The Succession Struggle in the Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 48 The Emperor of Tomorrow Meets the Emperor of Darkness

Upon hearing the emperor's words, the generals of the capital garrison fell into an eerie silence.

They never imagined that the Emperor would be so greedy. After obtaining the Changsheng Guard, he wanted to turn the capital garrison upside down. Did he want to eliminate all the nobles in the capital at once? Wasn't he afraid of causing chaos in the country?

As a representative of the nobility, Jin Ruohai had no choice but to step forward again and say firmly, "Your Majesty, there will never be another like the Ever-Victorious Guard in the Capital Garrison."

The emperor stood upright on the command platform. The slanted sun shone down on him, making his golden armor shine brightly, like a god who suppressed all darkness.

At this moment, his every move exuded a power akin to that of a god or Buddha, and he spoke with majesty and confidence: "Prince of Xining, is it truly so?"

Jin Ruohai gritted his teeth and said resolutely, "This humble general dares not deceive Your Majesty."

The emperor laughed heartily and said, "Very well, I will let the Prince of Xining see what the Beijing Garrison, which you trust so much, is really like inside."

After speaking, the emperor waved to the eunuch of the Imperial Horse Stables, who obeyed and led the soldiers away.

The generals of the capital garrison, not knowing what trick the emperor was playing, all glanced sideways in the direction the eunuch had left.

They didn't have to wait long; in just a short while, the eunuch returned the way he came, but with several prisoners being escorted by soldiers behind him.

There were only seven or eight prisoners brought in, one of whom Tu Chengyu knew—the hoodlum who called the emperor and the retired emperor "birdmen."

It seems these people are the result of yesterday's martial law declaration and city-wide search in Beijing.

Among these people, besides the one he knew, the one who caught Tu Chengyu's attention the most was the one at the very front.

This person is remarkable because he is the fattest person Tu Chengyu has seen in the ten years he has been in this world.

Judging from Tu Chengyu's estimation, this person was about six feet tall, covered in fat, so fat that he could barely walk and needed several Imperial Horse Stables soldiers to carry him.

Upon arrival, the soldiers removed the long poles supporting him under his armpits. He could only stand for a few breaths before being crushed to the ground by his massive body of fat, becoming a veritable mountain of flesh.

When these prisoners arrived, the emperor made them stand facing the generals of the capital garrison, and then said, "All of you, take a good look. Do you recognize any of these people?"

Even without the emperor's prompting, some of the generals in the capital garrison had already recognized a few of the prisoners opposite them, since they needed these people to bring others to fill the ranks during roll call.

But at this moment, when faced with the emperor's question, no one dared to be the first to admit it.

They all understood that only by having all the nobles stand together could they make the emperor hesitate to act rashly. If anyone dared to confess alone, they would immediately become a target for establishing his authority.

Seeing that no one came out, the emperor continued, "Since no one knows you, I will introduce you."

The emperor pointed to the large, fat man below the stage and said, "This man is named Gao Chonghe. He was originally a junior officer in the army. He was six feet tall and had superhuman strength. He had repeatedly distinguished himself in battle on the border. Later, he was recommended to join the capital garrison as a lieutenant general. However, less than half a year later, news came that he had died of a sudden illness." As the emperor spoke, some generals who had served in the capital garrison for a long time remembered this man.

Some people looked bewildered, as if asking, "Isn't this person dead? How did he end up here?" Others, however, suddenly turned deathly pale, their bodies trembling like leaves.

The emperor stood on the platform, observing everyone's reactions, and continued, "Some of you may already know why this dead man is here. I'll explain to those who don't: this man faked his death to escape from the capital's garrison. With the support of some people, he gathered local thugs and idlers, forming a gang and establishing a so-called 'Yingmao Army' specifically to fill the ranks for you ghost-paid generals. Now you all know, right?"

When the Emperor asked this question, none of the generals in the capital garrison dared to meet his gaze and all lowered their heads.

They didn't expect that the emperor had figured out all the tricks of the Beijing garrison and had even captured the leaders of the Yingmao Army.

They are bowing their heads not because they are ashamed to face anyone, but because they are exchanging glances and discussing how to deal with the situation.

Ignoring all this, the emperor continued, "Do you know what this person's nickname is?"

The generals were naturally unaware of this, and even those who knew dared not speak out.

The Emperor chuckled self-deprecatingly, "This man calls himself the Dark Emperor. He often says that the Tu family is nominally in charge of the capital, but secretly he, Gao, is the one who calls the shots. He even claims that the Imperial Guard is nothing but his Gao family's servants, and that he can mobilize millions of soldiers with a single word, even if the Emperor can't command them. How arrogant his words are! But who gave him such audacity? Generals, what do you have to say to me? Prince of Xining, what do you have to say to me?"

The emperor began with a smile and ended with a rebuke, his voice rising higher and higher with each sentence.

Amidst the accusations, not a single general in the Beijing garrison dared to stand and face the emperor's questions. The Prince of Xining had collapsed to the ground, like a broken-backed old dog, left only to struggle.

Even with the generals of the capital garrison acting this way, the emperor still had no intention of letting them off the hook. He continued, "Do you know that this man has built a palace in the mountains fifty miles west of the capital? There is an imperial palace, a main hall, a harem, eunuchs, and officials in the palace. All that's missing is an imperial edict to be issued to the whole world. You may not know that he has been ruling as a sovereign in this palace for half a year. This dark emperor has actually ascended the throne before I, the bright emperor, have. Humph, it's utterly ridiculous."

After the emperor finished speaking, everyone present felt as if they were dreaming. How could something so absurd that no one would even think of have happened so openly?

Tu Chengyu felt that even a million alpacas couldn't express even a fraction of his current emotions.

He simply couldn't understand what this fatso was thinking. To pull this stunt right under the emperor's nose was tantamount to slapping the emperor in the face in front of everyone. What was the difference between this and suicide? Was it to allow his entire family to reunite in the afterlife?

If it weren't for the change of emperors and the entire capital being busy with the reorganization of the court, you wouldn't have been able to act so arrogantly for half a year. If they couldn't handle you within a month, half of the Imperial Horse Administration would have to be purged.

The generals of the Beijing garrison felt as if they had eaten shit; they never imagined that the person they usually cooperated with was such a fool.

No wonder the emperor did not let go of the generals of the capital garrison after capturing Changshengwei.

If the emperor doesn't say a word after this incident, there's no point in sitting on the throne.

Now, this fat pig-like fool has already caused a disaster. The generals of the Beijing garrison can only try to quell the emperor's anger. Otherwise, if it ignites, half of the capital won't be enough to go down with it.

(End of this chapter)