Chapter 178 “The Emperor is Dead!”

Chapter 178 "The emperor is dead!"

"You've been pretending all these years!" The Emperor of Liang suddenly rose from his throne, his voice dripping with hatred.

"I should have killed you long ago! Guards, guards!"

The Emperor roared furiously, but no one entered. The last of the imperial guards outside were being held at bay.

How did Jiang Huai muster so many men? This was his first thought, followed by sudden realization as his gaze shot straight to Jiang Huai's face. "You have people among the imperial guards?"

Now everything became clear. Jiang Huai's feigned weakness and incompetence had all been an act. He had long planted his own men in secret—otherwise, how could he have escaped the surveillance of the King of Chu's residence and stormed into the palace?

"I should have killed you long ago!" he repeated, nearly foaming at the mouth.

Jiang Huai stepped forward with his sword. "I've waited twenty-one goddamn years for this. Time to settle this once and for all."

Seeing his movement, the Emperor sneered, "You dare raise your hand against your emperor? I am the Emperor of Liang!"

He had completely lost his reason.

Jiang Huai advanced step by step. "I never wanted the damn throne to begin with. You had Yiniang killed out of petty jealousy, and I endured it. After you ascended the throne, I was already out of the succession, yet you still wouldn’t let me go. On nothing more than some bullshit about 'The King of Chu’s son resembles the Crown Prince,' you tried to kill both of my children. Heng'er died in his crib, while Yan'er escaped by the skin of his teeth and was forced to flee to Liangzhou. All these years, I've been living on borrowed time just to wait for this day—to kill you with my own hands."

"Do you have any fucking idea what that's been like?" Jiang Huai's voice was thick with suppressed rage.

The Emperor showed no remorse at these accusations. Instead, he retorted, "The throne runs red with blood. If you truly had no ambition to seize power, how'd that fake edict rumor get started back then?"

In the Emperor's eyes, this was nothing but Jiang Huai’s own ploy to build momentum for usurpation.

"A mere rumor made you fear and obsess for over twenty years. Pathetic! Here you sit on the throne, ruling the world, yet for decades you’ve feared a broken-down has-been like me. How laughable."

Stung by the taunt, the Emperor's face flushed with rage. "That royal blood of yours was always the problem!"

"So many veteran ministers in court once followed the Founding Emperor and Crown Prince Zhaowen. With their blood running through you, you think I could sleep at night? Plus you've got that bastard Marquis of Liangzhou with his ten-thousand-strong army behind you. If you raised a rebellion, how could my throne remain secure?"

"How can you let someone else snore next to your bed?"

Civil war in Liang would only give the barbarians an opportunity. Back when the throne changed hands, Jiang Huai had not joined forces with the Marquis of Liangzhou to seize power—so why would he later? Yet Jiang Ming failed to see this, or perhaps refused to believe it. He couldn’t fathom someone truly willing to relinquish the throne. Had it been him, he would have schemed to seize it at all costs.

He only believed what he wanted to believe. Jiang Huai had no desire to argue further. "I have only one last question—"

"Was my father, Crown Prince Zhaowen, secretly murdered by the late Emperor?"

Jiang Ming's face went slack. It took him a long moment to process the question.

At first, he tilted his head back, his eyes flickering with recollection. Then, as if remembering something, his mouth curled into a crazy-ass grin.

Jiang Huai's gut twisted.

Seeing his grim expression, Jiang Ming’s features smoothed into undisguised malice.

"Yes," he said.

That single, clipped word struck Jiang Huai’s mind like a thunderbolt, as if splitting his very soul in two.

"Hah! You bought that 'natural causes' bullshit? He was barely over thirty when he died—in the prime of his life, gone just like that? Blame his own carelessness, his insistence on playing the humble ruler. All it took was infecting some lowborn scholar with plague and having him approach the Crown Prince for a few days. The physicians initially thought it was just a common chill—by the time they realized, it was too late. Even the late Emperor never expected it to be so easy..."

Jiang Ming continued, but Jiang Huai could no longer bear to listen.

Back when my father passed away from illness, investigations revealed it was indeed a scholar named Yang Qiong around him who contracted the disease and transmitted it to him. But Yang Qiong had already died of the illness before him, so the trail went cold there.

So it was indeed the late emperor’s doing.

