The atmosphere in the room grew heavy due to Di Shuangcheng's words. Xiao Yan observed the bloodshot in his eyes and spoke, "I understand your anger, General. I too harbor deep resentment. However, Emperor An has been on the throne for over a decade. The court is filled with few of the old officials, and the aristocratic families dominate, with the Lu family now more powerful than ever."
"While I can present the blood letter to reopen the case from twenty years ago and expose their burning of Rongjiang, if Emperor An and the aristocratic families reconcile to suppress us, this matter might be forcefully suppressed before it gains momentum, and the blood letter would be erased from history."
Xiao Yan's expression turned serious: "I fear no death. If it means exonerating the He family and Prince Li, I'm willing to sacrifice myself. But charging forward recklessly would be futile."
Di Shuangcheng furrowed his brows: "What do you suggest?"
"Are you aware of the recent events in the capital?"
Seeing Di Shuangcheng shake his head, clearly unaware of the happenings in the past months, Xiao Yan continued, "Emperor An's relationship with the aristocratic families has deteriorated. The Lu family, once suppressed, has lost its former prominence. Lu Chongyuan even lost his position as Minister of the Zhongshu."
"To exonerate the He family, we cannot directly unearth past events. Doing so would only aid the Lu family in escaping their predicament and force Emperor An to reconcile with them to cover up old scandals."
Di Shuangcheng's eyes narrowed "You mean, we should divide and conquer, dealing with each family separately, starting with the Lu family?"
Xiao Yan nodded: "The aristocratic families occupy the court, and Emperor An has long intended to remove them."
Di Shuangcheng countered: "But the Lu family colluded with Emperor An in the past. They must have compromising evidence on him. How can we force his hand?"
Xiao Yan replied: "Then we must leave him no choice but to act."
Seeing Di Shuangcheng's stunned expression, Xiao Yan explained, "If an ordinary person were to expose past events, Emperor An might overlook it. But if someone he cannot ignore brings it up, someone who threatens his authority?"
Di Shuangcheng's eyes widened: "You mean, I should be the one to initiate this?"
Xiao Yan shook his head: "No, General. You oversee the northwest and cannot leave, especially with the new ruler of Beiling on the throne. The border is unstable. Your absence could jeopardize the entire Wei Dynasty. I'm referring to the Dragon Court Guards."
Di Shuangcheng frowned: "The Dragon Court Guards? I have no command over them."
He continued, "Although the Dragon Court Guards are stationed in the northwest like the Zhen'an Army, they answer only to the emperor. Their role here is more about supervision and inspection, giving them authority surpassing that of local governors."
"Their leader, Shang Qin, is the grandson of the late Taizu Emperor's close guard, Shang Zhonglin. The Shang family has held sway over the Dragon Court Guards for years. Back when Prince Li was alive, they maintained a cordial relationship with the Zhen'an Army. But after Prince Li's death and Emperor An's ascension, the Dragon Court Guards began consolidating power."
"Shang Qin commands the Dragon Court Guards from Linping. They seldom concern themselves with defending against Beiling, let alone acting on our command."
Xiao Yan frowned: "I recall that Prince Li's brother-in-law once mentioned that the Dragon Court Guards and the Zhen'an Army were both under royal command?"
Di Shuangcheng paused, then replied, "Not exactly. They are both controlled through the Dragon Jade Order, a royal insignia held solely by the emperor."
"The Dragon Jade Order?"
Di Shuangcheng elaborated: "It's a royal secret, passed down through generations. Only emperors and the supreme military commanders are aware of its existence."
Xiao Yan's gaze flickered. This aligned with what the empress had hinted. He asked, "So, this insignia is in Emperor An's possession?"
"Of course." Di Shuangcheng said without thinking, "Back then, the Zhen'an Army was powerful, and Taizu once used the Dragon Jade Order to dispatch the Longting Guard to the northwest. The original intention was to contain the Zhen'an Army and jointly resist Beiling. Moreover, Taizu was too murderous, so leaving the Longting Guard in the northwest was also to leave a way out for the Xie family's royal family."
"After Taizu passed away and the late emperor ascended the throne, the palace did not mobilize the Zhen'an Army and the Dragon Court Guard, but the token must have been passed to the late emperor and the new emperor..."
As he was talking, Xiao Yan just looked at him indifferently. Di Shuangcheng's voice gradually cut off: "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Xiao Yan said calmly: "The general also said that Emperor An's throne may not be legitimate."
Di Shuangcheng's eyes suddenly widened: "You mean, the Dragon Jade Order is not in Emperor An's hands?!"
Xiao Yan laughed: "General, you should know that it was not easy for Emperor An to ascend the throne, right?"
"At that time, the Crown Prince had just died, and Prince Cheng was extremely powerful. If the noble families had not chosen Emperor An, he would never have been able to defeat Prince Cheng. If he really had the token in his hand, how could he choose to be coerced by the noble families? Moreover, after ascending the throne, even though he hated the noble families, he was cautious and took his time, and did not dare to turn against them."
"Does this look like an emperor who holds military power and does not need to be afraid of his courtiers?"
Di Shuangcheng's expression changed, but Xiao Yan did not stop, but continued:
"Moreover, when the crown prince plotted rebellion and the capital was massacred, the late emperor originally wanted Prince Cheng, but in the end he was forced by the aristocratic families to establish Emperor An. The late emperor died of illness not long after passing on the throne, but I remember that the late emperor was in good health at that time."
"The noble families overshadowed the imperial power, and could even appoint the emperor at will. Under such circumstances, the late emperor did not mobilize the Dragon Court Guards. Do you think this is normal, General?"
Di Shuangcheng stood up suddenly "You mean, the Dragon Jade Order is not in their hands?"
Xiao Yan did not answer Di Shuangcheng's question, but asked in a deep voice: "General, do you know what the Dragon Jade Order looks like?"
Di Shuangcheng frowned: "I haven't seen it, but General Tu gave me something before he died."
He reached into his collar and pulled out a knot. There was a small iron box hanging on it. When he opened it, he found a very strange-shaped object that looked like a jade comb.
Di Shuangcheng took it in his hand carefully: "General Tu said that the Dragon Jade Token has two pieces, the Yin and Yang, and both are compatible. The Dragon Court Guard also has one of this thing in my hand. Only when it is compatible with the holder of the Dragon Jade Token can it obey orders, but no one has come to see me in these years."
Xiao Yan took the "jade comb" and looked at it for a moment, and suddenly remembered the hollow place on the dragon-patterned pendant.
He did not take out the dragon-patterned pendant, but just looked up at Di Shuangcheng: "General, can you give me this?"
Di Shuangcheng looked at him: "What do you want this for? Without the Dragon Jade Token, this thing is useless."
=================
You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
Comments
Post a Comment