Chapter 453
Chapter 453
At this point, the first step in building up Ning Zheng's power was to normalize his status. Right now, his position was anything but normal. The dignified son of a king held no title, had almost no servants to attend to him, and was married to the daughter of a mere merchant. Not only that, but every time there was a celebration at the palace, Ning Zheng was absent. It wasn't that he didn't want to go, but that the King wouldn't let him. He was not only a stutterer but was also considered a bad omen, so King Ning Yuanxian utterly despised the Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng, believing his presence at celebrations would disgrace the royal family. Given these circumstances, normalizing his status had to begin with him receiving a title.
Typically, a king's son would be enfeoffed as a duke. In Ning Zheng's case, being made a marquis would be more than enough. That would allow him to establish his own administration and appoint officials, enabling him to build a power base loyal to him. Once Ning Zheng had a title and could establish his own administration, the second phase would be to organize his subordinate forces. After that, he would enter the third phase. Ning Zheng's forces would capture everyone's attention, creating one miracle after another and accumulating merits, reminding the world just how remarkable Ning Zheng was. King Ning Yuanxian would see him in a new light and change his perception of him.
Finally, the fourth step would be for the Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng, to replace the Crown Prince and the Third Prince, becoming the new Crown Prince himself. Once that mission was complete, Shen Lang would be more or less free of enemies in the world. He could then gracefully retire from his official duties and return to the Marquis of Xuanwu's Estate to enjoy a life of wealth and glory. He would build a great ship using advanced technology, take his beloved Mulan to travel halfway around the world, and spend his days in shameless intimacy, making babies. However, accomplishing this mission would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
Why say it was more difficult than ascending to the heavens again? The first time, escaping the life-or-death crisis of the new government in Xuanwu City was said to be harder than ascending to the heavens. The second time, eliminating the Su Clan was also said to be harder than ascending to the heavens. And now, this was too? It truly was. Eliminating the Crown Prince and the Third Prince while installing the Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng, as the new Crown Prince was utterly unimaginable. The stutterer Ning Zheng becoming the Crown Prince? Was that even possible? It was such an incredibly difficult task that if he managed to pull it off, even Shen Lang would feel an immense sense of accomplishment. Of course, the most important thing for Shen Lang wasn't how much he had to suffer, but creating a world where he had no enemies.
* * *
The two-thousand-strong army of the Tianyue Commandery still surrounded the Fifth Prince's residence, preventing anyone from entering or leaving. After Shen Lang's return, Bing'er thankfully calmed down enough to sleep. Jin Mucong was not at home. He had gone to the Court of the Imperial Clan to see the Grand Steward, Ning You. Jin Mucong knew he was an insignificant person and that saving the Fifth Prince was impossible from the start. But just because it was impossible didn't mean he wouldn't even try. So for the past three days, he had been wasting his time inside the Court of the Imperial Clan.
Shen Lang examined the baby in Bing'er's womb and found it to be very healthy. However, because the mother had been in a state of extreme fear and anxiety, the fetus had been slightly affected. The baby in Bing'er's belly was a girl. Most of the time, she was a quiet child, but occasionally she would become very active, punching or kicking her mother's belly. Shen Lang gently caressed the baby through the skin of the womb. Only after sleeping for more than ten hours did Bing'er finally wake up. She first washed her face, then burrowed back into Shen Lang's arms.
"Young Master, after we rescue the Fifth Prince, can we go back home? I don't like the capital at all."
Shen Lang didn't like the capital either. He had originally planned to send Bing'er back to Xuanwu City, but now her belly was too big, and the constant travel would be detrimental to both mother and child. At this point, it was better for her to give birth here, stay until the child was at least a year old, and then send them back to their home in Xuanwu. It wasn't advisable for such a young child to undertake a long journey.
Bing'er spoke in an anxious tone.
"What happened to Gaga and Huihui? They say Great Eunuch Zheng's compound is a very scary place."
"Bing'er, don't worry. As soon as we rescue His Highness, the Fifth Prince, we'll bring the two children straight home."
* * *
Inside the Court of the Imperial Clan.
Jin Mucong stood motionless in the courtyard, but the Grand Steward, Ning You, had no intention of seeing him. Jin Mucong was so insignificant that he wasn't even on Ning You's radar. Although he was the heir to the Marquis of Xuanwu's Estate, everyone in the capital knew that the decision-maker for the Jin Clan was Shen Lang. Jin Mucong was the epitome of someone whose low status caused him to be ignored. No one paid any attention to what he said, yet he continued to stand there. At night, when he grew too tired, he would sit on the ground to sleep, and someone would bring him a blanket.
The next day, Jin Mucong was standing there again, obstructing the view of the Grand Steward, Ning You, the King's uncle. That stubbornness of his seemed very much like Jin Zhuo's. After continuing this for some days, the Grand Steward, Ning You, finally spoke to him.
"Jin Mucong, go home. Nothing you say will change the grand scheme of things. Wait for Shen Lang to return. But even when he does, it will be useless. He won't be able to save Ning Zheng. To kill three court officials, two administrators, and the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review in front of everyone—such a thing is unheard of. The news has spread to the eastern nations, and all the foreign envoys are appalled. I find it hard to believe that a member of the royal family of Yue could be so cruel."
He was telling the truth. The news that Ning Zheng had killed several court officials in his own home had indeed spread throughout the capital, stunning everyone who heard it. Would this lead to serious consequences? It would lead to extremely serious consequences. During the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Daoguang's eldest son, Yìwěi, told his teacher that the first thing he would do upon becoming emperor was kill him. The result? Emperor Daoguang kicked him so hard that he died on the spot. The eldest imperial son, Yìwěi, was practically the crown prince, yet for speaking disrespectfully to his teacher, he was kicked to death by the emperor in a single blow.
