Possessing military power was the very foundation of Guo Sida's standing. If stripped of his position and authority, there was no way he would not resist. The courage to both think and act was actually one of the few redeeming qualities of Duke Anguo, Guo Sida.
Even though Noble Consort Guo was no longer, in truth, Guo Sida’s daughter, she had inherited this very trait.
Even when Emperor Yongning’s throne was on the verge of collapse, he could still excitedly drag her along to admire the snow and eat grilled skewers. She could no longer afford to take chances, so she decided to immediately put her “backup plan” into action.
She was determined to hold tight to Yan Duan’s strong support. The moment she returned to Jingren Palace, she hurried to write Yan Duan a letter.
Even if the other concubines in the harem weren’t that well-informed or quick-witted, at that moment they could all sense the undercurrents churning, that disaster could strike at any time…
If even the imperial consorts felt this way, then the civil and military officials, especially the high-ranking ones, were all the more certain that drastic changes were imminent.
However, for now, there were only four people within the Capital able to mobilize ten thousand elite troops: Emperor Yongning, Duke Cheng’en, Duke Anguo, and Marquess Jingwen. At present, it seemed that Marquess Jingwen had the smallest number of elite troops at his command, yet these were the most powerful.
After returning to the Capital, Marquess Jingwen did little beyond paying an audience to the Emperor, then adopted an attitude of shutting his doors to visitors. In stark contrast, both Yanguo Mansion and Duke Cheng’en’s Mansion were bustling with guests at this moment.
For their own survival, all the officials inevitably paid several visits to Yanguo Mansion and Duke Cheng’en’s Mansion, and even began sending their families and fortunes out of the city. Yet in their hearts, they were only too clear as to who was truly the pillar stabilizing the situation.
Truth be told, Emperor Yongning might have been a bit foolish, but he wasn’t deaf or blind.
He leveraged others to deal with Guo Sida, using Yan Jingzhou to check Guo Sida and, without bloodshed, managed to strip him of some military authority. He had been quite pleased with himself, but now, seeing the officials’ reactions, he finally realized that something was wrong: the main point of concern was just how strange Guo Sida’s behavior had become.
Emperor Yongning wasn’t actually afraid that Guo Sida would take some desperate action, since neither Guo Sida himself nor his Prince’s Personal Guards had the fighting strength to pose any real threat. Even if Guo Sida harbored ill intent, the north of the Imperial Palace was still guarded by a hundred thousand Imperial Guards. If only he was willing to grant Yan Jingzhou the title of Duke and put him in charge of the Central Army Commander’s Office, Yan Jingzhou would surely come to his rescue.
All this time, Emperor Yongning believed that Yan Jingzhou’s refusal to come to court was because he, the Emperor, had delayed conferring the title, and that Yan was merely pouting at him for it. He even conveniently forgot the episode where he’d sent men to West Gate Pass to assassinate Yan Jingzhou.
Regardless of where this confidence came from, once Emperor Yongning made up his mind, he felt quite cheerful and once again bypassed the Imperial Cabinet, instructing a Hanlin scholar to draft an imperial edict in advance, bestowing rewards upon Yan Jingzhou.
Once the edict was written, Emperor Yongning read it through, his face brimming with delight. That evening, he would go to Xi Kun Palace to show the edict to Virtuous Consort Yan. Without the imperial seal, this was a perfect piece of bait.
The Hanlin scholar, seeing the Emperor with such an expression, immediately lowered his head, afraid that if he wasn’t careful, his own scorn would show.
An hour later, Yan Yun, who had been “set free” for nearly a month, met Emperor Yongning again and greeted him with mockery, “Your Majesty, you’re quite the rare guest in Xi Kun Palace.”
Emperor Yongning beamed, reaching out to take her hand. “I’ve been overwhelmed with matters concerning Duke Anguo, and have neglected my beloved Consort. That’s my fault.”
Yan Jun: …Disgusting.
When Emperor Yongning happily produced the edict for her to see, she nearly cursed outright. He’s sure got a knack for bluffing empty-handed!
Fortunately, Emperor Yongning left Xi Kun Palace right after dinner, using official business as an excuse, striding off… when in reality, he was going to Jingren Palace to see Noble Consort Guo. Otherwise, Yan Jun was afraid she might slip up any second.
