FIMA Ch134: The End

Under the overwhelming pressure of a massive army.

The Wu Family Army, previously renowned for their fierce and rapid advances, suddenly turned into turtles, continuously shrinking back inside Ezhou City and refusing to come out.

Ezhou was the most easily defensible and difficult-to-attack location in the central region, naturally surrounded by the defensive barrier of the Yangtze River on all sides. The imperial army and the allied forces of the aristocratic clans were completely unable to do anything about it.

They could only find ways to heavily lay siege to Ezhou, cutting off its rations and supplies, intending to trap them and starve them to death inside the city.

Although it was a bit time-consuming, as the saying goes, the oldest methods are often the most effective.

Sure enough, a month later, Ezhou City was in a critical state of starvation.

By early March, Gu Siyuan and the three major aristocratic clans received news: the Wu family’s main headquarters, Yuezhou City, had recently been aggressively conscripting soldiers everywhere while simultaneously gathering a massive amount of rations and supplies to come reinforce Ezhou.

This was a heaven-sent opportunity.

After Gu Siyuan and the others discussed it, they unanimously decided to lay an ambush at Stone Gorge outside Ezhou City. They would slaughter the reinforcements and seize the rations, completely severing all hope for the Ezhou rebels.

After several rounds of discussion.

The three major aristocratic clans—Zhao, Shen, and Qian—proactively requested to fight, volunteering to be the vanguard and participate in this Stone Gorge ambush.

Due to the Xuanqing Mountain incident, their hatred for the Wu Family Army could be described as bone-deep.

With a wave of his hand, Gu Siyuan agreed.

However, who could have known that man’s calculations are not as good as Heaven’s?

The news about the rations was true, and the ambush was also true.

But the moment the allied forces formed by the three major clans entered Stone Gorge, they were immediately surrounded on all four sides by the Wu family reinforcements arriving from Yuezhou and the Wu Family main army charging out of Ezhou City.

That stretch of the gorge directly became a meat grinder of flesh and blood.

The allied army of the three major aristocratic clans, numbering nearly thirty thousand, was ultimately beaten down to a mere seven thousand survivors, all of whom were captured and surrendered. Only a small squad of just over two hundred men managed to break out, barely escaping back to Huangzhou City to report this tragically disastrous defeat to Gu Siyuan and the others.

During the previous Xuanqing Mountain incident, these major clans had already lost half of their core forces. They had originally come to Huangzhou this time to exact revenge and restore their families’ reputations.

Who could have expected that in the Battle of Stone Gorge, not only would they fail to exact revenge, but they would instead directly bury the remaining half of their families’ core strength and massive armies?

As the news spread.

The world was shocked.

And at the headquarters of the three major aristocratic clans, the situation instantly became ‘when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter’. The interiors descended into utter chaos, with people grabbing whatever wealth they could and fleeing the families.

Everyone knew the three major clans were fat sheep. Now the sheep were dead, and their heads were gone. If they didn’t quickly grab a piece, they would only be dismembered by others later, leaving them with nothing.

From the previous dynasty through the chaotic era of the North and South, these aristocratic clans with hundreds of years of legacy collapsed all at once—three of them simultaneously.

At the very top of Stone Gorge, there was an ancient peach tree. In the spring days, it was wildly displaying its charm, indescribably delicate and beautiful.

It seemed unable to see the river of blood and the field littered with corpses below.

With a sweep of his palm, Xie Chenyun instantly burned the buzzing flies swarming around him into ash.

He turned to look at the person who had been silent for a long time: “Your Majesty…”

Gu Siyuan stood at the edge of the cliff, his broad, dark-gold robes fluttering fiercely in the wind.

Looking at the scene below, his expression remained perfectly calm and rippleless throughout.

After a long while.

He finally said faintly: “I hope next time, fewer people will have to die!”

After saying that, he turned around directly without any lingering attachment and began walking down the mountain.

“…”

Looking at the man’s tall, broad back, Xie Chenyun slightly raised his beautiful eyebrows.

Fewer people die?

