Chapter 268: Chapter 263 Bottom Line
The city gates of Lian City were under strict lockdown for two days, with sentries stationed every ten steps outside the city. If an army were to attack, Lian City could respond swiftly. Xie Jue seemed assured that the Capital City would not send troops in pursuit. Xie Xun was gravely injured and unable to move, so Xie Jue stayed in Lian City for two days.
After crying his heart out in Fengyu’s embrace, Xie Xun went to look for Xie Jue.
Xie Jue was in the mourning hall, where the bodies of the Marquis Zhenbei, the Madam, the two concubines, Xie Junhua, and Xie Zhang had all been laid out. From a certain perspective, the family had been reunited in death.
Six coffins were placed in the mourning hall. Dressed in mourning attire, Xie Jue knelt on a prayer mat, burning millet stalks. Likewise clad in mourning clothes, Xie Xun entered with heavy steps. His head spun, and the drifting white shrouds outside the hall, combined with the smoke rising within, made him feel dizzy. Kneeling on the ground, he kowtowed heavily, offering incense to his departed family members before kneeling beside Xie Jue to help burn the millet stalks.
The two brothers remained silent, their companionship wordless yet deeply reliant on one another for survival.
Fengyu accompanied Xie Xun to the outskirts of the mourning hall but did not enter. After a pause, she turned and left. This courtyard in Lian City had been hastily selected, located near the North City gate, ready to be abandoned at a moment’s notice. Outside, the Iron Cavalry Army stood guard.
Xu Zhou and Cui Lansong were occupied handling military affairs. Cui Lansong had already sent word back to Ningzhou to inform General Cui of the upheaval in the Capital City. Fengyu could sense the restless unease of the Iron Cavalry riders. Their rebellion against the Capital City stemmed from unwavering loyalty to the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion over many years. But what was to come? They had no idea. Unified resolve was absent. The court had not wronged them with personal grievance. Would they follow Xie Jue and Xie Xun into rebellion? The answer remained uncertain.
Fengyu understood that after defecting from the Capital City, Xie Jue and Xie Xun would face even graver challenges. For the Iron Cavalry, numbering in the tens of thousands, how many would truly follow them was still an open question.
And what of military supplies and provisions?
The largest granaries in Yanyang were in Jiangnan and the outskirts of the Capital City, both under the control of the Jiangnan garrisons and the Capital administration. If the Iron Cavalry were stationed in Ningzhou, securing supplies would be the most immediate problem to solve.
The Twelve Eastern Provinces and even Lian City or Ningzhou could not possibly sustain the provisions required for such a massive army. To make matters worse, the Beiman forces were watching like hawks. Should internal strife erupt in Yanyang, the Beiman would likely tear up their treaty and spark another war. If war resumed now, there would be no one left to support the Iron Cavalry with supplies.
Lin Xiao, Zhang Boxin, and Zhou Liyu were standing under a tree outside, engaged in a muted conversation. All three appeared somewhat dejected and sorrowful. When Fengyu approached, Zhang Boxin and Zhou Liyu waved at her.
"What are you all doing?"
"We’re consoling Lin Xiao..."
"Shut up!" Lin Xiao interjected sharply, silencing Zhang Boxin. Zhang Boxin shrugged indifferently. Fengyu sat down beside them, shoulder to shoulder. "I miss Junjun."
"I miss her too," Zhang Boxin admitted, frowning. "When she was here, her constant chattering was so noisy. Now that she’s not, it’s unbearably dull."
The group exchanged wry smiles, knowing full well that the carefree days of their past were gone forever, never to return. They had been expelled from their families, and merchants arriving from the Capital City only brought tidings of what was happening there.
Zhang Boxin thought to himself: as long as his family wasn’t implicated, he’d be content.
Fengyu recalled the Lantern Festival, when they had all admired the lights together—reckless, unfettered youths. In the brief span of half a year, who could have imagined that they’d be making such fateful decisions?
"Do you regret it?" Fengyu asked.
