Chapter 93: Protecting The Emperor
After Xiao Yi exited the back door of the farmhouse, he looked around and saw that most of the village houses were made of yellow earth walls with thatched roofs.
Traces of footprints led to the main road of the village, and the accumulated snow was trampled into a mess, making it difficult to discern.
However, the marks left by the deerskin boots were, after all, different from the villagers’ straw sandals. The soldiers meticulously searched every small path and soon found a row of boot prints. They followed them, and ahead was a tiled house, more orderly than the earth huts.
Song Yanwo made a few hand gestures, signaling his soldiers to surround it.
Once the arrangements were complete, two soldiers stepped forward and kicked the door open.
“Bang!”
With the sound of the door bolt breaking, the wooden door swung open.
To Xiao Yi’s slight surprise, Liu Chengyou was seated in the Main Hall, directly facing the door.
He was not in disguise, only having shed the conspicuous imperial robe embroidered with dragons in imperial yellow. He wore a light ochre undergarment made of fox fur, which was luxurious and warm, and also made him appear gaunt and pale. In his eyes, unyielding anger burned like fire.
Standing before Liu Chengyou were several armored soldiers and officials. One of them Xiao Yi recognized as Yan Jinqing.
“Yi Lang?”
Yan Jinqing also recognized Xiao Yi and called out softly.
Xiao Yi nodded, feeling Liu Chengyou’s gaze upon him.
“Are you sent by Guo Wei to assassinate the Emperor?”
“No.”
Xiao Yi answered concisely.
Liu Chengyou sneered and looked away, saying, “Then is it up to my brother-in-law to do it?”
Song Yanwo quickly said, “Your Majesty misunderstands. Duke Guo’s uprising is only to remove petty officials and traitors, with no intention of harming Your Majesty. Please accompany me back to clarify this misunderstanding.”
Liu Chengyou mocked, “Hypocritical. Do you believe these lies yourself?”
“My words are all true…”
“You might as well say the winner is king, the loser is a bandit!” Liu Chengyou interrupted directly, gritting his teeth and saying, “Don’t think I don’t know your thoughts. ‘The Son of Heaven, if he has strong troops and horses, should rule.’ Now you wholeheartedly support Guo Wei to become Emperor, preserving your glory, and still put on this act? Disgusting.”
“I absolutely have no such intention. I merely cannot bear to see Your Majesty suffer hardship.”
“Heh, since I am destined to die, take your fawning face and go flatter Guo Wei.”
“Your Majesty, please return.” Song Yanwo said no more and shouted, “Take down these rebels who are holding His Majesty hostage!”
The Yi Cheng Army soldiers stepped forward one after another and apprehended those armored soldiers.
Liu Chengyou did not stop them, remaining seated. Yan Jinqing looked helpless and sorrowful.
Finally, Song Yanwo turned his gaze to Xiao Yi, his eyes holding a hint of depth.
Xiao Yi slightly turned his body, indicating he could do as he pleased.
Song Yanwo smiled bitterly and personally stepped forward to help Liu Chengyou.
“I will help Your Majesty.”
“Very well, falling into my brother-in-law’s hands is better than anyone else…”
Suddenly, Xiao Yi’s gaze sharpened as he noticed a cruel smile curl on Liu Chengyou’s lips, and killing intent bloomed in his frenzied eyes.
A cold glint flashed from his sleeve.
“Be careful!”
Blood splattered.
A bloody gash appeared on Song Yanwo’s neck.
In a flash, Xiao Yi kicked out, striking Liu Chengyou’s hand and sending the dagger flying.
“Your Majesty, this…”
Song Yanwo stared blankly for a moment, then took two steps back and bowed to the ground. He ignored his wound and said, “I am guilty.”
“Hahaha, if the ruler wishes the subject to die, the subject must die. You die!”
Liu Chengyou became even more frantic. Seeing Song Yanwo not respond, he spat, “If you dare not die, then stop disgusting me… I did not lose to Guo Wei, but to you indecisive cowards who sell out your master for glory. All of you deserve to die.”
“I am terrified.”
“Li Hongwei, Cao Wei, Hou Yi, Song Yanwo. I might as well raise a few dogs instead of using you useless people.”
As he spoke, Liu Chengyou’s anger erupted, and he lunged forward to kick Song Yanwo, but was held back firmly by soldiers and escorted away.
In the end, the Son of Heaven was captured alive.
Xiao Yi did not look at Song Yanwo’s awkward expression. He stepped forward to pick up the dagger. Turning his head, he saw Yan Jinqing staring dazedly at the dagger in his hand.
