Chapter 279
Chapter 279
Inside the royal palace.
The king roared in fury.
“Ning Yan, were you involved in this?”
Princess Ning Yan refused to kneel, standing stubbornly as she spoke.
“I couldn’t stand seeing those brutes from the State of Qi tormenting our people, so I went to teach them a lesson. What they did afterward, burning down the Sage’s Temple, has nothing to do with me.”
“They trampled a citizen to death with their horses days ago, yet you didn’t go then. You didn’t go later. You just so happened to go and teach them a lesson last night. What a coincidence!”
Princess Ning Yan replied, “Yes, what a coincidence indeed!”
“Furthermore, weren’t the brawny women serving wine to the men from Qi last night all your female bodyguards? Yet now, they’ve vanished as if they’ve grown wings. Don’t take others for fools.”
“Then I’ll just be the fool myself.”
At that moment, the king was so enraged his hair felt like it was standing on end. His voice turned sinister as he asked, enunciating each word.
“Is Shen Lang involved in this?”
“No! None of this has anything to do with him. I did it all myself. It has absolutely nothing to do with him.”
The king narrowed his eyes. “Have you… slept with him?”
The tigress Princess Ning Yan leaped in anger, shouting, “That’s absurd! Of course not! I see him as a brother!”
The king closed his eyes and said, “How could I have fathered such a foolish daughter.”
The king had known as soon as Shen Lang had treated Ning Yan, but he had never voiced any thoughts on the matter. His gaze turned cold.
‘Shen Lang, you bastard. A mere live-in son-in-law dares to use my daughter? Do you truly not fear death?’
Just then, the Grand Eunuch knelt outside and announced, “Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince has brought Shen Lang and requests an audience outside the palace. He says they must beg for Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”
Immediately after, another eunuch knelt and reported, “Your Majesty, Marquis Su Nan requests an audience outside the palace. He says he must accept punishment from Your Majesty!”
The king was so furious he actually laughed.
‘So! Both of them have come to plead guilty, have they?’
“Drag Shen Lang before me! Tell Su Nan to keep kneeling!”
***
To struggle against the heavens is endless joy. To struggle against the earth is limitless joy. To struggle against men is also infinite joy.
King Ning Yuanxian had not yet reached such a state. However, he certainly felt the infinite joy of struggling against men. Marquis Su Nan was like an old fox—an extremely cunning old fox. On the surface, he appeared to be the king’s loyal dog, seemingly supporting the king’s every wish without reservation, but that was merely a facade.
The king could clearly sense how difficult and insidious Su Nan was behind the scenes. He even felt a flicker of rage. The Su Clan’s strategy was to feign support for the king’s every wish, but in reality, they prioritized the State of Qi, holding it in the highest regard.
For decades, the Su Clan had planned and executed a Qi-first strategy. As a result, the State of Qi and the Su Clan had finally become inextricably linked as blood allies, and the Su Clan had come to monopolize the diplomatic strategy between the State of Yue and the State of Qi. What was this all about? It was tantamount to elevating Yue’s enemy to increase their own value! The Su Clan’s actions were practically no different from the Jin Clan’s strategy of becoming kings across the sea, and in fact, were even more malicious.
Jin Zhuo, though stubborn, was an upright man. He was a straightforward person who never beat around the bush. But because of that very nature, the king had hung the blade of the new policy over his head. Damn it, in this world too, good people only suffered losses. Now that Jin Zhuo had taken Raging Tide City, the king was extremely furious, even wanting to dispatch troops to annihilate them. But the king soon cooled down and prioritized the nation’s interests. As long as he kept a close watch on Shen Lang, Jin Zhuo would never plot treason.
The Su Clan, however, was another matter. If the blade of the new policy were hung over the Su Clan, Su Nan would not openly rebel, but the State of Qi would begin to invade and plunder the State of Yue, setting fires and wreaking havoc everywhere. The Western Army of Yue was already under great pressure dealing with the State of Chu. If the State of Qi were to cause trouble as well, the Western Army would have no room to breathe, giving Chu an opportunity to counterattack. Therefore, the blade of the new policy could never be aimed at the Su Clan. That was why, at a critical moment, he had summoned the old fox Su Nan from Zhenyuan City, appointing him Grand General of the Pacification Army and Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince.
Everyone thought the king had brought Su Nan to the capital to advance the new policy—that is, to destroy the Jin Clan—but that was not the case. The Crown Prince of Yue’s conspiracy was exposed, and the State of Nan’ou was on the verge of rebellion. At that time, the State of Qi had begun to stir, and the King of Qi had repeatedly warned that he might enter the State of Yue to plunder. If Qi made a move, the situation in the entire southwest would become unstable. Thus, for the sake of the war with Nan’ou, the king had no choice but to bring the old fox Su Nan to the capital.