Do you still want to say this isn't serious? When Emperor Jing of Han, Liu Qi, was the crown prince, he got into an argument during a game of Go and threw the board at the heir of the State of Wu, Liu Xian, killing him. And what happened? Nothing much at the time; his position as crown prince was completely unaffected. However, this incident later became the catalyst for the rebellion of the King of Wu, Liu Bi.
So, to many, Shen Lang openly killing Guerrilla General Wang Dong was a heinous crime, and the Fifth Prince openly killing five officials from the Court of Judicial Review was an event that could shake the nation. But what appeared to be a grave offense was, in Shen Lang's eyes, no big deal at all.
* * *
Inside the Crown Prince's Residence.
Crown Prince Ning Yi had lost his sculpture of Jin Mulan, but he always needed to have something in his hands. He was now fiddling with a jade ornament.
The Sixth Prince, Ning Jing, looked at the Crown Prince with a fawning gaze. After the extermination of the Su Clan, Consort Su was completely terrified, always keeping her palace gates tightly shut and refusing to see anyone. Locked inside her palace, Consort Su waited only for the King's return, refusing to even see her own son, Ning Jing.
Meanwhile, Ning Jing came to the Crown Prince's Residence every day to curry favor. With the Su Clan destroyed, Ning Jing, being a prince, would not be killed, but he could no longer enjoy the same status as before. So he had rushed to latch onto the Crown Prince.
Zhuo Zhaoyan said.
"His Majesty has already headed south and will return to the capital in four days."
Ning Jing said.
"Shen Lang has truly lost his mind. How dare he openly kill a military officer of the court at Xuanwu Gate and attack the city's garrison. What is that if not rebellion? It seems that after achieving a great merit, he became so ecstatic that he forgot himself. A mere live-in son-in-law thinks he's part of our Ning royal family just because he slept with Ning Yan once. The nerve of that unqualified bastard."
The person who hated Shen Lang the most was undoubtedly the Sixth Prince, Ning Jing. How grand was Ning Jing's position before? With the Su Clan behind him, he enjoyed endless wealth and glory, and both the Crown Prince and the Third Prince vied to win him over. But now, Ning Jing had nothing left.
Zhuo Zhaoyan continued.
"Some people act tough, a fox borrowing the tiger's might. Shen Lang is one of them. By now, he must have realized his own weakness."
The Sixth Prince, Ning Jing, added.
"But isn't it too late now? The fate of anyone who offends my Crown Prince brother is death. Crown Prince brother, why haven't you ordered Admiral Zhang to lead his army to attack Ning Zheng's residence and capture Shen Lang?"
Crown Prince Ning Yi didn't answer, still fiddling with the jade in his hand. Zhuo Zhaoyan continued.
"Your Highness, rest assured. His Majesty the King is a man of clear likes and dislikes. Even if Shen Lang has merits, he will not tolerate him openly killing a guerrilla general of the court in the capital and storming through the city gates. This is tantamount to rebellion. Shen Lang's actions have disgraced His Majesty, and His Majesty will surely be reminded of Su Nan when he sees this."
Back then, Su Nan had brazenly charged out of the Vermilion Bird Gate, making it public knowledge that the State of Yue was not a powerful nation. Now, Shen Lang had led an army to storm Xuanwu Gate, which on the surface looked similar to Su Nan's situation.
Ning Jing said.
"Father values his dignity above all else. Anyone who touches his dignity must die. There are no exceptions, not even for those who have rendered great service. Shen Lang is a dead man this time for sure."
In saying that, Ning Jing was subtly criticizing his own father for being harsh and ungrateful. The Crown Prince still said nothing. Ning Jing, trying to curry more favor, spoke again.
"Miss Zhuo is truly wise. Now that both Ning Zheng and Shen Lang have committed murder, neither will be able to keep their lives. It seems disaster has struck Shen Lang all at once."
The Crown Prince finally put down the jade in his hand, looked at Zhuo Zhaoyan, and spoke.
"A second time."
Zhuo Zhaoyan's beautiful body flinched, and she immediately knelt. The Crown Prince often spoke like that, in a way that left people bewildered, unsure of what had happened. Only those who understood him best knew what he meant. The "second time" he referred to was Gou Duhuan.
The first time, he had ordered Gou Duhuan to kill Xu Qianqian, but Gou Duhuan had failed to act. This time, he was ordered to assassinate Jin Zhuo, and again he failed to act. Not only did he fail to act, but he vanished without a trace. Gou Duhuan's actions led to the State of Wu's misjudgment, which ultimately caused their defeat in the battle of Raging Tide City. The consequences of that defeat were catastrophic, especially the losses suffered by the Hidden Yuan Society, which were staggering.
"Your Highness, isn't he still a useful man? Please, give him a few more chances. There may be people in the world with greater martial arts skills, but they are all difficult to command. Talent is hard to come by."
Zhuo Zhaoyan pleaded, but Crown Prince Ning Yi was resolute.
"Summon him, capture him, and execute him by torture!"
Hearing this, Zhuo Zhaoyan's lovely body trembled.
"Your Highness, please give him one more chance. It's impossible to find a hound with such high martial skill."
The Crown Prince said no more. He never went back on his word. Gou Duhuan's martial arts were exceedingly high, and he was indeed useful at times, but his character was too peculiar. To act based on distinctions between good and evil, right and wrong—it was utterly ridiculous. It was fine for a person to have a personality, but not for a hunting dog. Disobeying once could be forgiven, but if it disobeyed a second time, the dog had to be brutally beaten to death.
Zhuo Zhaoyan's voice trembled as she said.
"Yes! This servant will summon him and deal with him as quickly as possible!"