Transmigration: The Fate of the Villainess

153 Benwang shall lead the coup Part I

“Brother, should we head back to Da Yang?”

Bai Yu said to her brother while they were in her room. Bai He raised his brow as he sat down beside her and took her hand in his. His dark eyes were filled with tenderness. “Can you endure a little more?”

He did not know the reason behind her wanting to leave, despite being the one who had begged to follow him here in the first place, and he could not easily do as she wished. He still had his duty to see through here in Da Chu, and there was Ouyang Feilong’s wager with the Emperor. Without victory, they could not return.

On that day, Ouyang Feilong had told him that if he could not stop the war, he would not step foot in Da Yang again. And now, with the current situation within Da Chu’s capital, Bai He could not let his sister return to Da Yang as well.

After the court officials’ appeal to name the heir to Da Chu’s throne, tension within the court increased in turn. The officials were divided into two sides. One supported Chu Zhaoran, a son born of Huang Gui Fei, who had been stationed at the border for many years and was the commander of the current war.

The other group supported the third prince, who was Shu Fei’s son. He had been handling the affairs within the capital while Chu Zhaoran was away. This prince was rumored to be sickly and frail, so he always remained in his own palace, giving his orders through his close subordinate.

In terms of propriety, Chu Zhaoran should be the heir. However, due to the constraint of the situation, the title would surely become the third prince’s. While it was true that there were officials who supported Chu Zhaoran, those officials were also the ones who had followed him to the war on the border.

That made the number of civil officials who supported Chu Zhaoran less than those for the third prince.

If this was Da Chu in its normal state, Chu Zhaoran could easily become an heir with the support of those on his side alone. But right now, the third prince clearly had the upper hand.

.....

Chu Jiaoxin realized the nature of this situation as well. She was the Empress’ daughter, Chu Zhaoran’s sister. Though born from different mothers, they grew up together and were particularly close. Chu Jiaoxin recognized how much blood and sweat Chu Zhaoran had shed for Da Chu and understood that more than anyone. She would never let another person take away something that was Chu Zhaoran’s, even if that person was her other half-brother.

Chu Jiaoxin used her authority as a princess to halt the process of selecting an heir, using the ongoing war as an excuse. She was supported by officials on Chu Zhaoran’s side, and Empress Dowager agreed with her as well, so she could successfully put the crisis on hold.

However, only a few days had passed before the news of the Emperor’s falling seriously ill was heard throughout the capital. The officials on the third prince’s side brought up the problem of appointing the heir again, and this time at their back were the citizens who feared facing the war without a leader.

In the end, Chu Jiaoxin could not buy time.

The royal decree announcing the heir to the throne was announced yesterday morning. The third prince, Chu Zhi, was appointed Taizi of the Chu dynasty. He would act as regent while the Emperor was still bedridden.

This morning, the new Taizi attended a court meeting and ordered Chu Zhaoran to lead the army into a decisive battle with Da Yang as soon as possible. No one was suspicious. Nobody objected. Everyone agreed with Taizi’s order. The large-scale war was beginning, but Bai Yu was not worried. She was sure that Ouyang Mingxian could handle it. The cause of her concern was the coup in Da Yang.

According to the series’ timeline, Taizi Ouyang Yongxian would cause a coup one month from now, while Ouyang Mingxian was still occupied with the war at hand. The coup would not happen now, but she still could not help feeling worried.

Her life had already seen such a considerable change. It was not impossible that other events would be the same way.

“Wangye has already agreed with the second prince that he would help him on this side in exchange for him putting a stop to this war. Right now, the first princess is being detained within the palace by Taizi’s men. The second prince’s officials are the same; they’re guarded by Shu Fei’s men in secret.”

Bai He explained the situation to his sister again, implying to her the reason why he could not let her go back to Da Yang. His hand stroked her soft hair as he gave a warm smile to console the frowning person. Bai He lightly poked his finger at the wrinkle between her eyebrows. “Even the first princess has a hard time moving around. How can we do anything?”

“But I’m worried about the Emperor.” Bai Yu could not suppress the sinking feeling in her chest. She did not want anything to happen to the Emperor. It would devastate Ouyang Feilong.

“Grandfather is guarding Wangye closely. There is also Yue Nan. You don’t need to worry.”

