The Lucky Farmgirl
Chapter 1222 - 1200: Subdue and Execute the First

Chapter 1222: Chapter 1200: Subdue and Execute the First

At that time, the late emperor was still in good health, and although the Prince of Yizhou was young, not even twenty, there were still quite a few people who stood by his side.

After all, the present emperor had great military achievements at the time, and the Third Prince was favored by the late emperor. Both had many followers.

Some people, unable to gain prominence, chose the Prince of Yizhou, preferring to be a big fish in a small pond rather than a small one in the ocean.

Since the emperor was not dead yet, every prince had their own chance to compete, and if it didn’t work out, they could just withdraw then.

So even though the Prince of Yizhou had gone to his fief, there were still some who maintained an ambiguous relationship with him.

And at that time, it was Old Master Guan who stayed by the Prince of Yizhou’s side. As the realm was not yet completely stable and Yizhou was poor, Old Master Guan helped build Yizhou City.

They planned to accumulate strength first and contend for power later, since the late emperor was in his prime and could live another decade or so. Who knew what the future might hold?

It was under these circumstances that Yizhou developed, and the Prince of Yizhou managed to make a number of connections during this period. But who knew that the winds of change would come so swiftly.

Longyou Road was unstable, with rebels rising up everywhere. The court had sent two generals one after another, both of whom were defeated. At that time, the former crown prince had just passed away reluctantly, leaving most of his influence in the eastern palace to the Third Prince.

But the Second Prince had fought battles in the south and the north for the country, with countless generals under his command. In terms of military achievements, even the former crown prince would have to fall short by a considerable margin when compared to the Second Prince.

Therefore, the late emperor did not wish to use the Second Prince. But with the loss of twelve cities along Longyou Road, the emperor had no choice but to let the Second Prince lead the troops into battle.

Not wanting the Second Prince to accumulate more military achievements, the emperor decided to lead the troops himself, leaving the Third Prince to oversee the state.

What happened later is shrouded in controversy; no one can clearly say why the Second Prince bypassed the emperor who was stationed in the rear and hurried back to the capital to kill the Third Prince, and then left the capital again to welcome His Majesty back.

The present emperor was already formidable and the former crown prince had passed away first; with the Third Prince also dead, among the legitimate sons, only he and the Prince of Yizhou remained.

At the time, many thought that the late emperor might support the Prince of Yizhou to contend with the Second Prince. The Prince of Yizhou thought so too; he was prepared for it, as were the people who had eagerly joined his camp.

But after a month of silence, the late emperor issued a decree making the Second Prince the crown prince, and perhaps out of heartbreak, or tiredness from leading the campaign in person, he fell ill.

Many suspected that the present emperor had poisoned the late emperor, but the Imperial Hospital found nothing, and the court officials and noble families also had no evidence.

Anyway, less than a year after the death of the Third Prince, the late emperor fell gravely ill and passed away, and the present emperor ascended the throne as a matter of course, completely cutting off the Prince of Yizhou’s path.

Although the path was cut off, the Prince of Yizhou’s ambition did not cease. Some who had jumped onto his boat managed to extricate themselves successfully, while others wanted to give up and leave but were bound by the compromising information in the hands of the Prince of Yizhou, thus they continued their equivocal contact.

Take, for instance, Governor Zhang. At first, he might not have been willing to engage in a rebellion for the Prince of Yizhou, but over a decade of intertwined relationships, from doing business in grains and land together, then mutually recommending talents for recruitment or promotion...

After so many shared endeavors, they naturally fell deeper and deeper until they were mired in the quagmire, unable to extricate themselves.

Then there’s another example - him.

Old Master Guan benefited because he died early.

Indeed, he did not wish to continue and had slowly disentangled himself over the past ten years, but what of it? Didn’t he still live in fear for over a decade under the Prince of Yizhou’s watch?

There’s no way to remain unscathed once you’ve embarked on this path; once you start down it, there’s no turning back.

