The Blood Crown - Chapter 191

Yan Sikong found an opportunity to drink with Yu Shenglou in private. Yu Shenglou accepted his gift and was flattered by Yan Sikong’s praise. The two, being of similar age, had long referred to each other as brothers.

Yan Sikong could see Yu Shenglou’s ambition, believing he had great potential. However, due to Yu Shenglou’s relatively upright character, he rarely spoke out of turn. But after drinking and becoming more familiar with Yan Sikong, Yu Shenglou began to loosen up and openly complained about Xue Ronggui’s corruption and cronyism. Yan Sikong had already anticipated this; otherwise, Yu Shenglou, with a mere ten thousand troops, wouldn’t have been dispatched to the Hetao region.

Yan Sikong played along with Yu Shenglou’s words, sometimes expressing righteous indignation, other times sighing in regret. Yan Sikong’s skill in winning people over was so effective that even Xie Zhongren and the Emperor had difficulty resisting, let alone a Fifth-Rank officer who felt unappreciated.

When the drinking session was nearly over, Yan Sikong presented a very valuable gold and jade ornament to Yu Shenglou.

Yu Shenglou sobered up halfway and hesitated to accept it. The earlier gifts could be seen as customary exchanges between officials, a common practice when Yan Sikong first arrived, and didn’t count as anything significant. But such a valuable gift clearly meant Yan Sikong had a favor to ask.

Yan Sikong leaned in and whispered, “Brother Yu, to be honest, this is a New Year’s gift from the Wolf King, entrusted to me to deliver to you personally.”

At the mention of “the Wolf King,” Yu Shenglou sobered up completely. He stared blankly at Yan Sikong.

Yan Sikong continued, “The Wolf King asked if you still remember the time you went hunting together, when you nearly got injured helping him corner the prey.”

Yu Shenglou’s lips quivered slightly, his expression becoming complex—both worried and a little moved. He stammered, “Back then, I was just a lowly centurion. Does the Wolf King really remember me?”

“The Wolf King said that Brother Yu is quick-witted and brave, loyal and trustworthy, and has the makings of a great general. He hasn’t forgotten you all these years.”

Yu Shenglou’s eyes darted around, and sweat began to form on his forehead. “What are you trying to say, dear brother?”

Yan Sikong grasped Yu Shenglou’s hand and said earnestly, “From the moment we first met, I could tell from your words that you’ve always held Prince Jingyuan in high regard. And you’re not alone—many of our comrades from Datong feel the same way. General Chen, General Liu, General Mo—all of them were once favored by Prince Jingyuan and hold him in the highest esteem. Can Xue Ronggui even compare to Prince Jingyuan?”

“Saying he’s one percent of Prince Jingyuan is already flattering him,” Yu Shenglou blurted out. But after saying this, he regretted it, lowering his voice instinctively. “Dear brother, have you said this to anyone else? Perhaps you’ve had too much to drink. How about we discuss this when we’re sober…”

“Brother Yu, you should be fully sober by now.” Yan Sikong pushed the gold and jade ornament back towards Yu Shenglou. “This is just a token of the Wolf King’s goodwill. As long as you remain under Xue Ronggui, you’ll never be truly valued.”

Yu Shenglou clenched his fists, his expression full of struggle. Yan Sikong could see clearly that he was afraid to rebel, perhaps even cursing himself for being approached in the first place. Now, he couldn’t even pretend to be ignorant of the situation.

Seeing Yu Shenglou press his lips together and remain silent, Yan Sikong said, “I have something else to show you.” He pulled out a letter from his robe and handed it to Yu Shenglou.

“This is…”

“You’ll know when you read it.” Yu Shenglou hesitated for a moment before opening the letter. He scanned it quickly, growing more anxious with each line. The letter was strange—the tone didn’t seem like that of an ordinary person, but the content was baffling. He almost couldn’t stay seated and asked in a low, hoarse voice, so quiet that he might as well have had his ear pressed to Yan Sikong’s lips, “Who… who wrote this?”

“The Prince of Chu.”

Yu Shenglou suddenly realized the letter’s significance, and cold sweat broke out even more profusely.

Yan Sikong narrowed his eyes. “When the Prince of Chu was still the Crown Prince, I served as his reader. His Highness trusted me greatly. You know as well as I do that the current Crown Prince lacks legitimacy and has been criticized for his collusion with the eunuch faction. Can someone like that truly rule the Da Sheng Empire one day?”

After returning to Qianzhou, Yan Sikong had received a secret letter from Chen Mu. As he had suspected, Chen Mu had been quietly building his own power over the years, driven by both the hatred of his mother’s murder and his inherent ambition for the throne. Yan Sikong’s letter was the signal fire Chen Mu had long been waiting for.

Yu Shenglou wiped the sweat from his forehead. “This… this is a matter of great importance. I can’t make a decision so quickly…”

“Brother Yu,” Yan Sikong said solemnly, “I have three questions for you.”

“…Ask.”

“Given the current situation, can Qianzhou hold off the Wolf King?”

“It’s… unlikely.”

—

“If the people of Datong Army had to choose between the Feng family army and Xue Ronggui, who would they choose?”

“…”

“Who would they choose?”

Yusheng Lang murmured, “Xue Ronggui has no prestige, at most he’s just mediocre.”

“Alright, one last question. If the Wolf King supports King Chu to return to the capital and ascend the throne, would he still be considered a rebel?”

