girl let me check

Chapter 426: The Sea Presses Down and the Bamboo Branches Raise Again

Yongzhou, Changming Eastern Palace.

Fang Tang hasn't had a good night's sleep for a long time.

The three eastern towns of Changyuan collapsed completely, the three western towns of Changyuan were caught in a bitter battle, the Wang family troops in Bingzhou and Yizhou were ready to move, civil unrest in various places became more frequent and fierce, and emergency documents from prefectures and counties all over the country came in like snowflakes.

She was not yet the emperor, and her political prestige was not enough to fully control the overall situation. If it were not for her political tactics and Shi Dangliu's full support, Fang Tang would not have been able to get through this difficult period.

The burden on her shoulders was so heavy that she could hardly breathe.

Even though the situation had deteriorated to this point, Fang Tang never lost her confidence and pride. What really made Her Royal Highness the Princess worried and anxious was another matter.

She took the initiative to show her goodwill to Fang Weihan, and the words she used were almost earnest, which did not sound like the words that could be used between a monarch and his subjects.

Even if Fang Tang told Fang Weihan all the results of his investigation, even if she bowed her head and begged him, he still did not plan to bring the East Palace Guards back to the capital.

He...didn't accept his apology.

Fang Tang wished that all this was just a dream. She wished that there was no gap between her and Fang Weihan. She wished that he could still stand by her side like at the beginning.

Unfortunately, everything can't go back.

The girl raised her head from the half-human-high document, put down the red pen, and gently rubbed her sore wrist, her eyes showing neither sadness nor joy.

She was most accustomed to showing a generous and appropriate smile. The etiquette nanny in the palace taught her that she was the pearl of the Great Zhou and must not bring shame to the royal family.

Fang Tang stared out the window in a trance. His brain, which was a little dizzy from working at the desk for a long time, was empty and his thoughts slowly drifted away.

She pulled the corners of her mouth, revealing a familiar fake smile, like a delicate, perfect, yet lifeless doll.

Fang Tang thought of Xie Lingwan from the Chenjun Xie family. The smile on her face was somewhat similar to his own.

Xie Lingwan's smile was perfect and precise, as if it was the result of a deliberate calculation. Everyone who looked at her would inevitably feel ashamed of themselves. If Fang Tang's smile was for the sake of the royal family's face, then Xie Lingwan's smile was purely out of politeness.

The proud wise man will look down upon everyone in the world with cold eyes, and a smile is but her condescension.

Fang Tang really hated such people. Whenever he saw her, Fang Tang would always think of Wang Wei, the patriarch of the Shangyuan Wang family who was burned to death by him in the Yingluan Palace. He also had an almost identical smile on his face.

As a direct descendant of the Great Zhou royal family, no one in the world resented the people of the aristocratic families more than Fang Tang. In her opinion, it was because of these parasites who deceived their superiors and deceived their subordinates that the Great Zhou showed such a false prosperity.

As the emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Fang Tang had many radical means to maintain the balance of the court. But she finally chose a gentler solution.

As it turned out, this decision was correct to some extent.

Her Royal Highness the Princess pulled out the still warm sword tassel from her bosom and watched the hazy and faint light slowly flow on the tassel.

"I just hit her once, and you rushed to me with a sword in hand." The girl said softly, "It's as if we are not king and subject, not of the same clan, not blood relatives, but mortal enemies."

Fang Tang smiled self-deprecatingly. Light clouds covered the sun, and the light in his phoenix eyes gradually dimmed.

"Is her position in your heart... really so important? So important... that you no longer care about the grudges between the noble families and the royal family."

The girl said nothing more.

Her heart was gently pulled up, like a sudden pain, and like an inexplicable throbbing of loss. Every time she thought of this, her nose would suddenly feel sore.

Fang Tang clenched the sword tassel in his hand tightly.

three days left.

There are only three days left before she will know the answer that has been lingering in her mind.

"Fang Weihan..." the girl murmured softly.

"Oh!"

The main door of the hall was pushed open forcefully from the outside, and the sound of light footsteps was chaotic and hurried.

"Your Highness!" Bilong hurried in from outside, panting.

The face of the usually steady Luantai Neifu Shizhong was now pale with panic.

Fang Tang put away his sword tassel and returned to his usual expressionless expression.

"What's wrong?" she asked coldly.

"Your Highness..." Bilong took a deep breath and said in an extremely sad tone:

"Your Majesty... passed away."

It was like a bolt of thunder striking my heart.

Fang Tang stood up suddenly, his eyes full of disbelief.

Fang Zun is actually dead? !
Frankly speaking, Fang Tang had no feelings for the emperor five hundred years later. But even she could not deny Fang Zun's political ability.

As an emperor, he was far stronger than Emperor Xuan of Zhou.

But how could he die?

Even if he lost the battle of Pingqiu, Fang Zun would never risk his life! He was the emperor, and he was protected by many experts. Even if everyone died, he should not be the one to die!

Fang Tang walked quickly out from behind the desk and took the brief report sent back urgently from Qianli from Bilong.

