Dream of the Red Chamber: From a Border Ruffian to a Capital Tyrant

A moment later, Xia Shouzhong staggered and looked extremely flustered, almost tumbling and crawling into the hall.

Because he was running so fast, the old man even tripped on the threshold and almost fell flat on his face, completely ruining his image.

Upon seeing this scene, Emperor Qianyuan frowned so deeply that he could have trapped a fly, and an ominous premonition flashed in his eyes as he stared intently at Xia Shouzhong.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Urgent report from Yanmen Pass, eight hundred li away..."

Xia Shouzhong swallowed hard, his voice trembling with extreme tension. He knelt on the ground, reporting the news, every word shaking.

"What did you say???"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qianyuan abruptly stood up from his dragon throne, gripping the armrests tightly with both hands, his eyes filled with disbelief, shock, and rage.

"Send it quickly! Send it in right now!"

Emperor Qian Yuan had no time to think and shouted sternly.

"yes!"

Xia Shouzhong hurriedly got up and screamed at the outside of the hall.

Emperor Qianyuan felt as if his heart was being gripped tightly by an invisible, cold hand, making it difficult for him to even breathe.

Yanmen Pass was the northern gateway of the Great Qian Dynasty, a crucial point for defending against the Xiongnu cavalry!

Could it be... that the Xiongnu have breached the pass?

Before long, Xia Shouzhong helped a red-feathered messenger who looked exhausted stumble into the hall.

He clutched a blood-stained command arrow tightly in his hand, staggered to Emperor Qian Yuan, and knelt down heavily with a thud, the sound of his kneecaps hitting the gold bricks making one's teeth ache.

"Greetings... Your Majesty... Long live the Emperor..."

The Red Feather Messenger's voice was hoarse, like two rough pieces of iron rubbing together, barely a whisper.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Tell me quickly, what exactly happened at Yanmen Pass?"

Emperor Qian Yuan frowned and asked,

"Your Majesty..."

"....."

The Red Feather Messenger took a deep breath, enduring the excruciating pain, and with his last ounce of strength, roared out in broken, intermittent bursts.

"What did you say?!"

"Those barbaric Xiongnu dare to station their troops outside the pass!"

"Outrageous! This is outrageous!"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qian Yuan felt a surge of heat rush to his head, and his anger instantly overwhelmed his reason. He kicked the dragon table over with a fierce kick!

The memorials, inkstone, and jade ornaments on the desk were scattered all over the floor, creating a mess.

"Issue my decree!"

"Ring the Jingyang Bell!"

"Summon all civil and military officials to the Golden Palace for a meeting immediately! Anyone who neglects to attend court will be executed!"

Emperor Qianyuan roared like a wounded beast, his voice echoing and reverberating in the empty hall, causing dust to fall from the beams.

"yes!"

Xia Shouzhong scrambled to his feet and rushed out of the main hall to deliver the message, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

.......

Above the Golden Palace, incense smoke swirled, and dragons and phoenixes were carved and painted. The atmosphere was originally extremely solemn and dignified, but at this moment, it was particularly tense because all the civil and military officials had gathered together.

The civil and military officials stood on both sides, all dressed in brocade court robes and wearing black gauze official hats. Their expressions were varied. Some looked down at their noses, while others whispered among themselves, all secretly speculating about the true intentions behind the emperor's urgent summons.

Emperor Qianyuan sat high on the sandalwood dragon throne, as imposing as a deep pool and a majestic mountain, taking in the questioning gazes of the officials below. The entire hall was somewhat restless due to the oppressive silence.

"Xia Shouzhong, send an urgent report!"

Seeing that the time was ripe, Emperor Qianyuan did not delay any longer and gave an order in a deep voice to Xia Shouzhong beside him.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable imperial majesty, like a bucket of ice water being poured over someone's head, instantly silencing the hall to the point where you could hear a pin drop.

"yes!"

Xia Shouzhong bowed again, respectfully agreeing, and then carefully took out the urgent report from Yanmen Pass, which was stained with dust and blood.

