Chapter 519
【They had joined forces long ago. Their common enemies were their own father and younger brother. The two cannon-fodder characters wanted to save themselves, so naturally they had to work together.
Bei Ye was responsible for dealing with Wei Qingyi, while Beiyue remained in Dayan to cover for him and create the illusion that Bei Ye was still there.】
「Does Emperor Mingxi and the Director of the Court of State Ceremonies, You Mingmin, know that Bei Ye has fled?」
【Of course they do. They even secretly sent people to escort him the entire way, making absolutely sure he reached the border safely!】
Yue Fuguang rubbed her chin. So the emperor and his ministers also wanted to use this opportunity to stir things up!
「I just don’t know whether Wei Qingyi’s feelings for Bei Ye will be enough to make him hand over the military power he holds.
After all, the favored consort is his maternal aunt, and the emperor’s chosen heir is his cousin.」
【The master probably doesn’t know this yet, but she has already been made Imperial Noble Consort Rong, practically the empress in all but name.】
「What… Bei Ji isn’t hiding them anymore?」
【He wanted to, but over the past year, the mother and son have suffered so many covert attacks that they can’t even count them all on both hands. If he hadn’t given them enough guards, the two of them would have been dead long ago.】
「Were those attacks carried out by Beiyue or Bei Ye?」
【Both of them took part. And it wasn’t only the two of them. Every prince who harbored even the slightest ambition for the throne got involved.
That’s also why, even though Bei Ji knew who was responsible, he didn’t punish anyone.】
「He’s letting them off because there are too many offenders? When did he become so protective of his other sons?」 He either treated them as cannon fodder and set them up as targets, or watched indifferently while his sons were poisoned.
【He has so many sons that losing one or two wouldn’t matter. But when seven or eight of them all got involved, he couldn’t bear to sacrifice the others just for the sake of one.
So Bei Ji decided to stop hiding them. He brought the mother and son into the open in order to protect them and build up their faction.】
「Build up their faction? If the Eighth Prince and Imperial Noble Consort Rong truly gain power, Bei Ji himself should be the first person unable to sit still!」
【The master is right. Others may not know it, but Chancellor Wei certainly thinks so. That’s why, even now, he remains unmoved by the “overtures” from Imperial Noble Consort Rong and her son. To outsiders, he appears to be a staunch supporter of the emperor!】
「What an old fox! The question is whether Bei Ji believes him.」
【One is the genuine article, and the other is a counterfeit. When facing the two of them, his intelligence is bound to drop a little. But no secret can remain hidden forever. Perhaps Bei Ji will learn the truth through some other channel.】
The system glanced outside the carriage. It seemed to remember that Zheng Zicheng’s spies had already sent someone close to Bei Ji.
「Little Zhu, if Bei Ji learns the truth, do you think he’ll move against the Wei family? And in the end, who will the fifteen hundred thousand troops under Wei Qingyi’s command obey?」
The Wei family, the mother and son, Bei Ji, and Bei Ye—all of them were locked in a contest of schemes and power. In the end, it would be best if they all suffered losses. That way, Dayan could reap the benefits.
While Yue Fuguang was discussing the affairs of Beili, far away in the capital, the emperor and his ministers were also making detailed plans as they studied a vast map showing the directions of Beili and Xiqiang.
“Lord Zheng, where has that boy Bei Ye reached?” Emperor Mingxi’s gaze wandered back and forth over the enormous map hanging on the wall. His mouth asked about Bei Ye’s itinerary, but his eyes were fixed on the movements of Yue Fuguang that Qian Gui had reported to him an hour earlier.
His eyes settled on the border between Lian and He Prefectures. Fuguang must have sensed that a great battle was approaching and was worried about the Yue army stationed at Sancha.
He had originally not intended to send the Yue army into the vanguard, but Feng Tang had relayed Fuguang’s rejection of that arrangement.
She had said that young soldiers yearned for military achievements. They had sweated through countless days for this very moment—to distinguish themselves, earn noble titles, and prepare themselves for positions of power. No one had the right to stand in their way.
Zheng Zicheng stepped forward and bowed. “Your Majesty, according to the information this subject received yesterday, Bei Ye has already reached Wanqian County in He Prefecture.” That was already the territory granted to the Grand Preceptor.
Emperor Mingxi lightly tapped Wanqian County twice with his finger before ordering Zheng Zicheng, “Tell your people that once they confirm Bei Ye has entered Wei Qingyi’s military camp, the men planted beside Bei Ji may make their move.”
Zheng Zicheng nodded solemnly. “Yes, Your Majesty. Bei Ye is expected to reach the border in three days. We will take action five days from now.”
Emperor Mingxi nodded. “Make sure everything is done cleanly. Leave no trace connecting us to it!” Bei Ji was an old fox and would not be easy to deceive.
Fortunately, all the information they had released was true. If Bei Ji truly put his mind to investigating, he would definitely be able to uncover traces of Chancellor Wei’s contact with Imperial Noble Consort Rong.
“Lord Huo, how much longer do you estimate the war in Nanyue will last?”
“Your Majesty, I have just received a battle report from the front. Our army has already captured Ye City. Once we take Suiye City, we can concentrate our forces and seize Gan City.
“However, the heavy rains in Nanyue will slow the army’s movements.”
“So at the earliest, it will still take another three or four months to conquer all of Nanyue.” By the time the new year arrived, Dayan would certainly have complete control over Nanyue’s territory.
Emperor Mingxi accepted the latest victory report from Huo Ying and quickly read through it. His expression became exceptionally vivid as he fought back a smile. He casually passed the letter to the Crown Prince, Huo Ying, and several other important ministers for them to read.
“Minister Huo, is this really true? It says that the defenders of Ye City opened the gates and surrendered?” Cai Xian looked utterly incredulous after reading the letter.
He finally understood why the emperor had worn that expression moments earlier!
“This… This is simply unbelievable. Ye City is separated from Gan City by only Suiye City. The emperor’s control over the area couldn’t possibly be weak, and yet they actually opened the gates and surrendered!”
Wei Ping was just as excited as Cai Xian.
Zhang Zhongping couldn’t help speculating, “Could those people have been struck stupid by the rain? Perhaps they were so soaked that they mistook our army for Nanyue’s?”
Before Huo Ying could answer, Zheng Zicheng gave a mysterious smile and took up the explanation himself. “I happen to know a little about the answer to your questions, gentlemen.”
Wei Ping was the most impatient of them all. “Lord Zheng, stop keeping us in suspense. Hurry up and tell His Majesty and the rest of us.”
Since Wei Ping had even invoked the emperor, Zheng Zicheng no longer delayed. “According to my men, the squad guarding Ye City’s gates initially opened them on the pretext that the army attacking the city was a relief force sent by the Nanyue court to provide disaster aid!”
Cai Xian’s eyes widened. “Are you saying, Lord Zheng, that those soldiers guarding the city actually knew our Dayan army had arrived?”