Chapter 320
Chapter 320
With the successful mission as an envoy to the Qiang State, the second stage of Shen Lang’s plan to eliminate the Su Clan was complete. The upcoming third stage required beating the gongs and drums to stir up public opinion, so how could he possibly go to the Southern Tribes? Besides, he had only been able to go to the Qiang State because, firstly, smallpox was rampant there, and secondly, Grand Master Xue Yin was present. But to be sent as an envoy to the Southern Tribes with no arrangements in place? Unless he was tired of living, he would never make such a choice!
“If you don’t want to go to the Southern Tribes, you must have a sufficient countermeasure planned in advance. My dear brother must have something in mind.”
“Thank you for the reminder.”
* * *
Since Mulan could not accompany Shen Lang to the capital, she returned home immediately. There were too many family matters and a backlog of work that couldn't be handled without her. Shen Lang was quite disappointed.
“I don’t want to go either. I want to be with you. Husband, come home with me. We don’t have to kill the Su Clan. I don’t want to be apart from you for even a single day.”
Mulan clung to Shen Lang, whining and crying, but she still had to leave.
“Husband, Xiao Bing is pregnant. In a little while, I’ll send someone to bring her home so she can focus on her pregnancy. You must absolutely not touch any unseemly women. Take care of yourself and don’t let anything unclean touch your body.”
Shen Lang wanted to cry at that moment. Not because Mulan was being too magnanimous.
*My love, am I such trash in your heart? Are your expectations for me that low? All I have to do is not touch any unclean women? And here I thought I held a dazzlingly brilliant image in your heart.*
* * *
Inside a secret chamber in the capital.
Zhu Rong asked.
“Your Highness, since you are summoning Shen Lang, why have you set such harsh conditions?”
Indeed. Su An was trying to recruit Shen Lang, yet he made no promise of a high office. Instead, he demanded that Shen Lang hand over the technique for making glass mirrors. It was like raising a attack dog and telling it to earn its own money to buy bones. Where in the world could one find such an absurd thing? The Crown Prince did not answer, instead fiddling with a jade statue in his hand. The statue was of Mulan. It was unknown who had carved it, but it was so lifelike it seemed alive.
Once one reached the lofty position of Crown Prince, the halos of the world no longer mattered. His younger sister, Ning Han, had earned the honor of being the most beautiful woman in the State of Yue, but she too wore a halo of her own. She was the greatest martial arts genius in the royal family and a disciple of the master of the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, but it was her other identity that truly resonated throughout the world: the fiancée of the Crown Prince of the Great Qian Kingdom.
The tragedy of Jiang Li had made Ning Han’s status extremely prominent. Born a princess of Yue, she would not normally have received so much attention, but her status as the fiancée of the Great Qian Crown Prince drew the world's eyes. Jiang Li was a man who had nearly changed the world. The tragedy of the world's greatest master and foremost hero sent shivers down people’s spines. That was why tens of millions of copies of *The Annals of the Eastern Exile* had been sold.
Putting aside such worldly halos, the Crown Prince still found Mulan to be the most beautiful. What mattered was that she possessed an incomparably heroic bearing while also being a beautiful and pure woman. That was something that could not be faked or exaggerated. Of all the women he had ever sought, there had never been one he could not obtain. The more unattainable something was, the more he desired it. Hearing Prefect Zhu Rong’s question, Crown Prince Ning Yi gave no answer.
Su An spoke from the side.
“His Highness the Crown Prince no longer has any intention of recruiting Shen Lang. The Jin Clan has risen, but whether they will become a peak power is still uncertain. The key is that the Jin Clan is far away, while the Su Clan is right here, deeply rooted in the court, with power that blankets the heavens. Only by gaining the Su Clan’s support can we overwhelm the Third Prince in one fell swoop. But that old fox refuses to reveal his intentions, so His Highness is merely provoking him.”
Only then did Prefect Zhu Rong understand the Crown Prince’s intent. Shen Lang spoke of destroying the Su Clan at every turn, but he had no power in the court. A lowly seventh-rank official threatening to bring down Su Nan, whose power overshadowed the heavens? It was utter nonsense. But if he pledged allegiance to the Crown Prince and gained the strength of a faction, overthrowing the Su Clan could be entirely possible. Therefore, the Crown Prince’s attempt to recruit Shen Lang was a move to provoke Su Nan.
Su An said, “His Majesty the King has recently sought to elevate the victory gained from the mission to the Qiang State and to praise Shen Lang. Naturally, His Highness played along and summoned Shen Lang. You see, Shen Lang achieved a great victory as an envoy to the Qiang State and became a hero who saved the nation, but this very act has brought him a crisis. He stands before a deep mire; one misstep and he will fall in and die without a place for burial. He is, regrettably, a lone star of calamity. His Highness does not want him, and the Third Prince’s faction will not want him because of the Xue Clan. He will become a lonely ghost, and without a backer, his moment of triumph in the capital will be short-lived. He will not live long.”
Zhu Rong bowed slightly. He cared little for Shen Lang’s fate, but he was concerned about another’s. Zhang Chong’s life. It had been over half a year since Zhang Chong was thrown into the Supreme Court prison for no reason. He had neither been tried nor released.
Zhu Rong said, “His Majesty the King’s anger toward Zhang Chong has likely subsided. Might His Highness the Crown Prince say a word to have Zhang Chong released?”
Su An replied, “The time is not yet right.”
Zhu Rong frowned.
“Why is that?”
“Shen Lang achieved a great victory as an envoy to the Qiang State, and His Majesty promised that upon his success, he would ennoble Jin Zhuo as the Marquis of Xuanwu and grant Raging Tide City to the Jin Clan. Even though His Majesty made that promise, he must be inwardly displeased. To plead for Zhang Chong’s release at such a time would only add to His Majesty’s displeasure and be like rubbing salt in the wound, would it not?”
