Chapter 1675: Baitan Requests an Audience

She sighed, “I heard, I heard that the Li family at the front alley entrance was robbed. When they reported it, the constables came and robbed their house again, even beating the old man to death!”

Seeing her husband remain silent, she laid it bare: “Alright, alright. If you’re not going, then stay here. I’ll take the child myself.”

Her husband sighed, “My brother-in-law, who works in the palace, said the King wasn’t killed by General Bai, but by the Sky God…”

“Hush, hush!” his wife quickly interjected. “Are you out of your mind, daring to say such a thing? Even if it was the Sky God… those people in the palace brought it upon themselves! Didn’t the public notice say it was divine punishment, divine punishment? You only get punished for doing wrong!”

What does it matter if he was the King? Shouldn’t he be punished for angering the Sky God?

But the sheer terror of the Sky God personally intervening left the couple trembling with fear.

Hearing this, Bai Ziqin gave a faint sneer.

He had just secretly conversed with Bishop Liang, learning that the Temple had been deeply involved in this coup. Not only did it provide temple soldiers for Bai Tan’s assault on the palace, but it had also incited rioting among the displaced people in the initial stages.

The displaced people were the poorest and most desperate, and a significant number of them were devout followers of the Sky God. Many of their leaders even took orders from the Temple. After the Yao Palace incident, Bai Tan led the displaced people to target wealthy households and distribute food. Their emotions were appeased, and the Temple then joined in the persuasion, leading to the gradual end of the uprising by the afternoon.

Currently, two factions of displaced people remained restless, and the authorities were negotiating with them.

Of course, the current “authorities” referred to Bai Tan and his faction.

“Palace Lord, Bai Tan requests an audience.”

After last night, the only one besides the Sky God to whom Bai Tan would still refer to himself as “requesting an audience” was Qingyang.

Bai Tan strode into the courtyard of Tranquil Lake Retreat and felt a slight oddness upon seeing Qingyang seated beneath a tree.

Why would an injured and unwell person sit outdoors in the freezing cold? But Bai Tan was too weary to ponder it. Since yesterday afternoon, he had been racing against the clock for over a dozen hours, under immense mental pressure. He’d only managed a fifteen-minute nap, and now his eyes were bloodshot, his mind somewhat numb.

What he needed most now was proper rest.

But he dared not.

Aside from external threats, the city of Tianshui alone presented countless complicated matters for him to resolve.

Such were the troubles of an illegitimate ascent to power. Qingyang glanced at him and smiled, “How does it feel to rule over Tianshui City?”

Bai Tan had once been a high official himself, but he’d been suppressed by the temperamental King Yao, constantly having to second-guess the old man’s intentions. Now, the vast Tianshui City obeyed his commands alone.

Bai Tan shook his head. “Endless tasks.”

Time was pressing. He was simultaneously trying to sort out Tianshui City’s internal affairs and beginning to expand the army. Overthrowing King Yao’s rule was only the beginning; he needed to bring the entire nation under his control to be crowned king.

From the moment he conceived of rebellion, he knew this path was destined to be arduous.

Rebellion, huh? Could rebellion ever be easy or pleasant?

So Qingyang merely said he was “ruling Tianshui City,” but the feeling was truly exhilarating.

The taste of absolute power—once experienced, no one could ever let it go!

Qingyang then casually remarked, “You look even more exhausted than King Yao did.”

Bai Tan had been injured on the day of the uprising, but now his eyes were bloodshot and he had dark circles under his eyes, making him look worse than he had then.

These words made Bai Tan’s heart skip a beat.

Comparing him to a dead man was bad luck.

But he couldn’t vent his anger at Qingyang, so he merely rubbed his nose and asked, “How is the Regent’s injury?”

He glanced at his personal guard, who immediately produced a small box and placed it on the table.

“This is a secret palace medicine, exclusively for the King, for nourishing internal vitality and healing external wounds.”

He was being generous with King Yao’s belongings; this medicine was originally for the King’s personal use.

Now, all of King Yao’s treasures belonged to him.

Qingyang politely replied, “Very well, General Bai, that’s thoughtful of you.”

Both parties maintained a polite tone.

Bai Tan was eager to consolidate power in Tianshui City, while Qingyang had returned to Tranquil Lake Retreat to recover from her injuries. With King Yao’s death, the distance between them seemed to have grown, no longer as close as when they secretly plotted the rebellion.

Both sides were well aware that the past was the past, and the present was the present.

Previously, they shared a common goal: to overthrow King Yao and subvert the Yao kingdom’s regime. Once that target fell, the partners would turn their focus, beginning to eye each other warily.

Had Qingyang not been the Regent sent by Beijia, Bai Tan might have turned his sword against her last night.

Fortunately, her unique status meant Bai Tan dared not harbor ill intentions toward her for now; in fact, he still needed to seek her help.

Qingyang knew full well why Bai Tan had come, but outwardly, she maintained a polite demeanor, not mentioning a word of it.

Bai Tan, after all, was bogged down with affairs and had no time for polite evasion. After a few insipid pleasantries, he finally changed the subject and got straight to the point: “Regent, do you know where General Chongwu has gone? I sent messages north, but there has been no reply.”

Qingyang shook her head. “I informed you and Chief Envoy Liang to launch the uprising ahead of schedule, and also arranged for Luodian and Chongwu to cooperate. That’s why Yuwen Yong hasn’t returned to Tianshui City yet. As for Chongwu’s whereabouts, he hasn’t contacted me, though I might receive an urgent message tomorrow or the day after.”

Bai Tan’s heart sank.

