Chapter 321
Chapter 321
They say you can get a name wrong, but never a nickname. The moment he finished his bath, the lustful Xiao Bing was ready to display her exceptional skills once more. Shen Lang leaped in alarm.
‘No, absolutely not. I’ll admit I’m running scared. I was just ravaged by that great temptress Mulan, and I’m half-dead. And now the little temptress shows up? Do you think I’m made of steel?’
* * *
Inside Ning Zheng's study.
"My royal father will surely keep his promise, so don't worry about that. The investiture as Marquis of Xuanwu and the Jin Clan governing Raging Tide City will not change. However, a more dangerous wind is now blowing in the capital. Some people are doing their utmost to praise your talents, hoping you'll be sent as an envoy to the Savage Tribes to ask them to stop supporting the Southern Ou Kingdom."
"I will absolutely not go to the Savage Tribes. Time is of the essence, and I must bring down Su Nan in a short period. I have no time to go to the Savage Tribes to die."
Hearing this, the Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng, jumped in surprise.
‘Bring down Su Nan? Shen Lang, are you not merely a seventh-rank official? You have no backing or allies in the capital. In contrast, Su Nan is the Marquis Zhenyuan, the Crown Prince's Junior Mentor, the Vice Director of the Privy Council, and the Grand General of the Zhenjun Army, a titan of the neutral faction. He holds power that can blot out the sky. A petty, low-ranking official like you wants to topple a deeply rooted, colossal tree that seems to cover the heavens? And in a short time? Even sleep-talking would sound more plausible than what you just said.’
Shen Lang said.
"Time is short. If we miss this window, another good opportunity to eliminate the Su Clan will not come."
The second stage of Shen Lang's plan to eliminate the Su Clan had already been completed in the State of Qiang. Now, he had to enter the third stage and bring down Su Nan directly, so there was no time to delay.
"What exactly do you mean when you say you'll bring down Su Nan?"
"It means making him lose all his current official posts and be dismissed, then sent back to his hometown. Then, the two of us will raise the banner of the New Policies, fiercely implementing His Majesty's New Policies in Zhenyuan City and Baiye Prefecture, and completely wipe out the Su Clan."
"What?"
The Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng, was dumbfounded.
‘I have a part to play too? Wait, wasn't it Zhang Chong who was implementing the New Policies just a while ago? Moreover, the blade of the New Policies was about to strike your Count of Xuanwu's Estate. But now, the son-in-law of an old noble family wants to uphold the banner of those same New Policies? It sounds too absurd. If my guess is correct, the old noble families are now planning to band together, hail the Jin Clan as the leader of the old nobility, and form a new noble alliance.’
Shen Lang snorted in derision.
‘When the blade of the New Policies was aimed at our Jin Clan, did a single one of the old noble families step forward to offer a helping hand? They were all just waiting to throw stones at the Jin Clan, to kick us while we were down. My mother-in-law went personally to borrow money to pay off our debts, but after visiting more than ten noble families, she only managed to borrow about a thousand gold taels. They subjected us to immense humiliation. I, Shen Lang, can also betray the position of the nobility, just as you did. I guarantee I will wield the blade of the New Policies more fiercely than Zhang Chong ever did. Although I am the son-in-law of an old noble family, if it means my Jin Clan can prosper, then I, Shen Lang, will push for the New Policies.’
Shen Lang spoke again.
"Your Highness must make some preparations. If we successfully bring Su Nan down, Your Highness will be appointed as the Prefect of Baiye Prefecture. At that time, the two of us must join forces to annihilate the Su Clan."
‘What?’
"You won't grow soft just because Su Nan is your maternal uncle, will you?"
The Fifth Prince was so overwhelmed by the sudden influx of information that he couldn't react.
"I... I need to think about this a little more."
* * *
The next day.
Shen Lang donned his seventh-rank official robes, preparing to attend the royal court. A low-ranking official like him normally wouldn't be qualified to attend the court session, but two important matters were to be discussed today. The first was the investiture of Jin Zhuo as Marquis of Xuanwu, allowing the Jin Clan to govern Raging Tide City on behalf of the State of Yue. The second was to formally commend Shen Lang for his merits, but this matter would not end simply.
