Chapter 125: I

The old emperor’s promises are just to be heard, not taken seriously.

The Senior Lord isn’t some greenhorn fresh out of school—he’s a veteran of the court, having witnessed firsthand how the old emperor transformed from a wise and mighty ruler into a foolish and cruel tyrant.

He spoke humbly: “Your servant is dull-witted and cannot think of anyone more suitable than the Minister of War. Your Majesty might summon the senior ministers and seek their opinions; surely a better solution will emerge.”

Emperor Taixing’s face darkened, and he let out a cold laugh. “Why do you keep evading? Do you still harbor resentment toward me, and thus refuse to ease my burdens?”

A massive accusation instantly descended upon him.

The Senior Lord could not withstand it—he immediately knelt down. “Your servant is guilty! I cannot ease Your Majesty’s burdens because I am old and senile. I beg Your Majesty to punish me.”

“You’d rather be punished than ease my burdens, is that it?” Emperor Taixing asked coldly.

The Senior Lord: …

He wore an expression of profound fear and humility, repeatedly saying he dared not.

“Dare not? Hmph! I intend to appoint you as commander-in-chief to quell the rebels in Jinzhou. What do you say?”

“Me?” The Senior Lord looked stunned. Once he recovered, he hurriedly made excuses to refuse. “Your servant’s body is crippled—I can no longer command troops, let alone fight on the battlefield. I beg Your Majesty to rescind this decree and appoint a more capable man. I am willing to advise you and plan the Jinzhou campaign—please reconsider!”

The Senior Lord truly did not want to take on the Jinzhou assignment.

Succeeding would be expected; failing would mean incompetence, betrayal of imperial favor—dismissal and imprisonment at best, execution and confiscation of property at worst. He’d be mad to accept this task.

Besides, he had long since left the military camps and lost command of troops for years. How many generals in the army were still reliable? He couldn’t tell right away.

Autumn had already arrived, and the old emperor clearly wanted results before year’s end. With so little time, merely preparing grain supplies, reorganizing the army, and boosting morale would consume it all. If he failed to deliver battlefield results by year’s end—or if a hasty campaign triggered a cascade of disasters—either outcome would be unbearable for him.

Even at the risk of punishment, he would refuse this assignment.

Unless…

“I’ve thought it through carefully. Among all your military officers, only you can earn my trust. This mess in Jinzhou demands you lead it. As for your impaired mobility—that’s easily fixed. You need only remain in the city, formulate strategy, and leave the fighting to your subordinates. You must not refuse further, and you must not betray my trust.”

Emperor Taixing’s tone was harsh, as if one wrong word would make him draw his blade and strike.

The Senior Lord was on the verge of tears, about to plead once more, when Qiu Defu’s adopted son rushed in hurriedly and whispered something into Qiu Defu’s ear.

Emperor Taixing, already furious, immediately roared, “What’s going on?”

Qiu Defu kicked his adopted son away; the son immediately knelt obediently. Qiu Defu stepped quickly to Emperor Taixing’s side and whispered, “Your Majesty, disaster has struck. The ministers are gathering outside the palace gates, demanding to petition at Taiji Palace for Your Majesty to resume court, and they say… they say…”

“What else do they say?” Emperor Taixing was furious. He was trying to resolve the Jinzhou rebels, yet these ministers cared nothing for their sovereign’s burdens—they only sought trouble.

Qiu Defu dared not hesitate. He whispered softly, “They say Jiang Tu must be executed.”

“Insolent! This is rebellion! What are they trying to do—stage a coup? Summon the Embroidered Uniform Guard! Investigate! Find out who organized this, how many are involved behind the scenes, and whether any imperial princes are part of it! Get me the full truth—no matter who is found, none shall escape punishment.”

Emperor Taixing flew into a rage, snatching the incense burner beside him and hurling it to the ground. Ash flew through the air, and the Senior Lord was not spared—he was dusted head to face with incense soot.

I should’ve checked the almanac today—this is an omen of great misfortune!

Qiu Defu, having received his orders, hesitantly asked, “What should be done about the hundred-odd ministers outside the palace gates?”

“Drive them away! Drive them all away!” Emperor Taixing was utterly impatient, his face twisted and ashen. Whoever led this coup attempt—he would execute him, slaughter his entire family, and exterminate his nine clans.

But…

Qiu Defu was in a terrible bind.

These were all court ministers, men of scholarly prestige—who dared lay hands on them? If he did, he’d be held accountable afterward, and might well lose his head.

He was torn, yet could not voice his dilemma—he had to grit his teeth and accept the order. His mind raced, searching for a way to satisfy the emperor while making those troublemaking ministers retreat on their own.

After much thought, he found no solution that satisfied both sides.

His eyes landed on the Hou Fu Senior Lord—ah, here was a ready-made candidate!

The Hou Fu Senior Lord: …

He kept his gaze lowered, pretending he heard nothing and knew nothing. He ignored Qiu Defu’s desperate glances, feigning blindness.

Qiu Defu, seeing this, cursed inwardly: Old fox!

With no other choice, he slunk away, forced to deal with the immediate crisis first.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Emperor Taixing swept the entire desk—brushes, ink, paper, inkstone—to the floor. The fine inkstone shattered on the steps, leaving a large crack.

Still not satisfied, he seized the whip hanging on the wall and began lashing the young eunuchs inside the hall.

The young eunuchs could only kneel and endure passively. Even as they neared death, they remained perfectly still, terrified that any movement would only enrage the emperor further.

Being beaten might kill them—but it might also spare their lives. If they survived, Lord Qiu would take care of them, assign them an easy post, and guarantee them peace from then on.

But if they angered His Majesty, the outcome was death—no full corpse left behind.

At first, the Senior Lord was startled by the old emperor’s helpless rage. Then he remained unmoved, like a meditating monk, kneeling quietly, pretending to be invisible.

Perhaps Emperor Taixing was tired. Perhaps the whip no longer satisfied him. Or perhaps his anger had spent itself. Either way, he suddenly stopped whipping the eunuchs and strode quickly to the Senior Lord. “Do you have anything to say?”

The whip in his hand carried invisible pressure, directly aimed at the Senior Lord.

Cold sweat broke on the Senior Lord’s forehead.

At this moment, he knew clearly: if he dared refuse again, the old emperor would surely decide to kill him—Hou Fu would be doomed, his life would end.

For the sake of his family, for the sake of his life, he had no choice but to yield. “Your servant accepts the imperial decree!”

Emperor Taixing nodded in satisfaction. “Good! I knew you were a pillar of the court. At this moment of crisis, only you can ease my burdens and quell the Jinzhou rebels. Sigh! The state’s affairs are difficult, yet my ministers refuse to aid me—they oppose me at every turn. Is this how it is? Do they truly think I’m old, that I can no longer chop off heads?”