knife

Chapter 221 Seizing Power
Ma Liang carried the tray and walked towards his backyard.

The tray contained some of the best of the day's hunt, which the chef had carefully prepared, and he brought it over to please his father.

Regardless of the circumstances, the son drugging and incapacitating his own father, and then placing him under house arrest, is an utterly rebellious act.

Outside the courtyard, the security was tight, with guards stationed every three steps and sentries every five steps, making the entire backyard as secure as an iron barrel, so that not even a mosquito could fly in.

As soon as I got close to the courtyard, I heard my father's loud, cursing voice.

He cursed himself, his old subordinates, and his mother, occasionally accompanied by the sounds of him smashing chairs and throwing teacups.

Ever since he was stripped of power, the old man has been making a small fuss every day and a big fuss every three days.

However, judging from the sound, while the person was certainly angry, they hadn't yet damaged their health.

He has plenty of energy.

As they approached the door, the guards bowed and saluted, each of them looking somewhat uncomfortable.

After all, they were guarding their former superior, and it was really unpleasant to be here every day listening to being scolded.

Ma Liang reached out and rubbed his face, then put on a big smile and went inside.

"Father, I brought you something delicious!" he said cheerfully. "I went hunting today and had a great haul. I also took the opportunity to clear out the wild beasts around here so they won't come out and hurt people all the time."

With a whoosh, a teacup flew out of the room and headed straight for Ma Liang's face.

However, Ma Dacheng was drugged by Ma Liang, so he couldn't use his true energy. His aim was quite good, but his strength was only that of an ordinary person.

Ma Liang smiled and reached out to catch the teacup that flew towards him, placing it on a plate before stepping inside.

Ma Dacheng sat in a grand chair, holding a teapot in his hand. To his left stood Ma Liang's mother, Madam Ma, and to his right stood two concubines. However, all three women looked rather unwell.

It seems that Ma Dacheng was unusually short-tempered today, and the three women suffered quite a bit of anger.

"Dad looks to be in good health. Look, today I've brought you bear paws."

"Get out!" Ma Dacheng roared.

Ma Liang put down the tray and laughed, "Dad, I'm really going to roll away, I'm really going to roll away!"

Seeing that Ma Liang had already reached the door, Ma Dacheng's face was still dark, but his tone softened: "Get back here!"

"Okay!" Ma Liang walked back with a smile, dragged over a chair, and sat down in front of Ma Dacheng.

"Give it to me!" Ma Dacheng reached out his hand.

"What?" Ma Liang asked knowingly.

"The antidote!" Ma Dacheng roared.

"If the antidote is given to you, Father, your son will be in trouble." Ma Liang laughed, "You are at the peak of the eighth rank, while your son is only a mere seventh rank of the Profound Origin Realm. I can't beat you. But I can't really be disobedient and send troops to besiege you. So I think the best thing now is to maintain the harmony between father and son!"

"You scoundrel!" Ma Dacheng raised the teapot in his hand to smash it down. The three women next to him cried out and rushed to grab Ma Dacheng's arms. Madam Ma even snatched the teapot back from Ma Dacheng's hand.

However, Ma Liang knew that his father would not really smash him. Otherwise, even if his true energy was sealed, the strength of an ordinary adult would not be something that his mother and two seductive concubines could stop.

“We can talk things over, father and son. I can forgive you for drugging me and taking away my military power, but you can’t keep me locked up like this forever, can you? You’ve already taken away my military power, and you’ve bribed all my old brothers. What else do you have to worry about?” Ma Dacheng said softly.

“Father, we’ve been father and son for a while, and I know your temperament well. The older the ginger, the spicier it gets!” Ma Liang laughed. “If I really let you go, you can just tie me up and take me to the front lines. What can those uncles and elders in the army, or my brothers, do to us? I bet they’ll all be following you around again!”

"What's wrong with following me?" Ma Dacheng roared. "Over the years, Yangguan has grown from a few thousand men to a full 20,000 strong, well-equipped, and powerful. Do you think you can accomplish that?"

“Father, it’s all about timing and power. You’re just taking advantage of this opportunity. The court wants to use Yangguan to block Linghu Ye’s southward advance!” Ma Liang said, “That’s why Yangguan exists now. But don’t forget, I’ve been working tirelessly to raise funds for the army all these years. You don’t think that the court’s supplies can make the 20,000 troops at Yangguan obey the orders of my father and me!”

Ma Dacheng was speechless for a moment.

“Son, tell me the truth. Why did you suddenly turn against me and seize military power?” Ma Dacheng’s voice lowered. He glanced at the women beside him, waved them away, and said, “You…you don’t want to lead the Yangguan garrison south to wade into this mess, do you? Son, let me tell you, don’t make that mistake. In Yangguan, we are a dragon; outside Yangguan, we are nothing!” “I understand that much!” Ma Liang laughed. “Father, don’t treat your son like that naive child he used to be. I naturally have my own ideas. And Father, the court is failing, yet you’re still single-mindedly serving as its watchdog. That won’t do. We have to think about the future!”

