Two hours later, the carriage finally entered Qingyang Prefecture and stopped outside the prefectural yamen. Xu Qingye hurriedly took Song Liang’s palace access token and sent a guard inside to announce their arrival. Yet when someone emerged a little later, it was not the prefect coming in person to receive them, but the same guard.
“His Excellency says he doesn’t recognize this. You’d best leave.”
With that, he tossed the token back.
Xu Qingye nearly failed to catch it. Anger flared across his face.
“Insolent! This is His Majesty’s personal token! Tell your prefect to come out and receive the emperor at once!”
“Precisely.” Rong Jing stepped forward, his expression cold. “If your prefect claims not to recognize it, he can come out and see whether this is indeed His Majesty. If not, impersonating the reigning emperor is a capital crime, and he ought to send men to arrest us. If it is, then he is defying his sovereign and plotting treason!”
The bailiff was thoroughly intimidated. Not daring to dismiss them again, he stammered that he would make another announcement—but if the prefect still refused to see them, they were not to blame him. Then he turned and went inside.
This time, he was gone for a full three quarters of an hour. Afraid Song Liang would lose his temper, Xu Qingye returned to the carriage, explained what had happened, and asked him to wait a little longer.
Song Liang smiled in understanding.
“We could wait until nightfall and still get nowhere.”
Xu Qingye stared. “Why?”
Instead of answering, Song Liang turned to the man resting beside him with his eyes closed.
“Have I offended this prefect of Qingyang?”
Without opening his eyes, Xie Yun replied, “You killed his grandnephew.”
“Oh.” Song Liang’s next question came instinctively. “Which batch?”
Xu Qingye: “…”
Just how many people had he killed?
Xie Yun’s expression did not change. When it came to killing, after all, the young emperor’s tally was less than a tenth of his own.
“Outside Zhaoyang Palace.”
Understanding dawned on Song Liang. Then that could hardly be blamed on him. He had never bothered to remember who was who at the time, so naturally he had no idea the prefect’s grandnephew had been among them.
“What do we do now?” Xu Qingye asked.
“Force our way in.”
“Kick down the door.”
The two spoke almost in unison.
“As you command!”
For some reason, Xu Qingye’s confidence surged. He turned, kicked open the yamen’s main doors, and charged inside.
Song Liang’s lips curved. He lifted the carriage curtain and followed.
Inside, Zuo Yuan, the prefect of Qingyang, had resolved to leave his visitors waiting. He sat serenely in the front hall, drinking tea, while his private secretary fretted beside him. Whatever else might be said, the person outside was still the emperor. Surely he could not be treated with such disregard.
“The emperor? What sort of emperor is he?” Zuo Yuan said coldly. “Merely the son of a commandery prince. Without the Qin family’s support, he would still be languishing in that remote backwater of Kangping. I am Chancellor Yin’s pupil, a member of the Zuo clan of Xinyang, and the top scholar in all three examinations under the late emperor. If he dares lay a hand on me—”
“And what if I do?”
A young voice rang out, clear and imperious. A commotion rose outside, and three tall figures strode toward the front hall, trailed by a flurry of panicked servants.
At first, Zuo Yuan did not recognize the man in crimson leading the way. He merely thought the newcomer remarkably handsome, with a commanding bearing and a proud, aristocratic air unlike any he had ever seen. Then he looked more closely, and his expression changed.
It was the young emperor who sat enthroned in the imperial audience hall!
Zuo Yuan rose instinctively and barked, his face stern, “How dare you! This is the prefectural yamen! Who dares force their way inside?”
Song Liang scoffed and kicked aside a servant attempting to block him.
“Why pretend? You recognized me just now, didn’t you? Afraid I’ll punish you?”
Zuo Yuan’s face darkened. He offered a smile devoid of warmth.
“So it is Your Majesty. Forgive this humble official for failing to come out and welcome you.”
“Then get on your knees and welcome me.”
“…”
Zuo Yuan swallowed his anger.
“May I ask what brings Your Majesty here?”
“The Grand Empress Dowager, Lady Qin, has plotted treason and attempted to assassinate me in the Western Hills. You are to assemble the prefectural troops immediately and escort me back there. There must be no mistake.”
“The Grand Empress Dowager…”
Zuo Yuan’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly he reeled. He had assumed the young emperor had merely slipped out of the palace without permission, as he had before. He had never imagined the Grand Empress Dowager had staged a coup.
His thoughts raced. Then he said at once, “How could such a thing happen! This humble official will summon the troops immediately. Please rest in a guest chamber for a moment, Your Majesty.”
“Guards!”
At his command, several guards entered and surrounded Song Liang and his two companions.
Song Liang raised an eyebrow. “What is the meaning of this?”
“These are men I have assigned to protect Your Majesty against further assassination attempts.” Zuo Yuan’s face hardened. “Well? Escort His Majesty to the guest chambers at the back!”
The guards surged forward.
All three men kicked out in unison, each sending a guard flying. Seeing this, the remaining guards drew daggers from their waists and lunged at them.
Compared with the Hongzhu assassins, these men were barely competent. None of the three had any cause for concern. Xu Qingye and Rong Jing easily caught their attackers’ knife hands, dislocated their joints, seized their weapons, and kicked them away.
Song Liang was having no trouble either. He had just dislocated one guard’s arm and taken his dagger when another man charged at him from the side, blade raised. He was about to kick the man away when an arm suddenly wrapped around his waist from behind, drawing him into a broad, faintly cool chest. A more powerful kick struck in his place, sending the attacker hurtling backward.
With a crash, the guard slammed into the table behind Zuo Yuan, shattering a collection of antique porcelain and losing consciousness on the spot.
Then Xie Yun’s cold, commanding voice sounded beside Song Liang’s ear.
“Blind fool! You dare commit treason against your sovereign!”
Zuo Yuan stared at the man behind Song Liang, his face drained of color. With a thud, he dropped to his knees.
“This humble official pays his respects to Your Highness!”
The guards likewise fell to their knees, trembling.
Hearing the slightly labored breathing beside his ear, Song Liang made no attempt to free himself from the arm around his waist. Instead, he leaned lightly against the chest behind him and teased, “How imposing you are, Your Highness. He thinks nothing of me, his emperor, yet the moment he sees you, he starts shaking.”
The breathing behind him briefly faltered.
“Because he has seen me before.”
“Oh? When?”
“When I killed the previous prefect of Qingyang.”
“…”
“…”
Song Liang considered this. “So that’s it. I simply haven’t killed enough people.”
“You’re still young,” Xie Yun replied.
3085: 【…】
Song Liang laughed softly and patted the hand around his waist. Its owner released him.
Turning, he looked into Xie Yun’s eyes. They still lacked their usual focus; clearly, his sight had not returned.
“Why did you come? Didn’t I tell you to rest in the carriage?”
“…”
Xie Yun’s lips moved, but he said nothing.
Beside them, Rong Jing watched their intimate, effortless exchange with a deepening frown and sank into thought.
At first, Xu Qingye merely looked bewildered. Then, for some reason, he suddenly remembered the day they had arrived in the Western Hills—how the young emperor had summoned him first, and the Prince Regent had called him in immediately afterward.
His eyes flew wide.
【Do you prefer men?】
【What did he mean by “It’s good that you have no interest in men”?】
【Because His Majesty asked whether I preferred men.】
“…”
Xu Qingye felt as though he might split apart. He almost lost control of his expression.
What in the world was this?!
Those two really had ended up sharing a bed?!
Was Great Yao truly about to lose both its dynasty and its imperial bloodline?!!
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