This father and son—for the sake of the throne, they killed his father, then his wife and son. An ocean of blood and vengeance. Only by killing Jiang Ming with his own hands could he unleash the hatred he had harbored for over twenty years.

Jiang Huai raised his sword and lunged straight at him.

Jiang Ming, though he seemed deranged, still managed to dodge.

Jiang Huai wanted to kill him, but Jiang Ming wanted to kill Jiang Huai even more.

The Liang dynasty was doomed. The Xiongnu would soon breach the gates. He was dead either way—before dying, he would kill everyone he had ever wanted dead. And Jiang Huai, whom he had longed to kill for over twenty years yet never succeeded, had become his personal demon.

Jiang Ming gripped his sword with both hands and brought it down on Jiang Huai with brutal force.

Jiang Huai raised his blade to block. Steel met steel with a sharp clang.

Jiang Ming had put his full weight behind that strike. Jiang Huai felt his arm go numb under the crushing pressure.

Jiang Ming had trained in martial arts in his youth, but after ascending the throne, years of indulgence had atrophied his skills. He was no master, but Jiang Huai wasn’t much better off either. All these years, he had stayed hidden, not daring to reveal the slightest weakness, even deliberately drowning in drink. His physical condition was far from his prime.

Jiang Ming kept increasing the force in his hands, pressing down to drive the blade toward Jiang Huai’s neck. Jiang Huai’s arm was forced to yield inch by inch. Just as Jiang Ming thought he was about to succeed, Jiang Huai abruptly twisted his strength, deflecting the blade. Simultaneously, he pressed his advantage, sliding to Jiang Ming’s flank, kicking hard at his knee.

His body wasn’t what it used to be, but the techniques he had trained in were still deeply etched in his mind. Every time he closed his eyes, he had rehearsed over and over how to kill his enemy.

Jiang Ming’s knee flared with pain, forcing him to his knees. Seizing the moment, Jiang Huai pressed the attack, but Jiang Ming rolled aside just in time.

From then on, the two engaged in a fight to the death within the grand hall. Jiang Ming was physically stronger, but Jiang Huai, fueled by over twenty years of pent-up hatred, unleashed extraordinary power through sheer determination.

After nearly half an hour of fierce combat, every screen and table in the hall had been overturned. Both men were gasping for breath, wounded—Jiang Huai had cuts on his arm and neck, while Jiang Ming had a gushing wound in his thigh, blood flowing out.

With his leg injured, he was backed against the wall, unable to flee.

Jiang Huai advanced with his sword. After a few more exchanges, he finally drove his blade into Jiang Ming’s chest.

Jiang Ming’s breath hitched, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, his eyes filled with unwillingness.

Jiang Huai’s vision blurred as well. His strength was spent, and he had lost much blood—but he had succeeded in killing his enemy at last.

With his final ounce of strength, Jiang Ming suddenly overturned a bronze lamp stand beside him. Oil spilled across the floor, and when touched by the flame, flames instantly erupted, rapidly spreading to ignite the hanging drapes. The hall became an inferno.

If he was dying, Jiang Huai wouldn’t escape either.

Exhausted, Jiang Huai slumped to the ground. It was sheer willpower that had allowed him to kill Jiang Ming. Now that his vengeance was fulfilled, his mind went blank.

Just as the spreading flames were about to lick at his robes, several figures rushed into the hall.

"Your Highness!"

Seeing Jiang Huai nearly swallowed by the fire, the man didn’t hesitate, dragging him out and hastily stamping out the spreading flames.

"Your Highness! The city gates have fallen—the Xiongnu will enter at any moment. Come with us, quickly!"

Jiang Huai opened his eyes and realized these weren’t his own men—it was Yuan Jia.

Someone sent by Chang Shengnu.

With the breath he had held for over twenty years finally released, Jiang Huai was numb, speechless.

Yuan Jia rushed in just then. Seeing the situation inside the hall, he assumed the King of Chu had decided to die with Emperor Liang. Without waiting for his consent, he yanked him out of the hall.

"The emperor is dead!" Yuan Jia shouted to the imperial guards still fighting. "The Xiongnu are about to break through!"

Since the emperor was already dead, for whom were they still fighting? Upon hearing that the Xiongnu were about to break through, they immediately ran for their lives.

