Chapter 437
Chapter 437
Several young censors from the Censorate, their blood boiling with righteous fervor, bypassed the Crown Prince at the royal palace and went directly to the King's northern retreat to plead their case. They knelt outside the retreat, desperately kowtowing and shouting.
“Your Majesty, I impeach Shen Lang!”
“Your Majesty, I impeach Shen Lang for his heinous treason.”
“Your Majesty, Shen Lang has committed thirteen grave sins.”
“Your Majesty, Shen Lang has committed the egregious crime of leading Qiang soldiers into the territory of Yue, allowing them to murder, burn, and pillage our people. He has killed the Central Commander of Tianxi Province without cause and slaughtered the official troops of Yue. This is an act of rebellion. We implore Your Majesty to immediately dispatch the Blackwater Terrace to arrest Shen Lang and execute him by slow slicing, the most severe punishment under the law!”
“Your Majesty, the people's anger will not be appeased unless Shen Lang is put to death!”
“Your Majesty, I risk my life to plead on behalf of the people. Shen Lang must be executed!”
Finally, King Ning Yuanxian erupted in a furious roar.
“Old man, go out there and beat them all to death! Beat them to a pulp! If you fail, I will hold you responsible.”
Whether in Wu or Yue, people were generally not punished merely for speaking their minds. Remember the fearless Censor-in-Chief from before? He had exposed the affair between Shen Lang and Princess Ning Yan in front of everyone, which led to her being placed under house arrest in Zhengzhong City, where she remained to this day. His actions were a series of resounding slaps to the royal family's face, a public humiliation. Even so, that Censor-in-Chief was not punished for his words but was later arrested on charges of corruption.
Since its inception, the Censorate had been an institution with the power to tear into anyone with rabid ferocity. And if a censor was caned for his accusations but was neither crippled nor killed? Congratulations. That man was destined for great popularity, soon to become an idol of the official society. Among the young censors of the Censorate, some may have been genuinely outraged, their hearts aching for the wrongful deaths of the people. But many more hurled accusations simply to gain popularity in official circles, hoping to defeat their opponents in verbal combat and secure a position for themselves.
They tore into others because there was no risk involved, and because Shen Lang had committed a crime worthy of divine punishment. Although Shen Lang had achieved a great victory by eliminating the main force of the Su Clan's rebel army, he had also committed the grave sin of recklessly bringing Qiang cavalry into Yue territory. The great disaster that Yue had suffered a hundred years ago after letting barbarians cross its borders was still fresh in people's minds. Besides, with the rebellion in Tianxi Province quelled, it was time to kill the hunting dog now that the rabbit was caught.
‘That idiot Shen Lang openly killed the Central Commander of Tianxi Province and attacked the court's official troops. Isn't he just asking for death? He's practically served his head on a platter for us. It would be rude not to take it.’
The young censors, determined to see Shen Lang dead, had stormed the northern retreat. But there, they were met by warriors as fierce as tigers. The warriors rushed forward, swiftly subduing the young censors, pulling down their trousers, and raising their canes to strike their buttocks. One of the young censors cried out in shock.
“Your Majesty, we are petitioning on behalf of the people! You must not trust this treacherous minister! Brothers, we have studied the classics for over a decade for this very day. Even if we meet our end today, Shen Lang, that traitor, must die. For the peace of the realm and for justice for the people... Aaargh!”
The censors, thinking they would only be caned, shouted their slogans with frantic energy. But the blows that fell were anything but ordinary.
*Crack.*
The first strike shattered a censor's pelvis. The second broke his femur. The third fractured his lumbar spine, robbing him of all feeling below the waist. The young censors were instantly terrified.
“Your Majesty, spare us!”
“Your Majesty, spare us, spare us…!”
“Your Majesty, we were wrong.”
With an icy expression, the Grand Eunuch Li Zhun turned his palm downward. At the signal, several guards struck the young censors hard on the head, killing them instantly. The onlookers dared not make a sound. At a gesture from Li Zhun, the guards dragged the four limp bodies of the young censors away.
***
“Your Majesty, they have all been beaten to death!”
“Good.”
Ning Yuanxian was holding a bowl of sweet rice balls, eating them slowly. After having the young censors beaten to death, he was no longer angry, and he seemed to have regained his composure. Such incidents were all too common in his life as a monarch. The court officials, and indeed most people in the world, were fools blinded by their immediate interests. He knew this, but when the censors came to his retreat with their excessively clumsy performance, the king could no longer contain his rage.