* * *
Shen Lang led the envoy delegation back to the capital and was received as a hero. The Fourth Prince, Ning Jin, personally came to greet him, and the citizens of the capital cheered from both sides of the road. Due to his status, Shen Lang was not originally qualified to walk down the center of Vermilion Bird Avenue. But now, he rode a tall, magnificent horse, passing right down the middle of the avenue with an extraordinary air. According to the laws of the State of Yue, only provincial governors were qualified to use the center of the road.
Each year after the palace examination, it was a path that the three fortunate first-class candidates could pass through only once during their procession through the streets. Shen Lang, who had never even taken the examinations, was receiving the treatment of a Top Scholar. The scene was truly a spectacle—the sound of gongs and drums shook the heavens, firecrackers exploded ceaselessly, colorful flags fluttered, and the crowd was a sea of people.
“Long live the State of Yue! Long live His Majesty the King!”
Countless people shouted in unison. Judging by their fervor, one would think Shen Lang had just annihilated the Qiang State. Shen Lang was basking in the attention of the masses, but he felt he was being praised too highly. However, since the King himself had set the stage, he had no choice but to play along with this excessive welcome and pretend to enjoy it.
Shen Lang led the delegation to the front of the royal palace and said, “Your Majesty, your servant went as an envoy to the Qiang State, did not disgrace my mission, and has completed my task! I hereby present the letter of apology from the King of Qiang and the Myriad People's Sacred Temple Scroll!”
With the Fourth Prince Ning Jin, various ministers, and eunuchs as witnesses, Shen Lang opened the box, briefly unfolded the letter of apology from King Arugan of Qiang for all to see, and then placed it back in the box. The letter was not written with much sincerity. But he intended to show off the Myriad People's Sacred Temple Scroll he was about to take out. The scroll was made of several large pieces of parchment stitched together.
On the parchment was a drawing of the Sacred Temple, so beautifully rendered that the temple built in the Qiang State appeared all the more authoritative. Furthermore, due to the angle from which it was drawn, it looked even larger than the Qiang royal palace.
But the key was not the drawing of the temple, but the densely packed handprints and bloodstains on it. Every person from the Qiang State who had been inoculated had received the life-saving grace of the Sacred Temple, and so they had left their bloody thumbprints on the scroll. A full ten thousand red prints were on it.
Shen Lang announced loudly, “If not for the lack of time, hundreds of thousands would have left their prints on this scroll. The people of the Qiang State yearn for our State of Yue, for our Eastern civilization. In the hearts of countless Qiang people, our State of Yue and Your Majesty have found a place. Long live the State of Yue! Long live Your Majesty!”
At the top of the grand hall steps of the palace, King Ning Yuanxian’s face flushed red, a sign of his pride and satisfaction. Yet, inwardly, he seemed somewhat embarrassed. A minor diplomatic victory had to be inflated into a triumph of nation-destroying proportions. Still, the circumstances left no other choice.
*But Shen Lang, you certainly know how to act. I was worried you wouldn't be able to perform convincingly, but now I'm worried you might overdo it.*
At that moment, the King shouted, “My dear subject, your toil has earned great merit. You have grown thin from the effort.”
“This great victory is entirely due to the prestige of our State of Yue and the supreme majesty of Your Highness. This humble servant deserves no credit.”
“No. This is your merit, which no one can take away. My dear subject, return and rest. I will have important use for you in the future.”
Shen Lang did not want to rise.
*Your Majesty, I have yet to hear the words I want to hear.*
Shen Lang spoke again.
“I thank Your Majesty for your grace. Recently, I have missed my family terribly. I especially miss my father-in-law and mother-in-law.”
*What do you mean by that? You could say you miss your parents or your wife, but what does it mean to miss your father-in-law and mother-in-law? I will not go back on my promise to ennoble Jin Zhuo as the Marquis of Xuanwu, so there is no need to remind me here.*
* * *
Shen Lang did not return home, but went straight to the residence of the Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng. The moment he entered, Shen Lang saw Xiao Bing with tears welling in her eyes, and the equally teary-eyed fatty, Jin Mucong. There were also two little girls wailing loudly. They were the two daughters of the female gang leader whom Shen Lang had personally rescued.
“Young Master, I missed you so much. Look how big my belly has gotten.”
“Brother-in-law, I failed.”
Shen Lang was taken aback.
*Failed? What exam did you take?*
“I participated in this year’s metropolitan examination. I was hoping to pass and become a scholar, but I failed in the end. My rank was so low it was better to count from the bottom.”
Shen Lang was puzzled.
“Fatty, what made you think you could take the metropolitan examination?”
“I thought you would work your magic again, brother-in-law, and that the exam questions would be from the practice set you prepared before.”
*Dammit! Do you think I'm a god?*
“Waaah.”
The two fair-skinned girls cried loudly. Shen Lang asked them, “Why are you two crying?”
The older one ran over and hugged Shen Lang’s leg. Shen Lang was surprised.
*Little one, you've only met me once, did you miss me this much? It seems my affection for you was not in vain.*
The older girl asked, “Mister, can I have some candy?”
She looked up at Shen Lang pitifully with her big eyes, tears glistening on her pretty face. Seeing her, Shen Lang instinctively nodded.
“Of course, you can.”
As soon as she heard that, the girl pulled a piece of candy from her pocket, shared it with her younger sister, and happily popped it into her mouth. She abandoned Shen Lang, took her sister’s hand, and skipped away gleefully. Ning Zheng’s wife, Lady Zhuo, and Xiao Bing watched the children with distress.
*Those naughty girls, if they eat so much candy every day, their teeth will rot away.*