CH 248: Poisoned

As the critical moment approached, the Champion Marquis felt hesitant, so he came up with what he thought was a “brilliant idea.”𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

“Go find Prince Ying and occupy the Chief Commander’s Office under his name. I’ll command from home and adapt to the situation,” the Champion Marquis believed this was an excellent strategy that would both successfully implement the plan and ensure his own safety.

The two chief censors were dumbfounded. They had risked complete ruin and the extinction of their families to assist the Champion Marquis, even volunteering to lead the charge, only to find him shrinking back at the crucial moment.

Xiao Sheng patiently explained, “The city is now in chaos, people are anxious and uncertain where their loyalties should lie. Only by quickly establishing authority through borrowed power can we win hearts and achieve victory. Looking across the realm, the only powers worth borrowing are yours and Prince Donghai’s. If you refuse to show yourself, what’s the point of us occupying the Chief Commander’s Office?”

“If the power truly lies with me, why won’t the officials step forward to support and help me?” the Champion Marquis asked bitterly, having once believed he had popular support only to discover the cold reality in this critical moment.

“Well… with the situation unclear, it’s understandable that officials are waiting to see what happens. As long as the Champion Marquis…”

“Say no more, I understand. I’ll go with you,” the Champion Marquis said with dignity. After thinking for a moment, he added, “But let’s bring Prince Ying along. Though his ‘influence’ isn’t much, every bit helps. We’ll say he’s given up his claim to the throne and supports my bid for emperor instead.”

The two chief censors didn’t want additional complications but couldn’t entirely oppose the Champion Marquis. They looked at each other and said simultaneously, “Very well.”

The Champion Marquis had his own group of followers, nearly a hundred people, mostly household servants, plus about a dozen risk-taking soldiers and sons of noble families.

Xiao Sheng and Shen Mingzhi provided the main force. They had won over a Vice Minister from the Ministry of War and through various means gathered over two hundred soldiers, most of whom had no idea that tonight’s operation was a coup – they thought the censors were conducting an investigation.

Before nightfall, the two chief censors took their leave. Soon after, the Champion Marquis left through his rear gate and, escorted by his followers, joined the two officials to lead over three hundred people to Prince Ying’s residence.

Prince Ying was resting in bed. Like most children, after getting through the traumatic recovery period, he had grown restless and wanted to go out to play. So when a panicked servant ran in saying the Champion Marquis had come for him, he wasn’t scared at all – instead, he cheered and jumped out of bed.

His injuries hadn’t fully healed, so he had a servant carry him on his back as he eagerly went out to meet them, calling out from afar, “I’m here! How nice of you to think of me! Where are we going to play?”

“Somewhere special,” the Champion Marquis smiled.

A group of servants from Prince Ying’s residence also joined them, making the procession even larger as they headed straight for the Chief Commander’s Office.

With the Southern Army’s attack and the city under curfew, the streets had become empty shortly after nightfall. Such a large group couldn’t avoid attention, but the Champion Marquis and the two censors believed that as long as they moved quickly enough, discovery wouldn’t be a major problem.

Unlike other government offices, the Chief Commander’s Office wasn’t at the front of the imperial city, but in the east city next to the Ancestral Temple. Despite its grand title, it held little real power. Its main responsibility was storing various military tokens, which could only be released when the Ministry of War sent official documents requesting them.

The Office of the Chief Commander had neither strict guards nor numerous officers. When there was a knock at the door and someone claimed to be from the Ministry of War, the duty officer inside noticed nothing unusual. With the Southern Army watching menacingly outside the city, the officer actually thought the Ministry was too slow in sending someone to collect the military command tokens.

The officer straightened his clothes, opened the side door, and just as he was about to speak, people from outside rushed in.

Taking over the Chief Commander’s Office was surprisingly easy. The Champion Marquis was excited, seeing it as a good omen that their grand plan would succeed. Prince Ying was also excited, lying on his servant’s back and shouting “giddyup” as if riding a horse.

However, setbacks soon followed. Though the Champion Marquis had occupied the office, he couldn’t get the command tokens.

The tokens were stored in a warehouse with three locks. After searching everywhere, they only found one key on the duty clerk. He refused to reveal where the other two keys were or who had them, insisting he would only respond to official documents from the Ministry of War bearing the imperial seal.

The other people in the office knew nothing and could only kowtow and beg for mercy.

The Champion Marquis’s excitement turned to anger, then fear. The command tokens were his greatest hope – he needed them to command the Eight Palace Guard Camps and seize the throne.

He drew his sword and pointed it at the officer. “Open your dog eyes and look at who I am.”

The kneeling officer glanced up. “You are the Champion Marquis.”

“I am the Emperor! I’m about to ascend the throne. You, a mere clerk, dare to obstruct me?”

“I wouldn’t dare.” The officer kowtowed.

“Hand over the tokens.”

“Please show the Ministry of War’s…”

The Champion Marquis flew into a rage and nearly stabbed him, but his attendants held him back.

Everyone took turns trying, but none could make the clerk yield. At the warehouse door, soldiers hacked and stabbed with their weapons, leaving only small dents in the thick door.

As time passed, the Champion Marquis grew increasingly angry, while Xiao Sheng and Shen Mingzhi became increasingly nervous, personally checking the main entrance, fearing the Guard cavalry might have surrounded them.

No one came. The streets outside were silent, as if the entire Capital was allowing these outlaws to act freely.

Xiao Sheng and Shen Mingzhi saw this as an ill omen.

