The air within the Nan Zhao royal palace was thick with the scent of blood.
Mou Di Ru Zan, naked, tightly grasped the shimmering silver curved knife belonging to Doji. "Could it be that this knife is stained with the blood of the Lord of Heaven from the Tang Dynasty?" Doubts rippled through Mou Di Ru Zan's mind. He scoffed at the existence of deities, seeing them as tricks used by rulers to fool the common people. However, this also gave Mou Di Ru Zan a bold idea. If this Lord of Heaven could bleed, then he was not an invincible being.
"Cough, cough." Beside him, Mr. Zhang, wearing a silver mask and shrouded in mystery, coughed softly. His cough seemed to hint to Mou Di Ru Zan that outsiders were about to enter. Mou Di Ru Zan quickly understood and tore a crimson cloak from a corpse in a pool of blood nearby, casually covering his nakedness. Nevertheless, Mr. Zhang's brow still furrowed slightly, disapproving of such behavior as contrary to diplomatic etiquette.
At that moment, two burly Tibetan guards roughly pushed in a woman cloaked in a black cape with her hood covering her face, along with two boys covered in dust. The older boy appeared to be about 16 year-old, while the younger one seemed to be only around 11 year-old.
As they approached Mou Di Ru Zan, a guard brutally tore off the woman's hood, revealing a gentle and delicate face. She was the queen of Nan Zhao. Before her lay the scattered corpses throughout the palace and her former husband on the throne. This bloody massacre shocked everyone's soul. Although her face was filled with fear, in the depths of her eyes lay an even greater concern for the two children by her side.
The older boy was clearly the crown prince of the Nan Zhao kingdom. Fear was evident in his eyes, but it was overshadowed by different emotions: anger and hatred. This was a deep-seated hatred for the invaders. The prince, raised from a young age to be a future monarch, excelled in both letters and arms. At just 16, he had already won the hearts of the people. If he could escape the palace, he would surely be able to rally the support of the Nan Zhao border army, lead them back to the capital, and crush these Tibetan invaders.
In contrast, the younger prince seemed overshadowed. At such a tender age, he was forced to confront such a brutal scene of death. His fear was obvious, even readable from his slightly trembling body. He stood between and slightly behind his mother and brother, as if being tightly protected by them.
"Respected Queen of Nan Zhao, I am Zhang Xun, formerly the Governor of Suiyang under the Tang Dynasty. Now, I serve as a strategist under the Tibetan Prince Mou Di Ru Zan," said the strategist in the silver mask, crossing his arms in a bow, deeply inclining in a respectful gesture to the beleaguered queen. His movement revealed the Tang horizontal saber hanging at his waist, a weapon unique to the Tang people.
The queen was momentarily taken aback, then her anger intensified. Nan Zhao and the Tang Dynasty had a relationship of suzerainty and tributary. Now, with the Tang weakened by the Anshi Rebellion, there were Tang people aligning with Tibet.
The strategist in the silver mask noticed the queen's anger but pretended not to see. He calmly stepped forward, untying the queen and the two princes, signaling the Tibetan guards to step back. He continued, "His Highness Prince Mou Di Ru Zan of Tibet is a man of great kindness." He stepped aside to let them look at Mou Di Ru Zan. The man, naked from the waist up and still stained with blood, gave an awkward and forced smile. He then said, "This Tibetan campaign is actually to free Nan Zhao from the rule of the Tang Dynasty. This is indeed the will of Heaven..."
"Ptui!" The crown prince of Nan Zhao was not convinced, spitting at the strategist in the silver mask. "An invader is always an invader. How dare you massacre the people of Nan Zhao and then seek a grandiose excuse?"
Mou Di Ru Zan's eyes twitched involuntarily, revealing a fierce murderous intent. He thought to himself: This boy must be eliminated, his life cannot be spared.
However, the queen quickly grabbed her eldest son, whispering, "Mr. Zhang, please continue."
"Mou Di Ru Zan hopes for Nan Zhao to achieve true independence, no longer bowing to the rule of any empire," the strategist in the silver mask said calmly and firmly.
His words shocked everyone present. The young prince clearly couldn't fully grasp this sudden change, while the crown prince and the queen stared in disbelief at the man before them. Mou Di Ru Zan himself was also stunned. After their arduous campaign and strategic conquest of the Nan Zhao's capital, were they really going to let it go so easily?
"Is this true?" The queen's eyes sparkled with excitement, and she asked eagerly.
"Indeed!" the strategist in the silver mask replied affirmatively, turning to look at Mou Di Ru Zan, whose face was a picture of astonishment.
Mou Di Ru Zan had not anticipated this development at all. He wanted to immediately object, but then he caught a sinister and malicious gleam in Mr. Zhang's eyes. Clearly, the strategist harbored some unknown, deceitful plan.
