Chapter Twenty-Seven: Avenge My Disciple and Wipe Away His Grievance

"Hmph, boasting again, are you?"

"If next time, Great Kang mobilizes the entire nation’s military, an army of five hundred thousand, let’s see what you do then!"

"Alas, even with a full-scale recruitment across all of Great Qi, we can barely muster seventy or eighty thousand troops. How are we to face such an enemy when the time comes?"

With the Empress personally shielding Yang Chuan, the ministers, though still deeply dissatisfied, dared only to whisper among themselves below the dais. They no longer dared to show him the slightest bit of disrespect. Yet, even though this group of officials looked down upon Yang Chuan, their concerns were ultimately rooted in the desire for the peace and stability of Great Qi. Yang Chuan, despite his high status and immense power, saw that their intentions were not malicious and chose not to hold them accountable.

Meanwhile, within the borders of Great Kang, the court was in an uproar upon hearing that General Guo Mingyu had been beheaded by Yang Chuan. The newly appointed Chancellor, Jiang Ziqi, was so overcome with rage upon seeing his disciple’s corpse that he suffered a fit of violent coughing, nearly collapsing on the spot.

"Grand Tutor Jiang!"

Although Jiang Ziqi had been promoted from Grand Tutor to Chancellor, Yan Wugou still habitually addressed him by his former title. "Imperial physicians! Summon the imperial physicians at once!"

Seeing Jiang Ziqi’s eyes roll back, Yan Wugou grew frantic and urged her ministers to call for help. The court descended into chaos. The Censor-in-Chief, Feng Zhang, seeing the state of affairs, stepped out from the ranks of the ministers and walked toward the throne.

"Chancellor!" After checking Jiang Ziqi’s breath, Feng Zhang’s expression darkened. He turned to Yan Wugou and said, "Your Majesty, the Chancellor is of advanced age and cannot bear such a heavy blow. If Your Majesty still cherishes our past ties and is grateful for his loyal service to two generations of Great Kang, you must dispatch a massive army to conquer the State of Qi!"

Privately, Censor-in-Chief Feng Zhang and Jiang Ziqi had long been close allies. In the past, when Yan Wugou had suddenly returned to the kingdom with a pale-faced young man in tow to claim the throne after the deaths of her brothers, she had held that young man in high regard, appointing him to the inner court immediately upon her ascension. Though not as extreme as the Empress of Qi, who granted titles that left no room for further promotion, it was enough to breed resentment among many—especially Grand Tutor Jiang Ziqi.

During the years of political turmoil in Great Kang, Jiang Ziqi had secretly groomed a large number of students. He had expected that once a new monarch was installed, he could place his disciples throughout the court, controlling the government from within and becoming the most powerful man in the kingdom.

Alas, the Empress had no intention of relying on anyone from within Great Kang. Over the span of three years, she had concentrated all power into the hands of Yang Chuan alone. Now, having finally conspired with Jiang Ziqi to drive Yang Chuan away and see the old tutor ascend to the Chancellorship, Feng Zhang wanted to seize this opportunity to fan the flames and solidify his ally's position.

However, two consecutive defeats had planted seeds of doubt in Yan Wugou’s mind. Previously, her trusted General Bao Wenyuan had proven ignorant of military strategy, relying only on brute force, which led to the Kang army being defeated by Yang Chuan without inflicting a single casualty, causing her to lose face entirely. But what about the second offensive? Jiang Ziqi, upon becoming Chancellor, had boasted that his disciples were masters of war. While they had indeed slaughtered many in the Battle of Huicheng, strategically, they had been played like puppets by Yang Chuan’s schemes.

Yan Wugou realized that her own arrogant proclamations seemed to be rebounding, steadily crushing her remaining dignity.

"We shall discuss the invasion of Qi once the Chancellor has recovered. For now, have the servants take the Grand Tutor back to his residence to rest." Yan Wugou stood up, her face devoid of emotion. "I am weary these past few days; I wish to take a walk in the back garden."

After using this excuse to dismiss Feng Zhang, she rose and, supported by the Grand Eunuch, walked slowly toward the rear garden. Along the way, visions of the days she spent inseparably with Yang Chuan flashed through her mind.

*Yang Chuan, did I truly do something wrong? When you were in the court, I never had to worry about a single thing; you managed everything with perfect order. But since you left, it seems this Great Kang can never return to its former prosperity.*

The back garden was the only tranquil place in the imperial palace. Yet, even with no one to disturb her, Yan Wugou was plagued by a whirlwind of thoughts.

"Grand Eunuch, you may withdraw. I wish to be alone for a while." The Grand Eunuch, who had been waiting nearby, wanted to offer a few words of comfort, but seeing the instability in the Empress's mood, he silently retreated.

From that moment, the vast imperial garden belonged to Yan Wugou alone. Yet, she felt that walking here by herself was unbearably cold and desolate. If only she hadn't forced Grand Scholar Yang away back then, he would surely be the one walking by her side now, wouldn't he?

As she walked, she found herself near a vacant palace. This was the Qingyou Hall, which Yan Wugou had spent a fortune to build specifically for Yang Chuan's leisure. She had once planned that when Yang Chuan grew weary of governance, she would keep him confined in the harem as her only male favorite. Who could have known that this man would be so unappreciative, heartlessly abandoning her to flee to an enemy state?

Could it be that what he truly desired was her Great Kang empire?

"Yang Chuan, I could have given you anything you wanted—except for this throne, which is the foundation built by three generations of the Yan family. How could I ever hand it over?"

As a woman teetering on the edge of reason, Yan Wugou continued to over-interpret Yang Chuan’s inner thoughts based on her own perspective. When she could no longer make sense of it, she finally lost control of her emotions, leaning against a wall and weeping bitterly.

"Someone! Tomorrow, tear down this Qingyou Hall. I do not want to see anything that reminds me of Yang Chuan ever again!"

...

The next day, under the care of the imperial physicians, Jiang Ziqi’s health had greatly improved. Upon hearing this, Yan Wugou went personally to the Chancellor’s mansion to visit him. Meeting again after a day, Jiang Ziqi wept before her, his face streaked with tears.

"Your Majesty, I have spent half my life cultivating countless talents for this nation, and yet my most beloved disciple, Guo Mingyu, has died on the path to conquering Qi."

"Your Majesty, in light of my lifelong loyalty to you, I beg you to dispatch troops once more, strike at Great Qi, and avenge my disciple!"

These words were, of course, calculated by Jiang Ziqi for Yan Wugou’s ears. As for Guo Mingyu, though he had been his student, their relationship was merely that of teacher and pupil in a classroom. But having just assumed the Chancellorship, he needed to use his own men to achieve glory and build his reputation—only to be humiliated by Yang Chuan’s schemes. If word of this got out, he would have no face left. Without a single achievement to his name, how could he proceed with his plan to gradually replace Yan Wugou and take control of the government?

"Grand Tutor, you are of advanced age; you should worry less about these matters."

"As for the State of Qi, I shall dispatch an envoy tomorrow to present them with the stakes and force them to cede territory and pay reparations voluntarily!"