L.F-Hist.Novelist Chapter 263 This letter is definitely not real! The three pillars of Liyang collapsed.
Chapter 263 This letter is definitely not real! The three pillars of Liyang collapsed.
Liyang Imperial City, Imperial Palace.
Tianqi Hall.
This is the main hall of the Liyang Imperial Palace, where emperors of past dynasties held grand ceremonies, received envoys, and issued edicts.
The palace was majestic, with vermilion pillars and golden roofs, gleaming with a solemn and luxurious light under the midnight moon.
In front of the hall is a wide white marble square, flanked by twelve stone pillars with coiled dragons, each three zhang tall, carved with lifelike five-clawed golden dragons that cast long shadows under the moonlight.
It is now the hour of Chou (1-3 AM).
The entire imperial city was shrouded in the deep darkness of night.
Only the Tianqi Hall remained brightly lit.
Inside the hall, the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost palpable.
Behind a long table made of rosewood, three people sat upright.
The man in the center is about fifty years old, with a thin face, three long strands of beard hanging down to his chest, wearing a dark purple crane-patterned robe and a black gauze turban.
It was none other than Zhang Julu, the prime minister and the foremost of the three pillars of Liyang.
At this moment, his face was expressionless, only his sharp, eagle-like eyes were fixed on the unfolded letter on the long table.
The letter was written on snow-white paper, with elegant handwriting—a style he knew all too well.
His Majesty's handwriting.
But the contents of the letter made him almost unable to believe his eyes.
He had been staring at the letter for the entire time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
From the moment the messenger galloped into the capital, from the moment the eunuch tremblingly presented the letter to him, he stared at it like that.
My eyes ached from staring at it, my eyes welled up with tears, and I felt as if every word on the letter was being etched into my brain.
But he still couldn't believe it.
"Liyang and Daqin will become one."
"I will choose a date to marry Emperor Qin Mu of the Great Qin."
"This matter is settled and cannot be changed."
He read each word no less than a hundred times.
But every time he finished reading it, he found it absurd.
Utterly absurd.
Every word was like a knife, piercing his heart.
Zhang Julu's hands were trembling slightly.
He has lived most of his life and seen countless storms.
He assisted the late emperor in quelling the rebellion, supported the empress's ascension to the throne, and gradually transformed Liyang into the overlord of the Eastern Continent.
He thought he had seen it all.
But now, facing this letter...
He felt dizzy and his vision went black.
To Zhang Julu's left sat a burly middle-aged man.
He was eight feet tall, with broad shoulders and a powerful build, wearing a suit of black iron armor, and with a giant sword as wide as a door hanging from his waist.
It was none other than General Li Yang, Gu Jiantang.
At this moment, his face was ashen, and his tiger-like eyes were wide open, staring intently at the letter.
The heavy breathing was particularly clear in the silent hall.
His hand rested on the hilt of the sword, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
"impossible……"
His voice was hoarse and low, carrying a suppressed anger that could erupt at any moment.
"His Majesty would never write such a letter..."
"It must have been forged!"
"It must have been that scoundrel Qin Mu who forced His Majesty to write it!"
He spoke slowly and deliberately, each word as if squeezed out from between his teeth.
Peng!
Gu Jiantang slammed his fist hard on the long sandalwood table.
The force was so great that it made the teacup on the table jump, splashing tea onto the unfolded letter, leaving a small, dark water stain next to the three characters "Zhao Qingxue".
Zhang Julu raised his head and looked at him.
His thin face was now filled with exhaustion and solemnity.
"General Gu," he said, his voice hoarse and low, "please calm down."
"calm?!"
Gu Jiantang suddenly stood up, his burly body like an iron tower, casting a shadow that enveloped Zhang Julu.
"How can you expect me to stay calm?!"
His voice grew louder and louder, echoing in the empty Tianqi Hall, causing the gilded palace lanterns to sway slightly.
"His Majesty was kidnapped by those treacherous villains from the North, and we've been waiting here for five days!"
Five days!
He held up five fingers, which were as thick as iron, but were trembling slightly.
"There's nothing we can do! We can only wait! Wait! Wait!"
His chest heaved violently, and his heavy breathing sounded like a bellows.
"Now that we've finally received news, it's like this!"
He grabbed the letter, the paper rustling in his hand.
"His Majesty is going to marry Qin Mu?!"
"Marry that tyrannical and debauched ruler who forcibly takes his ministers' wives as concubines?!"
"How can you expect me to stay calm?!"
He slammed the letter down on the table.
"Bang!"
Another loud bang.
Zhang Julu frowned slightly.
He didn't speak, but just quietly looked at Gu Jiantang.
Those sharp, eagle-like eyes were now as calm as a stagnant pool.
