The Black Chamber Dream: Daiyu's Revenge

Cai Guoxun probably felt that as the eldest son and the one who did the most errands, it would be advantageous for him if his father died early.

Putting aside everything else, among the ministers in the court right now, there are definitely more who support him than those who support the second son.

It must be said that Cai Jinglue was too arrogant. He was completely unaware that someone had added something else to the incense he was using.

Tan Chun naturally wouldn't remind him—that Cai Jinglue's death would benefit both the court and herself.

Of course, the caution and meticulousness that Cai Guoxun displayed at this moment also surprised Tan Chun: when a person is scheming, he can actually do something so subtle.

The amount of poison used is very small and will not cause any immediate effects. However, over time, it will seep into the bone marrow, making it completely incurable.

During the Spring Festival ceremony, Cai Jinglue's hand, which was holding hers, suddenly trembled violently.

Tan Chun knew that this was the effect of a slow-acting poison.

Cai Jinglue was completely oblivious, but Tan Chun asked, "Why are the Queen's hands so cold?"

It's not that my hands are cold, but that Your Majesty's hands are too warm. However, Tan Chun didn't say this, but smiled and said, "I guess I was exposed to the wind, so I don't feel cold."

Cai Jinglue fell ill ten days later.

His illness came on suddenly, but he wouldn't die anytime soon. The island nation's imperial physicians were helpless, while the two princes' minds were entirely focused on vying for the throne.

Every time Cai Jinglue woke up from his dazed state, he only saw Tan Chun guarding him. At the same time, his heart softened beyond measure, but he hated his two sons to the core.

Therefore, Cai Jinglue would rather entrust important matters to Tan Chun when he was sober than to any of his sons.

Tan Chun then instructed Jiang Chunhua to frequently bring her son, Cai Guoyou, to Cai Jinglue's bedside.

As a result, Cai Jinglue became even more disappointed in his two eldest sons.

Strangely, Cai Jinglue couldn't figure out what was wrong with his illness: he didn't feel too uncomfortable every day, but he was always drowsy, especially during the day when he would sleep for five or six hours, and then wake up again late at night.

Furthermore, I feel weak and listless all over, and sometimes I experience bouts of headaches. When the pain is intense, it's unbearable; I feel like killing someone. But once the pain subsides, it's as if nothing happened.

Sometimes, when he woke up in the middle of the night and saw Tan Chun sleeping by his bedside, Cai Jinglue couldn't help but think that the queen he had once suspected was actually the one who had always been by his side.

There's a saying in the Central Plains dynasties: "Time will tell." Perhaps, compared to her two sons who would stop at nothing to seize the throne, the queen is more genuine.

The queen had come here far from her family, and the only person she could rely on was her husband.

As a result, while the two princes vied for power in the previous court, the still-living king trusted his wife more and more.

After dragging on for half a year, Cai Jinglue's health deteriorated.

During this period, Tan Chun had already imitated Cai Jinglue's handwriting to a degree of 90%.

Seeing that Cai Jinglue was waking up less and less and his mind was becoming increasingly unclear, Tan Chun decisively sent a secret letter to Daiyu.

Chapter 308 Extra Chapter 1: Talented and Ambitious (6)

But Tan Chun never expected that the eldest prince would actually have the idea of ​​rebellion.

Upon receiving the news, Tan Chun immediately thought of a way to balance things out—if she could use the second prince to restrain the eldest prince, and if the imperial army could arrive in time to fight between the two tigers, that would be even better.

Having come up with an idea, Tan Chun immediately tried to send a message to Cai Guobang.

“No wonder. I was wondering why my brother had suddenly become so quiet these days. Something was definitely amiss. My brother is really bold.” Cai Guobang immediately gathered his disciples to discuss the matter.

"As long as we hold the imperial city firmly, there will be no problem!" The king is still alive and never leaves the imperial city. All the prince's plans are ultimately about the imperial palace.

“That’s right. So I suggest that the Second Prince should personally guard the palace. I’ve read the history books of the Central Plains. In the past, Li Shimin was able to win at Xuanwu Gate of the Tang Dynasty because he could enter the city gate!”

"I think so too, but now that the Second Prince has not been summoned, he has no reason to enter the palace."

Both princes are married and have their own residences, and they do not live in the palace.

Therefore, if he were to enter the palace, he would have to obey orders; otherwise, he would also become a traitor.

“What’s so difficult about that? The Queen is here now, isn’t she? She’s probably afraid that the eldest prince will lead troops to besiege the city. As long as the Queen agrees, it will be easy to handle.”

“No, she will agree.” Cai Guobang, who had been silent until now, spoke up. “The Queen is a smart woman. As long as she is not colluding with my elder brother, she will definitely agree.”

"If she doesn't agree, I have ways to make her agree."

Cai Guobang went to find Tan Chun in person. He was very direct and offered very generous terms—he didn't need Tan Chun to do anything, he just wanted her to convey his father's oral decree to him to lead troops to guard the palace.

