Chapter 511: Return Home, I Say!

Boom! A massive roar, deafening!

A bright lightning streaked across the sky, the huge thunder roared through heaven and earth, and then a torrential downpour poured down.

The rain hammered nonstop, like a curtain of water, blocking people's view. The sky seemed to leak, and the pooled water ran down the roof tiles like a waterfall.

The Grand Ming Palace of blue bricks and black tiles seemed to be weeping.

Yan Zhenqing lifted a bamboo umbrella, wore a raincoat, hurried into Danfeng Gate, passed through the drill ground to the East Court Hall entrance. He looked as if he had been soaked in water, completely drenched.

The purple official robe clung to his body, making him look very disheveled.

He handed the bamboo umbrella and raincoat to the eunuch on duty, entered the East Court Hall alone, and at a glance saw Li Mi discussing something with Li Chang.

"Your Majesty, I present myself."

Yan Zhenqing bowed to Li Chang, glanced at Li Mi, seemed to have something to say, paused, but said nothing.

"Sir Yan, Wang Zhongsi has passed away, just recently."

Li Mi said calmly, delivering the bad news he had just received today to Yan Zhenqing.

Hearing this, Yan Zhenqing felt a chill and shock, as if he had never expected such a thing.

He looked puzzled and asked, "Did Li Baoyu fail to handle this? Earlier he was repeatedly urged to discuss earnestly with Wang Zhongsi, but he didn't listen?"

If Li Mi weren't a man who never tells lies, Yan Zhenqing would surely think the other was telling a hellish joke.

"Wang Zhongsi committed suicide; he refused to relinquish command. He took his own life in the office in front of Li Baoyu and many Hexi generals, under everyone's eyes."

Li Chang waved his hand, sighed lightly, and said. He had a good impression of Wang Zhongsi; the man had done no evil.

Forcing him to death is truly a sin.

Wang Zhongsi died too violently, with about a hundred witnesses; the news spread rapidly, causing a terrible impact.

Yan Zhenqing's scheme can't be called bad; without Fang Youde's strong army, pulling the Red Water Army to support the king is the same—anyway, the central authority cannot be without military backing.

He just didn't expect Wang Zhongsi to be so fiercely loyal, so foolishly loyal to Ji Ge.

Better to break than to bend!

The well‑planned "Sneak through Chen Cang" scheme now meets unexpected setbacks; truly a wave after another, a tumultuous autumn.

"If Fang Qingzheng leads troops northward and learns his father‑in‑law was forced to death by Li Baoyu, he might defect to Huangfu Weiming."

Thus, how the court should vindicate Wang Zhongsi is a matter that takes much effort.

Li Mi also sighed, admitting that Yan Zhenqing's urging the Red Water Army to surrender was mishandled, leaving the central court passive in public opinion, especially offending the Guanzhong military families.

Not to mention Fang Chongyong, the son‑in‑law, who is also hard to deal with; many future troubles loom.

When a person dies, a verdict must be made. Wang Zhongsi's case needs a political determination.

Li Mi believes this seemingly "trivial" matter must not be taken lightly.

Was Wang Zhongsi a loyal minister or a rebel? Should his actions be promoted or suppressed?

If he was a loyal minister, then Li Baoyu, who forced his death, becomes a rebel, doesn't he?

How to handle this relationship? How to let the dead depart with dignity without provoking the living?

In the eyes of the world, did Wang Zhongsi die deservedly or unjustly; is he as heavy as a mountain or as light as a feather?

The court cannot have no statement; it cannot pretend deaf and mute as if it doesn't exist.

Moreover, Wang Zhongsi's posthumous affairs are troublesome: whether to enshrine him in the Imperial Ancestral Temple, give him a grand burial, assign a posthumous name, and if so, what name—these are pressing questions.

"Bai Xiaode led Wang Zhongsi's coffin to be buried in Zheng County, Huazhou, within the Wang ancestral lands.

I have summoned you two dear ministers today to discuss how to proceed."

Li Chang sighed lightly.

He actually didn't want to handle these matters, but had to step forward.

Civil and military affairs are complex; he cannot manage them.

Li Chang now wants only to crush Ji Ge completely. He cares little about other matters; essentially, whatever the ministers propose, he issues an imperial edict accordingly, generally not being overly harsh on them.