Last time on Xuanqing Mountain, two or three thousand people died, and that was what he said.

Now, inside Stone Gorge, twenty or thirty thousand people died, and he still only says this.

Then next time…

Xie Chenyun caught up and grabbed Gu Siyuan’s hand: “Your Majesty is truly brilliant to the extreme, always able to use the minimum sacrifice to achieve the maximum result.”

Gu Siyuan cast a sidelong glance at him: “Is Chenyun comforting Zhen?”

Xie Chenyun blinked: “Your Majesty saw through it?”

Gu Siyuan gently kneaded his soft, white fingers and said faintly, “Zhen is not sad.”

Xie Chenyun: “…”

Then were you just scaring people just now?

After kneading his fingers, Gu Siyuan pinched his soft cheek again before leading him forward by the hand: “If Zhen did not do this, then these mountains of corpses and seas of blood would have fallen behind Zhen, replaced by the soldiers Zhen just went to inspect a few days ago…”

“Since someone has to die anyway, then let the enemies die!”

Xie Chenyun pondered for a moment and nodded: “Your Majesty is right.”

This person could fly into a violent rage over the death of a lowly servant, yet remain completely apathetic toward the deaths of millions.

How benevolent and kind.

How utterly ruthless.

However, this was already the best outcome.

If they had waited for these three major clans to grow powerful enough to rebel, plunging the entire world into chaos, during a true clash between armies, the number of dead would be far more than a mere twenty or thirty thousand. And the vast majority of them would likely be people from their own side.

In the ‘Sunny Spring’ month of March that year.

The Wu Family Army severely defeated the allied forces at Stone Gorge, their momentum surging to its peak.

However, the young Emperor of Great Zhou, on his first personal expedition, was completely furious about this, issuing decree after decree.

Garrisons from all over the world converged there, bound and determined to avenge the tragically deceased souls and make the Wu Family Army pay in blood.

However, beginning in late March, the Jiangnan and Jingchu regions entered a rainy season lasting nearly a month.

The river upstream of Ezhou swelled, and the harvest within the city yielded not a single grain.

The Wu Family rebel army, already tormented by inadequate rations, experienced a minor internal riot.

Right at this moment, the imperial army arrived at the city gates, issuing a cruel declaration: If the Wu Family Army does not exit the city and surrender, we will destroy the upstream dam and directly flood Ezhou.

As soon as this news spread.

Although some loudly cursed the young Emperor for being tyrannical and ruthless, inside Ezhou City, everyone felt their lives were in peril.

Many commoners attempted to flee, and mutinies among the soldiers broke out continuously.

After a dozen or so days of this, the Wu Family Army—which had just won a victorious battle and was previously incomparably valiant—was directly reduced to scattered sand due to internal chaos.

In late April, the gates of Ezhou City opened wide.

Yang Tai, one of the Twin Dragons of Jiangzhou, crawled out on his knees, accepting the imperial court’s offer of amnesty and surrender on behalf of his adoptive father, the commander of the Wu Family Army.

Just like that, it felt like an Arabian Nights fantasy.

Although the imperial court lost the allied forces of the three major aristocratic clans, in the end, they waited at their ease for the exhausted enemy, capturing Ezhou without losing a single soldier or steed.

Thereafter, the imperial army drove straight in, recovering the four cities of Yuezhou, Chongyang, Xianning, and Xiling, which had originally been occupied by the Wu family.

However, this was still not the end.

With a single order from the young Emperor of Great Zhou, the Duke of Song and various other military generals capitalized on the momentum. Carrying the prestige of this massive victory, they split their forces into several routes and simultaneously attacked the remaining rebel factions in Jianghuai, Shandong, Taiyuan, and other regions.

For a time, the people’s hearts were filled with terror.

…

Meanwhile, Gu Siyuan himself was in Huangzhou City, preparing for the imperial carriage’s return to the capital.

This time, he was not returning to the Jinling temporary palace in the Southern Metropolitan Area, but preparing to bring a group of civil officials directly back to the northern capital.