Once Su Nan entered the capital, the State of Qi did indeed calm down. They carried out a few symbolic raids, but only plundered the Su Clan’s territory. When dealing with the State of Qi, Su Nan was very useful. Otherwise, the king would have truly sent him far away. This old fox, Su Nan, was extremely difficult to handle. He appeared endlessly gentle and loyal, but in reality, he was so cunning that things never went as planned.
Every time he entered the capital, he would meticulously weave people into his web of power. Originally, the court had two factions: the Crown Prince’s faction and the Third Prince’s faction—one civil, one military. But after Su Nan arrived in the capital, in a very short time, he allied with several influential figures to form a neutral faction, instantly creating a new power in the court and establishing a delicate balance of opposition. From then on, the neutral faction acted as the pivot, skillfully manipulating the two factions on either side. Both the Crown Prince’s and the Third Prince’s factions desperately sought the support of the neutral faction.
Not only that, but Su Nan always claimed to support only the king, saying he would support whoever sat on the throne. Thus, he made the neutral faction appear to be the king’s direct power base. Could the king step forward and deny it? Of course not. It was a case of a fox borrowing the tiger’s might, and the tiger, Ning Yuanxian, had lent him that might.
Before the Nan’ou rebellion was even quelled, the soldiers of Qi began to stir, constantly threatening to invade Yue and plunder, citing a shortage of sheep and grain. And that wasn't Su Nan's scheme? Not even a fool would believe that. So, although on the surface it seemed the king had bestowed upon him the positions of Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince and Grand General of the Pacification Army, in a way, Su Nan had seized those positions for himself. Now that Su Nan had made a rare misstep, the king naturally had to raise his blade and fiercely carve into his flesh, drawing blood. So how could he meet and forgive Su Nan beforehand when he came to plead guilty?
‘You think I’ll forgive you just because you’re pleading guilty unofficially? Let’s wait for the morning court session. Let everyone raise a clamor and completely blow this matter up, putting you under immense political crisis and pressure. Then we’ll talk. The louder the people shout, the greater the crisis for your Su Clan, won’t it? When I bring this blade down then, you will bleed all the more.’
At that moment, a woman of peerless beauty entered. It was Su Nan’s younger sister, Consort Su, the birth mother of Ning Zheng and Ning Jing.
“This consort pays her respects to Your Majesty.”
The king’s voice was gentle as he asked, “The early spring air is biting, and the floor is still cold. My beloved consort, please rise! The sun has not yet risen. Why are you up so early, and what brings you here?”
Consort Su said, “Though this consort has not read many books, she knows to revere the sages, and understands even more so that the Sage’s Temple is the faith of all people under heaven. Hearing that the Sage’s Temple was burned by the villains from Qi, I imagined how distressed Your Majesty must be. My heart grew anxious, so I came to see you.”
The king glanced at the floor. Every object in the study was smashed; precious ceramics and jade artifacts were all shattered. The zitan wood desk had been pierced with numerous holes by the king’s sharp sword. It was his most cherished desk. He had even just had his most trusted Grand Eunuch beaten ten times, leaving the man a bloody mess. He couldn't help it. He had to display his rage for all to see.
Then, Consort Su paused, wanting to speak but holding back. She clearly wanted to plead for her brother, Su Nan, but a consort of the inner palace could not interfere in politics, so she could not open her mouth. But pleading with her eyes without speaking was acceptable, wasn't it?
The king said, “Do not worry. Junior Tutor Su has served with great merit. How could I possibly reprimand him? Rest assured and go!”
Consort Su said, “Thank you for Your Majesty’s grace. This consort will take her leave.”
As she left the room, a dark shadow instantly flashed across Consort Su’s eyes. The king’s reaction was not good; he had evaded her request. The meaning behind Consort Su’s visit was very clear: she wanted the king to meet with Marquis Su Nan beforehand, rather than waiting until the morning court session. Why? There was still an hour before the session, and the burning of the Sage’s Temple had not yet exploded politically. If Su Nan admitted his guilt in advance, the price he would have to pay would be smaller.
As the ruler of a nation, it was difficult for Ning Yuanxian to actively demand something from Su Nan, nor could he openly engage in a power struggle with him. So, if Su Nan pleaded guilty beforehand, the Su Clan could weather this crisis with a smaller price. But once the morning court session began, all the officials would madly impeach the Su Clan, and the burning of the Sage’s Temple would escalate into an uncontrollable situation, bringing a great crisis upon the clan.
At that point, the court officials and the enraged populace of the realm would become the king’s weapons, and it would be inevitable for disaster to befall the Su Clan due to the atrocities of the State of Qi. The crucial point was that the Su Clan had assigned people to monitor the Qi delegation. Now that they had burned the Sage’s Temple, could the Su Clan, who stood by and failed to stop them, be considered blameless?
The king’s refusal to meet Su Nan beforehand meant he was sharpening his blade, preparing to strike the Su Clan. To navigate this crisis, the price the Su Clan would have to pay would be immense. The saying that King Ning Yuanxian was a harsh man was not just empty words. He was not only harsh with the Jin Clan; he would treat the Su Clan just the same.