With a single sentence, Song Liang left everyone in Zhaoyang Palace stunned.
Those present were seasoned political veterans. From the young emperor’s insistence on detaining them over a mere leak from the Grand Secretariat to Jiang Wei’s inexplicable rebellion, they had already guessed that today’s upheaval was connected to him.
Yet now the emperor was telling them he had taken no precautions whatsoever.
Cheng Qu spoke with a stiff smile.
“Your Majesty, this is no time for jokes. The Jinwu Rear Guard will be coming in any moment…”
“Then let them come. Aren’t all of you here?”
“Your Majesty jests. We are civil officials, barely capable of trussing a chicken. How could we resist armed soldiers?”
“Then explain the founding emperor’s grace and the ancestral institutions to them. Perhaps they’ll agree to lay down their blades.”
“…”
The old ministers’ expressions grew exceedingly ugly.
That was precisely the argument they had used to withhold his reform proposal. His bringing it up now was clearly meant to mock them.
Unfortunately, that fool from the Jiang family had truly rebelled for reasons only he understood.
They had seen and heard it themselves. There was no denying it.
“Your Majesty, how can the two matters be conflated?”
Fan Yuan could not help stepping forward.
He had supported withholding the reform proposal, and hearing Song Liang mention it again made him want to defend himself.
Before he could continue, however, Jiang Wei ran out of patience outside.
Leading his Jinwu Guards through the main doors, he called, “Lord Zhang, I am acting on the Grand Empress Dowager’s orders to apprehend assassins. You must not—”
Before he could finish, everyone in the hall turned to look at him.
Chancellor Yin Chui. Left Censor-in-Chief Cheng Qu. Hanlin Grand Academician Chang Xiaofen. Minister of Personnel Fan Yuan…
Jiang Wei froze.
The young eunuch’s words echoed through his mind.
[His Majesty has been unwell lately and stayed awake all last night. He is currently taking medicine in his bedchamber.]
Taking medicine?
Did taking medicine require the company of the entire Grand Secretariat?
He had thought only Zhang Shiyuan was here.
Instead, every Grand Secretary was present!
Thinking of the secretariat reminded him of something. He hastily looked around.
Only after confirming that Xie Yun was nowhere to be seen did he breathe a little easier.
But only a little.
Any one of the old men in this room possessed immense power and an illustrious background.
Had there been only one, he could have killed him. No one would have known.
But with a whole room of them watching, never mind killing an old minister—even killing the young emperor would be difficult!
Cold sweat broke out across Jiang Wei’s back.
For a moment, he could neither advance nor retreat. At the same time, he anxiously wondered why the Grand Empress Dowager’s Golden Plume Guard had not arrived.
Seeing that the man interrupting him was the very instigator of today’s turmoil, Fan Yuan snorted coldly.
“You insolent boy! Why do you not kneel before His Majesty? And why have you not paid your respects to us?”
Jiang Wei’s expression stiffened slightly.
Forcing the corners of his mouth upward, he bowed.
“Greetings, my lords.”
Then he slowly straightened, looked toward Song Liang above them, and casually added, “Greetings, Your Majesty.”
“Insolence!”
Fan Yuan pointed straight at him.
“You dare show His Majesty such disrespect?”
Jiang Wei remained composed.
By now, he had regained his calm.
These old ministers might hold high office and come from distinguished families, but they were merely self-serving opportunists who followed whichever way the wind blew.
They knew perfectly well what had happened to the late emperor.
After the young emperor’s accession, they had watched him suffer under the Grand Empress Dowager and Xie Yun without intervening.
They had not even dared involve themselves in the matter of appointing an empress, ultimately driving the young emperor to leave the palace in anger and end up in Hanshui City.
Now that he had returned, they still dared not raise the question of his assuming personal rule.
Clearly, they remained afraid of the Prince Regent and the Grand Empress Dowager. They wanted only to protect themselves.
Even if Jiang Wei slaughtered the young emperor before their eyes today, they probably would not dare do anything to him!
“My lords, I am here on the Grand Empress Dowager’s orders to apprehend assassins. Please stand aside. If any of you were injured, I would have difficulty explaining it to her!”
His words stunned the assembled ministers.
As members of Yanjing’s old noble establishment, they all knew exactly what the Jiang family’s young man was worth.
He was a wastrel, accomplished in neither letters nor arms.
But however stupid he was, he should not have suddenly launched a rebellion. More likely, he had fallen into someone’s trap.
That was why Fan Yuan’s apparent rebuke had actually been an attempt to give him a way out.
They wanted to smooth the matter over. If it escalated further, blood would surely be spilled.
Yet this fool—whether truly stupid or genuinely convinced he could carry off a rebellion—had adopted this attitude!
Did he really want to die?
“Jiang Wei!”
Another minister spoke. He had old ties to the Jiang family and could not resist warning him.
