Chapter 722: Startling News

The Yunzhou party did not enter the city; they traveled along the official road by day and stayed in the mountains and forests by night, setting up tents and establishing a small camp in half an hour.

By rights, high officials from the provinces should stay at post stations when entering the capital, but the conditions at post stations were not necessarily better than camping, and they were subject to various restrictions; the Gaoyuan Marquis was accustomed to marching and had been camping all along the way.

If this were years ago, bypassing the post house to camp without authorization would be considered a breach of etiquette, and one would inevitably be impeached, but in this day and age, such rules meant nothing at all; the mere fact that one was willing to obey the decree and enter the capital was already giving the Imperial Court face, so naturally, one did not fuss over trifles.

When setting up camp today, the Gaoyuan Marquis specifically instructed that a small gap be left on the west side.

Tang Zhao did not ask at the time, but once everyone had dispersed, he asked, "Could it be that Lao Shunwang intends to come under the cover of night?"

The Gaoyuan Marquis said, "He will not come in person. Although this Lao Shunwang is bold, black-hearted, and disregards rules, he still has elders by his side who will not let him act recklessly; having been rebuffed once, he will follow the rules now. But he will send someone. It seems his determination this time is not small; if we continue to ignore him, he will only pester us endlessly, and pestering us all the way to the capital would be unseemly. It is better to leave an opening to receive his letters and brush him off early. You go back first; I will meet him alone."

Tang Zhao nodded, then asked curiously, "He is so persistent in wanting to see you; what exactly does he want? Is he trying to form an alliance?"

The Gaoyuan Marquis said, "Who knows? But a person like him would not think of an 'alliance,' and I am not royalty; an alliance would be him stooping to lower himself. At most, he wants to drag me onto his sinking ship. Back then, I did have a brief alliance with his father, and we even left behind some agreements..."

Tang Zhao's eyebrows jumped, thinking: It wouldn't be *that* kind of agreement, would it?

The Gaoyuan Marquis said, "I said that if there were changes in the capital, I would wield my sword to escort him from Youzhou back to the capital..."

Tang Zhao thought: It really is that, then; this is an agreement to fight for the throne?

It seems the Gaoyuan Marquis was quite involved in some affairs in the capital back in the day.

The Gaoyuan Marquis finished speaking nonchalantly and said, "But that is all water under the bridge. Now that his father is dead, does my promise to the father also apply to the son? That would be too much to ask. Not to mention that Lao Shunwang is gone; even if he were still here, it was only a verbal promise. If I saw that he was not someone who could accomplish things, why would I risk my own life and family fortune? If he acts rashly, it would not be difficult for me to bring about his downfall."

Tang Zhao was somewhat surprised; he had truly never seen this side of the Gaoyuan Marquis.

The political side.

Not the politics of governing a region, strengthening the army, and enriching the people, but the politics of factionalism and deceit.

But thinking about it, it made sense; the Gaoyuan Marquis's age and experience were there, and the kind and reasonable Gaoyuan Marquis that Tang Zhao had seen was merely the tip of the iceberg.

He asked with some concern, "Could there be any leverage in his hands regarding that agreement?"

The Gaoyuan Marquis said, "There is certainly no ironclad proof in black and white, perhaps some traces, which if spoken of could always arouse the suspicion of those with ulterior motives. But so what? Now that the Imperial Court is in a position where it needs me, how could such leverage harm me? If it were exposed, the Imperial Court would be the first to cover for me. In this day and age, it is no longer an era where censors can charge forward on the basis of mere rumors and gossip, chasing military generals and border commanders into a panic. Nowadays, as long as one does not rebel, one is considered loyal."

Because Tang Zhao had never participated in politics and did not know if she was telling the truth or just trying to put his mind at ease, he added, "Then perhaps the Imperial Court is just biding its time while it needs people; what about settling scores after the autumn harvest?"

The Gaoyuan Marquis laughed and said, "Autumn? Which autumn? Firstly, the Imperial Court may not have an autumn, and secondly, I may not either. We are both half-buried in the ground; let us just worry about the fire burning our eyebrows for now."

Tang Zhao was silent for a moment; he always felt that the Gaoyuan Marquis was becoming less and less avoidant of these ominous words. The two chatted for a bit, and Tang Zhao took his leave first.

Walking into the camp, a cold wind blew, and Tang Zhao suddenly remembered something, thinking: "The Marquis promised back then, if there were changes in the Imperial Court, how it would be handled... was that the original wording?"

"If Lao Shunwang knows this original wording and believes it is time to fulfill the promise, could it be..."

"Changes in the Imperial Court?!"

Tang Zhao felt a sense of panic in his heart.

He clearly felt that the Imperial Court had nothing to do with him, and it wouldn't matter even if it were overthrown tomorrow; he clearly knew that Yunzhou was independent of the world, and changes in the Imperial Court would not reach Yunzhou for a while; he clearly had reached such a level that no matter how chaotic the world became, it would not affect him, and he had the ability to protect anyone he wanted to protect, yet once he perceived this possibility, he still felt a wave of panic.

This might be because what people fear is the unknown.

He was born in the Great Jin world and was accustomed to it being the Great Jin world; if he were truly told that the heavens were about to change, he would still be at a loss. If the Great Jin were to collapse, the world would fall into chaos, and apart from the destitute and the ambitious waiting to redistribute wealth, anyone who could still get by would not want to be a dog in a chaotic world.

When Tang Zhao returned outside the tent, he immediately noticed someone entering from the east.

That person had indeed entered through the gap, and because they were a Sword Hero, their movements were light and elusive, which most people did not notice, but it could not escape Tang Zhao's eyes.

