The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 54 Shock
Night had fallen in Chanzhou. Pushing open the door, I saw the north wind whipping up snowflakes that pelted the armor of the soldiers guarding the courtyard gate, adding to the somber atmosphere.

Wang Yin raised his hand to adjust the collar of his black cloak and said, "Come, follow me to see Li Hongwei."

Looking at his attire, Xiao Yi thought he looked more like a wealthy gentleman going on a visit than a high-ranking military officer. He couldn't help but ask, "Is this how the General goes, Marshal?"

"Scared?"

Wang Yin personally picked up a dim, yellowish ram's horn lantern, seemingly not even intending to bring any guards.

The light particles landed on the old scar on his lips, making it appear even more grotesque.

"Don't worry." Xiao Yi reminded him, "If anything goes wrong, I can turn around and say that I am on orders to approach the commander and deliver the secret edict to Li Hongwei to complete the emperor's decree. It will be you, commander, who will be branded a traitor and whose life will be in danger."

"What a clever little monkey." Wang Yin let out a rough laugh, mixed with the sound of wind and snow, and said, "If it really comes to that, then do it. It's not shameful to try to survive in chaotic times."

The two of them left the mansion and walked through the streets and alleys, their feet sinking into the ankle-deep snow.

Not far away, they arrived at the Zhenning Military Governor's Mansion.

The vermilion gate was tall and wide, inlaid with copper nails. The lanterns hanging under the eaves were covered with light gauze, and the halo of light that shone through was soft and expensive, dyeing the snow with an ambiguous warm color.

Two rows of guards stood outside the gate, heavily guarded. When they saw Wang Yin, they bowed and paid their respects with a deliberate show of deference.

Wang Yin stepped inside without waiting for an announcement, followed closely by Xiao Yi. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the guards were not following.

Seemingly noticing his subtle actions, Wang Yin smiled and whispered, "Those are Li Hongwei's old subordinates from Hedong. He brought five hundred soldiers to his post, and I have already bribed most of them. Only about twenty people from his household are living and eating with him. If we make a move tonight, you don't need to pay attention to these people outside the door."

Xiao Yi felt a chill run down his spine, but he could hear the wry smile in his tone.

Upon arriving at the main hall, two beautiful maids emerged gracefully shortly afterward. They wore green Hangzhou silk jackets and silver fur vests, and their voices were so soft and sweet they seemed to drip with water.

"My lord is already waiting in the study. Please follow me, Your Highness."

After passing through several covered corridors, large charcoal braziers were placed at each corner, with the charcoal fire burning brightly.

A faint fragrance filled the air, mingling with the sweet scent of perfume carried by the swaying skirts of the maids—it was quite pleasant.

The study was warm and cozy, with sandalwood bookshelves on all four walls filled with books that looked as new as those in a bookstore.

On the multi-treasure pavilion, the celadon porcelain is warm and lustrous, and a bronze lamp from the Han Dynasty stands beside it.

Li Hongwei rose from behind his rosewood desk, his plump body wrapped in a crimson silk robe, his jade belt tightly cinched, his flabby flesh jiggling slightly as he moved.

"Brother Wang has arrived! Please, have a seat!"

His voice was loud and enthusiastic. His gaze swept over Xiao Yi's armor and he instructed the beautiful maid, "Cook Gu Zhu purple bamboo shoots."

Wang Yin casually cupped his hands in greeting and sat down in the main seat without any ceremony, seemingly oblivious to the cloak, as if he were the master of the place.

"An angel has come from Kaifeng with a decree for you."

Seeing that he was so calm and wanted him to read the imperial decree, Xiao Yi didn't stand on ceremony. He took out the bright yellow silk from his bosom, stood up straight, and said loudly, "Li Hongwei, the military governor of Zhenning Army, receives the imperial decree."

Li Hongwei was surprised, raised an eyebrow, and bowed, saying, "Your subject respectfully listens to Your Majesty's decree."

"Wang Yin commands troops in Chanzhou, has formed a clique and gathered followers, plotting rebellion and harming the country. You have always been loyal and righteous. I now order you to seize this opportunity to capture him and execute him on the spot. This matter must be kept secret. Do not leak even a little bit. My mind is made up. Do your best."

