Chapter 292: Chapter Two Hundred Sixty-Nine: The Sounding of the Horn

A chill pierced through Rong Zhi’s chest in an instant. He was usually unfazed by the cold, but at that moment, he felt his fingers trembling slightly. Never in his life had he felt such fear.

He was… afraid.

That fear almost crushed his heart.

However, the panic was fleeting. Rong Zhi took a deep breath, and the cold air quickly filled his chest. His eyes were filled with bone-chilling calmness.

Now was not the time to panic. The first thing to confirm was whether an accident had occurred in Luoyang. Although the timing was alarming, the delay of the letter did not necessarily relate to the palace.

Concern leads to chaos.

However, Luoyang was two thousand miles away from Ping City, and he couldn’t obtain specific information at the moment. At this time, Rong Zhi couldn’t help but recall the “telephone” mentioned by Chu Yu. How convenient it would be to have a telephone now?

He had people arranged in Luoyang, directly under his steward’s control, responsible for Chu Yu’s safety. If Feng Ting intended to harm Chu Yu, his subordinates might be able to do something to prevent it.

Even if he was certain something had happened in Luoyang, he wouldn’t be able to rush there to save people right away.

Calmly suppressing his distracting thoughts, Rong Zhi pondered briefly and made a decision.

****************************************************************

Guan Canghai received a message from Rong Zhi’s messenger asking for an urgent meeting. He was puzzled as Rong Zhi was known for his control over the big picture, always composed and steady, even at life and death moments. What could be so important that it seemed more urgent than life itself?

Following Rong Zhi’s subordinate, Guan Canghai paced quickly, sensing an atmosphere of cold, deadly seriousness on the street. Continuous sounds of horse hooves and rhythmic running footsteps passed by him,

spraying up whirling snowflakes.

The military bugle first blared at the street corner of this avenue. Then, Guan Canghai heard responding calls from all around, officers shouting orders, the clanging of weapons, noisily and chillingly pounding against his eardrums.

If someone was watching from the sky at that moment, they would see the city of Ping, covered in white snow, with tiny black dots converging into streams, dividing the snow-white city into several blocks. These dark currents were rushing simultaneously towards one place–

the Imperial Palace.

Guan Canghai was startled.

The only person with the power to mobilize a large army in Ping City was Rong Zhi.

What was Rong Zhi planning to do?

Breach the Imperial Palace?

Although Feng Ting was slow to act, Rong Zhi shouldn’t be this impatient, right?

Guan Canghai had always remembered that, even as a child, Rong Zhi could maintain his composure. So why had he become so restless today?

This question became even stronger upon seeing Rong Zhi. Guan Canghai keenly felt Rong Zhi’s emotions were being tightly repressed, as if they would explode violently the moment they were touched.

“…Rong Zhi?” Guan Canghai said somewhat uncertainly. He was blind, and at that moment, he even doubted whether the person in front of him was really Rong Zhi.

Rong Zhi stated succinctly, “The letter from Luoyang is two days late.”

Guan Canghai, although not much of a schemer, was nearly as astute as Rong Zhi, and knowing quite a few of Rong Zhi’s concerns, understood immediately upon hearing these words. He said, “Perhaps the letter is just delayed?”

Rong Zhi said quietly, “But perhaps something really has gone wrong.” Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps everything is alright, but he couldn’t afford to wager on that “perhaps.”

The moment he detected Feng Ting might pose a danger to Chu Yu, Rong Zhi made a swift decision, gathering the forces he could immediately mobilize. He seized control of both inside and outside of Ping City, fortified the city gates, and dispatched half of his troops to lock down the Imperial Palace.

All of these were just preparations.

Guan Canghai and Rong Zhi, shoulder to shoulder, strode quickly along the path cleared by the troops. As the Imperial Palace loomed near, Guan Canghai suddenly spoke, “I still don’t understand why Feng Ting would do this?”

He always felt there was no reason for Feng Ting to target Chu Yu. If Feng Ting wanted to harm Chu Yu, the goal was presumably to target Rong Zhi. However, no matter how he considered it, this seemed like an extremely foolish move.