"...The Xiongnu raised an army of 100,000, defying our imperial authority and invading Yanmen Pass."

"Your Majesty, I earnestly request that you dispatch reinforcements immediately and send them to our aid!"

Xia Shouzhong's slightly shrill, hoarse voice echoed slowly in the empty Golden Palace. Though it sounded harsh, it was as clear as a morning bell, each word like a heavy hammer blow to the heart of every minister present.

At this moment, no one in the hall had time to pay attention to Xia Shouzhong's sharp voice, which was unique to eunuchs. Everyone's mind was shocked by the contents of the urgent report, and they all showed fear or stared at Xia Shouzhong.

"Did you all hear me clearly?"

Emperor Qianyuan took in the fascinating changes in the expressions of the officials below, and seeing that no one dared to respond, he coldly questioned them.

"The Xiongnu raised an army of over 100,000 and invaded Yanmen Pass."

"My esteemed ministers, do you have any countermeasures?"

These words caused an uproar in the once-silent Golden Palace. The civil and military officials were like a hornet's nest that had been disturbed, with various opinions and chaos erupting.

A minister dressed in a scarlet civil official's robe stepped forward first, cupped his hands, and reported:

"Your Majesty, I believe that peace should be the priority, and we should seek peace with the Xiongnu."

"The reason these Xiongnu barbarians invaded Yanmen Pass at this time was simply because winter was approaching, the grass was withering and their food was running out, so they wanted to plunder some supplies to get through the winter."

"If our Great Qian grants them a little favor, providing enough gold, silver, silk, and provisions, these uncivilized barbarians will naturally retreat. In this way, we can avoid a protracted war without bloodshed and ensure the safety of our border people for a time."

Before the words were finished, a general clad in armor glared angrily, strode forward, and retorted in a booming voice:

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!"

"This is like drinking poison to quench thirst!"

"These Xiongnu wolves are ambitious. In the past, they would only send small groups of cavalry to harass and plunder, but this time they have organized an army of 100,000 to press on our border. Their ambition is definitely not just to plunder resources; they must want to break through the gates and seize our Central Plains. We must not be careless!"

"If we seek peace now, ceding territory and paying reparations, it would be tantamount to raising a tiger that will turn on us in the future!"

"I believe that we should immediately dispatch troops in a swift and decisive attack to completely defeat them, thus demonstrating our national prestige and ensuring the stability of our Great Qian Dynasty!"

For a time, the civil and military officials, who were usually most concerned with their demeanor and full of benevolence and morality, became like vulgar vendors arguing over weight in a market, each sticking to their own opinion and refusing to give in.

Some ministers, their faces flushed and spittle flying, argued loudly.

Some ministers shook their heads and sighed, their faces full of concern for the country and its people, yet they could not come up with a definite solution.

This pointless discussion lasted for a full fifteen minutes, yet no clear conclusion was reached.

Emperor Qianyuan sat upright on his dragon throne, listening to the buzzing arguments below like flies. His brows furrowed more and more, and his face grew increasingly gloomy, as if water could drip from it.

His eyes revealed extreme impatience and suppressed anger, like a volcano about to erupt, gathering the power to destroy everything.

Just then, a minister stepped forward tremblingly, head bowed, and said cautiously:

"Your Majesty, I...I believe that perhaps we could send a princess from the imperial family to marry into a foreign land in exchange for peace on the border."

"In this way, we can avoid war that will cause immense suffering and death, and demonstrate the benevolence of our Great Qian Dynasty, so that all under heaven will submit to us."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Qian Yuan, who was already on the verge of exploding, could no longer contain his raging fury.

"Snapped!"

A deafening explosion ripped through the air!

Emperor Qian Yuan slammed his palm hard on the imperial table, causing the sturdy sandalwood dragon table to tremble violently. The teacups and writing implements on it were shaken so violently that they jumped high into the air, spilling tea all over the floor, leaving a mess.

The loud noise made the hearts of all the civil and military officials in the court pound wildly.

"Do they all pretend I don't exist?"

Emperor Qianyuan abruptly stood up, his face grim, and roared at the trembling civil and military officials below.