When Li Chang spoke, Yan Zhenqing fell silent, his position awkward, unsure how to begin.

If Wang Zhongsi is honored, then Li Baoyu and the Red Water Army officers become clowns. Li Baoyu was persuaded by Yan Zhenqing's envoy, which led him to betray Ji Ge.

Thus, however Wang Zhongsi's death is framed, Yan Zhenqing must give Li Baoyu an explanation, or else no one will heed his words later.

But the impact of Wang Zhongsi's suicide is truly terrible, and Yan Zhenqing cannot detach himself from it.

Now before Li Chang, whatever Yan Zhenqing says sounds like shirking responsibility, covering himself; speaking is worse than remaining silent.

"Your Majesty, assigning a posthumous name is essential.

Wang Zhongsi committed suicide out of loyalty to the Supreme Emperor; foolish loyalty is still better than rebellion. If the court cannot vindicate Wang Zhongsi, wouldn't that encourage everyone to rebel? The court's authority must not fall; one must stand upright."

Li Mi crossed his hands and saluted Li Chang, saying.

Li Chang looked at Yan Zhenqing and asked, "Sir Yan, what do you think? Which posthumous name is appropriate?"

He clearly thought Li Mi's words had some merit.

Yan Zhenqing pondered briefly, then shook his head: "If we give Wang Zhongsi a posthumous name, all the provincial governors who have pledged allegiance to the court, and the civil and military officials of Chang'an, would be ashamed and furious to death. Li's suggestion is truly untenable."

Wang Zhongsi died loyal to Ji Ge; those who side with Li Chang and support the Crown Prince are all 'traitors', aren't they?

After this, no one dares to speak loudly in public.

Yan Zhenqing clearly thought Li Mi was overthinking.

It is because the official circles in Chang'an strongly support Li Chang that he can ascend the throne.

Rather than Li Chang ascending first and then using his authority to promote newcomers and gain their favor.

If the order were reversed, it would be like the heavens turned upside down, the Imperial Seal overturned.

The consequences would be extremely severe.

Yan Zhenqing believes Li Chang's position is not that stable, with many replacements; damaging the governing foundation to vindicate Wang Zhongsi is not worth the loss.

Li Chang looked at the two before him, truly not knowing what to say.

Li Mi had almost no intersection with Chang'an's civil official circles, and spoke strictly to the matter at hand. As for whether certain people would feel "ashamed to death" as a result, that was none of his damn business.

Yan Zhenqing was a leader in the literary world and a prominent figure in official circles, so he had to take this group's face into consideration.

If Wang Zhongsi were given dignity, then they would lose theirs—this was a serious political issue, not funny at all.

Good and bad, right and wrong, were often this blurry. If you asked whether these people involved were so-called "bad people," then among Wang Zhongsi, Li Mi, and Yan Zhenqing, not a single one was truly a bad person.

But political positions often could not be changed by individual will—was Yan Zhenqing not also patching up holes?

How could he do as he pleased!

"Your Majesty, grant Wang Zhongsi the posthumous title Zhongwu. The court and the military right now need loyal ministers."

Li Mi bowed and pleaded.

Yan Zhenqing immediately countered, "Your Majesty, you must not. Absolutely do not grant a posthumous title, let alone paired enjoyment at the Imperial Ancestral Temple. This matter must be handled with a low profile."

The two were at an impasse, leaving Li Chang dumbfounded.

Boom—

Lightning flashed and thunder crashed outside the Eastern Court Hall! The rain fell even harder!

A layer of shadow fell over the hearts of all three who were in discussion.

Suddenly a cool breeze blew in. The door of the Eastern Court Hall was pushed open, and the person who entered was Cheng Yuanzhen. He bowed to Li Chang, then leaned in and whispered a few words.

Li Chang's face instantly turned deathly pale!

Boom—

Another peal of thunder rolled in, and the white light of lightning fell upon Li Chang's terrified face, making the hearts of Li Mi and Yan Zhenqing sink.

"My two beloved ministers, the Retired Emperor has already led the northwest border army and broken through Puzhou.

The Puzhou garrison commander Gao Xiuyan opened the city and surrendered. Now tens of thousands of troops are heading toward Chang'an!

It's hard to say how far they've gotten."

