Thousand Verdant Mountains – Chapter 14
Chapter 14
“Your Majesty’s words make this minister extremely embarrassed. This minister is stupid. If this minister committed any crime, please show mercy, Your Majesty.”
“You are young, but your gut is not small.”
The man said calmly.
Pei Xiaoyuan did not respond, just bowed his head and waited.
“Are you dissatisfied with the evaluation after the war three years ago?” he heard the voice ask.
The founding of this dynasty had been over a hundred years. A few decades ago, the neighboring country Xifan rose up and became a fierce enemy of this dynasty, sometime at war sometime at peace. In the great turmoil of that year, the rebels colluded with Xifan inside and outside, and the court was completely unprepared, so even the capital fell in a short period of time.
After the rebellion was quelled, the emperor behind the screen ascended the throne and devoted himself to recuperating and restoring the country. For a long time, the harassment of the border by Xifan was not only continuous, but even more rampant than before, and the court had been forbearing until three years ago, when Xifan once again tore up the peace treaty and invaded the western border, and the emperor issued an edict to fight back.
That war could be described as a sword that had been sharpen for ten years, with all the forces working together. In addition to the imperial army and grassland nobles who were loyal to the imperial court, such as Chengping’s father, there was also Xiping military commissioner and Xiping, Yuwen Shouren, who had made great contributions during the chaos back then, and his son Yuwen Qing, who also sent troops to help.
Yuwen Qing, relying on the high merits of the County Prince Mansion, even disregarded the deputy commander Linghu Gong, who was actually leading the army at that time. After a few smooth battles, he became even more arrogant. During a large-scale battle, he thought he could win by himself. In order to win the first victory, he ignored the pre-arranged encirclement strategy and launched an attack without waiting for the Chengping’s army to reach the battle position. As a result, he not only failed, but also exposed the position of Chengping’s army, which attracted the siege of enemy forces several times larger than his own. The situation was extremely critical.
At this time, Yuwen Qing, who was supposed to be the nearest to Chengping and provide rescue, hesitated. He was worried that he would lose his troops again if he lost the battle, so he intended to retreat. At that time, He Jin was sent to coordinate with him, tried to stop the retreat. But Yuwen Qing thought it was an insult to him and stabbed He Jin with his sword. He Jin was a strong-willed person and would rather die than let him go. Yuwen Qing was furious and was about to kill him, but Pei Xiaoyuan arrived just in time and stopped him, cutting off Yuwen Qing’s sword, causing Yuwen Qing to fall off his horse. As he hit the ground, the broken sword he was holding pierced his chest.
The situation was chaotic at the time, and Yuwen Qing was carried away for treatment. Pei Xiaoyuan killed another trusted general of Yuwen Qing who resisted most fiercely on the spot, and then subdued several other generals and temporarily took over the Xiping Army. After all, there were also passionate men in the Xiping Army. They were dissatisfied with Yuwen Qing’s command, and were in awe with Pei Xiaoyuan. One by one they obeyed his orders and fought together. Under his command, they finally repelled the enemy and avoided a tragic defeat that could have turned the tide of the war. Pei Xiaoyuan, who was only 20 years old at the time, also gained a great prestige in the army because of this battle, and his reputation spread far and wide.
Yuwen Qing’s wound that day was not fatal, and it had healed after a few days of rest. However, he was still angry and did not follow the doctor’s advice and drank excessively, causing the wound to fester. On the way back to the city for medical treatment, the pus attacked his heart and he died on the way.
The death of Yuwen Qing caused quite a stir at the time. Pei Xiaoyuan, as the person directly involved, was identified as the culprit by the people in the County Prince Mansion, and they clamored to avenge their . This naturally aroused the dissatisfaction of other soldiers, and the two sides were tense.
Linghu Gong reported the whole story to the crown prince who was in charge of the army. The crown prince suppressed the matter on the grounds that both sides were at fault, the war was still going on, and the army’s morale could not be shaken. In the decisive battle, Xifan was defeated, and the court finally won a great victory that had never been seen in decades, washing away the previous shame and making the four regions bow down again.
Pei Xiaoyuan’s performance that time, whether the crucial temporary chaos he commanded or the decisive battle he participated in later, he always led the troops and made outstanding contributions, which were witnessed by the whole army and convinced them. But in the final evaluation of merit, his comrades who were not as good as him were awarded fourth and fifth rank titles, but he was only awarded a symbolic secondary seventh rank Cloud Cavalry Captain. In sharp contrast, Yuwen Qing was posthumously honored by the court.
