Chapter 368: Early Winter Thunder Shakes the Mountain

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**Heading Alone to Beiliang**Fenghuo Xizhuhou

In the desolate imperial palace, after the autumn rain, autumn winds rustled the leaves. Yan Dongwu, the dynasty's newest imperial concubine, sat under a phoenix tree, sharing amusing anecdotes from the common streets with her mother-in-law, the Empress, speaking freely without inhibition. The harmony between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law far exceeded what was imagined outside the palace. This brilliant woman from Beiliang, who was only surpassed by Xu Weixiong, laughed as she spoke of the incident where poems were inscribed on red leaves. The gentle, courteous, and unassuming Prince immediately picked up a phoenix leaf that had just fallen and had not yet been swept away. He stood up formally, bowed, and said, "Please, my dear wife, compose a poem for me to transcribe. I will grind the ink for you now."

Seated beside them was Empress Zhao Zhi, adorned in a phoenix crown and a formal robe. Though her appearance was ordinary, she possessed extraordinary grace and elegance and was deeply respected by the Emperor. For many years, they had treated each other with utmost respect. Beyond his diligent work, the Zhao family Emperor would occasionally, when in the mood, personally paint her eyebrows. As for Zhao Zhi's management of the imperial harem with a blend of strictness and leniency, it genuinely sent shivers down the spines of all the favored concubines. Not long ago, a concubine was banished to the Cold Palace, where she cried daily in Changchun Palace. She secretly spent three hundred taels of gold to acquire a melancholic poem filled with ornate words, only for the Empress herself to deliver it to His Majesty. The result was obvious: she would remain in Changchun Palace until she grew old and lost her charm.

Zhao Zhi watched the playful banter between the Prince and his concubine, a slight smile touching her lips. She cast a look at her son, who was considered the least spirited among the princes, conveying authority without anger. Her words, however, gently revealed her thoughts: "You're never serious. You're far less learned than your own wife, and you don't even try to improve."

The Prince, known for his refined taste in the capital, responded with a helpless expression, "A woman without talent is virtuous, Mother. You should be scolding Dongwu instead! With her vast knowledge, she's more than qualified to be the Director of the Imperial Academy or even a Grand Eunuch."

Yan Dongwu also mimicked Zhao Zhi, glaring at her outspoken husband and pinching him under the table.

Zhao Zhi reached out and tapped her son's forehead. "Are you indirectly criticizing me and Dongwu? Or are you criticizing both of us together?"

When the Prince smiled, his handsome face radiated a heartwarming warmth, utterly charming and intoxicating. Such a refined man, born into the imperial family, drove the daughters of aristocratic families in the capital wild with desire. His marriage to Yan Dongwu, a woman from Beiliang and the daughter of a Beiliang civil official, utterly bewildered the entire capital. However, facts proved that they were a perfect match. On her few appearances at palace banquets, Yan Dongwu was impeccable, much to the satisfaction of many old, influential figures who had long resided in the capital. The Prince held Yan Dongwu's cool small hand, faced Empress Zhao Zhi, and chuckled, "I'm criticizing both of you! You two are both exceedingly talented. It's I, your good-for-nothing son who shames Mother, who loves the two most cherished women in my life. Here with Mother, I love Mother more. And when I return home, I love my wife more."

Zhao Zhi teased, "If Fengya hears that, how will you manage to explain yourself?"

The Prince sighed wistfully, "That ungrateful girl! I've worried about her for twenty years for nothing. She's visited my imperial younger brother far more often than me in recent years."

Zhao Zhi's expression remained calm. "Later, when she marries and experiences some hardships, she'll understand who truly cares for her."

The Prince shook his head. "I can't bear for her to suffer. It would break my heart."

Zhao Zhi chuckled again. "Your wife is right here; you're not thinking before you speak. Who cares for their sister for a lifetime? Besides, your sympathy won't help her."

Yan Dongwu softly said, "Princess Suizhu truly has a very good nature."

Zhao Zhi nodded.

The Prince reached out and held a withered autumn leaf, sighing, "It's a fine autumn for coolness."

Unexpectedly, rumbling thunder echoed through the gloomy sky without warning.

The Prince frowned. "That sounds like winter thunder."

Zhao Zhi, who preferred a clean visual field, gently brushed away a phoenix leaf that had just fallen onto the table and squinted towards the west.

Listening to the thunder, the Prince smiled and quietly dropped the autumn leaf from his hand.

