Chapter 519: Who Is the Foolish Child?

When the Yuanwu Gate of Chang'an City was forced open, Emperor Taihe Baili Jin did not flee the palace as rumored; he remained seated on the dragon throne in Jianzhang Palace, gazing at the hall doors. Apart from a group of guards, only the old Grand Commandant Gao Ze, left by his father the emperor, remained.

Why hasn't the Grand Marshal left yet?

The old minister can't be moved by force; I'll just stay here and accompany Your Majesty.

Oh, you mean the Grand Minister of Works and the Grand Minister of Revenue can be moved?

The old Grand Commandant was in poor spirits; he closed his eyes and sighed slowly, 'Perhaps.' His face showed composure, but what Baili Jin saw was deep despair.

I once thought the first to launch an attack on Chang'an might be the second brother, or maybe the third. The fourth brother wouldn't; the Cui family only seeks the best opportunity to play dirty. Jingzhou was crippled by the third brother, so they dare not act rashly; the remaining forces are merely average… but I never imagined Chang'an would fall so easily into the hands of that good uncle. Hahaha—if only I'd known, if only I'd known…

If only I'd known it would fall into Baili Jun's hands… Father Emperor would surely be angry; he'd surely regret not giving this throne to the second brother. Grand Commandant, what do you say?

The Grand Commandant remained silent; what could he say at this point?

Baili Jin didn't mind either: '…but Baili Jun shouldn't be happy either; he won't sit on this throne for long. The third brother is strong in troops and horses, and he claims to love the people like his own children. Baili Jun started the war and slaughtered so many in the East Great Camp outside Chang'an City; Baili Jing won't let him off. Once the news spreads, the Northern Border cavalry will march south! Hahaha—I now actually hope the Northern Border cavalry comes south! I hope they clean up you rebels and traitors!'

But the third brother—how old is he? Just a brat with a sharp tongue! When he was enfeoffed, he only knew the Thousand Character Classic; even the Northern Border was under the Xie clan's control! It's hateful that Baili Jing is hard to kill, Xie Yuan is hard to kill, and that old fogey just stays in heavily guarded territories—I…

Xie Yuan knew he must feel wronged to death; the Great King messing with the gate couplets gave him no chance to notice. All day he's either working overtime at the office or at the Xie Manor, so busy he goes back and forth between two points, never leaving the vicinity of the Prince's residence!

Baili Jin's expression grew ferocious; before he could finish speaking, a squad of soldiers dressed as Hu Ben rushed in, dragged him away, and said, 'Rebel troops have stormed in; we must escort Your Majesty to safety.'

Shouts of killing shook the hall outside, a faint smell of blood drifted in; even the old Grand Commandant couldn't tell whether the troops charging in were genuine Hu Ben or impostors…

Northern Border

Despite repeated pleas from the court, the Great King's resolve to personally lead the campaign cannot be shaken; age is never a weakness for him— which grown man dares claim he could defeat him?

He slammed the Grand Exalted Sword onto the case before the officials and said, 'Otherwise, pick a few generals and see who can withdraw unharmed from under the Grand Exalted Sword.'

Everyone agreed the sword was a treasure, and the Great King's divine strength was a given— not to mention the death penalty for harming him— so naturally nobody wanted to try. The officers present, including the Marquis of the Eastern Capital, stayed silent as chickens; when civil officials kept glancing this way, Wei Shen glared and said, 'Why don't you try it yourselves?'

Anyway, he only dares to boast verbally; facing the Great King's actual strength, he has no confidence. Besides, the sword is somewhat out of the ordinary; Wei Shen wouldn't even dream of trying it himself.

I've heard the rebels of Hanshou have been plotting for three generations; this generation's Baili Zhao is in his prime, yet versed in both civil and military arts? What a boast! I hereby swear on this spot: I will surely behead that traitor beneath the Grand Exalted Sword.

Officials: ……

How can an underage kid get you so fired up!

The Chancellor spoke first: '…Jingzhou and Guangling won't just sit and wait for doom; the tribute we've collected hasn't lightly offended the Xiongnu and Xianbei tribes. Now that Great Jin is in internal turmoil, they will surely not let this excellent opportunity slip by. I believe Your Highness should stay and oversee the situation.'

The three border passes haven't moved; Grand Commandant Dong and Zhu Ti remain in Youzhou City, and I believe they can handle the neighboring states.

Now everyone's looking at Xie Yuan; it's your turn.

Xie Yuan finally spoke: 'The territory of Great Jin is vast; unification requires a long time. I believe Your Highness need not personally handle everything; all matters should prioritize Your Highness's safety.'

But I also need to first march south and overthrow Baili Jun! I've told him eight hundred times not to start a war and meddle with the world, yet he won't listen. If we don't overthrow him, do you believe Chang'an will change emperors every six months? the Great King fumed.

Xie Yuan: ……

Needless to say, Dong Fu knows the Great King's abilities best; he knows that with the Great King backed by external cheats, no danger could truly threaten his life. He also knows the commander of the Snow Cavalry is an older veteran than himself, beside him is an aide familiar with Great Jin military affairs—the Marquis of the Eastern Capital— and together with the Northern Border's invincible Xuanjia Cavalry, the side to worry about is the enemy.

Seeing he had no objection, everyone turned to the Grand Tutor and Lu Tong. The Grand Tutor admitted he doesn't understand military affairs; Lu Tong felt he'd said all there was to say, and the Great King's mind was made up— there was no room left for persuasion. To avoid betraying the elderly civil officials, he blurted out: 'Your Highness, if you go out now, you won't make it in time for the completion of Zhenhai Palace at month's end.'

Great King:?

Officials: ……

When I return victorious, I will certainly personally go up the mountain to pay homage!

Alright, no need to say more— since I won't personally campaign, the 'Jing' character the old gentlemen gave me is wasted!

Officials: ……

So now it's… all the former emperor's fault?