The Blood Crown - Chapter 276

After capturing the outer walls, morale soared. Feng Ye could hardly contain his joy and immediately ordered the repair of the city walls and the clearing of the moat. He surrounded the inner city, using the outer walls to fend off the soon-to-arrive loyalist army. The Forbidden City was already a turtle in a jar.

Scouts reported that Chen Mu’s army was expected to reach the capital tomorrow, but he was ultimately too late—one step behind, and the outcome was worlds apart.

After nightfall, Feng Ye came to see Yan Sikong with a jug of wine. He was sure of his victory, his usually stern face now lit with a smile.

At that moment, Yan Sikong was leaning against his wolf, reading by the warmth of the hearth.

“The doctor said your injuries have mostly healed, and you can drink now.” Feng Ye poured Yan Sikong a cup without waiting for a response.

Yan Sikong looked down at the wine rippling in the cup. “Congratulations, Wolf King.”

“Are your congratulations sincere?” Feng Ye asked with a half-smile.

“They are sincere.” Yan Sikong glanced at Feng Ye. “How does the Wolf King plan to handle the aftermath?”

“I’m already having the walls repaired and the moat cleared. Chen Mu’s army will arrive tomorrow.” Feng Ye laughed heartily. “But he’s too late—he’s too late! Hahaha—”

“With the walls to defend, the loyalist army will have a hard time breaking through.”

“Of course. After a day of fierce fighting, my Feng family army suffered heavy losses, but I still have two hundred thousand soldiers fit for battle. The troops gathered by the court from Jiangnan haven’t arrived yet, Zhao Fuyi is also on his way, and the loyalist army has arrived a step too late. I abandoned Taiyuan and launched a surprise attack on the capital—risky, yes, but I made the right bet.” Feng Ye’s smile was wild and unrestrained. “I have already sent envoys into the capital to persuade the dog emperor to surrender.”

“Oh?”

Feng Ye grinned, showing a set of gleaming white teeth. “I told my envoys to convey a message subtly: If he surrenders, I will not only install the Thirteenth Prince but also guarantee his wealth and status. If he does not surrender, I will storm the capital, not only kill him but also bury all his consorts and descendants with him.”

Yan Sikong narrowed his eyes. “And…Wanyang?”

Feng Ye sneered. “Worried about your wife, are you? Don’t worry, she’s my cousin. I will spare her life.”

Yan Sikong picked up the cup and took a sip. “Do you think the dog emperor will surrender?”

“That man is greedy for pleasure, foolish and incompetent. If Zhu Lanting won’t surrender, he might. I have secretly instructed my envoys to contact officials and generals who were once close to my father. When the time comes, they will convince him to surrender,” Feng Ye said. “Zhu Lanting has never responded to your letters. Write him another, outlining the stakes.”

“Okay.”

Feng Ye pulled Yan Sikong into his arms, and Yan Sikong immediately began to struggle.

“Don’t move,” Feng Ye warned, “You are weak right now, I won’t touch you.”

Yan Sikong stiffened but stopped resisting.

Feng Ye wrapped his arms around Yan Sikong’s waist and whispered in his ear, “When I enter the capital, I will interrogate Xie Zhongren personally. How do you want him to die?”

“Slow slicing,” Yan Sikong said without hesitation.

“Exactly what I wanted.” Feng Ye inhaled the fresh scent of Yan Sikong’s hair. “You want to clear General Yuan’s name, and I want to clear my father’s name. Soon, we will have our revenge.”

Yan Sikong’s body trembled slightly. He had waited for this day for twenty years.

Sensing the shudder in the man in his embrace, Feng Ye tightened his grip. “When the day comes that I hold supreme power and command the land, I won’t fear your betrayal anymore, for you will have nowhere to go—you’ll have to rely on me.”

Yan Sikong said nothing.

“By then…” Feng Ye’s voice dropped to a low hum, “You will be grateful that I still want you. Otherwise, there will be no place for you in this world.”

Yan Sikong’s pale lips moved slightly. “Then I must thank the Wolf King for his great mercy.”

“No need for sarcasm. You know your own situation all too well.” Feng Ye’s lips traced gentle lines over the contours of Yan Sikong’s ear, jaw, and face. “Your reputation is ruined, and enemies are everywhere. Who knows how many people want to tear you apart. Without me, who could protect you—She Zhun, that wanderer?”

“You, protect me?” Yan Sikong sneered. “It’s She Zhun, that wanderer, who has saved me from danger countless times.”

Feng Ye’s gaze darkened, and he suddenly bit down on Yan Sikong’s neck.

Yan Sikong gasped, trying to pull away, but Feng Ye’s iron grip held him immobile.

The sharp intake of breath startled Feng Hun, who was lying nearby. The wolf turned its head, its eyes reflecting the candlelight with a strange gleam.

“The danger you speak of—do you mean fleeing from me only to be whipped by Chen Mu?” Feng Ye’s voice was icy. “Who do you think gave you all those scars?”

“These minor wounds are nothing,” Yan Sikong replied coldly. His heart bore the real scars, all inflicted by the man who now held him so intimately.

“Minor wounds?” Feng Ye gritted his teeth. “I’ve licked every inch of you, every strand of your hair belongs to me. No matter how much I hate you, I never left a single mark on you. Yet you went and let someone else defile you!”

“Oh.” Yan Sikong seemed to suddenly understand. He said indifferently, “I get it. The Wolf King is displeased that my body now has scars, that it’s no longer pleasing to look at. After all, it’s just a man’s body—bound to get bruised and battered, not as smooth and delicate as a woman’s.”

