Chapter 130
Chapter 130
The central gate of the Count of Xuanwu's fortress opened.
Count Jin Zhuo of Xuanwu, his wife Lady Su Peipei, the heir Jin Mucong, and the young lady Jin Mulan walked out. Dressed in accordance with the etiquette of the State of Yue's nobility, they walked out from the main gate without a hint of negligence and knelt to welcome the king's envoy.
“Your humble subject, Jin Zhuo, greets Your Highness!”
The door of a massive carriage opened, and a eunuch knelt on the ground, serving as a human step. A young man in a yellow robe stepped on the eunuch's back and descended from the carriage. Zhu Rong, the governor of Tiannan Province, appeared behind him, bowing slightly. This young man was the king's fourth son, Prince Ning Zhen, the Duke of Yingguo. The Count of Xuanwu was stunned to see the high status of the envoy sent to deliver the royal edict. The king's will was this strong…! To think he would send his own son to sound the death knell for the final battle against the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. The Fourth Prince Ning Zhen glanced at the Count of Xuanwu, then at Jin Mulan, and gestured with his hand.
“Rise.”
The Fourth Prince Ning Zhen led the way into the estate's fortress. Hundreds of warriors quickly followed, entering the estate and taking up defensive positions in every corner. Governor Zhu Rong of Tiannan Province, Count Jin Zhuo of Xuanwu, and the others bowed their waists and followed closely behind the Fourth Prince. After they had all entered the main hall of the estate, the Fourth Prince Ning Zhen unfurled a yellow scroll and spoke.
“His Majesty the King has issued a royal edict. Count of Xuanwu, kneel and receive it!”
* * *
At Xu Guangyun's grave, Xu Qianqian kowtowed three times. For the sake of revenge, she would do anything. The time of seemingly endless suffering had passed, and now only a bone-deep resentment remained. A blazing hatred burned her heart, and even her soul. She did not regret her past actions in the slightest. Her soul was incapable of accepting the very concept of 'regret'.
She decided to channel all her emotions and strength into revenge. She was like a living flame. A flame that would burn not only herself but her enemies as well. The only conviction that kept her alive was vengeance. For revenge, she would even dance with the devil. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, was it? The devil she would seek out was none other than Shen Lang!
Xu Qianqian looked at her father Xu Guangyun's tombstone one last time and said.
“Father, please wait! After I kill Zhang Jin, I will join you in the afterlife.”
After speaking, Xu Qianqian ran in the direction of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate.
* * *
“Receive the edict of His Majesty the King!”
The Count of Xuanwu, his wife, Jin Mucong, and Jin Mulan knelt once more inside the main hall. In truth, someone among them noticed Shen Lang's absence, but no one mentioned it. A live-in son-in-law was not qualified to receive a royal edict. However, since the king had once bestowed an edict upon Shen Lang, granting him the status of an Imperial Academy student, it could be said that, in principle, his presence was permitted.
But Shen Lang, who enjoyed showing off himself but hated seeing others do so, did not come. The whole family doted on Shen Lang, so they had told him that if he didn't want to come and kneel, and if he didn't want to watch others act high and mighty, he didn't have to.
“Our two beloved ministers have frequent frictions over the Gold Mountain Island dispute, causing Us such distress that We cannot sleep at night. Therefore, We have specially dispatched the Fourth Prince Ning Zhen to mediate this matter. Carry out this royal command!”
This was the king's royal edict. Of course, it was nothing more than a single edict. This was precisely why Shen Lang had not come.
‘You people love to act. You clearly want to stab me to death with a knife, yet you create a public consensus that I deserve to be stabbed. Damn bastards.’
The Fourth Prince Ning Zhen said calmly.
“My royal father has sent me to mediate the fief dispute between the Count of Xuanwu and the Count of Jinhai one last time. Since peace is to be valued above all, would it not be best for both sides to sit down and talk? What do you think?”
It was laughable that the Fourth Prince asked with such a gentle face while countless cavalrymen outside exuded a menacing, murderous aura.
“Understood!”
the Count of Xuanwu replied.
Pleased, the Fourth Prince Ning Zhen smiled and said.
“Summon the Count of Jinhai. I will preside over this meeting. The two counts will negotiate here, in the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, and I will personally observe.”
* * *
Two hours later.