Xiao Yi's voice was calm, yet as cold as an ice pick.

Li Hongwei was initially stunned, but as he listened, his shoulders began to tremble violently, and his obese body began to shake uncontrollably.

Xiao Yi noticed him glancing at the wall out of the corner of his eye, and following his gaze, he saw a short knife hanging on the wall, its scabbard inlaid with turquoise.

The study was deathly silent, save for the soft crackling of the charcoal brazier.

After a while, a clear and delicate tinkling sound came from behind.

Wang Yin slowly picked up his teacup and asked, "Imperial Brother-in-law, why haven't you received the imperial decree yet?"

Li Hongwei looked up.

The look of surprise on his face seemed to freeze; perhaps he hadn't yet decided what other expression to make.

Xiao Yi then stepped forward and handed over the secret edict.

The two looked at each other.

Li Hongwei's hand twitched slightly, then he quickly stopped.

"This...this imperial decree, I cannot accept."

"Why?" Wang Yin brushed away the tea foam and said, "The Imperial Uncle can arrest me now and execute me on the spot."

"Brother Wang, please stop joking."

Li Hongwei looked embarrassed, as if he was about to cry, but there was still a hint of contemplation in his eyes.

Wang Yin took a sip of tea, moving very slowly, as if afraid the tea would leak out of his scar.

During the pause in the conversation, Xiao Yi was also thinking about what would happen if Li Hongwei captured and killed Wang Yin. Would he be able to keep Wang Yin's generals in check?

Soon, the answer was presented to him.

“This is a forged imperial edict.” Li Hongwei shook his head and said, “A forged imperial edict… I will not accept it.”

Xiao Yi couldn't let this old scoundrel turn his attention to him, so his expression turned cold and he asked calmly, "Is the Imperial Uncle saying that this humble servant is falsely conveying the imperial edict?"

"No, no... it's Li Ye. My younger brother has been a dead man since he was a child."

Li Hongwei finally came up with an excuse. The fear and embarrassment on his face disappeared, and he adopted a righteous and stern demeanor.

"His Majesty is secluded in the palace, deceived by Li Ye and his treacherous clique. Brother Wang, you and I are true brothers, jointly governing Hebei, of the same blood and lineage. How can we let a mere arbitrary decree cause us to turn against each other, playing right into the hands of the scoundrels in the court and making ourselves a laughingstock for the Khitans?"

Wang Yin put down his teacup and said, "Xiao Yi, put away the secret edict. Look how scared you've made Brother Li! Tell him about the changes in the court."

Xiao Yi thought to himself, "How could he have scared Li Hongwei like this?"

He rolled up the secret edict again, put it in his pocket, and began to speak slowly and deliberately about the death of Shi Hongzhao.

To put it simply, he guessed that Li Hongwei must have his own sources of information.

"That scoundrel Li Ye deserves to be torn to pieces!" Li Hongwei roared, wiping the fine sweat from his brow. "With such a scourge upon my family, and the audacity to kill my regent, I have no face to face the late Emperor. My brother Wang and Lord Guo are both meritorious officials of the nation; how can they be persecuted? Though I am foolish, I know that the tide cannot be turned. I am willing to follow in my brother Wang's footsteps, to put righteousness before family, and to give my all to the Zhenning Army, its troops, supplies, and provisions, without question!"

Wang Yin stood up, walked to Li Hongwei, patted him on the shoulder, and said with emotion, "Brother Li is a man of great principle, which is a blessing to the country. In order to prevent Li Ye from interfering again and sowing discord between us, I ask Brother Li to temporarily entrust the Zhenning Army's military seal to me for safekeeping. Once the court clarifies the truth and restores order, we will return it to its rightful owner. What do you think?"

"Yes, absolutely!"

Li Hongwei felt as if he had been granted a pardon, a smile spreading across his face. He rushed to the table, took out a gilded bronze box with auspicious beast knob, and held it high above his head with both hands.

"The military tally and seal are here; please accept them, Your Highness."

Wang Yin took it and handed it directly to Xiao Yi, as if it were just an ordinary toy.