The spring sunlight was bright and beautiful, the flowers and grass in the manor vibrant and gorgeous, displaying a scene of a prosperous springtime.

Gu Siyuan and Xie Chenyun sat facing each other in the central courtyard, brewing tea and burning incense, enjoying themselves.

A faint trace of internal energy appeared in Xie Chenyun’s palm, and the secret letter turned to ash.

He turned to the person leisurely drinking tea beside him: “The development of events is becoming clearer and clearer. The people of the world are not idiots; I fear they will gradually see the fishiness behind the events at Xuanqing Mountain and Stone Gorge.”

Since arriving in this chaotic high-tier Wuxia world.

As Emperor, Gu Siyuan had two main goals. The first was to pacify the various rebel armies and aristocratic clans across the world and restore an era of peace and prosperity—which was now close to seeing results.

The second was to target those people of the jianghu who used martial prowess to break laws. This was an ongoing task. Over the past few months, the ‘Jingwu’ (Pacifying Martial Arts) Bureau had been established in dozens of towns and cities worldwide to monitor the jianghu and concurrently gather intelligence from all regions. This matter was overseen by Xie Chenyun.

This time, the secret letter Xie Chenyun received indicated that rumors were constantly swirling across the world. Some were even secretly saying that the young Emperor of the Great Zhou dynasty had a treacherous and cunning mind, using borrowed knives to kill.

The Jingwu Bureau was currently investigating the source of this information.

“So what if they see it? Today, the world entire rests upon Zhen‘s single thought,” Gu Siyuan set down his teacup, speaking with an airy lightness.

No one could refuse, and no one could stop him.

“…” Xie Chenyun.

Although it was the truth, this tone was simply too smug.

Xie Chenyun reached out and poked Gu Siyuan’s face, saying with an utterly serious expression: “Oh wow, our Majesty is so amazing!”

Gu Siyuan grabbed the slender white finger on his face, brought it to his lips, kissed it lightly a few times, and said faintly: “Mischievous. Chenyun only dares to commit such insolence and disrespect because you rely on Zhen‘s favor.”

“…” Xie Chenyun truly couldn’t hold back and rolled his eyes adorably.

For a cold and ruthless person who makes people tremble in fear at a single glance to act like a great lover—it truly feels so awkward…

Gu Siyuan reached out, pulled the person into his arms, kissed his thin eyelids, and said apathetically: “Chenyun’s eye-rolling looks very cute, too.”

“…”

Xie Chenyun completely lost the desire to talk to this guy.

Thinking of a matter, he asked: “Only while packing things to return to the capital these past few days did I learn that after capturing Tang Sheng and Xiao Hanxin at Xuanqing Mountain, you actually never killed them! You merely crippled their martial arts and imprisoned them. What kind of treacherous scheme are you trying to pull now?”

“…” Gu Siyuan fell silent.

Why is my image like this in the heart of my pillow-mate? Am I not a compassionate, benevolent, good Emperor and a good person?

He asked indignantly: “Chenyun, why do you not think it is because Zhen‘s heart couldn’t bear it, unwilling to commit further massacres?”

Xie Chenyun sneered coldly: “In broad daylight, Your Majesty should refrain from telling ghost stories!”

The sarcasm in his words and laughter was incredibly heavy.

Gu Siyuan: “…”

After a moment of silence, he had no choice but to slowly explain: “So many people died at Stone Gorge; someone has to bear that fury. But Yang Tai and the Wu Family Army have already surrendered to Zhen. Zhen has always treated people with leniency and generosity, so I cannot mistreat them. Therefore, it can only be borne by the former Young Marshal Tang Sheng, once one of the Twin Dragons of Jiangdong.”

“…” Xie Chenyun.

Take back those words ‘treated people with leniency and generosity’, and these sentences could be considered a passable reason.

However…

Given this guy’s habit of acting one step while thinking three steps ahead, Xie Chenyun couldn’t help but add: “Just that? Nothing else…”

“The one who knows me best is Chenyun,” Gu Siyuan coughed lightly and continued without changing expression: “Actually, there is one more point. Zhen is merely somewhat curious. If the martial arts holy land, the Outer Heaven Pavilion, knew that their current successor and the ‘True Son of Heaven’ they selected had both fallen into Zhen‘s hands, I wonder if they would have the interest to deliver themselves to my door proactively?”