Bai Yu nodded to the words of comfort from her brother. “So this is why biaoge isn’t coming here.”

“It is a bit strange. But I believe Yue Nan has his reasons.”

Yue Nan himself had quite an influence on Da Chu’s court. The three-eyed seer often advised the Emperor. If today he appeared and asked for an audience with the Emperor, even the Empress could not stop him. And if the famous three-eyed seer pointed to Chu Zhaoran as the fated heir to Da Chu’s throne, the officials on the opposite side could not utter a word of protest because the people of Da Chu were highly superstitious. However, Yue Nan was nowhere to be seen here. Bai Yu believed that her biaoge knew everything that was happening in Da Chu, yet he did not come. Instead, he remained by Ouyang Hongxian’s side.

That made her relieved and worried at the same time. She was worried since both she and Yue Nan knew the future of Da Yang’s court and knew that calmness would stay for a little while longer. Still, he refused to be separated from Ouyang Hongxian. Bai Yu feared that Yue Nan would know something that she did not, something that she did not want to happen: the coup that came before its predestined time in the series.

“Now Shu Fei’s people have taken control of the house of the officials on Chu Zhaoran’s side in order to prevent them from making a move. As for the royal palace, it is now filled with new personnel who have infiltrated to replace the old ones. Taizi is the one behind everything.”

Ouyang Feilong nodded in acknowledgment. “What about the Emperor and Empress?”

“They are held captive, just as Your Highness has predicted.”

“How is the princess?”

“The news said the Empress Dowager is finding her a husband. I investigated and discovered that Empress Dowager’s and Shu Fei’s families had blood ties, just as Miss Bai thought.”

“And that husband would be none other than one of Empress Dowager’s people,” Bai Yu added after she started to realize that Empress Dowager and Shu Fei had cooperated from the start.

“Chu Zhaoran’s situation?”

“Our informants reported that the second prince was opposed to the order to attack Da Yang. His excuse is that their provision is too low to approach the enemy. The court did not send more provisions, but repeated the order to attack again and threatened to punish him for going against martial law.”

“I think the prince will come here soon.” Bai He gave his opinion.

“No, he’s arriving here soon.” The last time he came on his own was only to voice his objection to the order to ambush Ouyang Feilong. It was hard to tell whether the prince was a fool or deceitful since his arrival at the capital would be the sign that instantly sparked the coup.

The naming of the heir might be accepted by many sides, but those of Chu Zhaoran’s would surely be opposed to it. However, they had to endure and remain silent while their children and wives were in Shu Fei’s palm. Even Chu Zhaoran himself could not leave the battlefield to come and protest.

As for the normal citizens, they did not know much about the internal conflict within the palace. Still, many wanted Chu Zhaoran to become the heir since they had seen him dedicate himself to the country, sacrificing his personal comfort in the capital to protect the peace at the border. Even right now, he was risking his life for them all, and so it was natural for the commoners, officials, and even Chu Zhaoran himself to disagree with the third prince being appointed heir.

Chu Zhi, who was Taizi, wanted to create a coup and used Chu Zhaoran as a scapegoat. He planned to blame the coup on Chu Zhaoran, claiming that he was dissatisfied with not being named heir, and stormed the royal palace with soldiers and weapons. If everything fell into place as he had expected and Chu Zhaoran lost, then Chu Zhi would be able to ascend the throne without having to worry about a potential threat anymore.

“Benwang will not let Chu Zhi have his way.”

If Da Chu did not have Chu Zhaoran as its emperor, the war would never end. He had already made an agreement with Chu Zhaoran. If the second prince took the throne, the war would cease for another hundred years.

“What is Wangye going to do?” Bai Yu knew both the situation and the arrangement between Ouyang Feilong and Chu Zhaoran since she had never been excluded from meetings and reports. Nonetheless, the plans and strategies in his head were beyond her guess.

Ouyang Feilong did not answer. He stood up to his full height and took his sword from Bai He, who was already prepared.

Today, they both wore dark clothes, similar to the spies who had visited them numerous times in the past few days. Ouyang Feilong’s beautiful face was hidden behind a plain black mask that covered his whole face. It looked as if he was going to do something.

And Bai Yu finally received the answer.

“Benwang shall lead the coup.”