mc-med Chapter 69 Powerful Clans Seek to Establish a New Ruler
Chapter 69 Powerful Clans Seek to Establish a New Ruler
"Go."
Yang Guang nodded, "That's how it should be."
Before the moonlight had completely faded, the group found a relatively open hillside.
Lacking suitable tools, some people used their personal battle knives to dig.
Many people directly use their hands to dig into the hard, cold frozen soil of the grassland.
Their nails were cracked, their fingertips were worn raw, and blood mingled with dirt, yet no one cried out in pain, and no one stopped.
They were silent and focused, as if performing a solemn ceremony.
As dawn broke in the eastern sky, over a hundred small mounds of earth were neatly arranged on the slope.
In front of each grave is a simple wooden plaque, on which names are carefully carved with the tip of a knife or a piece of charcoal.
Those names that will forever remain in the lives of young people in their late teens and early twenties.
Lu Xiao stood in front of the graves, his gaze slowly sweeping over the rows of new graves.
He remembered some of the names on the wooden signs, while others were only vaguely familiar.
But every once vibrant face can now appear in my mind.
They had followed him into battle, shared roasted mutton together, and huddled together for warmth on cold nights.
"Time was short, and we only had time to build these up." Lü Xiao's voice sounded a little hoarse in the cold morning wind.
"I still owe more than a hundred brothers a place to live."
"My lord, it's alright." A soldier with bandages on his hands, blood seeping through, stepped forward.
"In the military camp, we brothers also slept huddled together. Here, let them squeeze in with us to keep warm."
"It's enough that there's a place like this, a name displayed here, letting them know we haven't forgotten them."
The soldier forced a smile, but tears welled in his eyes.
At least, their names remain on the land where they fought and sacrificed.
It won't just disappear silently into the winds of the grassland.
Lu Xiao took a deep breath, solemnly clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply to the more than one hundred new graves.
After bidding farewell to the deceased, the group's figures gradually disappeared into the distance.
These past few months have passed extremely slowly for Lü Xiao and his group.
But for those who stayed in the Eastern Capital, it was only a blink of an eye.
Especially for those powerful and influential families, the emperor's life or death was important, but not irreplaceable.
When an emperor dies, a new emperor will naturally be put on the throne.
The key question is whether the new emperor can protect their interests and stop Yang Guang's actions that violate the very foundations of the powerful clans.
Now, after months of silence, many believe that Yang Guang has likely perished in the northern deserts, his remains lost forever.
A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. It is time to follow the trend of the times and elect a new, more sensible emperor.
Inside the main hall of the imperial palace, civil and military officials gathered.
Yang Lin, the Prince of Kao Shan, with a full head of silver hair but still standing straight, was surrounded by a group of people.
These people are all talking at once, but they all have only one core message.
We urge Your Highness, as the esteemed elder of the royal family and a pillar of the nation, to take charge of the overall situation and quickly enthrone a new emperor to bring peace to the realm!
"Gentlemen!" Yang Lin's beard and hair stood on end, and he slammed his Dragon-Trapping Staff heavily on the ground, making a dull thud that drowned out all the noise.
"His Majesty has been on a northern tour and has not yet returned; there is no definite news coming back!"
"However, his fate is uncertain; how can we make hasty judgments? The matter of the new emperor concerns the very foundation of the nation; this matter is absolutely not open to discussion!"
"King Kao Shan, rebellious people are stirring up trouble everywhere. If we don't establish a new emperor, do you want to see the whole world rebel?"
Zheng Ji, dressed in court attire, also appeared in the main hall.
Ever since his grandson Zheng Kun was killed by Lü Xiao, and Yang Lin clearly favored Lü Xiao, he has become increasingly dissatisfied with the Yang family royal family.
Now that Yang Guangda is most likely dead, it is the perfect opportunity for him to take revenge and seize power.
"Hmph!" Yang Lin glared at Zheng Ji, his Dragon-Trapping Staff pointing directly at his face.
"Lord Zheng, His Majesty is blessed with good fortune and has the mandate of Heaven!"
"You're in such a hurry, is it because you feel you're too old to live to see His Majesty's triumphant return?"
Several powerful officials who were on good terms with the Zheng family, or who were equally eager to change the status quo, stepped forward and said:
"King Kao Shan, you have to think about the bigger picture."
"That's right. Even if we can wait for His Majesty, can those treacherous individuals wait as well?"
They had to elect a new emperor to ascend the throne; even if Yang Guang returned alive, he would be the retired emperor.
The policies previously implemented by Yang Guang will also be discontinued.
"As I said, with Lü Xiao here, His Majesty will surely return to the Eastern Capital."
If you dare to speak again, don't blame my Dragon-Binding Cudgel for being merciless!
Yang Lin walked up the steps of the main hall, pointing his Dragon-Binding Staff at the crowd.
It's fortunate that he came to Luoyang; otherwise, the Yang family's rule would have been in complete chaos.
Yang Guang and Lü Xiao truly presented this old man with a huge problem.
"Lu Xiao? He's probably long dead on the grasslands, his bones eaten clean by wolves."
Upon hearing Yang Lin's words, Zheng Ji stopped dwelling on Yang Guang.
After all, Lü Xiao killed his grandson, so he deserved to end up like this.
If Lü Xiao had been willing to become a member of the Zheng family back then, he wouldn't be dying in a foreign land now.
"Who the hell is talking nonsense? Even if you die, Zi Lie won't die!"
Just then, another sound came.
Yu Juluo pushed and shoved the courtiers from outside the palace to inside.
His eight hundred children are still under Lü Xiao's command. If Lü Xiao dies, what will become of these eight hundred men?
"King Kao Shan, I'm late."
Yuwen Shu arrived at the main hall a step later than Yu Juluo.
Now it's time to make a statement, and all the descendants of the Yuwen family are in the northern grasslands.
If he sides with the powerful families, he will agree to establish a new emperor.
When Yang Guang returns, how will the Yuwen family cope?
Speaking of which, Lü Xiao also has a connection with the Yuwen family; last time, he was hung on the beam.
Yuwen Chenglong, that idiot, kept pulling him down, and he nearly died several times.
If it weren't for Lü Xiao handing him the sword, he would have been dead long ago.
"The court assembly is adjourned today; the matter of establishing a new emperor must not be discussed again!"
Yang Lin nodded to Yu Juluo, Yuwen Shu, and the people on his side.
In critical moments, these old folks are still the most reliable.
"The king who relies on the mountain can be pushed aside for a while, but not forever."
The Sui Dynasty is not your personal fiefdom.
Before leaving, Zheng Ji didn't forget to leave behind a sentence.
Immediately afterwards, Yang Lin's voice rang out again.
"Lord Zheng, Lü Zilie is petty and narrow-minded. You should remember what you said today."
"Fine, I'll wait for Lü Xiao's soul to return and settle accounts with me!"
Zheng Ji scoffed and turned away.
Immediately afterwards, the members of the prominent families left the main hall.
In the blink of an eye, only Yang Lin, Yu Juluo, Yuwen Shu, Yang Yichen and other older generation followers of the late emperor remained in the hall.
Yang Lin looked at the jade seal on the dragon table, even though he often said that Yang Guang was unreliable.
But the Sui Dynasty really couldn't function well without Yang Guang.
All he could do was stall, even though Yang Guang's journey to the northern desert was fraught with countless dangers.
It is also hoped that Lü Xiao can lead Yang Guang to break through and bring the situation under control as soon as possible.