In the Battle of Pingqiu, 88,000 of the 120,000 imperial guards of the Great Zhou were killed, including the leaders of aristocratic families such as Wang Yan, Shen Chengyong, and Pei Wenyi. Thirty-three high-ranking officials of the third rank and above in the imperial court were also killed, almost all of the soldiers were killed or wounded.

Emperor Fang Zun finally refused to retreat and detonated the imperial seal on the top of Pingqiu, killing himself and the foreign enemy leader. The violent explosion destroyed almost everything within a three-li radius of Pingqiu City, and a deep pit of more than 100 feet was blown out in the center of the battlefield.

The exact number of casualties among the 80,000 alien Murong cavalrymen is unknown, but according to preliminary estimates, no one could survive an explosion of that magnitude.

This letter was delivered back to Changming by Chenjun Duke Xie Mingren. In addition to him, the two heads of the Lanling Xiao family also survived the battle.

Judging from the results, the foreign tribes suffered heavy casualties and had to send reinforcements from the border to regroup. It is said that they discovered the flag of the Tuoba royal family.

The Great Zhou won the battle. But they lost an emperor.

Fang Zun...why do you do this?
Thousands of thoughts flashed through Her Royal Highness's mind, as if there was a mystery entangled in her heart, covering up the truth of the matter.

The emperor who adopted the three of them died suddenly. Bilong was extremely sad and her beautiful eyes were red.

"Your Highness..." She bowed deeply and said in a trembling voice, "Now that His Majesty has passed away, the responsibility of the Great Zhou...will all fall on you."

She is the crown prince. Even though the emperor has passed away, the country cannot be without a ruler for a day.

Fang Tang understood that the most urgent task was to ascend the throne immediately and announce it to the world, otherwise the situation in the Great Zhou would only get worse.

"Report!"

The hurried voice interrupted Fang Tang's thoughts.

A Luantai guard rushed into the Yingluan Palace and reported urgently:
"Your Highness, foreign cavalry has appeared in Youfengyi and is moving rapidly towards Changming! It is only two days away from Changming!"

Fang Tang's expression suddenly changed.

"Alien cavalry?!"

Bilong opened her eyes wide, not daring to believe what she heard.

There was no alarm signal from the three towns in Changyuan, Shangjun and Beidijun were still safe and sound, so how did the foreign cavalry come to the heart of Yongzhou? !
Fang Tang also thought of this, but she did not delve into it further.

Fang Zun took the Northern Court Guards from Changming City with him on his eastern tour, and now only the Southern Court Guards in the Imperial Capital could barely fight. But the six guards, the Left and Right Jinwu, the Left and Right Jianmen, and the Left and Right Qianniu, together only had a total of no more than 50,000 people.

It is an impossible task for such a small number of people to defend a huge city with thirty-six gates!
"How many aliens are there?" Fang Tang asked calmly.

"A lot, a lot, a lot!" Luantai Wei said incoherently. "How many are there?" Fang Tang shouted coldly.

“I don’t know… Your Highness, I don’t know either…” She broke down and cried loudly, “Our scouts were killed as soon as they approached them.”

"Maybe there are a hundred thousand people, maybe more!"

The lights in Yingluan Palace were bright, but they could not illuminate the coldness in Fang Tang's heart.

……

……

"Eunuch Xue?! Come in quickly! I'll find a doctor right away!"

"Your Highness, this is the letter His Majesty left for you."

"I know, I know...but the most urgent thing is to get you treatment!"

"Your Highness, my time is up and I don't have much time left to live." Eunuch Xue said calmly with a smile.

"Your Highness, please read the letter first, so that I can go on my journey with peace of mind."

Fang Weihan's hand holding the letter froze in mid-air.

"Chen Yuxian!" he shouted urgently, "Go find a doctor, no matter what method you use! If you can't cure him, I will hold you accountable!"

"Yes!"

There was a lot of noise outside the military camp, with shouts and footsteps mixed together.

Fang Weihan opened the envelope and looked at the golden letter paper which was exactly the same as Beigong Yuzhao's.

He took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and pulled out the letter with trembling hands:
"Wei Han, I'm sorry to have to say the last few words to you in this way. I know you don't like to hear long lectures, so I'll make it short."

"This time I am leading the army on an eastern tour with only one goal: to defend Yecheng and block the route that the foreign tribes must take to move south."

"It's weird, isn't it? Why can I be sure that the aliens will definitely move south? Why can I be sure that the Uehara Wang family will not be involved?"

"Do you still remember the Kaiwu Alliance that your fiancée mentioned to you? This was originally a secret among the emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty. If I tell it, I will suffer the consequences. But I don't care about it now."

"Listen carefully, Wei Han. The content of the Kaiwu Alliance is very simple, so simple that it only has a few words:"

"The eight noble families are not allowed to usurp the throne of Zhou."

"This covenant was made by the Xie family of Chenjun with all their strength, and it is equivalent to a vow of heaven. No one can violate this iron law. Although the Wang family of Shangyuan has great power, this is the main reason why they have been restrained for thousands of years. Since the death of Emperor Wu, the imperial power has gradually declined. If there was no covenant oath, the Great Zhou would have ceased to exist long ago."

