The Young Swordsman of Dalu

Before the heavy snow arrived, Wen Tao and his party returned to Yulu City. Upon arriving in the capital, Wen Tao and Duan Lixing first went to the palace to see the Emperor, recounting in detail what had happened in Beijiang City. After listening, the Emperor was astonished to find Beijiang City in such a state, and immediately flew into a rage: "Bring that scoundrel Yao Yuan to the palace! I want to see for myself who gave him such audacity."

Above the palace, the emperor sat majestically on his dragon throne, flanked by his civil and military officials. The emperor gave a glance to his eunuch Zhao Li, who understood: "Bring the guilty subject Yao Yuan to Your Majesty."

A moment later, the Imperial Guards outside the main hall dragged Yao Yuan, who was bound hand and foot, into the hall.

"Your Majesty, I am innocent!" Yao Yuan shouted as he knelt in the main hall.

"Tell me what you have been wronged about, so that I and the ministers can judge for you," the Emperor said.

“Ever since Your Majesty dispatched me to the border defense camp in the northern frontier, I have worked diligently and without a moment’s slackening. I have gone to great lengths for the safety of the border. I finally managed to capture Shangguan Chenxing and his family for colluding with foreign enemies, but Prince Wen wished them a safe escape from prison and accused me of being a spy who colluded with foreign enemies. I am innocent, and I beg Your Majesty to clear my name,” Yao Yuan said emphatically.

“Your Majesty, I have letters here that were seized from the border defense camp. These are all correspondence between Yao Yuan and the Northern Dynasty since he took office, as well as correspondence with ministers in the court. In these letters, he repeatedly reveals information about the defense situation in the northern border city to the Northern Dynasty, and there are also letters from those in the court who give him orders,” Wen Tao said.

"Bring it here!" the Emperor said.

Zhao Li presented the letters to the Emperor, who casually opened a few letters and read them for a while before flying into a rage: "You worthless wretch! You live off the wealth and power, and this is how you protect the people of my Great Lu Kingdom?"

"Your Majesty! They are framing me!" Yao Yuan shouted.

"You keep saying you've been framed, fine! I'll bring Prince Zhou to the main hall right now for you to confront him," the Emperor roared.

“Summon Prince Zhou to an audience!” Zhao Li shouted loudly.

Soon the imperial edict reached the Prince Zhou's residence. Prince Zhou Moyao, who was pretending to be sick in bed, reluctantly got out of bed and cursed Yao Yuan a thousand and eight hundred times in his heart. However, he could not disobey the imperial decree, so he obediently let his servants carry him into the palace.

Zhou Moyao entered the main hall shakily, coughing incessantly.

"Your Majesty, I know you are unwell, but this damned thing insists on claiming innocence. I have no choice but to ask you to come to this hall for a confrontation to clear your name," the Emperor said, pointing at Yao Yuan with the letter in hand.

"Why does the Emperor want his younger brother to confront this treacherous scoundrel who has brought ruin to the country? Is he worthy?" Zhou Moyao said imposingly.

"Your Highness, you can't abandon your humble servant!" Yao Yuan saw Zhou Moyao as if he had seen a lifeline.

"You bastard, Yao Yuan, you shameless scoundrel, how dare you slander me like this!" Zhou Moyao shouted.

"Your Highness, I am utterly loyal to you! You can't just abandon me to my death!" Yao Yuan pleaded in his dying moments.

"Your Majesty, my loyalty to the country is as clear as day and night. This is surely a frame-up by the villain Yao Yuan. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly," Zhou Moyao said, kneeling on the main hall.

"I understand your loyalty to the court, but there are some things here that you need to explain to me and the ministers," the Emperor said to Zhou Moyao, holding a letter in his hand.

“Your Majesty, my brother did exchange some letters with Yao Yuan. The letters were nothing more than instructing him to guard the border and protect the border people from foreign invasion. That was all. After all, he used to be my subordinate, and if he made a mistake, I would lose face in front of Your Majesty. But I never expected that this bastard would commit such a traitorous act and even slander me. He deserves to be torn to pieces,” Zhou Moyao said fiercely.