The royal court was as treacherous as a battlefield. With Shen Lang's safe return after completing his mission as an envoy in the State of Qiang, the person who stood to lose the most was Su Nan. Moreover, they would have already spent days setting the stage, so today's court session would be a deluge of attacks, like furious waves with the force to cover mountains. They would not only try to ruin the Jin Clan's investiture as a marquisate but also attempt to send Shen Lang to his death among the Savage Tribes. The Crown Prince and the Third Prince would not sit idly by; they would further incite them. The Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng, held no official post and thus was not qualified to attend court, so he could not lend Shen Lang any support.
"Today's court session will be a grueling battle. And you're going in alone, so you must be careful."
The Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng, was uneasy and repeatedly warned Shen Lang. At that moment, Ning Zheng once again lamented his own powerlessness, having neither power nor influence to help Shen Lang. Shen Lang said to him.
"Your Highness, do not worry. I have already made preparations. Please watch how I pacify all quarters in the court today."
* * *
The Royal Court of the State of Yue.
It was a majestic, solemn place, filled with authority. The King, with a gentle expression, spoke calmly.
"Today at court, we have two matters to discuss. First, Count Xuanwu, Jin Zhuo, has annihilated the pirate Qiu Tianwei and expanded the territory of the State of Yue, so according to precedent, he should be invested as a marquis. Second, the war with the Southern Ou Kingdom has reached a critical stage. If we do not cut off the reinforcements from the Savage Tribes, it will be difficult to pacify the Southern Ou Kingdom. Let us hear your opinions on how to make the Savage Tribes cease their support. Perhaps we should dispatch an envoy to the Savage Tribes. Now, let us discuss these two matters!"
Hearing this, the officials of the neutral faction, aligned with Su Nan, rubbed their fists and palms, ready to unsheathe their blades and strike down Shen Lang. At today's court session, they would surely praise Shen Lang to the heavens to get him sent to his death among the Savage Tribes. Not only that, but they also had to completely ruin Jin Zhuo's investiture as Marquis of Xuanwu. The first to step forward was the Vice Minister of Rites. He intended to cut off the Jin Clan's path to becoming marquises. But then, something completely unexpected happened. The Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate stepped forward.
"Your Majesty, the Censorate has a matter to report."
The King furrowed his brow slightly.
"Speak."
The Censor-in-Chief, Wang Shengchu, said.
"The Censorate accuses Shen Lang of treasonous intent and plotting to overthrow the Great Yan Dynasty. We beseech Your Majesty to investigate this matter clearly."
‘Overthrowing the Great Yan Dynasty? Such a grave accusation? How can they start with something so huge right from the beginning?’
All the civil officials present were startled. Censor-in-Chief Wang Shengchu continued.
"This is a memorial submitted by the new Censor, Zhu Wenhua. We request that Your Majesty summon him to the court hall."
King Ning Yuanxian glanced at Shen Lang and replied.
"Granted."
A moment later, Zhu Wenhua entered the hall. It was Zhu Wenhua of the Viscount of Nanshan's Estate, the one who had written *Mandarin Duck Dream*. Shen Lang had almost forgotten about him. He had participated in this year's metropolitan examination, passed as a second-class Jinshi, and was now serving as a seventh-rank Censor in the Censorate. After entering the hall, he glared at Shen Lang with eyes that looked as if they wanted to devour him.
‘Today, I will finally repay this bone-deep grudge. Shen Lang, your end is today. I will make you die without a burial place.’
Zhu Wenhua knelt and kowtowed.
"Your Majesty, the reason for Shen Lang's success as an envoy to the State of Qiang this time is entirely due to a certain woman. Moreover, he placed a statue of this woman inside a holy temple, elevating her to the same rank as a saint. That woman is the sworn sister of Emperor Jiang Li of the Great Qian Kingdom, Xue Yin! That woman, Xue Yin, secretly participated in the conspiracy to overthrow the Great Yan Empire. When the plot failed, she went into hiding in the snowy mountains under a false name. She is the fifth most wanted person on the Great Yan Empire's list."
