The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 106 Guarding the Imperial Carriage

Southeast of Yingling, a funeral camp.

The imperial carriage area where the two palaces are located is in the north, while the plain tent area for relatives and important officials is in the south. The inner palace guards are in the inner palace, and the crane-controlling guards are in the outer palace.

After a long day of walking, the group finally got a break and sat around the fire, complaining incessantly.

Zhang Mantun broke open the hard sesame flatbread and said calmly, "I walked slowly all day in armor just to attend the funeral of that little emperor. My feet must be really smelly."

Hu Deng said happily, "At least there's a reward money. The Empress Dowager is really decisive."

"That's because our general advised me well. He's so handsome, which woman wouldn't be fooled?"

Lü Chou now spends all his time trying to flatter others.

Xiao Yi was not pleased to hear this and scolded, "Shut up, don't talk nonsense anymore."

Zhang Mantun chewed on a flatbread and said, "They just won't let us eat meat, we can only eat vegetables, it's so bland."

Old Pan took out an oil paper package from his bag, opened it, and found half a piece of roasted mutton. He quickly wrapped it in a softened flatbread and handed it to Xiao Yi.

Xiao Yi said, "You're not in good physical condition but you still insisted on coming along. Am I going to miss out on this piece of meat?"

Old Pan grinned and said, "Not tired at all. I'm used to walking in the fields since I was a kid. I'm the only veteran under the general. I can't rest easy if I don't come; I'm afraid something might go wrong with the new recruits..."

Funeral music began again, and the night memorial service commenced.

Xiao Yi inspected the camp with his hand on his sword, and went to the area of ​​plain tents for the imperial family and important officials.

The ceremony was presided over by Feng Dao, who stood on the altar and read the memorial address. Some people bowed their heads and closed their eyes to rest, while others whispered among themselves.

"General Xiao."

Suddenly, he heard someone calling from behind. Xiao Yi turned around and saw Li Hongwei.

"General Xiao, would you mind having a chat?"

"Please, Imperial Brother-in-law."

"You may no longer address me as the Imperial Brother-in-Law; please call me by my given name, General. By the way, I must tell you that I have changed my name to 'Hongyi' to avoid using the same character as Lord Guo's name. What do you think of this name, General?"

Xiao Yi thought to himself, Guo Wei has not yet declared himself emperor, yet he is already so eager to avoid the topic; this man is also extremely eager to protect himself.

He didn't show it on his face, but smiled and said, "A good name. Lord Li refused to kill Commander Wang in accordance with the false edict. This is a righteous act, and it is also a brotherly bond with Commander Wang. The word 'righteousness' suits Lord Li perfectly."

When the two went to a secluded spot, Li Hongyi did not get straight to the point, but instead changed the subject.

"We only met briefly in Chanzhou before, and didn't have time to talk. If you have the time, General, please come over to my residence for a drink."

"I'm sure I'll be bothering you."

Li Hongyi said with a smile, "I heard that my fourth brother, Hong Jian, was hesitant at the Imperial Guard headquarters, but General Xiao still acknowledged his merit in surrendering. He has done a great favor for the Li family."

Xiao Yi knew that Li Gong was trying to gain favor by first expressing his loyalty and then trying to build a relationship, so he must have something on his mind. He said, "Please speak frankly, Li Gong. If there is anything I can do to help, I will not refuse."

"Then... if I were to put righteousness above family ties, could the general help me plead with Lord Guo on my behalf?"

"of course."

Xiao Yi didn't urge him, and pretended to listen attentively.

Li Hongyi hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "I only found out recently that my younger brother was hiding among my fourth brother's followers."

Xiao Yi really didn't expect Li Ye to be so bold. But then he thought, Li Ye is a madman, there's nothing he wouldn't dare to do.

Li Hongjian, on the other hand, is indecisive, fickle, and outrageously stupid.

"Why didn't Li Ye escape? Instead, he came here to take the risk."

He absolutely had to see his little sister.

"Why?"

"General, please take a look at this."

Li Hongyi took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and said, "This is his 'Strategy for Uniting Various Towns to Pacify the Rebellion.' I only saw it this evening, memorized a part of it, and copied it down. I originally intended to send it to Lord Guo overnight, but I was stopped by the general's men and could not leave."

Xiao Yi took it and saw that the ink on it was still wet.

It was written by Li Ye to Liu Yun.

"If you lightly go to Bian, you will surely die. I respectfully offer three strategies to secure the Han Dynasty. First, request to resign the throne and persuade the emperor to establish the emperor in Hedong. Your father is virtuous and respected, and commands a powerful army. He is suitable to inherit the throne, and Guo Wei's plot to seize power will fall apart. Second, reorganize Xuzhou and form an alliance with Yanzhou and Yunzhou to consolidate your foundation. Third, send an envoy to Xuzhou to seek help from Liu Xin. With the various garrisons united, Guo Wei will be attacked from all sides. In the past, Emperor Guangwu restored the Han Dynasty by relying on the foundation in Hebei and the strength of his generals. Now you have the foundation in Xuzhou, the relatives of the imperial family, and the support of the feudal lords. You must not be swayed by the empty title of 'welcoming the emperor' or greedy for short-term gains!"

