Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 507 He's playing you!

Luoyang.

Inside the palace, Yuan Baoju gazed at the beautiful scenery of Jiulong Lake with listless interest.

Suddenly, a sound came from beside my ear.

"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has arrived!"

Yuan Baoju frowned.

After several years on the throne, Yuan Baoju appointed his son with Lady Yifu, Yuan Qin, as crown prince.

But at some point, the crown prince changed, becoming someone his father no longer recognized.

Perhaps it was when he left the palace and began living alone in the East Palace that things started to change.

"The beauty of the palace is unparalleled in the world, so why does Father Emperor look displeased?"

Yuan Baoju was an uneducated and incompetent man, yet he had spent many years in Luoyang. Because of his father's rebellion, his life had not been easy since childhood, and he had seen the coldness and warmth of human relationships.

As soon as Yuan Qin opened his mouth, Yuan Baoju knew what he was going to say!
Before Yuan Baoju could speak, Yuan Qin preemptively said:
"No matter how beautiful the scenery in the palace is, you will get tired of it after living there for a long time. The scenery in Jinyong City, where the King of Qin lived, was far inferior to that of the palace, but he never got tired of it."

Yuan Baoju looked at the little brat standing not far from him and cursed.

"Who told you that, kid?"

"The people of the world will have their own judgment!"

Yuan Qin was quite a troublemaker, and he even waved his hand, ordering the palace servants around Yuan Baoju to leave.

But Yuan Baoju snorted coldly at the group of palace servants around him who wanted to leave.

"Since when has the Crown Prince been in charge of this palace?"

Upon hearing this, the surrounding palace servants all knelt down, not daring to utter another word.

Yuan Qin seemed to see a majesty he had never seen in his father, but Yuan Baoju’s next words were met with an angry shout.

"The Crown Prince should stay in the Eastern Palace and cultivate his character if he has nothing else to do. He should not wander around."

Yuan Baoju dismissed Crown Prince Yuan Qin with an attitude that left no room for doubt, not allowing him to utter a single word.

Looking at his young crown prince, who was full of complaints, Yuan Baoju felt helpless.

There are some people and things that he can no longer control.

……

Yuan Qin returned to the Eastern Palace, feeling very resentful after being scolded by his father.

"Why is Father so cowardly!"

Several people had already gathered around Yuan Qin. Upon hearing this, the leader quickly reminded him:

"Your Highness, you must not speak ill of His Majesty!"

Yuan Qin shut his mouth. After everyone left, only the person who had spoken out to offer advice remained. He couldn't help but say:

"Yuan Lie, you know the predicament of my Yuan family, why does Father Emperor turn a blind eye?"

Yuan Lie, who was the Crown Prince's Chamberlain, cupped his hands and said:

"Your Highness, His Majesty certainly knows, but he has no military power. Even if he knew, what could he do?"

"military power!"

Yuan Qin clenched his hands as he spoke those two words.

"The imperial guards in the palace are all subordinates of Ōno Sō. The Crown Prince's palace has no more than three hundred men who can be used. How can they possibly be an enemy of him?"

Yuan Lie, however, advised:

"Your Highness, there's no need for this. Even with a million soldiers, Erzhu Rong still died at the hands of Emperor Xiaozhuang. How can Da Yeshuang's cruelty compare to Erzhu Rong's?"

Yuan Qin felt much better after hearing this.

"But time waits for no one! If Da Yeshuang returns from his campaign against Liao, he will surely follow the example of Cao Cao and Wang Mang. By then, I won't even have three hundred men left by my side." "Your Highness, there is something I wish to say, but I do not know whether I should?"

"What can't be said now!"

"Although the four borders are at peace now, the kings of Liang in the south are unwilling to be controlled by Da Yeshuang. If the Liang emperor were assassinated now, Liang would surely be in chaos. With the south in turmoil, Da Yeshuang would find it difficult to sit idly by and would probably defy the world and immediately do what Cao Cao did."