Ning Yuanxian spoke. “That scoundrel Shen Lang deserves a beating too. He's far too arrogant. What was that word he used before? To describe a foolish person?”
Li Zhun gestured for the court scribe to withdraw, as the following words were to be private, not official.
“He called him an ‘idiot.’”
“That's the one. That scoundrel Shen Lang is too arrogant. Yang Yongnian was a fool who deserved to die, but couldn't he have waited a little? Why kill him in front of everyone? And he even slaughtered thousands of Yang Yongnian's worthless troops. When someone tried to frame him, he didn't even bother to deny it. He just killed them and took the attitude of 'I did it, so what are you going to do about it?' That scoundrel is just too arrogant.”
Li Zhun replied with a smile.
“But thanks to him, Your Majesty has one less problem to worry about, does he not? You no longer have to trouble yourself with how to kill Yang Yongnian.”
Ning Yuanxian sneered.
“Would I trouble myself over him? I could kill a dog like Yang Yongnian with my eyes closed.”
Ning Yuanxian ate a few more sweet rice dumplings.
“What a mess. I was planning to reward that scoundrel, but now, instead of a reward, he deserves a few lashes when he returns. He committed the grave crime of killing a provincial governor without my decree. Send an edict to Shen Lang. Tell him to say he killed Yang Yongnian on my orders.”
Li Zhun bowed.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“But that scoundrel won't even be grateful for the edict. He never cared about rewards in the first place.”
“That is likely true. He stated clearly before that he was going to Tianxi Province solely for personal revenge and to eliminate the Su Clan, not to gain merit.”
Ning Yuanxian set the bowl of sweet rice dumplings down on the table.
“That scoundrel, that shameless rogue! He doesn't even care if I reward him. How impressive. What a remarkable talent!”
As he spoke, Ning Yuanxian's anger began to rise again. A genius like Shen Lang was moved by vengeance; fame and official titles could never entice him. He was so content playing the part of a live-in son-in-law at the Count of Xuanwu's estate that he showed no ambition to advance at all.
“Your Majesty, slanderous rumors about him are still circulating. They say that in the past, Su Nan's monopoly on diplomacy with the Qiang Kingdom led to his rebellion. Now, Shen Lang not only monopolizes diplomacy with the Qiang but also commands their entire army. People are saying his ambition is even greater than Su Nan's.”
“Hahaha!”
Ning Yuanxian laughed aloud, as if he had heard the most absurd joke in the world. Such words weren't even worth refuting.
“It would be better if that scoundrel had some ambition. With others, I worry about their ambition. With him, I worry that his lack of ambition will keep him from rising higher. Issue a decree telling that scoundrel not to provoke Zheng Tuo and to return quickly. Zheng Tuo is not as easy to deal with as Yang Yongnian. He has already occupied the Marquis of Zhenyuan's estate and commands an army of twenty thousand. He will be a tough opponent. I will deal with him slowly. The current priority is to stabilize Tianxi Province to dissuade the State of Chu from any foolish ideas, and then to negotiate with the State of Wu. Tell that scoundrel Shen Lang to come back at once. If he stays there, he might suffer an unexpected and great loss.”
Li Zhun asked, “Then what should be done about his current infamy?”
Right now, Shen Lang was being condemned by all, with everyone clamoring for his death.
“Does that scoundrel even care about his reputation?”
Hearing this, Li Zhun nodded. Shen Lang had once tried to sneak into a brothel under a disguise, but he lacked the courage to go through with it. As a result, that scoundrel Shen Lang came to be mistaken by countless people as someone who lacked prowess in bed. Yet, he never offered any explanation for the matter and didn't even care that such rumors were circulating. Would a man who didn't care about that kind of talk care about any other reputation? Unlikely. Shen Lang's skin was thicker than a castle wall.
“Li Zhun, what do you think about annulling Ning Yan's marriage and wedding her to Shen Lang?”
At Ning Yuanxian's sudden question, the Grand Eunuch Li Zhun bowed his head low.
“This servant dares not say.”
Ning Yuanxian waved his hand dismissively.
“Never mind, never mind. Let's not speak of it! I will deal with Zheng Tuo. Issue the decree and tell that scoundrel Shen Lang to return at once.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Just then, a warrior from the Blackwater Terrace rushed into the retreat.
“Your Majesty, a secret letter from the Elder Princess Ning Jue!”
The King was startled.
‘Why another secret letter? Two of them?’
The King opened the first letter and stared at its contents in disbelief.