Denghuangtai

"This move was a mistake!" Pei Qingyan sighed with regret.

The note, when deciphered using coded language, contained just a few words: "The North has been attacked, and support has been sent to the Central Government."

"What did you mean by going the wrong way?"

The old doctor stepped forward with the bowl and overheard Pei Qingyan's words, so he couldn't help but ask.

"I've thought of a way to break through the defenses," Pei Qingyan said casually, taking the medicine bowl from the old doctor and gulping it down in one go.

"happy."

Seeing how efficient she was, the old doctor smiled with satisfaction and praised her.

Pei Qingyan was still preoccupied with her own thoughts and didn't respond. Seeing her worried expression, the old doctor didn't dare to disturb her further and silently sat back down by the medicine stove.

Pei Qingyan broke off a piece of flatbread and stuffed it, along with the note in his hand, into his mouth.

She chewed, secretly calculating whether there was a chance to set things right.

The matter of the northern regions providing support to the court was not arranged by Pei Qingyan in advance. Before entering the capital, the strategist had suggested that they spread false military intelligence, using the pretext that the northern regions were in a critical situation and urgently needed Pei Qingyan to oversee the situation, to force Empress Dowager Yun to release the prisoners.

But Pei Qingyan refused. She couldn't use this as a pretext to extricate herself from this predicament.

Military intelligence reports are no trivial matter. If the message requesting reinforcements is reported to Chang'an, not to mention whether the court will send someone to the north to investigate, even if there is no time to send someone due to the urgency of the military situation, the reinforcements will still find something amiss when they arrive in the north.

However, not only will Pei Qingyan not be able to escape, but the servants who sent the message will also be implicated.

This is not the most serious problem. The real problem is that the border garrison has lost credibility. If the Xiongnu launch a major attack in the future and the border is unable to defend itself, when they ask the court for help, who will dare to send troops to support them in the face of an emergency?

At that time, it will be the soldiers on the border who suffer losses, and the entire nation of Zhao that will be destroyed.

This is a consequence that Pei Qingyan absolutely does not want to see and cannot bear.

But why is the proposal that Pei Qingyan rejected in the past now being made again?

Pei Qingyan thought for a long time and felt that there were only two possibilities: either someone deliberately framed her and spread the news that she was trapped and on the verge of death, and the troops in the north panicked when they heard about it, so they set up the trap.

Either the northern regions were truly attacked by a large-scale enemy force, and they were unable to resist, forcing them to seek help from the central government.

Either way, it was equally worrying for Pei Qingyan at this moment.

However, the "mistake" she mentioned did not refer to this matter. What she regretted was exchanging military tokens with Yun Zheng so early the day before in order to escape the predicament.

If she hadn't agreed to give the military tally to Yun Zheng, then given the current urgent military situation, she could easily manipulate the powerful families and kingdoms in the court to refuse to send troops, and then she could take the opportunity to negotiate with Empress Dowager Yun.

But... she had promised, and a gentleman keeps his word; there's no reason for him to break his promise...

Wait a minute, Pei Qingyan's eyes suddenly lit up, "A gentleman keeps his promises, but she's not a gentleman! Since she's not a gentleman, then there's no need to stick to the rules."

Pei Qingyan secretly convinced herself, a sly glint in her eyes. She needed to think carefully about how to make something of this matter.

"What are your thoughts on the matter in the north?"

In the main hall of Jianzhang Palace, Empress Dowager Yun sat on a high platform, and the three dukes and nine ministers of the court below were all urgently summoned by Empress Dowager Yun.

When Empress Dowager Yun asked the question, everyone looked at each other, each like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, none of them willing to be the first to speak.

Empress Dowager Yun waited for a long time, but seeing that no one took the initiative to speak, she could only coldly say, "Yun Zheng, you speak."

Yun Zheng stepped forward from the crowd and said, "Your Majesty, I believe the situation in the north is urgent. Therefore, I have issued an edict to Liaodong and the Northwest as soon as possible, ordering them to immediately mobilize troops to provide support. It would be best if Generals Feng and Ban led their cavalry to provide support first, while the main army covered the rear."

Upon hearing this, a cold smile flashed in Empress Dowager Yun's eyes on the high platform. She had already considered this idea. When she received the war report from the north, she immediately sent someone to summon Ban Qing to the palace.

Can……

"This morning, military news also came from Liaodong and the Northwest. It is said that they encountered an enemy attack of unknown scale. Liaodong and the Northwest are too busy to help each other and have no power to provide support." Empress Dowager Yun turned the prayer beads in her hand and glanced at the officials.

"Now that the Great Zhao has lost the two prefectures of Linhe and Jiuyuan, if Shuofang falls, the Xiongnu cavalry can advance south along the eastern Great Wall, heading straight for the Central Plains. Are you all so silent, are you willing to become ministers of a fallen nation?"

