Chapter 1002: No One in the Central Plains

Late autumn, in the third year of Xiangfu.

The imperial army, which had been participating in the annual autumn hunt, did not proceed south beyond Liangzhou Pass. Instead, it swiftly moved north, heading directly back to Beiting, the capital.

During the autumn hunt, His Majesty the Emperor had made only one appearance, for a discussion where strategies were drawn in ash one evening, and had not been seen since. Grand Tutor Taiping and Yelü Chucai, a minister who had served three reigns, accompanied him throughout.

Deep within the palace, in a small room far from opulent, a candlelight flickered softly, failing to illuminate the room brightly and instead casting it in a gloomier, dimmer light. This was perhaps a scene epitomizing the phrase 'the chirping of cicadas only deepens the forest's stillness.'

An old woman lay peacefully on her sickbed, her face serene. She seemed to be reminiscing about her glorious past, or perhaps recalling the vibrant days of her youth.

Beside the bed, Grand Tutor Taiping, the Imperial Tutor of Beimang, sat on a small stool, gazing down at the elderly woman whose cheeks were hollowed and whose hair was as white as frost.

Li Mibi, who had single-handedly built Beimang's 'Spiderweb' intelligence network, was behaving even more strangely, simply sitting on the threshold of the room. At this moment, this 'shadow chancellor,' who had struck fear into the hearts of countless Beimang aristocrats, truly resembled an old man in his twilight years, lonely and desolate.

"Your Majesty, are you in any discomfort?"

Grand Tutor Taiping's tone was calm, devoid of any anxiety, fear, or sadness. Instead, there was a touch of rare, almost out-of-place, tenderness.

The old woman answered obliquely, her voice soft: "Are you very curious why I refused to accept the heavenly gift and prolong my life for another four or five years?"

Grand Tutor Taiping nodded, then quickly shook his head. He said softly, "It doesn't matter anymore."

The old woman chuckled dismissively and asked, "Do you think my foolish son, whose ambition soared to the heavens but whose fate was as thin as paper, can ultimately capture Jubu City with his four-hundred-thousand-strong army?"

Grand Tutor Taiping cautiously replied, "As long as Tuoba Pusa defeats Xu Fengnian, the overall situation will be decided. Not to mention a dozen Central Plains martial arts masters; even ten more would be of no use. Even if Tuoba Pusa loses, we won't necessarily lose. Your Majesty need not worry too much about the war."

The old woman gently folded her hands over her abdomen, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Worried? I am not at all worried about the war beyond Liangzhou Pass. After handing over military authority to Yelü Hongcai, I let it go. That child spent over thirty years as an overlooked crown prince; letting him have his moment of glory now balances our mother-son bond and the loyalty between sovereign and subject. We will owe each other nothing. As for whether the war there burns within Liangzhou Pass or spreads into the Southern Dynasty's territory, what is there for a dying person like me to worry about? What *can* I worry about? Throughout my life, I believe my greatest skill has been finding peace of mind. Guilt towards others doesn't linger, and regrets for myself are easily shed. My first half of life was like walking on thin ice, but at least my latter half has been comfortable and pleasant. That's good enough. Moreover, to wear the dragon robe and sit on the dragon throne as a woman is unprecedented. Whether my name is celebrated for a thousand generations or reviled for ten thousand, it is destined to be etched in the historical annals of all future dynasties. What great regret could I possibly have in this life? Probably none."

It was rare for the old woman to be so talkative, and even rarer for her to speak with such a lighthearted composure.

The old man hummed in assent.

Grand Tutor Taiping, from the Qijian Lefu sect, had, in his younger days, angrily left the grasslands to live incognito in the Central Plains of Liyang for two decades, assuming more than a dozen different identities, traveling across the land, observing all walks of life, and experiencing the vast landscapes of spring and autumn.

Among the countless scholars in the world, perhaps only the great demon Huang Sanjia, who brought chaos to the Spring and Autumn period, had truly 'read ten thousand books and traveled ten thousand miles' more than this Beimang Imperial Tutor, whose real name had long been forgotten.

The old woman took a breath and asked, "If Zhao Bing and Chen Zhibao join forces, can they march north all the way to the outskirts of Tai'an City?"