After reading it, Xiao Yi thought about it.

This is indeed the best strategy to deal with Guo Wei.

However, Liu Chong, Liu Xin, and Liu Yun were not puppets to be manipulated by Li Ye; each had their own ideas, and it was difficult to persuade them to work together.

Whether Liu Yun goes to the capital is the key to the first round of the game.

"Therefore, Li Ye wanted to seek refuge with Liu Yun and advised him not to go to the capital. However, he was just a fugitive, and the so-called 'death upon going to Bianjing' was baseless. He knew he could not persuade Liu Yun."

"Yes, he fears Liu Yun won't be able to refuse the throne and won't dare to go to Xuzhou rashly. He wants my younger sister to give him a secret edict, stating that he represents the Empress Dowager and the Li family..."

Xiao Yi's face darkened, and his voice suddenly turned cold.

"That Li family, so fickle and capricious! Do you really think Your Excellency wouldn't dare kill you?!"

“It’s not that the Li family wants to rebel, it’s just that there’s trouble in the family.” Li Hongyi said through gritted teeth, his face full of disappointment. “My younger brother is crazy, and my fourth brother is easily influenced. I’ve been driven to desperation by them, so I have no choice but to come and beg the general to stop this and make a big deal out of it.”

Xiao Yi understood that Li Hongyi's "making a big deal out of a small one" meant he wanted Xiao Yi to kill Li Ye.

"I'm asking you, what does the Empress Dowager think?"

"My little sister...she's a smart person."

"Has Li Ye already gone to see the Empress Dowager?"

"Yes."

Xiao Yi beckoned to Lao Pan and instructed him: "Keep an eye on Li Hongwei, Li Hongjian and all their entourage. Also, take thirty men and have them take turns guarding the officials' tents. No one is allowed to move around without my orders."

"Here."

He then divided the remaining seventy soldiers into two squads: Hua Nong led the squad to guard the first half of the night, and Zhang Mantun led the squad to guard the second half.

Forty-five men were stationed at the camp. Since they couldn't maintain a post every ten steps, they set up five men at each of the four sentry posts and two gates, leaving fifteen men to patrol.

After the assignments were made, Xiao Yi went alone to the Luanjia District where the two palaces were located, without taking anyone else with him.

Upon reaching the entrance to the inner camp, they found that almost all the female guards and eunuchs were stationed along the camp fence.

Xiao Yi observed carefully and saw that they were in a great state of confusion, with some people not even wearing their outer robes, clearly having been kicked out at the last minute.

It is evident that Empress Dowager Li had not made any careful arrangements and was unaware of the situation beforehand.

"Why aren't you serving by the side of the two empresses?"

"Reporting to the General, the Empress Dowager heard the cries of wild beasts and ordered us to come and investigate."

"I have urgent business to attend to...the Empress."

At the end, Xiao Yi paused slightly and changed his words.

At this point, requesting an audience with Empress Dowager Li might not be feasible, and even if they were, Li Ye would likely have already gone into hiding. It would be better to claim that they wanted to see the Empress. This, however, put the female guards in a difficult position.

"General Xiao, it is late at night, and it is probably not appropriate for you to meet the Empress alone."

Xiao Yi understood their implication. His face darkened, and he rebuked them with righteous indignation, "What do you mean by this? What kind of person do you take me for?!"

"Don't dare."

"If important matters are neglected because of your wild guesses, can you bear the responsibility?"

Given that the Han dynasty was about to fall, they had no need to adhere to etiquette and offend Guo Wei's favorite general.

To put it more bluntly, these people are already slaves of a conquered nation.

The female guard lowered her head in shame and said, "I will lead the general inside."

Upon entering the inner camp, in the distance, one could see a fire burning inside the Empress Dowager's tent, and a palace maid was pacing in the snow, keeping watch.

Xiao Yi stopped and disappeared into the shadows of the palace servants' tent.

"General Xiao, what...do you want to do?"

"Go and call her here, but don't disturb anyone else."

"Yes."

After the female guards left, Xiao Yi wrapped his linen cloak tighter around himself to prevent his armor from clanging.

He bypassed the palace servants' tents, waited until the palace maid was distracted, and then approached the Empress Dowager's tent.

Sure enough, they heard Empress Dowager Li and Li Ye talking in hushed tones.

"How could Guo Que'er truly support Liu Yun? He will surely destroy the Liu family and seize the throne for himself."

"What do I care about the life or death of Liu Chong and his son? I am protecting the Liu family's state in order to protect the Li family's wealth. You shouldn't have come here and dragged my brother into this for no reason."

"Sister, you're being short-sighted. If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. Once the Liu family is destroyed, how can the Li family survive alone? Brother, even if you live for a while, you'll die sooner or later!"