As Li Chang spoke, his fingers could not stop trembling.

In truth, this day would come sooner or later, but Li Chang, Yan Zhenqing, and the others had all thought that at the very least, they would have to wait until the autumn harvest before Brother Ji led troops to attack Guanzhong. Otherwise, with supply lines short on grain, once the fighting dragged on even a little, the army would collapse without a battle!

And now, Brother Ji was probably planning to plunder along the way, not caring about the grain shortage at all.

Of course, it was also possible that he had bought off Gao Xiuyan in advance.

"In the name of the Southern Command Guard, your subject has recruited ten thousand new troops in Chang'an. By gathering the veteran soldiers of the original Southern Command Guard along with the private armies and household retainers of the great families in Chang'an, we may raise twenty or thirty thousand men.

Chang'an's storehouses do not lack weapons and armor. Your subject is willing to lead troops and station them at Weinan, to serve as Your Majesty's vanguard."

Yan Zhenqing clasped his hands in salute to Li Chang and requested to go to battle.

The Chang'an court was not entirely unprepared militarily. On one hand, it sent edicts to the three garrisons of Hexi, Longyou, and Shuofang, ordering the remaining troops in those regions to march east to aid the sovereign; on the other, it was broadly recruiting able-bodied men to form new armies.

It was just that the capable border armies did not much want to come, sending back official replies saying that further troop transfers from the border garrisons would result in lost cities and territory. And the new recruits who could come were not combat-ready—many were Chang'an street riffraff padding the ranks.

The situation was truly not optimistic.

Weinan County was a key node of the Guanzhong canal. Controlling it essentially meant planning to attack Chang'an.

And Chang'an was a giant city—even deploying a hundred thousand troops could not hold it. It could be said to have vulnerabilities everywhere.

In history, the so-called "Defense of Chang'an" in the Tang dynasty was never successfully held even once. The saying "the Son of Heaven fled nine times, the capital fell six times" referred to exactly this.

Yan Zhenqing understood military affairs and naturally also knew that simply defending Chang'an would never hold. The army had to be pulled to the outer lines to fight and block Brother Ji's route of advance.

Li Mi frowned and clasped his hands in salute to Li Chang, saying, "Your subject will go to Longzhou and seek aid from Commander Fang, to pave the way for Your Majesty's westward journey."

Li Chang looked at Li Mi and Yan Zhenqing bowing before him and could not help but let out a long sigh.

Both of these men had a sense of responsibility. The situation had not deteriorated beyond hope.

However, Li Chang was now speculating inwardly: could it be that Wang Zhongsi's suicide had provoked the border generals on Brother Ji's side, giving them a sense of grief for their own kind?

If so, then one could only say that Yan Zhenqing's timing and execution in persuading the surrender and subjugation of Li Baoyu and the Red Water Army had truly been poorly managed.

Perhaps Brother Ji had originally faced great resistance in persuading those border generals to come to Chang'an, making it difficult to act. Now, by advancing on Guanzhong ahead of schedule, perhaps it was precisely this matter that had given those border army generals a sense of crisis.

Misfortune is what fortune leans upon; fortune is where misfortune hides.

Li Chang only now felt how difficult governing a nation was—even coordinating the various interest groups and keeping them at peace with one another was a very hard thing to do.

"Your Majesty, time is of the essence. We must prepare now."

Seeing Li Chang spacing out, Yan Zhenqing spoke up to remind him.

"You two, go ahead. I am fine."

Li Chang nodded with a calm expression and said.

After Yan Zhenqing and Li Mi had both left, Cheng Yuanzhen said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, if things prove unworkable, it might be better to take shelter in Shu for now."

"If I go to Shu, then I truly become a dog."

Li Chang sighed and gently waved his hand, signaling Cheng Yuanzhen not to bring this up again.

No matter what, he would not bow to Brother Ji.

"Your Majesty, there are many powerful families in Chang'an, and they have many schemes. They can support Your Majesty, and naturally they can also betray Your Majesty.

This servant believes that Your Majesty is not safe in Chang'an right now. In the end, you must leave here sooner rather than later."

Cheng Yuanzhen persuaded him earnestly.

He genuinely hoped from the bottom of his heart that nothing would happen to Li Chang. Their fates were now completely bound together. If something untoward happened to Li Chang, Cheng Yuanzhen would be finished too.