In return, if he wins in the future, he will honor Tan Chun as Empress Dowager, double her annual salary, and bestow upon her the largest imperial estate in the capital.

It sounds really tempting, but Tan Chun is even more audacious than Cai Guobang thought.

“I don’t like living in the palace. I really like your temporary palace in Mingshan.” Tan Chun told Cai Guobang directly, “When the time comes, I will live alone in the temporary palace in Mingshan.”

They really know how to pick a location; although Mingshan Palace isn't large, it has the best scenery.

But if Tan Chun doesn't want anything, Cai Guobang will feel uneasy.

While managing to fool Cai Guobang, Tan Chun devised another way to send the letter out—if the court didn't act quickly, they might miss a good opportunity.

However, Cai Guoxun arrived even faster than Tan Chun had anticipated.

The torrential rain washed over the blue bricks of Anguo Gate, and bloodstains meandered down the city wall.

Cai Guoxun stood in the rain, letting the icy rain lash his face. He raised his hand and forcefully wiped the rain from his face, but his undergarment beneath his armor was already soaked through, clinging tightly to his body and sending a chill down his spine. Yet, at this moment, a raging fire burned within his chest, anger and resentment intertwining and swirling within him.

"How could my father be so biased!" Cai Guoxun muttered to himself through gritted teeth. "He actually ordered the second son's men to guard the palace. Isn't this a clear indication that he intends to pass the throne to him? How can I sit idly by and wait to die!" Thinking of this, his hand gripping the sword tightened unconsciously, and a resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

Can't wait any longer.

"Brother, do you really want to bear the guilt of murdering your father and usurping the throne?" Cai Guobang's voice came from the city tower. He was standing under the eaves, wearing armor, the jade belt at his waist reflecting the glow of the palace lanterns.

Cai Guoxun gripped his longsword tightly, the gaping wound on his hand turning white from being soaked in the rain. Three hundred heavily armored cavalrymen lined up behind him, their hooves pawing restlessly at the bluestone slabs.

At this moment, Tan Chun was by Cai Jinglue's side, who was still unconscious. She had to think of a way to send out a signal.

The imperial fleet had already been lying in ambush on the opposite shore, waiting only for the signal to be given so that the warships could immediately cross the strait.

In that instant, Tan Chun recalled a fire that had occurred when she was at the Rongguo Mansion.

If the palace were to catch fire at this time, it would be tantamount to adding fuel to the fire of the chaotic situation, and only in such a chaotic situation would Shishu have a chance to escape.

Cai Jinglue, who was fast asleep in bed, was unlikely to wake up.

Tan Chun steeled her resolve and summoned Shi Shu to give him some instructions.

"Clang—" A whistling arrow pierced the air and struck the bronze ring on the city gate's animal head.

Cai Guobang's pupils shrank sharply, and at that moment, black smoke rose from the direction of the emperor's bedchamber, twisting into a hideous ghost face in the rain.

"Your Highness!" Accompanied by a hurried and panicked shout, a lieutenant rode up on a fast horse. As the horse's hooves flew, water splashed up three feet high, like a white wave exploding in the air. "Cheng Jing of Xiding Gate has betrayed us!"

Upon hearing this news, Cai Guobang felt a buzzing in his head, and he cried out in disbelief, "No! This is absolutely impossible!" You must know that Xiding Gate is one of the important gateways to the capital. If the garrison commander turns against him, then his elder brother's troops will surely be able to easily march straight in from the west and storm into the palace.

At this thought, Cai Guobang's mind went completely blank, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

After a brief moment of panic, Cai Guobang quickly regained his composure and decisively ordered, "Men! Quickly lead a force of elite soldiers to Xiding Gate and stop the enemy from entering!" As soon as his order was given, a group of well-trained soldiers sprang into action, weapons in hand, and marched in orderly steps toward Xiding Gate.

Just then, a petite figure slipped quietly out of the Xiding Gate amidst the chaos. This person was Shi Shu, disguised as a soldier. At this moment, her face was as pale as paper, and her eyes were filled with fear and unease. Although she had used all her strength and gone through a great deal of trouble to successfully escape, she was still very uneasy, as if someone might catch up with her at any moment.

Tan Chun, inside the palace, was equally nervous.

Suddenly, a continuous horn sounded outside the palace walls, and a dark mass of Xuanjia soldiers surged in like a tide.

Chapter 309 Extra Chapter 1: Talented and Ambitious (7)

The sound of horses' hooves shattered the night rain.

The two groups clashed fiercely, their swords flashing and shadows swirling in the rainy night, creating a chaotic scene. The dull thud of armor clashing mingled with the cracking sounds of flesh and bone tearing. Many soldiers' heavy iron armor was stained crimson, and their silver-scaled soft armor was shattered into pieces.

However, just as they were engaged in fierce combat, a deafening roar of battle cries and the thunder of hooves suddenly erupted from outside the city. Dust billowed in the distance, like a black cloud rapidly approaching the city, inspiring fear. In the blink of an eye, a massive army surged into the city like a raging tide, its momentum unstoppable.