“Zhen‘s way of doing things has always been to pull the weed out by the roots. Under Zhen‘s rule, the existence of so-called ‘Holy Lands’ is not permitted.”

Xie Chenyun stared straight at him: “…”

A person with such deep calculations, far-reaching vision, and ruthless methods—he had truly never seen or heard of such a thing in his entire life.

Gu Siyuan hugged the slender waist of the person in his arms and gently pinched his soft cheek again: “Chenyun, why are you looking at Zhen like this?”

Xie Chenyun leaned lazily in his arms, saying quite despondently: “If one day Your Majesty uses these methods and schemes against me, I will definitely have no power to fight back.”

Gu Siyuan raised his eyes slightly and chuckled: “Chenyun’s words are mistaken; there are two fallacies.”

Xie Chenyun tilted his head back to glare at him: “There can be two things wrong in a single sentence of mine?!”

“First, those are merely thoughts Zhen picked up casually; they absolutely cannot be considered methods or schemes. Second, it is not just Chenyun—if Zhen truly wants to deal with someone, anyone would have no power to fight back.”

Gu Siyuan’s attitude was incredibly casual, handling heavy matters as if they were light.

Xie Chenyun: “…”

How can you be such a show-off?!

The corners of Gu Siyuan’s lips curled up slightly; he was incredibly enthusiastic about teasing Xie Chenyun.

He continued: “Chenyun truly need not care too much about this. Zhen‘s heart toward you is completely true, a fact the heavens and earth can attest to. From beginning to end, Zhen has moved you with emotion and has never used any schemes or methods.”

“…” Xie Chenyun.

Xie Chenyun was extremely lost, bewildered, and confused.

“Then a few days ago, when Your Majesty had people watch me, forbid me from leaving the manor, and even repeatedly sealed my acupoints and internal energy—what was that called?”

Gu Siyuan said with perfect composure: “That is called suppression by authority and suppression by martial force.”

Xie Chenyun: “…”

Xie Chenyun flipped over, lunged into his arms, and viciously bit down on that broad shoulder right through his outer robes: “Awooo!”

To hell with living! I’m going to bite this shameless bastard to death!

Feeling the warmth spreading from his shoulder, Gu Siyuan couldn’t help but chuckle out loud, a slight vibration running through his chest.

My little lion is so clumsy and cute.

Landing on the window lattice, a white pigeon watched these two foolish humans piled on top of each other, its mung-bean-sized eyes filled with utter confusion.

Are humans always like this, just randomly going crazy?

After finishing his bite, Xie Chenyun looked up, locking eyes exactly with this disdainful gaze. His mood instantly became very complicated.

However, upon seeing the message tube on the leg of the mung-bean-eyed bird, he immediately reached out and grabbed the chubby white fellow.

It was a message from the Jingwu Bureau.

He pulled out the thin roll of paper, opened it, took a glance, and his expression turned subtle.

Gu Siyuan raised an eyebrow: “What is it?”

“It’s the Outer Heaven Pavilion,” Xie Chenyun narrowed his eyes: “The source of those rumors is the Outer Heaven Pavilion. Moreover, it’s said that the mysterious Pavilion Master personally descended the mountain and is currently rushing toward Huangzhou. Your Majesty’s divine calculations truly are miraculous.”

At this time, Gu Siyuan suddenly raised his sword-like eyebrows and shook his head: “Incorrect. He isn’t rushing over; he is already here.”

As he spoke, his gaze swept straight toward the window.

Xie Chenyun followed his gaze, and then his eyes hardened.

On the roof to their west, an unknown amount of time ago, a middle-aged Daoist priest had appeared.

The Daoist wore a white robe. He had a youthful face with crane-white hair, and his appearance was handsome and clear. At a single glance, his aura felt astonishing; one couldn’t discern his age or the depth of his martial arts.