“What? Do you want to fight to the death?”
“No, no, no.” Tears flowed from Yan Jinqing’s eyes, and he said sadly, “I wanted to end it all myself.”
“Why the rush to die?” Xiao Yi asked, “As long as the green hills remain, there will be wood to burn.”
Yan Jinqing was stunned. “Yi Lang, you…”
Xiao Yi raised his hand to stop him, signaling that it was not convenient to say more at the moment. He had him taken away and led out of the house.
A group of people returned along the original route.
Xiao Yi rode alongside Song Yanwo.
“In a single day, Xiao Lang has saved me twice.”
“Brother Zhong Jian need not worry. The Emperor was likely just momentarily agitated and did not truly intend to kill you.”
“Sigh.”
Song Yanwo sighed, wanting to say more but hesitating.
Xiao Yi did not initiate conversation.
If today was a play, the script given by Wei Renpu had only four words, and he hadn’t fully grasped it, finding it difficult to get into character.
Turning back onto the Official Road, they rejoined the main group.
Seeing that the Son of Heaven was still alive, some of the officials guarding the Golden Chariot wept with joy, followed by more crying.
After a short rest, hurried hoofbeats were heard from ahead.
Xiao Yi looked into the distance and saw Wei Renpu approaching rapidly with only two elite riders.
“Whoa!”
“Did you find the Emperor?”
“Yes,” Song Yanwo said. “We did not fail in our mission.”
Wei Renpu scanned in the direction of the Golden Chariot, looked deeply at Song Yanwo, and then turned to Xiao Yi, his eyes asking a question.
Xiao Yi met his gaze calmly.
“Come with me.”
Xiao Yi and Song Yanwo dismounted and followed Wei Renpu into the nearby woods.
The woods were dim, and only Wei Renpu’s eyes seemed to flash.
“You two captured the Son of Heaven, a feat of unparalleled merit. However, have you considered how Ming Gong will deal with the Emperor once he is brought before him?”
Xiao Yi remained silent.
Song Yanwo’s expression shifted, and he said softly, “Please let His Majesty confess his sins…”
“Is that feasible?!”
Wei Renpu interrupted, his voice lowered further, yet each word landed like a heavy hammer.
“Ming Gong is upright, not like Dong Zhuo or Zhu Wen. His intention in ‘removing corrupt officials’ is for the greater good. He personally stated, ‘only the principal offender will be punished,’ and has no intention of assassinating the Emperor. However, to grant power to the Emperor would inevitably lead to future trouble, plunging the realm into chaos again. To hold him captive would leave him with the name of a Han bandit, which would also go against the original aspirations of the Hebei soldiers who shed their blood and sweat. If you two deliver the Emperor back, will you not place Ming Gong in a dilemma?”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yi suddenly recalled another sentence Wei Renpu had spoken when they were in Ye Du.
— “To the south, to Kaifeng, I have many ‘secret missions’ that require assistance.”
Wei Renpu intended to have Liu Chengyou “finish his act” now.
Xiao Yi figured that when he first arrived in Kaifeng, Wei Renpu likely planned to exploit the situation and have him assassinate the Emperor. He just hadn’t expected Xiao Yi to persuade Empress Dowager Li to surrender, causing Liu Chengyou not to return to Kaifeng, which threw the situation into disarray.
Looking at Song Yanwo again, his face was full of distress.
The three of them fell into silence for a while.
Xiao Yi decided not to speak first.
He was a double, not a scapegoat, and never handled the business of “handing out boxed meals.”
Finally, Song Yanwo asked, “According to Secretary Wei’s intention?”
“The Imperial Son-in-law is a close relative of the Emperor and demonstrated loyalty in protecting him today. However, the Emperor was obstinate, and an accident is unavoidable. He might be killed by a villain.”
“What does Xiao Lang think… about Yan Jinqing?”
“Are there other candidates?”
“There are.”
Song Yanwo pointed to a prisoner outside the woods.
It was an official who had been following Liu Chengyou to the end. He was less than thirty years old, very handsome, with fair skin.
“Tea and Wine Envoy, Guo Yunming. This scoundrel was the Emperor’s close attendant, a traitorous flatterer who harmed the nation and its people. He is precisely the person that must be killed to remove corrupt officials.”
“A suitable candidate.”
“How should we proceed?”
Wei Renpu said, “Give them an opportunity to escape. Xiao Lang will pursue and create the illusion that Guo Yunming assassinated the Emperor.”
