Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 1584 - 1579: Traitor to the Nation
Murong Yan, seated on the Dragon Throne, clenched his fist, his gaze cold and deep...
Although Ninth Uncle had already sent a letter back ahead of time, warning him about the royal kinsmen, and he had been prepared, when he saw his mother appear outside this Golden Palace, he understood... his mother had chosen to stand with those kinsmen, and his heart couldn’t help but ache, as if a venomous bee had fiercely stung his heart.
After his mother, the Empress Dowager, arrived at the palace, he gave a death order to the soldiers and Hidden Guards guarding the palace. If they couldn’t stop the Empress Dowager from leaving the palace without the order of the Regent Prince or a king’s order, then... kill her!
The Empress Dowager was his biological mother, and Murong Li was unwilling to take this step unless absolutely necessary.
He also told Wang Jiuzhou to inform his mother of the fate awaiting her if she left the palace, hoping she would cultivate herself from then on and stop causing trouble.
But now, with his mother appearing outside the Golden Palace when the royal kinsmen believed they had control of the imperial guard, it indicated that... his arrangement with the imperial guard had either betrayed him or been killed!
And the Hidden Guards he arranged in secret, they couldn’t possibly betray him, which meant... they had all been wiped out!
His head of the Imperial Guards had already been killed, and if his guess was correct, the envoy of Zhou stationed in Yan had likely been killed too. Perhaps these imperial kinsmen might even disguise this as... the envoy of Zhou having gotten advance warning of Zhou’s betrayal and intention to attack the Yan Kingdom, and had already fled, to deceive him.
The foundations of the imperial kinsmen, descendants of Murong, were deep and profound. It seemed they had already put everything on the line, deploying all the private soldiers and assassins they had nurtured for years.
Among the royal kinsmen, a few with significant weight glanced towards the older generation among them when they saw the Empress Dowager standing at the door... that was Murong Li’s great-uncle.
Someone quietly slipped in from the corners, whispered something to Murong Li’s great-uncle, and then withdrew to the side. The great-uncle’s eyes widened immediately, and he quickly led the group to kneel at the entrance to welcome the Empress Dowager, loudly proclaiming: "The Emperor is young and was deceived by the Yan Kingdom traitor, Murong Yan. We request the Empress Dowager to resume regency."
The royal kinsmen had always been on the emperor’s side.
But now, with the Empress Dowager presenting evidence of Murong Yan’s treason and damning proof of his former identity as Xiao Rongyan, yet the Emperor remained determined to protect Murong Yan to the end, how could the royal kinsmen not be frightened?
They were all afraid that if they stood against the Regent Prince Murong Yan, during a life-and-death struggle, the Emperor... might still abandon them.
So, in their eyes, it would be better to reinstate someone else in power, such as the gentle Crown Prince, but before that... they needed the Empress Dowager to govern!
Because the Empress Dowager shared the same goals as these royal kinsmen: to kill the Regent Prince Murong Yan and not to acknowledge the matter of the gambling country.
The Vassal King had already sparked an uprising, moving to kill the Regent Prince and the Emperor of Zhou. They wanted to take this opportunity to overthrow the gambling country matter, but the Emperor said that the war report from Xiping did not clarify the cause of the battle, apparently still harboring illusions about the gambling country matter, which the royal kinsmen could not accept.
The Yan Kingdom was weaker than Zhou, and the odds of winning the gambling country matter... were extremely slim.
Therefore, the royal kinsmen decided to invite the Empress Dowager back to take charge of the situation. No matter what, the Emperor must not be allowed to send an envoy for peace or an inquiry about the cause. If so... King of Xiping would have died in vain, and perhaps the young Emperor might personally apologize, causing the gambling country matter to continue.
The Empress Dowager’s face was pale, while her appearance remained impeccable, but there was dried blood that hadn’t been washed properly under her fingernails, and behind her was the clatter of armor and swords, mingled with screams...
The court officials all stood silently, fearful as cicadas in winter.
Hearing the sounds of killing, they understood clearly, afraid that this was a palace coup.
Wang Jiuzhou, standing humbly beside Murong Li, glanced at the young eunuch below the high platform where the Emperor was and gestured. The young eunuch nodded and slipped out before the imperial guard accompanying the Empress Dowager had taken control of the rear hall.
The Empress Dowager felt that her son Ah Li’s heart was still soft, believing that after all, these royal kinsmen were blood relatives of the Murong family. Xiao Rongyan would fight... while Ah Li would appease them, entrusting them with heavy responsibilities, thinking... this way he could win over these royal kinsmen, yet unaware that human desire is insatiable.
Indeed, after Xiao Rongyan’s massacres, Murong Li later selected some kinsmen and entrusted them with heavy responsibilities, successfully winning over the hearts of the royal kinsmen. At least between the Regent Prince and Murong Li, the royal kinsmen now had no choice but to stand with Murong Li.
Therefore, the Empress Dowager hoped that today, even if forced to do so, Murong Li would awaken to reality. As long as he gave up on Xiao Rongyan, the royal kinsmen would still honor him as king with respect.
The Empress Dowager tightened her grip, looking into her son’s cold and chilling gaze, forced herself to extend her hand, letting the young eunuch beside her support her into the Golden Palace, enduring the pain tearing at her wounds with each step forward, she spoke calmly as she walked in: "So tell me, what exactly is so urgent... that prompted you to bring the mournful one back from the palace now."
The royal kinsmen and the court officials remained kneeling, moving forward on their knees, constantly facing the Empress Dowager as they kowtowed. One of the kinsmen even kneeled forward, following behind the Empress Dowager, loudly saying: "Replying to the Empress Dowager, yesterday the Governor of Yangquan sent news that national traitor Murong Yan had somehow deceived the commander of Yangquan while passing through, and the commander rashly let the traitor Murong Ping take the Yangquan garrison with him! The Governor said the general guarding Yangquan was once under the command of Great General Xie Xun, yet His Majesty suppressed this news... Yesterday, this was not discussed during the morning court session nor mentioned to any ministers! We, the humble officials, are worried that the national traitor Murong Yan has deeply bewitched His Majesty, hence we sent someone to invite the Empress Dowager!"
Murong Li gripped the armrest of the Dragon Throne, thinking of the head of the Imperial Guards he appointed who died at home last night, and his gaze turned towards the imperial guard outside the Golden Palace. He saw several commanders of the imperial guard who had come with the Empress Dowager, sheathing their blood-stained longswords, and all of them unfamiliar...
It seemed that it was not only he who had prepared in advance; these kinsmen had also prepared well ahead.
The Empress Dowager was already being supported by the young eunuch up the high platform, glanced at Murong Li sitting on the Dragon Throne, and then turned to look at the royal kinsmen.
"Empress Dowager, when you left to convalesce at the palace, you once said that Murong Yan was indeed Xiao Rongyan, the emperor consort of the Emperor of Zhou!" a royal kinsman said, glancing at Murong Li, and continued, "This time... the report sent from Xiping indicated it was Murong Yan who, during the battle between the two armies, captured the family of the King of Xiping, killed the second and third sons of the King of Xiping, along with the Crown Princess Consort, leading to the defeat of the Xiping army! The military report is crystal clear, but before the morning court session, we, ministers, entered the palace, yet His Majesty said... the cause of this battle is unclear, suggesting the Regent Prince must have had a reason for acting this way."