However, upon meeting Gu Siyuan’s supremely cold and majestic gaze, the aura surrounding the middle-aged Daoist finally leaked out slightly, his facial expression becoming indescribably complicated.

So this was the person who, in a single day, destroyed the Outer Heaven Pavilion’s centuries of accumulation and reputation!

But there’s still time…

His body moved slightly, crossing dozens of meters to land right in front of Gu Siyuan. Channeling his entire body’s internal energy into a palm strike, he pushed it forward and roared: “Foolish ruler, die!”

The moment Gu Siyuan saw him, he had already prepared for battle. His gaze focused, he neither dodged nor yielded, meeting the attack with a palm strike similarly gathering all his strength.

BOOM… BOOM…

The instant the two palms met, it was like two mountain peaks colliding. Terrifying sounds of explosion echoed through the air.

And from around the bodies of the two men, ripples of invisible qi force formed, spreading outward menacingly as if trying to shatter this patch of heaven and earth entirely.

In an instant, the tables and chairs in the courtyard shattered completely, the flowers and trees bent sideways, and sand and stones flew through the air.

Xie Chenyun narrowed his eyes. Fiery-red internal energy surged around his body as he prepared to rush forward and help.

However, the very next instant, a figure shot backward out of the sky full of sand and stones, crashing straight down from mid-air to the ground.

Looking closely, he saw that the person’s bones and essence were completely shattered, and he was continuously vomiting large mouthfuls of fresh blood, turning the white hair scattered across his chest into a tangled mess.

Instantly relieved, Xie Chenyun smiled, curling his lips.

At this time, Gu Siyuan also drifted down from mid-air, his expression composed, his hands clasped behind his back, looking as if he were taking a leisurely stroll in a courtyard.

One must know that the guy on the ground was once the legendary number one master in the martial underworld! Yet right now, under his hands, he was defeated in a single palm strike, heavily injured and on the brink of death!

Xie Chenyun’s heart skipped a beat, instantly so bewitched by Gu Siyuan’s powerful and icy appearance that he couldn’t tell north from south.

Hearing the commotion, Wang Tan and the guards had also rushed in from outside. Seeing the scene in the courtyard, they immediately knelt to beg forgiveness: “This slave deserves death, your subordinate deserves death!”

Gu Siyuan waved a hand: “This person is not someone you could match. Step down!”

After they left, Xie Chenyun stepped forward in two strides, checking Gu Siyuan over and over again: “Your Majesty, are you hurt?”

Gu Siyuan looked down at the person and said faintly: “Zhen only exchanged a single palm strike with him, yet Chenyun has groped Zhen‘s entire body like this. It is hard not to make Zhen suspect whether you have some other needs.”

“Your Majesty, do not falsely slander people out of thin air.” Xie Chenyun tilted his head, stuck out his bright red tongue, and licked the fingers he had just used to grope the man.

“…” Gu Siyuan.

What a cunning little lion.

He immediately scooped the person up horizontally and strode into the room.

Spring has arrived. An appropriate amount of exercise is good for physical health.

As for the dying old man on the ground… who cares about him?

“Report—”

But right at this moment, a series of urgent reports echoed from outside the manor.

“Congratulations Your Majesty! The leader of the Jianghuai rebel army has already been executed!”

“Congratulations Your Majesty! The Taiyuan rebel army has been scattered and fled to the northern deserts!”

“Congratulations Your Majesty! The Shandong rebel army has entirely surrendered to our forces!”

Hearing these pieces of news, the Pavilion Master of the Outer Heaven Pavilion—who originally still had a single breath left—fainted completely.

His Outer Heaven Pavilion with a century of history was going to decline just like this.

Why did this foolish ruler possess such immense destiny and luck?!

…

By the time Gu Siyuan truly returned to the capital, the time had already moved into June, and the summer heat was beginning to rise.

The imperial carriage traveled down the central street, with the commoners of the capital lining the entire route, eagerly craning their necks to look.

Although the commoners didn’t know exactly what happened, the little emperor’s expedition this time not only didn’t exhaust the people or waste wealth, but it had yielded illustrious results!