When Gu Jiantang was looked at like that, the anger in his heart seemed to be doused with a bucket of cold water.
But he was still not satisfied.
"Prime Minister Zhang," his voice lowered, but still carried a deep anger, "say something!"
Zhang Julu remained silent for a moment.
Then, he slowly began to speak.
"General Gu," he said, his voice soft but each word clear, "you're saying this letter is a forgery?"
Gu Jiantang was stunned for a moment.
He then nodded emphatically.
"Of course!" he said firmly. "How could His Majesty write such a letter!"
Zhang Julu looked at him and sighed softly.
He reached out and pointed to the handwriting on the letter.
"Look at this character."
His fingers slowly traced the elegant handwriting.
"The brushstroke, the strength, the habitual pause at the turning point—"
He paused, his gaze falling on Gu Jiantang's face:
"Is this His Majesty's handwriting?"
Gu Jiantang was stunned.
He looked at the words, at the familiar strokes, the familiar strength, the familiar strokes and lines.
He was a military general and did not understand calligraphy.
He had read the military reports that His Majesty had reviewed countless times.
He could recognize those words even with his eyes closed.
And the words on this letter before me—
That is His Majesty's courtesy name.
"cocoa……"
Gu Jiantang opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that he couldn't say anything.
Zhang Julu then pointed to the bright red mark at the bottom of the letter.
"And this mark."
His fingers gently touched the edge of the mark.
"Carved from Hetian mutton-fat jade, with a dragon-tiger knob, the seal face bears eight ancient seal characters: 'Having received the mandate from Heaven, may your life be long and prosperous.'"
He raised his head and looked at Gu Jiantang:
"This is the Imperial Seal of the Li Yang royal family. It was taken from the Imperial Ancestral Temple on the day His Majesty ascended the throne."
There is only one in the world.
His voice grew softer, yet deeper:
"If the letter is forged, then what about the seal?"
"Is the seal also forged?"
Gu Jiantang stood still, motionless.
He looked at the letter, at the words, at the bright red mark.
My mind went completely blank.
He wanted to argue.
He wanted to say that it was all a lie.
But those words, that mark—
It's all true.
Looking at him like this, Zhang Julu felt a deep pang of sorrow.
He knew what Gu Jiantang was thinking.
Because he is the same.
He also hoped the letter was fake.
I also hope that His Majesty was forced to write this letter.
But the handwriting, the marks—
You can't fool people.
"But--"
Gu Jiantang spoke again, his voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible.
"But didn't the Imperial Advisor say that His Majesty was captured by Xu Longxiang of the Northern Border?"
His gaze shifted to Li Chunfeng, who was sitting to the side.
"The Imperial Advisor said it himself! He said he personally witnessed people from the Northern Border appear at the Nu River ferry crossing, and that His Majesty was abducted by the Northern Border!"
His voice grew louder and louder, carrying an almost desperate struggle.
"We've been trying to figure out a solution for the past few days!"
"How to put pressure on the North! How to target the North! How to infiltrate the North and rescue His Majesty!"
"We even captured Liu Hongyan, the envoy from the North!"
He finished speaking in one breath, his chest heaving violently.
"The result is now—"
He pointed to the letter, his hand trembling slightly.
"His Majesty's letter says she's in the Qin capital?"
"Isn't this absurd?!"
A brief silence fell over the Tianqi Hall.
The only sounds were the faint crackling of the candlelight and Gu Jiantang's heavy breathing.
Zhang Julu fell silent.
Of course he knew what Gu Jiantang was talking about.
In the past few days, he and Gu Jiantang have been discussing how to deal with the Northern Border.
They even drafted several plans.
From diplomatic pressure to economic blockades to military deterrence to secret infiltration and rescue operations.
Each plan was as detailed as it could possibly be.
Each plan considered countless possibilities.
But they never imagined—
His Majesty will be in the "Imperial City of Qin".
I never thought of it—
His Majesty will "voluntarily" marry Qin Mu.
Could it be that the Northern Border and the Emperor of Qin joined forces to set this trap for Li Yang?
Or perhaps Xu Longxiang of the Northern Border captured Her Majesty the Empress and presented her to the Emperor of Qin?
But how could all this be possible? Xu Longxiang of the Northern Border had clearly harbored resentment towards the Qin Dynasty for a long time.
The Qin emperor then forcibly took Xu Longxiang's sister as a concubine.
Logically speaking, the two should have been sworn enemies long ago, so how could they have secretly joined forces?
I can't figure it out, I just can't understand it.
This is completely unreasonable.
Zhang Julu slowly turned his head and looked at Li Chunfeng.
Those sharp, eagle-like eyes now held an unprecedented solemnity.
