Chapter 256
Chapter 256
‘Summoning Shen Lang to the capital?’
Count Xuanwu could not hold back, his expression changing instantly. The grand eunuch who had brought the royal decree said,
“Young Master Shen, please accept the decree. It is a great honor for the King to grant you an audience. Prepare yourself and depart at once.”
Beside them, Count Xuanwu asked,
“Sir Eunuch, do you mean to wait in Xuanwu City and escort my son-in-law to the capital?”
The last time, Jin Mucong had been taken to the capital in that manner. It had seemed as though the previous grand eunuch was escorting Jin Mucong as a prisoner.
“You jest, Count Xuanwu. Now that the royal decree has been delivered, there is no need for that. Whether he goes or not is for you to decide.”
With those words, the grand eunuch left the estate.
* * *
“Don’t go!”
“You mustn’t go!”
Count and Countess Xuanwu exclaimed in unison.
“You must not go.”
Said the newly appointed Lord of Raging Tide City, Jin Shiying. He had originally been in charge of military affairs in Raging Tide City, but after the King appointed him as its lord, he chose not to go there, instead dedicating himself to the defense of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate. As long as Count Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo, was not in Raging Tide City, he resolved that he would never stay there alone, nor would he take command of its military forces.
“Our King’s actions possess not even a fraction of his late father’s benevolence; they are exceedingly harsh. What can the King do even if you do not go to the capital, Young Master? It would be best to stall for time.”
In the past, Jin Shiying had been a man of few words, but he always voiced his opinion when he felt it was necessary. This time, his stance was firm and clear.
Old Master Lin said,
“Envoys from the State of Wu are visiting continuously, so it is the King who is anxious. He would not wish to experience another tragedy like the one in Yan Province.”
Xiao Pepe said,
“The capital is a dangerous place, teeming with tigers and dragons. I fear you will face great hardship if you go, Lang. Don’t go!”
At that, Shen Lang unexpectedly smiled and said,
“No. I will go.”
Everyone was stunned by Shen Lang’s words. The King was always the epitome of unpredictability, impossible for others to fathom. First, he issued three consecutive royal decrees praising Zhang Chong for his merits in subjugating the pirate Qiu Tianwei. Just when everyone thought Zhang Chong was on a path to success, he was imprisoned on charges of accepting bribes. Then, as countless people cast stones at Zhang Chong, flooding the court with memorials for his impeachment, everyone thought he was doomed. But in the end, it was the Prefectural Governor who had written the harshest memorial who died in prison.
‘If anyone tries to kill Zhang Chong, I will kill them first.’
His handling of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate was no different. He bypassed the Count and appointed his vassal, Jin Shiying, as the Lord of Raging Tide City, a clear provocation. Now, he was summoning Shen Lang to the capital, posturing as if he meant to devour him. In any case, the King acted in ways no one could ever predict, leaving everyone unable to discern his true intentions.
Shen Lang said,
“The King was a tiger, and we were deer. He could have easily struck us down. But that deer entered the sea and transformed into a sea serpent. For the time being, the tiger cannot enter the sea, so he dares not kill us. So, what will he do?”
Count Xuanwu replied,
“He will roar at the sea, and tear apart other deer on the coast, displaying his soaring murderous intent and might.”
“Exactly! The Tang Clan, in a way, shouldered the burden for the King. In his heart, the King bears them no ill will, but to strike fear into our Count of Xuanwu's Estate and the other old noble families, he immediately had Tang Lun executed by waist chop and killed more than half of the Tang Clan. This is an act of killing the chicken to scare the monkey.
The one the King resents most right now is not us, but Zhang Chong. In the past, he trusted Zhang Chong, using him as a sword to push his new policies. He had even planned Zhang Chong’s next position as the Lower Area Commander of Yan Province before his mission in Lu River Commandery was even finished.
Because the King trusted Zhang Chong and invested in cultivating him, he had him play the role of a harsh official twice—once in Dongjiang Province and once in Lu River Commandery. The plan was to later promote him to Grand Area Commander of Yan Province to broaden his strategic perspective, allowing him to build merits in diplomacy and military administration, and molding him into a loyal and vital minister to the throne. But in the end, Zhang Chong failed in Lu River Commandery.
From our perspective, Zhang Chong is already quite formidable. He managed to seize half of the Leizhou Archipelago, everything except Raging Tide City. He expended great effort to salvage a perilous situation and prevent it from spiraling into the worst possible outcome. It wasn’t really a failure. But from a monarch’s perspective, it is different. If the final result is not what was desired, it is a failure. A monarch does not look at the process, only the result.
Zhang Chong’s failure dealt a huge blow to the momentum of the new policies, and the King lost face. He must have wished he could kill Zhang Chong on the spot. But he soon calmed down, imprisoning Zhang Chong in the Court of Judicial Review on the lukewarm charge of corruption, neither interrogating, nor sentencing, nor releasing him, simply leaving him there.