The old man nodded. "Certainly. If all goes as expected, the two rebellious vassal kings will intentionally hold their forces, waiting for our battle with the Beiliang border army to conclude. If they capture the Liyang capital too early, they'll worry about us retreating to the grasslands, or worse, abandoning the Southern Dynasty's territory entirely and retreating to Beiting. That would bring back the awkward situation when the Zhao Imperial House of Liyang unified the Central Plains. Given Prince Yan'e Zhao Bing's nature, he would never allow himself to fail at the last step. At that point, Xu Fengnian would truly become the next Xu Xiao, and Beiliang would remain an unmanageable behemoth, which would not be worthwhile. The only variable in the Central Plains lies with Gu Jiantang's Liangliao border army. With three hundred thousand elite soldiers under his covert and overt command, if he seizes the right moment, he could become the next Xu Xiao after the Battle of Xileibi. And Gu Jiantang would never miss such an opportunity, especially since Liyang no longer has the brilliant old Emperor Zhao Li. The current world is no longer the world of yesteryear. Back then, Xu Xiao dividing the land along the river was unpopular, but if Gu Jiantang successfully enters Tai'an City now, it would be seen as aligning with the heavens' will, making it vastly different."

Seeing that the old woman's spirits were still relatively good, the old man continued as concisely as possible: "Amidst this chaotic era in the Central Plains, among the generals, only a handful from Liyang, like Lu Shengxiang and Xu Gong, who remain outside the direct storm, still have the chance to choose their allegiance. Those like Tang Tieshuang, who are in Tai'an City, will likely face a tragic end. As for the court officials, there's no need to discuss the short-lived Emperor Zhao Xun. Both Zhao Bing and Zhao Zhu, father and son, whoever ascends the throne, will be willing to treat those scholars well. Only the future of Chen Wang, the Left Sanqi Changshi, is uncertain; it depends entirely on whether the new emperor is genuinely magnanimous or merely feigning generosity."

The old woman chuckled self-deprecatingly, "By giving up the chance to live another four or five years, I'll miss out on that grand and spectacular sight, won't I? Was I wrong?"

Grand Tutor Taiping softly began, "If Your Majesty..."

As if knowing what the Imperial Tutor was about to say, the old woman laughed heartily, "Never mind. The world's 'regret medicine' is the most flavorless. I have no use for it."

Grand Tutor Taiping smiled faintly. "Your Majesty is a true hero."

The old woman suddenly uttered a quiet aside, "Li Mibi, that woman may not die, but she must never see the light of day again."

Li Mibi, still seated on the threshold, paused for a moment, then, in a voice just loud enough for the Emperor to hear, said, "Understood."

The old woman seemed to recall something else and asked, "Is Wang Du, that man from the Southern Dynasty who loves planting plum blossoms, truly a pawn?"

Li Mibi raised his voice slightly and said, "Although there's no conclusive evidence, I can still assert that Wang Du is Beiliang's hidden chess piece."

The old woman sighed. "Li Yishan of Tide-Listening Pavilion is truly formidable."

Grand Tutor Taiping showed a trace of genuine admiration and nodded. "Indeed."

Li Mibi asked, "What about Wang Jingchong, the Winter Nazhuo?"

Grand Tutor Taiping answered on his behalf, "His ten thousand private cavalry have certainly joined forces with Yu Luandao's Youzhou light cavalry. The Southern Dynasty's military strength is now weak, like a house with holes on all sides. Unless we send expert assassins to ambush him, there's no way to deal with him. However, with this 'borrowing a knife to kill' scheme, the addition of this Winter Nazhuo merely sharpens the blade a bit, doing no harm overall."

Li Mibi said nonchalantly, "If Your Majesty truly wishes him dead, I can personally handle it."

The old woman laughed. "Never mind. The Southern Dynasty is such a vast territory; even if I offered it on a silver platter, Beiliang's meager cavalry would still need to be able to conquer it. Let them cause trouble."

Speaking of such crucial state affairs concerning the course of the Liangmang war, the old woman was clearly exhausted, and a trace of agitation she could no longer hide appeared on her face. She slowly closed her eyes. It was as if she wished for 'out of sight, out of mind.'