Chapter 153: Storms Rise Again

Just as the Wang Family, on the shores of the East Sea, wielded the "Barbarian Revival Plan" and the "Academy Education" as blades to carry out an unprecedented transformation of the Wa Kingdom from physical reproduction to spiritual inheritance, a new storm capable of overturning the court was quietly brewing on the Chinese lands across the sea, within the territories of the Later Han.

In the third year of Qianyou of the Later Han, the capital Kaifeng, deep within the imperial palace's Chongyuan Hall, the atmosphere was exceedingly heavy, every breath of air seemed soaked with a chilling murderous aura, causing the civil and military officials in the hall to dare not even breathe loudly.

The twenty‑year‑old Later Han emperor Liu Chengyou sat on the towering dragon throne with a pallid, iron‑blue complexion. He wore a bright yellow dragon robe, its embroidered dragon patterns appearing dull in the dim light, making his still‑youthful face take on a few sinister overtones.

His gaze held a hint of suspicion and agitation, like a coiled hungry wolf, slowly sweeping over the kneeling officials below; in that look there was no imperial majesty, only a long‑suppressed fury.

On the golden brick floor beneath the dragon throne lay several bodies sprawled in all directions, fresh blood gushing from their wounds and seeping through the brick joints, quickly staining large swaths of the gleaming tiles crimson; a strong scent of blood filled the hall, making one feel nauseous.

They were the bodies of the Grand Secretary Yang Bin, the Three Departments Minister Wang Zhang, and the Imperial Guard Commander Shi Hongzhao. Just half an hour earlier, Liu Chengyou had still been seated on that dragon throne, listening to their reports on state affairs, when in an instant he ordered, on a charge of treason, that these three chief ministers be executed on the spot.

Shi Hongzhao's corpse still retained a struggling posture, and the dagger he prized most in life lay beside him, its blade stained with fresh blood.

He was a warlord who once, beneath the city of Wei Prefecture, fought side by side with Fu Yanqing and An Zhongrong against the Khitans, later becoming a ruthless figure who clashed with allies over unequal loot; greedy by nature, he harbored an almost mad obsession with gold, silver and jewels.

Yet his military discipline was exceptionally harsh; the Imperial Guards under his command were the Later Han's most elite force, and because of this he wielded Military Power with overwhelming authority, even forcing Liu Chengyou to concede a third of his own power.

Yang Bin's corpse lay near the imperial desk; in life he controlled the nation's military and political authority, with appointments, dismissals and troop movements in the court almost all passing through his hands.

He was upright yet autocratic, often directly rebutting Liu Chengyou's opinions in the court, giving the young emperor no face at all. As for the Three Departments Minister Wang Zhang, he oversaw the nation's fiscal authority, managing the treasury's income and expenditure and tax adjustments; he was stingy, even sternly refusing the emperor's attempts to increase palace expenses.

These three, together with the Grand Secretary Guo Wei who now garrisoned Yedu to resist the Khitans, were popularly called the Later Han's "Four Great Power Ministers". They were Liu Chengyou's father, the chief minister designated by the founding emperor Liu Zhi Yuan on his deathbed, originally meant to assist Liu Chengyou in stabilizing the realm, but the lure of power caused them to gradually forget the original purpose of "assistance", gripping state affairs tightly in their own hands.

Since his enthronement, Liu Chengyou had lived under the shadow of these power ministers. When he sought to implement new policies, Yang Bin would step forward and say, "Your Majesty need only sit peacefully in the palace; the affairs of state are handled by senior ministers."

When he wished to grant favors to a consort's family, Wang Zhang would immediately oppose, "The treasury is empty; we cannot squander the people's wealth." When he tried to mobilize the Imperial Guards to protect the palace, Shi Hongzhao outright refused, "The Imperial Guards are the nation's foundation; they cannot be moved at Your Majesty's whim."

He felt that, as emperor, he was merely a titular puppet, every move dependent on these men's moods, lacking even a hint of imperial dignity.

A youthful heart, already full of restlessness and resentment, Liu Chengyou paced the imperial palace countless nights, contemplating how to reclaim the power that was his.

He refused to remain a pawn in the power ministers' hands; he wanted to personally govern state affairs and make everyone revere him as emperor. Yet he was still too young, having never experienced the court's intrigue nor built his own power base; amid repeated agitation and anger, he ultimately chose the most extreme—and most foolish—path: slaughter!

Seizing the chance that Guo Wei was absent from the Capital, he struck with lightning speed, preemptively executing Yang Bin, Wang Zhang, and Shi Hongzhao.

"Who else?!" Liu Chengyou looked at the court, its officials frozen like cold cicadas, his voice trembling with excitement, "Who else thinks that I, Your Majesty, am a mere yellow‑bellied child to be manipulated at will?!"

No one dared to speak.

Everyone was terrified by the young emperor's ruthlessness and madness, their courage shattered.

Liu Chengyou was pleased with the result; he felt he had finally regained the dignity of being emperor.

However, his mind, intoxicated by the desire for power, did not realize the massive hole he had dug.

"Your Majesty!" a eunuch scrambled in, his voice trembling with terror, "No… it's bad! Outside the palace… outside the palace, people are being seized and killed everywhere!"