Yuan Qin listened and asked:
"Can it be done?"

"To be honest, Your Highness, there are also people in the Lanling Xiao Clan who are dissatisfied with Da Yeshuang and share the same hatred as my Yuan Clan. Your Highness, rest assured, even if this matter is exposed, it will not implicate Your Highness."
-
Pyongyang.

Upon learning that Li Shuang had sent another envoy, Gao Baoyan felt a sense of fear and lacked the courage to face him.

He lingered in the inner palace, not seeking out the recently favored Consort Zhong and Consort Xiao, but instead, as if possessed, he arrived at the First Consort's bedchamber.

Looking at the First Madam sitting under the tree embroidering, Gao Baoyan felt a deep longing in his heart, but the words that came out of his mouth were sarcastic.

"What a great time!"

Seeing the Madam's slightly surprised expression, Gao Baoyan continued:
Should I address you as Madam, or Lady Li?

In this era, not all women had their own surnames. In fact, in places like the Khitan and Buyeo, even men did not have surnames.

With the restoration of the Buyeo Kingdom, the current Buyeo royal family now has a surname.

Li Shi!

Gao Baoyan's words were full of sarcasm, but the First Madam stood up slightly.

"Your Majesty did not listen to what I had to say last time. Would Your Majesty be willing to listen this time?"

"You should tell me!"

"The King of Qin led a large army, and in just over two months, many cities in Liaodong surrendered. The war was already beyond saving."

"Are you going to persuade me to surrender again?"

The First Madam shook her head and said:
"Your Majesty, I have already defeated Wang Lu. We cannot surrender now; we must drag this out."

Gao Baoyan's expression changed, and he asked:

"Drag it out?"

"Xincheng, Gaimucheng, and Bishacheng—none of these mountain fortresses should have fallen so quickly, yet they have all been breached. This is due to our army's blunder. At this time, Your Majesty should send troops to support Wugucheng. As long as Wugucheng remains intact, Pyongyang will be safe. If there are still loyal and capable men in cities like Anshi and Momi who can hold back the Qin King's advance, that would be a fortunate outcome."

Gao Baoyan listened and fell into deep thought.

"Are you saying I should ignore Zu Ting?"

The First Madam nodded, and then advised:
"Your Majesty must not be misled by the King of Qin's offensive at this moment. Consider that Zu Ting traveled over a thousand miles and arrived in Pyongyang in just over ten days. This shows that Your Majesty also has concerns!"

"concern?"

"With the King of Qin leading his army to Liaodong, changes are bound to occur in the Central Plains. How can the Xiao and Yuan clans stand by and watch the King of Qin swallow up their empires? Once the Central Plains are in turmoil, the King of Qin will naturally withdraw his army. At that time, the King might even be able to recover Liaodong."

Just as Gao Baoyan was finding the story increasingly plausible, his concubine, Madam Xiqun, arrived.

"Your Majesty, I came to pay my respects to the King and the First Lady, but I did not expect the King to be here as well."

When the First Madam saw Lady Xiqun, she frowned. Lady Xiqun hadn't visited since she lost Gao Baoyan's favor.

How could it be such a coincidence?

"Perfect timing, I'll come and have a seat at your place!"

On the way, Gao Baoyan relayed what the First Madam had said to Xiqun, who was quite surprised and said:
"How could the First Madam utter such treacherous words?"

"A scourge to the nation!"

"Your Majesty, consider this: most of the nation's army is currently in Liaodong. If we do not see Zu Ting, we will anger the King of Qin. If he joins forces with Baekje, Silla, and Buyeo to launch a joint attack, our nation's foundation may be destroyed! If we do not negotiate peace, even if the King of Qin retreats this time, what will happen if he launches military campaigns every year afterward?"

Upon hearing the name Fuyu Kingdom, Gao Baoyan's displeasure and apprehension were stirred up once again.

……

(End of this chapter)