So Pei Ziwen, even knowing that the outcome was not favorable, had no choice but to forge ahead and do his utmost to protect the Prince of Yizhou.

Because only if he lives, do they have some hope; if he dies, all of them are doomed.

Hence, Pei Ziwen is now offering advice to the Prince of Yizhou as if his life depends on it, for the Prince of Yizhou has a considerable force—Yin Li could not possibly intend to trap them all with such few men.

So the Prince of Yizhou still managed to break out.

But this did not surprise Yin Li in the slightest, who still sat calmly in the central tent, commanding the situation.

The Prince of Yizhou fled desperately with a troop of soldiers and, despite escaping, was closely pursued by another team, one of the generals could not help but say, "Prince, you go first. We’ll cover the rear."

The Prince of Yizhou did not decline and, leaving a sentence behind, took the remaining people and left,

The central military tent soon received a report: "General, they seem to be heading towards Zizhou."

Only then did Yin Li rise to his feet, took his sword and said, "A crafty rabbit has three burrows; the Prince of Yizhou has made quite a few preparations. Let’s go and have a look."

Yin Li assigned tasks, ordering attacks to continue against the stubborn rebels and pulling together the defeated troops, while he himself led the remaining five thousand troops to pursue the Prince of Yizhou.

He did not chase too closely, for he wanted the Prince to completely exhaust his cards; otherwise, if left unchecked, over time they would turn into a festering abscess which would grow and become ever more painful to remove.

So removing it now would be best.

In the end, Yin Li caught up with the Prince of Yizhou outside of Zizhou City. The Prince of Yizhou was alarmed and, almost without thinking, dashed into Zizhou City for help.

Pei Ziwen wanted to intercept, but on second thought, holding back this move was useless and might as well be used now.

Upon further thought, following any further would surely lead to death, why not...

The defeated troops scattered in all directions.

The Governor of Zizhou had been uneasy ever since he received the proclamation sent by Yang Heshu. He had been waiting for news, and within a couple of days, the Prince of Yizhou brought him such a tremendous shock.

Having heard that the Prince of Yizhou burst into the city with his remnants demanding help, he gritted his teeth, picked up his sword and said to his subordinates, "The Prince of Yizhou has rebelled. Follow me to slay the enemy and quell the rebellion."

Those in the know exchanged glances before joining the other officers in unanimously responding with a "Yes".

The Prince of Yizhou did not expect the "rescuers" to turn around and kill him. He was stunned to see his soldiers shot by arrows and falling from their horses, and then the gate of the Governor’s residence swung wide open, with soldiers wielding knives, swords, and bows rushing out, yelling, "Exterminate the traitor!"

The face of the Prince of Yizhou turned ashen; his two sons who clung tightly to him were pale-faced, and finally could not hold back their tears, they cried out, "Father, let us surrender. With the Empress Dowager there, Uncle Emperor will not kill us."

Indeed, they were truly unaware that their father aspired to rebel. They always thought the residence of the Prince of Yizhou was second only to the Imperial Palace, their father’s power second only to Uncle Emperor’s.

They were resentful of the Crown Prince and looked down on the Third Prince, but never thought of replacing Uncle Emperor.

The Prince of Yizhou’s expression shifted rapidly. By then, the troops led by Yin Li had caught up as well, the rebel army was sandwiched from both sides, everyone clashed into one another, with the Prince of Yizhou and the Commandery Princes Xin’an and Xinping in the center, looking like the only rocks amidst the surging waves.

The encirclement grew tighter, and blood splashed on the faces of Commandery Prince Xin’an and Commandery Prince Xinping. They couldn’t help but grasp the arms of the Prince of Yizhou, "Father, let’s surrender. Please think of the Empress Dowager."

The hand of the Prince of Yizhou gripping the sword tightened and then loosened, loosed and then tightened. Just as he was about to speak, an arrow whistled through the air, killing the guard in front of him, and as the guard fell, another arrow followed closely and shot straight into his chest.