mtl008 Chapter 247 Lord Chunping's Last Words
Chapter 247 Lord Chunping's Last Words
Chapter 247 Lord Chunping's Last Words
King Yan of Zhao had been firmly on the throne for many years and was definitely not a person who acted on impulse.
However, he was by no means without any emotions; even Ying Zheng suppressed his emotions with his ambition.
King Yan of Zhao only had a few years left to live, and he suffered the misfortune of his two sons being assassinated one after another. The throne could only be passed on to outsiders, and his grief was beyond words.
Now, he himself has been assassinated, but it is his elder brother Chunping Jun, whom he has always been wary of, who risks his life to save him.
The arrow struck the center of his wound, and crimson blood had soaked through Chunping Jun's dark robe.
King Yan of Zhao was in a daze when he suddenly realized that Lord Chunping's clothes were exactly the same color as those used in the funerals of the Zhao royal family.
"Xiao Yan... shall we go horseback riding together?"
"Xiao Yan, your arrows are excellent. When I become king, I will appoint you as my general."
"No way, I want to be the king."
"It's all the same, so appoint me as a general. My archery skills are pretty good too!"
"What's the point of being a general? I'll give you a fiefdom so you can have babies every day!"
The familiar yet unfamiliar word "Xiao Yan" completely awakened memories of childhood that had long been buried.
"We are late in protecting Your Majesty, please punish us..."
Several elderly eunuchs stood silently beside King Zhao Yan, each exuding a powerful aura, their wrinkled skin suggesting they might breathe their last at any moment.
But at this moment, King Yan of Zhao was in no mood to pay attention to them.
"Brother...brother..."
With a trembling hand outstretched, King Yan of Zhao tried to help Lord Chunping up.
He lost two sons, yet risked his life to save them...
A simple question reminded King Yan of the time when he and Lord Chunping had once gone hunting together on horseback.
However, he had been indulging in wine and women for many years, and coupled with his advanced age, he was already too weak to lift Chunping Jun up.
"cough……"
Lord Chunping coughed lightly, and blood-tinged foam welled up in his mouth, staining the white collar of King Zhao's velvet robe red.
“Xiao Yan…”
King Yan of Zhao pushed away the beautiful woman who was still lying dead on Lord Chunping's body, without even glancing at her: "I'm here, Xiao Yan is right here!"
"Where's the doctor? Quickly, summon a doctor..."
Chunping Jun barely managed to raise his hand and wave it: "Your...Your Majesty, please don't go to such trouble..."
"Your subject... has come here today because... has already... already declared his resolve to die."
"This...this letter..."
With trembling hands, he pulled out a pre-prepared letter from his sleeve. The sealing wax was intact. He held the letter and gently lifted it up.
"Cough cough..."
Chunping coughed again, the blood-tinged foam seemingly mixed with chunks of flesh.
As if suddenly experiencing a burst of lucidity before death, he spoke much more fluently: "Your Majesty, I have never had any connection with the Queen. I beg Your Majesty not to be disturbed by the rumors circulating in the streets. Today, when I entered the palace, I was already prepared to die to preserve the Queen's innocence and to ensure the peace of the nation and the imperial regalia. I am fortunate to have shielded Xiao Yan from an arrow and died, and it is a worthy death..."
Later, his speech became faster and faster, and blood kept spilling from his mouth, as if he was afraid of not being able to finish speaking before he died.
"Xiao Yan must remember this well: the world is in chaos today. Qin is strong and the rest of us are weak. Our Zhao state has not yet recovered from the Battle of Changping. Only General Li Mu can withstand the powerful Qin. You must not let personal feelings interfere with public duty."
"After my death, please bury my remains in... Julu..."
As the last word fell, Chunping-jun's hand, which had been gently lifting the letter, suddenly fell, getting a little dusty.
"Brother!"
Having lost two sons, and just as he had rediscovered brotherly affection, he immediately lost this brother again...
King Yan of Zhao was old and could not bear such pain at his age. He was overcome with grief and wept bitterly over the body of Lord Chunping.
a long time.
"Your Majesty, the assassin has been killed."
It wasn't until the guards brought two corpses that King Yan of Zhao was finally awakened from his grief.
