Chapter 163

Chapter 163

Deng Kun was undoubtedly a reckless man, yet he considered himself to possess some shrewdness.

When the late emperor, along with Deng Kun’s father and others, initiated their rebellion, Deng Kun, then four or five years old, was already old enough to form memories. He recalled his father and the late emperor as commoners, dressed in simple cloth, and he distinctly remembered hearing the local populace discuss the late emperor and his cohorts. Initially, the common folk held little hope for them, dismissing them as mere rebels who would inevitably be suppressed by the imperial court. However, as the late emperor’s influence steadily grew, the people in their hometown completely changed their tune, showering him with praise and declaring that his rebellion against the tyrannical ruler was an act of divine justice.

Coincidentally, "carrying out heaven's will" was precisely the pretext the late emperor used for his uprising.

When a tyrant occupies the throne, both ministers and commoners are justified in rebelling in the name of divine justice. Success means becoming the new emperor; failure, at most, invites ridicule for overestimating oneself, never condemnation for moral depravity. Conversely, if a wise ruler is on the throne, or if the late emperor’s designated heir ascends, any rebellion by subjects without just cause, regardless of outcome, would forever be branded as infamous.

Therefore, rebellion must be founded on a just cause. Even if Prince An is a coward, as long as he refuses to cooperate, should his uncle and Qin Liang forcibly compel him to seize the throne, the civil and military officials would still denounce the uncle and his son as rebels. If the Deng family dared to assist, they would be seen as aiding a tyrant.

Would Prince An obediently cooperate with his uncle and cousin’s plan to seize the throne?

Even if Qin Liang could talk his way out of anything, Deng Kun would not believe Prince An harbored any rebellious intentions.

Qin Liang had no intention of treating the Deng brothers as fools. He retrieved a bright yellow silk scroll from his robe and handed it to Deng Kun.

Deng Kun unrolled the scroll, and Deng Tai leaned in to look. To their astonishment, it was a secret edict left by the late emperor. In the edict, the late emperor expressed deep regret for having appointed Princess Qingyang as Crown Princess and for leaving the Qin dynasty’s legacy to the Zhang family descendants. He lamented that it was too late, as he had already been poisoned and controlled by Consort Li, the Crown Princess, Zhang Su, and others, rendering him powerless to alter the succession. Thus, he bestowed this secret edict upon his eldest daughter, Yong Kang, commanding her to secretly contact loyal court officials, eliminate Consort Li, Princess Qingyang, and other rebels, and support the eldest prince, Qin Hong, in ascending the throne.

The edict bore the late emperor’s imperial seal.

Deng Kun: "..."

Deng Tai: "...Did you forge this?"

The late emperor’s affection for Consort Li and the young princess was evident to all. Not only was it inconceivable that the mother and daughter would poison the late emperor, but even if they had, the late emperor would likely have been unwilling to have them killed in retaliation.

Qin Liang admitted frankly: "Naturally. If it were genuine, this edict would be in Yong Kang's possession."

Deng Kun, being smarter than his younger brother, asked: "You mean to bribe Yong Kang, have her come forward to denounce the Emperor, and then we eliminate the rebels in accordance with the late emperor's edict?"

Qin Liang: "Precisely."

Rebellion must be justified. If Prince Yong’s household were to initiate it, it would be difficult to convince the civil and military officials. Prince An, that stubborn coward, would not cooperate willingly. However, if the late emperor’s eldest daughter, Yong Kang, were to produce the edict, it would be far more appropriate. Firstly, Yong Kang frequently attended the late emperor in the palace before his death, making it plausible that she could have received a secret decree from him. Secondly, Yong Kang is Qin Hong’s elder sister. If Yong Kang helps Qin Hong seize the throne, Qin Hong would have to choose between supporting his own sister or branding her a rebel. Given the choice between his full-blooded sister and his half-sister, who would Qin Hong choose?

As long as Qin Hong cooperates, this struggle for the throne becomes an internal conflict among the late emperor’s descendants. He and his father would merely be assisting Qin Hong, the eldest prince. Even if there were doubts among officials and commoners afterward, the suspicion would fall on Qin Hong, not the Prince Yong’s household.

While military strength is crucial for rebellion, a righteous cause is paramount. After hearing Qin Liang’s explanation, Deng Kun finally approved of Qin Liang’s plan for rebellion, though two questions remained for Qin Liang to address.

"Have you already formed an alliance with Yong Kang?"

Qin Liang: "Our families have been in mourning for the late emperor this past year, so we haven't had the chance to meet. However, with my mother seriously ill this time, Yong Kang will certainly come to visit. As long as she comes, I can persuade her to ally with us."