After Xu Xiao was granted the title of a king of a different surname, Gu Jiantang, who had extinguished the states of Spring and Autumn, took charge of the Ministry of War as a Grand General of the first rank, outranking the ministers of the other five ministries. He became the nominal head of all military officials in the Liyang Dynasty. Aside from the six vassal kings, only Chief Grand Secretary Zhang Julu and the leader of the opposition faction, Sun Xiji, held positions equal to his in the imperial court. Last year, he personally went to the northern frontier of the empire to oversee all border affairs, and thus rarely participated in court assemblies. However, no one dared to submit a memorial suggesting that, out of "consideration" for Grand General Gu's hard work, his position as Minister of War should be removed. The Ministry of War remained Gu's impenetrable "General's Camp," allowing no infiltration. As a top-tier border official and the leader of Gu's faction, Gu Jiantang had almost no private interactions with Zhang Julu, except for previously lodging overnight in the palace while on duty. This time, upon his return to the capital, he surprisingly paid a visit to the Chief Grand Secretary's residence, openly and without concern for whether the Emperor would suspect collusion between civil and military officials, or that officials from the capital would conspire. Such official taboos, which power-wielding ministers throughout history dreaded like tigers, were minor matters to Gu Jiantang. The Grand General traveled in civilian clothes, bringing along Yuan Tingshan, the newly appointed Colonel of the Flying Cavalry, whose exact relation (adopted son or son-in-law) was unclear. Behind the narrow gates of most residences belonging to other important Liyang officials on the same street, several pairs of eyes were fixed on them. As Minister Gu strode out of Chief Grand Secretary Zhang's residence, they quickly reported back to their waiting masters.

Precisely half an hour. Not even enough time to drink two pots of tea! What crucial military or national affairs could have been discussed?

Yuan Tingshan, who had been restlessly pacing inside the residence, followed the Grand General into the carriage. He could not discern any clues from the face of the world's foremost blade master, whose expression was as bland as a plain steamed bun, greatly disappointing Yuan Tingshan, who wished for a grand confrontation.

Yuan Tingshan was an impatient man who could not sit still for a moment. The silent carriage made him feel as if days were years. As soon as they drove out of the street where great figures of the dynasty resided behind every gate, he could not help but ask, "Grand General, what was that all about?"

Gu Jiantang did not respond.

Yuan Tingshan usually behaved like an arrogant ruffian in front of anyone, but he was slightly better behaved in front of Grand General Gu, not daring to act presumptuously. After all, deep down, he genuinely admired his future father-in-law, who possessed both military achievements and formidable martial prowess. Originally, his greatest admiration was for Xu Xiao, the "Man-Butcher" who was granted the title of a king of a different surname. Later, after he attacked the widow Xu Zhihu in Jiangnan Province and was severely wounded by that young immortal who could sever destiny with a sword, he felt that he would never have a good relationship with Xu Xiao. So, he turned to pester Gu Jiantang instead. At this moment, Yuan Tingshan could only grumble, "If you don't say it, then don't. I'm too lazy to guess anyway."

Gu Jiantang calmly stated, "You no longer need to concern yourself with the martial arts world in the north. I will send you to Jizhou."

Yuan Tingshan frowned tightly. "Jizhou? The old stronghold of the Han family, known for their unwavering loyalty? I heard they were executed and their family eradicated by Chief Grand Secretary Zhang to assert his authority. Grand General, you played a significant role in that, didn't you?"

Gu Jiantang cast a sidelong glance at Yuan Tingshan, who shrank his neck and whispered, "Anyway, none of the officials are not ruthless. How many people have I killed? Compared to you, it's nothing!"

Gu Jiantang's tone remained even. "Once you're in Jizhou, you don't need to report to me about killings. I will intercept any impeachments from the imperial court."

Yuan Tingshan exclaimed, "Really?"

Gu Jiantang closed his eyes.

Yuan Tingshan chuckled, "If there's ever a major battle, please don't let me get a big promotion. Otherwise, Beiliang won't be able to handle me! I have a mortal enmity with that Prince Xu."

Gu Jiantang, with eyes closed, sneered, "Just you?"

Yuan Tingshan clasped his hands behind his head and leaned against the carriage wall, his eyes grim. "That day will come. We'll see whose blade is more lethal!"

Gu Jiantang slowly said, "There might not be an opportunity."

Yuan Tingshan was shocked. "Grand General, what do you mean by that?"

Gu Jiantang smiled without warmth, a smile that sent shivers down the spine of even the fearless mad dog Yuan.

"Watching tigers fight from the mountain, but this time, those on the mountain will descend."

Jiange, serving as the strategic choke point controlling the west for the dynasty, garrisoned a considerable number of battle-hardened elite soldiers, both infantry and cavalry. The eight thousand infantry mostly comprised forces inherited from the Spring and Autumn War, with the majority being old subordinates of Grand General Gu Jiantang and a smaller portion belonging to Prince Yan Che.

