Chapter 297 The War Begun
When they were talking, Leng Changxi led an old woman in her sixties to slowly walk upstairs. She was thinly clad so waddled because of the furious wind.
Leng Changxi directly took off his fox-fur robe, which was used to keep himself warm, and helped the old woman put it on. This old woman, or Granny Yu, was the one who fell down to the ground when the army pa.s.sed by. Qin Yunuan helped her stand up at that time.
She came a long way only for one thing.
Granny Yu was from an ordinary peasant family in West Liang. She lived with her only grandson. Unfortunately, however, her grandson died not long ago, leaving her alone. She missed her grandson so much that she cried every day and even set up a thatched shack near the grave to accompany her grandson. But someone dug up the grave in less than 7 days after her grandson’s death. The left corpse was incomplete. Or more precisely, the corpse’s skin was peeled off.
Granny Yu couldn’t take this. People who did this might not have expected that a lonely granny would live near the grave and saw everything they did.
“B*ast*rd! It’s you!” Seeing Jing Yuanchu who knelt down, Granny Yu exerted all her strength to kick and beat him. Leng Changxi stopped her in time.
“Granny, calm down. His Majesty is here. You can’t do this.” Qin Yunuan held Granny Yu’s arm and comforted her. “You only need to tell His Majesty your sufferings. He will uphold justice for you.”
Granny Yu looked at Jing Donghua bitterly while pointing at Jing Yuanchu with her trembling hand. “This person, the thirteenth prince of West Xia, the good prince praised by others, is the one who took people to dig up my grandson’s grave that day. I remembered him clearly.”
Jing Donghua remained skeptical. Qin Yunuan knew he would not doubt his son just because of what an old woman coming from nowhere said. It was also because there was no evidence.
“I have evidence.” Granny Yu trembled to take out a hard object wrapped with linen from her clothes. She handed it over to Jing Donghua and said, “I found this near my grandson’s body that night. At the beginning, I didn’t know why they peeled off my grandson’s skin, but then I saw an imperial troop on its way to the Yellow Flag Army Camp for inspection. I saw a man who had a tiny peach-shaped birthmark on his wrist. That’s a special birthmark and exclusive to my grandson. So I recognized it at once, although I have blurred vision now. That man’s skin belongs to my grandson.”
“Hand her evidence over to me.” Jing Donghua ordered, and a guard handed the linen package to him. Jing Donghua unwrapped it and burst into anger after seeing what was in it. Holding up a blood-red jade, he said to Jing Yuanchu, “This is the amulet I sent you when you turned 20. I asked you about it a few days ago. But you said that you fell it down to the ground by accident, leaving a crack on it. You didn’t wear it because you feared that I would punish you after seeing the crack. What’s this? How do you explain this?”
“Father, this…this is not mine.” Jing Yuanchu didn’t expect that the old woman had such powerful evidence. He became so nervous for the first time. At the same time, he saw a light but cold smile on Qin Yunuan’s face and Leng Changxi’s indifference from his silver mask.
“In the whole world, there are only two pieces of such jade that will warm people when they touch it, and that owns a unique blood-red color. Only Yuanxiao and you have. Yuanxiao is the Crown Prince while you are just the son of a maid. However, I treat you two in the same way, and I am not partial. But you repay this for my love. You cruelly peeled off an innocent man and asked another man to take his place. I shouldn’t let you help find Qinghe at the very beginning.”
“Father.” Such being the case, Jing Yuanchu was not afraid to show his cards. “Are you sure you treat Yuanxiao and me in the same way? When the empress died, you asked the whole country to mourn for her, and you prayed to Buddha for her in person. But when my mother died, she was burned to ashes like all dead maids and ended up in the well. When picking a wife for Yuanxiao, you chose Bai Shishi, the eldest daughter of the Bai Family, after full consideration. But have you ever thought that I was in love with Bai Shishi? Then, picking a wife for me, you chose a loose woman from the Dou Family just in order to unite with Qi. Father, with all these, are you really sure you treat Yuanxiao and me equally?”
Jing Yuanchu looked miserable. Dark clouds slowly gathered in the sky. Then it was drizzling. Raindrops fell on his lips, chilly and bitter. Only he knew what he, a maid’s son, had endured to get this position. He just wanted to avoid ending up like his mother who huddled with others in the bone-ash well after death. Was he wrong? No. The world that valued the exalted son and all people who had disdained him were wrong.
