Chapter 344

Chang'an.

Ziji Palace.

Zichen Hall.

The floor heating in the center of the warm pavilion was burning vigorously, and the heat seeping from the gaps in the blue bricks steamed the Shu brocade curtains wrapped around the pillars until they shone slightly.

The blue-green background was adorned with seventy-two white herons embroidered with silver thread, which were now swaying lightly under the warm wind, as if living creatures about to fly off the cloth.

But no matter how vigorously the floor heating burned, it could not suppress the murderous aura that suddenly exploded in the sleeping quarters.

Yuwen Yan overturned the rosewood small table violently, and the Ru kiln celadon bowl fell onto the gold-brick floor.

The crisp sound mixed with the sticky sound of hot dairy splashing, and the silver spoon hit the edge of the charcoal brazier, rolling into the ashes with a clatter.

"Bastards!"

"Bastards!"

"What a damn bunch of bastards!"

The veins on the little emperor's forehead bulged, his voice trembling with anger; he grabbed the *Analects* spread out on the table, the pages wrinkled by his grip, and smashed it fiercely against the pillar.

The Shu brocade curtains were swept by the scroll, and the seventy-two silver-threaded white herons seemed startled, turning into a mess of phantoms in the swaying.

He kicked the treasure cabinet again, and the porcelain vase on the top layer fell first.

"Clatter," it shattered into stars, and the warm plum blossoms in the vase fell to the ground, the crimson petals splashing into the mud, truly looking like blood had flowed.

"Your Majesty, calm your anger!"

"Your Majesty, calm your anger!"

"I beg Your Majesty to calm your anger!"

Three figures stood like pines in the corner of the warm pavilion, the hems of their brocade robes trembling slightly under the heat of the floor heating, but they did not move half a step.

The Palace Secretary Sun Zhi was slightly older; catching a glimpse of the porcelain fragments reflecting the little emperor's blood-red eyes, his Adam's apple bobbed.

Although his voice was steady, his palms were already covered in thin sweat—on the overturned table, there was still the draft of the sacrificial text he had drafted last night.

As for Yuwen Lun, he cupped his hands and lowered his head, not daring to look up at all.

"Calm my anger?"

"How do you expect me to calm my anger?"

Yuwen Yan became increasingly angry, grabbing the sable quilt in front of the bed; the velvet quilt made of thirty-six sable skins was torn fiercely by him.

The silver-threaded quilt corner caught on the white jade steps, leaving several white marks.

His chest heaved, and he looked at Yuwen Lun, who was standing on the far right, gritting his teeth and shouting sternly: "Cousin, you tell me, what does it mean that I cannot bear the weight of the sacrifice!"

Just a stick of incense ago, news came from the Heavenly Office, saying something about the emperor being young and unable to bear the heavy responsibility of the sacrifice, and that the court officials had jointly memorialized for the Grand Chancellor to support the sacrifice...

And Yuwen Hu not only did not refuse, but agreed under the guise of being half-pushed!

Depriving him, a dignified emperor, of his sacrificial power.

What an insult this is!

Yuwen Lun, who was suddenly named, felt the veins on his forehead jumping; his sideburns had long been soaked in cold sweat, sticking to his cheeks. His cupped hands trembled uncontrollably, his brocade sleeves rubbing against his sweaty palms, leaving damp marks, and even his voice was wrapped in a layer of water vapor, shaking uncontrollably: "This... this... the Grand Chancellor perhaps has his considerations..."

The Grand Chancellor's heart is known to all passersby.

But caught in the middle, he could only bite the bullet and explain.

"What considerations?"

Li Heng, the Minister of Accounts and a confidant, heard Yuwen Lun's hesitant words; his chest felt stifled by the hot air steamed by the floor heating, and he suddenly raised his head.

Although his sideburns were also sweating, it wasn't the fearful wetness of Yuwen Lun, but rather hot sweat baked out by anger, flowing down his cheekbones and condensing into water droplets at the tip of his chin, dripping onto his cupped hands with a *plop*.

"It is clearly Yuwen Hu who is arrogant and domineering, not putting Your Majesty in his eyes at all!" His voice suddenly rose, carrying an irrepressible indignation.

He stiffened his neck, his Adam's apple rolling violently, the veins on his forehead jumping even more fiercely than when the little emperor was angry.

Sun Zhi saw this and hurriedly reached out, his fingertips gripping Li Heng's robe hem fiercely, with such force that he almost pinched wrinkles into the brocade robe.

At the same time, he quickly gave Li Heng a look—his brows knitted tightly, the corners of his eyes flicking toward the little emperor, and then he quickly lowered his eyelids, coughing very lightly in his throat.

That look hid a thousand words: What time is it now, and you are still fanning the flames here?

This emperor of theirs is originally still of a youthful temperament, unable to control even his temper, let alone hide his joy and anger...

What if he really loses his head?

"Minister Li speaks very truly!"

"It's enough that Yuwen Hu usurps power and dictates politics, but now he even wants to sacrifice alone!"

"This world of Great Zhou, is it Yuwen Hu's, or is it mine!"

Yuwen Yan grabbed the half-width Shu brocade curtain scattered beside him, which was still stained with the residual feathers of the silver-threaded white herons, and threw it fiercely onto the ground, roaring hysterically.

As an emperor, and an founding emperor at that, having no military or political power was one thing...

But now he couldn't even sacrifice; who wouldn't be angry?

