On the tenth day of the twelfth month in the fifteenth year of Wuying, at noon in Beijing, an elderly woman dressed in palace attire sat half-upright, half-reclining on a soft chair. The afternoon sunlight slanted across her aged face, revealing tears streaming down her cheeks. She was clearly heartbroken to the extreme, though what great calamity could have caused her such agonizing pain remained unknown.
A young man rushed up the steps urgently, shouting loudly: “Mother Empress! The Marquis of Wude has killed Imperial Brother! What are we waiting for? Quickly issue the decree to execute his entire family and avenge Imperial Brother!”
At these words, all the civil and military officials below the steps cried out in alarm. One man stepped forward quickly – dressed in golden armor, clearly a renowned general of the court. His face was ashen as he knelt and reported: “Your Majesty Empress Dowager, the Marquis of Wude has rendered great service to the nation. The current battle situation is unclear, and whether His Majesty has truly perished at the front remains unknown. How can we issue a decree to kill a high minister? Please reconsider carefully, Empress Dowager!”
The young man flew into a rage, suddenly kicking the general in the face and roaring: “Liu Angtian! You’ve always been friendly with that traitor, and today you come to plead for him? Do you still acknowledge the Emperor?”
Though the general was tall and sturdy, after receiving this kick, his body remained completely motionless, merely kneeling on both knees with his head lowered, enduring silently.
A minister stepped forward from among the crowd and reported: “Your Majesty Empress Dowager, whether to kill the Marquis of Wude’s entire family is of no importance. In these times of national turmoil, the most urgent matter is to establish a regent heir to prevent treacherous people from taking advantage of the chaos.”
Upon hearing these words, all the civil and military ministers knelt down together and cried out in unison: “The nation cannot go a single day without a ruler! Please, Empress Dowager, issue the decree to establish Prince Min as regent heir!” Their voices carried far, causing echoes to reverberate endlessly throughout the great hall.
Hearing countless ministers’ urgings, the elderly woman’s expression remained hesitant, as if deep in prolonged contemplation. Seeing his mother empress’s demeanor, the young man’s throat moved slightly, appearing quite worried. The ministers, seeing the Empress Dowager’s hesitation, urged even more frantically.
After a very long time, the elderly woman finally bit her lower lip and raised her trembling hand, waving it gently. Seeing this, the ministers were overjoyed and prostrated themselves on the ground, crying loudly: “The Empress Dowager is wise!”
The young man laughed heartily, and without waiting to speak, rushed urgently outside Chengtian Hall, shouting loudly: “Someone come! Summon the loyalist troops to enter the capital! I want to avenge Imperial Brother!”
Hearing these words, the elderly woman’s lips trembled as if she wanted to say something. Several times she tried to rise but seemed powerless. Finally, she sighed deeply and collapsed limply in her chair.
The general wept openly, turning his head to look at the clear blue sky outside Chengtian Hall, saying softly: “Duke Baxian, please don’t blame me. I’ve done my best.”
News spread from Jingfu Palace that the Empress Dowager had issued an edict for martial law in the capital.
The regent heir had been established, with the Imperial Uncle Prince Min temporarily taking charge. The ministers had deliberated and planned to summon seventeen legions of imperial guards from across the realm to protect the capital region.
Among them, seven armies had already reached Beijing: the Longxiang, Baotao, and Xiongfei loyalist armies were stationed in the suburbs, while the Shenwu, Xiongwu, Fengxiang, and Tiancearms had received imperial orders to enter the capital and suppress the rebellious bandits.
The city gates opened, and fifty thousand troops entered the city. Swords, spears, and halberds gleamed coldly in the sky, while the generals’ expressions were grave as if facing a great enemy. In the vast capital city, only the sound of horse hooves could be heard, with everything else eerily quiet. The atmosphere of killing was so intense that common people either hid under their beds or in cellars – not a single person dared to poke their head out to look.
The great army arrived at Prince’s Mansion Alley. The leading general shouted: “Dismount!” Ten thousand troops reined in their horses and dismounted in perfect unison. Everyone looked up to see a magnificent mansion before them, with a plaque above the gate bearing four characters in gold: “Marquis of Wude’s Mansion.”
The general waved his hand and shouted: “Break down the door!” Soldiers on both sides lifted a massive wooden ram and struck it fiercely against the mansion’s gate.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The sound of impacts echoed from the gate – the thunderous noise of heavy objects striking the door.