One had to admit, Cheng Yuanzhen was right about this.

Li Chang himself was already quite dissatisfied with the deeply entrenched networks of those Chang'an nobles! His impression of those people was also very poor!

Since those people could raise Li Chang to the throne, they could naturally pull him down too, and offer his head to Brother Ji to beg for forgiveness.

"Then where do you think it would be best to go?"

Li Chang asked softly, seemingly tempted.

Didn't I just say to go to Shu earlier!

Cheng Yuanzhen felt a sinking displeasure in his heart but dared not show it. He thought for a moment and said, "Let us first go to Longzhou and see how Commander Fang responds. If he refuses to help Your Majesty pacify Guanzhong, then Your Majesty should continue west to Liangzhou."

Hearing these words, Li Chang was taken aback.

Li Mi had already said he would go ahead to prepare the way, so why was Cheng Yuanzhen still advising him to depart early?

After a moment's thought, Li Chang had his answer.

Eunuchs cared only about their own standing, which was tied directly to the emperor's personal safety. As for matters of state and the realm and such things, those were not the focus of eunuchs.

Li Mi viewed the problem from a different angle and did not think Li Chang staying in Chang'an was particularly dangerous, but Cheng Yuanzhen saw it with crystal clarity.

Going to Fang Youde's side was merely "along the way"; the crux of the matter was "fleeing."

There was also another unspoken "implication" in this: everyone—whether Yan Zhenqing, Li Mi, or even Fang Youde and the rest—had selfish motives; only I, as a eunuch, have no selfish motives toward Your Majesty!

Li Chang felt weary at heart and sighed helplessly, "When do we depart?"

"We leave tonight. Chancellor Yan's handful of men absolutely cannot hold back the border troops coming from Hedong. The earlier Your Majesty leaves, the earlier Your Majesty can be at ease."

Cheng Yuanzhen said this with absolute conviction.

In the eyes of many clear-sighted people, some battles were already lost before they had even begun.

At the very least, Cheng Yuanzhen did not favor Yan Zhenqing's prospects.

Li Chang weighed the pros and cons repeatedly in his heart. It was not that he did not believe in Yan Zhenqing, but those hastily assembled armies truly could not be expected to deliver too much.

Yet to simply leave now would also cause his newly established authority to collapse.

To leave or not to leave—it was a tormenting dilemma.

"I am not leaving."

Li Chang suddenly thought of something. He abruptly sat up straight and said to Cheng Yuanzhen with a calm expression.

These words thoroughly frightened Cheng Yuanzhen, the personal eunuch!

He wiped his face somewhat anxiously, the stains upon it impossible to tell whether sweat or rain, and urged with bitter heartache, "Your Majesty, this matter truly admits of no delay!"

"If you want to go, then go. I am not going."

Li Chang said in a low voice, appearing as though he were already somewhat angry.

Cheng Yuanzhen found this inexplicable.

Li Chang had clearly been very wavering earlier, nearly having agreed to leave, yet at the final moment he changed his mind again.

Why on earth was this?

But Cheng Yuanzhen did not catch the flash of cold light that passed through Li Chang's eyes.

Li Chang truly could not "face death as though returning home," but he was even more afraid of becoming a cowardly clown, degrading himself before Brother Ji.

Moreover, Wei Sanniang's tombstone was still in the cemetery west of the city.

Li Chang did not want to lose face before her. Even if he could not exact revenge, he would stand before Brother Ji and draw his blade to his face!

"Go. I wish to be alone for a while."

Seeing that Cheng Yuanzhen still wanted to say something, Li Chang raised his hand with some impatience, signaling him to shut up.

"Then this slave will wait outside the door."

Cheng Yuanzhen withdrew from the Eastern Court Hall, still unwilling to give up, and let out a long, helpless sigh.

At this critical juncture, what was the point of being so stubborn?

He had no convictions in his heart, nor did he know that there were things one must hold to and protect even at the cost of one's life. Naturally, he could not understand the "self-contradiction" that Li Chang displayed.

Cheng Yuanzhen walked out of Daming Palace, gave a few instructions to the eunuch gate guards on duty, and then set off with his umbrella toward the direction of Taiji Palace.