In her fury, she smashed the teacup at hand. The moment the cup left her hand, she remembered it had been a gift from her father, not the regulated porcelain from the palace workshops. She hurriedly scrambled up to pick the cup from the ground. Seeing the rim was chipped, she was suddenly overwhelmed with sorrow, tears pouring down her face. “Father… to think I once believed there was some sincerity in that fool of an Emperor…”
Seeing her cry like this, the attending Imperial Princess’ Attendant and palace maids exchanged glances. They had to tell the Marquess about this.
At that moment, in Marquess Jingwen’s Mansion, Qin Jingzhou was teaching his two sons, instructing them in advanced agricultural knowledge.
As the saying goes, feeding the people is of paramount importance. As long as the vast majority can be fed, the realm will not fall into chaos… Both Yan Jun and Yan Duan, as brothers, understood this principle.
With deep emotion, Yan Jun said, “Three years ago, a single egg cost one copper coin, but now four eggs are ten copper. His Majesty still believes the country to be free of trouble. I honestly don't know what to think of him.”
Qin Jingzhou smiled. The pageboy at the door met his gaze, then quietly reported that the steward in charge of intelligence was waiting outside.
Hearing that his daughter had been bullied to tears by Emperor Yongning, naturally he could not remain indifferent. He changed his clothes and, taking a few attendants, went personally to comfort his daughter.
Last time he entered the palace, he and Ling Jing had deliberately avoided being seen. This time, however, he sought out the Commandant of the Imperial Guards and the Captain of the bodyguards, greeting them openly. The commanders did not disappoint his expectations, returning his greeting with a smile and allowing him free passage into the inner palace.
Hearing her father had arrived, Yan Yun was both startled and overjoyed, running outside the palace doors to greet him. The moment she saw her father, her composure crumbled and her tears flowed again. Her confidant had sent a message to the mansion, so how could she not have expected her father to come as soon as he received it?
Yan Yun wiped her tears but still clung to her father's hand, quietly muttering her grievances, “The Emperor is growing more ridiculous by the day! What makes him think you’d fall for his barefaced trickery? If he truly wanted to reassure you, even making up some of the owed military pay would at least show some sincerity!”
Emperor Yongning's view of the world was clearly warped, and he wouldn't listen to advice.
Great Qi had seen four emperors and yet the dynasty had lasted barely fifty-nine years. Other than the founding emperor, the rest had been mediocre at best. Combine that with the preceding dynasty, equally short-lived, and both officials and the common people were well accustomed to the idea of dynastic change. There were very few still loyal to Emperor Yongning or willing to die for Great Qi.
Qin Jingzhou gently patted his daughter’s hand. “His stupidity is a blessing for us.”
Yan Yun burst into tears again. “Father, I’m so angry! I really used to think he was not so bad. I was blind!” She scrubbed at her face. “Father, what will I do without you?”
Qin Jingzhou could not help but laugh. He asked a palace maid for a handkerchief and wiped his daughter’s tears himself. “Any more tears, and father’s heart will break.”
Yan Yun managed to smile through her tears, forcefully sniffing back her runny nose. “All right. Father, let me wash my face.”
Qin Jingzhou nodded, thinking, this is precisely why I love my daughter.
The System also chuckled, “She really doesn’t look like a ‘seductive consort’ from the plot at all now, does she? She used to humble herself to please Emperor Yongning, all for avenging her father and brother. In the original plot, she even made Emperor Yongning waver between her and Noble Consort Guo, and ensnared the Prince of Jin as well… If not for her little brother’s interference, Emperor Yongning and Noble Consort Guo truly would have been ruined by her.”
Qin Jingzhou gazed at his beautiful daughter, eyes red from crying, cheeks flushed and lips turned up in a smile as she walked toward him. The more he looked, the more fondness he felt. “There’s no way she’s going to stay a ‘seductive consort’.”
Once his daughter sat beside him, he began outlining his plan—reminding her that, when the time came, he would send someone to bring her out of the palace, and the whole family would go to West Gate Pass to carve out a domain together.
