Chapter 867

The Emperor fell silent for a moment, then shook his head: "I do not wish you to die here; too many have already died for me."

Speaking thus, his eyes grew slightly red: "Mr. Li Zhen, Fan Zhong—they all died for me."

Upon hearing this, Yun Yan's eyes also welled up; Li Zhen had been hacked to death while covering the retreat, and only because he held the rear did he and Fan Zhong have time to escort His Majesty away.

Later, as those around him grew fewer and the pursuers closed in, he voluntarily stayed behind with a group to hold the line—he was shot through the chest, fell from his horse, and collapsed unconscious; when he awoke, all around him were corpses.

He found his way back toward Datong on his own; upon arriving in Datong, he learned the Emperor had been captured, and Fan Zhong's body was nowhere to be found.

Fan Zhong was a Guard General; he was a Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The two had always served beside the Emperor, close in bond, and now he could not help but ask: "Your Majesty, where did General Fan die?"

The Emperor's eyes were filled with confusion: "It was too chaotic, and it rained constantly—I have no idea where. But Fan Zhong died of exhaustion; his body remained mostly intact. It was on the leeward side of a small hill. Search toward Huailai—you'll find him."

With the enemy looming, these men were still weeping and wailing. Pan Yun snapped: "Don't you know corpses can be exchanged for military merit? Fan Zhong is a general—he can earn first-class merit in Wala."

At these words, the Emperor and the Embroidered Uniform Guards all paled.

The scouts also grew impatient with their delays: "The tent is silent now. We don't know how long they can hold out. Your Majesty must decide soon."

The Emperor was firm: "I will not leave with you. I cannot cause you to die."

Pan Yun silently handed him the sword.

The Emperor stared blankly at the sword before him: "This sword is useless to me. The Emperor will never allow me to carry a weapon…"

"You can kill yourself," Pan Yun cut him off, her eyes glinting coldly, deep and sinister.

The Emperor's heart hammered—he realized Pan Yun was not joking, but serious.

The Emperor looked at her in silence: "You…"

After their shock, the Embroidered Uniform Guards whispered rebukes: "Audacious! How dare you speak such words to His Majesty!"

The scouts stared at her, stunned.

Pan Yun stared coldly at the Emperor and said firmly: "Do you know how many die each day for you? You ask ministers to find a way to save you—do you mean for the court to accept Yisan's terms? Do you know how many will die if Wala breaches the Datong and Xuanfu defenses?"

The Emperor's heart clenched, his face turned deathly pale; the question he had deliberately avoided was ripped open, laid bare before him.

"You pity our lives, thinking we'll weep with gratitude?" Pan Yun hissed at him: "To me, you're nothing but a coward who lacks even the will to fight."

The Emperor swayed, then suddenly lifted his head to Pan Yun, eyes flashing anger and resentment: "Is all this truly my fault? From the moment I led the army in person, the officials opposed me at every turn—they withheld provisions, refused to draft battle plans, and responded passively to get me back to the capital."

"Even the Duke of Ying led the main army away from me, claiming he'd lure the enemy off—but gave me only a thousand imperial guards. Only Li Zhen and Fan Zhong stayed by my side. They told me the Duke had arranged reinforcements near Huailai—that we'd be rescued once we reached the pass. Li Zhen died hacked to death protecting me; Fan Zhong carried me through countless hardships to reach the pass—only to find a Wala force waiting there. Where are the reinforcements? Where is my army?"

He pressed her step by step: "Who abandoned whom? Did I abandon them—or did they abandon me?"

Pan Yun's eyes glistened with tears as she said firmly: "Everything begins with Your Majesty's favoritism toward Wang Zhen. The military officers were at fault—they protected their lives and positions by obeying Wang Zhen, who knew nothing of warfare. The civil officials and censors were at fault—they could not reach you, yet they should have gathered to block your carriage, even if it meant halting the entire army, until their voices reached your ears!"

"The Duke of Ying was at fault—he had already retired, seventy years old, yet was dragged along on campaign. He should have feigned illness and stayed in Jingcheng, not followed you on your personal expedition. He should never have assumed Yang Jun could match his father's brilliance simply because Yang Hong was wise and brave, and approved Yang Jun to lead your rear guard…"

Her eyes slowly hardened with fury and mockery as she said: "After all, if the son resembles the father, then when Your Majesty was captured, you should have killed yourself—to preserve the dignity of Great Ming! Now, our nation would not be threatened by a barbarian horde."

Her eyes glowed with strange light as she pushed the sword forward another inch: "Will Your Majesty kill yourself, and relieve the nation of its crisis?"

The Emperor's face turned ghastly; his gaze at Pan Yun was full of suspicion: "You're not here to save me—you're here to kill me! Who sent you? Has there been a coup in court? Who is rebelling? Is this all his conspiracy?"

The Emperor suspected everyone.

From the moment he was captured until today, he had thought daily about how he had come to this.

In his view, this great campaign had been suspicious from the moment Yisan marched south.

He believed someone in court had conspired with Yisan, deliberately luring him out of the capital.

Was someone secretly stirring chaos?

The repeated rebellions across the realm in recent years—especially Deng Maoqi's uprising in Fujian—stuck in his throat like a fishbone.

The Emperor believed someone sought to replace the Zhu dynasty.

He suddenly turned to Yun Yan and demanded: "They may betray me—but will you too?"

Yun Yan froze, bewildered by how the conversation had reached this point. He immediately knelt to swear loyalty: "Your Majesty, we came to save you—we truly came to save you!"

He glanced at Pan Yun, urgently adding: "Your Majesty, Daoist Pan is not of the court—her words and actions have no discipline, her nature is defiant—you know this…"

Think back to when you two first met—she never once respected your status~~

Yun Yan cried inwardly, then continued: "No one in court has rebelled. Since Your Majesty's capture, Grand Secretary Cao, Minister Kuang, General Chen, and others have all been working to rescue you—they dare not provoke Yisan. Your Majesty must have sensed this."

The Emperor sneered: "Dare not? I stood before city gates many times, forced by Yisan to order them opened—did they open? Don't they fear that if they refuse me, Yisan will kill me out of rage? Is this their loyalty?"

Yun Yan froze, unable to speak.

Did he, too, support Kuang Ye and Yang Hong's refusal to open the gates?

After all, greed has no limit—if Yisan, holding the Emperor, were allowed to pass through these two gates, wouldn't he march southward and open every city gate?

Then the nation would fall—who would protect the people? What would become of Great Ming?

Yun Yan suddenly turned to Pan Yun, his lips trembling—he understood her, at last.