First, the major hazard of the imperial court, Wei Zhengping’s faction, had vanished into thin air.

Second, the aristocratic clans that had endured for hundreds of years were completely disintegrated and destroyed.

Third, the several rebel armies across the world were almost entirely slaughtered and annihilated.

Of course, fourth, they heard that this incompetent little emperor had actually found a man to be his Empress, and even abolished the entire six palaces of the inner harem for this male Empress!

Tch tch, this little emperor…

Sure enough, his brilliance was an illusion, and incompetence was his true essence.

As for those political affairs, the commoners mostly didn’t understand them anyway. But regarding gossip, they were incredibly curious.

One by one, their eyes shone brightly as they squeezed together, spit flying everywhere.

“Hey, hey, did you guys see?! There really are two men inside that golden carriage!”

“It’s really a man! A man became the Empress, and the Emperor Lord doesn’t even have a son yet! Who will the imperial throne go to in the future?!”

“Anyway, that’s not something we should worry about. Hey, just now when the wind blew the curtain up, did you guys see clearly?! That male Empress truly is… tch tch…”

“Hey, did you happen to see him?! What did you see?!” The crowd immediately squeezed closer to the man, asking curiously.

“Hehe, the little emperor and the male Empress were overturning phoenixes and dragons (having sex) inside! That male Empress is truly a worldly stunner. No wonder the little emperor reined in his heart for him! If it were me… I’d also…”

“Oh… if that is the case, then shouldn’t a true man sleep with a man?!”

…

The imperial carriage turned out of the central street.

A sound of shattering cups and saucers, followed by a crisp, cold, and angry male voice, rang out clearly from inside the carriage.

“Is there something wrong with the brains of the commoners in your capital?!”

Gu Siyuan set down his teacup, reached out to grasp the pale white hand that had just slammed against the tabletop, placed it in his palm, gently rubbed it, and asked casually: “Why? From Zhen‘s view, the commoners are extremely lively and sincere!”

“…” Xie Chenyun.

Hehe!

Having heads completely full of filthy thoughts can also be called lively and sincere?!

Gu Siyuan pretended not to understand his smile. Without changing his expression, he lifted the carriage curtain and looked out the window at the vermilion walls and dark tiles filling his vision.

He turned his head: “Chenyun, we have reached the palace gates. Zhen will carry you down.”

Xie Chenyun hurriedly shook his head; he did not want that.

He was a dignified seven-foot-tall man with legs; he could walk himself.

Now that there was no one left in the imperial court who could stop Gu Siyuan, the play of the ‘seductive and cheap consort’ had been played enough; it was time to end the act.

However, before he could even stand up, Gu Siyuan’s palm suddenly swept lightly over his knees.

Xie Chenyun felt his meridians tremble, his legs turning incredibly sour and weak.

The next instant, his entire body had already tumbled into Gu Siyuan’s embrace.

Gu Siyuan looked down at him with a smile, then, utterly satisfied, scooped the person up horizontally and leaped down from the golden carriage.

The Chongtian Gate, the main gate of the imperial palace, had already been thrown wide open.

Holding his person, Gu Siyuan directly took large strides forward.

The Chongtian Gate was the main gate of the imperial palace; it was only ever opened during grand national ceremonies or the grand wedding of an Emperor and Empress. On any normal day, everyone else only entered and exited through the side doors.

Beside them, Wang Tan immediately shouted loudly: “The Emperor and Empress return to the palace!”

Following this, from the palace gates all the way to the front court, voices rose and fell one after another in a wave of salutations and chants.

“The Emperor and Empress return to the palace!”

“The Emperor and Empress return to the palace!”

Amidst such grand and magnificent joy, Xie Chenyun couldn’t help but feel all the gloom in his chest dissipate. He reached out, looped his arms around the neck of the person beside him, and accompanied him in accepting the blessings and wishes of the myriad people.

They would be together forever.

…

Volume 8: Cannon Fodder in a Heartthrob Novel

Support me on Ko-fi