Zuo Nian was so frightened that his face turned ashen, staring at the little concubine who was still howling and sobbing, his eyes bulging round.
The next morning at dawn.
In the palace hall, Chen Mo looked at Zuo Nian below, who was crying and wailing, and smiled as he comforted him: "You don’t need to be afraid. No matter who wants to kill you, we won’t let him succeed. As it happens, I am about to send out troops to encircle and wipe out the Tuoba Remnants. Once I’ve exterminated all those Tuoba Remnants, naturally there will be no thugs coming to assassinate you."
On hearing this, Zuo Nian grew even more terrified: "Your Majesty, you’re all leaving?"
"Yes. I’ve heard the Tuoba Remnants intend to cross south. If we let them cross the river and proclaim themselves Emperor in the south, then their tail will be too big to control, and by then I fear more people will be wanting your life." Chen Mo said.
Zuo Nian’s expression changed; with a thud he dropped to his knees on the floor and said, "Your Majesty, these men come and go like shadows, strike and then swagger off. If Your Majesty and the others leave, then won’t these thugs become even more reckless? This time it was only my little concubine who was injured; next time, next time... this minister fears he won’t live to see Your Majesty again."
Chen Mo let out a curt shout: "What, you think the danger here on your side can compare with those Tuoba Remnants? On your side, as long as you have more guards and make the defenses tighter, nothing will happen. But if those Tuoba Remnants cross the Datong River, none of us will have good days ahead."
Zuo Nian’s face collapsed; he looked rather ugly, with a helpless expression caught between tears and laughter.
"Still, seeing that you have merit to Me even where you have none..." Chen Mo’s tone softened a little as he said, "I can have the State Preceptor lead some troops to stay behind and protect you."
On hearing this, Zuo Nian hastily raised his head, wiped his tears, and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Don’t be in a rush to thank Me yet. The State Preceptor and his men cannot possibly protect you every hour of the day. As the saying goes, distant water cannot quench nearby thirst. The most direct method is to get rid of these thugs who are attacking."
"But these thugs come and go without a trace; this minister cannot find them."
"Then better to wrongly kill a thousand than let a single one slip away. Do you have anyone you suspect? When the time comes, kill a swath of them, overawe the four quarters. Even if you don’t manage to kill the thugs, you can still frighten them into not daring to move lightly again." Chen Mo said.
On hearing this, Zuo Nian’s expression shifted wildly, and a thought rose uncontrollably in his heart: could it be that the assassin who attacked last night was...
Thinking of this, Zuo Nian did not dare pursue the thought any further, and said, "Your Majesty, acting like this, won’t it cause the commoners in the city to riot?"
"So are you more afraid of the commoners rioting, or of dying? Moreover, you cannot deal with the thugs—can it be that you also cannot deal with these commoners in the city? Then what use do I have for you? What ability will you ever have to serve as Governor and govern a region?" Chen Mo shot him a sideways look.
Zuo Nian’s heart jolted; cold sweat broke out down his back, and he hurriedly said, "Everything will be as Your Majesty commands."
Very soon, on the streets of the city horses and men were running back and forth; doors were constantly being kicked open, and official soldiers in full armor and governmental officials were seizing people everywhere.
Once they learned that the prime mover behind it all was the Jin Xia traitor Zuo Nian, the commoners who had suffered this undeserved calamity kept cursing Zuo Nian in their hearts.
...
Elsewhere, in Great Wei.
The commoners here in Great Wei still did not know about the Tuoba Clan crossing south in full regalia, but the news that Chen Mo had taken the Jin Xia Capital City and forced the Great Khan of Jin Xia to surrender to Great Wei had already reached Celestial River.
Such merit of opening up territory and avenging blood-debt by destroying a state naturally also belonged to Chen Mo.
The court began building momentum; although Chen Mo himself had not yet returned, the commoners of Celestial River were already praising and lauding Chen Mo.
Although in the hearts of Great Wei’s commoners, Chen Mo’s prestige was already extremely high, there were still always people harping on how Chen Mo was lustful, had not gained the realm properly, bullied the previous dynasty’s empresses and princesses, and said he was thin in virtue and scant in grace, not even sparing his own father-in-law Yang Xian.
But now that news from Jin Xia had come, no one was clinging to that point anymore.
Because the court had beforehand crafted the narrative of the blood feud Jin Xia had inflicted on Great Wei, the commoners of Great Wei were all harboring a breath of anger and resentment toward Jin Xia. Now, with the news of Jin Xia’s surrender, that anger and resentment were all vented, and they were immensely grateful to Chen Mo in their hearts.
Compared to that, what were those personal stains on Chen Mo’s character worth.
One must know what a figure the previous dynasty’s Song Taizu was: with one hand he founded Great Song’s four hundred years of history. Yet even he had not fought his way to the Jin Xia Capital.
Thus this was Heaven’s will, Heaven sending Chen Mo down to save them.
There were even those who said that Chen Mo being able to bully those empresses and princesses of the previous dynasty was their good fortune.
Inside Weiyang Palace, several braziers were arranged, giving off blazing heat.
Wu Mi wore a thin robe and had a great cloak draped over her shoulders; she walked in from outside the hall. As she entered the inner hall, palace maids naturally stepped forward to remove Wu Mi’s cloak. As Wu Mi moved, the curves of her waist and hips were clearly visible.
Han Anniang shifted to the side, giving up the main seat, then raised her hand to take Wu Mi’s hand, helping her warm it as she smiled and said, "We only arrived not long ago ourselves. Now that Your Majesty is not here, all the matters of the palace trouble the Empress."
Yi Shiyin cupped her fragrant cheek in her hand; once Wu Mi sat down, her lively, big eyes flashed as she asked, "Ms. Mi, since Jin Xia has already surrendered, then Husband should be coming back soon, right?"
After having Han Anniang warm it a bit, Wu Mi’s jade-like hand was no longer quite so icy, but she still withdrew it and held it out over the brazier to bake, saying, "I’m not too sure either. Recently, Your Majesty has not sent any letters back.
But I heard Father say that some time ago, the scouts under him detected a Jin Xia force approaching Longyou, but before long that force withdrew again, coinciding exactly with the period when Your Majesty attacked the Jin Xia Capital. Your Majesty very likely clashed with this Jin Xia Army."