sbdcsierra Chapter 260 Young Man on a White Horse Drunk in the Spring Breeze 34
Chapter 260 Young Man on a White Horse Drunk in the Spring Breeze 34
This stark contrast leads martial arts practitioners to often feel a sense of superiority and distrust when facing the imperial court.
However, Emperor Tai'an turned a blind eye to the delicate balance between the martial arts world and the imperial court. After eliminating Ye Yu, he even wanted to eliminate Baili Luochen.
Unfortunately, Baili Luochen was completely different from Ye Yu; he was not the kind of person who would passively accept his fate.
It is true that Ye Yu longed for his homeland, but it is also true that he was loyal to Beili. He was a product of the successful discipline of the Three Cardinal Guides and Five Constant Virtues, and regarded "if the emperor commands the subject to die, the subject must die" as a matter of course. Therefore, when he received the imperial edict of death from Emperor Tai'an, although he was filled with grief and indignation, he still chose to drink the sword and commit suicide to express his absolute obedience to the imperial power and that he had absolutely no intention of rebelling.
However, if Baili Luochen were to encounter this situation, the circumstances would be completely different.
As long as Emperor Tai'an dares to issue an edict ordering someone's death, Baili Luochen will dare to lead his Pofeng Army in a direct rebellion.
Emperor Tai'an knew this, so he always treated Baili Luochen coldly, sending him to Qiandong City. Baili Luochen also knew that Emperor Tai'an was wary of him, so he did not return to Tianqi City for decades to avoid further conflict and danger.
Now, decades have passed, and the once-powerful god of war, Baili Luochen, is now old and frail. Although his son, Baili Chengfeng, is no less capable than his father and is also eager to kill enemies and make merit on the battlefield, Emperor Tai'an is wary of him and has been reluctant to grant him any military achievements, so he can only stay in Qiandong City.
If things continue like this, once Baili Luochen dies, Baili Chengfeng, who has accomplished nothing, will have no chance of inheriting the Zhenxi Marquis's mansion, let alone protecting his family from Emperor Tai'an's suppression.
Therefore, in order to ensure that his descendants would not be feared by Emperor Tai'an after his death, Baili Luochen did not strictly cultivate his only grandson Baili Dongjun. Instead, he spoiled him to the extreme, turning Baili Dongjun into a little tyrant in Qiandong City, hoping to reduce Emperor Tai'an's vigilance.
Unfortunately, a Cheng Yaojin appeared out of nowhere. The Confucian immortal Gu Chen used wine to force Baili Dongjun to the Vajra Mortal Realm and even taught him the most famous sword technique in the world—the Western Chu Sword Song.
Later, at the sword-testing tournament, Baili Dongjun's move, the Western Chu Sword Song, was so stunning that it captivated the world.
When the news reached Tianqi City and Emperor Tai'an learned that the Marquis of Zhenxi had a successor, he could no longer sit still.
Upon learning of this, Xiao Ruofeng, in order to protect Baili Dongjun, ostensibly went to Qiandong City to capture the Confucian Immortal Gu Chen on imperial orders. However, after arriving in Qiandong City, he used the name of the academy to bring Baili Dongjun back to Tianqi City and had him participate in the academy's grand examination, thus successfully becoming a disciple of Li Changsheng.
Because if there is only one person in this world who can protect Baili Dongjun, then that person must be Li Changsheng.
It was precisely because of Xiao Ruofeng's actions that Baili Chengfeng chose the upright and honest Prince of Langya from among the princes, which led to the later event of the Marquis of Zhenxi's heir entering Tianqi to attend the wedding banquet of Prince Jingyu.
It's quite puzzling that Emperor Tai'an, who wasn't the last emperor, was so wary of his ministers, especially since these two ministers were his sworn brothers whom he had personally promoted.
Now, the Southern Jue and the Northern Barbarians have repeatedly invaded the Northern Li. Faced with this offensive, the Northern Li is already somewhat outmatched and showing signs of fatigue.