Now, the King has temporarily halted his new policies, and our Count of Xuanwu's Estate is on the verge of becoming kings across the sea. So, what is most important to the King? His monarchical authority and face. That is why he has killed enough people to make rivers of blood, making everyone’s blood run cold at the mere mention of his name.
When a tiger returns to its lair, it deliberately roars loud enough to make the forest tremble, forcing all other beasts to cower in silence. Similarly, when the King truly intends to strike someone down, he adopts a gentle demeanor and inquires warmly after their well-being. When he intends to sheathe his claws, he instead roars with murderous intent to frighten the world. Therefore, as soon as I arrive in the capital, the royal decree bestowing a title upon you, Father-in-law, will be issued immediately.”
Count Xuanwu and the others were filled with admiration for Shen Lang's analysis. Until now, they had been unable to properly predict or analyze the King's actions, left constantly anxious and chilled to the bone by his unfathomable behavior. It had nearly driven the Count to play his most dramatic and risky card—leaking the news that he was negotiating with the State of Wu. But after hearing Shen Lang’s analysis, everything became clear. The King of Yue was merely bluffing, probing the Jin Clan to discern their true intentions. Listening to Shen Lang, they all grasped the situation with sudden clarity.
Shen Lang gritted his teeth and said,
“Besides, even if the King hadn't summoned me to the capital, I was planning to go myself. Su Jianting not only invaded our home and killed over a hundred people, but he also injured Mother-in-law and Mulan. If I do not avenge this grievance, what face will I have to show the world? If I don't kill every last member of the Su Clan, I am not worthy of being Mulan's husband, nor worthy of being Mother-in-law's son-in-law.”
Hearing this, Xiao Pepe was overjoyed.
“Kill them, kill them all.”
It was clear that his mother-in-law was the emotional opposite of the stoic Count Xuanwu. The Count asked,
“Lang, if the King was merely testing the Jin Clan, why didn't he summon me? Wouldn't that be more justifiable and logical?”
“The King—no, everyone in the State of Yue—knows exactly what kind of person you are, Father-in-law. But they do not know what kind of person I am. He wants to see if our family will rebel or not.”
Shen Lang’s words made perfect sense. Not just the King, but everyone in the State of Yue knew what kind of man Count Xuanwu was. Even after being captured by the Count, Tang Lun of Jinhai had not worried about his own safety in the slightest. When the Count promised to release him, even his enemy immediately believed him. That an enemy had such absolute faith in his father-in-law's character—Shen Lang didn't know whether to be proud or dismayed. What if Shen Lang had made a promise to an enemy?
“Hmph! I wouldn’t believe a single punctuation mark in your words,”
They would have said. The characters of these two men were polar opposites—one infinitely positive, the other infinitely negative. It was a wonder how such a father-in-law and son-in-law could coexist.
“So, whether our Jin Clan will plot treason depends on me, not you, Father-in-law. The King is summoning me to see if I have any rebellious intentions. Furthermore, the King likely wishes for a troublemaker like me to be far away from you, thinking that will prevent the Jin Clan's power from expanding any further.”
Xiao Pepe said,
“Then the King is in for a disappointment. Treason is such a tiresome affair. I have no interest in it, and I’m sure Lang doesn’t either.”
“Indeed. I live in this world for only two purposes. First, to enjoy wealth and glory. Second, to have no enemies in this world.”
That was a truly bold statement. There were two types of people in the world with no enemies. The first were those with incredibly broad minds who never held grudges. The second were those who killed everyone who ever crossed them, leaving no enemies left. Shen Lang was clearly the latter.
* * *
In Shen Lang and Mulan’s chambers.
Though it was broad daylight, Shen Lang had just engaged in another desperate battle with Mulan, and now they lay entwined.
“My lady, don’t you worry. When I go to the capital this time, I will absolutely not be unfaithful. You can certainly trust my character. You saw Zhang Chunhua; wasn’t she a beautiful vixen? Even when she tried to seduce me, I did not stray.
You’ve also seen Xu Qianqian. That woman shamelessly used every trick in the book to seduce me on the ship, but I gave her no quarter. The fact that she came to you for a loan this time instead of me is because she was too ashamed to face me.”
It was a good thing Xu Qianqian didn't hear that, or she would have shrieked,
“You scumbag, it’s not that I can’t bear to see you, it’s that I don’t *want* to see you. You’re a villain. Even if I had slept with you, would you have done anything to benefit me? It would have been a meaningless romp. You are a scumbag with no character whatsoever. The losses I, Xu Qianqian, have suffered at your hands are more than all the salt I’ve eaten in my entire life.”
She would have undoubtedly cursed him like that.
As Shen Lang was solemnly vowing to remain virtuous, he caressed his wife’s neck. Desire began to stir, then subsided. *Sigh!* It seemed he was completely spent, drained of everything. So, what Shen Lang said was sincere. This was because Shen Lang, in his moment of post-coital clarity, was like a Buddha, devoid of all desire.