu.After issuing a military order forbidding harm to the city's commoners, Xiao Li led his troops straight through the breached city gates, advancing directly toward the royal palace.
When Duke Yan received the battle report of the city gates falling in the council hall, he was so shocked he refused to believe it, shouting furiously, "Nonsense! The royal court has over ten thousand Imperial Guards—how could they fail to hold for even half a day!"
The aristocratic family ministers who had conspired with the Yan family all wore grave expressions.
The messenger who had rushed back to report knelt in the center of the hall, his face still stained with blood, full of fear: "Every word I speak is true!"
Before Duke Yan could unleash another round of anger, another Imperial Guard rushed in from outside the hall: "Report—Xiao's army—Xiao's army has breached the palace walls!"
Duke Yan staggered, then truly fainted right there in the hall.
"Father! Father!" Yan Zhen hurriedly supported Duke Yan, but his own expression was one of sudden awakening, filled with dazed disbelief.
Their original plan had been for the Imperial Guards to hold for a day and a half, until reinforcements arrived from the border.
How could they not even hold for half a day?
The hall had already descended into chaos, with aristocratic family ministers blaming one another, arguing incessantly.
Seated above, King Chen wore a dark expression. Listening to the increasingly fierce quarrels below, he stood up abruptly and overturned the royal table before him. His royal robes hung loosely on his frame as he pointed at the Yan father and son, then at the aristocratic ministers accusing each other and displaying their disgraceful behavior, roaring violently: "Useless! All of you are useless!"
"Ten thousand Imperial Guards couldn't defend the royal court for half a day! What use are you to me!"
Enraged, he kicked the ornately carved, heavy royal chair, but it was too solid to move.
"Woman Wen! The only solution now is to quickly capture Woman Wen and offer her to that wolf Xiao!" one aristocratic minister immediately shouted.
"Yes, yes! I've heard that wolf Xiao butchers people and sacks cities at will—we must not let him vent his grudge against Woman Wen upon our Chen Kingdom!"
The aristocratic ministers spoke with trembling voices.
Though Wen Yu knew that once Xiao Li began attacking the city, the royal court wouldn't hold for long, she was still quite surprised when Yan Zhen arrived at Zhaohua Palace with the Imperial Guards, looking as if attending a funeral, to capture her again.
The speed at which the city fell was something even she hadn't anticipated.
As she passed by Yan Zhen with her arms bound behind her back, Wen Yu lifted the corners of her lips slightly and remarked sarcastically, "It's only been a day, but Deputy Commander Yan's expression is truly... vivid."
Yan Zhen, naturally humiliated, for the first time boldly met Wen Yu's gaze—her beauty so captivating it could easily steal one's soul—and suddenly, unable to conceal his malice, said: "This general believes Your Highness should worry about her own fate. While in my Yan family's hands, we would still treat you with some courtesy. But if you fall into Xiao Li's hands, he likely won't be so merciful."
Wen Yu withdrew her gaze and said only, "No need for Deputy Commander Yan's concern."
After Wen Yu passed, Yan Zhen breathed in the faint, almost imperceptible fragrance lingering in the air, clenched his jaw tightly, and suddenly kicked over an incense burner placed beside a pillar.
The sky was overcast, and a light drizzle began to fall.
The ministers of the Chen royal palace stood slightly hunched in the misty rain, bowing their heads, while the palace servants had already prostrated themselves on the rain-dampened grounds and along the palace pathways on both sides.
Wen Yu stood at the very front with her arms bound, with King Chen and Yan Zhen positioned slightly behind her to the left and right.On the palace gate's paving stones ahead, one could still faintly discern bloodstains that had spread in the rain—remnants of the earlier fierce battle.
It was unclear whether they belonged to the Wolf Cavalry or the Imperial Guards defending the palace gate.
A bone-chilling wind swept through as the rhythmic clatter of hooves echoed. Beyond the royal palace gates, iron cavalry and banners blotted out the sky, their black armor solid as bedrock.
At their head, a man urged his horse through the gate tower, holding a long halberd tilted at his side. His black cloak trailed long over the horse’s back, his features cold, stern, and deeply carved, with sharp eyes that carried a ferocity so intense it was unbearable to look upon.
From the moment he rode into the gate tower, every Chen Kingdom official present felt their breath grow thin, their chests inexplicably tightening as if suffocating.
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