Chapter 1920

Xue Lingjun sat down beside Li Chen Zhou, picked up her cup of tea, took a light sip, then immediately set it down: "The tea has gone cold."

Li Chen Zhou glanced at the tea cup on the table, then said: "Yeah, it's cold!"

Xue Lingjun suddenly giggled, and with a meaningful tone in her laughter she said: "Anything left too long will get cold, don't you agree?"

Li Chen Zhou's smile looked somewhat forced; he even regretted this visit. Indeed, anything left too long will grow cold—including his feelings for Xue Lingjun. Perhaps it's not her fault; he himself had strangled their feelings. He began to weigh farewell words in his heart, but before he could speak, Xue Lingjun's hand voluntarily landed on the back of his hand.

Li Chen Zhou stared, somewhat startled, at Xue Lingjun's gentle, watery eyes; his Adam's apple twitched.

They sat thus, silently gazing at each other; crystal tears glimmered in Xue Lingjun's beautiful eyes, her voice soft and tender: "I've tried, but I find I still can't forget you……" Tears slid down her fair face.

A woman's tears are often her best weapon; these two streams easily softened Li Chen Zhou's heart. He took Xue Lingjun's hand and brought it to his lips to kiss.

Xue Lingjun rose, stepped before him, wrapped one arm around his neck, urging him to bury his face against her chest. Li Chen Zhou suddenly pulled her delicate form into his embrace, holding her so tightly she could barely breathe.

Xue Lingjun rested against his shoulder, yet a faint, indescribable sorrow flickered in her beautiful eyes.

"Rongxin……" Li Chen Zhou murmured.

His inadvertent slip was like a sharp knife stabbing hard into Xue Lingjun's heart; she suppressed the urge to push him away, merely pretending she hadn't heard what he said.

Li Chen Zhou also instantly realized he had misspoken; his large hand slipped into Xue Lingjun's collar, tugging off her skirt, trying to use passion to cover up what had just happened. But he quickly realized all his efforts were futile—Xue Lingjun, who once easily aroused his desire, now lay still in applause, yet he remained unable to rise. He slowly released her; his extreme pride bred deep inferiority, and he dared not even meet her gaze.

Xue Lingjun said nothing, merely rose silently from him, tidied the clothing he had disordered, then raised her hand to undo her hairpin, letting her already disheveled black hair cascade like a waterfall over her shoulders—alluring and bewitching. Yet such a marvel stood before him, and Li Chen Zhou lacked the strength to pluck it; boundless sorrow welled up in his heart.

Xue Lingjun naturally sensed his dejection and spoke gently: "You've been overly tired lately, the pressure truly immense." This remark fully showed her understanding; she proactively sought an excuse for Li Chen Zhou to dispel his embarrassment.

Li Chen Zhou lifted his gaze to her, his eyes showing a hint of emotion. "Indeed, I am exhausted, spending my days amidst plots and schemes, unseen." He whispered: "Once I finish this busy spell, I'll accompany you out for a walk."

Xue Lingjun asked: "Aren't you afraid of gossip?"

Li Chen Zhou shook his head: "No one can stop us!" He gripped her shoulders firmly: "After tonight, no one will dare gossip before us."

Xue Lingjun sucked in a cold breath: "What do you intend to do?"

Li Chen Zhou said: "Since we cannot halt Da Yong's decline, let's overthrow and start anew!"

Xue Lingjun asked: "You want to depose the Emperor?"

Li Chen Zhou said nothing, but his gaze clearly acknowledged everything.

"If we depose him, who will sit upon the Dragon Throne?"

Li Chen Zhou smiled at Xue Lingjun: "You!"

"I am merely a woman; how could those ministers submit wholeheartedly?"

"Things depend on human effort; even the yellow-haired girl, Yongyang Princess of Dakang, can achieve it—why can't we?" As Li Chen Zhou spoke, he noticed Xue Lingjun's eyes suddenly brighten; he seemed to clearly see her ambition.

In the early hours, a heart-rending wail echoed from the Grand Tutor's residence of Da Yong; at the same moment, the Minister of Personnel's manor was surrounded by troops. Amid wind and snow, the usually tranquil Yongdu, which had not known peace for long, again echoed with alarms; the city bustled with troop movements, occasional cries of chickens and dogs rang out. The long-suffering populace, startled awake in their dreams, barred their doors, fearing they would be caught up in this turmoil.

Likewise, far away in Bei Jiang, it was an unsettled night. Having just finished inspecting the camp and doffing his armor to rest, the veteran commander Weichi Chong was urgently summoned to see the Emperor.

Weichi Chong hurried through wind and snow to the Emperor's field headquarters, only to see Dong Tianjiang standing grimly guard outside the main tent; following him inside, he found, by candlelight, the great tent empty.

Weichi Chong's heart sank; he abruptly turned to Dong Tianjiang and said coldly: "Where is the Emperor?"

Dong Tianjiang clasped his fists: "The Emperor has retired; this is his handwritten order. Please, Grand Marshal, hand over the Tiger Talisman!"

Weichi Chong glared at Dong Tianjiang; in fact, ever since Xue Daoming arrived, he had guessed his purpose, yet when they met he never mentioned it, instead abruptly summoning him here—this was truly out of the ordinary.