To put it bluntly, nearly half of the Northern Wei’s power was now covertly clenched in Rong Zhi’s hands. Although Feng Ting was honored as the Empress Dowager, if she were to compete with Rong Zhi, she would be overthrown with a single encounter.

From Luoyang’s perspective, there were two possibilities to consider.

The first was that Feng Ting killed Chu Yu. This was the stupidest possibility. Killing Chu Yu would bring no benefits, instead, it would enrage Rong Zhi, inviting dreadful retaliation.

The second was that Feng Ting kidnapped Chu Yu to coerce Rong Zhi. This seemed plausible, but it was also extremely difficult. With Luoyang and Ping City two thousand li apart, during the process of bringing her over, Rong Zhi could create countless variables.

However, all this was predicated on the need to first dismantle Rong Zhi’s arrangements in Luoyang, which was not an easy feat either.

At this moment, Rong Zhi could see the entrance to the Imperial City. Surrounded by dense ranks of soldiers, the once majestic and solemn Imperial Palace now exhibited a vulnerability that seemed to barely endure the strain. His eyes, deep and unfathomable, carried no trace of emotion as he said, “Even if it has nothing to do with Luoyang, today is also a good day to resolve long-standing unresolved issues.”

His line of thought was fairly close to Guan Canghai’s. What Guan Canghai could think of, he naturally could as well. From any perspective, Feng Ting had no reason to target Chu Yu, for she lacked the power to rely upon.

However, unlike Guan Canghai, what differed was the weight Chu Yu held for him. He would not accept the slightest bit of luck; he wanted to firmly and assuredly take control of the situation now.

If Feng Ting truly made an unwise move, the troops surrounding the Imperial Palace would be his chips and weapons; even if he could ensure Luoyang was unharmed, on the other hand, the indisputable fact was that Feng Ting continually delayed the deposition and succession of the Emperor. He would take this opportunity to forcefully settle the matter.

Before summoning his subordinates, Rong Zhi had already considered all possibilities, pondering both the best and worst scenarios, and had prepared corresponding strategies for each.

The best scenario was his overthinking. The secret missive would arrive quickly, under pressure Tuoba Hong would pass the throne to Little Tuoba, with the Empress Dowager assisting in governance.

The worst case scenario… the worst…

Anxiety born of love, fear born of love.

When the two men were three zhang away from the gate of the Imperial Palace, Guan Canghai detected Rong Zhi suddenly stopping and turned his head to ask, “What’s wrong?” Why aren’t you moving?

Rong Zhi’s long eyelashes were coated with a few tiny beads of frost. He slightly lowered his eyes and said in a soft voice, “It’s nothing.”

If, and he said if, something unforeseen really had happened to Chu Yu, he wouldn’t hesitate to take down the entire Northern Wei Imperial Palace in her funeral procession.

This was the worst-case scenario. Slaughter within the Royal Family would be all harm and no benefit to him. Although he now controlled substantial power, he did not control all of Northern Wei; the collapse of the supreme ruler would inevitably lead to civil strife and battle for power.

Naturally, for him, the difference between a peaceful transition and conquest by force was merely the distance of less effort and less bloodshed, with no significant discrepancy. Yet, at this moment, Rong Zhi sincerely hoped he would not need to resort to the last resort.

He was cold-hearted, even if a world full of bloodshed couldn’t sway him in the slightest, but he did not wish for Chu Yu’s blood to be among it.

Upon arriving in front of the heavily shut gates of the Imperial Palace, the two men halted. Rong Zhi tilted his head slightly upwards, his voice cold and detached, “Open the gates.”

Before his words faded away, two rows of soldiers immediately lifted heavy logs and rammed open the grand doors together.

With a loud “bang,” the tall palace gates swung open to both sides. The north wind swept up from the ground, stirring the dry grass with a rustling sound and bringing with it piercing flakes of snow, beating Rong Zhi through the doorway!