"You want to join Linghu Ye's side?" Ma Dacheng's expression changed drastically, and he stood up abruptly: "I'll break your legs!"

Ma Liang, both amused and exasperated, reached out and pressed his elderly father down to sit: "How could that be? That old bastard Linghu Ye won't be around for much longer. Would I follow that grasshopper into a deadly mess?"

"What do you mean?" Ma Dacheng asked, puzzled.

"I can't say!" Ma Liang shrugged. "Military secret."

Ma Dacheng scratched his head violently, "What exactly did you do with Xiao Changche and Li Dachui?"

“Father, let’s have a heart-to-heart talk today!” Ma Liang said. “To be honest, we haven’t had a proper conversation over the years. You always treat me like an immature child, trying to arrange everything for me and never consulting me on important matters!”

"You want to negotiate with me?" Ma Dacheng sneered. "You just knock me down without a word!"

“Father, it’s a foregone conclusion that Linghu Ye has colluded with the Northern Yuan to abandon the area outside the pass!” Ma Liang said. “Linghu Zhishu came looking for us, but when he got to Yangguan, he found out that Yangguan had already fallen into my hands, so he came to me.”

"Think you can dream of me opening the gates and letting them pass? The impregnable Yangguan Pass is their final resting place!" Ma Dacheng sneered.

“I sold it for one million taels!” Ma Liang said. “Payment first, goods later. Give me one million, and I’ll open Yangguan Pass and let them pass.”

"What?" Ma Dacheng jumped up for the second time: "Ma Liang, you traitor, are you trying to anger me to death?"

Ma Liang calmly looked at his father and said, "Father, things are in complete chaos now. He Zudao just left, and local rebels have sprung up everywhere, beheading people. He Zudao is unpredictable, moving from east to west. People with any power in the south are raising armies to protect themselves. The imperial decrees can no longer leave Chang'an. At this time, do you think it makes a big difference whether there is one more Linghu Ye or one less Linghu Ye?"

"But if we let Linghu Ye into the pass, who will deal with the Yuan people?" Ma Dacheng said sternly. "Surely Linghu Ye won't surrender to the Yuan people."

"To resist the Yuan, there are Xiao Changche and Li Dachui from the Anxi Protectorate, and our Ma family father and son." Ma Liang also stood up and said sternly, "Rather than leaving behind a treacherous Linghu Ye who could betray us at any time, it's better to get enough benefits to send them away, and then we can focus all our efforts on dealing with the Yuan. A friendly force that could betray us is not as good as us fighting alone!"

"Did Li Dachui tell you this?" Ma Dacheng asked.

“Yes!” Ma Liang nodded. “I think that makes a lot of sense.”

"That's an army of 100,000! The most elite army in the entire Qin Dynasty! Without these 100,000 troops, how can Anxi possibly resist the Yuan people?"

Ma Liang snorted: "I don't think Linghu Ye can necessarily lead an army of 100,000!"

What do you mean by this?

"The 100,000 elite troops outside the pass are not necessarily all loyal followers of Linghu Ye. In the past, they had no choice but to follow Linghu Ye, but now they have the Anxi Protectorate, Xiao Changche and Li Dachui, right?"

"You mean, a general from the Andong Protectorate has already reached a secret agreement with you?"

"I don't know!" Ma Liang denied it outright!
"You little brat, you even kept it from me!" Ma Dacheng roared.

"I really don't know!" Ma Liang argued. "Father, things are a mess in Beiyuan right now. Yingzhuo is dying, and his sons are fighting for the throne, openly and secretly. Beiyuan's situation is also precarious. If we don't protect it, a civil war will break out. Moreover, Li Dachui has been pushing this matter forward. Once it succeeds, our situation will be much better. If Linghu Ye were still here, and that kid reaped the rewards, then who would we be working so hard for?"

"How long have you been colluding with Li Dachui and his gang?" Ma Dacheng asked weakly.

“Seven or eight years!” Ma Liang said, “I even followed Li Dachui as a bandit for quite a long time!”

Ma Dacheng pointed at Ma Liang, his finger bobbing up and down for a while, before finally letting it fall limply.

"Are you just going to keep me locked up like this forever?" He realized that it was unlikely his son would release him and allow him to regain control of the military.

"Of course not!" Ma Liang said with a smile, "I plan to send you, Mother, and several concubines to Tai'an City. The houses are all ready. I've told you about Li Dachui's mansion, haven't I? It's so big and comfortable. You can go to Tai'an City with Mother and the others to enjoy life. What can't you have there? When you have nothing to do, you can also discuss martial arts cultivation with the innate master, Old City Lord Zhou. You've been stuck at the peak of the eighth rank for so many years without making any progress. Now that you have some free time, you can study what the problem is."

Ma Dacheng was furious: "You're just putting me under house arrest in a different place!"

“Tai’an City is truly a wonderful place. You haven’t been there, but you’ll know once you do!” Ma Liang saw Ma Dacheng pick up the teapot on the table again, and immediately stood up and retreated: “Father, this teapot is a treasure. One teapot and four cups are worth a thousand taels of silver!”

(End of this chapter)