Realistic governance games for both male and female audiences

Chapter 20: Having the Tiger Tally in your hands doesn't mean you can command these soldiers!

Although Gu Xiaoxiao believed she had seen through Zhao Wuji's scheme, there was no turning back now that things had come to this!

If she were to order a retreat now, not only would her imperial authority be completely destroyed, but it would also solidify her image as a weak woman who fears the Empress Dowager and Prince Su. In the future, who in the court would listen to the orders of this puppet?

But if the fighting continued, seeing the three thousand fierce Western Frontier cavalrymen below the city walls, who had routed her proud Jingji Guard with just one charge, Gu Xiaoxiao's heart sank to the bottom.

Gu Xiaoxiao was confident that she wasn't afraid of death, but she was just unwilling to accept it!

She was unwilling to give up after scheming for many days and finally seizing the opportunity. Taking advantage of the Empress Dowager's busy preparations for the welcoming banquet, she pulled Grand Tutor Zhao Wuji, whom she had finally won over, and was about to take back power. However, she failed at the last step!

Despair, like boundless darkness, instantly engulfed her...

Just as Gu Xiaoxiao was filled with despair, her fingers digging into her palms, preparing to give the final, all-or-nothing order, suddenly, at that very moment, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, who had been watching coldly from the sidelines without taking any action himself, spurred his horse forward.

He came alone, without any attendants, riding his prized horse, which was clearly a fine steed, slowly to the foot of the city gate.

At this moment, the horses beneath Prince Su Yue's horse pounded on the muddy ground, which was covered with blood and severed limbs, making dull thuds. Each thud felt like it was stepping on Gu Xiaoxiao's taut nerves.

Then, Gu Suyue raised his head and looked up at the figure on the city tower who was wearing a bright yellow dragon robe but appeared extremely thin.

"His Majesty!"

Gu Suyue spoke, his voice not loud, but with a special penetrating power, hoarse and weary, as if bearing the weight of years of wind and rain in the Western Frontier.

"Your Majesty, I do not understand. What have I done wrong that Your Majesty is so wary of me and so determined to kill me?"

At this moment, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, looked at Emperor Gu Xiaoxiao with clear and deep eyes, without the slightest resentment or murderous intent, only pure incomprehension and disappointment.

Gu Xiaoxiao looked at him, her lips trembling, her knuckles white from gripping the railing too tightly, but she couldn't utter a single word.

In Gu Xiaoxiao's opinion, the person below the city was clearly acting innocent after getting the benefit!

It could even be described as "killing someone by destroying their spirit"!

You, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, have slaughtered all of my Imperial Guards in the capital, leaving not a single one alive. You have even brought your troops to the city walls. Now you ask me, "What exactly did your brother do wrong?"

What are you pretending for?

Do you expect me to have the words "You want to take my place" written on my face?

The humiliation of being taken advantage of and pushed so hard almost made Gu Xiaoxiao collapse on the spot.

However, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, did not give Gu Xiaoxiao a chance to refute, or rather, he did not need her answer at all.

"Your Majesty, I have always been utterly loyal to the Great Liang and held Your Majesty in the highest esteem. I have never harbored any disloyalty!"

"The western frontier is bitterly cold. Over the years, my brother and his soldiers have endured wind and rain, sleeping in the open, always ready to fight, to defend against foreign enemies. Countless brothers have perished far from home, all for the sake of protecting the territory of this Great Liang and Your Majesty's lofty throne!"

"But today, I, your humble servant, have returned to the capital by imperial decree of the Empress Dowager, yet Your Majesty has mobilized a large army... My heart is filled with despair!"

…………

Having raised his voice slightly so that more people could hear him, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, after saying those words, found his voice slightly choked with emotion. This war god of the Western Frontier, who was known for his ruthless killing on the battlefield, was now speaking.

This scene, as seen by onlookers, was so heartbreaking that it brought tears to their eyes!

What a tragedy it is that a loyal minister and general, full of sincerity, returned to the capital only to be suspected by the emperor and nearly lost his life.

Gu Xiaoxiao's heart trembled upon hearing Prince Su's words—but not from gratitude, but from anger! She was furious at this blatant distortion of the truth!

In Gu Xiaoxiao's view, although Prince Su, Gu Suyue, was a pawn in the hands of the Empress Dowager, he himself was not an innocent person!

At a time when he held considerable military power and his prestige was growing, he came at the Empress Dowager's imperial decree, which shows that he was also an ambitious person!

