Jiuxi

Chapter 961 959 [Breaking Up]

In the afternoon, the fighting in the palace finally subsided, but there were still countless problems to be dealt with.

Qing Yu Huaijin issued the first decree in the name of the regent, appointing Tuoman Ulu as the governor of the Nine Gates, and Huo Yu and five other generals from the other five surnames as deputy governors, to jointly take charge of the defense of the capital and continue to clear out the forces loyal to the royal family in the city.

She also appointed Xie Lie, who came from the Xiashan Army, as the commander of the palace guards, and ordered him to lead more than 5,000 men to guard the imperial palace.

In a side hall of the Daqing Palace, representatives of the five noble families, including Du Ji, sat peacefully, watching Qing Yu Huaijin giving orders in a clear and methodical manner, and could not help but feel deeply moved.

Over the past six months, they were willing to discuss important matters with Qing Yu Huaijin more out of respect for Qing Yu's family, which did not represent their respect for the young princess. However, from last night to now, Qing Yu Huaijin's long-term planning finally reaped rich rewards. She planned an almost impeccable coup.

Especially the sudden deaths of several adult princes and princes instantly greatly increased the possibility of success, leaving the Alihe family with no one to raise the banner and rally the support of the people except the crown prince who was trapped in the palace.

The appearance of three thousand Cang people warriors became a fatal blow that crushed the Hezha warriors.

At this moment, they witnessed with their own eyes that under Qing Yu Huaijin's command, the chaotic situation became clear.

By dusk, although the entire city of Dadu was still under martial law and the air was still filled with a strong smell of blood, the overall situation was gradually calming down, which meant that the six surnames had completely taken control of the capital.

"Your Highness is truly a gifted genius."

The Dingbai clan elder Shanyun couldn't help but praise him.

Qing Yu Huaijin said gently: "I have to thank all the elders for their trust and help, otherwise I would not be able to accomplish so many great things."

Everyone laughed.

Duji said meaningfully: "Your Highness, do you really want to keep the throne of the Alihe family?"

"Since we are going to implement the Six Kings' Council, this is the best choice."

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Qing Yu Huaijin said frankly, "More than forty years ago, we Jinglian people did not establish a country. At that time, the heads of the major tribes discussed major issues together. Now we are just resuming the ancestral system. Keeping the throne of the Alihe family can, on the one hand, reduce domestic unrest as much as possible, and on the other hand, prevent us from fighting among ourselves. After all, what Wu Yan said before his death made sense. If any of us holds power alone, there is no guarantee that we will not become the second Alihe family."

Tu Shan sighed, "Your Highness, just based on this open-minded and upright mind, is far better than that tyrant in Huandu."

Qing Yu Huaijin did not take up this topic.

Everyone sighed for a while, and Du Ji said again: "Your Highness, the prince really..."

A trace of sadness flashed across Qing Yu Huaijin's eyes. After a moment of silence, he said, "If my father hadn't left me a suicide note, I wouldn't have decided to take this path. Although that man died on the battlefield, he would not let my father come back alive."

"Hey."

Tu Shan sighed heavily.

Qing Yu Huai Jin calmed down and changed the subject, saying, "I have asked General Mie Gu Di and General Xi Lie to lead their troops back. At the same time, Shan Yang will continue to stay in Henan Road. We can't let the Qi army go all the way north. As for Wen Gu Sun, we have to ask Master Tu Shan to go there in person. He is the only one who is still hesitating. Please tell him that I have prepared a prince position for him. The six princes' discussion of politics is not empty talk."

Tu Dan nodded and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. Wen Gusun is my brother. Now that the situation has been decided, he will not make mistakes."

The six people present today represent the six most powerful tribes within Dajing.

Except for Qing Yu Huaijin, Du Ji of Huiluo clan, Shi Kugu of Juntugu clan, Shanyang and Shanyun of Dingbai clan and Tang Kuo of Tongyu clan can all represent their respective tribes. The only one who has not made a clear statement is Wen Gusun, the leader of the Huite clan who leads the troops in the south. However, as Tu Shan is the second-in-command of the Huite clan, since he has participated in this coup, Wen Gusun naturally has no other choice.

They discussed for a while, and then left surrounded by their own soldiers.

Qing Yu Huaijin stood up and walked to the adjacent corner room. A personal attendant behind him whispered, "Your Highness, Jiao Lu is dead, but Tian Jue is still alive. What should we do with him?"

"If he is willing to tell all the secrets of the Ministry of Music, I will leave him with an intact body. Otherwise, I will execute him by slow slicing. Tell him that it is wise to recognize the overall situation. Those spies hiding in the dark are incapable of changing their fate."

"Yes!"

Qing Yu Huaijin walked without stopping and came in front of those frightened civil officials.

She looked at them one by one, and finally stopped at the face of Shangshu Ling Zhao Siwen, and said calmly: "You have two choices. Either you go to be buried with the late emperor and the deposed crown prince, and I will immediately promote a group of people to replace your positions. Or you can do your job well, appease the officials below, and let the court resume operation as soon as possible."

Under the watchful eyes of the elite soldiers, Zhao Siwen saluted tremblingly and said, "I am willing to serve His Royal Highness the Regent."

"I am willing to serve you!"