Jiang Huai's men quickly gathered around, but since Yuan Jia's group held Jiang Huai, they held back and pointed their blades at Yuan Jia instead, asking, "Who sent you?"

"We were dispatched by the lady—the princess, His Highness's daughter."

Qin Yao was half-convinced, but fortunately, Jiang Huai had come to by then.

Noticing the King of Chu had several bleeding cuts, Yuan Jia retrieved a bottle of blood-clotting powder from the pouch at his waist.

"Your Highness, we're in a hurry. We must get out now, so please put up with this quick fix for now."

Without delay, he sprinkled the powder onto Jiang Huai's wounds, then tore a strip of cloth from his own garment to bandage them. The entire process was swift and seamless, taking only a few seconds. Then, he moved to lift Jiang Huai up.

The stinging pain from the powder finally snapped Jiang Huai fully awake. He quickly stopped Yuan Jia. "Where are you taking me?"

Yuan Jia answered without hesitation, "Back to Xianbei, of course."

"Xianbei?"

"Chang'an has fallen. Until the Xianbei army arrives, this land belongs to the Xiongnu. It's safer to return to the capital."

Jiang Huai pressed further, "How did you arrive so promptly?"

Yuan Jia replied, "The lady sent us back as early as last year. We've been hiding in the city, under orders to ensure your survival—especially if the city was about to fall and you entered the palace. She insisted we follow you."

At this, he was amazed by the princess's planning.

Jiang Huai had only confided his plan for personal vengeance to Qin Yao, as he needed the latter to coordinate with the imperial guards. Yet, his daughter had somehow guessed it and made preparations so far in advance.

His heart ached.

Having fulfilled his vengeance, he had been directionless, nearly forgetting he still had a daughter. Now, he had found a new purpose—to secure a future for her.

Jiang Huai stood up. "Not to Xianbei. I'm heading south."

"South?!" Yuan Jia blurted out, clearly surprised.

He tried to dissuade him, but Jiang Huai had already made up his mind.

Scratching his head, Yuan Jia realized he couldn’t kidnap the King of Chu back to Xianbei. He gave in reluctantly.

He wasn’t sure if this still counted as fulfilling the lady’s orders.

Meanwhile, the fire in the Taiji Hall grew fiercer, and they could feel the heat even from a distance.

Jiang Huai looked back coldly. Jiang Ming's fate—to be burned to nothing—was nothing but his own doing.

As the group prepared to leave the palace, shouts of battle in the distance reached their ears.

The city had fallen.

From their high position in the Taiji Hall, they could faintly see the Xiongnu forces pouring in.

"Your Highness, before the Xiongnu surround the palace, we must get out now. Any delay will be too late," Yuan Jia urged anxiously.

Jiang Huai paused for a moment, "No need for that. There's a tunnel dug by the previous dynasty that leads directly outside the city."

"What?"

"Follow me." Without further explanation, Jiang Huai headed toward the Northern Palace.

This tunnel was originally dug by the previous dynasty as an escape route in case the city fell. He had grown up in the palace as a child, not even ten yet, a real troublemaker. The Founding Emperor let him run wild. Once, he became deeply curious about the artificial caves in the Northern Palace garden, pretending they were immortal hideouts. He explored every cave, and in one of them—perhaps due to age—a small section had collapsed, revealing a tiny opening. Too tight for adults, but perfect for a kid like him. Inside, he discovered another cave and, eventually, this tunnel. He reported it to the Founding Emperor, who swore him to secrecy and told him never to speak of it.

Jiang Huai arrived at the Northern Palace garden and found the artificial hill from his memory.

But the entrance to the cave was sealed shut.

"Smash it open!" Jiang Huai commanded without hesitation.

Though he had been young at the time and so many years had passed, the memory was burned into his mind—no way he was wrong.

Yuan Jia and Qin Yao each picked two of their strongest men to smash open the cave entrance.

After an hour or so, the entrance was indeed broken open. The group hurried inside, trying to cover their tracks afterward.

The tunnel was completely dark, but occasional gusts of wind confirmed it wasn’t sealed. Qin Yao lit a torch.

They walked for what seemed like hours before finally reaching the exit.

When they climbed out, they were in a graveyard—the exit disguised as a tomb.