"Shen Lang had an illicit affair with her and brought her to the capital of the State of Yue. This action by Shen Lang is one that will incur the wrath of the Yan Emperor upon our State of Yue, and it is an act with the intent to overthrow the Great Yan Dynasty. I implore Your Majesty to have Shen Lang executed by a thousand cuts and to arrest the Great Yan Empire's fugitive, Xue Yin!"
In that instant, Shen Lang's hair stood on end.
As Zhu Wenhua spoke, all the censors and remonstrance officials in the court took a step back.
‘Quite impressive. You attack first, then.’
Generally, the court of the State of Yue did not like to mention matters of the Great Yan Empire. That was because the Great Yan Empire was the master of the world. But its territory spanned over fourteen hundred kilometers, and with no trains or airplanes, how could they manage such a vast land? Therefore, in the Eastern world, while the vassal states under heaven revered the Yan Emperor as the Son of Heaven, they basically governed their own countries independently.
Even when several states banded together to fight, the Great Yan Empire did not take sides. They would only send someone to stop the war if one side was about to suffer a truly miserable defeat. Pleasing the Yan Emperor was a task for the kings of the various states to handle personally; as a subject of a vassal state, one only needed to diligently please one's own king. Therefore, not mentioning matters of the Great Yan Empire in court was basically an unspoken rule in every state.
However, once a matter concerning the Great Yan Empire was brought up, it had to be given the highest political priority. It was like the situation after the Xuanwu Gate Incident during the Tang Dynasty, when Li Shimin became emperor and Li Yuan became the Retired Emperor. The officials at court basically did not voluntarily ask the emperor about the Retired Emperor's well-being. Asking about the man who had been pushed aside by the current emperor would be an affront to Li Shimin's dignity, wouldn't it? But if someone did mention the Retired Emperor, Li Shimin would set aside all other matters to first discuss Li Yuan. Otherwise, in the world of the Central Plains, governed by Confucian ideology, he would be seen as an unfilial emperor, so he had no choice, no matter how displeased he was internally. Zhu Wenhua was not ignorant of this principle. The problem was that he was unwilling to miss this hard-won opportunity to strike at Shen Lang, even if it displeased the King.
After hearing Zhu Wenhua's words, the King once again shot a cold glare at Shen Lang.
‘So you did do something like that.’
"Shen Lang, is this true? Did you really conspire with the Great Yan Empire's fugitive, Xue Yin?"
Shen Lang hurriedly replied to the King's question.
"I am wronged, Your Majesty! There was absolutely no such thing."
Zhu Wenhua said with a vicious expression.
"Shen Lang, the evidence is ironclad, yet you dare to deny it? Your Majesty, this subject has a witness."
The royal court was not a court of law, so it did not conduct trials. However, this matter was a grave issue related to the authority of the Great Yan Empire, and simply dismissing it could lead to serious repercussions. Because Emperor Jiang Li of the Great Qian Kingdom had attempted to overthrow the Great Yan Empire, he had been branded the greatest sinner in Eastern civilization for hundreds of years. The survivors who had been by his side all became wanted fugitives, and if caught, their nine generations of kin would be exterminated.
Xue Yin was Jiang Li's sworn sister and had been treated as a princess of the Great Qian Kingdom, which was why she was ranked fifth among the Great Yan Empire's most wanted fugitives. Anyone who dared to conspire with a wanted fugitive would have their nine generations of kin exterminated. A moment later, the witness entered. It was a warrior from Shen Lang's envoy party—a warrior of the State of Yue. Zhu Wenhua took out a portrait and said.
"You were a member of the envoy party. Look closely. Was he with this woman?"
The portrait was one drawn by the Great Yan Empire for the wanted notice over a decade ago, and it was relatively clear and realistic. The warrior from the envoy party nodded.
"That's right. It's her."