Yusheng Lang’s face turned pale. “This… this…”

“King Chu is the eldest prince. Your Majesty’s action of disregarding loyal ministers’ opposition and appointing his beloved, not only disregards the ancestral system but also violates the late empress’s will. How can Your Majesty set an example of benevolence and filial piety for the world in this manner?” Yan Sikong said. “Of course, Your Majesty was also misled by the eunuchs and that treacherous concubine back then. Now that the eunuchs have been overthrown, it’s time to follow the ancestral system and correct the chaos.”

Yusheng Lang stood up abruptly.

Yan Sikong also stood up, watching his hesitant back. “If one day Qianzhou falls, Xu Yong will be the first to surrender. Brother Yu, will you be forced to surrender then, or will you be someone who has contributed to both the Wolf King and the future emperor?”

Yusheng Lang trembled all over.

Yan Sikong smiled, knowing he had caught the fish in his net.

On New Year’s Eve, no one in Qianzhou dared to celebrate loudly. The people celebrated the New Year quietly at home, worried that making too much noise would attract the soldiers’ reprimands. Wu Mang, the governor of Qianzhou, was afraid that Feng Ye would take advantage of the relaxed defenses during the festival to launch a surprise attack, not wanting to follow in Bu Mao Ren’s footsteps. Therefore, even on the most important day of the year, he remained as cautious and alert as ever.

Unfortunately, the most fortified city is often not breached from the outside.

From New Year’s Eve to the third day of the New Year, scouts reported daily that the Wolf King’s troops were celebrating and getting drunk every day, showing no signs of planning an attack. So, Wu Mang felt a little relieved.

After many days away from home with no chance to reunite with his parents and family, he decided to return home for a New Year’s meal, even if it was just for a reunion dinner.

That night, Yusheng Lang easily captured the city gate guards. At the darkest, coldest hour of the night, the Qianzhou city walls were brightly lit, the city gates wide open. Feng Ye, who was inebriated, swiftly led his troops into the city. By the time the Qianzhou officials and generals, still asleep, received the urgent report and hurried over, Feng Ye had already entered the city with his army.

Yan Sikong, hiding in the upper floor of the post house, could barely see Feng Ye riding in, dressed in armor and a battle cloak, his aura imposing as he strode into the city. His loyal subordinates flanked him, soldiers followed, and prisoners knelt in rows. He resembled a beast patrolling its flock, ready to devour these lambs with ease.

Yan Sikong recalled the glimpse of Feng Ye during his return to the capital years ago. At that time, he remembered Feng Ye’s wolf-like eyes, now even more fierce and intimidating.

Yan Sikong closed the window, waiting for people to come find him. Soon, he and many Qianzhou officials were captured. He had already discussed with Yusheng Lang that their relationship with Feng Ye could not be exposed yet, as they had not yet taken over the Datong Army.

Wu Mang, deeply in debt to the emperor, could not avoid responsibility and committed suicide in despair. As Yan Sikong had expected, Xu Yong surrendered willingly. With his surrender, most of Qianzhou surrendered as well. Only a few, with their pride intact, refused to surrender and were imprisoned by Feng Ye. These individuals, including Shen Hexuan and others from Mao Ren’s faction, were to be kept alive for now as they might still be useful.

Yan Sikong was imprisoned once more.

However, this time Feng Ye ordered that the bear cloak be delivered to him and had the charcoal fire burning warmly. Thus, even in the cold and dark prison, he was not too cold.

After taking Qianzhou, Feng Ye had completely taken control of the Hetao region. The court had just agreed with the Chahar to open the horse market in Hetao when suddenly the region was no longer under the court’s control. This not only angered the court but also left them in a dilemma. The nomads did not care about how the Han people were fighting among themselves. They were concerned with their own needs for trade, exchanging cattle, sheep, and horses for the goods they did not produce. In reality, most of the surrounding barbarians’ invasions were more for trade rather than aiming to rule the Central Plains—mainly because they did not have the capability like the Wala, but rather sought to trade goods that were not available in their own lands.

Thus, after taking Qianzhou, Feng Ye sent envoys to the Khan of Chahar, Yuri, to intercept the Dasheng’s trade. If successful, within three to five years, Feng Ye would be powerful enough to rival the country.

This news shocked the entire court and the country. The court was thoroughly awakened from the dream of Feng Ye possibly surrendering. His actions clearly indicated he intended to use Hetao as a base to build strength and eventually conquer the Central Plains.

While Yan Sikong was imprisoned and had nothing to do, he repeatedly thought about how, since his arrival in Qianzhou, he had maneuvered and strategized with Feng Ye to conquer the fertile Hetao region in just a few months. He was not proud of his own wisdom but pondered if and where he might have exposed any flaws in the plan. The current outcome was the result of careful planning by him and Feng Ye, and with the Datong Army just steps away from being enticed into surrender, he knew they could not afford any mistakes now. Any misstep at this critical moment could ruin everything.

Given Feng Ye’s current military strength, a direct attack on Datong was unfeasible. Though Feng Jianping was gone, the perfect defense line and well-trained soldiers he had built were formidable. Additionally, Feng Ye was reluctant to engage in direct combat with the Datong Army, as it had once been his home.

Thus, even though Yan Sikong was “imprisoned,” his mind never rested. Days later, Feng Ye had him released from prison. 

(The End of the Chapter)