Whatever father said, Yan Yun would do. After he finished, seeing that her father was not in a rush to leave, she again held his hand, sharing her recent observations. “Empress Wang seems to have become a royalist now… Oh, and father, my little brother seems to have reconciled with Noble Consort Guo.”
It was clear that his daughter did not dislike Noble Consort Guo—she actually pitied both herself and the Noble Consort. Because she herself had an affair with Xue Yi, she didn't care about the Noble Consort and her brother being affectionate, and in her eyes, the Noble Consort was the Noble Consort, and the Guo family was the Guo family.
Qin Jingzhou patted his daughter's hand again. “I understand.”
After leaving his daughter’s Xi Kun Palace, he hadn’t gone far before seeing Xue Yi waiting up ahead. Qin Jingzhou pointed in the direction where his daughter stood. Seeing the happy surprise on Xue Yi’s face, he turned and left.
Not even a month later, just after Qin Jingzhou received word that the Border Army’s troops had set out to meet them, Guo Sida suddenly made his move at a palace banquet.
The entire Yan family was absent from the event, except for Virtuous Consort Yan, who had to attend.
Qin Jingzhou had no interest in getting involved in the tangle between Guo Sida and Duke Cheng’en. With a single order, he took his wife, children, and Prince’s Personal Guards out of the city.
Although Emperor Yongning had always followed the path of “those who lack virtue find little support,” it wasn’t as if there wasn’t a single general still willing to obey him. So it was likely that, in the end, Emperor Yongning would take Empress Wang and other consorts, and with protection from the Imperial Family, several generals, their subordinate commanders, and some of the palace guards, he would rendezvous with Duke Cheng’en and the Wang family army and make his way south… just as it had played out in the plot once before.
As for why Emperor Yongning was the one forced to flee, that was partly because, for all Guo Sida’s shortcomings, he was still from a top aristocratic family and had years of military command. His character, while brash and bold, was far more generous and forthright than the always dark and reserved Duke Cheng’en—made him just a bit more “likable.”
Thus, more civil and military officials were willing to support Guo Sida’s side than those willing to follow Emperor Yongning and Duke Cheng’en… by quite a margin.
So it was Emperor Yongning and not Guo Sida who ended up on the run.
At the appointed meeting place outside the city, Qin Jingzhou did not have to wait long before Xue Yi and several Imperial Guard commanders, who had promised to join him, arrived on time with his daughter Yan Yun.
Seeing the worry on her father’s face, Yan Yun grew even more anxious, blurting, “Father, I saw little brother in the palace! He wouldn’t come with me.”
Qin Jingzhou, of course, already knew his younger son Yan Duan had slipped off halfway.
Just a little while ago, Yan Jun had rushed to his side, desperate to ask for his permission to send men after his brother Yan Duan, but Qin Jingzhou had refused.
There was no need to ask. If Yan Duan returned, it would only be to try to rescue his beloved Noble Consort Guo.
His younger son Yan Duan was the sort who never learned unless he ran straight into a wall—the classic troublemaker. Qin Jingzhou decided this time to just let him take a proper fall. With the Guo family by his side, if Yan Duan managed to change for the better, good; if not, he could fend for himself.
He smiled, reassuring his daughter, “You’ll see in a bit.”
Sure enough, not half an hour later, a team of cavalry scouts gingerly approached. Qin Jingzhou had his confidant take men to confer with them. Soon afterward, the confidant brought back a letter.
Qin Jingzhou gave the letter to his daughter, asking her to read it aloud for all to hear. The letter had been written by Duke Cheng’en. He had the nerve to demand that Qin Jingzhou exchange Virtuous Consort Yan for Yan Duan.
Qin Jingzhou stood up. “So he actually dares to bargain with me. Seems I’ve really been too gentle and easygoing.” He pointed at the Deputy General. “Select five thousand elite troops. We’re moving out!”
Yan Yun clenched her fists, gathering her courage. “Father, can I… come too?”
Ling Jing chimed in, “My Lord, none of us want to miss watching you shine on the battlefield.”
Qin Jingzhou considered for a moment. It made sense—after dealing with Emperor Yongning and Duke Cheng’en, they would just head straight back to their own turf. Without further ado, he swung onto his horse. “Very well. Let’s all go together.”