“Have you gone mad? Have you never considered that this—”
“Lord Yang.”
Song Liang suddenly interrupted, his gaze sweeping lightly toward the minister.
“Commander Jiang says he is acting under orders. Naturally, he has his own procedures. Do you understand his duties better than he does?”
Cold sweat broke out down Lord Yang’s back.
Recognizing the warning, he immediately lowered his head and said no more.
Only then was Song Liang satisfied.
He turned toward the de facto leader of the Twelve Guards, the Jinwu Rear Guard commander who had tried to put him in his place at the parade ground.
“Commander Jiang. I’ve heard so much about you.”
His words were strange. His reaction was strange too.
But Jiang Wei noticed nothing amiss.
He merely thought the young emperor was indeed naïve and foolish, still trying to curry favor with him at a time like this.
Unfortunately, he had no intention of sparing him today!
Lifting his chin, he ignored Song Liang and ordered his men, “Escort the ministers out!”
At last, fear appeared on their faces.
Even Yin Chui could not help rebuking him grimly.
“Jiang Wei, do you truly have no wish to live?”
Jiang Wei scoffed.
“You gentlemen have always known how to protect yourselves. You would do well to stay out of this today too. And remember: outside this hall, there are not only my Jinwu Rear Guards, but also our brothers from the Tengxiang and Wuxiang Guards!”
Several old Grand Secretaries nearly blacked out.
Even Fan Yuan closed his eyes in despair.
Song Liang, however, laughed softly.
“You all heard him. Not only the Jinwu Rear Guard, but the Tengxiang and Wuxiang Guards as well. Descendants of Great Yao’s meritorious servants, nobles blessed by the founding emperor’s grace, attempting rebellion before your very eyes. Have any of you anything to say?”
Yin Chui and the others fell silent.
No one spoke.
They had given up hope of persuading Jiang Wei. They wanted only to know what the young emperor’s plan actually was.
Jiang Wei was determined to murder his sovereign today. Even the assembled Grand Secretaries could not stop him.
How could Song Liang, a frail, scholarly emperor with no apparent strength, possibly survive?
Jiang Wei knew nothing of their deeper concerns.
While ordering his men to herd Yin Chui and the others into a side hall, he drew his saber and approached Song Liang, who remained seated behind the desk.
Yin Chui and the ministers stared, scarcely breathing.
Cheng Qu could not help crying out, “Your Majesty—”
Looking down at Song Liang, Jiang Wei mocked him.
“Don’t imagine they actually care whether you live or die. The Chen imperial family has plenty of collateral branches. The Prince of Xiangyang’s second son would do nicely. Once he is brought here, they’ll hail him as emperor just the same. They won’t even remember your name.”
Leaning back in his chair, Song Liang laughed.
Then he lifted his eyes, his lips still curved, and said slowly, “They don’t need to remember my name. They only need to kneel before me.”
“Of course, you don’t need to remember it either. You won’t be alive much longer.”
Jiang Wei faltered, then anger flared.
He reached for Song Liang’s collar, intending to teach him a lesson.
Before his hand reached the fabric, however, a cool sensation brushed his wrist.
In the next instant, a heart-rending scream rang through Zhaoyang Palace.
“Ah—my hand!”
Yin Chui and the others, still being driven away, turned in shock.
The Jinwu Rear Guards turned as well.
What they saw was a horrifying sight they would never forget.
Jiang Wei, who had been swaggering moments earlier, had collapsed to the floor. His saber lay beside him.
His right hand, which had held the weapon, was now clamped around his left wrist.
Above that wrist, there was nothing.
Only torn red flesh and the white of severed bone.
Blood spurted out, soaking his sleeve and the carpet in moments.
On the desk two steps away lay a bloody severed hand.
Its fingers still twitched faintly, as though they had not yet realized they were no longer attached to their owner.
Everyone stared at the gruesome scene, speechless.
Behind the desk, Song Liang casually lifted a piece of silk and wiped the blood from his blade.
Then he rose and walked toward Jiang Wei, who sat on the floor howling.
Jiang Wei looked up at him in terror.
“Someone—”
Before he could finish, Song Liang kicked the fallen saber into the air, caught it, and severed his neck with a single stroke.
The head, eyes still open and not yet wholly insensible, rolled several times across the floor before coming to rest at Song Liang’s feet.
The light gradually faded from its eyes.
“Even killing someone takes you forever. No wonder you can’t be bothered to show up for work.”
Muttering, Song Liang looked up and met the terrified gazes of Cheng Qu and the others.
He thought for a moment.
They were his beloved ministers, after all.
So he smiled at them.
Their expressions only grew more horrified.
The old minister who had tried to speak for Jiang Wei rolled his eyes back and fainted on the spot.
Song Liang: “…”
Age really did weaken one’s nerves.
He would have to cultivate younger officials.
At least they might be braver.
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