Weichi Chong chuckled: "If the Emperor is indeed in the main camp, why not let him come out and explain himself? Do you really think I'm clinging to military power?"

Dong Tianjiang sighed: "Grand Marshal, the Emperor has already made his stance clear when he saw you; he merely wishes you to retreat when faced with difficulty and voluntarily surrender the Tiger Talisman and seal, for he remembers your service to the state and does not wish to speak too bluntly to your face."

Weichi Chong replied coldly: "What is the purpose of summoning me at dead of night? Do you intend to use force if I refuse to hand it over?"

Dong Tianjiang said: "I dare not; but if the Grand Marshal refuses to surrender the Tiger Talisman and seal, the Emperor may well come to harm."

Weichi Chong's tiger eyes widened: "What did you say?"

Dong Tianjiang said: "If something befalls the Emperor while he is with the army, not only I but also the Grand Marshal must bear responsibility; at that point, even our two heads might not suffice, and we would implicate hundreds of thousands of his soldiers. Who knows how many innocent heads would roll?"

Weichi Chong sucked in a cold breath from the depths of his heart; Dong Tianjiang actually used the Emperor's safety to threaten him—could this scoundrel harbor wolfish ambitions, just like Li Chen Zhou, seeking to seize Da Yong's throne for himself? Weichi Chong snapped: "Do you dare act against the Emperor?"

Dong Tianjiang smiled faintly: "Grand Marshal, you forget we are in Bei Jiang; if the Emperor meets misfortune, who bears the primary responsibility?"

Weichi Chong secretly sighed; the fellow had a point—if Xue Daoming came to harm in Bei Jiang, everyone would assume he had rebelled and harmed the Emperor, leaving him unable to defend himself against a hundred accusations. His sorrow was indescribable; Da Yong's fate was surely spent, treacherous ministers ran rampant, powerful ministers held sway, none loyal to the Da Yong Xue clan, none pitying the people plunged into water and fire, all only seeking to seize the fine rivers and mountains for themselves. Even after a thousand calculations, Weichi Chong could not have imagined Dong Tianjiang would use the Emperor's life as leverage to extort his military authority. He said, filled with grief: "Can you justify this before the Emperor's trust?"

Dong Tianjiang said: "Fine lands and rivers belong to the capable; if the Grand Marshal harbors no selfishness, why cling to military power and refuse to relinquish it? If you are loyal to the Emperor and care for his life, why would you begrudge your troops?"

Weichi Chong glared at Dong Tianjiang: "Don't forget where we are—with a single order I could leave you without a whole corpse!"

Dong Tianjiang showed no fear, his eyes blazing as he met Weichi Chong's gaze: "If the Grand Marshal is willing to stake his lifelong reputation and his soldiers' lives, why should I, as a subordinate, begrudge my own life?"

Weichi Chong nodded: "Very well, at the chen hour tomorrow I will hand over the Tiger Talisman and seal, but I wish to present it personally to the Emperor before the entire army; if I cannot see the Emperor, do not blame me for being heartless!"

"A word is enough!"

Dong Tianjiang watched Weichi Chong stride angrily into the wind and snow until his silhouette vanished, then turned and entered a remote southwestern tent where Xue Daoming was warming himself by a fire pan, feeling uneasy; upon seeing Dong Tianjiang enter, he rose hastily and greeted him: "General Dong, when shall we depart?"

Dong Tianjiang replied calmly: "Just rest easy."

Xue Daoming trembled: "Weichi Chong is too perceptive; I fear he will see through my identity, and then he will surely not spare me..." In truth, he was merely an impostor.

Dong Tianjiang grabbed his collar with a big hand, snarling like a demon: "Remember this—do your duty, reveal no flaw; your life or death rests not with him, but with me!"

"Yes… yes…"

Yongdu tonight was blanketed in heavy wind and snow; in the Golden Victory Tower east of Huangcheng, candles flickered bright—it was already the third watch. The master had not yet slept; two persons sat opposite each other at the table: one was Da Yong's Minister of Personnel, Dong Bingtai; the other was none other than the Da Yong Emperor, Xue Daoming.

Xue Daoming's expression clearly showed unease; he suddenly rose, hands behind his back, walked to the window, did not open it, but silently listened to the soft patter of snow falling outside; this faint sound struck his heart repeatedly, making him restless, his thoughts tangled.

Dong Bingtai's deep eyes steadily gazed at Xue Daoming's back; though he could not see his expression, he had already gauged his mood with perfect clarity.

"Will they not be seen through by Weichi Chong?"

Dong Bingtai said: "Your Majesty's double—I have secretly trained him for seven years, precisely for the day he might be of use; Your Majesty, rest assured."

Xue Daoming suddenly turned around, looking at Dong Bingtai, his eyes full of anxiety: 'Weichi Chong is so shrewd, I fear it will be hard to deceive him.'

Dong Bingtai smiled and said: 'How many dare to look directly at the Emperor's dragon countenance? Weichi Chong has been campaigning abroad for years; he has seen the Emperor only a few times, and other generals have even fewer opportunities to come into contact with the Emperor, so there will be no leakage.' (To be continued~^~)