Hou Ye's palm heart is a black lotus

Chapter 785 He Won't Break His Promise (First Update)
"How could such a huge oversight occur when the Prince of Yan was stationed in the southwest?"

Several cabinet ministers discussed the matter together in the Imperial Study, their expressions all very serious.

"The rebels have been around for over a month, and the news has only just reached the capital."

Chen Songshi stroked his beard and pondered, "Some time ago, the Prince of Yannan returned to the capital, and most of his attention was on the prisoners of the Southern Hu. If we count, the rebels should have started their actions after he left the southwest."

"I heard that the rebel army came with great force, and they were obviously well prepared. After the Battle of Longcheng, the Prince of Yannan led his personal troops back to the capital, which indeed gave them an opening."

"Judging from this, these people are quite cunning! To have grown and prospered under the very nose of the Prince of Yannan to this day, the person behind them must be no ordinary individual!"

"The most urgent task is to ask the Prince of Yannan to send troops to quell the rebellion! His Majesty has just ascended the throne; if trouble breaks out now..."

At this point, everyone exchanged glances, their eyes filled with worry.

Since Xiao Chengqi took this position, he has faced numerous setbacks and troubles.

Now even rebels have appeared! This is outrageous!
Xiao Chengqi remained silent until the crowd began to discuss the matter, at which point he finally asked, "Have you found out the origins of the rebels?"

"This……"

Chen Songshi hesitated.

Miao Sheng, who was standing nearby, added: "It is said that they raised the banner of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, the ministers were all stunned.

"The Great Zhou? It's just a remnant of the previous dynasty!?"

Miao Sheng said, "Based on the current investigation, they have been lurking in the southwest for a long time and have maintained secret contact. The terrain in the southwest is rugged, and even with the Prince of Yannan present, it would be difficult for them to be discovered if they deliberately concealed themselves. Therefore, it was only today—"

"Hmph, they're nothing but a bunch of delusional fools! Since the founding emperor overthrew the Great Zhou and quelled the turmoil, the country has become prosperous and the people have lived in peace and contentment. It's a miracle that these people have survived this long, yet they still dare to dream of restoring the country! They are utterly overestimating themselves and are ridiculously laughable!"

"Indeed! The Great Zhou court is corrupt beyond measure, and the people are suffering terribly. It should have ended long ago! What we are doing today is nothing more than a resurgence of the dead. With the Prince of Yannan in charge, what is there to fear?"

While everyone else was quite optimistic, Chen Songshi remained worried.

He looked at Xiao Chengqi and said, "Your Majesty, although there is the Prince of Yannan in the southwest, he is still adjacent to the Nanhu. If the Nanhu take advantage of this to cause trouble, the Prince of Yannan will be attacked from both sides..."

Xiao Chengqi fell into deep thought. "Logically speaking, the Southern Hu have just suffered a great loss and would not dare to act rashly. However... Tuoba Shan is stubborn and vindictive. Who knows if he might harbor resentment and do something outrageous..."

"Your Majesty, I doubt those Southern Hu people would dare to be so audacious. The rebel army is now quite powerful and must be suppressed as soon as possible!"

After a moment's thought, Xiao Chengqi finally said,

"Issue the imperial decree! Order the Prince of Yannan to take command in the southwest and quell the rebellion!"

"Yes!"

……

News of a rebellion in the southwest quickly spread to the capital.

Many people would secretly chat about it during their leisure time. Ye Jingyan, who was at the Imperial Academy, was especially well-informed.

"It is said that the rebels are marching north and are heading straight for the capital."

Inside the study, Ye Jingyan put down his calligraphy brush, a hint of worry on his handsome face.

Ye Chutang glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, "Ayan, your heart is in turmoil."

Ye Jingyan nodded frankly without any hesitation, "My elder sister has always understood me best. These rebels rose up in the southwest, and the Prince of Yannan must be held responsible for them. Under normal circumstances, this would be no problem, but... Tuoba Yu is dead."

It was rare for him to feel so uneasy.

“Sister, if Tuoba Shan harbors rebellious intentions, the southwestern border will be extremely dangerous! Once the Prince of Yannan engages in battle with the rebels, he will be unable to spare any resources to provide support. At that time, Ah Feng—”

Ah Feng is currently in Duzhou!

Ye Chutang walked to the desk, reached out and pulled out the paper with the misspelled word, her expression calm.

"If you make even one mistake, this manuscript won't pass; just throw it away."

As she spoke, she indeed tore the paper to shreds and threw it away.

"Sister-"

“I know you’re worried about Ah Feng. But firstly, he’s a thousand miles away from the capital, and our worrying about him now won’t do him any good. Secondly, this is the path he chose himself. If he can’t even handle something like this, then it would be better to let him give up sooner and return to the capital to live his comfortable and peaceful life as before.”

Ye Jingyan was still worried. "But he's only been gone for less than a year. Besides, Tuoba Shan and Shui Xingqiu will definitely see him as a thorn in their side! I'm afraid the other border cities aren't as dangerous as his place!"

“I said, this is his own choice.” Ye Chutang stared intently at Ye Jingyan, her face unusually devoid of a smile, only her eyes were clear and cold, firm and indifferent. “Ayan, you should have thought of this day the day Afeng set off.”

"It's not just him. Which of the thousands of soldiers who joined the army didn't have parents, brothers, wives, and children? If everyone hesitates and fears death, then we might as well not care about anything at all, just bow down, kneel down, and submit to the emperor!"

Ye Jingyan's heart was filled with lingering emotions.

His older sister almost never spoke to him in such a serious or even somewhat cold tone, but now, she was doing it for Ah Feng, and even more so for the countless people that Ah Feng was desperately protecting.

"...Sister, I know I was wrong." Ye Jingyan came to her senses and felt ashamed.

Ye Chutang softened her expression. "Ayan, I know you're worried about Afeng, that's why you're like this, but you have to understand, he's the same as you. You have things you want to do, and I'm not stopping you. As for Afeng, he also has things he's willing to give everything for. In any case, I respect his choice."

Just then, a small noise came from outside the door.

Ye Chutang turned around and saw that Xiao Wu had arrived at the door at some point. He seemed to have sensed that something was wrong and was looking at them timidly.

Meeting Ye Chutang's gaze, Xiao Wu finally couldn't help but run over and throw himself into her arms, his big eyes filled with unconcealed worry.

—Sister, is Fourth Brother really in danger in Duzhou?
Ye Chutang's lips curved slightly.
"Don't worry, your fourth brother promised that if there's a chance in the future, he'll take you to try the wild goat meat from the border region, and he'll personally roast it for you."

"He won't go back on his word."