"I don’t believe the Marquis would assassinate the late Emperor. It must be some conspiracy. And I couldn’t stand witnessing loyal ministers and virtuous generals meet unjust deaths. The Young Marquis saved my life. If not for him coming to my aid on Xiyanshan, I’d have died already. I have no regrets, except that I might drag my mother into this. But Zhang Bolan has earned merit through aiding the new emperor’s rise. He’ll surely protect them." Zhang Boxin looked toward the Capital City. "In the Zhang Family, I was never remarkable. From a young age, my elder half-brother suppressed me to the point I could hardly breathe. Life was dull. The new emperor plotted to murder his father and framed the Marquis. He’s clearly a tyrant. Why should I serve someone like that? Outside the Capital, the heavens are vast, the emperor far away. I’ll wander the world with the Young Marquis!"
"Are you sure it’s wandering the world and not aiding a rebellion to seize power?" Zhou Liyu raised an eyebrow.
"It’s all the same!"
"Hah!"
Fengyu couldn’t help but laugh. "And you, Zhou Liyu?"
"I’m not a direct descendant of the Zhou Family. I’ve lived my life loafing around without much ambition. Whatever my brothers do, I do. They went to rescue the Young Marquis, so how could I stay behind like a coward? Besides, the Marquis Mansion—how could they deserve this kind of end? I won’t accept it either."
Zhou Liyu shared a similar mentality with many within the Kyoto Capital Guard—simply going along with the crowd. Lin Xiao and Zhang Boxin were his closest brothers, and he was determined to stand with them through thick and thin.
Compassion for the Marquis Mansion ran deep. In such dire circumstances, no one could idly stand by and watch Xie Xun be slaughtered by the Forbidden Army like a caged animal. Xie Xun had saved their lives, after all.
Leaning back against the tree, Lin Xiao’s expression was dark. He said in a subdued voice, "I’m disheartened. Three days before everything unraveled, I overheard a conversation between my eldest brother and my father. I learned that the Crown Prince planned to kill the emperor and frame the Marquis Mansion. I was so terrified that my legs gave out, knocking over a vase and alerting them. They locked me in the dungeon. Regicide... since when did the Lin Residence become a tool for regicide? I knew everything they were scheming. My elder brother had a contingency plan: if the Crown Prince failed, Father would escape overnight with Mother, me, and Yuyan, or seek protection from the Grand Preceptor. It’s absurd—the same Grand Preceptor whose daughter, son-in-law, and grandson they planned to kill in case of failure! I tried to dissuade my brother, begged him not to assist a tyrant, but he wouldn’t listen. He, Xie Zhang, Xie Jue, and Fang Chuning were from the same generation of noble scions. They had compared themselves to each other since childhood. My elder brother always envied the Xie and Fang families, who grew up on the battlefield under their fathers’ guidance and achieved so much. He was jealous, resentful, and indignant, always determined to prove himself. Becoming the head of the Forbidden Army and marrying into the imperial family wasn’t enough—he also craved the merit of aiding the emperor’s rise, wanting to be a high-ranking minister of supreme power. But at what cost? Committing atrocities without conscience? I... I couldn’t accept it. Whether it was my elder brother or Yuyan, I’ve always been a disappointment, but I could never bring myself to do something so heartless. These are my blood relations. Cutting ties with them would feel like carving out my own flesh. So I could only flee far away. Even if my brother achieved his ambitions and enjoyed the heights of power and luxury, I’d know it was at the cost of countless lives. I couldn’t turn a blind eye or pretend none of this ever happened."
Lin Xiao bore the heaviest burden of all compared to Zhang Boxin and Zhou Liyu. Lin Cheng, despite his treachery and betrayal, had always cherished his siblings.
Lin Xiao had caused plenty of trouble growing up, and it was always Lin Cheng who cleaned up the messes. When Lin Xiao injured someone in his youth, it was Lin Cheng who took him to apologize. To Lin Xiao, his eldest brother had been a father figure.
And so, Lin Xiao could not reconcile himself with Lin Cheng’s moral depravity and lack of boundaries.
"Don’t overthink it," Zhou Liyu said, waving dismissively. "We’ve all been exiled from our families, haven’t we? Lighten up. Leaving the Capital marks the start of a new Chapter for all of us. In the future, we’ll just follow the Young Marquis—whether to wander the world or... oh no, lead a rebellion! Who knows? Maybe we’ll even earn merit aiding a new regime. It’s not that rare a prize."
