Chapter 70 — TVF Chapter 70

The Table-Flipping Old Father (10)

Although Qin Jingzhou had hardly ever displayed his true strength before others, the fact that he had over a hundred disciples, including the two sons of Prince Haicheng, was proof enough of his abilities as a Master.

Moreover, in these past two years, he had shown not the slightest ambition. He refused to meddle in military affairs, and in order to avoid suspicion, had even actively dismissed several disciples from noble families.

At least, this was how Prince Haicheng viewed things. He believed Qin Jingzhou had a keen sense for the currents of the time.

Even so, Prince Haicheng felt that before entrusting him with significant responsibilities, he should continue testing him for a few more years. However, time was no longer on his side. If he did not send out his troops soon, it would not be a case of outlasting the Emperor; instead, the Emperor would watch him die first.

That’s right. Prince Haicheng had once gambled to see who would die first. He seemed certain to win, yet the Emperor had managed to tip the scales back more than once with some off-the-books maneuvers.

After several ruthless assassination attempts by the Emperor, regardless of their success, word of them quickly spread. The Emperor’s reputation plummeted, and this in turn prompted more regional princes and aristocratic families who genuinely wished to support Prince Haicheng.

In short, Prince Haicheng was determined to take revenge against the Emperor. He wanted to personally lead the troops, to pull the Emperor from the dragon throne with his own hands, and to settle everything in one decisive blow. But he was not mad: he would not fight a battle he was unprepared for.

After more than five months of intensive training in the prince’s household guards, Qin Jingzhou was once again promoted, this time as the Military Advisor and Libationer of the Vanguard Army. His two sons, Dalang and Erlang, were appointed colonels, serving respectively in the Vanguard and the not-yet-deployed Middle Army.

If he had not made it clear beforehand that Third Miss Si and Han Xuanfeng should stay behind to guard the home, Prince Haicheng would have insisted on sending his son-in-law into the Rear Army as well.

So it could be said Prince Haicheng trusted him, but only to a certain extent.

At this moment, Qin Jingzhou sat inside the command tent of the Vanguard Army, listening to the deputies discuss their strategies. He smiled and held his tongue, for ordinary men were handling matters within their purview, and he had no need to speak.

Prince Haicheng’s domain was much like the Sichuan Basin, ringed on three sides by mountains and easy to defend but hard to attack. At the same time, expansion outward was difficult, because there was only one possible exit. The Emperor had stationed a hundred thousand troops at this lone gateway. Those hundred thousand elite soldiers should have been challenge enough for Prince Haicheng, yet the Emperor had overplayed his hand. With hard evidence in hand, Prince Haicheng made the Emperor’s transgressions public, destroying the Emperor’s reputation and sowing seeds of doubt in the defense commander’s mind.

The reason was simple. This defensive general was himself a prince’s son. Given the Emperor’s recent conduct, who could feel safe that the Emperor would not discard the general after using him? Do not forget who had struck first: the Emperor!

As a result, with tacit coordination, Prince Haicheng’s fifty-thousand-strong Vanguard Army and the hundred-thousand imperial soldiers guarding the gate engaged in a few probing skirmishes. The general pretended to be defeated and allowed the Vanguard Army to break through his lines.

Having set the example himself, the rest of the defenders followed suit. Each made a show of battle, then let the Vanguard Army pass with almost no casualties.

Thus, the Vanguard Army advanced nearly unopposed, surging a thousand miles straight to the capital.

An Inner Attendant rushed to report that Prince Haicheng’s Vanguard Army was at the gates. The Emperor smashed a teacup on the spot.

He had expected a decisive battle with Prince Haicheng. After all, his spies in the south had already sent word that the plot to poison Prince Haicheng had been half a success: all the operatives had died, and Prince Haicheng’s health was in ruins, his children gravely injured or slain.

The Emperor was pleased. He knew his own life was coming to an end, but if he could eliminate his greatest threat, or at least witness his enemy’s demise, he would be able to answer to his ancestors in the afterlife.

What he could never have imagined, however, was the speed of Prince Haicheng’s retaliation, or just how fragile he and his father’s defensive line proved to be.

After smashing the teacup, the Emperor roared, “Useless! You're all useless!”

The attendants and guards on duty kept silent, but in their hearts, they felt he deserved this fate. It was time to consider their own escape routes.

The Emperor didn’t just pursue his goals by any means necessary, he was also cruel and unfeeling. Princess Anyang was supposedly his most beloved child, yet, without blinking, he had sent her to her death. That summed up his character.

For such a man, losing the hearts of his people before his fall was nothing strange.

Thus, the Vanguard Army camped outside the South Gate, while the other three gates remained untouched. All the pressure shifted to the Emperor, as the soldiers simply waited for the prince, who was still with the Middle Army, to arrive.

Prince Haicheng took longer to reach the front than expected. Anyone could guess he had fallen ill en route and been delayed. Qin Jingzhou could only sigh when he saw him. Another year lost from his dwindling lifespan.

Knowing that fate favored him, yet his days were numbered, Prince Haicheng grew calm. He spent his time in careful negotiations with the gathered clan members and aristocrats, dividing the spoils and making public guarantees in front of his two sons.

During this, the Emperor was not idle either. For once, he mustered some backbone, not fleeing, but racking his brain for a way to reverse the situation. He sought to rally the support of the clans and the power brokers.