The eight thousand cavalry, however, presented a complex situation, broadly divided into three contending factions. Three thousand cavalry were orphans, raised without parents, led by Wang Zhi, a general who had steadily risen through military achievements after the Spring and Autumn period. He frequently led two or three hundred elite cavalry deep into the Western Regions for "hunting expeditions," his hands stained dark with blood, making him unpopular among his colleagues. At this moment, he was leading his three thousand cavalry to annihilate a group of plateau bandits. Another general, commanding three thousand cavalry, though not explicitly part of Minister of War Gu's faction, was always considered a relatively orthodox official dispatched from the capital's Ministry of War, having climbed the ranks through his connections in the capital. This constituted a distinct external faction in Jiange. The remaining two thousand cavalry were local forces of Jianmen Pass, whose cavalry general, He Yan, had always been a fence-sitter, leading a relatively frustrating existence. With fewer troops under his command and an unprincipled leader, these two thousand cavalry, despite their respectable fighting power, never gained any significant benefits. Oddly, despite the intertwined interests and mutual undermining among various factions in Jiange, these two thousand men remained precariously balanced, steadfastly sitting on the fence without fully committing to one side.

Ruan Dacheng, the commander of Jiange, nominally headed the Gu faction's direct lineage generals who controlled the eight thousand infantry. Today, he watched helplessly as two thousand cavalry, without authorization, broke camp and headed west out of the pass. In the military camp, he had already cursed He Yan, that bastard's ancestors for eighteen generations. He was just about to instruct his trusted civilian aide to draft an impeachment memorial to the Ministry of War, accusing He Yan of leaving the pass without cause. However, as Ruan Dacheng dictated and his aide refined the writing almost to the end, he stopped. He Yan was notoriously cunning and slippery; why would he suddenly act so illogically? When Ruan Dacheng personally tried to intercept them earlier, those two thousand cavalry had even charged directly out of the city, displaying such a brutal readiness to kill anyone who blocked their path that Ruan Dacheng almost thought it was a mutiny. He had no choice but to yield to their momentum, at the time only relieved to have caught them in the act. Now, recalling the incident, Ruan Dacheng calmed down, and his calculations became more precise. He picked up the memorial from his desk, slowly burned it with a tinder, and said to the astonished aide, "Replace it with a secret letter. Find a trustworthy postal runner and send it urgently, five hundred li expedited, to the capital. Deliver it personally to the Minister."

Just then, a dust-covered, clean-shaven man burst into the main tent. Ruan Dacheng was initially angry at his guards' incompetence, but upon recognizing the face, his expression quickly shifted to surprise and apprehension. As he was about to utter a few flattering words, the grand eunuch, clearly an imperial eunuch, stomped his foot furiously and pointed at Ruan Dacheng's nose, unleashing a torrent of abuse: "Useless fool, why didn't you stop He Yan's two thousand cavalry?!"

Ruan Dacheng stood dumbfounded, contemplating how to remedy the situation.

The grand eunuch, who had diligently served the Empress in the palace for many years, fiercely flicked his sleeve and departed, leaving Ruan Dacheng with words that made his legs tremble: "Ruan Dacheng, just wait to be thrown out of Jiange! Useless!"

Ruan Dacheng, bewildered, stood rooted to the spot, regaining his composure after a long while. There was no third person in the tent, and this influential general still only dared to curse inwardly: "You dog, do you eunuchs even have balls?!"

Outside Jianmen Pass, two thousand cavalry galloped like a torrent.

Far ahead, a man wearing a cloak over a crimson python-embroidered robe, billowed by the strong winds of his furious ride, had a head full of silver hair.

His demeanor was extremely imposing.

He had intercepted Cao Changqing in the Liyang Imperial Palace three times.

Once, that great official was only a hundred paces from His Majesty the Emperor.

Yet, he was still forcibly blocked by this chief eunuch of the realm.

Previously, the "White Fox-faced" man from the Beiliang Prince's manor descended from his room and departed, even startling the King of Beiliang.

Xu Xiao smilingly asked, "Departing already?"

The White Fox-faced man calmly replied, "Just getting some air. I'll be back soon."

Xu Xiao naturally folded his hands into his sleeves and asked, "Does this not count as a formal departure?"

The White Fox-faced man nodded. "Naturally."

On this day, Nangong Puye, renowned as the world's most beautiful woman, left Liangzhou, disappearing without a trace.

Almost simultaneously, in the vast Western Regions, a single rider traveled slowly.

A white-clad man carried a long, dark purple spear.

The spearhead was not yet affixed, making the spear resemble more of a staff.

The spear's name was "Plum Wine."

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