第5章 忠诚代价与王座阴影 从国境的山岳地区回到首湖城需要的时间不短，毕竟这是一个大国，而首都首湖城位置更 偏西边，与东边的王国边境距离有点远． 当然帝国沿着帝国东西大道建立起了驿站，为帝国的讯息传递预备了大量的马匹，寒煜公 跟亲兵一开始从军队里面拉出来的一人三匹马，加上沿途的驿站换马，寒煜公回京的速度 甚至比所谓的六百里加急还快． 为了回报胜利的喜讯，寒煜公提早派出了传讯骑士回国沿路通报大捷，这些传讯骑士沿着 帝国东西大道一路狂奔传递胜利，中途只有晚上睡在驿站，只要稍为天光能看见就继续奔 跑沿路高喊胜利． 但是现在的寒煜公已经超过了他派出去的传讯骑士了，出发的时候带的百名亲信，现在能 跟在身边的不到三位． 从国境到国都如果依照正常的全骑兵行军，大约需要二十天的时间，寒煜公把自己绑在马 匹上，在马上睡觉，让驿站的骑士牵着他的马在夜间宾士到下一个驿站，就这样一路风尘 仆仆赶回国都首湖城． 为何要这样拚命？ 其实在会战开始之前，寒煜公就接到了皇帝病危甚至可能没多久时间的急报，要求他＂立 刻＂回国都，但是他选择了打完仗才回去，如果皇帝驾崩，还好说，如果皇帝没死，一个 皇子手握军权在外抗旨不回．．． 光是想想就知道会引发多大的问题，所以他只能卖命奔回国去． 皇帝北斗晃，历史的评价只有二字，多疑． 就一个皇帝的身份而言，他在位的期间国家强盛人民富足，国内安定国外扩张，绝对是明 君，然而多疑，却是他最大的争议点． 如果我们穿越时空，这样的多疑皇帝最有名的就是秦皇汉武隋文朱八雍正这几位，当然其 他的皇帝或多或少也会如此． 为何扶苏拿到要他自尽的假圣旨会不怀疑的自我了断？ 背後的因素就是因为扶苏相信始皇生性多疑，他迟早会死於始皇的旨意之下，所以扶苏毫 不怀疑的自尽． 而汉武帝这个杂碎，更是多疑的造成了巫蛊之祸，整个事件因为汉武帝一个人的多疑个性 ，结果就是逼着太子不反都要反． 在政治上，尤其是宫廷政治，多疑是最可怕的魔鬼，只要当权者对你产生了怀疑，无论你 做多少，都会被认定是反意或是藏匿反意． 北斗晃就是这样的皇帝，而寒煜公也是在这样的教育下长大的． 从小到大，北斗晃的乐趣就是＂试探人心＂，尤其是测试皇子们的心． 他会设计各种诱惑，让皇子们落入圈套． 比如说他会设计一场小火灾，然後观察皇子们的反应，跑得快的会被责备说只顾自己逃命 ，罔顾人民，没有皇族的担当，拉去宗庙跪三天． 留下来抗灾的，会被责备说年纪小啥都不懂只会乱指挥，平添专业人士的负担，不懂得放 权，不懂得尊重专业，也是拉去跪三天． 无论怎样做，都没有正确的答案． 不只是如此，北斗晃还会刻意的挑拨三位皇子的感情，他会跟大皇子说二皇子比你优秀， 比你更适合当皇帝，然後转头跟二皇子说三皇子昨天来告密说他行为不检点，又跟三皇子 说大皇子看不起他． 北斗晃这些行为并不是他刻意为之，而是他认为这很乐，他喜欢这样的乐子，一种变态的 控制欲． 皇子们都知道，然而如果表现的都没中计，就反而就成了北斗晃憎恨的物件，所以明知道 这些是设计的陷阱，还是要表现出自己憎恨兄弟的行为，否则就会让父皇怀疑． 这就是北斗皇室，更不用提後宫会在这样的皇帝纵容下如何的混乱了，皇后只能自保，妃 子互相陷害，就算不反都会被逼着反了． 父皇的阴影，是寒煜公，帝国三皇子挥之不去的噩梦． 所以寒煜公惧怕，惧怕如果这又是一次父皇的测试，测试他的忠诚度．．． 更让他惧怕的是，皇帝拿战争作为测试人心的工具． 国家大事在北斗晃的眼中已经沦落成了玩物吗？ 所以无论如何，寒煜公都要在最快时间内回来，如果皇帝死了，他想要亲眼见到这个恶魔 的最後，如果皇帝没死，他只能用这样的方式来证明自己的忠诚． 一路上的赶路，让寒煜公进入国都的时候吓呆了城门守将，难道是帝国军战败了？寒煜公 这分明是败军之将的惨状，然而寒煜公完全不理会这些外在看法，他必须要在最短时间内 从城门口进入皇宫内覆命，浑身恶臭，原来闪亮的银白铠甲处处污渍，这些都是小事情， 若是让守门的士兵比他先到父皇那边禀报，他这几天的辛苦就白费了． 寒煜公在城门口强行换了一匹军马，快马宾士穿过铺着巨石地面的街道，这条街道宽大的 可以让二十四人正面大方阵通过，直直的通往深处的皇宫内城，也因为这条街道的宽大， 所以街道中间有专属於可以快马宾士的马车专用道，不会造成市民的困扰与危险． 内城城门口，仿青铜的巨大城门开启了，禁军将领高喊通报． 「寒煜公回城，带领殿下入内．」 皇宫的建筑及其宏伟壮大，内城主要是依据耸立在北斗湖畔的丘陵而建，内城城墙包围着 丘陵，而整个丘陵都是皇宫的范围． 最宽大约现代一千四百米，最窄处约为现代八百米，北边有面向北斗湖的皇家码头，六道 楼门、四座塔城、壕沟、内壁、中庭，以及两千余间的房间，构成了这个同时具备要塞功 能的帝国中枢． 帝国的专业官员很多都分配了房间在内城，所以除了轮休之日，这些官员都会居住在内城 处里国事，休假日才会回到外城的住所． 在寒煜公经过了第二十道门之後，终於来到了议事大厅，侍从与朝臣都聚在这里，等待着 某种不知道该不该期待的结果． 「皇帝陛下的病情如何？」 寒煜公回到自已家的第一句话，也是他思考很久之後，唯一能说的话． 寒煜公的声音听起来依然保持者冷静，但这却是他尽到了最大的努力才能稳定下来的表情 ，他害怕又希望，但是都不能表露出来，任何一点点的细小反应都可能成为日後的把柄． 「回殿下，您若是能早回来一天，还能见上陛下的最後一面，陛下昨夜殡天了！」 满庭官员跟侍从一片开始哭泣，各种表演都用上了，然而寒煜公看的出来，都是演戏，哭 中带笑，笑中有泪，难为大家了． 真的死了吗？ 侍女取来了麻衣，让三皇子寒煜公换上，现在，寒煜公终於有了父皇已经死了的感觉． １－５完 因为，明天过後，需要吃饭的人会减少很多. Chapter 5: The Price of Loyalty and the Shadow of the Throne The journey from the border mountains back to Capital Lake City was long. This was a vast empire， and the capital lay deep in its western heart—far from the eastern frontier where the battle had been fought. Though the Imperial East–West Highway was lined with relay stations prepared with spare horses， Duke Aureus had begun the return with one hundred trusted riders， each leading three mounts. With constant remounting， and changing horses at every relay station， Aureus was traveling even faster than the