themonasnovels Chapter 111 Decisive Action
Chapter 111 Decisive Action
"And Ye Qingmei!"
Li Yunrui suddenly raised her voice, her eyes flashing with a complex light—jealousy, envy, and above all, hatred for Emperor Qing. "You dare say you feel no remorse whatsoever for her death?! You dare say that back then, you didn't secretly condone or even orchestrate the massacre at Taiping Villa because you feared her talent and the threat her influence posed to your imperial power?! You coward! Hypocrite! Traitor! You don't even have the courage to admit your crimes!"
Every word Li Yunrui uttered was like the sharpest steel needle, piercing the most hidden and painful spot in Emperor Qing's heart! These "dirts," these past events that he thought he had covered up flawlessly, were now being exposed in public by Li Yunrui, filling him with unprecedented panic and murderous intent!
"Shut up! Shut up!" Emperor Qing's eyes were bloodshot, and veins bulged on his forehead. He suddenly raised his palm, and a terrifying palm force capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks gathered in his palm. It looked like he was about to strike Li Yunrui's crown!
He wanted to kill this madwoman! Kill this madwoman who knew too many of his secrets and dared to humiliate him in public!
However, just as he was about to unleash his palm strike, Ye Tian's young yet endlessly cold and mocking face, as well as the terrifying scene of him easily defeating Ye Liuyun and instantly killing (severely injuring) Hong Sixiang, reappeared in his mind like a nightmare!
If he kills Li Yunrui today, what kind of insane revenge will Ye Tian, that beast, that monster a hundred times more terrifying than Ye Qingmei, exact in the future? Can he bear it? His "grand plan"...
The power in Emperor Qing's palm abruptly halted at that moment. His raised hand trembled slightly in mid-air, and finally, filled with endless resentment and deep apprehension, he slowly lowered it.
For the sake of the bigger picture, for the sake of his supreme plan, he had to endure it!
"Madwoman! You, you've completely gone mad!" Emperor Qing's voice was incredibly hoarse from suppressed rage. He pointed at Li Yunrui, his eyes bloodshot. "I... I'll spare your worthless life for now, out of consideration for our sibling relationship!"
He abruptly turned towards the door and shouted sharply, "Someone come here!"
Several guards and eunuchs rushed in immediately, trembling with fear.
"Invite the Princess back to her palace and keep her under strict guard! Without my decree, she is not allowed to step out of the palace gates! Effective immediately, revoke all the seals and tokens she holds in charge of the Imperial Treasury. All affairs of the Imperial Treasury shall be jointly taken over by the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Revenue, and shall be directly responsible to me!" Emperor Qing issued this order almost through gritted teeth.
This is the biggest concession he can make at the moment, and also the most vicious punishment. He wants to cut off Li Yunrui's source of income, remove her henchmen, and completely imprison her, making her wish she were dead!
Looking at Emperor Qing's outwardly fierce but inwardly weak and forcedly restrained demeanor, Li Yunrui's face revealed a morbid yet satisfied smile, like that of a victor. She knew she had won her gamble. Emperor Qing, after all, was still wary of Ye Tian!
When the guards stepped forward to "invite" her away, Li Yunrui abruptly shook off their hands. She straightened her back, like a proud peacock, and walked step by step towards the palace gate. Just as she was about to step out, she suddenly turned back, faced Emperor Qing, and let out a clear, yet somewhat manic laugh:
"Hahahaha! Emperor Qing! You think you can trap me like this? You think you've won?" Her eyes flashed with a chillingly fanatical light. "Just you wait! Tian'er, my Tian'er, he will definitely come back to save me! He will know how you treated me today! Then, your death will be upon you! He will personally raze this cold palace of yours to the ground!"
"We will overturn your filthy dragon throne and make you pay the most terrible price for all the sins you have committed over the years!"
"Hahahaha! I'm waiting! I'll be right here in this deep palace!"
Waiting for him to come riding on auspicious clouds—no, riding on mountains of corpses and seas of blood—to pick me up! Your end, Emperor Qing, is not far off!
Li Yunrui's curse-like laughter echoed in the imperial study for a long time, and like the most vicious nightmare, it was deeply imprinted in Emperor Qing's heart.
As Emperor Qing watched her mad yet resolute back, he felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to his head, chilling him to the bone.
And at this moment.
He knew that what Li Yunrui said might not just be nonsense. That bastard Ye Tian was really capable of doing it!
He slumped onto the dragon throne, his eyes filled with endless weariness and a deep-seated fear.
...
After Ye Tian led his army away from the capital and embarked on the northern expedition, the atmosphere in the entire northern border of the Qing Kingdom changed drastically.
Initially, the Northern Qi government didn't take this fourteen-year-old "child marshal" too seriously, assuming it was Emperor Qing's desperation leading him to send a mere child to his death. However, when Ye Tian commanded his army, conquering several key border towns with overwhelming force, displaying ruthlessness and astonishing strategy far beyond his years, the Northern Qi court finally realized that this young man was no ordinary person!
Ye Tian's military tactics were unconventional; sometimes he would launch surprise attacks with his main force, and other times he would use himself as bait, leading small elite units to break into enemy lines. Relying on his terrifying Grandmaster-level strength, he could take the heads of generals from among thousands of soldiers as easily as taking candy from a bag. Under his leadership, the Qing Kingdom's army was in high spirits, advancing with unstoppable momentum.
In a chance encounter, Qing scouts unexpectedly met a 3,000-strong Northern Qi cavalry force in the open field. The Northern Qi general, advancing first, set up an ambush, intending to annihilate the Qing scouts. Upon receiving the news, Ye Tian, with only a hundred or so personal guards, charged straight into the enemy ranks like an arrow. Alone on horseback, clad in golden armor and a red robe, he charged through thousands of enemy soldiers, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake. No one could withstand his might! The Northern Qi cavalry, terrified by his single attack, broke formation and were ultimately routed by the arriving main force of the Qing army. Of the 3,000 soldiers, fewer than a hundred escaped.
During another attack on a fortified city called "Iron Gate Pass" on the border of Northern Qi, the Qing army, facing a strategically important and easily defensible city, was defeated by a renowned general from Northern Qi. The Qing army suffered heavy casualties in several unsuccessful attempts to capture the pass.
Ye Tian acted decisively, personally leading a 300-man suicide squad to the city walls under cover of night. With the strength of a Grandmaster, he forcefully blasted a crack open in the massive iron gate, which weighed ten thousand pounds. He then led his squad into the city, setting fires and creating chaos. The defending general was still asleep when Ye Tian stormed into his tent and beheaded him with a single sword stroke! The Iron Gate Pass changed hands overnight!
Along the way, Ye Tian displayed not only unparalleled personal martial prowess, but also unpredictable and masterful military tactics.
And, chillingly ruthless. In cities that resisted, once breached, not a single person was spared; and in every instance, the enemy generals who stubbornly resisted met a tragic end.
"Qin King Ye Tian, though called a youth, is in reality a god of slaughter descended to earth!"
"This man's use of troops is like a heavenly horse galloping freely; it cannot be judged by ordinary standards!"
Such rumors began to circulate in the Northern Qi army, and Ye Tian's name became a nightmare that haunted the hearts of every Northern Qi soldier.
Fan Xian, as the "Imperial Envoy and Military Supervisor" (Emperor Qing ostensibly gave him the position to learn military affairs, but in reality, he intended to monitor and hold him hostage), had been following Ye Tian in his central military tent. He had witnessed Ye Tian's actions along the way, and his mind was in turmoil, utterly shocked.