It was indeed not Lao Shunwang; it should be the old man following him.

Tang Zhao did not pay it any mind and practiced his technique inside the tent. He was practicing the Great Sun Divine Carriage, and after being reminded by the Six Dragon Sword, he had put even more effort into this Mysterious Technique, which was of great benefit to his realization of the Sword Heart.

After practicing for a while, Tang Zhao's heart stirred; he rose and left the large tent, returning to the Gaoyuan Marquis's tent. At this time, no one had sent him a message, but the movement of the Gaoyuan Marquis's Sword Essence on the other side allowed him to clearly feel the signal summoning him; this was also a tacit understanding between Sword Heroes.

Inside the large tent, bright candles were burning high, and the Gaoyuan Marquis sat alone, eyes piercing, reflecting the two flickering flames on the candles.

"Marquis—"

The Gaoyuan Marquis beckoned him to sit down and said in an extremely calm voice, "Lao Shunwang says the Emperor has passed away."

"Ah?"

Tang Zhao was stunned for two seconds before reacting, saying, "But rumors say..."

The Gaoyuan Marquis continued, "Outside, it is rumored that the Emperor and the Empress Dowager had a struggle, and the Emperor won, so he summoned the feudal lords of the world to the capital to win over hearts; however, Lao Shunwang says with certainty that the Emperor wanted to force the Empress Dowager to her death but was accidentally killed by her instead. The Empress Dowager and the State Preceptor joined forces to conceal the news, keeping the funeral secret for now, wanting to wait until the new monarch ascends the throne and sits firmly before stopping. Summoning the outer feudal lords is a hidden trap, intending to take the opportunity to launch an attack, remove unstable factors, and then contact a few trusted princes to assist in the government in the capital."

Tang Zhao listened, stunned, and was momentarily at a loss.

Clearly, he was a bit unable to react.

This was a matter outside his domain.

It was said he was not good at military Art of War, but was he good at politics?

He was just as much of a complete novice, wasn't he?

So he only asked instinctively, "Ah? Is it true?"

The Gaoyuan Marquis said, "Hard to say. But such big news, if it were purely fabricated, it would be too absurd and too easy to debunk. Because it is so shocking, it might actually be true. I will verify the truth. But from what I know, the Empress Dowager is a woman with enough ruthlessness but insufficient vision, and the Emperor..."

She pondered, "When I left the capital, he was not yet ten years old; one can only say that one can see a person's future at three. He was a decisive person with his own opinions; if he could be tempered further, he might not necessarily be a great ruler, but I fear he went too far, and with no one to guide him properly, decisiveness turned into recklessness, and having his own opinions turned into stubbornness. If so, it is not impossible that he struck first and was killed in return."

Tang Zhao thought: Reckless and stubborn, that sounds a bit like the flavor of a ruler of a fallen state, doesn't it? He added, "Then... what should... we do?" With his experience and the information he possessed, it was impossible for him to offer any advice, so he naturally had to consult the Gaoyuan Marquis, who had weathered many storms.

The Gaoyuan Marquis sighed, "Azhao, I now somewhat regret bringing you out. If you had stayed in Yunzhou, I would have fewer worries, could let go more, and could be more enterprising."

Tang Zhao actually also felt that if the Emperor were truly dead, the capital would be a gathering of winds and clouds, and they would likely not be able to spare any attention for things like the Lingzhi Auspicious Omen, and perhaps this source was really just some pretext dug out of old papers by people on the side of the State Preceptor or the Empress Dowager.

However...

In the end, there was no ten-percent certainty, and he could not make rash conclusions.

He then said, "Since I am a combat force here, you are responsible for playing the cards, and we have more starting cards than others, right? This can also be considered an advantage. Is there anything you need me to do?"

The Gaoyuan Marquis also smiled, "That is true. The two of us as Sword Heroes, except for the State Preceptor, are not afraid even if we are truly surrounded and attacked. That is indeed a solid foundation. It is just a pity that one must report in advance to enter the capital, and they know you have come. Otherwise, I would have hidden you; whether it was turning back to Yunzhou temporarily or hiding in the team as a secret piece, there would be many strategies to employ. Now that the cards are on the table, we can only try our best to make the best use of people and things."

"First, we must contact our connections in the capital to verify the news as soon as possible; if it is true, we must prepare early."

Tang Zhao was puzzled; had they not contacted their connections before entering the capital?

The Gaoyuan Marquis saw his confusion and explained patiently, "Some connections can be contacted at any time. Some connections can only be activated at critical moments. Some connections can only be used once. Now is the most critical moment. This time, for the sake of secrecy, only one person can go, sneaking in without anyone knowing, just like Lao Shunwang contacted me to contact others."

Tang Zhao immediately volunteered, "Then I will go."

The Gaoyuan Marquis shook her head and said, "No, Commander Nan will go." Seeing that Tang Zhao wanted to say more, she said, "Some connections can only be contacted by Commander Nan, and some are even Commander Nan's own connections. In the past, I would have been willing to let you try to socialize and practice, but now is an extraordinary time; prioritize stability. You should still focus on learning to see more, listen more, and think more; do not speak or act too much."

Tang Zhao nodded; he also knew he still had to learn. For him, the current Jingcheng was still a dragon's pool and a tiger's den. If he did not use his sword, he feared he would be unable to move a single step, and if he did use his sword, there was still the State Preceptor in Jingcheng. He did not Ask things like "Is Commander Nan's body still holding up?" A Sword Hero, even if they looked old and sickly, was not that fragile.

The Gaoyuan Marquis thought for a moment and said, "There is only one person I can only entrust to you to visit in secret; this person is especially important, and that is the State Preceptor."