"Your Highness, that's not how it is!" Yao Yuan shouted.

"Shut up! You traitorous scoundrel, I will kill you on behalf of His Majesty!" With that, he got up and started kicking Yao Yuan repeatedly.

"What kind of behavior is this in the main hall? Stop it at once!" the Emperor shouted.

The Imperial Guards quickly moved forward and pulled Zhou Moyao away from Yao Yuan.

"My lords, do you have any opinions?" the Emperor asked.

"Your Majesty, I believe that the evidence of Yao Yuan's collusion with foreign enemies is conclusive, and he should be sentenced to death."

"Your Majesty, I second that suggestion."

"Your Majesty, I second the proposal!"

Immediately, a chorus of agreement arose in the hall. The Emperor suppressed his anger and asked, "I glanced around the hall. Don't any of the other ministers have anything to say?"

Silence fell over the hall. No one stepped forward. The emperor had also realized that the situation in the court was very unfavorable to him. The court feared nothing more than a one-sided situation, and this was not the kind of situation he, as the emperor, wanted to see.

“Your Majesty, the Northern Frontier has always been an important border defense area for our Great Lu Kingdom. We should send someone who will make the Northern Dynasty wary to guard it,” Wen Tao said.

"My dear minister, has someone gone far away? Tell me," the Emperor said.

“Shangguan Chenxing,” Wen Tao said.

“He is indeed the best choice,” the Emperor said.

"The Shangguan Chenxing family is suspected of colluding with the enemy," Yao Yuan shouted.

"Drag this bastard away and await further orders!" the Emperor roared in fury.

The Imperial Guards dragged Yao Yuan off the main hall as he cried out for his parents.

“Shangguan Chenxing has lived in the Northern Frontier for over twenty years and knows everything there like the back of his hand. On the way back to the capital, I had a deep conversation with Shangguan Chenxing. He has a set of methods for managing the Northern Frontier and can also do some things that are beneficial to the happiness of the border people. If we send him to the Northern Frontier, the northern border will be much more peaceful. What does Your Highness Zhou think?” Wen Tao said, looking at Zhou Moyao.

“What Prince Wen said makes a lot of sense. I beg Your Majesty to grant me permission,” Zhou Moyao said.

"Since the Emperor also thinks Shangguan Chenxing is capable, then I will draft an edict to have Shangguan Chenxing return to the Northern Frontier to take up his post immediately after he has finished recuperating in the capital," the Emperor said.

"Your Majesty is wise!" the ministers exclaimed in unison.

"After all this commotion, Your Majesty, you should go back and rest! Court is adjourned!" the Emperor said.

The officials all left, leaving only Zhou Moyao staring fiercely at the dragon throne in the hall, thinking to himself, "What belongs to me, I will definitely take back!"

In the Shunhe Hall of the Imperial Palace, the Emperor personally received Shangguan Chenxing.

"My dear minister, when the late emperor exiled you to the northern border, I was still a crown prince without real power, and my influence in the court was no match for that of Prince Zhou. I did not stop him. I never expected that the late emperor was so farsighted, having already noticed the unusual situation in the court, and sent you to the northern border to serve as the eyes of my Great Lu Kingdom. On behalf of the late emperor, myself, and the millions of people of my Great Lu Kingdom, I thank you! I have wronged you!" the emperor said from the bottom of his heart.

“Your Majesty, this is the trust placed in you by the late Emperor and Your Majesty. I am deeply grateful,” Shangguan Chenxing said.

"As for matters of state, I'm sure Minister Wen has already told you. Prince Zhou's power is at its zenith, and taking him down is not something that can be done overnight. We need to plan for the long term," the Emperor said.

"Your Majesty understands, but Prince Zhou's power has already affected the peace of the borders and the safety of the country," Shangguan Chenxing said.

"I know what I'm doing. My dear minister, you've been away from the capital for many years. Spend more time in the capital these days, visit old friends and relatives, and then you can go to the northern frontier to take up your post with peace of mind," the Emperor said.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness and trust. I will certainly live up to your expectations," Shangguan Chenxing said, kneeling down.