"Panic! You panic, what the hell! That's my command!" he said, then kicked the eunuch out; the eunuch, unable to dodge, took the blow and rolled on the ground twice.

It turned out that after the execution of the three ministers, Liu Chengyou was still uneasy. He issued another secret order, directing his confidants to confiscate these power ministers' estates and execute all their family members.

A massive chaos and bloodshed quickly spread throughout Kaifeng.

Shi Hongzhao's personal troops clashed fiercely in street battles with the Imperial Guards who came to seize the families' properties.

Innocent civilians were caught up in it, suffering countless deaths and injuries.

The entire city of Kaifeng fell into a state of panic.

Liu Chengyou heard the news, his brows tightly knit.

"A bunch of useless scum! They can't even handle a simple house‑clearing!" he shouted angrily.

In the end he exterminated all the power ministers' relatives, but before he could relish his triumph for long, an even more terrifying report arrived.

"Report, Your Majesty!" a messenger responsible for delivering military intelligence knelt before the throne, his face ashen, "Yedu… urgent report from Yedu!"

"Guo Wei… Guo Wei, after learning that you executed the ministers and sent men to kill his family… he… he has raised troops!"

"What?!" Liu Chengyou sprang up violently from the dragon throne.

The messenger trembled, pulling from his bosom a proclamation sent by Guo Wei.

"…I, Guo Wei, have ever received the emperor's grace, my loyalty unwavering. Yet now there are treacherous ministers Su Fengji, Li Ye and others who have deceived the sage ear, misled Your Majesty, slaughtered the innocent and framed the loyal. This has shaken court and realm, unsettling the people. I cannot bear to see the late emperor's realm destroyed in an instant. Thus, invoking Heaven's righteousness, I raise troops to cleanse the court! To execute the traitors and secure the world!"

"Clean the court?" Liu Chengyou stared at the proclamation, his whole body trembling with rage, and tore the document to pieces.

"Rebel! He's a rebel! Is he trying to emulate An Lushan?!" he roared.

However, roaring would not solve the problem.

Guo Wei, in the north, enjoyed the troops' deep loyalty. The army under his command was the Later Han's absolute main force against the Khitans.

Now, under the banner of "cleaning the court", he marched south, and the Prefectures and Counties along the way almost all surrendered at the first sight of his forces.

As for Liu Chengyou himself, after killing Shi Hongzhao, the Capital's Imperial Guards were leaderless, the people panicked, and he could not muster any effective resistance.

In a short Era Name Deadline.

Guo Wei's great army had already stood at the gates of Kaifeng.

Liu Chengyou was utterly panicked.

He recalled the Wang Family, who, without ever engaging in conflict, possessed a terrifying power that could repel the Khitan Iron Cavalry simply with money.

"Quick! Send someone to Yangzhou!" he roared at his eunuch, as if clutching the last straw of salvation, "Tell the Wang Family! If they are willing to send troops to aid me, I will accept any condition! I can make Wang Zhen a king! Grant them all of Jiangnan! I only… I only want to keep my life!"

But it was already too late.

Just as his envoy had just rushed out of the palace gates.

The gates of Kaifeng were opened from within by the defending commander.

Guo Wei's army surged into the imperial capital like a tide.

Desperate Liu Chengyou, under the protection of a few confidants, fled hurriedly through the rear gate of the imperial palace.

However, on the escape route, he was cut down from behind by one of his own generals.

That general severed his head and presented it to Guo Wei.

The Later Han, a dynasty that lasted only four years, thus ended in an extremely tragic and dramatic fashion.

…

Yangzhou, Wang Family Fort.

Wang Zhen stared at the urgent intelligence report sent back from the north by the Information Department, remaining silent for a long while.

On the secret report, it detailed this great upheaval of the Later Han Court. From Liu Chengyou's suspicion of meritorious officials, to Guo Wei raising troops to purge the court, and finally, Guo Wei took control of Kaifeng.

"Head of Family, this Guo Wei is not simple." Su Qin beside him sighed, "He uses the name 'purging the court' to seize the moral high ground. After entering the city, he also restrained his troops, not harming a hair. Now, the people inside Kaifeng City all call him the 'Righteous Army'. I think he has the intention to replace the Han and establish himself."

Wang Zhen nodded.

"When my father was alive, he had once evaluated this person." He said slowly, "He said that he is deep and far-sighted, bearing the manner of a founder."

"Then... how should our Wang Family respond?" Su Qin asked, "Liu Chengyou's envoy, still on the road, was killed by rebel troops. But Guo Wei will likely send people to us soon."

Wang Zhen pondered for a moment.

"Watch and wait." He uttered these four words.

"My father's dying instruction was to wait for a wise lord, then emerge from seclusion to assist him. Although Guo Wei appears to have the appearance of a wise lord, it is still too early."

"Convey my order: strengthen defenses along the Grand Canal. At the same time, let Wang Xin use all his intelligence resources to investigate Guo Wei's background—his character, his abilities, his ambitions… everything, I want to know."

Wang Zhen's gaze turned toward the north, where the sky was full of rising winds and surging clouds.