“Shut up.”

“And I’m getting older, not as young as before… Mm…”

Feng Ye fiercely sealed Yan Sikong’s lips with his own. The kiss was rough and passionate. He sucked hard on those soft lips, his dominant tongue prying open Yan Sikong’s teeth, sweeping in to entwine with Yan Sikong’s tongue in a tangled dance.

Suddenly, Feng Ye felt a sharp pain. He was forced to release Yan Sikong, wiping the corner of his mouth—covered in blood.

Yan Sikong looked at him with an impassive face.

Feng Ye’s expression darkened with fury. “I am the Wolf King. You are never allowed to refuse me!”

Feng Hun sensed the tense standoff between them and came closer, trying to insert itself between them, only to be pushed away by Feng Ye.

Yan Sikong sneered, “The Wolf King is about to rule the world, yet you still tangle with someone as infamous as me. Aren’t you afraid of being ridiculed?”

“Who dares ridicule me?” Feng Ye grabbed Yan Sikong’s chin. “Do you know what I have planned for you once we enter the capital?”

“I don’t want to know.”

“You should know.” Feng Ye said arrogantly. “I will make you Grand Tutor, one of the Three Excellencies. It’s the highest of honors. What do you think?”

Yan Sikong narrowed his eyes.

Although the position was prestigious, it held no real power. Feng Ye intended to suspend him in a high place, like a living target, destined to be envied, resented, and despised by all.

Feng Ye did it on purpose.

“Not only that, but I want you to teach my son to read.” Feng Ye’s lips curled in a cold and cruel smile, the wound at the corner of his mouth adding a hint of bloodlust. “You claim you taught Chen Mu to be fit for the throne. Who in the world could be a better teacher than you?”

Yan Sikong clenched his fists tightly. Fortunately, his heart was already dead, numbed after enduring so much pain.

Feng Ye poured two cups of wine, handing one to Yan Sikong. “Come, let’s celebrate the capture of the outer walls.”

Yan Sikong gripped the cup but did not move.

“Drink.” Feng Ye commanded.

Stiffly, Yan Sikong downed the wine. Feng Ye watched him intently, then drained his own cup. He smashed the cup with a wicked smile. “Hurry and heal your wounds. I can’t wait for you to serve me in bed.”

With that, he stood and left without a backward glance.

Yan Sikong remained frozen where he sat, unmoving for a long time until Feng Hun rested its head on his knees. Only then did he relax his spine, gently stroking Feng Hun’s fur. “Hun’er, you’ve noticed it too, haven’t you? You’ve sensed that all that remains between us… is hatred.”

—

After the siege, the capital of Dasheng had become an isolated city. The envoys Feng Ye sent were already in the palace, but no one knew how the Emperor Zhao Wu would react.

Chen Mu’s army arrived at the capital before dark. After setting up camp, they immediately sent envoys to negotiate with Feng Ye. Several other loyalist forces were still on their way. Chen Mu knew well that even if he gathered more troops than Feng Ye, the high walls and deep moats Feng Ye now possessed would make it nearly impossible to conquer the city in a short time.

Feng Ye paid them no mind. On one hand, he pressured the court, and on the other, he prepared his troops for another battle.

With the enemy at the gates, the court was undoubtedly in chaos. The Emperor Zhao Wu had long lost the people’s favor. Feng Ye spared no effort in bribing and wooing officials in the capital, hoping that the final battle could be won without bloodshed.

Zhu Lanting finally replied to Yan Sikong’s letter, asking Feng Ye to withdraw thirty miles to show his sincerity.

Feng Ye laughed angrily upon reading the letter. “That Zhu Lanting truly doesn’t know what’s good for him.”

“Several loyalist forces will soon gather at the capital. Even if they cannot breach the outer walls immediately, you won’t be able to split your attention to attack the inner city. If Zhu Lanting chooses to lead troops out of the city to attack from both sides, the situation could become extremely dangerous.”

“If he comes out of the city, he’ll save me the trouble of going in to find him.” Feng Ye sneered. “I doubt he’ll dare to step out.”

“Not necessarily. He may not dare now, but he’ll bide his time and seize the opportunity.”

“If that’s the case, we must capture the inner city as soon as possible. Otherwise, the longer we delay, the more complications will arise.”

Yan Sikong exhaled lightly. “Find a piece of old, yellowed paper.”

“You plan to forge a letter from Zhu Lanting and send it to the court?”

“No, I’ll send it to him first. Emperor Zhao Wu is suspicious by nature. Since you’ve expressed your willingness to support the Thirteenth Prince, he’ll surely harbor doubts about Zhu Lanting. Zhu Lanting knows this as well. If these letters fall into the emperor’s hands, the Zhu family will be in danger—enemies at the gates, suspicions within. He must make a choice. We’ll force him onto a dead-end path.”

“Good plan. I’ll have someone fetch it right away.”

“Any news of Yu… or Que Wang?”

“You asked yesterday, and the answer today is still no. Chen Mu hasn’t discovered Que Wang’s identity, and you’ve hidden him well within my army. It’s best if he remains undiscovered—only then will he be safe.”

Yan Sikong took a deep breath. “It’s because I haven’t left the house. Otherwise, soldiers familiar with Que Wang would eventually notice something off. I didn’t expect him to conceal himself for so long.”

“As things stand, we must capture the Forbidden City quickly. With that as our greatest bargaining chip, I’ll definitely be able to save Que Wang.”

Yu’er… Yan Sikong murmured in his heart, you must stay safe. You must wait for your Er’ge to come rescue you.