These men, all clad in heavy armor and wielding sharp weapons, charged menacingly towards the two princes locked in battle. Simultaneously, countless heavy crossbows fired in unison, a dense barrage of arrows raining down like a torrential downpour, instantly engulfing the entire battlefield and leaving no escape.

The two princes, caught in the midst of battle, were stunned by this sudden turn of events. Only now did they realize that this large force of men, charging in like wolves and tigers, could not possibly be reinforcements for their side! Faced with such a formidable enemy, the two princes were greatly alarmed, but they still forced themselves to remain calm and hastily ordered the mobilization of their remaining troops to hastily engage in battle.

However, before they could fully assemble, dozens of enormous and terrifying catapults were slowly pushed out from the enemy ranks. With a series of muffled booms, incendiary bombs burning fiercely streaked across the sky, whistling as they hurtled towards the ground. In an instant, flames shot into the sky, and the shockwaves from the explosions swept around, bursting into dazzling red blossoms, like hellfire blooming on earth.

Thick smoke billowed out, blurring visibility. Just then, through the smoke, the enemy commander could be vaguely seen wearing a snow-white battle robe, standing out like a proud crane among the crowd.

He gripped a bright red command flag tightly in his hand, and with a gentle wave, shouted, "Those who surrender will not be killed!" His voice was clear and loud, echoing throughout the battlefield and inspiring awe. The flag was clearly the banner of a general from the Central Plains dynasty.

Just then, as if struck by a sudden enlightenment, the two princes realized that they had all fallen into a trap meticulously designed by someone else! Almost simultaneously, they thought of the queen, the woman from the Central Plains dynasty, who was currently guarding the palace.

Cai Guoxun's face was full of rage, his eyes flashing with fury. Without hesitation, he flipped onto his horse, gripped the sharp longsword tightly in his hand, and roared, "I will tear that vile woman to pieces!" With that, he cracked his whip, and his horse galloped off like an arrow.

Cai Guobang, standing to the side, instantly understood his elder brother's thoughts. He knew that if he tried to stop him at this moment, it would only anger his brother. So he decisively ordered, "No one is allowed to stop him! No matter what happens, we must not let these traitors from the Central Plains Dynasty get away with it so easily!"

However, just as Cai Guoxun was rushing towards the palace at breakneck speed, a sharp, piercing sound ripped through the sky. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw a whistling arrow, gleaming with a cold light, flying towards them like a shooting star. In the blink of an eye, the arrow had pierced through Cai Guoxun's thick, sturdy armor.

Upon seeing this, Cai Guobang was immediately horrified, his eyes widening as if they were copper bells, staring in disbelief at the scene before him. As the whistling arrow pierced deeply into Cai Guoxun's body, he lost his balance and fell straight off his horse, crashing heavily onto the hard, cold ground.

Cai Guobang's army was completely unable to withstand the attack of the Central Plains army, and he himself no longer dared to go and settle accounts with that woman in the palace like his elder brother had done.

In less than two hours, the battle ended in victory for the Central Plains army.

The entire imperial city was captured by the people of the Central Plains.

Cai Guobang, now a prisoner, gritted his teeth. He wanted to see what that woman would do next.

However, when he heard that the island nation had submitted to the Central Plains dynasty, he couldn't help but curse loudly.

"To hell with this so-called small country and sparse population, unable to withstand the might of the Celestial Empire. What does she, a woman from the Central Plains, dare to say? But we, the people of the Western Night, all admire the rites and music of the Central Plains, and are willing to be the bulwark of the Celestial Empire, and submit to it forever..." Cai Guobang was not sent to prison, but was confined to his own residence.

But they could only move around in the mansion and had no chance to go out.

"The Queen also said that she would forever avert the calamity of war, grant the benefits of opening up trade, bestow upon the Heavenly Kingdom's classics, and send Confucian scholars to give lectures." The person who delivered the message was sent by Tan Chun.

Having already taken control of everything, Tan Chun was not worried about what the second prince could do.

"What a ruthless woman! By doing this, she's trying to ensure that all the people of our dynasty will be influenced by the culture of the Central Plains in the future." The second prince realized that the woman's ambition was even greater than he had imagined.

But he was powerless to change anything; he was destined to spend the rest of his life in this seemingly luxurious but desolate and lonely mansion.

As he waited to hear of his father's death, the young emperor's ascension to the throne, and the queen's elevation to queen dowager, he was utterly devastated.

Chapter 310 Extra Chapter 1: Talented and Ambitious (8)

After being away for many years, I finally have the opportunity to return to my homeland.

As Tan Chun stepped out of the sedan chair, she saw the words "Autumn Breeze" written in regular script on the moon gate. Her heart skipped a beat: this was the Huitong Size Hall. She knew very well that the Huitong Size Hall was used by the imperial court to receive foreign guests.

So it goes without saying that this was the work of the current Empress, Lin Jie.