Being more experienced, Shen Mingzhi found the personnel register and looked up the clerk’s name and address. He showed it to the officer, saying, “Your loyalty to duty is admirable. But don’t be too stubborn. Your home isn’t far from here. Men, go there – kill half his family and capture the other half.”

A group of soldiers acknowledged the order. Though they realized tonight’s action was unusual, they had to obey their superiors, hoping they might rise to prominence if the plan succeeded.

At this point, the clerk had no choice but to yield.

The other two keys should have been kept by different officials, but since Chief Commander Han Xing was away and the court hadn’t issued orders for half a year, the office had grown lax. Only one officer was on duty, and the other keys were hidden under his bed.

When the warehouse opened and soldiers brought out cases of military tokens, the courtyard fell silent. Everyone stared, these were not just command tokens but also the “keys” to open the palace gates.

The Champion Marquis couldn’t help laughing. Though this was just the first step, he felt the throne was within reach. The next steps seemed simple – just use the tokens to command the Eight Palace Guard Camps.

Xiao Sheng and Shen Mingzhi knew well that obtaining the tokens was actually the easiest step. No one could predict how much power the combination of the Champion Marquis and the tokens would yield. Every step ahead was fraught with danger.

The Champion Marquis continued laughing, with Prince Ying clapping beside him. The two censors dared not interrupt.

Perhaps from laughing too hard, the Champion Marquis began coughing. When his attendant tried to help, he waved him away, indicating he was fine. But the coughing didn’t stop – it grew more violent until he was foaming at the mouth.

Everyone was terrified. Two attendants hurried forward to support him.

The coughing finally stopped, but the Champion Marquis’s face had turned bright red. He looked at the two censors in confusion. “My heart, my stomach… what’s happening? Don’t you feel unwell too?”

Everyone shook their heads.

The Champion Marquis struggled to stand straight. He couldn’t collapse now – he had to hold on until after the enthronement…

A voice from the crowd asked: “Has the Champion Marquis been… poisoned?”

Though the voice was soft and low, it thundered in the Champion Marquis’s ears. “I have not!” he roared, his gaze sweeping around searching for who had spoken.

He vomited again, with what appeared to be traces of blood in the mucus.

This was indeed poisoning.

The Champion Marquis’s vision darkened, the crowd disappeared, and the throne seemed to grow more distant. “It was her, it must have been her!” The Champion Marquis recalled his last meal. “How vicious…”

The Champion Marquis didn’t die immediately. He foamed at the mouth and convulsed, occasionally regaining consciousness only to mutter “how vicious” before finally passing away after more than two hours of suffering.

Xiao Sheng and Shen Mingzhi didn’t wait that long. As soon as the Champion Marquis collapsed into his attendant’s arms, they understood that tonight’s plan had failed. The Champion Marquis was now worthless to them, and they needed to do everything possible to salvage the situation and save themselves.

Having spent years navigating court politics together, the two men understood each other perfectly. Xiao Sheng approached the terrified Prince Ying, taking him from the servant’s back into his arms, consoling him: “Don’t be afraid, Prince Ying. Lord Shen and I are here.”

Shen Mingzhi called over the Vice Minister of War and had him select the military command tokens, picking out several related to the Eight Palace Guard Camps and the Southern and Northern Armies. They left the box but took the tokens, placing them in a bag which Shen Mingzhi kept personally.

The remaining tokens were returned to storage, and the keys were given back to the clerk.

The two censors left with Prince Ying and the military tallies, followed by the soldiers. Soon, the Champion Marquis’s followers hurriedly fled as well, leaving only a few attendants who held their master while weeping uncontrollably, and about a dozen people from the Chief Commander’s Office standing around blankly, unsure how to conclude matters.

“What should we do?” Xiao Sheng asked Shen Mingzhi after handing Prince Ying to a soldier. At this moment, he admitted he wasn’t as composed as his colleague. He could sense impending disaster, feeling chills run down his neck.

“The Empress Dowager and Shang-guan Sheng won’t forgive us,” Shen Mingzhi had already made his decision, but still thought for a moment longer. “Let’s go see Prince Donghai.”

Xiao Sheng nodded. “What about Grand Tutor Cui?”

“Heh, you think Grand Tutor Cui truly supported the Champion Marquis? If he were here, he’d run to Prince Donghai even faster than us.”

Xiao Sheng hesitated no longer and led the way toward Prince Donghai’s residence. After walking two streets, he asked: “LordShen, don’t you think it’s… too quiet?”

Shen Mingzhi had already noticed something was wrong. Looking back, he saw only about a hundred men remained – the others had fled.

“It seems we’re not the only ones busy tonight,” Shen Mingzhi was also confused now. He gripped the bag tightly and said quietly: “Keep Prince Ying safe.”

“I want to go home, I’m tired,” Prince Ying called out from the soldier’s back. After seeing the Champion Marquis vomit, his playful mood had completely vanished, and he just wanted to lie in his comfortable bed.

As Xiao Sheng was about to gently persuade him, the sound of hoofbeats suddenly came through the darkness. The Vice Minister of War quickly ordered the soldiers to gather around and protect the two officials.

“Are you the Left and Right Chief Censors?” someone called out from the approaching group of riders.

“Who might you be?” Xiao Sheng asked.

After a moment’s silence came the reply: “Yang Feng, Steward of the Weary Marquis’s household.”

Xiao Sheng knew who Yang Feng was and was startled. “What has happened?”

Another pause, then: “There are reports of disturbances in the palace, but the details aren’t clear.”

“Whom do you serve now?” Xiao Sheng asked again.

There was no answer as Yang Feng and his men rode toward them.