Chapter 332
Chapter 332
“Lord Zhang, will that be enough to bring down Su Nan?”
“It will be enough to earn the King's personal enmity, but it won't be sufficient to sway public opinion.”
“I have prepared something else. I will provoke the King's wrath using a past transgression of the Su Clan's ancestors.”
“Isn't that also a personal grudge? To topple any man of power, you need a just cause.”
Shen Lang nodded. That was certainly true. To make Su Nan fall from grace in the court, provoking the King's private resentment was important, but creating a just cause was equally crucial. After all, it had to be a crime that sounded heinous to anyone who heard it. Su Nan was the Junior Tutor to the Crown Prince, a Grand General, and the Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs—a giant of the court.
“If it's a just cause you need to bring him down, I have one. And I have irrefutable evidence.”
Shen Lang was taken aback by Zhang Chong's words.
“I was the one who spearheaded the new policies, but my true target was never the Count of Xuanwu's Estate—it was the Marquis of Zhenyuan's Estate. The Su Clan is the leader of the old, established nobility. Only by striking him down can the new policies gain true significance. In truth, the King only moved against the Jin Clan because he couldn't touch the Su Clan. Thirteen days… we still have thirteen days left! That decisive battle between you and Su Nan will be a risky one, and you have no allies in the court! Let's do this. I'll join you.”
“Join me? You mean you'll join me in my desperate struggle against Su Nan?”
“After all, did I not take up the vanguard of the new policies under His Majesty's command?”
At that moment, Shen Lang bowed deeply, expressing his sincere gratitude.
“Thank you, Lord Zhang.”
***
Go Duhwan’s sharp sword was aimed at Xu Qianqian’s neck, poised to strike her down.
‘Principles? What's the point of sticking to principles at a time like this?’
He tried several times to bring the sword down on her head. But his arm felt as if it had turned to stone, refusing to move. Xu Qianqian continued to speak.
“What is it that you want? My man can give you whatever you desire.”
“Shut up. Shut your mouth.”
Go Duhwan said, his voice hoarse.
‘I've killed countless people in my life, so what's the big deal about killing one woman? The vow to kill only villains and spare the old, the young, and the women was just a slogan I made for myself. Did I really believe it? Saman Ya of the West, Go Duhwan of the East. We're all just villains. Are you still pretending to be a saint? Kill her. Kill her and the mission is complete.’
After mustering his courage for a long while, Go Duhwan swung the sword in his hand with all his might.
*CRACK.*
A piece of Xu Qianqian's headboard was splintered, but not a single strand of her hair was cut.
“Aaargh!”
Go Duhwan roared in frustration, but still, he could not bring himself to act.
“You, get the hell back to the Count of Xuanwu's Estate.”
He immediately turned, intending to take the plaque that read ‘A gentle hand that saves the world’ and leave. But Xu Qianqian followed after him, asking.
“Go Duhwan, what is it that you want?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Go to the capital and find Shen Lang. That scumbag is an incredible man; he can surely get you whatever you want.”
Damn it! Just a moment ago, she was calling him ‘my man’ in every other sentence, and now he's a ‘scumbag’. Xu Qianqian, don't you change your tune a little too fast? Women were so pragmatic. Use them when you need them, then toss them aside when you're done. Go Duhwan was already out the door, but Xu Qianqian stubbornly followed him.
“Go Duhwan, don't go.”
Go Duhwan was about to explode in anger.
“Hey! Woman, don't push your luck. Chasing after me and trying to stop me from leaving—are you not afraid of death?”
Xu Qianqian said earnestly.
“Go Duhwan, we are both pitiful people living in darkness. Qiu Yao'er saved me, but you still need someone to save you. I don't know what a hero like you is going through, but please, won't you go find Shen Lang? He will help you.”
Go Duhwan snarled, his voice thick with rage.
“I need no one's help.”
Then, with a push of his foot, he vanished without a trace.
***
In the capital of the State of Yue.
“Zhang Chong is alive?”
The King asked, his voice filled with incredulous wonder. Grand Eunuch Yeo Jun reported.
“It is the truth, Your Majesty. Shen Lang saved him. His fever has broken, and he has regained consciousness.”
“To think that boy possesses such profound medical skill... It is truly unbelievable.”
“Indeed, Your Majesty. Carbuncles have always been an incurable ailment, yet he managed to treat it.”
The King recalled his first wife. She, too, had died of carbuncles.
‘If Shen Lang had been there then, she might not have died. But even if he had cured the carbuncles, she still would have died of a broken heart. Shen Lang… first he treated Ning Luo, then Ning Yan, and now he's even treated Zhang Chong. His medical skills are truly divine.’
The King issued a royal decree.
“Do not let this matter be widely known. Treat it as if Zhang Chong never suffered from carbuncles. And go to the Ministry of Justice and kill all the guards and jailers who were in charge of Zhang Chong.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The King held a royal decree he had prepared earlier. He had intended to issue it immediately upon Zhang Chong's death. But now, this decree was no longer needed.
“Draft a new decree. The case regarding Zhang Chong's embezzlement of the state treasury was pure slander and a fabricated rumor. Arrest those involved in framing Zhang Chong. He is innocent and shall be released, his official post restored.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Grand Eunuch Yeo Jun immediately kowtowed and received the command. His voice even trembled slightly. The King naturally glanced at him and said.