Zhou Liyu’s jest drew laughter from the group. Knowing that their actions wouldn’t implicate their families eased their minds considerably. The Kyoto Capital Guard’s gamble relied on the hope that the law wouldn’t punish an overwhelming number of offenders at once.
There were far too many noble youths like themselves. Would Yuwen Jing truly try to obliterate the entire noble class?
The clans of these noble youths were all prominent families.
"If the Young Marquis wants to be emperor, I’ll be the first to support him," Lin Xiao declared. "For five generations, the Marquis Zhenbei family has produced loyal ministers and distinguished generals. They’ve sacrificed themselves for Yanyang’s kingdom and rivers. Yet Yuwen Jing behaves so despicably—if I were the Young Marquis, I’d raise an army to rebel, so what?"
Lin Xiao rested his arms behind his head. "Come to think of it, I’ve always wondered—why must the emperor always come from the Yuwen Family?"
"Were they born to be emperors? Who decided that?"
"Heaven knows!"
"The throne should belong to the capable. Yuwen Jing is a tyrant and unworthy. A son who kills his father deserves to be struck by lightning," Zhou Liyu said derisively. "The late emperor must regret raising such a disgrace."
"I just don’t understand why he had to kill the late emperor," Fengyu said. "The late emperor placed so much hope in the Crown Prince. He personally mentored him from a young age, and their bond as father and son seemed strong. After ascending the throne, the late emperor even entrusted his closest supporters to the Crown Prince. His position was secure. To frame the Marquis Mansion for regicide... truly insane."
She had asked Lady Thirteen to look into her elder sister’s situation in the Capital City, but no news had arrived yet. The Crown Prince had taken her sister, so he likely wouldn’t harm her just yet.
But her sister was trapped in the palace, in proximity to such a deranged person. How could she navigate this? Her brother-in-law had also been brutally killed. Fengyu feared her sister might choose to perish alongside the Crown Prince.
Staying in the Capital herself would only give the Crown Prince more leverage to manipulate her sister. Fengyu felt utterly powerless. Her influence couldn’t reach into the palace. She wanted to plead with Xie Jue and Xie Xun for help but couldn’t bring herself to say the words. Six lives from the Marquis Mansion lay in the mourning hall—they could not afford to return to the Capital.
Elder Sister...
Fengyu sent another message to Lady Thirteen. Three days after Fengyu’s departure, she instructed her to spread the rumor throughout the Capital that the new emperor had imprisoned the wife of a loyal minister. She was determined to force Yuwen Jing’s hand into releasing her sister back to the Feng Mansion.
A carrier pigeon landed on the eaves, prompting one of Xie Jue’s Shadow Guards to whistle. The bird descended onto his hand, and the guard carried the message from the Capital City into the mourning hall.
"Second Young Master, there’s news from the palace."
Xie Jue took the paper and, after reading it, tossed it into the flames. Xie Xun stared blankly at the leaping fire. "Second Brother, what about Five, Six, Seven, and Eight?"
"They’re in the Capital." Xie Jue, ever terse, added, "Sister-in-law is imprisoned in Yongning Palace."
"That deranged bastard!" Xie Xun roared in fury. "He’s coveted Sister-in-law for years. How could he let her go? Sister-in-law has a fiery temperament. After seeing Eldest Brother die in front of her, being confined in Yongning Palace leaves her with no choice but death."
"Coveted Sister-in-law?" Xie Jue’s voice turned icy.
"At that post-banquet in the palace after the Beiman retreated, he assaulted Sister-in-law," Xie Xun said, his indignation unquenchable. "He even clashed with Eldest Brother over it."
"He’s utterly shameless," Xie Jue said after a deep breath, his anger tightly restrained.
It was the first time in his life Xie Xun had heard his reserved Second Brother curse so crudely.
Xie Jue took another steadying breath, suppressing the rage brewing inside. "The new emperor can’t silence the tide of public opinion after imprisoning his minister’s wife. As soon as Sister-in-law leaves the palace, the Shadow Guards will escort her away."