“The country is at war, as long as this minister’s name is listed in the military records, this minister should do his duty, and dare not covet the credit. What’s more, this minister’s contributions were only minor.”
He responded.
“Yuwen Shouren was an old hero who had served the late emperor well. When he got old, he sent his son to fight for the court, but his son died like that. No matter how you argue, you are ultimately responsible. He was the Shizi a County Prince Mansion!”
“This minister understands. On that day, thanks the ruling of Crown Prince and General Linghu, this minister had the opportunity to make amends later.”
The person behind the screen seemed to snort softly again.
“The Crown Prince has no say in this matter. As for Linghu Gong! He may be good at fighting, but even if there are ten Linghu Gongs, he still can’t make the decision on this matter!”
When the person behind the screen said this, Pei Xiaoyuan could not see his expression, but from his tone, he could imagine the hint of smugness and pride on his face at the moment.
Pei Xiaoyuan was confused at first and hesitated for a moment, but soon he seemed to understand.
He kowtowed again: “Thank you, Your Majesty, for your holy judgment.”
“Get up!”
After another moment of silence, the person behind the screen finally told him to stand up, and his voice sounded much gentler.
Pei Xiaoyuan thanked him and stood up.
“Yuwen Zhi, the second son of County Prince Xiping Mansion, succeeded his brother as Shizi. He will also come to the capital for the longevity celebration and will probably arrive in the next few days. If possible, you should resolve the old grudges with County Prince Mansion to avoid affecting major events.” The emperor added.
Pei Xiaoyuan said yes.
“Do you know Prince Jingsheng?”
The voice suddenly asked again.
Pei Xiaoyuan was stunned again.
To be honest, he felt a little uncomfortable with the rapid change of mind of the current emperor behind the curtain.
Being summoned to the capital was unexpected. He had just arrived at Changle Inn, and was brought here overnight, which was even more unexpected. But at this moment, he had a feeling that what he was about to hear might be the real reason why the person behind the curtain secretly summoned him tonight.
Of course he knew Prince Jingsheng.
The person in front of him, hiding behind the screen and invisible to him, was the one who replaced his brother, Crown Prince Jingsheng, and ascended the throne.
Pei Xiaoyuan remembered what his uncle Pei Ji said to him the night before he left Ganliang.
“What are you thinking? Zhen asking you a question!”
It was just a brief moment of trance, and then another voice came to his ears. This voice had become cold and full of oppression.
Pei Xiaoyuan was startled and came back to his senses.
“Your Majesty, this minister has heard a little.”
The people behind the curtain fell silent, and Pei Xiaoyuan lowered his eyes slightly.
“Do you know that he has a son who’s still alive?” the voice asked again slowly.
“This minister doesn’t know.” He really didn’t know this.
“Then Zhen will tell you, his name is Li Yan.”
Pei Xiaoyuan did not respond.
“Do you know why Zhen summoned you here tonight?”
“This minister doesn’t know.”
“You come forward!”
“This minister dare not offend Your Majesty.”
“Zhen order you to step forward!”
Pei Xiaoyuan stepped forward as ordered. He lifted the curtain in front of him, walked behind the screen, and paused.
Behind the screen was an inner hall that was decorated as a . Unlike the bright lights in front of the curtain, the light in the vihara was extremely dim. With little light coming in from the front of the screen, Pei Xiaoyuan saw a bed in the middle with a hazy figure sitting on it.
He hesitated for a moment, then continued walking forward, stepped into the vihara, and finally saw the current emperor’s appearance clearly. He was wearing a loose gray robe with a slanting collar, and sat cross-legged on a hemp mat. When he was young, this man must have been extremely handsome, but now the emperor was thin and his cheeks were sunken. Even in such dim light, it could not hide his aging.
He didn’t know why, in a flash, he felt that the contours of emperor’s face seemed familiar, but the feeling was fleeting. He stopped, knelt again to the emperor sitting cross-legged on the mat, and soon came to his feet.
“Li Yan, the son of Crown Prince Jingsheng, is now outside, dreaming like a fool, and considering himself the orthodox one. He has been secretly making friends with the old party members over the years, and has been running around everywhere, trying to instigate those vassal princes and military commissioners who were still alive to unite and rebel again. This longevity celebration is a perfect opportunity for him to unite his henchmen and cause trouble. Zhen think it is possible that he may sneak into the capital to contact his old people. Zhen order you to eliminate this calamity for Zhen, and use the opportunity of the longevity celebration to eradicate Li Yan and his party members!”
