Chapter 458
Chapter 458
“In truth, a king can have countless flaws, but as long as he possesses a few key qualities, he can be a good ruler. If he has intelligence and will, and you add a generous heart to that, he can become a wise sovereign for a generation. Your Highness, what do you think of your father as a king?”
The topic was far too bold. Shen Lang could clearly hear a faint cough from outside. The King had undoubtedly sent someone to eavesdrop on his conversation with Ning Zheng and record it perfectly. If his guess was correct, the man was likely one of Eunuch Lü Jun’s people. The cough was a subtle warning, reminding Shen Lang and Prince Ning Zheng not to say anything they couldn’t take back. Shen Lang was inwardly grateful for the man’s consideration, but he decided to speak frankly anyway.
Ning Zheng thought for a long while before answering.
“I think my royal father is doing quite well.”
As soon as he heard this, the eunuch recording their conversation in the shadows couldn't help but frown. *Sigh!* He was only recording this on his foster father’s orders, and he had even given them a warning, but what could he do if the two inside insisted on discussing such a daring topic? He had no choice but to record it all perfectly as commanded.
*You two may not be afraid of death, but I am.*
Ning Zheng’s comment that the King was doing “quite well” would surely incur the King’s wrath. His Majesty, who sat upon the supreme throne, believed he was doing an excellent job—that he was a brilliant and wise monarch, the likes of whom appeared only once a century. How dare a man like you, who might rot in a cell for the rest of his life, say he was doing merely “quite well”?
“That’s right. His Majesty is doing quite well. He possesses two of the qualities: intelligence and will.”
*Reading between the lines, doesn’t that mean His Majesty lacks a generous heart?*
Shen Lang continued.
“His Majesty is a man of clear loves and hates. If he likes someone, he is tolerant; if he dislikes someone, he is harsh. Of course, I’m the same way, so I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing. At the very least, it allows one to live a little more comfortably.”
The young eunuch felt his head go numb as he heard this, but he dutifully recorded every word. Ning Zheng, on the other hand, remained silent, believing it was not his place as a son to comment on his father’s faults or shortcomings. However, he clearly agreed with the sentiment. King Ning Yuanxian, whenever faced with a problem, would first consider his own preferences rather than the interests of the state. This trait, no matter how intelligent or talented he was, made it difficult for him to be a truly wise ruler. Still, at critical moments, he would set aside his personal feelings and prioritize the nation’s interests, which made him a clever monarch, if not a sagacious one.
Shen Lang went on.
“But you, Your Highness, are different. Having endured so many hardships, you have not only forged a resilient character but also cultivated a tolerant heart. In that regard, you are superior to His Majesty.”
The junior eunuch recording in the shadows felt like he was about to burst into tears.
*If I submit this, am I going to be silenced to death?*
“If the Crown Prince ascends the throne, the generals of the Third Prince’s faction will be purged. If the Third Prince ascends the throne, the Crown Prince’s faction will be purged. But if you, Your Highness, ascend the throne, the officials of both the Third Prince’s and the Crown Prince’s factions will be able to keep their lives.”
Hearing this, the junior eunuch shivered slightly. He found that Shen Lang’s words made a certain amount of sense. Just then, Shen Lang’s tone shifted, becoming resolute.
“Of course, the Xue Clan must still be eliminated. I have a score to settle, so I will wipe out the entire Xue clan.”
“Ugh!”
Shen Lang said with a smile.
“Your Highness, that is why someone like me is not suited to be a king. I only seek my own satisfaction and wish to enjoy power without bearing responsibility. In that respect, I am even worse than His Majesty. If I were king, most people would have already died at my hands.”
Ning Zheng was silent for a long moment before speaking.
“Shen Lang, I am not clever by any means. To sit on the throne, one needs the art of kingship. My royal father employs very sophisticated methods, but I am a man of poor words.”
Shen Lang scoffed.
“Who says you need such things? That’s all a sham. There are people who drone on and on about needing the ‘art of the emperor,’ acting as if it’s some profound, innate, heaven-sent gift of imperial cunning. That’s complete nonsense. Isn’t it called the ‘art of the emperor’? The very fact that it’s called an ‘art’ means it can be learned! If you don’t believe me, go and ask His Majesty. Ask him if he wasn’t a greenhorn in the art of intrigue when he first took the throne, if he didn’t grow bit by bit through various struggles.”
The junior eunuch in charge of recording hesitated.
*Should I really write down the word ‘greenhorn’?*
After a brief pause, he wrote it down anyway.
“For the most part, a king will have ministers who are similar to him. Of course, the king and his ministers are destined to be in a perpetual power struggle. However, the king’s style determines the style of the court and its political strife. Your Highness, having experienced the harsh realities of the world from a young age, can see through a person’s heart with a single glance. That is true intelligence. Or what kind of intelligence does Your Highness desire?”
