Chapter 119: Waiting for Him to Walk into the Trap
His mind hadn’t yet fully digested the term “Personal Rule.”
Immediately following that, the Regent lying in the consultation room remained silent and still, yet the arrangements for his “funeral affairs” came one after another…
He saw Xiao Mengshi leave, and then Tang Tuan entered. Tang Tuan was clearly different from the moment he had welcomed them atop the Chang’an city walls; seeing Su Jingzhi in a deep, unwaking slumber, he likely sensed that the situation was dire.
The big boy, usually brimming with sunshine, finally had a dejected look on his face, like a large dog with drooping ears. “Your Majesty.”
He no longer called him “Little Emperor” in his heart, but solemnly addressed Wei Wanlan as “Your Majesty.”
Wei Wanlan also felt that the atmosphere in the entire Imperial Medical Bureau was exceptionally heavy. His doe-like eyes lowered halfway as he murmured, “Mm.”
Tang Tuan said, “The Boss once said something. But… but this subordinate thought he was talking about matters many years in the future. He is nine years older than you; in terms of lifespan, he should naturally go before you.”
Wei Wanlan froze. “What did he say?”
“He said that if he were to pass away and this subordinate was still around, I must assist you,” Tang Tuan said. “The assistance includes helping you understand the military defense layout of Great Wei, the arrangements of generals in various prefectures and commanderies, and the temperaments of these generals. I just didn’t expect it to be this early.”
Tang Tuan was the kind of person who couldn’t hide anything in his heart.
If Su Jingzhi had told him the truth about the poisoning beforehand, Tang Tuan would likely have shown it on his face. This was also the Regent’s special consideration for him.
Before his death, the Regent had arranged all the generals and ministers for him.
Wei Wanlan felt a sense of unreality wash over his entire body. He was terrified that if he accepted these arrangements, what he would get in return would truly be an eternal farewell to the Regent.
He blinked his doe eyes, nodded with difficulty, and didn’t say much else. Whatever work came to him, he would try to handle it step by step.
So, as the Regent’s life gradually ebbed away, the situation in the imperial court became increasingly stable.
The Imperial Palace announced to the public that the Emperor would begin his Personal Rule, and the Grand Ceremony of Personal Rule would be held immediately. Various government offices began to submit official documents to the Emperor one after another, and everyone’s attitude towards the Emperor rose to a new level of awe and reverence.
During this period, the Emperor took the initiative to issue a decree.
Wei Wanlan’s first imperial edict was profound and mysterious, causing widespread speculation outside. However, people could not deduce the Emperor’s significance from the lines of the edict.
The edict read:
“Zhen offers a reward for the ‘Twin Gu’ across the four borders of Great Wei. Whoever presents the Twin Gu in an audience shall receive ten thousand gold.”
Wei Wanlan thought: In these last three or four shichen (6-8 hours), before the Personal Rule ceremony, if I cannot find the Twin Gu, I will mobilize the entire world to find it.
There were many capable and strange people in Great Wei; surely someone could find it.
If the holder of the Gu was willing to present the Gu worms, Wei Wanlan wouldn’t even hesitate to gift them his entire private treasury, let alone ten thousand gold.
Once the Grand Ceremony of Personal Rule was put on the agenda, Wei Wanlan could no longer stay in the Imperial Medical Bureau. There were a thousand things to attend to, and even though Xiao Ji shielded him from many trifles, people would always interrupt his time accompanying Su Jingzhi.
Officials from the Ministry of Rites responsible for the ceremony procedures came to present the content of the ceremony to him.
The ceremony process always included offering sacrifices to Heaven and Earth.
The sacrificial ritual required someone to present offerings to Heaven and Earth.
The one responsible for the First Offering was naturally the Emperor. Theoretically, the Secondary Offering should be performed by a high-ranking official of the court. The Minister of Rites was troubled by this part:
In theory, the Regent had contributed the most to consolidating the territory of Great Wei, but the Ministry of Rites was unclear about the Regent’s condition. They only heard that the Regent had returned to Chang’an but had not appeared in public. The Ministry of Rites struggled with whether they should arrange for the Prince Regent to perform the Secondary Offering.
The Ministry of Rites consulted Prime Minister Xiao on this matter. Xiao Mengshi had just been appointed as the Chancellor of State by the Emperor.
Prime Minister Xiao, however, said that the position of Secondary Offering should rather be cancelled than replaced by anyone else, and told the Ministry of Rites to ask for the Emperor’s opinion personally.
The question was thrown back to Wei Wanlan. It felt like lingchi (death by a thousand cuts), tearing open more holes in Wei Wanlan’s heart, reminding him for the umpteenth time that Su Jingzhi was about to leave.
Wei Wanlan suddenly didn’t want to deal with this matter.
He was sad; he wanted to play the little ostrich, but he couldn’t find the person he could rely on. He had nowhere to bury his head, and yet he had to become a wise Emperor in front of everyone.
Wei Wanlan’s lips trembled inadvertently.
He didn’t know how to respond to the Ministry of Rites. He hoped they would wait a little longer; he still had to find the Twin Gu.
Just then, the sound of footsteps came hurriedly from outside the consultation room of the Imperial Medical Bureau. The steps were urgent and shuffling—it was An Ruyi.
Eunuch An trotted up to him and reported, “Your Majesty, found it! The Twin Gu has been found!”
