I Beg Both of You to Die

Guan Ya said, "My father told me that back then, the Empress Dowager was unwilling to let the Shenrui Army embark on the northern expedition indeed out of fear that Wu Xin's merits would overshadow the throne, and that the army would grow too powerful and threaten imperial authority. "Yet there was an even more crucial reason. The two dynasties had waged war for years; farmland lay desolate, the population had plummeted, and the national treasury was empty. The Southern Dynasty desperately needed to rest and recuperate. It simply could not sustain a total war. "Wu Xin was a god of war on the battlefield, but politically, he was utterly reckless. He failed to read the court's subtle hints, and time after time, he publicly denounced the court and openly berated the Empress Dowager for a woman interfering in state affairs, ruining the country and bringing disaster upon the people. "Back then, when Wu Xin obeyed the imperial decree and returned to the capital, he was placed under house arrest before he could even see the Empress Dowager. Three days later, he died in the postal relay station. The court announced to the public that he had died of illness. Afterwards, the subordinates who had returned to the capital with Wu Xin gathered to stir up unrest, but they were forcefully suppressed." Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing chimed in, "I remember Brother Red Chicken mentioning that some were killed, some were imprisoned, and some were disbanded." Guan Ya scoffed. "Disbanded? Given how the court operates, how could they possibly have been disbanded? They escaped. 'Disbanded' was just a face-saving claim made by the imperial court. Of course, those people aren't important. After re-evaluating and analyzing the incident, I found that the figure truly worth investigating is Zhao Kai." "Zhao Kai?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, bewildered. "After news spread of Wu Xin dying of illness at the relay station, the officers and men of the Shenrui Army who had accompanied him to the capital began rioting. The court acted as if it had anticipated this all along, swiftly surrounding and exterminating those soldiers. The man leading that operation was Zhao Kai." Guan Ya explained calmly, "Zhao Kai is from the imperial clan—generationally speaking, he is your cousin-uncle. At that time, he served as the commander of the City Defense Army's Iron Armor Battalion. The year after Wu Xin's death, the Empress Dowager promoted him to the Ministry of War. Within three years, he rose three ranks in succession to become Vice Minister of War. "After the Empress Dowager passed away, Zheng Wenhan took control of the imperial court and began suppressing the imperial clan. Zhao Kai was stripped of his post and left to live as an idle Commandery Prince in the Capital City." —Zhao Kai's father had been an Imperial Prince, the late emperor's younger brother. Because Zhao Kai was not the eldest son, he could not inherit the title of Imperial Prince and was instead granted the secondary rank of Commandery Prince with the title of Yongyan. After hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing fell into contemplation, piecing together all the information. "Beauty Wan told me that the one who killed Wu Xin was Zheng Wenhan. That wasn't the Empress Dowager's original intention; she was coerced when Zheng Wenhan acted first and reported later. "Upon discovering that her younger brother had acted on his own authority to murder Wu Xin, the Empress Dowager, who had controlled state affairs for years, knew there was no turning back. So she notified the imperial clansman Zhao Kai and ordered him to eliminate Wu Xin's subordinates. "After that, to prevent the Shenrui Army stationed thousands of miles away from rebelling, she had no choice but to collude with the Northern Dynasty, joining hands to destroy that invincible, ferocious army." Guan Ya thought for a moment and added, "Colluding with the Northern Dynasty to destroy the Shenrui Army was a massive taboo. Who do you think the Empress Dowager would entrust with such a task?" Zhang Yuanqing replied, "Zheng Wenhan!" This answer required no thought. After all, Zheng Wenhan was the one who had murdered Wu Xin, so entrusting the matter to him was the safest choice. "Which means Zheng Wenhan was already colluding with the Northern Dynasty's military over a decade ago. That's why he was able to smoothly reach a private agreement with Tuoba Guanghe this time," he added. Guan Ya nodded and analyzed, "Back then, when Zheng Wenhan murdered Wu Xin, it was likely because he felt threatened. A general whose achievements overshadowed the throne was someone he could never control. If he didn't eliminate him early, Wu Xin would inevitably have become an obstacle to his monopolizing imperial power. "So he used family ties to corner the Empress Dowager, executing him first and reporting later, leaving her with no way out but to abandon the Shenrui Army. Zheng Wenhan was the greatest beneficiary of that whole affair. Well, and Zhao Kai as well." Guan Ya brought the topic back. "Go investigate Zhao Kai. As a direct participant, he should know the truth behind Wu Xin's death best. For the Empress Dowager to order him to handle the cleanup