“Yuanchu, you don’t remember that, ten years after your mother’s death, father had specially conferred the first-rank t.i.tle of Imperial Concubine Jing, on her, for your filial piety, modesty, intelligence and talent?” Jing Yuanxiao tried to comfort Jing Yuanchu by reminding him of things unworthy of mentioning. However, Jing Yuanchu kept mocking himself. “Ten years after my mother’s death? Filial piety and modesty? If I hadn’t worked hard and known nothing just like you, my mother might have no such t.i.tle at all. I earned her t.i.tle and everything I had. I deserved everything. But look at you. You can have everything without working hard just because of your mother’s last wish.”
Qin Yunuan took a look at Jing Yuanchu and said, “Not every question has its answer. It is undoubted that you and the Crown Prince have different lives because of your status. But you got your position by killing others, which is an injustice cause, so you won’t earn people’s support.”
“Won’t earn people’s support?” Jing Yuanchu suddenly stood up. In doing so, he defied Jing Donghua’s authority because the latter didn’t allow him to stand up.
“Well, let’s wait and see.” From the wall, Jing Yuanchu suddenly took down a red flag that became half wet because of drizzles. He waved it twice to the north. Leng Changxi recognized that it was a secret signal used by soldiers to tell allies to take actions.
Jing Yuanchu should have allies in the military camp.
“Yuanchu, what are you doing?” Jing Donghua remained calm and still looked absolutely majestic and serious. “This is my military camp. Do you want to break rules here?”
“Break rules?” Jing Yuanchu laughed out loud and replied, “I’m not only breaking rules, but also overturning this country.”
Hearing this, everyone was shocked. But soon, they heard drum beating quickly and loudly. Soldiers in the morning drill suddenly disappeared. At once, another roll of drums followed that from the wall.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning showed up in the sky. Boom! It thundered not afar, followed with territorial rain. Everyone on the wall was wet immediately. The sky seemed grumpy. The overwhelming thunder greatly impressed everyone.
The splash sound made by someone in boots stepping on the ground came from the stairs. Then, a line of generals in armor who wore helmets with ta.s.sels showed up. They all ignored Jing Donghua, who was completely wet in rain, but knelt on one knee towards Jing Yuanchu. They said, “Your Royal Highness, we’ve killed all rebels. Now, we have 133,000 soldiers of our own left.”
Jing Yuanchu revolted? Together with all of his soldiers?
The rebels these people claimed were those who were loyal to Jing Donghua. There were originally 200,000 soldiers in the Yellow Flag Army, but now only 130,000 were left. 70,000 soldiers were killed.
Qin Yunuan took a look at ruthless Jing Yuanchu. She knew he learned this from Sima Ray. They would kill all people who didn’t ally with them.
“How dare you!” Jing Donghua shouted at those generals. “I’m still alive, but you already turn to support him. If I do the same thing to you later, you just ask for it.”
“Father.” Jing Yuanchu suddenly smiled at Jing Donghua and said, “You won’t have any future. Everyone here can’t leave here alive today.” Jing Yuanchu took the sword a general handed over. The blade was shining like a frozen pool under the moonlight.
“Granny,” Jing Yuanchu pointed the sword at Granny Yu and said, “Let me ‘treat’ you first.”
Jing Yuanchu exchanged glances with a general near him. At once, the general stepped forward to grab Granny Yu, dragged her to the b.u.t.tress and forced her to look down. Walls in West Xia were very high, especially this one which stood between the drill field and the camp. It was as high as about 10 meters.
When the general was close to throw Granny Yu out of the wall, Leng Changxi stood out and stopped him. “Your Royal Highness, you don’t have to be so cruel to her.”
“So, you stand out to uphold justice again? Right, I almost forget that your wife and you are meddlesome.” Jing Yuanchu jeered while looking at Qin Yunuan and Leng Changxi. The situation reversed, so Jing Yuanchu became aggressive. “Alright, if you jump down in place of her, I may consider sparing her.”
“Really?” Leng Changxi looked serious and sincere, which amused Jing Yuanchu.
“Just do it, and I will give you an answer later.” Jing Yuanchu wore a creepy smile. It was true that Leng Changxi was skilled in martial arts, but the wall was so high. Whoever jumped down might become disabled or die. At the thought of Qi’s G.o.d of War would become disabled, Jing Yuanchu turned excited driven by the restless evilness in his mind.
Everything got wet in the downpour. Leng Changxi sneered, “Keep your promise.” Then, he turned around and jumped down with no hesitation.
“Changxi.” Qin Yunuan rushed to the b.u.t.tress subconsciously.
“Your Royal Highness, he’s gone,” shouted a soldier who guarded near the b.u.t.tress when looking down.
“What?” Jing Yuanchu also walked to the b.u.t.tress.
“I saw he jumped down, but now, he’s gone.”
“d.a.m.n, he runs away.” Jing Yuanchu got angry. But when he turned around, a spear made of black iron aimed at him.