At first glance, Qingyang’s words seemed flawless, and her demeanor was calm. In reality, her statement was contradictory.

The coup had been suddenly moved forward, catching everyone off guard. Yet, Chongwu and Luodian received the news in time, indicating that Qingyang possessed a method of instant communication with them, rather than having to wait for messages carried by avian familiars.

So why, then, was she supposedly unable to contact him now?

Having served in court for decades, Bai Tan knew well to listen for what was unsaid. Qingyang’s deliberate statement likely carried two meanings. First, she had arranged to hold Yuwen Yong back, and could release him at any time. Second, she did not control Chongwu’s movements.

In other words, whatever Chongwu wished to do was beyond her control.

This declaration was highly significant, because in their prior tripartite planning, Qingyang had explicitly stated that Chongwu was a crucial piece in the plan. If the Yao Palace incident failed, Chongwu could cover their retreat. If their uprising succeeded, Chongwu could defend them against attacks from other forces.

The agreed-upon condition at the time was that General Chongwu would lead an army back to assist Bixia after the successful coup, and the Yao Kingdom would be responsible for supplying weapons, money, and provisions, without the endless prevarication seen during King Yao’s reign.

This condition was not at all excessive; in fact, it was quite reasonable. Bai Tan, of course, readily agreed.

Now, however, she claimed Chongwu was out of contact, and at such a delicate moment!

Did this imply that Chongwu also harbored disloyal intentions?

The conditions agreed upon before the uprising had very little binding force on these fierce and proud generals and soldiers.

What concerned Bai Tan more was whether this also meant a shift in attitude from Qingyang and Beijia, the power behind her, towards him.

Sure enough, even after King Yao’s death, the troubles remained endless. A surge of irritation rose to Bai Tan’s head, but he maintained an even more sincere expression as he said, “Leading troops in the field, unforeseen incidents occur; I understand! How are the engagements on the northern front?”

Qingyang smiled. “Yuwen Yong has suffered two defeats, likely losing his footing due to Chongwu’s withdrawal and King Yao’s death. The pass was breached, and the northern Yao army scattered, pursued by the Luodian kingdom towards Dongshan in the southwest, with losses exceeding two thousand men.”

Even though Bai Tan had anticipated this outcome, he was still slightly moved upon hearing it.

Under Xue Zongwu, the northern Yao army’s fighting strength had been quite good. There was no reason for it to decline so sharply in just three or four months. Such a sudden and devastating defeat likely indicated a complete collapse of morale and fighting spirit.

In fact, when the Luodian army attacked the pass, they yelled and shouted: “King Yao is dead, the Yao kingdom is no more!” “General Chongwu has withdrawn, you have no reinforcements!” “Tianshui City has been seized, and you fools are still guarding the pass—who are you really serving as gatekeepers for?”

Most terrifyingly, some in the army confirmed that General Chongwu’s main camp to the south was indeed deserted!

With chaos in the rear, Yuwen Yong himself was preoccupied with state affairs and could not focus entirely. As a result, he made a mistake on the battlefield, which the Luodian people exploited. Had his personal guards not risked their lives to save him, Yuwen Yong himself would have nearly been captured.

Thus, a major defeat was inevitable, and Yuwen Yong gathered his remaining troops and fled west.

Qingyang surmised that he had received news of the Tianshui coup and knew there was no king left to serve upon his return. Perhaps he also knew that his entire Yuwen clan had been massacred, so he simply found a place to settle first before planning his next move.

Bai Tan nodded. “I just received news that Luodian has already moved south to Lancang.”

Qingyang’s overall plan this time was meticulous. She had secretly corresponded with Luodian’s Left Clan Elder, Qu Ruhai, beforehand, arranging for him to cooperate with the Yao kingdom’s palace coup by leading his army south. If the coup encountered difficulties, Luodian could tie down Yuwen Yong and the military forces in the central and northern Yao kingdom, a role of great significance. If the coup succeeded quickly, Luodian was to retreat north, and Bai Tan would cede three tribute lands, including Shuangxi, as a reward for Luodian’s military assistance.

These three tribute lands had originally been managed by Xue Zongwu, indicating their rich resources and abundant output.

However, after defeating Yuwen Yong, the Luodian kingdom did not stop but continued south, invading Yao territory. This was clearly an act of ill intent.

Qingyang showed no surprise whatsoever. “I warned you long ago that allying with Luodian is like asking a tiger for its skin.”

She had already said what needed to be said, and now she felt completely at ease.

Any faction that survived in the Blazing Gold Plains was an opportunist. For the first time in years, the Luodian people had broken through the blockade and pushed into the northern Yao kingdom. Seeing their ruler killed and the Yao capital in turmoil, how could they possibly let go of such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?

Even if they couldn’t swallow the entire Yao kingdom, they would still take a substantial bite out of it!

Bai Tan gave a bitter smile. “I know.”

Before the incident, the conflict centered on King Yao. Bai Tan’s sole objective was to seize Tianshui City, even if it meant dealing with a tiger.

This was his choice, and he would have to bear the consequences.

Nor was he naive enough to believe that Qingyang would rein in Luodian for him.

At this point, he could only state his purpose directly: “Regent, after Chongwu returns, I would like to arrange a meeting with him outside the city to have a good talk.”

He emphasized the words “outside the city.”

Tianshui City was already his. Why would Chongwu walk straight into a trap? Setting the meeting point outside the city would at least show some sincerity.

Moreover, he was asking Qingyang to mediate the meeting.

Qingyang smiled. “It seems feasible. What do you wish to discuss with him?”