Chapter 54

Although the room was perfumed, it could not mask the strong smell of medicinal soup. The Emperor of Dachu was half-reclining on the bed, breathing heavily. Usually, when he was in the imperial court, carefully dressed in his majestic imperial attire, his illness was not very noticeable. In fact, apart from a few people, few dared to look directly at this emperor in the court. But what Yang Yihé saw now was an old man who had lost most of his hair, with a pale face, sunken cheeks, and a gaunt, emaciated body.

"Your Majesty." Standing before the bed, he bowed deeply.

"Sit down, Yihé." The Emperor of Dachu waved his hand and pointed to the brocade stool in front of the bed.

Yang Yihé sat down as instructed, looking at the emperor and said softly, "Your Majesty, the defeat on the border is just a battle. It will not shake the foundation of our great Dachu. At worst, we will return to the state we were in ten years ago. The Qin people do not intend to launch a large-scale war. They are well aware that in a large-scale conflict, the one who will suffer the most will not be us, as our national strength far exceeds theirs. Your Majesty, you must take care of your health. These trivial matters can be handled by your ministers."

The Emperor of Dachu half-closed his eyes but did not respond to Yang Yihé's words. After saying these few sentences, Yang Yihé also remained silent. They had been master and minister for decades, and both knew each other's temperaments very well.

"The Qin state suffered a great drought this year, and the people are suffering. Therefore, they had to launch this war. They only plundered in Anyang Prefecture without attacking the city, clearly showing their attitude to me. I understand this very well." After a while, the Emperor of Dachu slowly said, "Yihé, do you really think I am furious because of this defeat?"

Yang Yihé remained silent, sometimes silence was the best attitude.

"This battle was strange," the Emperor of Dachu's eyes flashed with anger, "Who is Zuo Lixing? I know, and you know. Even if he is an incompetent general and made poor decisions, how could 60,000 elite border troops be completely annihilated? Moreover, Zuo Lixing is one of the top generals of our great Dachu and has the cultivation of a grandmaster. For him to be defeated to such an extent, it can only mean one thing: the enemy was well-prepared and knew our plans inside out. They calculated every step, leaving Zuo Lixing no chance at all. Hehe, to kill Zuo Lixing, Li Zhi even acted personally, risking serious injury. Yihé, do you think this is strange?"

"This matter is indeed strange," Yang Yihé had to take a stance.

"Someone can't wait anymore! Someone wants to act prematurely!" The Emperor of Dachu pounded the bed frame forcefully, his voice becoming hoarse with anger, and he began to breathe heavily. Yang Yihé quickly stood up, walked behind the emperor, and gently massaged his back.

"Your Majesty, you must take care of your health. Compared to your health, these are just trivial matters. As long as you are well, there will be no problems for Dachu!" After the emperor slowly calmed down, Yang Yihé gently advised.

The emperor smiled bitterly, leaning back against the cushion behind him, and looked at Yang Yihé, "Yihé, it has been thirty years in the blink of an eye. Do you remember the days when we were young and reckless, chasing and playing, and you took the blame for my youthful indiscretions, receiving many beatings from the previous emperor?"

Yang Yihé smiled, "Serving the master and sharing worries is the duty of a minister."

"In the blink of an eye, we are both gray-haired. Look at me now, a grandmaster, yet I cannot resist the invasion of illness and can only lie on the bed waiting to die. If I were not in this state, those evil people would not dare to act so recklessly." The emperor's face turned abnormally red.

"Your Majesty, this matter is suspicious, but we cannot jump to conclusions. For now, we should focus on handling the situation in the western border and deal with the aftermath before considering other matters!" Yang Yihé said softly, "The envoy from Qin is already on his way to Shangjing."

The emperor snorted and looked at Yang Yihé sideways, "I heard that these days you have only been busy with the aftermath and have not investigated the matter behind it. Did you overlook it, or do you not want to investigate?"

Yang Yihé was silent for a moment, "Your Majesty, it is better to remain still. The Dachu court cannot afford any major upheavals. Therefore, I am not overlooking it, but I do not want to investigate. I believe that this defeat was due to Zuo Lixing's poor command and falling into the enemy's trap. This is what I said in the court."

"You are still the same as before!" The emperor sighed lightly, "Always seeking stability and unwilling to take risks."

"Your Majesty, Dachu has just suffered a defeat and cannot take risks. If we do not investigate, it is one thing, but once we start, we might uncover a major scandal. At that time, how will Your Majesty handle it, and how will the court pacify the people?" Yang Yihé's expression was calm as he spoke to the emperor.

"I have already sent An Ruhai to investigate, with my gold medal, anyone can investigate." The emperor's expression was also calm.

Yang Yihé's face changed drastically, and he knelt down with a thud, "Your Majesty, I boldly ask you to revoke your order. This matter can only be handled gradually, not rashly. Given time, there will be a solution."

"It seems you have also thought of this. If there is a problem, it can only be with my son. That's why you do not want to investigate." The emperor looked up at the ceiling, "If my health were not as it is now, I would agree with you, that it is better to remain still and handle it gradually. But I cannot wait. I want to remove this cancer before I die. This festering sore on the body of Dachu, if not dealt with, I will not rest easy."

"Your Majesty, I do not believe this is the work of the Crown Prince." Yang Yihé raised his head and said loudly, "If we investigate hastily, we might fall into someone else's trap."

"You have also thought of this?" The emperor sneered, "You do not believe it, you do not want to believe it. I also do not want to believe it, so I must investigate and get to the bottom of it. Yihé, although I am old and a sick tiger, a sick tiger is still a tiger. Whoever did this heinous act, I will not rest until I have punished them, to satisfy the people of Dachu."

"Your Majesty!" Yang Yihé still insisted, "This will cause unrest in Shangjing. If not handled well, it could lead to civil unrest. The Crown Prince has been regent for a long time and has his own system. The Second Prince is talented and has gathered many followers. The two sides are almost evenly matched. We must handle it gradually, not hastily."

"If I do not resolve this matter before I die, it will leave endless harm to Dachu." The Emperor of Dachu said coldly, "Therefore, I must investigate this matter thoroughly before I die. There is no wall that does not let the wind through, and no secret that cannot be uncovered, as long as we are serious about it. Yihé, since you are so opposed to this matter, you do not need to be involved. Just manage the court affairs well. Handling the aftermath is also crucial, and only a veteran like you can negotiate with the Qin people without losing face after our defeat."

"I understand." Yang Yihé knew the emperor's resolve was firm and could only nod helplessly.

The emperor sighed deeply and fell silent for a long time, "I heard that your son returned severely injured, and you were furious, preparing to find the officer who injured him to settle accounts. Now, thinking about it, this accident actually saved your son's life. Otherwise, your son might not have returned. My poor daughter, now missing, alive or dead, truly worries me!"

"Has the internal guard not found the princess yet?" Yang Yihé asked in surprise.

"No, the internal guard has questioned the Qin people, but they deny that the princess is in their hands. If she were alive, the Qin people would be overjoyed to use her as a bargaining chip. Since they deny it, there are only two possibilities: one, she has escaped and has not returned yet; two, she is already dead, and the Qin people dare not admit it."

"The princess is intelligent and skilled in martial arts. Even if Zuo Lixing suffered a great defeat, he would have made proper arrangements. Your Majesty, there is no need to worry. Perhaps in a few days, the princess will return safely." Yang Yihé comforted.

"I hope so!" The emperor slowly closed his eyes, "Yihé, I am tired. You may leave. Follow my instructions. An Ruhai will inform you of his investigation, but you are not to interfere."

"I understand."

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