“Aren’t you said to be so clever that your wisdom borders on the demonic? Didn't you guide the Jin Clan out of a political crisis and meticulously predict every move without error when you destroyed the Su Clan? I am far inferior to that. Compared to you, I am exceptionally dull.”
Shen Lang sighed.
“Your Highness, do you know what a genius is? Even when I’m eating or sleeping, I’m thinking about how to harm people. When I plot against someone, I spend hundreds of days beforehand devising a plan to ensnare them. I am no genius. All my natural talents are focused on this one thing—harming people. If someone like me became king, it would truly be the end of the nation!”
Hearing this, the junior eunuch’s hand trembled as he wrote.
*Did I offend Young Master Shen today? Why do his words send such a chill down my spine?*
“Your Highness, I enjoy using risky tactics when deploying troops. This is actually a bad habit, a chronic flaw that His Majesty also possesses. A ruler should walk the kingly way so that the people of the world may follow the righteous path. You, Your Highness, are exceptionally suited to practice the kingly way.
One monarch like His Majesty is enough for a generation. If another of his kind were to ascend the throne in the next, the State of Yue would not be able to endure it. His Majesty has immense spirit and can take risks at critical moments, but that is too great a gamble. The fate of a nation should never be wagered so frequently. Steadily developing the nation’s strength, rewarding good officials while purging the bad, and promoting new policies—that is the righteous path.”
At that moment, the recording official realized that Shen Lang’s words were meant not only for Ning Zheng but also for the King. Of course, Shen Lang wasn’t directly admonishing the King. He might not be a treacherous minister, but he was certainly no upright and honorable courtier. Shen Lang's words were meant to show the King why Ning Zheng should be made Crown Prince, to tell him that Ning Zheng was better suited to be a monarch than he was.
“Your Highness is intelligent and can see through the hearts of men, which allows you to win them over. Having suffered since childhood, your will is also strong, so you will never shrink back or be afraid in the face of setbacks. You have a broad mind and can tolerate those who are different from you, even those who dislike you. As long as someone is talented, you will employ them regardless.
As for the so-called art of kingship, it is merely the feathers adorning an emperor’s body, not his bones. The so-called art of kingship is just a way for an emperor to deny that he is the same as other people, to adorn himself with brilliant and sharp feathers to appear different. Your Highness, you must never forsake the root to chase the branches. The art of kingship is merely a branch.”
It had to be said that Shen Lang’s powers of persuasion were formidable. At the very least, the junior eunuch in charge of recording was almost convinced. He had never met Prince Ning Zheng, but after listening to Shen Lang, he too began to feel that Ning Zheng was a suitable heir to the throne. As for Ning Zheng himself, his body grew slightly warm with excitement after hearing Shen Lang’s words.
*Could it be that I am truly suited to be king?*
After a long while, Ning Zheng asked.
“But I am so ugly, and so short, am I not?”
“Do not worry. I know of a king who was uglier, shorter, and darker than Your Highness. Yet he was a true emperor for the ages, for he unified the Eastern world and created an immortal history.”
Of course, this too was something Shen Lang said to persuade Ning Zheng. In the *Records of the Grand Historian: The Basic Annals of the First Emperor of Qin*, Sima Qian quoted Wei Liao’s description of Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng:
In summary, he had protruding eyes, a pigeon chest, and often made strange noises. The First Emperor of Qin was certainly far from a heroic and dashing figure, though he was not as short and dark as Shen Lang claimed.
“Furthermore, in the ancient histories, there was a man even shorter than Your Highness. He nearly unified the Western world and is called the greatest monarch in Western history for several hundred years.” (Napoleon was close to 170 centimeters tall, so he wasn’t truly short.)
“But I even stutter. Shen Lang, have you ever seen a stutterer become a king in all the world?”
“As it happens, in the ancient histories I know, the king of an empire on which the sun never sets was a stutterer.” (This refers to King George VI of the United Kingdom.)
Ning Zheng was startled to hear this.
“Is that true?”
“That empire on which the sun never sets is incomparably powerful, with a territory two and a half times the size of our Great Yan Dynasty.”
The moment he heard this, both Ning Zheng and the junior eunuch recording in the shadows nearly jumped in shock. The Great Yan Dynasty was far larger than anyone could imagine. In fact, most people had no concept of its true vastness. By Shen Lang’s estimation, the Great Yan Dynasty spanned thirteen to fourteen million square kilometers, a truly massive territory. But because of its immense size, the power and administration of the Great Yan Dynasty alone were not enough to properly govern it, which led to the implementation of a feudal system, resulting in the existence of dozens of vassal states in the Eastern world. When Ning Zheng heard that the empire on which the sun never sets was two and a half times the size of the Great Yan Dynasty, he could not even begin to imagine its scale. What an astonishing nation that must be.