“Do you perhaps find my decision strange?”
“N-no, Your Majesty.”
Yeo Jun was loyal only to the King, and he held a particular fondness for officials who were also loyal to the King. Therefore, he had been greatly distressed by the unjust suffering Zhang Chong had endured. But a eunuch could not interfere in state affairs, and his every word and action had to be in accordance with the King's will. So, for the past half-year, he hadn't dared to speak a word in Zhang Chong's defense. Now that Zhang Chong was finally being restored to his original post, he was overcome with emotion.
***
Grand Eunuch Yeo Jun went to the Zhang residence to deliver the royal decree.
“The case of Zhang Chong's embezzlement of the state treasury was purely slander and a baseless affair. He is found innocent and is to be released, and his original post restored. By His Majesty's Command!”
Zhang Chong, his body emaciated, prostrated himself on the floor and said in a trembling voice,
“This servant thanks Your Majesty for his grace!”
Grand Eunuch Yeo Jun stepped forward to help him up.
“Lord Zhang, please rest well. His Majesty needs a minister like you by his side.”
Zhang Chong cupped his hands in a salute.
“Thank you, Eunuch Yeo.”
Yeo Jun gave Zhang Chong's hand, as thin and withered as a dry branch, a firm squeeze before departing.
***
News of Zhang Chong's reinstatement spread through the entire court in an instant. Many who heard the news let out worried sighs.
‘One can truly never know a man's future. For the past half-year, Zhang Chong had been the most wretched man in the State of Yue. Imprisoned in the dungeons of the Ministry of Justice for no reason, everyone thought he would never get out. What's more, he was gravely ill and seemed on the verge of death. But now, not only has he survived, he has even regained his official post. He has truly risen from the brink of death.’
Thus, the Censorate gained another Grand Master of the Right. The Censor-in-Chief, Wang Seungchu, frowned, hoping Zhang Chong would know his place and lie low.
‘That position of yours is just a temporary placeholder. Don't you dare think the rolling stone can displace the one that's set. The Censorate has room for only one voice, one leader, and that is I, Wang Seungchu.’
***
Two days later, the King left the capital, ready to travel to the border for a summit battle with the King of Wu. This summit battle was a unique kind of contest. The states of Wu and Yue had long been engaged in major wars. But over twenty years ago, following the upheaval in Yanzhou, Bian Wu led an army of a hundred thousand to defect to Yue, leading to a great defeat for Wu. Since then, Wu had been in a period of recovery and had not initiated any large-scale wars. However, the two nations constantly clashed at the border, continuing their skirmishes. It was human nature to be belligerent from birth; it couldn't be helped.
The two nations could not get along and always sought to determine a victor. But since they couldn't fight a real war, what were they to do? In the end, the kings of both nations decided to hold summit battles at the border. These contests were divided into civil and martial competitions. For the civil part, the two kings would play a game of Go. For the martial part, the elite cavalry of both nations would face off in an open field. This was an old tradition among the nobility.
Wu and Yue held a summit battle once every five years. In the last one, Yue had won a great victory, enhancing its national prestige. Ning Yuanxian was an excellent Go player and had crushed the King of Wu every time. Yue's cavalry also defeated Wu's cavalry every time. For a full twenty years, the result had always been the same, yet Ning Yuanxian never tired of it and always enjoyed the summit. He was a man of great vanity. It was a shame he couldn't show the world that he, Ning Yuanxian, was brilliant in both civil and martial pursuits, and that his State of Yue was the true hegemon of the south.
This year, he was particularly obsessed with winning the summit battle. The war to suppress the rebellion in the Southern Ou Kingdom had already been raging for over a year, and the tide of battle was currently turning against them, with no signs of improvement. The King had sent an army of two hundred and fifty thousand to the Southern Ou Kingdom on multiple occasions, but those vicious Four Barbarian Tribes seemed endless, no matter how many were killed. Moreover, that damned Prince Gong was growing more formidable with each battle, even beginning to show glimpses of a brilliant monarch's qualities.
What was more frightening was that as the war intensified, the relationship between the Southern Ou Kingdom and the Four Barbarian Tribes grew closer. The vicious tribesmen were beginning to hold Prince Gong in higher esteem, even showing signs of wanting to accept him as the leader of the Four Barbarian Tribes. At such a critical time, the King desperately needed constant victories to bolster the prestige of his nation and himself.
He had exaggerated the victory gained from sending an envoy to the State of Jiang into an unparalleled achievement, and this summit battle between kings was even more important. If he could defeat the King of Wu at the summit, he could properly boast to the world that his State of Yue had once again defeated the great state of Wu, making the Southern Ou rebellion seem like a mere stumbling block, not even worth mentioning.
For Ning Yuanxian, this summit battle with Wu was not just a diplomatic war, but also a political and military one. It was a war he had to win, not one he could afford to lose!
The Third Prince accompanied the King on his expedition, while the Crown Prince remained in the capital. Bian Wu, Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs; Zhong E, Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau; and Nangong Ao also accompanied him. Su Nan, another Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs, stayed behind to guard the capital. Previously, Su Nan had desperately tried to curry favor with the King, loath to leave his side for even a moment, but for some reason, he did not accompany him this time.