famed“six-hundred-li urgent dispatch.” To spread word of the victory， he had earlier sent herald riders to gallop westward. These couriers ran day and night， resting only a few hours at relay stations ， shouting the news in every town along the Imperial road: “Victory! Duke Aureus has triumphed!” But now， Aureus had overtaken all of them. Of the hundred who set out with him， fewer than three remained by his side. Under normal circumstances， even a full cavalry regiment would require twenty days to ride from the border to the capital. Aureus did it by strapping himself to the saddle， sleeping on horseback， and letting relay-station riders guide his mount through the night. Why push himself so brutally? Because—before the battle had even begun—Aureus had received a message from the capital. The Emperor was gravely ill. Possibly dying. He had been“ordered” to return at once. Aureus chose instead to finish the campaign. If the Emperor died， the matter would still be manageable. But if the Emperor lived—and a prince with full military power had ignored an imperial summons… The consequences would be catastrophic. He rode now as though death itself chased him. Emperor Polaris Dawn was a man history remembered with two words: deep suspicion. By the standards of a sovereign， he was exceptional—during his reign the Empire prospered within and expanded without. He was， by any objective measure， a“wise ruler.” But his suspicion—his pathological love of testing loyalty—was the poison at the heart of his rule. In another age， men of his temperament were infamous: Qin Shihuang， Emperor Wu of Han， Emperor Wen of Sui， Zhu Di， Yongzheng… names bound by the same political shadow. Why had Fusu obeyed a false imperial decree and taken his own life without question? Because he believed his father—Qin Shihuang—was absolutely capable of ordering his death for the slightest doubt. Suspicion is the most lethal demon in palace politics. If the one in power suspects you， no amount of loyalty will save you. Polaris Dawn was exactly such a ruler. And Aureus—the Third Prince—had grown up under that shadow. From childhood， the Emperor’s favorite amusement had been“testing hearts， ” especially the hearts of his sons. He engineered traps， temptations， false crises. Once， he staged a small fire in the palace. Those who ran first were scolded for cowardice and forced to kneel in the ancestral temple for three days. Those who stayed behind to help were berated for meddling， for overstepping authority， and were also dragged to kneel for three days. Every action was wrong. Every path a trap. He sowed discord between the princes for sport: telling the eldest that the second was more fit to inherit， telling the second that the third had slandered him， and telling the third that the eldest despised him. This was not calculated strategy— it was pleasure. A twisted delight in control. The princes knew these were traps. Yet if they refused to play along—if