The final negotiation between the Count of Jinhai and the Count of Xuanwu regarding the Gold Mountain Island fief dispute began. The party from the Count of Xuanwu's Estate sat on the left side of a long table, while the party from the Count of Jinhai's Estate sat on the right. Prefect Zhang Chong sat in the middle, acting as the moderator for the negotiations. At the head of the main hall, which served as the negotiation room, the Fourth Prince Ning Zhen and the governor of Tiannan Province presided over the talks. The atmosphere was so solemn and heavy that it seemed as if a genuine negotiation was taking place.
Ning Zhen smiled and said.
“Governor Zhu Rong and I will not open our mouths in this negotiation, only our ears. Please feel free to say whatever you wish.”
After speaking, he seemed to glance around, looking for Shen Lang.
‘Shen Lang is supposed to be the brains of the Count of Xuanwu. Why isn't he present at these negotiations?’
A servant is like a worm in his master's stomach; seeing the Fourth Prince's expression, a eunuch immediately spoke sharply.
“Count of Xuanwu, why is your live-in son-in-law, Shen Lang, not present?”
“Shen Lang is unwell and could not attend, for fear of passing his illness to Your Highness.”
The honest Count gave a direct, albeit polite, refusal. For a moment, the Fourth Prince Ning Zhen's expression changed slightly. It was as if the Count had shown him no face at all. The negotiation that followed contained no fierce arguments or sharp words. The family of the Count of Jinhai put on a passionate performance, praising the king's virtues in an impassioned tone before recounting the history of the Tang Clan's centuries-long rule over Gold Mountain Island. Finally, they submitted a thick stack of papers, hundreds of pages long, as evidence.
“We have irrefutable evidence. Gold Mountain Island has been the fief of our Tang Clan since ancient times.”
The Jinhai side distributed copies of the hundreds of pages of evidence to each of the important figures present. The Fourth Prince Ning Zhen was very satisfied.
‘This is how a subject should behave.’
This was an effort to make the act appear realistic. Even if they intended to destroy the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, it was important to present a justification and maintain the appearance that the righteous cause was on their side. Then, it was the Count of Xuanwu's turn.
“We object!”
After that single statement, he offered no further arguments. Everyone present was shocked, and the atmosphere of the negotiation became heavy and awkward.
‘Just moments ago, the family of the Count of Jinhai spoke at length in impassioned tones. But when it's your turn to make a statement, Count of Xuanwu, you end it with a single "We object!"? What is the meaning of this? Do you harbor resentment against our royal family? Are you publicly trying to make me lose face? Are you defying the king's authority? With both myself, the Fourth Prince Ning Zhen, and Governor Zhu Rong present, you refuse to give us any face?’
This time, Ning Zhen truly looked ridiculous. He forced a smile and said.
“Grand Marshal, it seems our presence is not enough.”
Jin Mulan replied in a cold voice.
“It's like trying to kill a pig while forcing it to act out its own death. I'm sorry, but we cannot do that.”
The Count of Xuanwu also added a word.
“According to the laws of the State of Yue, as vassals with a fief, our family has the independent right to self-defense. Even if His Majesty the King himself were here, he would have no right to prevent our estate from defending itself. But it seems that after hundreds of years, the laws established by our ancestors are no longer of any use.”
Hearing the Count of Xuanwu's words, the Fourth Prince Ning Zhen's face turned pale with rage.
‘Is the family of the Count of Xuanwu courting death? Or is this the last stand of a cornered beast? To humiliate me so publicly... According to the laws of our ancestors, something like the New Policies should not even exist.’
Then, the Count of Xuanwu abruptly stood up, bowed to the Count of Jinhai, and said.
“Brother Tang, could we speak for a moment in the study?”
His meaning was exceedingly clear. He intended to ignore everyone present and have a private conversation with the Count of Jinhai. At that moment, the Fourth Prince Ning Zhen, contrary to expectations, smiled brightly and said.
“Count of Jinhai, since the Count of Xuanwu has invited you, you should go.”
* * *
Count Jin Zhuo of Xuanwu entered the study, and the Count of Jinhai followed, bringing his heir, Tang Yun.
