Chapter 145: Night of Flowers

Tie Shudeng sat motionless like a statue for a long time before he finally said, word by word, "Grandfather, are you trying to turn me into a beast?"

"A beast?" Han Sanmei sneered. "How do you think I, Han Sanmei, made my fortune? How do you think the Sovereign managed to claim the throne when he was only seventeen?!"

Tie Shudeng was struck by another heavy blow. The pain in his heart defied description, and his mind plunged into such chaos that he nearly fainted, for he had caught the underlying meaning in Han Sanmei's words.

There is no familial affection among royalty—could this truly be the case?

"Shudeng, you are a very clever boy. Good, that is very good. You cannot go, but I can," Han Sanmei exhaled softly, seeing that Tie Shudeng did not press the matter further. "I am old, and I don't have many years left to live. Tonight, let me pave a path for you!"

"Grandfather, are you going to save the Sovereign, or are you going to harm him?" Tie Shudeng's cheeks twitched incessantly. He was not a fool; he had vaguely grasped Han Sanmei's true intentions.

"We shall act according to circumstances," Han Sanmei said with a grim smile. "If Ye Xin fails, I will naturally capture the traitor and rebel. If Ye Xin succeeds... then, Shudeng, the future of the Great Wei Kingdom will rest entirely upon your shoulders!"

Tie Shudeng knew he did not want to wait decades. By then, he would be too old, lacking the time to realize his ideals and ambitions. The wisest choice was to remain entirely detached, and in the end, safely reap what he rightfully deserved. Yet, Tie Shudeng felt that his own thoughts were sickening and shameless. He felt such agonizing pain that he wanted to tear open his chest to see if his heart had been stained black by greed.

"Therefore, I can go, but you cannot," Han Sanmei said slowly. "Do you know why?"

"Why..." Tie Shudeng asked with great effort.

"If you went, what would you do upon encountering Ye Xin? Stop him or help him?" Han Sanmei said. "The Sovereign inexplicably sentenced Wen Hongren and his entire family of three to immediate execution, driving Ye Xin to the brink of madness. Do you think your presence would be of any use? Could you stop Ye Xin? Heh... Even you and I know that Wen Hongren was undoubtedly wronged, let alone Ye Xin?"

"You have been on good terms with Ye Xin for many years; you should know that he is a man who cherishes old bonds. When he was once regarded as a good-for-nothing, only Wen Hongren appreciated and favored him, even offering to betroth his beloved daughter to the Ye family. Ye Xin must have been filled with overwhelming gratitude back then," Han Sanmei continued. "Wen Hongren has suffered such a monstrous injustice, and Ye Xin is young and hot-tempered. Whatever he does is entirely natural. He is in the midst of a frenzy. If you go, not only will you fail to stop him, but you will also turn yourselves from friends into enemies, to your absolute disadvantage!"

"You cannot stop him, and yet could you possibly help him? If you help him, with what eyes would the court ministers look upon you?" Han Sanmei added. "Unable to stop him, and unable to help him, what would be the point of your going? Your father did nothing at all back then; you should act just like him!"

Han Sanmei was speaking from the depths of his heart with genuine emotion. Tie Shudeng understood the logic behind his words, but his heart grew only more tormented.

"The alarm bells in the palace have been ringing for so long, yet not a single person has gone," Han Sanmei sighed. "My going alone is quite enough. What else could he possibly find fault with? Shudeng, you have fallen ill. Upon hearing the news of Ye Xin's rebellion, you fainted on the spot and lost consciousness—this is entirely reasonable. Leave the rest to me."

***

While Han Sanmei and Tie Shudeng were engaged in their heartfelt and harrowing conversation, Tie Xinsheng sat alone in the grand hall, his gaze somewhat vacant.

Upon hearing that Ye Xin had rebelled, he had flown into a rage, only to learn immediately afterward that Guan Hanyu had been slain by Ye Xin. He had almost collapsed. This news was even more shocking to him than learning that the Nine Cauldrons City had been plundered by the Blood Mountain Legion, nearly causing him to vomit blood. For decades, Guan Hanyu had been his only friend—his absolute only one.

Tie Xinsheng's first reaction was to muster all the military might of the Great Wei Kingdom and swear to slay this scoundrel!

In Tie Xinsheng's vision, the senior ministers would assemble at the earliest possible moment, each leading their family guards to subjugate the rebel. Though he would face a predicament where no one was left to employ after killing Ye Xin, he was not afraid; such a setback could never make him yield, for he still had external forces he could draw upon.

Who could have guessed that though the alarm bells had rung for so long, not a single court minister had appeared? Inside and outside the royal palace, apart from the panic-stricken palace guards and the running, shouting eunuchs and palace maids, no other figures were to be seen.

Though he still had men protecting him, Tie Xinsheng felt a profound and utter loneliness.

Shen Wangji had not come; he had his own reasons. Shen Miao was a member of the Wolf Cavalry, and this time Ye Xin had rebelled at the head of the Wolf Cavalry. He did not know whether Shen Miao was implicated, and until he could investigate the truth, he could not show his face rashly.

Deng Zhiguo and Wang Fang had not come. Ye Xin's battle prowess was too terrifying, instilling in them a tremendous sense of pressure. Was a life-and-death duel with Ye Xin truly necessary? Furthermore, both of them had ties to the Ye family: the Deng family was related to the Ye family by marriage, Wang Fang's relationship with Ye Guanhai had always been favorable, and Wang Meng remained as close to Ye Xin as a blood brother. Coupled with the Wen family's desperate all-out gamble standing on Ye Xin's side, they were unable to make a quick decision.