"Few people know about the Kaiwu Alliance. The only ones who know about it are Emperor Zhou and the eight clan leaders of all generations. The name of Xie's Youlan is not unfounded. She was able to deduce it by herself by relying on hearsay and observing people's expressions. This woman's talent is limitless. Now it seems that I took advantage of Xie Mingren when he made your marriage contract with me."

"That's a bit off topic, let's get back to business."

"The power of the Shangyuan Wang family grew day by day, reaching its peak during the reign of my father, which also fueled their ambitions... If they had enormous power, who would be willing to be inferior to one person? But the founding of the military alliance is a big problem. For thousands of years, the patriarchs of the Shangyuan Wang family could not circumvent this iron rule until Wang Tun appeared."

"The eight noble families are not allowed to usurp the throne of the Zhou Dynasty, but what if the Divine Zhou Dynasty is in chaos? For example, there may be mobs, demonic cults, or foreign races."

"When I first ascended the throne, I was aware of their plan. But I still couldn't believe that Wang Tun would actually do this. Because once he makes up his mind, the thousand-year reputation of the Uehara Wang family will be destroyed, and there will be no possibility of turning back."

"But as the situation developed further, more and more evidence was presented to me, which forced me to believe that this matter was a foregone conclusion."

"I started to confront the Wang family. I knew their plan, and they knew mine. This was a naked conspiracy."

"The Uehara Wang clan wants to kill Da Zhou and then devour its corpse."

"The Great Zhou is beyond salvation. I understand this more clearly than anyone else. Everything I do is to help this broken country... survive a little longer."

"My efforts have been fruitful, but I still underestimated the power of the Shangyuan Wang family. A thousand years is enough time for them to accomplish many things, and the corruption of the nine borders of Changyuan is one of them. Now the garrisons of the three eastern towns of Changyuan have all turned to the Heshuo family. As long as Wang Tun gives the order, they will open and abandon the city."

"The Shangyuan Wang family personally selected the murderer who sent the Great Zhou to the grave. They are destined to induce the foreign races of the Northern Desert to invade the Central Plains, and this day will not be long."

"I can't stop all this. I can't stop those foreigners from trampling on the land of the Great Zhou. The hidden dangers left over from a thousand years ago, I can't deal with them with my own strength."

"I know that in this world where the imperial power is declining, if there is anything in this world that can fight against the aristocratic families, it can only be the concerted efforts of all living beings."

"But unfortunately... a thousand years have worn away the patriotism of the world. Today, the people of the Great Zhou do not trust the court at all. They are already disheartened."

"There's only one way to reawaken their dead hearts."

"My death."

"From ancient times to now, there has never been an emperor who died on the battlefield after fighting hard. The emperor's responsibility is to rule the world, but if he dies, how can he fulfill this responsibility?"

"But I'm different. I'm at my wits' end."

"If I have to choose between losing my life or losing my kingdom, I will choose the former."

"The thousand-year-old foundation of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the hard work of hundreds of generations of ancestors must not be destroyed in my hands."

"I will protect this dynasty until the end of my life."

Fang Weihan looked at the last few words silently.

He felt a little sore in his eyes.

"Wei Han, if there is anything I can be thankful for... it is that my Great Zhou has successors, you and Fang Tang."

"Fang Tang's bloodline concentration is particularly high. She is the Fang descendant who is closest to Emperor Wu in the past thousand years. I see hope for the revival of the royal family in her."

"But she still has shackles on her body, and cannot be complete. Before she transforms into a true dragon, Wei Han, please protect her. This is my last request."

"I'm sorry to hand this mess over to you. Please forgive my helplessness."

"Also, Wei Han, your identity is somewhat special. I once..."

Large blank spaces.

Finally, there is one last sentence to end.

"Looking back on my life, I failed to learn literature, failed to master martial arts, and ended up losing my father, my brothers, and my wife and concubines. I also had little affection for my children. Although I own the world, I am still as poor as the desolate sky, with nothing."

"If someone asks me how I evaluate myself, you can answer..."

"…I am the Emperor of Zhou."

Fang Weihan closed the letter in silence and heard the noise outside the tent.

He opened the awning and strode out, and saw the soldiers gathered together in complete silence.

The old eunuch sat on the chair, smiling kindly.

His head was lowered, his face was covered with blood, and he was no longer alive.

Chen Yuxian walked to Fang Weihan's side, holding a blood-stained cloth bag in his hand. He opened the bag, and three bloody heads fell out.

"These are the three sixth-rank priests sent by the Wang family of Shangyuan to Yecheng to assassinate Xie Mingren. If it weren't for Eunuch Xue, the head of the Xie family would have died long ago."

Chen Yuxian whispered.

"He killed three sixth-level warriors and traveled thousands of miles. His blood and energy were exhausted and he was powerless to recover."

"Wei Lieutenant, I have tried my best." He choked with red eyes.

(End of this chapter)