Shen Lang was waiting in front of a map in the study. Count Tang Lun of Jinhai was slightly surprised. It was because Count Jin Zhuo of Xuanwu had brought only Shen Lang with him. After entering the study, both sides were silent for a moment. Then, Shen Lang spoke.
“Count of Jinhai, over a hundred years ago, pirates landed and ravaged the Tang Clan's fief, and your clan even lost its fortress at that time. An ancestor of our Jin Clan, Lord Jin Zhou, led his soldiers to reclaim the Tang Clan's fief, restoring the great enterprise passed down from your ancestors.”
The Count of Jinhai frowned. This humiliating story from the past was the last thing he wanted to hear.
“At that time, the Marquis of Jinhai personally visited our clan, knelt before our ancestor Jin Zhou, and begged him to dispatch troops to reclaim your family's territory. Furthermore, he promised to gift Gold Mountain Island to the Jin Clan after the territory was reclaimed, and even signed a contract.
Our ancestor Jin Zhou led his army, pacified the region, reclaimed all of the Tang Clan's fiefs, and annihilated all the pirates, bringing peace to the thousand-li coastal defenses of the State of Yue. Gold Mountain Island was, at that time, handed over to our Jin Clan directly by the Tang Clan, under the witness of His Majesty the King.
Yet, the Tang Clan not only ignores the grace of our Jin Clan saving them, but now also denies the promise made at that time. Why?”
Everything Shen Lang said was true. Otherwise, how could Gold Mountain Island, which had belonged to the Tang Clan, have come into the possession of the Jin Clan? However, that incident was so humiliating for the Count of Jinhai's Estate that it was never mentioned.
The heir of the Count of Jinhai's Estate, Tang Yun, spoke.
“Haha... Shen Lang, everything you've said is a fabricated story. You claim that over a hundred years ago, our Tang Clan handed over Gold Mountain Island to the Jin Clan and even signed a contract. Do you have any proof?”
This was the most outrageous part. After the ancestor Jin Zhou died suddenly, that contract vanished without a trace. Three copies of the contract had been drawn up at the time; one for the Count of Jinhai's Estate and one for the king's side. Those two copies remained safely in their possession to this day. And yet, Tang Yun was completely ignoring the facts and spouting nonsense.
‘Such shamelessness. Impressive!’
Shen Lang said with a sincere expression.
“Very well. Let's not speak of the past for now. The New Policies are currently being implemented fiercely, and your Tang Clan is in the same position as our Jin Clan. As storied noble families with fiefs and private armies, we should naturally be considering our common interests. At a time like this, our two families should unite to protect ourselves, so why are we fighting to the death? We are like brothers from the same root, so why do you persecute us so?”
Shen Lang's words were also reasonable. Both the Count of Jinhai's Estate and the Count of Xuanwu's Estate were high-ranking, storied noble families in the State of Yue.
“The Tang Clan is also a storied noble family, so why have you sided with the New Policy faction to help destroy our Jin Clan? Is this not persecuting your own kind for the benefit of your enemies? Furthermore, it is a simple truth that when the lips are gone, the teeth will feel the cold. After our Count of Xuanwu's Estate is destroyed, will the flames of the New Policies not fall upon your family?”
Every word Shen Lang spoke was logical, but the Count of Jinhai and his heir, Tang Yun, were inwardly displeased.
‘Anyone can speak of such principles. If everyone understood them, the New Policies would never have begun in the first place. You, Shen Lang, are truly naive and ignorant. As expected of someone of common birth, your perspective is shallow.’
At that moment, Tang Yun spoke calmly.
“It is you, my friend, who will die, not I.”
So this world also had such a saying? It was an incredibly outrageous thing to say. It meant that whatever might happen later, they would talk again after the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was dead and gone.
We, the Count of Jinhai's Estate, have already taken the position of betraying our own kind. We have become the king's mad dogs to tear you, the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, apart. What can you do if we bite our own kind?
Shen Lang pleaded.
“Count of Jinhai, must we truly kill each other like this?”
The Count of Jinhai replied calmly.
“I, Tang Lun, have always been loyal to the king and patriotic. I am not ashamed to not be on the same side as you.”
Tang Yun also chimed in.
“Shen Lang, I understand your desire for the Count of Xuanwu's Estate to survive.”
He did not bother to say the rest. He had swallowed the words that the Jin Clan should stop struggling, that running around would be useless.