"Don't think I don't know your little scheme. You can't survive alone; you want to drag us all down with you."

"..."

Xiao Yi turned around and saw a palace maid running towards him.

He pointed a finger, gave her a warning look with a fierce gaze, and made a shushing gesture.

Inside the tent, Li Ye's voice grew increasingly urgent.

“Sister, you’d rather believe Guo Que’er than me? There are more than ten brothers and sisters, but you and I are the only ones born of the same mother, close in age, and grew up together. I am the closest person to you in the world, would I harm you? I’m here to save you.”

"Knowing this, you should either surrender to the authorities and be executed or go into hiding and change your name; that would be the only way to save me."

"Sister, please consider my plan. The Liu family has a great chance of winning. I only ask for your imperial decree, and I will contact Liu Chong, Liu Xin, and Liu Yun to raise an army together!"

"Are you crazy? I have absolutely no blood relation with the Liu family. I may use their names as a banner, but how could I actually ask them for something?"

"Sister! The country and its people are also your hard work, how can you just hand them over? When Emperor Gaozu hesitated, who advocated raising the banner of righteousness to recover the Central Plains? It was you. When Bianliang was in chaos and everything needed to be rebuilt, who advocated exempting taxes and granting amnesty to the world? It was you. Not long after entering Bianliang, Emperor Gaozu passed away. This Han dynasty has been yours since its founding!"

"Since you know this, why do you incite the Liu family to raise an army, reignite the flames of war, tear apart my territory, kill my people, and destroy my hard work?"

"My sister has worked so hard to build this up, and what's the result? Today, some greenhorn dares to bully you..."

"Snapped."

A slap resounded.

Empress Dowager Li asked with a hint of sarcasm, "Who ruined all my hard work? Wasn't it you?"

After a while, Li Ye's voice turned cold, and he said, "I beg my elder sister to grant me a secret decree."

"How are you doing?"

"I beg my elder sister to grant me a secret decree."

This tone was the same as when Xiao Yi asked Empress Dowager Li to pardon the craftsmen.

He felt a chill run down his spine and lifted the curtain to enter.

Inside the tent, Li Ye knelt on one knee before Empress Dowager Li, taking a dagger from his boot and pointing it at her.

Empress Dowager Li, stripped of her imperial majesty, looked at him with mockery and disappointment, her head slightly raised, awaiting her execution.

Hearing the noise, Li Ye turned around, his eyes filled with despair, madness, grief, and resentment, like a wounded wolf. When he saw that it was Xiao Yi, he was not surprised but smiled, and the corners of his mouth turned up.

"Xiao Yi, you've come at the right time. I have a great fortune to give you."

"Do you know my position and identity?"

“I know, but you’ve chosen the wrong side.” Li Ye was extremely confident as he stood up and said, “Guo Wei is only temporarily successful; he’ll never amount to anything. What he can give you, I can give you even more. Don’t forget that you once looked down on me; don’t let it happen again. The real opportunity to make a name for yourself is right in front of you!”

This person is crazy; it doesn't make sense.

Xiao Yi simply strode forward and grabbed the man.

Li Ye's eyes flashed, knowing he was no match for Xiao Yi, and he immediately fled behind Empress Dowager Li.

"Sister, help me!"

"Ah Ye, you're at your wit's end. Surrender now, while I can still plead for you."

"Xiao Yi, don't forget that it was I who promoted you to the position of Imperial Guard Commander that brought you to where you are today."

"I haven't forgotten. Surrender now, and I will plead for you."

Like an eagle catching a chick, the three of them circled around halfway.

Suddenly, Li Ye gave Empress Dowager Li a hard shove and rushed out of the tent.

Xiao Yi was about to give chase, but Empress Dowager Li did not let go.

"Xiao Yi, what do you intend to do with Li Ye?"

"Your Majesty, please let go first."

"If the Li family perishes, I will have nothing left, and we will be doomed."

“Outside, my men have already set up a tight encirclement. Li Ye cannot escape. If you let me pursue him, this matter can still be resolved privately; but if he falls into the hands of the Crane Control Guard or someone else, the Li family is doomed.”

"You...are willing to save the Li family?"

"I believe that the Empress Dowager has no intention of instigating the Liu clan to join forces and raise an army tonight; as for whether she believes me or not, that is up to her."

Empress Dowager Li looked up and met his gaze, her eyes seemingly trying to see into his heart.

After a moment, she let go.

Xiao Yi stepped out of the tent and looked around. He saw Li Ye running more than twenty steps to the north.

He chased after them and saw a line of footprints following the direction Li Ye had fled. These footprints were much smaller than Li Ye's, quite delicate, and made of soft shoes with lotus patterns on the soles.

Xiao Yi looked back at where the footprints came from, and his gaze fell upon the Empress's tent.

He couldn't help but wonder, was the Empress colluding with Li Ye? Or had she been kidnapped?
(End of this chapter)