Han Sanmei would come, but not yet. Arriving too early would place him in an awkward position: should he stop Ye Xin or help him? As the saying goes, arriving early is not as good as arriving at the right moment. He would wait a little longer, until Ye Xin had truly managed to breach the royal palace, before making his decision.

The Great Wei Kingdom possessed only a handful of Upper Pillar-ranking powerhouses. Wei Juan and Guan Hanyu were dead, and the only one willing to appear immediately by Tie Xinsheng's side was Wen Yuanren. Unfortunately, Wen Yuanren had absolutely no desire to help Tie Xinsheng; instead, he intended to fight him to the death.

The only person Tie Xinsheng could still pin his hopes on was Zong Bieli, whose movements were as elusive as a divine dragon's, but there was not a shred of news from him. As for Ning Gaowu, Zhou Polu, and Wu Qushen, they were all outsiders; it was already fortunate enough that they were not making trouble at a time like this.

Palace guard officers rushed into the main hall like revolving lanterns, reporting the movements of the Wolf Cavalry. Finally, Ye Xin had appeared before the royal city. In the time it took for the guards to enter and report, he must have already vaulted the city walls and broken into the palace precincts.

Tie Xinsheng could finally sit still no longer. He suddenly leaped from the dragon throne and dashed toward the back garden. What was going on with his two old friends? Even if they were in seclusion, upon hearing the palace alarm bells, they should have emerged to see him!

In truth, at this moment Tie Xinsheng should have used all his might to rally the palace guards and fight a decisive battle to the death with Ye Xin. But he lacked the courage. After hearing that Ye Xin had beheaded Wei Juan and slain Guan Hanyu, he instinctively sought to evade combat. Even if he ultimately had to fight for his life, he hoped to find helpers first.

The palace guard generals stationed inside the hall did not understand what was happening, but their duty was to protect Tie Xinsheng, so they hurriedly gave chase to his retreating figure.

A moment later, Tie Xinsheng rushed into the back garden, activated the mechanism on the stone desk, and then walked inward along the passageway revealed in the artificial rockery.

After walking several dozen meters, bright candlelight came into view ahead. Tie Xinsheng's figure abruptly froze as if turned to stone, then he staggered and nearly collapsed, had not those generals rushed forward in time to steady him.

The two linen-robed elders lay in pools of blood in a bizarre posture. Their throats had both been slit, and blood covered the floor. Moreover, the blood had not yet dried; the time of their deaths could not have exceeded one hour!

There were no signs of a struggle whatsoever. The bookshelves remained neat and orderly, the books spread across the desks were undamaged, and one of the linen-robed elders still held a wine cup in his hand, containing half a cup of wine. The assailant had struck them down swiftly by surprise, affording them no chance to make any reaction.

Darkness washed over Tie Xinsheng's eyes in waves, and his body trembled so violently that the iron plates on the armor of the generals supporting him clattered incessantly.

Prior to this moment, Tie Xinsheng had believed himself to be extraordinarily powerful. The entire Great Wei Kingdom was governed by him; he could command vast resources and deploy formidable military might. It was only now that Tie Xinsheng abruptly realized how utterly frail he was. Aside from himself, he possessed nothing at all. Everything he had previously owned was merely an illusion, like a hazy dream.

Ye Xin, leading the Wolf Cavalry, had already arrived before the main palace. In the plaza before the grand hall, over a thousand palace guard soldiers stood ready. After all, they were Tie Xinsheng's personal elite guards. Although several key generals were attending to Tie Xinsheng and were absent to command, the soldiers were not cowed by the soaring killing intent of the Wolf Cavalry; they immediately and spontaneously formed battle arrays, preparing to fight.

Looking at the palace guards' expressions of facing death unflinchingly, Ye Xin exhaled softly. "So be it. Let everything end here and now."

The next moment, Ye Xin raised the God-Slaying Blade. "Kill!"

The Wolf Cavalry responded with a thunderous roar, and then surged forward following Ye Xin!

Ye Xin possessed a wealth of strategic knowledge. Under his leadership, the Heavenly Sin Camp had been transformed into a mechanism of exquisite precision.

Commands alone were different from those of other armies—there was only a single word, exceedingly simple, yet pregnant with complex meaning.

Before every battle, Ye Xin would personally determine the tactics and then issue his orders.

"Advance" sometimes referred to rapid marching, and at other times to clearing out minor foes. When facing formidable opponents, "advance" meant piercing the enemy formation at maximum speed and then retreating swiftly, never becoming overly entangled with the enemy forces.

"Rouse" meant launching guerrilla warfare, annihilating the enemy's living forces to the greatest extent possible while avoiding direct frontal collisions.

"Fight" meant that a specific tactical objective had to be achieved, and Ye Xin had resolved to pay a certain price; all soldiers were required to stick closely to him.

"Kill" meant complete annihilation, leaving not a single soul alive, cutting the weeds and eradicating the roots!

For example, when Ye Xin faced Sima Qinghong of the Great Zhao Kingdom, the command he issued was "Rouse." The soldiers of the Heavenly Sin Camp did not possess the ability of telepathic communion to execute such delicate coordination; it was because they had fully comprehended Ye Xin's intentions before launching the assault.

The palace guard soldiers shouted as they met the charge. Without commanding generals, shouting and pressing forward like this demonstrated commendable spirit. Yet, willpower could sometimes create miracles, while at other times it was merely a futile struggle.

With Ye Xin at the center, the Wolf Cavalry rode abreast. At the very first clash, the palace guards rushing at the very front dissolved into blooming sprays of blood.

Ye Ling and the others felt only that their field of vision had been paved entirely with blood. This was the night of flowers, and also the night of blood.