“I have a better idea,” Xiao Yi refused decisively. “Persuade Guo Yunming to do it publicly.”
“How could he possibly agree?”
“The condition is to give him thirty breaths of time to escape.”
Song Yanwo said, “If he truly escapes, it will be over.”
“He won’t escape.”
“Tell Guo Yunming,” Wei Renpu said, “He deserves to have his nine generations of relatives exterminated. If he is willing to help, we will spare his life.”
“Let’s do it,” Song Yanwo said. “Let us swear that from now on, the three of us will be united and never betray each other.”
“Agreed.”
The three then swore to heaven in the woods.
Xiao Yi handed the dagger to Song Yanwo.
Song Yanwo took a deep breath and walked towards Liu Chengyou.
Xiao Yi returned to the horses and checked his bowstring.
His gaze fell upon Song Yanwo solicitously offering Liu Chengyou something to eat, only to be spat at.
Song Yanwo smiled sheepishly, turned to Guo Yunming, offered him the food, and ordered Guo Yunming to persuade Liu Chengyou.
Not long after, Guo Yunming was slapped by Liu Chengyou. Song Yanwo went to help him up and took Guo Yunming aside to talk.
The procession continued to move.
Suddenly, a war horse was startled and kicked its hooves wildly, causing the horses pulling the Golden Chariot to bolt. It veered towards the woods by the Official Road, and the wheel of the Golden Chariot got stuck in a ditch in the woods.
At this moment, the cavalry in front had widened the distance, while the officials and captives behind crowded forward. The procession was in chaos, and the surrounding soldiers were solely focused on lifting the chariot wheel.
Xiao Yi reined in his horse and observed coldly from a distance.
He saw Guo Yunming help Liu Chengyou out of the Golden Chariot and walk towards the woods by the Official Road, their pace gradually quickening.
“Your Majesty?”
“We cannot go any further. Your Majesty, please return.”
“Your Majesty, hurry! Go!”
“Seize them!”
The two suddenly took to their heels and ran.
Unfortunately, after only running a short distance, Liu Chengyou fell to the ground, exhausted and collapsed.
Guo Yunming pulled him a couple of times but couldn’t lift him. With a cry of grief, he took a dagger from his sleeve and stabbed Liu Chengyou in the chest several times.
“Plop.”
“Plop.”
“Ugh—”
With a brief cry of pain, Liu Chengyou convulsed. Blood quickly stained his luxurious fox fur undergarment. He reached out his hand, grasping at the air, not knowing what he wished to hold.
Guo Yunming’s face was a mixture of sorrow and anxiety. He looked like a madman, wailing and shouting, and darted into the woods.
“Protect the Emperor!”
“Protect the Emperor!”
“Catch him…”
Xiao Yi calmly, unhurriedly, reached back for his bow.
He ignored everyone else, tilted his head to look at the sky, and silently began to count.
After counting to thirty breaths, he spurred his horse into the woods.
The white horse, quite intelligent, avoided trees from time to time, its speed undiminished.
He saw Guo Yunming running swiftly, his figure appearing and disappearing.
Xiao Yi pursued to within twenty paces, nocked an arrow, focused, and aimed.
“Swish.”
The figure that flashed past the tree trunk fell to the ground in response.
Song Yanwo had already led his men to surround them, roaring, “Kill this traitor who assassinated the Emperor!”
Soldiers stepped forward and dragged out Guo Yunming’s corpse.
However, an arrow had struck his throat, and he was thoroughly dead.
Xiao Yi lowered his bow and turned back, exchanging a barely perceptible glance with Wei Renpu and Song Yanwo.
This event would remain their secret forever.
After the exchange of glances, Wei Renpu let out a long sigh, tidied his windblown beard, as if he had merely completed another trivial task.
“Your Majesty!”
Song Yanwo cried out tragically and rushed to Liu Chengyou’s corpse, weeping uncontrollably.
The madness in Liu Chengyou’s eyes gradually faded, and all his spirit left him. Only his face remained young.
He was just too young.
Feng Dao, on the other hand, had ample experience. The phrase “Emperor Xian allowed, yet Han lineage remained” had ultimately become a mere wish.
The martial men of this era did not play by Cao Cao’s rules.
“We failed to protect the Emperor. Let us confess our guilt to Ming Gong.”
“Bring His Majesty back to the capital.”
Snowflakes swirled by the wind, landing on their faces, cool and refreshing. The hoof prints left behind were quickly covered by fresh snow.
In this chaotic world, another emperor had fallen.