"No survivors?"
King Yan of Zhao asked softly, his aged face revealing neither joy nor anger.
The guard respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, these two were assassins who committed suicide by poison before we discovered them."
King Zhao Yan closed his eyes, remained silent for a moment, and then suddenly opened them again.
This time, his eyes were icy cold, filled with the ruthlessness and cruelty of a king.
Why is there no one guarding me today?
"Why are assassins able to enter the palace so brazenly?"
"Investigate thoroughly! I must purge the palace!"
The aged voice was surprisingly loud and authoritative; at this moment, King Yan of Zhao was an old beast who had lost everything.
Although their strength is not what it used to be, they are even more insane and more dangerous!
……
late at night.
The daytime assassination attempt is over.
It's no one's fault that King Zhao had no guards; after all, he and Queen Chang had a penchant for making love wherever they pleased, so naturally, he wouldn't allow eunuchs to be by his side.
However, the assassin's infiltration of the palace was a dereliction of duty by the guards, and the entire Zhao palace has since been purged.
The Zhao King's Palace, the Zhao King's Sleeping Room.
The bronze lamp did not emit a very bright light, and King Yan of Zhao read the letter in his hand carefully, word by word, under the dim light.
His white hair hung loosely, and the dim light reflected on his aged face, which was devoid of any expression.
The writing materials were carried on fine stationery produced in Hanoi, but even that was now creased and crumpled.
He had read the letter in his hand over and over again.
Your humble servant bows and prostrates himself twice:
Today, heavy snow falls in Handan, and the courtyard is filled with shattered jade. It is as if I am back in the winter hunting days of yesteryear, when I rode with you through the wilderness. Twenty-seven years have passed in the blink of an eye.
I still chuckle when I recall my childhood joke about being betrothed to the Great General.
Now, General Li Mu has driven back the Xiongnu in the north and resisted the powerful Qin in the west. I, your humble servant, am of meager talent and shallow virtue, far inferior to him.
Although I am dull-witted, I have never forgotten the bond between brothers and the importance of the ancestral temple.
I served as a hostage in Qin for three years, and returned home with my hair turned white. Although my lord suspected me, my heart is as clear as the sun and moon.
Now that I have heard of the deaths of two heirs, the Qin army is eyeing the land beyond the Yellow River, and the Yan cavalry is frequently raiding the northern border. Zhao is truly in a precarious situation.
I have heard that even a fine steed in its twilight years still looks back at the tracks of a salt cart; and when the state is about to collapse, how dare I cherish the ashes of my remaining body?
I now lay bare my sincere heart before you, and hope that Your Majesty will take heed.
Your Majesty has no heir to continue the royal enterprise, and I now offer this advice with my blood: Li Mu is the Great Wall of Zhao. In the past, the blood of Changping had not yet dried up, and the precarious situation in Handan was just beginning to be resolved; it was all thanks to this general who held the border with his spear.
The proverb says, "Zhao can do without a king but not without a governor," which, though a contradictory statement, is actually crucial to its survival.
May our king trust and favor him. If a member of the royal family were to succeed to the throne, and a trusted herdsman were chosen to establish him, then the state would be as secure as a rock.
Furthermore, rumors have recently been circulating that I have an affair with the Queen. I have no such thoughts, but they have tarnished Your Majesty's dignity and the Queen's reputation for virtue, for which I am truly ashamed.
Your Majesty and the Empress are as bright as the lonely moon in the clouds; the foul talk of the marketplace is all the work of petty villains. General Mu fell into their trap and investigated thoroughly, which was originally out of utmost sincerity, but he mistakenly stepped into their snare.
Now, I, your humble servant, can only offer my life to appease the world, hoping that the rumors will be silenced, my pure reputation will remain untarnished, and I can find peace in the afterlife.
Snowflakes cling to my clothes, and I am reminded of those nights spent chatting around the fire in bygone years. Now, I, your humble servant, offer my broken body to ward off slander and evil from my lord, and I still remember the oath we made on horseback: "Brothers of Zhao, we will never betray each other, even in death."
Blood, tears, and ink; sobbing as I write this.
The Last Words of the Disgraced Official Zhao Yi