Looking at this group of servile civil officials, Qing Yu Huaijin's cold eyes showed a hint of disgust, but he finally said with restraint: "Go and do your work. Starting tomorrow, I and representatives of the other five surnames will hold meetings in the side hall every morning, and you can also come and join us."

"The minister obeys the order!"

Another uniform salute.

Qing Yu Huaijin said no more and turned to leave.

After nightfall, under the protection of thousands of loyal subordinates, she returned to the Changshan Prince's Mansion, where all enemies had been eliminated and the guards were extremely strict.

After comforting her mother and the elders in the family, she dragged her tired body towards Jinyuan.

There is a lonely moon in the sky, and the quiet night is filled with a chilly feeling.

After bathing and changing clothes, Qing Yu Huaijin dismissed all the maids and sat at the table with a wooden expression, with an envelope in front of her. In it was the last letter Qing Yugong left for her.

A suicide note that was delivered to her more than a month ago.

"Huai Jin, I am destined to die in a foreign land when I go south this time. I hope you won't be too sad, because you have to shoulder the responsibility that your father should shoulder and find a way for the Qingyu family to continue."

"I have been planning in secret since twelve years ago. I have set up secret plots in the court, the army, and the capital. His Majesty is very scheming. He will not let me leave the battlefield alive this time. Only when your brother and I are at the front line will he feel at ease to lead the army south, and you will have the opportunity to overthrow the situation."

"You have done very well in the past two years, better than I expected. Therefore, as long as His Majesty dies, the power you now control will be enough to control the overall situation. You must remember that Shanyang of the Dingbai clan is trustworthy, and you must be careful to guard against the other four clans, especially the Huiluo clan and the Huite clan. These two clans have been enemies with my Qingyu clan for many years. Even if they are temporarily together for the sake of interests, it will be difficult for them to coexist for a long time. Therefore, you can give up first and gain later..."

Looking at the handwriting on the paper that he had already memorized, Qing Yu Huaijin's face showed sadness, and tears kept sliding down his cheeks, dripping onto the table.

"After you take power, you can let Tuoman Wulu and Jielie guard the capital, Shanyang and Shubulie can each lead an army to help you control the domestic situation, Miegudi and Xilie can be responsible for guarding the north bank of the Jing River to prevent the Qi army from going north. But in my opinion, if Lu Chen can kill His Majesty this time, the Qi army will at most advance to the south bank of the Jing River and will not rashly invade the territory of Dajing. They are also in a difficult situation internally, and it will take at least three to five years to recover."

"These few years are your most precious time. Be cautious and guard against external affairs, and gradually centralize power internally. I have prepared a list for you. It is full of loyal and capable people who can help you manage the government. In addition, governing a country requires patience. Think twice before doing anything. I hope you can understand the four words of patience and patience..."

Every word was sincere and heartfelt, every sentence was earnest, as if he was sitting opposite her, teaching her the principles of how to behave in the world with a gentle smile on his face, just like in the past years.

"Father..."

Qing Yu Huaijin's voice trembled, and his thin face no longer had the calmness and composure he had in the palace before, only extreme grief.

"I know that you have had the shadow of Nanqi Lu Chen in your heart for several years. In fact, it's not your fault. After all, among the young men in the world, there is no one as outstanding as him. As your father, of course I hope you can live a happy life, but most of the things in the world are not as you wish. In this difficult time, your father can only put this burden on your shoulders. I hope you can put the cause of the family and the country first."

"Huai Jin, I entrust the future of Qingyu and Dajing to you."

"My father Qing Yugong wrote this last work on October 16, the tenth year of the Tiande reign of the Great Jing Dynasty."

Qing Yu Huaijin held the letter in his hands and cried at his desk, his cry almost heartbreaking.

At this moment, she is no longer the head of Qingyu clan who has countless loyal subordinates, no longer the Princess Yongping who overthrew the royal family and holds power, and no longer the Regent of Dajing who remains calm even when a mountain collapses in front of him.

She was just a young woman who had lost her father.

A lonely man who has to break away from the past twenty-two years of his life and embark on that thorny road.

From now on, no one will be able to shelter her from the wind and rain, and no one will tell her how to go forward.

After an unknown amount of time, Qing Yu Huaijin finally stopped crying with great difficulty, his eyes were already red and swollen.

She slowly stood up and put the suicide note left by Qing Yugong into the secret compartment. Her eyes swept over the envelopes next to it, and she took them out with slightly trembling fingers.

Walking to the brazier, she stood quietly for a long time.

These letters are from Lu Chen.

There was no romantic or ambiguous words in the letter, but it was the only connection between them.

Until this moment, Qing Yu Huaijin was finally willing to face his own heart.

"It turns out I really like you."

"How ridiculous! I actually like an enemy, an enemy who captured me, an enemy who is the biggest threat to Da Jing, an enemy who only wants to use me."

"I must be the most ridiculous woman in the world."

"Lu Chen, you should be laughing at me right now, right?"

"fair enough."

“That’s life.”

"In the final analysis, it's nothing more than letting go."

"After all... it's not difficult."

She placed the envelopes into the brazier.

The flames rose instantly.

The cold wind howled outside the window, like crying and complaining.

Qing Yu Huaijin stared at the flames in the basin, his eyes calm.

There is only silence.

She turned and walked away, her skirt trailing on the ground.