Holding the Emperor Hostage : Chapter 8: Clay Statue

Yin Shuhuai did not know why Huo Yan would get such an idea, but he felt that Huo Yan had quite a lack of self awareness. If he truly had such ability, would he still need to play the grandson in the palace?

“The Chancellor really thinks too highly of me.” Yin Shuhuai expressed surprise while not forgetting to frankly admit defeat. “I am just a puppet emperor who only wants to hide safely in the rear palace and live out my days in disgrace. A useless person like me who is manipulated by others, how could I possibly have the ability to take someone’s head from a thousand miles away?”

As soon as Yin Shuhuai’s voice fell, Huo Yan’s eyes suddenly shot out two beams of sharp light. “Your Majesty, why be so modest? Your Majesty has repeatedly ordered the Night Owl to send messages to me. What your intentions are, we both know clearly in our hearts.”

Night snack? What night snack? The messages he sent to Huo Yan were clearly the flying flower messages from his system interface.

A perfectly timed look of confusion flashed across Yin Shuhuai’s face. But he was not actually a fool, and immediately guessed seven or eight tenths of the truth from the information revealed in Huo Yan’s words.

No wonder Huo Yan, who had always wanted to depose the emperor and establish a new ruler, had not removed him from the throne. It turned out he had been frightened by his messaging method.

Yin Shuhuai slowly exhaled, and in his mind instantly flashed the brief account of Emperor Li’s life that Zhuang Wuwei had mentioned when introducing the background of the Lord of Yan.

He realized that the “night snack” Huo Yan spoke of must be the Night Owl Guards who were forcibly buried alive with Emperor Li when he passed away!

Yin Shuhuai’s heart suddenly understood. He acted decisively and began to put on airs. “The Night Owl Guards were utterly loyal and all martyred themselves when my father the emperor passed away. Where would I get Night Owl Guards from?”

First, he absolutely could not admit it. Given the fear that the entire court and regional lords had for the Night Owl Guards, if they learned that Yin Shuhuai was secretly controlling the remaining Night Owl forces, even if it were just a guess, it would make Yin Shuhuai die faster than the four previous “lessons.”

But he also could not directly deny it.

After all, Huo Yan, who had received two flying flower messages, would not know about the system’s existence. Yin Shuhuai also needed a powerful deterrent to suppress Huo Yan’s restless thoughts of deposing the emperor.

Moreover, given the current situation, even if Yin Shuhuai flatly denied it, Huo Yan would not believe his words.

Sure enough, hearing Yin Shuhuai’s evasion, Huo Yan, who had been frightened twice by the flying flower messages, said without hesitation: “Your Majesty, why play the fool before this old minister? If Your Majesty had no backing whatsoever, how could you repeatedly send messages to us?”

After saying this, Huo Yan seemed to realize his tone was somewhat forceful, so he softened his expression and spoke with earnest persuasion: “Your Majesty need not worry. The matter of assassinating Shentu Yang concerns the court and the altars of soil and grain. What leaves my mouth and enters your ears will certainly not be gossiped about by irrelevant people.”

The underlying meaning was that it was not only Huo Yan who knew about Yin Shuhuai controlling the remaining Night Owl forces, but Jiang Yang and Dong Wan knew as well. If Yin Shuhuai truly feared the opinions of the entire court and the various regional lords, he should follow their advice, and only then could the secret be kept.

“The Chancellor jests.” Yin Shuhuai still refused to admit it, and even went for a direct confrontation. “Chancellor, do you think that if I truly had such ability, who would be the first person I killed?”

The ruler and subject locked eyes. In an instant, sparks flew and killing intent was fierce.

After a long silence, Huo Yan narrowed his eyes slightly and simply tore through that layer of window paper. “Your Majesty certainly would not act rashly. Your Majesty could indeed have the remaining Night Owl forces kill me, but if the noble families and various regional lords learned of the Night Owl Guards’ existence, Your Majesty would only die a more miserable death than me.”

The noble families, maternal relatives, and various regional lords of the Yin Dynasty would not allow a second Emperor Li to appear.

“Why don’t we make a deal?” After a slight threat, Huo Yan spoke with calm confidence. “You dispatch the Night Owl to assassinate Shentu Yang, and I will eliminate the consequences for you. Then you can safely and steadily be your emperor, and I can safely and steadily be my Grand Commandant and Chancellor. We two, ruler and subject, will work together with one heart to support the Yin house. What does Your Majesty think?”

“Not much.” Yin Shuhuai shook his head, not falling for it. Setting aside that he had no Night Owl Guards in his hands at all, even if he truly had secret guards, he would not hand over such an important leverage to Huo Yan.

“Is Your Majesty not afraid that Shentu Yang will lead his army south and strike straight at Luoyang?” Huo Yan used alarmist threats.

Yin Shuhuai looked at Huo Yan with a strange expression. “Even if Shentu Yang leads his army south and reaches Luoyang, so what?”

Without waiting for Huo Yan to speak, Yin Shuhuai continued: “Chancellor, do you think Shentu Yang would dare to murder the monarch? If he does not dare to murder the monarch and only wants to hold the Son of Heaven to command the regional lords, then what difference is there for me between being a puppet under his hand and being a puppet in your hand?”

Huo Yan was stumped, then retorted: “What if Shentu Yang truly dares to murder the monarch?”

“Then I will wait until death is at my door before fighting to the bitter end, when both the fish and the net are broken.” Yin Shuhuai said with a smile, completely disregarding Huo Yan’s scare tactics.

In Huo Yan’s eyes, this meant Yin Shuhuai had made up his mind and refused to use the Night Owl Guards to eliminate the root of the problem.

“…Your Majesty, for the sake of spite against me, would actually dare to abandon the rivers and mountains and the altars of soil and grain?” Huo Yan’s gaze fixed steadily on Yin Shuhuai. After a long while, he asked with heartbroken indignation: “In doing this, can you face the late emperor? Can you face the successive ancestors of my Great Yin?”

However, Yin Shuhuai did not accept such low level moral blackmail. Facing Huo Yan’s murderous gaze, he smiled gently and spoke with calm self assurance. “Chancellor Huo, if you want a puppet, you can only get a puppet. Remember, do not want more after getting something.”

With those words, the atmosphere in Chongde Hall instantly became heavy.

Huo Yan’s gaze was like two sharp swords, stabbing straight at Yin Shuhuai’s face.

Yin Shuhuai stood like a clay statue, quietly standing in the silent and spacious Chongde Hall.

What is the professional quality of a puppet emperor?

Yin Shuhuai believed it was to obey and follow instructions. Huo Yan probably thought so too.

It was just that the obey and follow instructions that Yin Shuhuai believed in, and the obey and follow instructions that Chancellor Huo Yan believed in, were clearly not the same thing.

After pondering for a long while, Huo Yan forcibly suppressed the rage in his heart and asked: “What does Your Majesty want?”