"Imperial Preceptor," he began, his voice hoarse, "what exactly is going on?"
Gu Jiantang also turned his head and stared intently at Li Chunfeng.
Inside the hall, everyone's gaze was fixed on that gray-white figure.
Li Chunfeng sat there, motionless.
He was still wearing that faded blue Taoist robe, holding a white jade whisk, his beard and hair were all white, and his face was ruddy.
But at this moment, a slight ripple finally appeared on that face that was always as calm as an ancient well.
His brows were slightly furrowed.
Those eyes, which were always half-open, were now fully open.
Its brilliance was restrained, like two ancient pools of unfathomable depth.
His gaze fell on the letter.
It landed on those elegant handwritings, on those bright red marks.
I watched it for a very long time.
So long that Gu Jiantang almost couldn't help but speak again, so long that Zhang Julu's brows furrowed more and more tightly.
Finally, Li Chunfeng made a move.
He raised his hand.
That hand was withered and thin, yet remarkably steady.
He picked up the letter and brought it close to his eyes.
I watched it again.
From beginning to end, from end to beginning.
Every word, every stroke, every line.
Then, he put down the letter.
Raise your head.
His gaze fell on Zhang Julu and Gu Jiantang.
Those eyes, which seemed to see through the ways of the world, were now filled with an extremely complex light.
"This letter—"
He spoke, his voice aged yet ethereal, yet remarkably clear in the silent hall.
"It's true."
The moment the words left his mouth, Gu Jiantang's body swayed violently.
His face turned deathly pale instantly.
"real……"
He murmured to himself, his voice as soft as a dream.
"How is that possible..."
"How is that possible..."
His body trembled slightly, and his once robust frame now appeared somewhat hunched.
Zhang Julu remained silent.
But a deep sadness flashed in those sharp eyes.
But Li Chunfeng hadn't finished speaking.
He looked at the two of them and continued:
"But what I said before is also true."
Gu Jiantang suddenly raised his head.
"What do you mean?" His voice was hoarse and urgent. "Grand Preceptor, what exactly do you mean?!"
Li Chunfeng remained silent for a moment.
A flickering light shone in those deep-set eyes.
He was organizing his thoughts.
Or rather, he was organizing his thoughts.
He's been thinking about that matter a lot these past few days.
That night at the Nujiang ferry crossing, he saw the figure emerging from the dragon's body.
The figure was dressed in a dark, close-fitting outfit, with a cold and stern face and empty eyes.
Those are people from the North.
That was Mo Ya, one of Xu Longxiang's five chief advisors.
He saw it with his own eyes.
But at this moment—
His Majesty's letter, however, came from the Imperial City of Qin.
What exactly happened?
Li Chunfeng slowly closed his eyes.
Countless images flashed through my mind.
The fog was so thick it was almost tangible.
The giant river dragon that had fought him for hundreds of rounds.
The moon-white figure that disappeared before his eyes.
That cold and empty face that emerged from the dragon's body.
and also--
The young man in the moon-white robe standing on the cliff.
Qin Mu.
Li Chunfeng opened his eyes.
Those insightful eyes were now filled with clarity.
He looked at Zhang Julu and Gu Jiantang.
"To be honest," he said slowly, his voice old and calm, "this letter is a bit unexpected for me."
Zhang Julu raised an eyebrow slightly.
A hint of confusion flashed in Gu Jiantang's eyes.
Li Chunfeng continued, each word flowing slowly from his heart:
"But it was exactly what I expected."
Gu Jiantang was stunned.
"As expected?" He couldn't help but ask, "Grand Preceptor, what are you talking about? His Majesty was kidnapped from the Northern Border, how did he end up in Qin? How did he marry Qin Mu?"
Li Chunfeng looked at him and gently shook his head.
"General Gu," he said, "when did I ever say that His Majesty was abducted from the North?"
Gu Jiantang was speechless.
He opened his mouth, as if to say something.
Li Chunfeng continued, his voice soft, yet each word clear:
"I only said that I saw people from the northern border that night at the Nujiang ferry crossing."
"I saw the Black Raven."
"I saw the figure emerging from the dragon's body."
"But I never said that—"
He paused, his gaze sharp:
"His Majesty was abducted from the North."
Gu Jiantang stared at him blankly.
My mind went completely blank.
"But...but..." he stammered, "That figure...that Black Raven...isn't he from the North? What else could they be doing there if not kidnapping His Majesty?"
Li Chunfeng looked at him and sighed softly.
The sigh was soft, yet it carried an indescribable, complex emotion.
"General Gu," he said, "have you ever thought about—"
He paused, then spoke slowly and deliberately:
"That figure, perhaps, was just... something I saw."