Now, with these words, he himself seems to have become the culprit, the incompetent and tyrannical emperor who persecuted his own brothers!

And he, Prince Su, became the victim in this matter!

With such a huge accusation pinned on her, Gu Xiaoxiao felt dizzy and disoriented.

But... even knowing all this, Gu Xiaoxiao had no choice but to continue playing along with the other side—simply because the current situation was beyond her control!

At this moment, the soldiers below the city were still pointing their swords at her throat. If she said the wrong thing, those three thousand Western Frontier cavalrymen might just break down the city gate in the next moment!

If he is willing to continue acting, he might still have a chance to survive or even turn the tables!

But if he refuses to act, then today might very well be his death day!

He didn't even need the Empress Dowager to take action; his "loyal" younger brother was able to "take down" his "tyrannical" elder brother directly!

"Reason"...in the end, triumphed over Gu Xiaoxiao's impulse!

To call it "rational" is really just a matter of chickening out!

Of course, Gu Xiaoxiao would never admit that she had chickened out.

To be cowardly... that would be a grave disrespect to her dignity as emperor!

"As long as the green hills remain, there's no worry about running out of firewood!"

So, she used the above sentence to soothe her broken and fragile little heart!

"Prince Su..."

Having finally managed to suppress her murderous urge, Gu Xiaoxiao slowly spoke.

"I...I was actually forced into this situation!"

"I...I...you know me, I, the emperor, have absolutely no power!"

"So, I...I...I'm actually just afraid..."

…………

"What is Your Majesty afraid of?"

Prince Su, Gu Suyue, interrupted Gu Xiaoxiao directly. His voice was steady, yet carried a hint of interrogation.

"Does Your Majesty fear that your younger brother will seize the throne from you?"

"The Empress Dowager is still alive. How could your brother possibly commit such a disobedient and unfilial act as fratricide, hurting our mother's feelings?"

"Your Majesty has no intention of disloyalty. Surely it's not that Your Majesty fears the Empress Dowager will depose you without cause?"

…………

These words were like a sharp dagger, precisely piercing into the depths of Gu Xiaoxiao's heart, into the fear she dared not show to anyone.

Then, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, clearly saw Gu Xiaoxiao, who had suddenly fallen silent on the city wall...

At this moment, Gu Xiaoxiao's eyes, which were originally filled with resentment and anger, were now filled with a deathly silence.

Although she didn't admit anything, her stiff body and trembling eyelashes said it all!

At the same time, Prince Su Yue, who finally realized what Gu Xiaoxiao was afraid of, was also slightly stunned—No...you're really afraid of this?

What on earth is my brother thinking?

Do you think changing emperors is such an easy thing?

With so many ministers and so many powerful factions in the court, so intertwined that a single move could have far-reaching consequences, do you think the emperor can be easily replaced?

Even he and the Empress Dowager only thought about "succession by brother" and a smooth transition, and never thought about changing the emperor at this critical juncture!

Changing the emperor at this juncture would only trigger internal strife and plunge the Great Liang Dynasty into utter ruin!

"His Majesty!"

When Prince Su, Gu Suyue, realized what Gu Xiaoxiao was worried about, he took a deep breath. Then, his tone instantly became serious and sincere, as if a kind elder was earnestly advising a lost junior.

"Your Majesty, I have returned to the capital with absolutely no ill intentions!"

"The Empress Dowager summoned my brother back to the capital not only because she misses him, her youngest son, but also to discuss the defense of the western border..."

"Your Majesty, please forgive my indiscretion, but the Empress Dowager has no intention of deposing or installing an emperor. It is Your Majesty who is...overthinking it!"

…………

Gu Xiaoxiao naturally didn't believe what Prince Su Yue said, but what Prince Su Yue did next left everyone present dumbfounded!

He pulled out a dark, tiger-patterned token from his pocket and held it high.

That was the Tiger Tally that controlled the lifeline of many armies in the Western Frontier!

"This is my younger brother's 'Tiger Tally for Mobilizing Troops.' To prove my loyalty, I am willing to hand over the Tiger Tally for Your Majesty's temporary safekeeping. I beg Your Majesty to trust in my sincere intentions!"

Prince Su, Gu Suyue, who uttered such words, actually dismounted and knelt on one knee, raising the military command tally above his head.

That posture was extremely respectful and extremely humble!