Pei Xiaoyuan paused, “Afraid this minister can’t take on such a heavy responsibility! Your Majesty, please choose another suitable person from the court to avoid delaying important matters.”
The emperor on the throne snorted coldly: “Wang Zhang and Liu Ceye in the court, as well as the generals in the southern and northern courts, are all either fighting for power and colluding behind the scenes, or just muddling through and trying not to make mistakes to protect their own glory. Whether they can be use, and where to use them, Zhen know it well, so you don’t need to say more!”
“Your Majesty, this minister is truly—”
“Why, you don’t want to?”
Before Pei Xiaoyuan could finish his words, the emperor interrupted him, leaned forward suddenly, put one hand on his folded knees, and stared at his face.
At this moment, the emperor on the cushion was no longer like an old man, but suddenly turned into a tiger crouching on top of the rock, with a cold and stern look in his eyes.
“Sixteen years ago, the vassal princes rebelled, leading to foreign invasions. Almost half of the country fell, and countless people suffered. Although you were young at the time, you should remember it, right?
“Once is enough, how can it happen again?”
Finally he asked, almost sharply.
Pei Xiaoyuan was silent.
The emperor stared at him for a moment, then slowly withdrew.
“Zhen has been paying attention to you for a long time. This time Zhen employ you because Zhen trust you.”
He had regained his original demeanor, and spoke calmly. Then he got down from the cushion, placed his feet on a huge mat embroidered with cranes and auspicious grass, and paced slowly back and forth in the vihara.
“Zhen has decided to set up a new Luwu Division under the Jinwu Guard. Zhen will claim that it’s responsible for managing all matters related to the protection of longevity celebration, but in fact it’s responsible for the task of purging Li Yan and his accomplices. No matter who the person involved is or what family background he belongs to, once it’s verified it, Zhen will not allow them to live—”
He stopped and turned to face Pei Xiaoyuan.
“Pei Xiaoyuan accepts the order!”
Pei Xiaoyuan knelt again.
“Zhen grant you the rank of Eighth Turn Senior Fourth Grade Upper Light Chariot Commander and appoint you as Zhonglang General, in charge of the Luwu Division of the Jinwu Guard, and set up a government office. Except for the Jinwu General Han Kerang, no one in the court can control you, and all reports can be submitted directly to Zhen. All the people of the Jinwu Guard from the sixth rank below can be deployed by you at anytime, anywhere!”
Pei Xiaoyuan’s figure froze slightly.
“Why, you’re still not satisfied?”
“This minister thank Your Majesty for your grace.”
Pei Xiaoyuan slowly bowed his head to the ground.
The emperor put his hands behind his back, his sleeves hanging down to the ground. He looked at him for a long while and said, “Step back! In three days, Zhen will come out of seclusion and go to court to announce this matter.”
Pei Xiaoyuan kowtowed again, then stood up and slowly backed away under the gaze of the person opposite him. After leaving the vihara, he turned and left.
“The former Resident Regent of Eastern Capital, Prince Ning, has returned to the capital due to illness. Pei Ji is an old minister of two dynasties with rich experience and outstanding reputation. He has also benefited the people a lot in the local area over the years. No one is more suitable for this position than him. Zhen has sent someone to send a transfer order, ordering him to replace Prince Ning as the Resident Regent of Eastern Capital. He should arrive soon.”
Suddenly, a calm voice was heard from behind.
Prince Ning, Li Yong, was the emperor’s clan elder brother, who was highly respected and had always had a close relationship with the emperor. He had been serving as the Resident Regent of the Eastern Capital in recent years.
Pei Xiaoyuan was startled and stopped abruptly. He turned back sharply and saw that the emperor had gone, his figure disappearing into the dim hall of the vihara.
He stood outside the vihara for a long time, then took another step and finally walked out of the palace filled with smoke.
As the night wind blew, he suddenly felt a little chilly, and then realized that a thin layer of cold sweat had appeared on his back, soaking his clothes.
Yuan Zhi had disappeared, but another figure was standing solemnly at the foot of the stairs. That person was burly with a dignified face. When he saw Pei Xiaoyuan coming out, he nodded slightly with a hint of a smile on his face.
“I am Han Kerang, the General of Jinwu Guard. If you need any help in the future, just come and find me.”