Chapter 347
Chapter 347
Ning Yuanxian replied with a smile.
“Old Master Su, asking the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to serve as the Prefect of Baiye would be a demotion of half a rank, wouldn't it? And though Wang Jiegui was dismissed, he once served as the Magistrate of Wannian County. Appointing him Lord of Zhenyuan City would be a demotion of two or three ranks.”
“This old servant was merely making a recommendation. They are officials who have committed crimes; they will not have any complaints about a demotion of one or two ranks.”
Su Nan rarely spoke in the royal court and never interfered in matters outside his jurisdiction, always letting his faction take the lead. This time, however, he repeatedly brought up a matter that was not his concern, seemingly trying to give the impression that he had grown dull with age.
The King said with a smile.
“Old Master Su's proposal is not bad. We shall consider it carefully. Guards, escort Old Master Su back to his estate.”
The younger Eunuch Lü, leading four other eunuchs, personally escorted Su Nan back to the Marquis of Zhenyuan's estate. After Su Nan left, the King's face instantly turned as cold as ice. Eunuch Lü Zhun immediately gestured for all the other eunuchs to withdraw. He then bowed low, his head deeply lowered. His meaning was clear.
*‘Your Majesty, you may now unleash your anger. Whether you wish to throw things or curse, this slave has prepared for everything.’*
The King asked with a furious laugh.
“Old man, what are you trying to do now? Do I look like an incompetent and foolish monarch in your eyes, one who vents his anger by smashing porcelain vases and breaking tables?”
Lü Zhun kowtowed and replied.
“This slave would not dare to think so. Your Majesty is truly wise and brilliant.”
The King did not vent his anger. Instead, he sat down and let out a constant stream of cold sneers.
“Interesting, very interesting. So the old fox finally shows his teeth. How dare he pretend to be senile? Acting like a submissive old dog, only to finally bare his fangs at Us. Does he think We can do nothing to him?”
At that moment, the new policies he had planned came to mind. If the new policies had not been thwarted and had been implemented with fiery momentum, he would have swept away all obstacles with fierce force and seized absolute power.
“Where is Shen Lang now?”
“He is tied up in a room within the palace.”
“Was he flogged three times?”
“Yes, he was.”
The King asked coldly.
“Hmph! Did he wear that soft armor again while being struck?”
Lü Zhun lowered his head and said.
“No, Your Majesty. Princess Ning Yan stood in the way, so the servants did not dare to strike him.”
The King was instantly enraged.
*‘I warned Shen Lang multiple times not to sleep with Princess Ning Yan, and yet this wretched bastard still did it?! I’ll kill you with my own hands.’*
* * *
The King stormed into a room in the palace. Three eunuchs followed behind him, whips in hand. As soon as the King entered, Ning Yan immediately knelt.
“Royal Father, it's true that I slept with Shen Lang, but it wasn't his fault. I pounced on him myself. Of course, it wasn't entirely my doing either. That wretched Yun Mengze drugged the wine we drank. Shen Lang is a victim, and so am I. It's all that wretched Yun Mengze's fault.”
*Sigh! This woman! When she was weak and exhausted, she called him ‘brother’ with every other word, but now she mercilessly blames everything on Yun Mengze. But could the King of Yue punish Yun Mengze? Of course not. Although Yun Mengze held the powerless position of the Empire's envoy in the State of Yue, he was still a man of the Great Yan Empire. Ning Yan knew this well, which was why she desperately shifted all the blame onto him.*
*‘Stud horse, they say the more capable a person is, the more work they get. I’m counting on you.’*
The King was so angry he felt like he would faint. He looked at Shen Lang again and saw him sound asleep, tied to a chair with silk ropes.
*‘You’re even sleeping?’*
“Splash water on that bastard and wake him up.”
As the King gave the furious command, before a nearby eunuch could act, Ning Yan picked up a bowl of warm water and splashed it on Shen Lang's face.
“You human trash, stop sleeping and get up!”
Shen Lang awoke with a startled jolt. The King spoke in a chilling voice.
“Well, Young Master Shen, are you awake?”
Shen Lang was startled and tried to stand up to pay his respects, only to realize he was tied to the chair. He said awkwardly.
“Your Majesty, this humble servant's body is bound, so I cannot perform the proper courtesies. Please forgive me.”
The King said coldly.
“Shen Lang, what are your intentions regarding Ning Yan?”
“This humble servant will never again dishonor the Third Princess. As for what happened before, I will consider it, think of it, and act as if nothing ever happened.”
*‘Huh? Did I say something wrong? Why does the King look even angrier?’*
“Throw that bastard in the ice cellar! It seems he's too comfortable here.”
Shen Lang was thrown into the ice cellar. Now, only the King and Ning Yan remained in the room. The King asked her.
“Ning Yan, what are your intentions?”
“I have no particular intentions. I'll pretend nothing happened, and we'll continue to be like siblings.”
“Shen Lang is already the son-in-law of the Marquis of Xuanwu's Estate. He cannot have any future with you.”
“I never intended to have a future with anyone in the first place. It was just an accident.”
“Shall I take you to your husband's home in the Great Yan Empire instead?”
Ning Yan shouted in refusal.