Honestly, the scene before them left the three thousand elite cavalrymen of the Western Frontier behind him dumbfounded—they never imagined that their war god would kneel before an emperor who had ordered an attack on them and who had ultimately become their defeated foe.

However, compared to the Western Frontier elite cavalry who did not understand, Grand Tutor Zhao Wuji, standing behind Gu Xiaoxiao, couldn't help but have his eye twitch violently!

In name only, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, did hand over his military command tally, but... with Prince Su, Gu Suyue, in front of him, even if His Majesty used the tally to mobilize troops, he wouldn't be able to move a single soldier under his command! If His Majesty could mobilize Prince Su's troops with just a mere tally, Zhao Wuji would be willing to twist his own head off and let Prince Su use it as a football!

However, while Grand Tutor Zhao Wuji held this view, Gu Xiaoxiao did not.

At this moment, looking at her younger brother kneeling on one knee below the city gate, holding up the tiger tally, Gu Xiaoxiao's strong defenses finally collapsed completely.

She felt that she had truly wronged her good younger brother!

Since he was willing to hand over the military command token that he relied on for his livelihood, it means that he is a loyal... and of course, a fool!

Otherwise, why would he be willing to entrust his life and fortune to the person who almost killed him?

At this moment, Gu Xiaoxiao, who was terrified after her soldiers were easily defeated by Prince Su's army, now felt only relief and gratitude for surviving the ordeal!

Immediately, Gu Xiaoxiao disregarded her imperial decorum and practically stumbled down the city wall, shouting as she ran, "Quick! Open the city gates! Convey my decree: spare my brother's life! Spare my brother's life!"

At Gu Xiaoxiao's shouts, the city gate was slowly opened.

Then, at the city gate, Gu Xiaoxiao personally went out to greet them!

Looking at Prince Su, Gu Suyue, kneeling in the mud, Gu Xiaoxiao's tears instantly streamed down her face: "Royal brother, please rise! Royal brother, please rise! It was I... I was foolish! I shouldn't have listened to slander and almost ruined everything!"

Prince Su, Gu Suyue, stood up and, without hesitation, stuffed the tiger tally into Gu Xiaoxiao's hand.

Then, Prince Su, Gu Suyue, gave a warm but slightly weary smile: "As long as Your Majesty believes in your younger brother... as long as Your Majesty is still willing to believe in your younger brother... that's enough!"

Gu Xiaoxiao and Prince Su, Gu Suyue, looked at each other for a long time, then smiled at each other, displaying a touching scene of brotherly affection and harmony as before!

Just as the two were getting along well, a procession carrying the Empress Dowager's banner arrived at the city gate at just the right moment.

Soon, the leading eunuch read out the Empress Dowager's decree in a high-pitched voice.

The imperial edict was roughly to reprimand the emperor for his recklessness, commend Prince Su for his loyalty, and order the two men to immediately enter the palace and visit the Empress Dowager's bedroom to reminisce about their familial bond!

Gu Xiaoxiao and Gu Suyue exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes, but more than anything, a tacit understanding.

"Your subject obeys the decree!"

The two brothers, who had just reconciled, readily agreed and immediately walked hand in hand toward the palace, one after the other, like the closest of family members.

However, even as they walked hand in hand, Gu Xiaoxiao still tightly gripped the cold tiger tally in her hand, while Gu Suyue's gaze kept glancing at Grand Tutor Zhao Wuji, who was hiding in the crowd with an unpredictable expression.

"Oh, by the way, you can disband now!"

Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, Gu Xiaoxiao turned around and raised the tiger tally in her hand, signaling the elite cavalry under Prince Su to temporarily disperse.

However, even though Gu Xiaoxiao raised the tiger tally in her hand, the elite cavalry from the Western Frontier stood quietly in place as if they hadn't seen anything.

Seeing this, Gu Xiaoxiao hadn't reacted yet. She just felt that the soldiers probably hadn't seen the tiger tally in their hands clearly, or perhaps they weren't used to the tiger tally, which could command the generals of the Western Frontier, being used by someone other than the Prince of Su.

then……

"You may disband for now!"

Gu Xiaoxiao waved the tiger tally in her hand again, signaling the elite Western Frontier cavalry to disperse.

However, this time, still no one paid any attention to Emperor Gu Xiaoxiao's orders!

"You can all disperse now!"

Before Gu Xiaoxiao could get angry, Prince Su spoke up.

then……

The cavalrymen all shouted in unison, "As you command, General!"