The vast world is surnamed Yuwen, but whose is it exactly!

"Your Majesty is the eldest son of Taizu; this world is naturally Your Majesty's, and can only be Your Majesty's!"

Sun Zhi took a deep breath, the warm air carrying the smell of charcoal fire entering his lungs.

He moved forward half a step, his wide sleeves sweeping over the silver-thread charcoal, raising a few sparks, but he firmly suppressed the momentum, his voice as deep as the bronze tripod in the corner of the hall: "No matter how much the Grand Chancellor usurps power, he is ultimately Your Majesty's subject..."

"Subject?"

Yuwen Yan seemed to have heard a huge joke and suddenly erupted into a hysterical roar, his voice cracking like cloth torn by a cold wind, "First he let Chen Yan raid the Chang'an Chamber of Commerce, cutting off my financial path..."

"Now he wants to sacrifice alone; he is truly pushing his luck; this is unbearable!"

As he spoke, he grabbed the only remaining bronze paperweight on the table; the heavy object was swung by him until it whistled, and he smashed it fiercely against the remaining wooden frame of the treasure cabinet.

With a "clatter," several more fragments of the bronze *yan* were shaken off, and the iron shards splashed and grazed his dragon boots, leaving shallow marks, but he was completely unaware, only staring with bloodshot eyes, his chest heaving violently: "I want Yuwen Hu to die!"

One must know that among those chambers of commerce, two belonged to him, Yuwen Yan!

He didn't even give him a little face...

Now he is even more bullying, even snatching away the power of sacrifice!

In recent days, the only good news was that Yuwen Hu's number one running dog, the Superintendent of the Mingjing Si, Chen Yan, had been assassinated and his life was uncertain...

According to rumors in the streets, that bastard Chen Yan had already kicked the bucket!

"Your Majesty, calm down!"

"Do not be impulsive!"

Sun Zhi saw this and stepped forward to advise.

Yuwen Yan's chest heaved violently, every breath carrying scorching heat, spraying over the mess in the room.

He stared fixedly at the bowing Sun Zhi, the bloodshot eyes spreading like a spider web, his voice intermittent due to rapid breathing, but every word quenched in ice: "Minister Sun, how can you expect me to calm down?"

As he spoke, he suddenly raised his foot and stepped fiercely on the piece of torn Shu brocade curtain on the ground, the residual feathers of the silver-threaded white herons being ground into the gaps of the gold bricks, "If I continue to calm down, I'm afraid I'll be replaced!"

Immediately, Yuwen Yan couldn't stop sneering.

As he is now, what is the difference between him and the Six States that ceded five cities today and ten cities tomorrow, only to get one night of peace?

Without military power, without political power, even the power of sacrifice is lost; how is he any different from those puppets at the end of the Former Yan?

Sun Zhi sighed, his voice carrying a near-cruel calmness: "Your Majesty, now the military and political power is all in the hands of Yuwen Hu, and his students and former subordinates are all over the court..."

"With our current strength, it is fundamentally impossible to confront him!"

Although he really didn't want to admit it, this was the fact; they didn't have the capital to go head-to-head with the Grand Chancellor...

If they were to do so forcibly, it would be no different from throwing an egg against a rock!

"Indeed!" Yuwen Lun heard this and immediately agreed, "What we need to do is accumulate strength, bide our time, and wait for the right moment!"

He paused and added: "Now there is only the word 'endure'!"

Although he advised so with his mouth, his eyes occasionally stole glances at Yuwen Yan...

Yuwen Lun really didn't understand why the Grand Chancellor didn't move against the little emperor; he didn't believe he hadn't noticed his dissatisfaction and restlessness.

Since they are all puppets, it would be better to replace him with an obedient one.

"Yuwen Hu is in his prime; how many years do you want me to endure?" Yuwen Yan listened to these unsatisfactory replies, clenched his fists, and asked in a deep voice.

That cousin who was designated by the late emperor to assist in government is not even forty-five years old, and his physical health is even far better than that of young people...

He couldn't possibly be expected to endure for ten or twenty years, could he?

Sun Zhi saw that Yuwen Yan had recovered much of his reason and said: "Your Majesty, have you forgotten the prophecy that spread throughout Chang'an some time ago, and the characters carved on the one-eyed stone man?"

"Of course I remember!"

Yuwen Yan held his head high, without any hesitation, almost blurted out: "Isn't it that old scoundrel Zhao Qian, who also has the heart to usurp the throne..."

As he spoke, he seemed to realize something, his brow knitted slightly, light flickering in his eyes, and he asked: "Minister Sun, what do you mean by this?"

Sun Zhi blinked and asked meaningfully: "Yuwen Hu dares to be so reckless on the day of the Winter Sacrifice; does Your Majesty think the two old Pillars of State will really just stand by and sit still waiting for death?"

Dugu Zhao, Zhao Qian, what kind of figures are they?

Let these two do nothing?

Is it possible?

"Even if Dugu Zhao can keep his cool, that old scoundrel Zhao will definitely not be able to sit still!" Yuwen Yan thought for a moment and said.

The prophecy and the carving will push Zhao Qian to take action; otherwise, with the handle held in Yuwen Hu's hands, he could strike at any time...

Under such circumstances, anyone would put up a fight!

"Exactly the logic!"

Sun Zhi lowered his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling imperceptibly, a trace of deep calculation flashing in the depths of his eyes, saying meaningfully: "We must use the contradictions between the two sides, so that when the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits!"