Inside the Marquis’s mansion, dozens of elderly, weak women and children crowded in the hall, all wearing expressions of terror as they listened to the frightening, bone-chilling thunderous noise. Each impact struck deep into their hearts as if it would shatter their very souls. Several women huddled together, weeping uncontrollably.
A young woman stood proudly in the courtyard. She wore a sable robe and had a beautiful complexion, clearly a refined lady from a noble family. She held a child with her left hand and carried an infant with her right – both her own children.
An elderly man approached and said in a trembling voice: “What… what is happening? Why are soldiers attacking us?”
The young woman shook her head and said: “Yesterday news came from the front that this imperial expedition has ended in complete defeat.”
The elderly man’s body shook as he asked tremblingly: “Then… then why are they arresting us?”
The young woman replied: “Nothing more than villainous slander aimed at causing harm.”
The heavy impacts shook the heavens with their thunderous sound. The elderly man’s face turned ashen as he said: “Are we just going to sit here waiting for death?”
The young woman pressed her lips tightly together and said nothing. The young boy leaned against his mother’s leg, his body trembling slightly.
Suddenly, with a tremendous “bang,” everyone’s heartbeats seemed to stop from the shock of this enormous sound. They all stared at the door latch that was about to break. The elderly man trembled as he mumbled: “They’re coming in… they’re about to come in…” It seemed that with just one more heavy blow, the great door would be shattered.
The young woman called out loudly: “Everyone listen! All idle people retreat into the rooms! Steward Li, bring Master’s life-saving golden plaque!”
Steward Li hurriedly brought a golden plaque and handed it to the young woman. This plaque was made of pure gold and engraved with dragon patterns – it was personally bestowed by the current Emperor. The young woman gripped this palm-sized object tightly, knowing it was the only hope for the survival of the entire household.
The young woman bent down and handed the infant in her arms to her son, saying: “Wen Chang, take your little brother into the room.”
The boy’s face showed terror as he said tremblingly: “Mother… what about you?”
The young woman smiled slightly and said: “Mother needs to reason with them. You go inside first.”
The boy cried loudly: “I don’t want to! I want to stay with Mother!” He hugged his mother’s leg and refused to leave.
The young woman gave the steward a meaningful look. The steward hurried forward and pulled the little boy away.
The little boy looked back in panic, shouting: “Mother! Mother!”
Hearing her son’s cries, the young woman didn’t turn around but stood alone in the courtyard.
With a “rumbling crash” accompanied by one final tremendous sound, the great doors fell to both sides. Through the swirling dust walked a grim-faced man wearing a brocade robe with a curved saber at his waist.
The young woman shouted: “How dare you, intruders! Don’t you know this is a high minister’s residence?”
The man said coldly: “We are here on orders from the Imperial Clan Court to arrest the entire household of the Marquis of Wude.”
The young woman snorted and said: “On what grounds?”
The man took out an official document and shouted: “The Marquis of Wude, Qin Baxian, has committed treason and disturbed the government! His crime warrants the extermination of nine generations of his clan! This bears the great seal of the Ministry of Justice – see for yourself!” He threw the document on the ground. Outside the door came the violent shouts of soldiers, and the sound of footsteps as a large force rushed into the house.
The young woman stretched out her hand to block their path and shouted loudly: “This is a life-saving golden plaque bestowed by the Emperor! If you dare harm anyone in my family, you’ll regret it!” Seeing her hold up the red-gold plaque with such proud and stern bearing, all the officers were momentarily stunned, and none dared to advance.
The man approached the young woman with his large saber and said coldly: “Step aside.”
The young woman said sternly: “My husband is a First Rank official with the title of Marquis! Without a joint trial by the Six Ministries and a personal decree from the Emperor, how dare you harm anyone from the noble Qin family!”
The man said with a sinister tone: “Will you step aside or not?”
The young woman pointed accusingly and cursed: “Shameless traitor! I am the matriarch of the Qin family – how could I be intimidated by your threats?”
The man drew a sharp breath and walked forward several steps, saying: “Don’t blame me for being merciless with my blade.”
Suddenly, a sharp shout was heard from outside, followed by blood spattering into the room. Everyone in the hall screamed loudly as if some terrible tragedy had occurred.