Ch154 - It was really too frustrating!!! (1/2)
11.10 – It was really too frustrating!!!
translator: xiin
editors: alamerysl & Macabre
“What happened?” Li Yuan lifted his robes as he came in. He frowned at the mess in the imperial study, and wondered why Ji Ronghan was becoming more and more irritable these days. “Why did you hurt him?”
“Ying Sheng is rebelling!” Ji Ronghan felt like his breath was stuck in his chest and spoke angrily, “What did you say back then? You said that as long as he had glory and wealth, he would not make a move against us in the near future?! The South is spreading word that my ascension to the throne was improper, and that without the imperial jade seal and tiger insignia, it is not recognized by the heavens! He is clearly building up momentum! If he really kills his way to the Capital, how will our soldiers hold up against him? Do you want me pulled down from my position to flee the Capital the same way Ji Yunhua did?!”
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Li Yuan frowned and spoke to the subordinate who was still kneeling on the floor. “Withdraw first.”
“Yes…” The man remained bowed down low as he retreated backwards.
Li Yuan slowly began to pick things up from the ground and said, “Your Majesty, there’s no point being so anxious. Even if you rush to act, those who would fight their way over would still do so. For the sake of today, you can only prepare as quickly as possible. That would be better than having no plan of resistance and appearing as though you made no effort when they arrive.”
“The surface of the river will thaw with the onset of spring, and ships from the South will be able to come up to the Capital directly. What kind of preparations can We make? Shall we go out to sea to intercept them?” Ji Ronghan threw himself into the chair, gripped the armrest tightly, and spoke angrily, “This is all Ji Yunhua’s fault!”
Li Yuan frowned. He had changed Ji Ronghan’s fate and the future had turned muddy and unclear. In his previous life, Ji Yunhua had not been on the throne for long, and there had been no information about how he died. The court had been under Deng Shi’s control, and there were other forces in the Capital vying for power. Later on, the news he received from the Capital slowly dwindled after he left.
But according to the general information that he had obtained from his previous life, Ying Sheng should not have made a move so early.
Li Yuan was no longer certain about the choice he made back then. Ji Ronghan was not fit to be an Emperor; his heart was not steady, which made it easy for his views to change once he rose to power. He had pushed him into this position due to his own selfishness, and he still did not know if he had done the right thing. But if he were to allow Ying Sheng to kill his way to the Capital the way he had in his previous life, and then take over the country step by step, the peace that he wanted would become difficult to achieve.
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Ying Sheng was good in all aspects, but his means were too sinister. He would not let off anything that threatened him, and once he decided to take the throne, he would wash this kingdom in blood. Back then, he had visited his elder brother in that battlefield as a spirit, and it was also during the battle that his elder brother had died. He knew what had happened to this kingdom because of that war, so he had been trying to prevent it from occurring.
Unexpectedly, he had calculated and plotted, but at the end he had missed a variable, Ji Yunhua…
Li Yuan smiled sadly and said, “No matter what happens, I will advance and retreat with Your Majesty.” He reached out to hold Ji Ronghan’s hand, but the other party simply shook him off. Li Yuan stayed where he was, watching as Ji Ronghan’s expressions became more and more unstable.
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He let out a drawn out sigh. “Your Majesty, don’t overthink it. I’ll have someone tidy things up here first.”
Ji Ronghan maintained his silence. Li Yuan shook his head and did not try to talk to him again, instead, he turned around and left.
He did not salute, nor did he back out of the room. He still treated Ji Ronghan according to how they had interacted before, but Ji Ronghan was no longer the Xian King who lived on in dishonor and lay in the Capital like a poisonous snake, waiting for an opportunity to strike. He was now the Emperor who stood above all and held all the power in his hands.
Li Yuan did not know how wary Ji Ronghan was towards him at this moment. It was caused by how indifferent he seemed, or perhaps it was because he had interfered with his affairs too frequently these days.
Ji Ronghan had basically not visited the Empress’ Palace at all ever since the start of the new year. Although Li Yuan felt unhappy, he attributed it to the fact that he had only just assumed the throne and had too many things to attend to, causing him to be unable to slow down even during New Year, and had not said too much about it. Ji Ronghan was not nearly as good of a person as Li Yuan had assumed. The gap between him and Li Yuan seemed to be growing. Li Yuan’s elder brother, Li Fan, who was the one whose assistance had helped him take throne back then, was still in control of the military, and had not returned the troops to him.
When Li Yuan married Ji Ronghan, he naturally regarded him as a member of his family, and did not feel that there was anything wrong with his brother holding military power.
Exiting the door to the great hall, the attendant next to him rushed over to announce, “Gongzi, Yue Hua, who stays by senior gongzi’s side, is requesting an audience.”
Li Yuan nodded. He turned his head back to look at the imperial study and sighed rather helplessly.
Although he loved Ji Ronghan, he was not blinded by love. Perhaps choosing Ji Ronghan back then was not the best choice. Maybe he could take advantage of the fact that Ji Ronghan had not yet climbed out of the muddy waters in order to bring him out of this abyss and away from this situation.
Li Yuan’s head ached even more at the thought of what had occurred in the South recently.
He had already gradually become shaken from the firm stance that he had had at the beginning. If the South really planned to fight their way into the Capital, they had no chance of winning. Rather than sit here and wait to die like this, perhaps it would be better to agree to that person’s conditions, and make a deal with Ji Yunhua…
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Spring began in March. The winter snow began to melt, and the ice on the river began to break apart. Many places turned muddy, and with the coming of spring, life started to reemerge and green began to appear before people’s eyes.
The army in Zhanjing had been assembled, and was waiting for the Zhennan King’s command. They were ready to kill their way up to the Capital.
Inside Zhennan Palace, the deputy generals helplessly watched as their Royal Highness paced back and forth in front of them. In their hearts, they were giving their own past selves all kinds of criticism.
After more than two months together, these people had become very familiar with Xue Ling, this youthful Emperor of theirs. At first, they had thought that he was just a little ger that Ying Sheng had taken a fancy to who might become their Princess in the future. But Ying Sheng had put an end to their delusion on the spot, and told them that this was the Emperor from the Capital, and what they needed to do was to put him back on his throne.