In such a situation, Mou Di Ru Zan decided to wait and see Mr. Zhang's real purpose. Clenching his teeth, he nodded heavily.
A hint of joy appeared on the face of the dethroned queen, and she even bowed to the strategist in the silver mask. The crown prince, who had been aggressive just moments before, now had a much softer expression.
"But…" the strategist in the silver mask suddenly changed his tone, as if caught in a dilemma, "The conquest of the Nan Zhao kingdom was originally commanded by the great Tibetan Emperor Trisong Detsen. Even if we are willing to return the kingdom to a new king of Nan Zhao, Mou Di Ru Zan must still provide an explanation to the Emperor."
"How about this, Your Highness the Queen, choose one of your two sons. We will crown him as the new king of the Nan Zhao kingdom. The other prince, however, must sacrifice his life. His head will be taken to the capital of the Tibetan Empire, as an explanation to the Emperor." The voice of the strategist in the silver mask was filled with difficulty and gravity.
"This…" The queen's face turned pale.
This scene enveloped the entire room in a heavy and cruel atmosphere. Faced with such a choice, the queen appeared excruciatingly pained. Each of her sons was dear to her heart, and asking a mother to choose between them was undeniably cruel.
"NO! Absolutely not!" The crown prince of Nan Zhao refused categorically, his eyes firm yet desperate.
"Mother, brother, I don't want to die!" The voice of the younger prince was mixed with fear and despair, his crying piercing the heart of the queen as a mother.
The voice of the strategist in the silver mask remained calm, yet carried an undeniable firmness, "Respected queen, if you cannot make a choice, we will have to make the decision for you."
Mou Di Ru Zan silently observed everything, a sly glint in his eyes. "Things are getting interesting. If the queen cannot decide, then executing the crown prince will suffice. The Nan Zhao kingdom will still be mine."
The queen's eyes were filled with pain and struggle. She looked at her elder son, then at her younger son, her inner scales wavering. But ultimately, for the future of the Nan Zhao kingdom, she made a difficult decision.
"…Will you truly honor this agreement?"
"I swear to the heavens, Mou Di Ru Zan and I will keep our promise to crown one of the princes as the new king of Nan Zhao," the strategist in the silver mask asserted with conviction.
The queen nodded silently, her gesture somber. She raised her hand to choose the crown prince, at the same time pushing her younger son forward.
"Wait…" The crown prince wanted to resist, but he was stopped by his mother's firm gaze. With tears in his eyes, he looked at his brother, understanding that only by sacrificing him could he reclaim the kingdom of Nan Zhao and avenge his father and brother.
The younger prince stood there, like a helpless lamb led to the altar, pleading, "Mother, brother… I don't want to die…" But no one heeded him; even his name had become taboo.
The boy, clueless and helpless, stood alone, "Mother, brother… I don't want to die…" He kept begging, but the two people he called out to turned their heads away, trying not to look at him.
"Very well, since the queen has made her choice, we will proceed as agreed," said the strategist in the silver mask calmly.
However, Mou Di Ru Zan was seething with anger inside, "What is this man doing? How can he leave the crown prince alive! He will surely resist with all his might. Has Zhang Xun lost his mind?" Mou Di Ru Zan cursed inwardly, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.
In this tense and heavy atmosphere, the strategist in the silver mask slowly drew his sword. The blade glinted coldly in the air, plunging the room into a deadly silence. Everyone's eyes were fixed on his movements, their hearts filled with uncertainty and fear.
The strategist in the silver mask moved with steady steps, approaching the isolated younger prince. The cold light of the Tang horizontal saber reflected in everyone's eyes, seeming to foreshadow the cruel end that was imminent.
But just as he reached the young prince, and the blade was about to swing, a spray of blood erupted, stunning everyone present.
Shockingly, it was the crown prince who lay on the ground, blood pouring from his neck.
With a muffled groan, the crown prince's body lost support, his neck severed. He convulsed a few times on the ground and then lay motionless.
"Ah, what have you done!!!" The queen's scream pierced the silence, her voice filled with despair and disbelief. Tears instantly overflowed from her eyes, unable to accept the unfolding reality before her.
The atmosphere in the room shifted dramatically. The younger prince, initially the intended victim, stood frozen, his eyes wide with shock and fear. The queen's anguish was palpable, her loss unimaginable.
Meanwhile, the strategist in the silver mask stood with his sword still in hand, his expression unreadable behind the mask. The room was enveloped in a heavy silence, broken only by the queen's inconsolable sobbing.
The actions of the strategist opened a floodgate of emotions and questions. Mou Di Ru Zan, perplexed and alarmed, tried to comprehend the sudden twist. The room was filled with a mix of shock, grief, and a deep sense of foreboding about what this unexpected turn of events meant for the future of Nan Zhao.