Now that they’d slipped free of the Xiongnu army’s encirclement, Jiang Huai quickly planned their next move south.

Failing to deliver the King of Chu to Xianbei, Yuan Jia sent a messenger back with the news.

The fifty-odd survivors then escorted the King of Chu southward.

...

The Xiongnu had never expected Chang’an to last three months under siege.

The longer the siege dragged on and the more losses they suffered, the stronger their thirst for vengeance became. Once inside the city, they unleashed a frenzy of killing and looting, piling on silk, porcelain, gold—anything shiny they could grab. Each man was weighed down like pack mules, barely able to move.

Beyond that, they massacred the city’s inhabitants—killing the men first, then raping and murdering the women. Screams and wails tore through the night as flames rose everywhere, turning Chang’an into a living hell under the night sky.

After three days and nights of unchecked looting, Wudati Hou turned his gaze to the rest of Liang.

Just as he was riding high, ready to crush Liang completely, news arrived of Hu Tuxie’s defeat.

He could hardly believe it. Hu Tuxie was one of his fiercest generals, leading the bravest Xiongnu cavalry—how’d those weak Liang bastards beat him?

"What exactly happened?" Wudati Hou demanded furiously.

The messenger carefully recounted the events of the past two months...

In the twelfth month, Hu Tuxie had successfully taken Luoyang. After plundering the city, he continued south in pursuit of the fleeing aristocratic clans.

He encountered scattered resistance along the way, but none could stand against the Xiongnu.

Finally, he caught up with the clans on the northern bank of the Huai River, just as they were preparing to cross.

They had many people but too few boats, forcing them to remain stranded on the shore. The thirty thousand soldiers who had initially escorted their flight had been whittled down by repeated rearguard actions against the Xiongnu.

With no one left to protect these sitting ducks, Hu Tuxie was gloating—until ambush forces suddenly appeared on both flanks. At least thirty thousand strong, disciplined, and well-equipped, they were clearly professional soldiers.

"Where the hell did these troops come from?" Hu Tuxie couldn't believe his eyes.

Though blindsided and furious, he didn’t panic.

Having fought the Liang forces for years, he knew exactly how weak and incompetent these Liang people were. Even with the best equipment, they were all show and no substance—practically helpless.

But this time, he was wrong.

Once the battle began, he realized this Liang army was surprisingly tough. Against his elite Xiongnu cavalry, they stood their ground. Individually, they might not match the Xiongnu soldiers, but their coordinated formations left him no openings.

Xie Shao led 40,000 troops in ambushing the Xiongnu army from both sides. After a day and night of fierce fighting, Hu Tuxie saw he truly couldn’t overcome Xie Shao. Meanwhile, most of the aristocratic clans had taken the chance to cross the river and escape. Continuing the battle was pointless.

Hu Tuxie decided to retreat first. Once he figured out what had happened, he would return for revenge.

Little did he know, he would be ambushed again on his retreat.

It was winter, and the weather was dry. The mountains and roadsides were covered in withered grass—a single spark could set an entire hillside ablaze.

The ambushing forces lit one flaming hay bale after another, pushing them down from higher ground. With the wind’s help, the flames spread rapidly, igniting vast patches of dry grass below. The Xiongnu army, caught unprepared, were scorched badly.

On top of that, boulders and arrows came crashing down from all directions.

The Xiongnu army suffered crippling losses. Of the original 20,000 troops, fewer than 5,000 remained, forcing them into a disgraceful retreat.

This was their first crushing defeat since invading Liang.

Hu Tuxie knew the Khan would surely punish him—in his fury, perhaps even execute him. Then he remembered the Liang princess in his custody. He had her brought out, intending to present her to the Khan to appease his anger.

Meanwhile, Xie Shao, seeing that the Xiongnu truly dared not return, ordered his men to clear the battlefield.

"This victory was entirely due to the military advisor’s brilliant foresight and careful planning," Xie Shao said solemnly, bowing to Zhuge You in gratitude.

Zhuge You quickly raised his arm. "I just gave advice. In the end, it was the general and his soldiers who fought tooth and nail to drive them back."

"Advisor, don’t sell yourself short. Without you, I wouldn’t have achieved this."

