Chapter 345
Chapter 345
“But what’s this about Shen Lang and Ning Yan?”
“This servant does not know.”
“Seize that dissolute whelp, lock him in the palace, and give him three lashes. The frivolous, debauched scoundrel. A married man, a son-in-law living in another’s house, no less, yet he dares to trifle with other women. If not for his butterfly-like nature, flitting from flower to flower, if he hadn’t willingly tried to seduce He Wanwan, would any of this have happened today? Three days in the high court prison is not enough for the likes of him. He needs to be locked up for a year and a half to learn his place.”
“Your Majesty speaks with the utmost wisdom. The man’s profligacy is astonishing to all who hear of it, and just recently, he became the laughingstock of the capital.”
“What kind of laughingstock?”
“It seems that, being so far from his wife and with his concubine at home pregnant, he couldn't bear it any longer and tried to visit a brothel. He even disguised himself and went in secret, but apparently, he couldn't overcome his guilt toward his wife. He paced back and forth four or five times but couldn't bring himself to spend the night there. Then one day, Princess Ning Yan recognized him and called out his name, exposing his identity. From that day on, Shen Lang became the butt of every joke in the capital. Everyone says he’s… not up to the task in that department.”
“Hahaha!”
Hearing of Shen Lang's embarrassing predicament, the king couldn't help but roar with laughter. Then he started cursing again.
“What a frivolous and absurd man. Jin Zhuo must have truly been blind to take such a lecher as his son-in-law.”
“Indeed. I have never in my life seen or heard of someone so thick-skinned and shameless.”
The Grand Eunuch desperately slandered Shen Lang. His underlying message was that while one could believe such a dissolute man would harm someone or try to seduce He Wanwan, one could never believe he would try to incite factional strife between the Third Prince and the Crown Prince in Xuanwu City a year ago. The more Li Jun insulted him, the more Shen Lang’s name would be cleared of the greater suspicion.
“Let’s go. To the palace!”
The king closed his eyes and composed himself. This incident would serve as a warning to Su Nan, so arresting Su Jianting wasn't a bad move. But could he use this to take down Su Nan immediately? Impossible. If he could have, he would have done so long ago. The king then began to calmly analyze the gains and losses.
In the end, he reached a conclusion. He absolutely could not move against Su Nan until the great war with the State of Nan'ou was over. Su Jianting could be arrested, but not killed. Su Nan’s authority could be stripped, but he could not be removed from his position. If he moved against Su Nan, the Su Clan would do something worse than rebellion. The most terrifying possibility was that the State of Jiang would immediately intervene in the war with Nan'ou or lead its armies to plunder the State of Yue.
The Su Clan was different from the Jin Clan. The Jin Clan had only one talent, Jin Mulan; Jin Mucong was just a fat idiot. In contrast, the Su Clan was overflowing with talent. Su Nan presided over the grand strategy in the royal court, while his wife and several brothers held immense power in Zhenyuan City, controlling it completely. The two sides coordinated with each other from afar.
The king clenched his fists. The thought of being unable to take down that old fox Su Nan right now was truly galling. He had to replace the Governor of Tianxi Province and the Prefect of Baiye Commandery. He had to boil the frog in warm water. First, he would surround the Su Clan’s territory, then gradually strip Su Nan of his power in the court, taking two or three years to completely neutralize him. Damn the State of Jiang and its king. If not for those bandits, why would I be so hesitant to deal with that old fox?
The king suddenly spoke.
“Old man, in your view, why do you think Su Nan, who was doing just fine as a vicious local tyrant in Tianxi Province, tried so hard to enter the royal court?”
“Your Majesty, eunuchs should not interfere in matters of state.”
“Speak when you are told.”
“I believe he feared he would lose control of the grand strategy if he stayed away from the court for too long. Whether it was the officialdom of Tianxi Province or the diplomatic situation with the State of Jiang, he needed to control it all. With one foot in the court and the other on the frontier, they can coordinate from a distance.”
Was it not so? The Zhong Clan was the same. They had split their power, with one branch in the Western Pacification Command and the other serving as the Vice Commissioner of the Bureau of Military Affairs in the court.
“Damn the State of Jiang! If it weren’t for them, I would have taken down Su Nan today!”
The king couldn’t help but grind his teeth.
* * *
“Ah… Aaargh!”
Inside a Blackwater Terrace prison, another commander, Yan Chichang, was torturing Yan Meiyi. Yan Meiyi was suffering a cruel twist of fate. He had once recited the names of various brutal tortures to Shen Lang as if reading from a menu, and now he was experiencing every single one of them himself. There wasn’t a single patch of unscathed flesh on his body, and the endless agony made him wish he could just die on the spot.
“Did you collude with the Su Clan? Did you really not know that Su Jianting and He Wanwan were meeting?”
The Blackwater Terrace commander, Yan Meiyi, trembled, his voice choked.
“Brother, haven’t I already confessed ten times? I knew the Su Clan was using He Wanwan to frame Shen Lang, and I turned a blind eye. I did it for Lady Xue Li’s revenge. I truly know nothing else. I did not collude with the Su Clan.”
He was telling the truth. Yan Meiyi had powerful backers: the Grand Commander of the Blackwater Terrace, Yan Ye; the Xue Clan of the Count of Wu'an's Estate; and the Third Prince. While he never intended to get deeply involved with the Su Clan, once he knew they were plotting against Shen Lang, he provided them with as much convenience as possible. After all, Shen Lang was also an enemy of the Xue Clan, and his master had long wanted to crush the Jin Clan, flay Shen Lang, and rip out his tendons.
The other commander looked at the eunuch and asked.
“Lord Li, what are your thoughts?”
