Nightfall

Xu Chi felt even more disbelief after he finished reading the files on the desk. He looked up at Hua Shanyue coldly, and said, “This is ridiculous! It’s a blatant witch hunt!”

Hua Shanyue was not surprised by Xu Chi’s reaction, because he himself couldn’t believe the mystery, either, even though he was the most trusted general of the Princess.

After all, the secret that the Empress of Tang was the Saintess of Diabolism was unbelievable enough by itself. Hua Shanyue reacted just like Xu Chi, thinking it might be a witch hunt the Princess had set up.

“I didn’t believe when I heard it at first, either, but the evidence was too convincing.”

He looked depressed and continued, “Now that we’ve got Li Qingshan, the Nation Master’s last words as evidence, all we have to do is to prove the relationship between the Empress and Xia Hou. Thus all the other things would be revealed.”

Xu Chi recalled what he saw in the files, and in the secret files brought by the Southern Gate Temple from the West-Hill Divine Palace. When he connected that information with what he had learned from the secret files in the palace, his hands suddenly began trembling.

“When was the last time that the Empress was injured or fell ill? The Qingcheng Palace was once on fire, and Her Majesty rushed into it with her servants to save lives. She was highly praised then for her bravery and kindness. However, few people had noticed that all her servants had been burnt, but Her Majesty was barely injured except for some singed hair.”

Hua Shanyue turned serious and said, “Uncle, we Tang people are all believers of Haotian. Our empire might be a tolerant one, but it hasn’t grown that tolerant to harbor villains from the Devil’s Doctrine. The Devil’s Doctrine had been wiped out by Ke Haoran, and since then its dregs had been working on their evil avenging plan. The Empress and Xia Hou were the most important planners. We cannot watch them while doing nothing.”

Xu Chi turned earnest and suddenly answered, “The West-Hill Divine Palace wants to take advantage of His Majesty’s death to attack our kingdom. All the choices we make now can be of vital importance, and I don’t mind if results are evil as long as it can keep the Tang Empire standing strong.”

Hua Shanyue was slightly surprised. He was after all a young man. However, Xu Chi had lived long enough to have killed and fought in all kingdoms, to have dealt with tough Haotian Taoism powerhouses in the darkness. It was hard for Hua Shanyue to understand Xu Chi’s crazy idea to team up with the Devil’s Doctrine.

He asked sternly, “Will you let a she-devil from the Devil’s Doctrine be the Empress?”

Xu Chi rattled, “I think His Majesty was wise enough to figure out who the Empress was during their 20-year marriage. And I’m OK with it if His Majesty had lived with it.”

Hua Shanyue suddenly felt tired because the book he had brought here didn’t work as he expected. He asked in frustration, “What if her son becomes the ruler of the Tang Empire?”

Xu Chi was silenced.

The words of His Highness in the secret letter suddenly came into Hua Shanyue’s mind. He walked towards the desk and questioned in anger, “His Majesty died young because the Empress poisoned him, how about that?”

Xu Chi looked up all of a sudden.

Hua Shanyue stared at him in the eyes and said, “All of these will become clear one day. And what His Highness asked was to do it in a slower way. The long ruling and stability of the empire, they all depend on your choice now.”

In the Imperial Palace of Chang’an.

The present emperor of Tang, Li Huiyuan, was looking up at the sky. Unlike the sky which was grey, his face looked quite lit up. With a smile he said, “My Royal Sister used to tell me never to mind the rumors. No matter how those rebels and traitors suspected the Edict, or no matter who supported me. The only thing that matters is the military leadership and the stability of Chang’an.”

He Mingchi was listening to him silently, the yellow oiled-paper umbrella in his arms. Then he said, “Your Majesty surely has reliable judging ability on those things, considering how many years you’ve been engaged in political affairs.”

“To be reliable in one aspect didn’t mean being reliable in everything. And furthermore, what’s the point of you being here if you rely on me to do all things?”

Li Huiyuan was smart enough to read between the lines. He turned acrimonious and said in a cold voice, “Don’t you ever try to make mischief between me and my sister! I’ll forgive you this time since you’ve made such a generous contribution. I will pretend that I didn’t hear anything today. You know very well what will happen if you do it again.”

He Mingchi frowned and answered, “Yes, I know.”

“The year before last, my sister sent Xian Langzhi to Tuyang City, and now I’m almost in control of the Northeast Border Military. Shucheng was too young, and the West Military of Tang was too weak. Shu Cheng wouldn’t speak a word before the whole situation is cleared out if he was smart enough.”

Li Huiyuan then said calmly, “Hua Shanyue must be talking to Xu Chi about that thing now. And if it works, the Northern Military Camp will no longer support that woman.”

He Mingchi was clear about “the thing” that His Majesty meant. Actually, He Mingchi was the one who had told Li Yu and her brother about the Empress’ secret.

“The only problem now is Xu Shi. He’s enjoying his old age in the south.” Said Li Huiyuan, and he frowned again.

He Mingchi agreed, “He may be the most difficult one to deal with.”

Li Huiyuan showed his agreement through his silence.

