Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors-Chapter 520 - 270: The Two Saints Return to Court (8000 Words Vote Request)_4

Chapter 520: Chapter 270: The Two Saints Return to Court (8000 Words Vote Request)_4

That evening, Zhao Haiping hosted a banquet.

After resting for two or three days at Da Ming Prefecture, the two emperors and Empress Dowager Wei were escorted to the south, to be handed over to Emperor Gaozong of Qi.

During the banquet, the two emperors and the Empress Dowager naturally took their places of honor, while Zhao Haiping, role-playing as General Han Fuyue, courteously treated them with the etiquette due to rulers.

It wasn’t until after the third round of drinks and the fifth course that the atmosphere was sufficiently heightened. Zhao Haiping then suddenly knelt down with a "thud" and burst into tears, saying, "The sinful subject deserves ten thousand deaths!"

Emperor Yingzong of Qi became somewhat flustered and hurriedly left his seat to help Zhao Haiping up, "General Han, please rise! Why do you say this?"

Emperor Qihui, being old and infirm, now breathed heavily even when walking, and Empress Dowager Wei couldn’t leave her seat, but they both watched with concern.

Zhao Haiping, caught up in a burst of acting, said emotionally, "I have delayed too long, only now have I brought the two saints back. I have failed to fully perform my duties, allowing the two saints to suffer humiliation in the enemy state; this is my first crime!

"I have failed to recover Yan and slice directly to the heart of Jin, to completely avenge Qi Dynasty – this is my second crime!

"The Zhao Yi Army, no longer controlled by the court, has acted on its own against Jin, returning the two saints; this oversteps the conduct expected of a subject, my third crime!

"Even if I had countless compelling reasons, I still deserve ten thousand deaths!"

Emperor Yingzong of Qi quickly responded, "General Han, these words are not fitting! If it were not for General Han, we might have well died of old age in Five Countries City; how could we have returned to the Qi Dynasty? As for the rest... Ah, today is a day for celebration, let us not speak of it any further."

After a touching exchange between ruler and subject, everyone finally left their seats and went to rest.

Yet Zhao Haiping’s performance brought about a subtle but profound change in the hearts of the two emperors and Empress Dowager Wei.

...

The next morning, Emperor Yingzong went to check on Emperor Qihui.

"Father, what do you make of General Han’s words last night?" Emperor Yingzong asked in a low voice when he saw that Empress Dowager Wei was not present.

Emperor Qihui coughed twice and said weakly, "What more is there to think? This matter of state has already gone beyond our control."

Emperor Yingzong then asked, "But Father, once we return to the Qi Dynasty, what if the Ninth Prince is displeased?"

Emperor Qihui glanced at him, "I am already old, I only wish to be buried in my homeland; as for you... take care of yourself."

The two tested each other’s thoughts and clearly understood each other’s mind, but they were unable to align.

Emperor Yingzong thus silently withdrew.

Emperor Qihui sighed deeply, sat in his chair, and closed his eyes slightly, not wanting to ponder these issues anymore.

...

Back in his own quarters, Emperor Yingzong became restless.

He paced back and forth in the courtyard.

Though these two emperors had been foolish during the Jingping rebellion, having experienced the fickleness of human relationships while with the Jin, they should have realized many things, now no longer in exalted positions.

The speech General Han Fuyue had given the previous evening at the banquet seemed superficially an apology, but if examined closely, in what sentence did he truly apologize?

The first crime General Han Fuyue mentioned was the delay in returning the two saints.

This certainly wasn’t a crime, given the strength of the Jin was well known. These peculiar emperors nearly lost the empire during their reign; General Han Fuyue, having miraculously defeated the Jin, had performed a feat that would be renowned for ages.

General Han Fuyue’s second mentioned crime was not being able to recover Yan and strike directly into the heart of Jin.

This was even less of a crime, again due to the well-known power of Jin. The Qi Dynasty had existed for over a century, and even the great founding emperors hadn’t reclaimed Yan – how could these unworthy descendants be expected to?

The third crime, however, was interesting.

Previously, everyone tacitly avoided the issue of the Zhao Yi Army.

In reality, the Zhao Yi Army, currently insubordinate to the court and managing the lands they captured from Jin autonomously, had all the resources, finances, and logistics completely detached from the Qi Dynasty.

Effectively, the Zhao Yi Army was a separatist regime situated in the north of the Qi, standing against both Qi and Jin.

Rebellion was only a word away.

No matter how socially inept the two emperors were, now completely dependent on others, they dared not breach this delicate subject.

But General Han Fuyue brought it up himself, citing his third crime as "not controlled by the court, independently fighting Jin, returning the two saints."

From the perspective of a subject, this is indeed an overstep; after all, how could a servant make decisions for the emperor?

In the positions of Emperors Qihui and Yingzong during captivity, however, this matter took on a different nature.

Why did General Han Fuyue not follow the court’s control? Simply because he was winning great victories on the front lines while Emperor Gaozong wanted him to withdraw and seek peace.

And General Han Fuyue decided to keep fighting Jin and return the two saints.

For the sake of the empire and the common people, the court not opposing Jin while General Han did meant he stood in the path of righteousness; for loyalty to the emperor and serving the dynasty, Emperor Gaozong renounced the former emperors, while General Han did not forget his duty, standing on the moral high ground of loyalty and filial piety.

From this perspective, General Han Fuyue’s actions were not rebellion; they were actions compelled by a weak emperor. For the sake of all, he had to personally complete tasks that were not initially his responsibility.

This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