Ironically, though the Emperor had always opposed Prince Haicheng, his true motivation was to reduce the power of the regional princes and concentrate authority in his own hands. Now, to save the throne, he had no choice but to promise actual rights and titles to those who aided him.

Even with his dubious track record, extravagant rewards did attract bold men. Prince Haicheng was solidifying his support within his own camp at the South Gate, while the Emperor gathered a few factions to his side. The final showdown between them became inevitable.

Qin Jingzhou, as Military Advisor and Libationer, spoke little throughout. Without direct command of any troops, he drew almost no attention.

His two most famous disciples, the two sons of Prince Haicheng, were now busier than ever, hurriedly forging alliances. Prince Haicheng’s preference was obvious to anyone around him; it was clear he favored his third son as successor. But this did not mean his fifth son, the Fifth Young Master, lacked ambition. The prince, due to his health, was unlikely to have more sons. Even if the brothers fought and the Fifth Young Master lost, he would likely survive. Should misfortune befall his brother, then no matter how grudgingly, Prince Haicheng would have to let him inherit.

Open scheming failed to sway the Emperor, but he was a master at the right timing of trickery. After losing more than winning in skirmishes with Prince Haicheng’s combined forces, when victory seemed within the prince’s grasp, the Emperor reached out to the Fifth Young Master.

Although Qin Jingzhou’s powers in this world were limited, his perception was not restrained by its rules.

He saw clearly as the Fifth Young Master began conspiring with the Emperor, planning to use imperial agents against his third brother. Qin Jingzhou never meant to interfere. He had already deprived Si Chenghui of his plot armor; the so-called Fate’s Son was now just an average talented youth in the narrative. Naturally, someone else had to take his place and stir up a major upheaval.

That role now belonged to the Fifth Young Master.

Yet the Fifth Young Master retained his wits. He wanted to cripple or eliminate his brother only if their father triumphed and the throne was within reach. Otherwise, fratricidal conflict would be pointless.

However, once you rely on outside forces, events can easily spiral out of your control.

The Emperor’s agents who contacted the Fifth Young Master had no intention of simply sitting tight. They took matters into their own hands and moved against the Third Young Master.

Ever since Prince Haicheng was poisoned, the Third Young Master had grown extremely careful with food and drink, partaking only in his own tent or his father’s. He refused all meals or water in his fifth brother’s territory. Unable to poison him, the Emperor’s men could only attempt assassination.

The Third Young Master trained daily at the army's drill ground. Soon enough, the Emperor’s agents found their chance.

They activated the last embedded agents in Prince Haicheng’s army, several dozen in all, yet the result was not as hoped. As soon as the Third Young Master sensed danger, he turned and ran straight towards his Master’s tent.

Just as an arrow pierced the back of his neck, Qin Jingzhou flicked a paperweight with pinpoint accuracy. It shattered the arrow while also striking down the relentless assassin, a man dressed as an ordinary soldier but armed with a dagger coated in poison.

The guards reacted quickly. In a rush, they overwhelmed the would-be assassins and captured every last one.

When Prince Haicheng heard the report, he comforted his pale but composed third son, thanked Qin Jingzhou, and sighed, “I knew it. I will never give him another chance to use such treacherous means.”

Truth be told, almost all the Emperor’s agents embedded within the army were death soldiers, killing machines with nothing to lose. After two more implicated the Fifth Young Master, they too were executed and their heads placed on pikes.

As for the Fifth Young Master, his gamble was a grave miscalculation. Even if Prince Haicheng was left with only two sons, he would never allow one to act like the Emperor. The Fifth Young Master confessed his guilt with tears streaming down his face and was granted a length of white silk.

Learning that his own father had ordered his death, the Fifth Young Master died with eyes wide open, shock and disbelief forever etched on his face.

Elsewhere, the Emperor had lost yet another gamble. By now, he was almost used to it. He had never been adept at upright political maneuvering.

After yet another sleepless night, he awoke in a daze to a eunuch, sweating and pale, stammering, “Your Majesty, the rebels have broken through the South Gate…”

The Emperor collapsed back onto the palace bed, literally fainting from shock.

All along, Prince Haicheng had spared some thought for his reputation, even towards the Emperor he despised. This time, though, he discarded all misgivings and personally led his troops into the palace.

By now, only the most loyal Imperial Guards and palace attendants remained to defend the Emperor, gathering at the Qianqing Palace, shielding the unconscious ruler. Meanwhile, the general in charge of the palace gates opened them and surrendered to Prince Haicheng.

Returning to the palace after so many years, Prince Haicheng was full of complex emotions. There was no time for nostalgia. Narrowing his eyes, he raised his hand and pointed directly at the Qianqing Palace along the central axis of the palace grounds. “Follow me! To battle!”

He gave the order, the elite bodyguards pressed forward without hesitation.

The Third Young Master trailed closely behind his father but soon looked back at Qin Jingzhou. He mouthed, “Master, help me. Protect Father.”

Qin Jingzhou smiled and nodded. The boy had put "help me" before "protect Father", impressive. Then again, it was wise for the Third Young Master to be cautious. The Emperor had sown discord in Prince Haicheng’s ranks. Did the Prince truly know nothing?