Chapter 1287 - Capítulo 1287: 1282: Disadvantage
Capítulo 1287: Chapter 1282: Disadvantage
Inside the wide-mouthed porcelain fish tank filled with shallow water, a red koi suddenly flicked its tail, splashing water onto the Empress Dowager of Yan’s hand, pulling her back to her senses.
“This beast…” The personal palace maid next to the Empress Dowager of Yan hurriedly stepped forward to take the fish food from the Empress Dowager’s hand, pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her hand, and ordered someone to prepare clothes immediately to assist the Empress Dowager to change.
However, the Empress Dowager of Yan seemed absent-minded, pulling her hand away from the maid’s hand and asked, “Has the Ninth Prince… already reached outside the Imperial Palace? I heard Ah Li personally led the court officials to greet him. Why hasn’t anyone come to tell me if the Ninth Prince has arrived?”
“Now that the Zhou army is pressing near, once the Ninth Prince returns, he will surely discuss strategies with His Majesty. Once the matters are discussed, His Majesty and the Ninth Prince will certainly come to see the Empress Dowager. Please rest assured,” the maid comforted the Empress Dowager of Yan.
The Empress Dowager lowered her eyes, noticing there were no others around in the grand hall, and muttered thoughtfully, “I just fear… A Yan might blame me for not letting anyone come to inform me.”
The maid looked around nervously, and while wiping the Empress Dowager’s sleeves, said, “Empress Dowager, please don’t let your thoughts run wild. Even if the Ninth Prince is upset, the Second Prince has always been filial to you. Every time he returns from a trip, he must come to pay his respects to you. Since the Second Prince hasn’t come, he must be discussing how to deal with the Zhou matters with His Majesty in the front!”
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager nodded, reassuring herself, and smiled as she patted her personal maid’s hand, saying, “It’s been a blessing having you by my side to guide me all these years!”
“What are you saying, Empress Dowager? I am merely a bystander who sees things clearly, not someone who can guide my master!” The Empress Dowager’s personal maid chuckled.
The Empress Dowager smiled, holding the maid’s hand as she went to the rear hall to change clothes.
Just after the Empress Dowager had changed her clothes, a eunuch came to report that the state uncle had secretly sent a letter, inviting the Empress Dowager to the front hall.
“Did he say what the matter is?” the Empress Dowager asked.
“In response to the Empress Dowager, this servant does not know…” The reporting eunuch whispered, “The state uncle just asked this servant to promptly invite the Empress Dowager to the front hall and didn’t say anything else.”
“Empress Dowager, will you go?” the maid asked the Empress Dowager.
After thinking for a moment, she replied, “Let’s go and see!”
The Empress Dowager’s personal maid responded, knelt down to arrange the Empress Dowager’s clothing, then stood up to support the Empress Dowager’s hand and called out loudly, “Prepare the sedan chair!”
Soon, the Empress Dowager sat in the sedan chair and arrived at the front hall. Even before entering, she heard the sounds of noisy arguments coming from the grand hall. She paused her steps, quietly listening from outside the hall.
“Facing our nation’s Empress Dowager to confront?! Ha… Just you two prisoners, what qualification do you have to see our Empress Dowager of Yan? Absurd talk!”
“You say you came to Yan to negotiate on behalf of Cui Shanzhong and our Empress Dowager of Yan, even if the evidence is clear? Who knows if you did it after Xiliang was destroyed, and you’re deliberately provoking relations between our Yan and Zhou, two ally nations, by saying this!”
“Yes! Otherwise, maybe Zhou is using their strong military to find an excuse to attack Yan and deliberately used this as a ploy. You were simply bought by Zhou, or perhaps… you are not even close associates of General Cui Shanzhong of Xiliang but are people of Zhou. It’s only natural for our Empress Dowager to see people sent by our ally nation. This might be Zhou setting a trap!”
The ministers of Yan spoke one after another, their words becoming increasingly indignant.
“So?” Xiao Rongyan spoke slowly, “Even if this is a trap set by Zhou, with Yan’s main force trapped in Xiliang and Zhou’s army stationed at Yan’s border, how can Yan explain to Zhou and say this was a trap set by Zhou itself… will that make the Zhou army retreat?”
As soon as Xiao Rongyan said this, the ministers who were previously agitated… claiming it was Zhou setting a trap immediately showed nervousness, glanced at the old state uncle Zhong Xingxiao, and quickly retreated into the group of court officials.
“At that time, there was General Chu in the military camp who admitted to betraying Zhou, and later Zhou caught close associates of General Cui Shanzhong, learning it was mother who betrayed the Zhou army!” Murong Ping stood with hands behind his back, brows furrowed, “So even disregarding military strength, just reasoning alone… wherever this matter is brought up, Yan is at fault! Zhou generously shares their battle spoils with us, but we stab them in the back, surely will bring disgrace upon us globally and gives Zhou a legitimate reason to dispatch troops against us.”
“Indeed, Yan betrayed Zhou in this matter, and I have thoroughly investigated it; there’s no need to discuss further,” Murong Li spoke slowly, “But there’s no point in pursuing who was right or wrong in this, as this time we handed the reason for deploying troops to Zhou ourselves, and we’re at fault first!”
He looked up, his gaze sweeping over the ministers on the grand hall.
“Your Majesty, acknowledging Yan betrayed Zhou?” A court official following the Ninth Prince pretended to be surprised, eyes wide as they looked toward Murong Li, “Are the words of the two close associates of General Cui Shanzhong true, that the Empress Dowager secretly ordered General Chu to betray the Zhou allied forces, leading to the capture of the fifth son of Bai family, the Zhou Emperor’s brother?”
The court officials who followed the Regent Prince Xiao Rongyan were all eager to remove the ignorant woman from the rear court, the Empress Dowager of Yan from their position of aiding in governance. Instead of helping with serious matters, she often caused trouble, making it tough for the Regent Prince to assist a young ruler and constantly cleaning up after the Empress Dowager—utterly nonsensical.
Murong Li pursed his lips, remaining silent. After a long pause, he raised his hand, signaling the guard to take down General Cui Shanzhong’s two close associates.
Once there were no outsiders left within the Yan Court, Murong Li then slowly said, “I am aware, when the fifth son of Bai family was captured alive, Zhou’s Emperor was furious and stationed troops at Yan’s border—ever since then, I’ve been pondering if the fifth son of Bai family and the seventh lady truly perished, how should we respond, what would be the fate of Yan…”
Xiao Rongyan was seated on a chair next to the Emperor’s throne, lazily leaning against the armrest, knowing Murong Yan intended to speak of the plan to merge the two nations, he listened quietly.
“I have thought it over and over, calculated Yan’s military strength, and along with the Minister of Revenue, we’ve counted the grain we can still mobilize in Yan,” Murong Li glanced at the Minister of Revenue.
The Minister of Revenue quickly bowed deeply, affirming this was indeed the case.
“The main force led by General Xie cannot return, Yan lacks sufficient supplies and military strength, once Zhou’s army moves westward…” Murong Li’s voice was heavy, “Our Yan… actually has no chance of winning!”
The ministers in the royal court fell silent, even the state uncle Zhong Xingxiao remained silent, knowing Murong Li’s words were true, the current situation was greatly unfavorable to Yan.