This voice swept away the gloom in Wei Wanlan’s heart like a clear light.
Wei Wanlan seemed to suddenly come alive and hurriedly asked, “—Where is it?”
An Ruyi: “In Zichen Hall! A retainer of Grand Princess Deyichang (Wei Wanyi) presented the Twin Gu. The Grand Princess didn’t know you were at the Imperial Medical Bureau; she is already seated in Zichen Hall…”
It was Wei Wanyi.
Wei Wanlan froze.
But hesitating for only a moment, he said to Tang Tuan, “General Tang, let us go to Zichen Hall together.”
“This subordinate obeys!”
Zichen Hall.
This was the Emperor’s sleeping palace, but because the Emperor had moved to the Imperial Medical Bureau before the ascension ceremony, it had been left empty.
Wei Wanyi held a cricket cage in her hands. She had a beautiful face and a graceful figure. Although she had been married for several years, she lived alone in the Princess’s Manor because she was widowed early, so she still retained traces of a young maiden in her demeanor.
“Princess,” a trusted guard called out.
The Grand Princess suddenly snapped back to reality and placed the cricket cage, meant to fool Wei Wanlan, on the side of the dragon throne in Zichen Hall.
“Is it ready?”
“Everything is in order,” the guard said. “We have dispatched all our elites. We are just waiting for the little fatuous ruler to walk right into the trap… attacking from both inside and outside to change the sky and sun!”
After the guard finished speaking.
Wei Wanyi nodded, the jewelry on her head flashing chaotically. The most priceless jade was mined from deep mountains in the Baiyue lands of the Southwest. The bottom of the mines was filled with poisonous gas; the emerald green jade was stained with the blood of unknown numbers of people.
She loved jewelry the most; her dead husband hated extravagance the most.
They were an unhappy couple formed by a noble daughter of heaven and a refined gentleman.
Wei Wanyi sneered, recalling the pleasure with her lover again, and the humiliation and anger of the Consort bumping into that scene during the Yuan family’s capping ceremony. She didn’t regret causing this homicide case to get rid of the Consort; instead, a vengeful pleasure arose.
The entire Zichen Hall had long been occupied by the rebel army brought by Wei Wanyi.
Wei Wanyi was constantly surrounded by numerous flamboyant martial artists all year round, creating a habit for everyone in the palace. Occupying the unguarded Zichen Hall was done almost silently.
The killed Jinwu Guards were dragged away by the rebels, who then disguised themselves as Jinwu Guards and stood in the main hall.
Faint sounds of complaint could be heard inside the hall.
Capital officials, Wei imperial clansmen… voices rose one after another, then grew louder and louder, a cacophony filling the hall:
“The Little Emperor set up the Drum of Grievances in Chang’an, and on that very day, unruly commoners filed complaints. What kind of Drum of Grievances system is this!”
“Since toppling Yuan Xizai, Duke Yuan’s ledgers implicated who knows how many people. As the saying goes, the law shouldn’t punish the masses, yet the fatuous ruler confiscated who knows how many court officials’ residences.”
“The Censorate monitors will eventually investigate my head too!”
“The examiners for the triennial grand exam are now sharpening their knives. The items for assessment are too tricky; who can pass them again?”
“A fatuous ruler is in power!”
“To fill his private treasury, the little tyrant even investigates his own family; he has simply cut off all affection and justice.”
“Eliminate violence and comfort the good, let the Princess supervise the state…”
Inside Zichen Hall, these voices were incessant, until wails filled the fields.
It turned out these were all officials with more or less problematic records in the court.
All the measures Wei Wanlan advocated or promoted had set off waves of storms in the Great Wei court. Now, even the common people had joined the ranks of supervising court officials and cleaning up the atmosphere. Under the close watch of countless eyes, naturally, no one could act recklessly anymore.
Either be executed by the Little Emperor.
Or kill the Little Emperor and stop the New Deal!
Two days ago, the Consort’s disciples beat the Drum of Grievances to sue the Grand Princess for murdering her husband, embezzling civilian fields, presenting slanderous ministers to confuse the Late Emperor, and more than a dozen other crimes. The Grand Princess could no longer sit still.
She didn’t know when it started, but she could no longer see through this younger brother.
Although his appearance was still shy and timid, looking soft and gentle… the things he did were each more iron-fisted than the last. Surpassing their fathers and ancestors, he won the hearts of the people in Great Wei, and actually reached a peace with Su Yan (Su Jingzhi), winning the heart of the army as well.
He was an ambitious schemer who had laid low and pretended to be crazy and stupid for three years!!!
He would kill her.
He wouldn’t let anyone go!!!
Now Wei Wanyi and the others were gambling. Gambling on how important the Little Emperor’s decree “begging for the Twin Gu” really was, and whether a fake Twin Gu was enough to make him dismiss the Jinwu Guard and break into Zichen Hall alone.
The guard reported, “Princess, the little fatuous ruler is outside the hall.”
Wei Wanyi poked the bamboo cricket cage. She put the cricket into a brocade box. The cricket was destined not to live long inside; its chirps were muffled, making it impossible for people to hear clearly what was inside.
Wei Wanyi’s voice was ethereal to the point of hollowness: “Tell him, if he desires the Twin Gu, he must enter the hall alone.”
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