He Mingchi then said, “Xu Shi was the Defender-general of the State. He was experienced and well connected. Even the Yulin Royal Guards must obey his transfer order. And he is so highly respected that nobody would dare to touch him.”

Li Huiyuan looked at the grey clouds above the palace. With his face turning gloomy, he said, “The old man has been convalescing for years, but refuses to truly retire. With him in court, would the Tang army be mine, or his?”

He Mingchi halted for a moment and asked, “How would Your Majesty persuade Xu Shi? I would like to share your concerns.”

Li Hui answered in a slightly sarcastic manner, “In the early years, even Uncle Qingshan had to avoid confrontation with Xu Shi. There won’t be any difference even if I bestowed on you the title of Nation Master. If you can really make a difference, the Southern Gate Temple would’ve never fallen to be inferior to the West-Hill Divine Palace.”

He Mingchi then said, “So it is. But with Your Majesty’s ruling, I believe someday in the future the Southern Gate Temple would definitely surpass the West-Hill Divine Palace, which would bring back the honor of Tang.”

“We still have a long way to go.”

Li Huiyuan squinted and suddenly said, “You and the West-Hill Temple had the same origin. You must be close to each other. Is it possible that you can find a way to negotiate with someone in the West-Hill Divine Palace?”

He Mingchi was surprised and against the idea. He argued, “Your Majesty, that…”

“I know it’s like negotiating with a tiger to get its skin. I know what those old bastards in the West-Hill Divine Palace want, and I can afford that. I know what I want to, and I clearly know that I cannot afford to lose it.”

Li Huiyuan then waved his hand and continued with his gloomy face, “To resist a foreign invasion, the country must keep itself stable first. When the Tang Empire was established, the Taizu had signed a series of unfair and humiliating agreements with the Desolate. But in the end, we evicted them out of the grassland. They had to migrate to the Cold Region in the Far North like cattle and sheep, suffering from extreme coldness. And I swear I’ll deal with the Peach Mountain like that one day!”

The Headmaster and the Emperor of Tang died in succession. The whole nation seemed to have accepted their deaths calmly because folks had witnessed too much living and death, and had become tougher and tougher. However, deep inside them, especially inside the hearts of those Tang bigwigs, changes had taken place.

And even those bigwigs themselves hadn’t noticed that they had changed. They were no longer as confident and direct as they were before the Headmaster’s and the Emperor’s deaths. They became calculating, and they even asked for help from external forces.

And as for the thousands of Tang soldiers in Helan City, their change was on an emotional level. When the military food supply was cut shorter and shorter, the whole army was getting more and more depressed.

“We had already sent three Cavalry Messenger Teams before the rain stopped, and also sent a few more after. According to our estimates, the food sent by the Northern Military Camp will arrive by the day after tomorrow. You don’t need to worry too much, Your Majesty.”

General Han Qing reported in a low voice.

The Empress was expressionless. “What if all the Messengers were killed halfway?”

Han Qing turned grim. He was trying to swallow the cursing words he was about to speak out. But of course, he had no reason to get angry with Her Majesty, and it was someone else in Chang’an that had angered him.

People in Helan city had tried again that night to send messages to Chang’an, only to find that the talisman in the palace of Chang’an had been shut off. That was when the people in Helan city got to know what had happened.

Han Qing then said softly, “We’ll head back to the south tomorrow. Please worry no more, Your Majesty. Nobody would dare to obstruct our way home.”

The Empress then said, “Nobody dares to obstruct our military food transportation. Xu Chi wouldn’t dare, and neither would Li Yu. Our food didn’t arrive on time. Maybe there’s something wrong in the Wilderness, not in the Northern Military Camp.”

Master Huang Yang, who had kept silent, then said, “I’ll take a detour from the Eastern Wilderness to return to Chang’an first.”

The Empress said tiredly, “The royal court was strongly shocked because both the Headmaster and His Majesty died. And when the royal court is shocked, so would be the whole nation. I guess the Eastern Wilderness isn’t having its most peaceful time, either. And Li Yu is a lady smart enough to have guessed what’s happening. She was sure that she could deal with the situation, but I’m afraid that she has underestimated the capacity of the enemy she’s facing.”

Han Qing frowned and asked, “Your Majesty, do you think… that the Princess obstructed our food transportation because she has colluded with the Golden Palace?”

The Empress shook her head and said, “As shortsighted as Li Yu might be, she is well aware of her own Tang identity, and she would never do that. I guess the Golden Palace odd move was due to the West-Hill Divine Palace’s manipulations. I believe Li Yu will be glad if she knew in any case.”

Thousands of grassland cavalry soldiers appeared on the border of Yan territory.

Days of pouring rain had moisturized the grassland quite well. The wild wind was howling, while no dust was getting blown around. However, the Wilderness was getting dusty. The dust rose into the sky when the cavalries approached. One could only imagine how many people there were on horseback.

Long Qing was feeling the silver mask on his face while looking toward his homeland, the Yan Kingdom in the south. In his eyes there was no homecoming excitement; no nostalgia, no flaming of resentment, nothing but indifference.