The new Emperor was only nineteen years old and a woman. If Qin Liang were in her position, he would undoubtedly have people keeping tabs on his uncle, who held military power.

Thus, Qin Liang had neither rashly contacted his two Deng cousins nor suddenly tried to befriend Yong Kang, with whom he had always been at odds, to avoid arousing the new Emperor’s suspicion.

Deng Kun gritted his teeth: "So, you orchestrated my aunt's serious illness!"

Qin Liang lowered his eyes, looking sorrowful: "The situation left me no choice. I would have preferred to take the risk myself, but my illness wouldn't bring Yong Kang to visit."

If an aunt was seriously ill, Yong Kang and the others would be considered unfilial if they didn't visit. If a cousin was seriously ill, Yong Kang could easily make an excuse to avoid visiting without facing criticism.

Although Deng Kun was angry at Qin Liang’s ruthlessness, if even a son could heartlessly exploit his own mother, how could Deng Kun, as a nephew, care more for his aunt than her own son?

In the end, Deng Kun was persuaded by Qin Liang. Compared to the future and even the lives of their two families, what did it matter if his aunt fell ill?

Deng Tai asked nervously: "Did Yong Kang come during the day?"

Qin Liang: "Given her temperament, she definitely wouldn't come today. But Qin Hong will go persuade her. Once she comes alone, I'll have the opportunity to speak with her."

With such cunning and calculation, Deng Kun had to admit he was impressed.

He asked the second question: "When do you plan to make your move?"

Qin Liang: "On the second day of the second month next year, the anniversary of the late emperor's passing. I will mobilize the main force from the Northern Camp. You two only need to follow my signal and kill Zhang Jie while everyone is unprepared. Fu Kui and I will take care of Zhang Su and Qin Bing. Once they are dead, Qin Hong will have no choice but to cooperate with us. By then, Lü Zan, Hou Wanzhong, Xue Ye, Fan Huaizhong, and others won't be foolish enough to remain loyal to the new Emperor."

Deng Kun frowned. The Zhang father and son were tied to the new Emperor; they had to be eliminated for the rebellion to succeed. As for Qin Bing, regardless of whether he protected the new Emperor, he would undoubtedly be an obstacle if his uncle later tried to forcibly take the throne from Prince An. It was better to kill him now to avoid future trouble.

"What about the Emperor and Qin Ren?"

Qin Liang smiled disdainfully: "The Emperor is merely a woman, and Qin Ren is completely helpless. After dealing with Zhang Su and the others, we can easily kill the siblings or hand them over to Qin Hong for disposal, so as not to dirty our hands."

Deng Tai, fired up, thumped his chest and said: "If you're afraid of dirtying your hands, I'm not!"

Deng Kun shot his foolish brother a sidelong glance. Killing Zhang Jie and his son was one thing, but killing the late emperor’s descendants was another matter entirely. Either Qin Liang and Fu Kui should handle it, or it should be ostensibly left to the spineless Qin Hong while Qin Liang secretly arranged for it. Under no circumstances should he and his brother do it themselves and bear the stain of regicide.

Qin Liang felt the same way. Once the military supporters around the new Emperor were eliminated, it would be best for the Emperor and her brother to be captured alive and then quietly dealt with later.

Persuading Yong Kang would be his task. Qin Liang cautioned the Deng brothers: "We have less than two months left. This concerns the lives of our two families, so I hope you both will keep this completely secret."

If it weren't for the difficulty of finding a suitable reason to contact Deng Kun and Deng Tai during the mourning period, Qin Liang wouldn't have revealed the plan to them several dozen days in advance. However, having his mother fall ill at this time was the most appropriate excuse. If they waited until the first month, it would be too close to the late emperor’s anniversary and could still arouse the new Emperor’s suspicion.

Deng Kun and Deng Tai were no fools; they knew how to keep secrets, especially one as grave as rebellion.

.

As Qin Liang had predicted, that morning, after visiting Deng Shi, Qin Hong went alone to the eldest princess’s residence.

Yong Kang knew why her brother had come but couldn't be bothered to put on airs. She remained seated on the couch in the heated room, playing with her cat.

Observing mourning was dull. Listening to operas or music would be too loud, so Yong Kang had resorted to keeping a few cats and dogs for amusement.

Qin Hong sent the maids away from his elder sister’s room and earnestly tried to convince her, emphasizing that since their uncle was guarding their father’s tomb, as nephews and nieces, they shouldn’t be discourteous to their aunt, and so on.