proves she trusted this senior imperial prince deeply." "Where is Zhao Kai's manor?" Zhang Yuanqing asked directly. "Anle Street, the Prince of Yongyan Residence," Guan Ya said. "Go find Sun Miaomiao and have her prepare to infiltrate the Commandery Prince's manor," Zhang Yuanqing said. "I need to head out on an errand." —Although Sun Miaomiao belonged to the opposing camp, her main and side quests did not conflict with the fatuous ruler's camp, so Zhang Yuanqing had not been in a rush to switch her faction. In the Imperial Preceptor's eyes, this disciple of his, Sun Miaomiao, had already perished in the assassination at the Yang Residence. Sun Miaomiao was a chess piece hidden outside the enemy's field of view. Zhang Yuanqing felt that keeping her "covert" was far more advantageous than bringing her into the open. "I'll see you off." Guan Ya stood up. Zhang Yuanqing tucked the little megaphone into his robe, followed Guan Ya out of the spacious bedroom, boarded the carriage she had prepared for him, and departed from the Yang Residence. The carriage wheels rumbled along. After traveling through the streets for a quarter of an hour, Zhang Yuanqing finally took out the little megaphone and instructed the driver, "To the outer city." Under his direction, the carriage wound through various streets before pulling up outside a two-courtyard compound in the outer city. The plaque above the gate read: "Xu Residence." "Wait for me here." Zhang Yuanqing hopped down from the carriage and knocked on the heavy gate. The door opened to reveal an honest-looking young man. He sized up Zhang Yuanqing, taking in his bloodless complexion, withered hair, and the faint chill emanating from his body. Startled, he asked warily, "Who are you looking for?" "Is Gang Leader Duan present?" Zhang Yuanqing asked. "Who are you?" A'niu did not answer, repeating his initial question. "Please inform Gang Leader Duan that I have fulfilled the promise I made. Is he willing to lend a helping hand to this ruined wastrel whose family fortunes have fallen?" After saying this, Zhang Yuanqing added, "I am a friend of Wang Beiwang." Hearing that, A'niu's wariness lessened considerably. "Wait here." With that, he shut the gate and hurried into the compound. About a quarter of an hour later, Zhang Yuanqing heard hurried footsteps approaching again. The front gate swung open, and A'niu made a respectful gesture of invitation. "The Gang Leader wishes to see you." Zhang Yuanqing nodded slightly, stepped over the threshold, and entered the residence. Behind the threshold lay an expansive front courtyard, where a stone-paved path stretched twenty meters toward the main hall. "Gang Leader Duan is inside the hall. This way, please," the gatekeeper A'niu said with a bow. Zhang Yuanqing strode forward and pushed open the lattice doors of the main hall. As light flooded inside, he saw Duan Huoshen sitting beneath the high dais opposite the entrance, his hair dark red and his jaw square. A reckless, volatile, and fiery temperament practically washed over the room. Beside him sat Elder Xu, a swordsman dressed in a loose robe and wearing a Daoist hairpin, styled as a lay practitioner. Zhang Yuanqing raised the little megaphone and offered a "smile." "I have long heard of the Reckless Fire God's great renown. It truly thunders in my ears." Gang Leader Duan got straight to the point. "Let me ask you this: when you said at Tianji Tower yesterday, 'The Son of Heaven guards the realm's gate; the monarch dies for the state'—did you mean it from the bottom of your heart?" Zhang Yuanqing replied, "We have long had no path of retreat." Gang Leader Duan nodded. "Good! From this day forth, the Azure Dragon Gang serves Your Majesty." The moment his voice fell, the Spirit Realm's notification chimed in Zhang Yuanqing's ears: [Ding! Congratulations on completing the side quest: Subdue the Azure Dragon Gang.] [Ding! Activated side quest: Eradicate Zheng Wenhan.] Tianji Tower. A brilliant nebula surfaced on Zhang Yuanqing's forehead, his eyes lighting up with lucid radiance. Boundless astral and lunar energy surged into his body, his cells hungrily drinking in the spiritual power. Unsealing in tandem was the power of the Heart of the Illusion God. He had returned to Level 6. *The side quest is actually to kill Zheng Wenhan?* Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of pleasant surprise. His core plan was already to wipe out the Zheng family, and having the side quest overlap with his existing objective would save him a great deal of time and energy. On second thought, a bout of worry crept in. He was already at Level 6. Judging from the scenario's progression and power levels, once he wiped out the Zheng family, he would recover his Dominator realm. That meant that after eliminating the Zheng family, he would face the Imperial Preceptor—an eighth-level Dominator—head-on. The Imperial Preceptor was very likely attempting a breakthrough to Level 9, which meant his current realm ought to be at the peak of Level 8. A novice Level 7 going up against a peak Level 8, even with dual classes, had no chance of winning unless Xiao Yuan and the Palace Master kept pace with their own quest progressions. If they fell behind, things would look grim. Xu Residence. The yin corpse