A remote beacon tower in the north ignited a wolf-smoke signal. In an instant, over a hundred beacon towers caught fire one after another, billowing black smoke filling the sky and casting a grim, murderous gloom over the world.
"Report—"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, the vanguard troops of the Chu Kingdom have already crossed the border and captured Ying City!"
"Report—"
"Yun City has fallen, and our army has suffered heavy casualties!"
"Report—"
At this moment, presiding over Liudao Hall, Ning Yuanzhou was meticulously analyzing the confidential reports delivered ceaselessly by the agents, piecing together fragments of intelligence.
Ning Yuanzhou and Yu Shisan stared at the final piece of news on the desk, raised their heads to exchange a glance, and both gasped in unison.
...
"What?" Upon hearing the news, Emperor Wu froze abruptly. Seeming unsteady on his feet, he staggered backward a couple of steps, and Qian Zhao, standing nearby, quickly stepped forward to steady him.
Ning Yuanzhou knew full well that delivering such unvarnished news directly to Emperor Wu would be a tremendous shock to him. Yet with the situation unstable, the safety of the people of Wu Kingdom must take precedence.
"According to the Liudao Hall's confidential report, Ying City fell so swiftly because an inside mole in the city betrayed the defense deployment in advance and opened the city gates. It is reported that a commandant of Ying City is a protégé of Marquis Yongping, and that very commandant was indeed spotted among the troops entering the city after its fall, riding right beside a man whose appearance closely resembles Prince Danyang..."
Ying City was a vital strategic border fortress, yet the capture of a city does not happen in a split second, and Ying City's primary beacon towers were not the first to issue a warning.
It stood to reason that the moles within Ying City had tampered with something beforehand. Who knew which loyal and brave soldiers had risked their lives to ignite the most remote and dilapidated beacon tower, sounding the alarm for Wu Capital.
Wu Kingdom had indeed not fully recovered from the war, but now that a major conflict had begun, there was no reason not to take countermeasures.
Despite Emperor Wu's less-than-ideal physical condition, he still summoned his ministers for court discussions every day, urgently raising military funds and dispatching troops to reinforce the north.
Yu Shisan had practically moved into the palace. Before every court session, he would groom Emperor Wu to make him look spirited, ensuring the ministers detected no sign of physical ailment.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Ying City... a letter has arrived from Ying City. It reads... Yang... Yang... for Your Majesty's eyes only." A eunuch presented an envelope stained with the dust of the battlefield.
The black characters on the letter faintly blushed with a reddish hue, carrying an aged, bloody stench, like a few large words written in blood: "To be opened personally by Yang Xingyuan." Emperor Wu instinctively reached out to take it, but Ning Yuanzhou spoke up, "Wait, we must guard against treachery."
With that, he exchanged a glance with Qian Zhao at his side. Qian Zhao stepped forward to take the letter, carefully sliced open the envelope with a short blade, drew out the letter paper, and after a brief glance, his face too showed a rare flash of shock.
"It's written by Prince Danyang, asking Your Majesty to..." Qian Zhao rarely stumbled over his words, and Emperor Wu, casting aside all restraint, snatched the letter straight from Qian Zhao's hands.
The letter paper was slowly crumpled in his grip, and then his hands began to tremble violently. What profound fury this was!
Yu Shisan silently took the letter paper from the trembling Emperor Wu and read it alongside Ning Yuanzhou. Ning Yuanzhou clenched his fists as well.
The fraternal bond Emperor Wu had yearned for day and night, the own younger brother whose life he had risked everything to spare, had actually colluded with the enemy state to force him to write an abdication edict and commit suicide by disembowelment to atone for his sins...
The letter also stated that since Yang Xingyuan was already deeply sinful and failed his people, if he refused to abdicate in favor of him, Prince Danyang would join forces with the Chu Kingdom's army to continue marching south all the way to Wu Capital.
Wu Kingdom had just endured a devastating war against An Kingdom, suffering heavy losses, and its military had yet to recover from the defeat. Meanwhile, Chu Kingdom was well-rested and fully prepared. If a battle were truly fought, wouldn't the people of Wu Kingdom be plunged into the fires of war once more?
None of the people present were fools; every single one of them could foresee these consequences.
Seeing that the atmosphere had grown rather heavy, Yu Shisan spoke up to break the tension,
"Your Majesty, please calm down, everyone calm down. This letter is merely some nonsense from Prince Danyang; he won't necessarily be able to..."
...
Battle reports continued to arrive day after day, casting a shadow over the entire court of Wu Kingdom.
Hua County and Mu County were seized by the Chu Kingdom's army one after another.
No one knew who started the rumor about Prince Danyang leaving a letter for Emperor Wu, but for a time, murmurs echoed both inside and outside the court, claiming that if the throne were passed to Prince Danyang, the war would finally cease.
Once certain words were repeated often enough, people seemed to take them all for truth.
On this day, Qian Zhao was on duty as a close guard, protecting Emperor Wu's side. Worn out by consecutive days of grueling state affairs, Emperor Wu retired to a soft couch to take a brief nap.
Taking the opportunity, Qian Zhao tidied up Emperor Wu's desk, only to discover an abdication edict buried among the stacks of memorials.
On the edict was the handwriting of Emperor Wu Yang Xingyuan, detailing his own "crimes" much like a second edict of self-blame, stating that he was unworthy of his position and intended to pass the imperial throne to...
The rest was left blank, unsigned and unstamped.
Instantly, a sense of deep unease washed over Qian Zhao. Just as he was about to send someone to notify Ning Yuanzhou, Ning Yuanzhou happened to arrive at the imperial study to report the latest confidential intelligence from Liudao Hall.
He was promptly intercepted by Qian Zhao right outside the door of the imperial study.
"What is it? Is His Majesty inside?" Ning Yuanzhou asked.
"There is something I must tell you."
...
Emperor Wu was awakened by the sound of Ning Yuanzhou and Qian Zhao stepping into the room, but he showed not the slightest displeasure as he stood up and straightened his robes.
"Lord Ning, you're here. Perfect." Yang Xingyuan began rummaging through the mountainous piles of memorials, fished out a document, and handed it to Ning Yuanzhou.
"You and your brothers of Liudao Hall have worked hard during this period. I have decided to elevate your official rank, and from now on Liudao Hall will be entirely under your command, no longer subject to Prime Minister Zhang's jurisdiction."
Having found that document, he began searching for the next one.
"And another thing, A-ying is all alone in An Kingdom, I want you to..."
A wave of emotion stirred in Ning Yuanzhou's eyes, and he interrupted Emperor Wu's words.
"Your Majesty, have you prepared to submit to the demands of Prince Danyang?"
Emperor Wu froze in place for a moment, before a faint smile crept onto his lips.
"He is right; I am not a good emperor, nor have I managed to shield my people. If my abdication and yielding of the throne can win over a decade of peace for Wu Kingdom, wouldn't it be worth it?"
"Is it truly worth it?" Ning Yuanzhou asked with a heavy voice, continuing, "How does Your Majesty know that Prince Danyang will bring peace to Wu Kingdom, rather than a deeper purgatory?"
Ning Yuanzhou had come precisely to report the frontline military situation. After capturing several cities of Wu Kingdom in succession, the Chu Kingdom's army had paused its northward advance, choosing instead to "pacify the army" first.
"Does Your Majesty know what 'pacifying the army' entails?" A trace of sorrow and indignation flickered faintly in Ning Yuanzhou's eyes.