Song Liang’s words at court not only stunned the assembled officials but also stirred fresh turmoil throughout Yanjing.
About a month later, the main system interface, long silent in his mind, sounded its familiar notification once again—
【Ding! Congratulations, host, on triggering a new achievement in the current scenario: Birth of a Tyrant.】
【Achievement progress: 1/100】
【Achievement reward: Unknown】
【Warning! Current progress for the main storyline of the Class A scenario Pillow of Mountains and Rivers: 31%. Side storyline completion: 1/5. Due to major changes in the main storyline, scenario difficulty has increased by 35%, raising its classification to A+. Host must immediately return to the original plot and strictly adhere to the character profile!】
At the time, Song Liang was inspecting the results of the Xiaoyi Guard’s training at the drill grounds. Hearing that familiar warning, he could not help chuckling.
3085: 【…】
3085: 【What the hell are you laughing at?!】
Although it had anticipated this, actually watching its host reduce the main storyline to such a shattered state still made it want to curse.
Song Liang laughed even louder. Below the raised platform, Liang Fei and Chao Ke could not help looking up at him.
“You’ve clearly become a mature system. You no longer scream and shout whenever the scenario gets harder. As your host, I’m very pleased.”
【As your system, I feel deeply unfortunate.】
“Don’t lament your fate just yet. The worst is still to come.”
3085’s heart sank. 【What do you mean?】
Song Liang took a memorial from Zhou An and shook it open. Eight full pages unfolded—the list of participants in the upcoming autumn hunt. 3085 immediately cried out—
【Where did all these people come from? Cen Huan and Ruan Chong too??? Why are those two here? Neither of them even appeared in this part of the original novel! And all those members of the Qin family—】
3085 nearly suspected a fault in its own code. In the original novel, the autumn hunt existed merely to depict how Li Huai seduced one of his lovers, the heir to the Duke of Wei. It could not compare in importance with the plot unfolding on the male lead’s side—the protagonist shou’s assassination attempt on Xie Yun.
Yet now, so many additional people had inexplicably appeared, apparently including the main villain, Xie Yun himself. There was no way they were all coming merely to enjoy the hunt!
Song Liang, however, was not surprised. At this point in the original novel, Li Huai had been nothing more than a puppet who used his body to secure Qin Huaiyuan’s patronage and gain a measure of safety within the palace. He was hardly better off than the little emperor.
Now, however, Song Liang commanded three thousand Xiaoyi Guards, three thousand Xiaoqi Guards, five thousand Tengxiang Guards, and several units of infantry guarding the imperial palace. He had even disregarded the Grand Empress Dowager’s dignity and established a Governor-General’s Office to divide the authority of the Five Military Commissions. Naturally, he warranted different treatment.
He rose and walked to the front of the platform. Looking down at the three thousand Xiaoyi Guards in their red armor, he said with a faint, ambiguous smile, “Killing a powerless puppet emperor is a waste of effort. But killing a cunning tyrant who is steadily gaining control of the military offers both tangible benefits and a righteous cause.”
3085 immediately understood where the additional 35% difficulty had come from—and why Song Liang had chuckled earlier.
More than a month ago, when those rumors about his tyranny first arose, its host had already known who was behind them and what they truly wanted.
【So you deliberately let Lady Qin take the Empress Dowager away to lure you to Shoukang Palace, then deliberately refused her offer of reconciliation to make her want you dead???】
“Of course. Otherwise, how could I do justice to all the trouble she took to have people spread word of my tyranny?”
Perhaps she had initially intended only to use those rumors to bring him to heel and delay his judgment on the Jiang and Yang families. But he was clearly not a patient man. He preferred a swift, decisive confrontation—settling victory and defeat, life and death, without delay.
He made no particular effort to conceal his thoughts, so 3085 heard them clearly. Stunned, it could only stare. After a long moment, it finally asked the question that cut to the heart of the matter. 【…Are you sure you can win?】
“If I knew I would win, where would the fun be?” Song Liang chuckled, his delight entirely heartfelt. “A wager is only interesting when the outcome is unknown. Don’t you agree?”