they acted harmonious and unmoved— they became objects of suspicion instead. Thus they were forced to perform hatred to avoid provoking hatred. Such was the Polaris royal household. And the harem， with such a master above it， was even worse. The Empress struggled to survive. Concubines plotted endlessly. Even those who had no intention of rebellion were forced into it. The Emperor’s shadow was a nightmare that Aureus had never escaped. He feared— feared that this latest summons was another“test，” a test of his loyalty， a test using war itself as bait. Had national affairs become a toy in the Emperor’s hands? Aureus did not know. But he knew one truth: He had to return faster than any rumor. If the Emperor was dead， he wished to see the body with his own eyes. If the Emperor lived， he had to prove his loyalty with speed alone. When he finally reached the capital gates， his appearance stunned the guards. He looked like a defeated general—filthy， sleep-deprived， armor tarnished and reeking of travel. The guards wondered if the Imperial army had lost. Aureus ignored them. If even one of these soldiers reached the palace before him， all his effort would be wasted. He seized a fresh horse at the gate and galloped down the wide stone avenue— the great central artery of the capital， wide enough for twenty-four men in phalanx abreast， its center lane reserved for fast riders and official carriages. At the inner citadel， the bronze-plated gates opened. “The Duke of Winter returns! Clear the way for His Highness!” The palace rose like a mountain upon the southern shore of the lake. An inner wall enclosed the entire hill. Within it stood six gatehouses， four fortified towers， moats， courts， halls， and more than two thousand chambers— the beating heart of the Empire. Most senior officials lived here year-round， leaving only on rest days to visit their homes in the outer city. After passing the twentieth gate， Aureus reached the Hall of Audience. Court officials and attendants gathered in uneasy clusters— waiting for news they were unsure they wished to hear. “How is His Majesty’s illness?” It was the first thing he said. The only thing safe to say. His voice was steady， but only because he forced every muscle in his face into submission. Fear. Hope. Dread. All bottled beneath a thin layer of calm. If he slipped—even once— someone would remember it. “Your Highness… had you returned one day earlier， you could have seen His Majesty one last time. The Emperor passed away last night.” Wailing filled the hall. Tears， cries， collapsed bodies— yet Aureus could see the truth. They were performances. All of them. Weeping with smiles hidden beneath. “Truly dead…?” The thought echoed through him. A maid brought mourning clothes. Only when Aureus donned the coarse hemp robe did the truth settle upon him. His father was dead. 1-5 End Tomorrow， fewer people would need to eat. --

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