Empress Dowager Yun spoke calmly, but before she finished speaking, all the officials in the hall had already knelt on the ground, each one trembling with fear, and cried out in unison, "Empress Dowager, please calm your anger."

"Minister Xie, your Xie family is a centuries-old clan with a profound heritage. Are you willing to lead your clan's members into battle?"

The "Xie Qing" who was called by Empress Dowager Yun stood up and stepped forward, kneeling in the middle. The Xie family has always loved producing beauties, and this "Xie Qing" was no exception.

This man was named Xie Yuan. Although he was over fifty years old, he did not look old. He had a refined appearance, a slight beard on his chin, and a sense of composure that belonged to a middle-aged man.

"Your Majesty, every citizen has a responsibility for the rise and fall of the nation, especially us who are paid by the Emperor and have received imperial favor. We should do our utmost to share the Emperor's burdens. However, when the late Emperor was alive, he waged many wars to expand the territory. To repay the Emperor's favor, my Xie family has already given away our century-old foundation to the court. Now, apart from the younger generation in our clan, we have no more soldiers. If Your Majesty does not abandon us, the Xie family is willing to send these young men to the north to provide support."

Xie Yuan spoke with righteous indignation and his words were perfectly eloquent, as if he were truly devoted to the Great Zhao Dynasty and even willing to sacrifice his own clan members.

But which of these people in the palace today isn't a seasoned old fox who has been navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom for many years?

Xie Yuan's words might fool naive young people, but how could he possibly fool them?

These people, including Empress Dowager Yun on the high platform, all understood perfectly that Xie Yuan was using a feigned retreat to advance, seemingly righteous, but in reality, he had clearly rejected Empress Dowager Yun.

With Xie Yuan leading the way, when the other heads of aristocratic families were mentioned by Empress Dowager Yun, they followed suit, all adopting an attitude of helplessness and hoping to abandon their clan members to provide support.

Empress Dowager Yun, who had maintained her composure for many years, almost lost her composure at this moment and nearly smashed the teacup in her hand at the officials below the stage. However, she calmed down when she held the teacup in her hand.

Empress Dowager Yun stroked the rim of her teacup, calming herself slightly. "The mountains are high and the roads are long. It has already taken some time for the message for help from the north to reach the capital. It will also take time for the court to mobilize troops and send more supplies. Therefore, the situation is critical and time waits for no one. Today, I am here with you all to think of a solution."

As soon as she finished speaking, the ministers, who had been trying to delay and shirk their responsibilities, visibly panicked. They understood the Empress Dowager Yun's implication perfectly.

Today, if they want to keep their private armies, they will be effectively placed under house arrest by Empress Dowager Yun.

However, if they really did find a way to leave Jianzhang Palace as the Empress Dowager wished, they would have no choice but to abandon their private army. But the example of the Pei family was still before their eyes. Among all the civil and military officials, the Pei family was the most selfless and devoted to the Great Zhao. Not only did several generations die on the battlefield, but they also handed over all their private army to the court, sending it all to the battlefield without any reservation.

Such unwavering loyalty, what was its ultimate fate?

The Pei father and son died on the battlefield, and Pei Qingyan, the last of the Pei family's bloodlines, was taken back to the capital from the battlefield, his fate unknown...

These noble families and nobles may not have much of a relationship with the Pei family, but if the Pei family, which is loyal to the Pei family, can be reduced to this state, how much more so a large and powerful family?

Beneath the lush foliage, there are always hidden places. If one doesn't retain some strength to protect oneself, wouldn't one end up like the Pei family, at the mercy of others, when faced with real trouble?

To put it bluntly, the imperial court comes and goes, but the powerful clans remain steadfast. If the country is truly shattered, it will be the Zhao family that loses its empire; what does it have to do with these powerful clans?

As long as they have soldiers and money, they can support a new dynasty in the future.

It's not hard to understand what these aristocratic families are thinking. When they took action against Pei Qingyan, Yun Zheng himself, a close confidant of Empress Dowager Yun, had both openly and secretly advised her against it.

Empress Dowager Yun could never get over the hurdle in her heart. Blinded by so-called hatred, she was determined to kill every last member of the Pei family, even at a great cost.

At that time, Empress Dowager Yun still harbored illusions, thinking that since winter had arrived and the Xiongnu had occupied two prefectures, they could temporarily calm down for a while. She estimated that by the time winter passed and spring came, she would have made new arrangements for the northern lands.

She had planned everything, but she hadn't anticipated that the north would be exceptionally cold this year. From the southern to the northern desert, heavy snow had fallen, freezing countless cattle and sheep to death. The grain plundered from Linhe and Jiuyuan counties was simply not enough to support them.

People die for wealth, birds die for food; under such dire circumstances, the Xiongnu people were desperate and had to march south even in the bitter cold.

"Empress Dowager..."

Yun Zheng knelt outside the queue, just as he was estimating that the time was right and was about to speak when the door of Jianzhang Palace was suddenly opened from the outside.

"Mother, your son has a way to resolve today's predicament."