Xiao Yi opened it and saw that the military tally was forged from fine iron and engraved with the words "Zhenning Army Left Wing". The top of the copper seal was a tortoise knob. When he turned it over, the seal face was engraved with the seven characters "Zhenning Army Military Governor's Seal" in nine-fold seal script.

He then nodded to Wang Yin.

It was done, and it was so simple that it surprised him.

“In that case, I won’t disturb Brother Li’s rest.” Wang Yin nodded slightly.

"That……"

Li Hongwei probably wanted to know what happened next.

Wang Yin raised his hand to stop them, then walked straight out with his hands behind his back.

Xiao Yi followed closely behind, stepping out the threshold, the cold wind hitting his face like icy water.

After walking a short distance from the Li residence, Xiao Yi asked, "General Wang, weren't you really worried that Li Hongwei would cause trouble just now?"

Wang Yin paused, looking back at the brightly lit mansion, and murmured, "In my life, I have been stationed in Chanzhou seven times. From major issues such as the allocation of military supplies and the appointment and removal of generals, to minor issues such as the price of firewood and rice and rumors in the market, nothing in this city can escape my notice."

He didn't need to prove anything to Xiao Yi, yet he still invited Xiao Yi to walk alongside him, talking as they walked, like a lonely old man.

“Li Hongwei ate mutton soup this morning. His teeth are used to accuse Zhang Qian of having an affair with his concubine Hongxing… He’s making trouble for me? How is he making trouble? In Chanzhou, those who oppose me will only face death. He understands this better than you do.”

His words, spoken calmly, held the power of life and death.

Xiao Yi felt a chill run down his spine, but then a sudden realization dawned on him.

He clearly understood what true power was: not martial prowess or official rank, but the omnipresent control and deterrence built upon countless details. Wang Yin's arrival tonight was not about the number of armored soldiers he brought, but rather about his lifelong prestige in the army and years of meticulous, watertight management.

"But how do we explain the Emperor and Li Ye killing the Grand Tutor?"

Wang Yin was taken aback, shook his head and smiled bitterly, sighing, "That's greed blinding them to reason and making them lose their minds."

The two continued walking. When they reached the outside of the mansion, Wang Yin suddenly stopped, looked up at the lintel, sighed, and asked Xiao Yi to return to his study with him.

"The Zhenning Army's seal remains."

"Yes."

Xiao Yi put down the copper box.

Wang Yin picked up the Imperial Guard's tally and the Privy Council's seal, handed them over, and said, "Give these to Guo Que'er."

Xiao Yi was taken aback and did not immediately take it.

Do you know why I asked you to hand it over to him?

“I know,” Xiao Yi said. “This talisman was not obtained by Wang Erlang, but was taken from the Shi residence by this humble servant.”

"That's right, you must forget what Erlang said today."

"Rest assured, Commander, I will keep this a secret." Xiao Yi asked, "However, I don't know..."

He was indeed curious that such a powerful instrument, the cornerstone of vying for supremacy, would be handed over to Wang Yin so easily.

"It's not that I haven't thought about competing, but I can't afford to."

Wang Yin sighed deeply, his voice filled with weariness, yet firm and composed.

He slumped into the chair and rubbed his legs.

“I am over fifty years old and my health is not as good as before. Last year in Daizhou, I coughed up blood for half the night. My two sons, Chenghui and Chengxun, are weak and unruly, and neither of them can handle the big picture. Guo Que’er is a man of great character. He has a strong army and a great reputation. What’s more, he is broad-minded, tolerant, and good at using people. He is better than me.”

Xiao Yi was determined to join Guo Wei because he knew the course of history. Now that he knew Wang Yin had such foresight, he admired him and said, "General, you are wise."

"What wisdom is there? It's nothing more than being weakened by illness and having no other choice."

Wang Yin gazed at the dark, chaotic snow outside the door and murmured, "In the chaos of the past hundred years, countless people have claimed to be kings and emperors, yet as far as the eye can see, aren't people still resorting to cannibalism and sharing food? I don't know if Guo Que'er can quell the chaos and bring peace to the region, but at least he is better than me and has a better chance. Consider this my old soldier's... little thought for this world."

(End of this chapter)