Xie Shao spoke sincerely. Back when he went south to suppress the refugee uprisings, though he successfully reclaimed the occupied cities, he was at a loss for what to do next—until he invited Zhuge You to assist him. With his counsel, he finally put down the rebellions across the provinces.

Of course, he couldn’t help but worry about her now—the princess who had urged him to seek Zhuge You’s help.

With the Xiongnu lying low for now, Xie Shao and Zhuge You discussed defenses along the Jianghuai region.

This battle wasn’t just about protecting the fleeing aristocratic clans and commoners—it held deeper meaning: the feared Xiongnu were not invincible.

Before the battle, even his well-trained soldiers, undefeated in quelling rebellions, couldn’t help but fear the Xiongnu army.

But now, looking at the corpses of Xiongnu soldiers littering the ground, they found unprecedented confidence.

They could defeat the Xiongnu. They could defend what remained of Liang.

Meanwhile, the aristocratic clans who had successfully crossed the river took the Fifth Prince across the Yangtze, finally reaching Jiankang.

Huan Jun personally led a welcoming party, escorting them into the city.

Just as the aristocratic clans settled in, plotting to install the Fifth Prince as emperor and rebuild a court in Jiankang to reclaim their former privileges, an unexpected turn of events occurred—Huan Jun snatched the prince right from under them.

"Huan Jun, what are you doing?" Wang Gui was furious, rallying the He, Xie, and Gao families to confront him.

"The journey south was arduous, and the Fifth Prince has fallen gravely ill. My residence has skilled physicians, so I brought him here for treatment. You do want him to get better, don’t you?" Huan Jun replied calmly.

Upon hearing this grandiose rhetoric, everyone gritted their teeth.

The fifth prince was indeed ill, but not to the point of death. If Huan Jun truly wanted to help him recover, why not just send a physician over? By taking the prince by force, he clearly had other plans.

Huan Jun remained composed. As the governor of Jiankang, he controlled all military and administrative power in the city. The noble families who had fled south had little armed strength left—aside from so-called connections and reputation, they now possessed nothing.

In the north, their networks ran deep, firmly grasping land and resources. But here in the south, their so-called connections were useless.

Even worse, as outsiders, they faced quiet resentment from the local noble families.

Huan Jun had long received news of Chang'an's siege but intentionally held back troops. Only when they were at their most desperate did he order Xie Shao to intervene—all to weaken their power.

Now, it seemed his plan had succeeded.

After some tug-of-war between the two sides, Huan Jun refused to hand over the fifth prince but stopped short of forcing the issue. He shifted the topic, offering to set aside some land for the newly arrived noble families to settle.

Yet, every parcel of land already had an owner, most held by southern families. Would they willingly part with it?

A clash was coming—time would tell.

The Huan family were likewise settled, resting for two days.

Huan Jun had long wanted to visit but couldn't find the time. Finally, after a full day's work, as dusk fell, he knocked on the door of a small courtyard.

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

A maid opened the door, and Huan Jun looked inside, spotting the person he'd been yearning to see standing on the steps.

"Yunniang."

Spring came early this far south. At Lu Yun's feet, between the cracks of the steps, tender green sprouts had emerged, and a small white flower swayed in the wind.

——

When Wudati Hou learned of Hu Tuxie's devastating loss, he raged and mustered his forces to continue marching further south.

But just then, scouts came galloping back with news—

Tuo Baxiao was leading 120,000 Xianbei cavalry through Yanmen, advancing south via Jinyang, heading straight for Chang'an.

At the same time, Zhang Zheng commanded 70,000 central guards, closing in from both sides from Xiaoguan.

"Damn that Tuo Baxiao!" Wudati Hou cursed.

He had known Tuo Baxiao wouldn’t stand idly by while he seized Liang State. But having decided to march south, he was prepared for this.

Now, he had no attention left to spare for the southern Liang people. He recalled his forces, determined to confront Tuo Baxiao directly in a final showdown.

Yet, this was only the beginning.

In March, Duan Muqi led 30,000 Xianbei troops across the Helan Mountains, attacking the Xiongnu heartland.

The Marquis of Liangzhou ordered Zhang Qian to lead 30,000 Liangzhou troops to attack Huangdi, blocking the Xiongnu escape routes, while he personally commanded 30,000 cavalry to join forces with the Xianbei to storm the Xiongnu royal court.