The eunuch’s name was Li En, known as Young Lord Li. He was Li Jun’s sworn brother, and since they shared the same adoptive father, Li Mu, he was treated like an ancestor within the Blackwater Terrace. Li En knew the king’s intentions, so he didn’t probe any deeper after the question. It was enough to confirm that the Su Clan had not infiltrated the Blackwater Terrace.
Li En said.
“If that’s what he says, then that’s what it is. What else can be done? I will return to make my report. You are to proceed with the clan’s punishment without delay.”
“Yes!”
Yan Chichang bowed in response. After Eunuch Li En left, Yan Meiyi spoke.
“Brother, you must tell my adoptive father and the clan head. I never betrayed them. I only pretended not to know that the Su Clan was harming Shen Lang. I did it because I wanted to serve the Xue Clan.”
Yan Chichang said.
“Say no more. I know.”
“Brother, I know I am going to die. For the sake of our brotherhood, please look after my family.”
“My brother, that is not possible. The king has issued a decree to execute your entire family.”
Yan Meiyi flinched and said.
“Shen Lang’s subordinate captured my wife and son. Haven’t they been released yet?”
“They were released two hours ago. Gao Duhuan said he would release them after receiving a ransom of one hundred million gold coins from you.”
Yan Meiyi could no longer hold back and screamed.
“Shen Lang! You bastard!”
‘Before, you captured my family and said you’d keep them if I didn’t pay the ransom, and now that the king has ordered their execution, you send them back? Damn you, Gao Duhuan! Damn your one hundred million gold coins!’
“My brother, it is time to carry out the punishment. Try to bear it.”
Yan Meiyi had to endure the Blackwater Terrace’s most brutal punishment—the clan’s law. To be flayed alive and hung from a flagpole.
“Brother, give me some numbing powder. Your younger brother cannot possibly endure this.”
“I am sorry. Only by hearing your wretched screams will the king’s anger be appeased. Endure it, for the sake of the Xue Clan and the Blackwater Terrace!”
Tears streamed down Yan Meiyi’s face. He was afraid of dying, but dying like this was far more terrifying. A moment later, a bloodcurdling scream erupted from the Blackwater Terrace prison. It was so loud it could be heard clearly from a great distance. Such sounds were likely the source of the rumors that ghosts wailed eternally within the Blackwater Terrace.
A short while later, a new banner was hung on the flagpole. At the same time, the remaining eight members of Commander Yan Meiyi’s family knelt in a row.
“Execute them.”
The order was given, swords were raised, and heads rolled to the ground. All twenty-three members of Yan Meiyi’s family were dead. The bloody scene made everyone tremble.
*Unnecessary meddling leads to the death of one’s entire family.*
Before he died, Yan Meiyi had repeatedly screamed the same words.
“Grand Commander, Adoptive Father, Clan Head! Kill Shen Lang and avenge me!”
After shouting this dozens of times, he died a gruesome death.
* * *
The Marquis of Zhenyuan’s Estate.
Several hours earlier, Su Nan had received news of the trial—even faster than the king. The moment he heard it, his entire body froze like a statue. He was utterly stunned.
*How could this whelp be so formidable? To think his schemes ran so deep. Could he truly have calculated all of this? Did he know I would use He Wanwan to harm him and counterattacked accordingly? Vicious! This man is too vicious, and I, Su Nan, was too hasty. If only I hadn’t made the first move, he would never have been able to wound me.*
*He has almost no power in the court, so he could only seize the opportunity to strike back the moment I acted. Now, not only have I failed to kill Shen Lang, but my Su Clan has been dragged into the mire. My son, Su Jianting, has been branded with the crime of outrageously violating He Wanwan. Of course, it is a crime confirmed only in the king’s mind, not a public one, but that is what makes it most fatal.*
*Originally, He Wanwan was a fatal flaw for Shen Lang, and I intended to exploit it thoroughly. But now, the act of framing Li Wenzheng for cursing the Crown Prince to incite intense factional strife has been turned back on me, becoming my conspiracy. The bigger problem is that this conclusion perfectly aligns with what the king would imagine. This accusation… I won’t be able to shake it. Shen Lang, that dreadful bastard, is truly remarkable. He killed three birds with one stone. What should I do now? What do I do?*
Marquis Su Nan sat there, stock-still, not moving a muscle.
*Have I to act now, when not all preparations are complete? I have yet to finish laying the groundwork in the states of Wu and Chu. If I move now, the Su Clan will suffer greater losses. No. There is no need to rush! Ning Yuanxian will, at most, come for Su Jianting. He would not dare touch me. As long as the bandit-like army of the State of Jiang exists, he cannot touch me recklessly. If he moves against me, not only will Tianxi Province fall into chaos, but the armies of Jiang will invade and plunder the State of Yue or interfere in the war with Nan'ou. Ning Yuanxian cannot bear such consequences.*
*The King of Jiang and I, Su Nan, are now bound by a common fate. If I fall, the State of Jiang will also suffer immense losses. I can still remain in the capital for some time, so I will calmly continue to set my pieces. As long as the State of Jiang exists, Ning Yuanxian will not dare to touch me.*
*Shen Lang, from now on, you and the Jin Clan will face my fiercer and more direct attacks. I will show you what a grand strategy truly is. I will ensure that you and the Jin Clan will not even have a place to be buried when you die.*
But just then!
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
The main gates of the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s Estate were violently smashed open, and countless warriors of the Blackwater Terrace poured in like a tidal wave.
“We are here to arrest Su Jianting! Anyone who dares to stand in our way will be killed on sight, no matter who they are! Marquis Su Nan, His Majesty commands your presence.”