Yong Kang slowly stroked her cat, pretending not to hear.

Qin Hong had no choice but to bring up their Emperor sister: "The Emperor specifically instructed us at the morning court to visit our aunt. If you don't go, disrespecting our aunt is one thing, but the censors will accuse you of defying an imperial decree!"

Yong Kang, who had once been severely impeached by the censorate: "..."

She glared at her brother: "Fine, I'll go tomorrow."

Qin Hong breathed a sigh of relief. Remembering how badly his aunt was coughing, he tactfully reminded his elder sister to take some cold prevention medicine before setting out.

Yong Kang was even more disgusted.

The next morning, after waking up naturally and refusing her daughter’s request to accompany her, Yong Kang drank a large bowl of herbal medicine and set out with a stern face.

She came as agreed, but Yong Kang had no intention of putting on an act at Deng Shi’s sickbed. After standing outside Deng Shi’s room and hearing a few coughs, she said to Qin Liang, who was beside her: "Aunt is so seriously ill; it's better to let her rest peacefully. I won't go in and cause any disturbance."

Qin Liang put on a grateful expression and invited Yong Kang to the front hall for tea.

Yong Kang had no interest in drinking tea with him, but if she left too quickly, wouldn’t outsiders guess her half-heartedness?

Yong Kang didn't care what outsiders thought, but since she was already here, what harm was there in staying a little longer?

Thus, Yong Kang followed Qin Liang to the front hall.

When Qin Liang hinted that he had something to discuss with her alone, out of curiosity, Yong Kang also sent her two maids away.

Qin Liang did not close the door but sat beside Yong Kang, first sliding a thick envelope toward her.

Yong Kang did not move, eyeing him coldly: "Speak if you have something to say."

Qin Liang smiled: "Inside are banknotes for five hundred thousand taels."

Yong Kang: "..."

Qin Liang: "This is the Prince Yong’s household’s savings in banknotes over more than a decade. Although there is still a batch of gold, silver, and jewels in the treasury, giving them to you would easily attract attention and cause trouble."

Yong Kang swallowed nervously. Even a few thousand taels would tempt her, let alone five hundred thousand. Considering Prince Yong’s military achievements and rewards from following the late emperor in founding the empire, along with two decades of stipends from his title, land holdings, and imperial gifts, raising five hundred thousand taels was truly not too difficult.

"I don’t accept rewards without reason—what do you want from me?" Yong Kang tried hard not to look at the envelope and asked with feigned indifference.

Qin Liang smiled again, then took out the forged edict from the late emperor from his chest and pushed it over: "I wish to give you the honor that should have been yours all along, and also to seek a way out for our Prince Yong’s household."

His words were vague. Yong Kang unfurled the bright yellow scroll directly. As she read, her face turned pale, and her hands holding the scroll trembled uncontrollably.

Qin Liang quietly laid out his rebellion plan. The arrangement had a high chance of success—he was confident he could persuade both Deng Kun and his brother, as well as Yong Kang.

Yong Kang’s hands were still shaking; not just her hands, her whole body was trembling.

As a woman, this was the expected reaction to such a matter. How many in the world could remain as composed as the new emperor in the face of danger?

Qin Liang stepped behind Yong Kang’s chair, placed his hands on her shoulders, and leaned close to her ear: "I know you resent me for having surpassed the Crown Prince in every way back then, and I also regret my youthful arrogance. But compared to the Qin family throne, what does my childhood rivalry with the Crown Prince matter? You should know well that Father has always opposed the elder uncle’s appointment of the Crown Princess and consistently supported the Crown Prince. Now that the Crown Princess has ascended the throne, if we father and son do not act preemptively, how long will the emperor tolerate us? Including the former Crown Prince—how long will she tolerate him?"

"Only by seizing the initiative can both our families survive."

His voice was gentle, firm, and highly persuasive. As Yong Kang listened, her uncontrollably trembling body gradually calmed.

After Yong Kang accepted, though uneasily, the thick envelope containing the five hundred thousand taels in banknotes, Qin Liang gave a final warning: "I know you are timid and may regret this at any time, but don’t you dare think about reporting this to the emperor. Because while our Prince Yong’s household can forge an imperial edict, so can you and the Crown Prince. The emperor may believe you temporarily if you inform on us, but once she recalls this forged edict in the dead of night, she will always suspect you and the Crown Prince. Only when both of you are dead will the emperor truly rest easy."

Yong Kang shivered again at these words, then gritted her teeth, her face hardening: "Don’t worry, I know what to do."