3085 was speechless.
One month later.
Three thousand Xiaoyi Guards cleared the way, with five thousand Tengxiang Guards following behind. Song Liang’s imperial carriage and the Grand Empress Dowager’s phoenix carriage traveled side by side amid the procession, bound for Shanglin Park in the Western Hills.
As the Grand Empress Dowager’s nephew, Qin Huaiyuan was permitted to accompany the procession on horseback. Throughout the journey, he lingered beside the emperor’s bright yellow carriage opposite, now approaching to offer his respects, now trying to ingratiate himself with Liang Fei, the commander of the Xiaoyi Guard. He seemed to wish he could share Song Liang’s carriage.
Liang Fei had no fondness for the Qin family, and even less for this notoriously rakish Marquis of Wuying. He could scarcely be bothered to spare him a glance. Drawing the saber at his waist, he warned Qin Huaiyuan not to approach again without an imperial summons.
Qin Huaiyuan could only withdraw. Times had changed. The former commander of the Jinwu Front Guard, now commander of the Xiaoyi Guard, had received special imperial authorization to execute officials below the third rank before reporting their crimes. Although Qin Huaiyuan held second rank, if Liang Fei truly struck him with his blade, he doubted he would find anyone willing to hear his grievance. Liang Fei was now a favorite of the little emperor—and the little emperor’s influence was at its height.
Recalling his aunt’s words, Qin Huaiyuan could not keep a flicker of conflict from crossing his face.
Just then, hoofbeats sounded behind him. The approaching party was not large, but the faint clash of metal accompanied its advance. Qin Huaiyuan’s expression shifted. Turning to look, he saw that it was indeed Xie Yun, riding toward them at the head of the Black Armor Guard.
He wore black robes patterned in muted gold, his sleeves bound close, a leather belt with hanging straps at his waist holding a short blade, a fire striker, and other finely crafted implements. His face was handsome as jade, his presence fearsome as a god of slaughter. Before Qin Huaiyuan could look more closely, those uncanny green eyes seemed to flick toward him. A chill ran down his spine, and he hastily tightened his reins and turned away.
At that very moment, a leisurely, languid voice drifted from the bright yellow carriage beside him.
“Is that the Marquis of Wuying outside?”
Qin Huaiyuan’s heart stirred. “It is, Your Majesty!”
“What business does the marquis have with me?”
“Nothing of importance. It has simply been so long since I last beheld Your Majesty’s splendid bearing that I find myself missing you…”
A soft, unhurried laugh came from inside the carriage, brushing the heart like a feather. It reached the ears of the Black Armor Guards riding past, as did the suggestive words that followed—
As Qin Huaiyuan’s excited voice rang out, the Black Armor Guards swept alongside the bright yellow carriage, just in time to hear a beguiling chuckle from within, followed by—
“In that case, come closer and speak.”
“As you command!”
At Qin Huaiyuan’s barely restrained excitement, Cen Huan and Ruan Chong, the two commanders of the Black Armor Guard, watched their master’s movements briefly falter. Then he suddenly snapped his whip and urged his horse into a faster pace.
“…”
The two exchanged a speechless glance before flicking their own whips and following.
Behind them, unseen by either man, Song Liang had used his conversation with Qin Huaiyuan as an opportunity to lift the carriage curtain. From a distance, he watched the broad figure in black and muted gold suddenly surge ahead, leaving the Black Armor Guards so far behind that they had to hurry to catch up.
“Heh…”
He could not help laughing. Qin Huaiyuan stared at him, utterly transfixed, and even reached out to touch the hand holding up the curtain.
In the next instant, Xuan Seven caught his wrist from inside the carriage and twisted hard, wrenching the joint out of place.
Qin Huaiyuan let out a piercing scream of pain. Song Liang frowned slightly at the sound, then raised a foot and kicked him down.
By the time everyone turned to look, they saw only the renowned Marquis of Wuying tumbling down in front of the emperor’s carriage, clutching his left hand. He curled up on the ground, groaning in agony, while His Majesty’s carriage rolled serenely past.
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