Zhang Yuanqing held the little megaphone, speaking without wasting words: "Gang Leader Duan, I intend to gather experts to attack the Zheng family. As long as the two brothers, Zheng Wenhan and Zheng Wenshi, are killed, the Zheng family's power within the capital will naturally collapse." Gang Leader Duan did not speak. Beside him, Elder Xu pondered for a few seconds before chuckling. "The reasoning is sound, but how confident are you? You must understand that the Imperial Preceptor supports the Zheng family. The Preceptor is a Grandmaster expert and a Golden Crow; he likely possesses Grandmaster-level spirit servants and yin corpses." "I can handle that," Gang Leader Duan said. Elder Xu gave a bitter smile. "Even so, Zheng Wenhan holds immense power in court and retains countless retainers in his manor, including many Minor Grandmaster experts. The City Defense Army and the Imperial City Division have even more. Once the battle drags on and the Zheng family's partisans arrive to reinforce them, everyone aside from Gang Leader Duan will be marked for death." Zhang Yuanqing offered no empty promises or guarantees. He simply said, "Born into troubled times, one should die when it is time to die. It all depends on whether Elder Xu is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the common folk of the Southern Dynasty." Elder Xu glared in annoyance, his beard twitching. "Fatuous ruler, don't try to provoke me with words!" "We are the sovereign of the Southern Dynasty. Bound within this board, We have nowhere to retreat, and We ought to die for the state." Addressing them in his identity as monarch, Zhang Yuanqing cupped his hands in a formal bow. "I beg both of you to die for the Southern Dynasty." Tianji Tower. Zhang Yuanqing steered the yin corpse into the carriage to return to the Yang Residence, then severed his connection with it, focusing entirely on pondering the "chessboard." Only by knowing oneself and the enemy could one emerge victorious in a hundred battles. He needed to list both his own objectives and those of his enemy so he could clearly discern how the enemy would maneuver, and how he himself should counter and strategize. His own goal was crystal clear: gather powerful experts to assault the Zheng family. Once Zheng Wenhan died, the Zheng family's influence would scatter like monkeys from a fallen tree. After that, he would fight the decisive battle against the Imperial Preceptor to seize complete control of the capital. Forces on his side: the Azure Dragon Gang, the Yang family, and the dwindling imperial clan. Relying solely on these was not enough, so he had to pull the Shenrui Army into his camp. To win their support, he had to uncover the truth behind Wu Xin's case all those years ago. The enemy's (the Imperial Preceptor's) goal: destroy the Southern Dynasty and harness its national destiny and dragon qi to break through to a higher realm. Now that Zhang Yuanqing had moved into Tianji Tower and his reputation among the populace was turning around, the Imperial Preceptor found himself in an awkward bind. First, he could not personally make a move to kill the emperor, as he could not afford the backlash of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man. Second, he could not let the fatuous ruler die inside Tianji Tower. If Zhao Shun died there, the Imperial Preceptor would inevitably face widespread censure. While that might not instantly shatter the stellar reputation he had cultivated over decades, he was at a critical juncture in his cultivation. Who knew what consequences unstable dragon qi might bring? By the same token, continuing to back the Zheng family's rebellion and scheming to assassinate Zhao Shun yielded little remaining benefit. Having analyzed the enemy's goals and predicament, their prospective moves became readily apparent. The Imperial Preceptor could do no more than three things: First, disrupt Zhao Shun from continuing to win over the hearts of the people and competing for dragon qi. Second, prevent Zhao Shun from destroying the Zheng family and taking control of the court. Third, await the Northern Dynasty's army to destroy the Southern Dynasty, seizing the national destiny dissipating from Zhao's imperial scions to ascend to a higher realm. From this, it followed that the Imperial Preceptor would adopt a defensive posture in this game—sabotaging Zhang Yuanqing's plans while waiting for the northern army to arrive. Therefore, Zhang Yuanqing's focus had to be ensuring that every move he made succeeded without being disrupted. Presently, the two most vital moves were ensuring that the Palace Master and Xiao Yuan kept up with his quest progression; otherwise, facing a peak Level 8 Dominator all by himself would be utter despair. The next move was drawing the Shenrui Army into his camp. The army might not possess Dominators, but it certainly had a large number of formidable, elite Saints. Definitely far more than the three who had appeared a few days ago. This was an indispensable source of assistance. At least in the phase of destroying the Zheng family, the Shenrui Army was an essential fighting force; without them, the operation against the Zhengs could hardly succeed. With these thoughts in mind, Zhang Yuanqing knew what his next step had to be.