“No! I'd rather die than go there. I will never see that disgusting man again. The heir to a dignified prince, acting like he fancies other men's backsides. Royal Father, you think my being in the capital is a disgrace, but do you think it won't be a disgrace if I go to Yanjing? Is there truly no place for me to stay here in the capital?”
As Ning Yan spoke, tears streamed down her face, and she couldn't hold them back. The King, his face cold and hard, wanted to force Ning Yan to go to Yanjing, but he couldn't bring himself to say the words. He was truly suppressing a belly full of rage. Su Jianting had already fled, and that old fox Su Nan had finally bared his teeth at him. And now, his daughter and Shen Lang had further stoked his anger.
“Don't give Shen Lang any extra clothes. Let that wretched bastard freeze to death.”
The King gave this order in a rage. The ice cellar was normally used for storing ice, so its temperature was extremely low.
* * *
The next day, during the morning court session, the atmosphere was ripe for another fierce battle. Su Nan had to be impeached. Even if they couldn't bring him down, they had to strip him of his power and isolate him. First, they needed to tear away his faction within the court so he could never cause trouble again. The Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, Wang Shengchu, was once again ready to tear into someone. Having understood the King's intentions, he had already written a long memorial of impeachment. Su Nan wielded immense power, so the lower-ranking officials of the Censorate didn't dare to impeach him directly. Even if they did, their accusations were like scratches that didn't even itch. Wang Shengchu, on the other hand, was a master of intrigue who would tear into anyone at the drop of a hat, and he listened only to the King.
*‘If His Majesty tells me to tear into someone, I’ll tear into them. If His Majesty doesn’t specify who to tear into, I’ll tear into whomever I please.’*
Because of this personality, Shen Lang had never made a move against him.
*‘This master of intrigue is the King’s man; it’s not easy to act against him.’*
Today, two high-ranking censors had prepared memorials to impeach Su Nan. Moreover, these were not minor matters that would feel like a mere scratch.
**
Zhang Chong looked at Wang Shengchu and said.
“Your rank is higher, so please, you go first.”
The Censor-in-Chief Wang Shengchu did not refuse and was about to step forward to impeach Su Nan. But then, a Palace Censor stepped forward.
“This servant has a memorial to present.”
At that moment, Censor-in-Chief Wang Shengchu's expression changed drastically.
*‘Is there a traitor among us? Has my control over the Censorate been compromised?’*
In the past, when he had called for the impeachment of Shen Lang and the Jin Clan, everyone in the Censorate had gone along with it. But now, when asked to impeach Su Nan, they all feigned ignorance and prepared memorials that were as effective as a scratch that didn't itch. And now someone even dared to jump the queue?
The King frowned and shot a cold glare at Wang Shengchu.
*‘How have you been managing the Censorate?’*
But since someone had stepped forward to present a memorial, it was not something he could stop.
“Speak!”
The Palace Censor, Lin Bingzhong, spoke.
“This servant impeaches Shen Lang. The live-in son-in-law of the Marquis of Xuanwu's Estate, through his indecent conduct, seduced the Third Princess, Ning Yan, and stole her virtue. He has sullied the reputation of our State of Yue's royal family, and I fear that Prince Lian of the Empire will be greatly angered.”
Hearing this, everyone stared at Palace Censor Lin Bingzhong in stunned disbelief.
The King, too, was shocked, staring at the Palace Censor with incredulous eyes.
*‘This Palace Censor is merely a sixth-rank official; if not for his duties, he wouldn't even be qualified to attend the morning court. How dare a man like him expose a royal scandal? Does your faction think Our sword isn't sharp? Do you truly believe We will not kill you? Why are you not afraid? How dare a mere sixth-rank censor jump out to block the sword aimed at Su Nan? Are you trying to take Shen Lang down with you? Shen Lang, you wretched bastard, look what you’ve done.’*
A momentary silence swept through the hall; no one dared to respond to his words. It was a royal scandal, a private matter by nature. For such a scandal to be exposed in the royal court... The King had originally intended to downplay the matter between Shen Lang and Ning Yan, or even treat it as if it never happened, and send Ning Yan to the Great Yan Empire at an opportune time. He planned to imprison Shen Lang for a few days to teach him a lesson. But once this affair was made public, Shen Lang's crime would become immense. Even if he wasn't killed, he would have to be punished severely enough to be skinned alive.
The key was what stance Prince Lian of the Empire would take. If he became enraged, not even the King could protect Shen Lang's life. However, Yun Mengze's family had a close relationship with Prince Lian, so he must have been able to do this because he had a good grasp of how Prince Lian would react. A good grasp? Yun Mengze doted on Ning Yan. He had already devised a way for Ning Yan to have an amicable divorce from her husband and for Prince Lian to adopt her as his foster daughter. Prince Lian felt he had wronged Ning Yan, which was why her marriage had been so unhappy. And now, some fearless fool from the Censorate had appeared to expose the affair between Shen Lang and Ning Yan.
*‘Truly a man who does not fear death. I can understand you wanting to harm Shen Lang, but to drag the royal family into this... is your neck so tough that a blade cannot cut it? What on earth did Su Nan promise you to make you so fearless in the face of death?’*