However, Emperor Tai'an remained fixated on his own small territory, fearing that his ministers' achievements would overshadow his own, and allowed the princes to fight for power among themselves.
Xiao Ruojin simply couldn't understand this series of actions.
Why should one be wary of their subordinates?
The so-called "merit exceeding the ruler's authority" ultimately stems from the monarch's incompetence.
Take Emperor Tianwu, Xiao Yi, for example. He had a group of capable ministers and generals under his command, some of whom had even broken through to the Divine Travel Realm, yet he showed no fear of them. On the contrary, he kept them all under his control. Even after his death, Grand Tutor Xie Zhize remained at the First Pavilion Under Heaven for hundreds of years, guarding the Heavenly Slaying Sword for Xiao Yi.
This demonstrates not only the brotherhood between Xiao Yi and Xie Zhize, but also Xiao Yi's exceptional management skills.
If Emperor Tai'an had the same spirit as Xiao Yi, Bei Li wouldn't have ended up in this state.
Therefore, Xiao Ruojin concluded that Emperor Tai'an would never take a risk and gamble everything, and would certainly not openly break ties with her.
Instead, he is more likely to adopt a covert strategy, quietly carrying out some small actions, or using clandestine means to try to eliminate Xiao Ruojin.
……
The next morning, an imperial edict arrived at the Jingyu Prince's residence, but the edict was actually addressed to Langya Prince Xiao Ruofeng.
Xiao Ruofeng officially moved into the Langya Prince's Mansion some time ago, but he still frequently visits the Jingyu Prince's Mansion, and recently there has even been a tendency for him to stay there permanently again.
Therefore, after failing to find the person at the Langya Prince's Mansion, the messenger who delivered the imperial edict went directly to the Jingyu Prince's Mansion.
The eunuch, holding the imperial edict aloft, stood proudly in the main hall: "Please, Prince Langya, receive this decree."
Hearing this, Xiao Ruojin didn't even lift her eyelids, remaining seated and not moving an inch. She even waved her hand, telling Xiao Ruofeng not to get up.
The eunuch's expression changed: "Your Highnesses..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Ruojin raised her hand and snatched the imperial edict into his hand. He casually unfolded it and couldn't help but laugh.
It turned out that Marquis Baili Luochen of Zhenxi was suspected of treason. In order to demonstrate fairness, Emperor Tai'an ordered seven senior officials of the Censorate to jointly investigate the case.
Considering Baili Luochen's meritorious service in suppressing rebellions over the years, he was granted special permission to be spared immediate imprisonment, but he was required to be summoned to the capital immediately, with a limit of ten guards accompanying him. The imperial edict has been sent to Qiandong City by an eunuch via the 800-li express courier.
The imperial edict in Xiao Ruojin's hand was given to Xiao Ruofeng by Emperor Tai'an. He ordered Xiao Ruofeng to lead six hundred Golden Guards to set off today to Qiandong City to bring Baili Luochen to Tianqi City.
This imperial edict may seem insignificant, but it actually contains hidden meanings. The multiple implications behind it are enough to allow people of different identities and positions to interpret completely different information.
In the eyes of ordinary people, it was nothing more than a symbol of the emperor's trust and high regard for the Prince of Langya, simple and direct.
However, for those who had heard of Marquis Baili Luochen of Zhenxi, this trust concealed more uncertainty and risk. After all, Baili Luochen was renowned as a god of death, and if he truly harbored rebellious intentions, the messenger sent to greet him would undoubtedly be in grave danger; while if he was innocent and unjustly accused, it was not impossible for him to take extreme measures in anger.
Those who could discern the true nature of the current situation were able to see beyond the surface. They knew that Baili Luochen had no intention of rebelling, and that Emperor Tai'an's actions were more likely aimed at strengthening the ties between the Prince of Langya and the Marquis of Zhenxi, thus bolstering his political foundation.
Xiao Ruojin, who was in the middle of the situation, was fully aware of Emperor Tai'an's thoughts.