Chapter 459
Chapter 459
“And did this stuttering monarch rule well?”
“That monarch not only stuttered, but he also had an inferiority complex, was eccentric, and suffered from a severe personality disorder. Yet, at a crucial moment, he became a great king who saved his country and half the world.”
Of course, while King George VI did save Britain, saying he saved half the world was an exaggeration. However, at a critical juncture, he certainly united the hearts of the British people, solidifying their resolve to resist Nazi Germany. Even if George VI himself had an ambiguous stance toward the Nazis, he made a significant contribution to the history of the Second World War.
“Your Highness’s character and heart are far superior to that stuttering king’s! Besides, we can fix Your Highness’s stutter.”
Shen Lang didn’t say *I* can fix it, but *we* can. This was because treating a stutter depended less on external factors and more on internal ones. George VI was introverted, eccentric, and even had a harsh personality, to the point of beating his wife during times of great stress. His stutter was never cured in his lifetime.
Ning Zheng, however, was different. He was far more tolerant. While he didn't interact well with people, he didn't completely shut them out either. It was simply that his introverted nature made it very difficult for others to enter his heart. Now, not only was he deeply in love with his wife, Lady Zhuo, but he had also become very good friends with Jin Mucong. Of course, Ning Zheng was so mature and serious that even though he and Jin Mucong were the same age, when they were together, Ning Zheng seemed like the older brother, or even an elder. What Ning Zheng lacked was the concern and belief of others. Once he gained confidence, his chronic stutter would surely be cured.
Ning Zheng closed his eyes and sat cross-legged on the floor. After several long minutes, he opened his eyes again and said.
“Very well. We will join the fight for the throne!”
In that moment, there was no clap of thunder, no earth-shattering tremor; there was only the squeaking of mice nearby. But the low-ranking eunuch responsible for secretly recording the conversation felt it was an incredibly solemn and great moment. Just taking down the record gave him a sense of the sacred. He even felt a slight urge to add a line of his own after their dialogue.
*The wheels of history have begun to turn. The great journey of a prince, who had received no one's expectations, has begun in this quiet and gloomy prison.*
Just as he was about to put his brush to paper, he quickly came to his senses.
‘I can’t write that. Those are my own thoughts. If I write that here, I’ll be killed.’
And yet, for some unknown reason, the low-ranking eunuch felt an urge to raise his hand and vote.
‘I support the Fifth Prince!’
But he was just a nobody. Who would care if he raised his hand?
* * *
Hearing Ning Zheng’s words, Shen Lang felt a slight thrill. The Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng, was a man of immense integrity and patience. Once he said he would do something, he would see it through to the end, never looking back. Shen Lang instantly bowed, performing the rite of a subject.
“Your servant will do everything in his power to assist Your Highness!”
Ning Zheng gave a bitter smile.
“But the idea of me competing for the throne still feels absurd. I’m in prison right now, in a state worse than the beasts outside.”
“Your Highness, rest assured. I am thinking of a way to get you out. Please endure it in here for just a few more days!”
Shen Lang hadn’t yet figured out how to save Ning Zheng, but he was determined to find a way. It might just take a little time.
“Yes! I understand. I am used to waiting, so do not worry.”
“Then, your servant will take his leave.”
Shen Lang then departed. The low-ranking eunuch, who had been waiting for Shen Lang to leave, still hadn’t gone. Ning Zheng could no longer sit still. He stood up and paced around, but still feeling uncomfortable, he soon lay flat on his back on the floor in the shape of a cross, not moving a muscle. A nearby mouse, thinking he was dead, boldly crawled onto his body.
* * *
More than an hour later, inside the palace, Ning Yuanxian was still awake, meticulously examining the record of the conversation between Shen Lang and Ning Zheng. And it wasn't just one record. He had sent not one, but three people to record the conversation, though the three were unaware of each other’s existence. Of course, a certain naive, low-ranking eunuch had coughed, alerting the other two to his presence.
Shen Lang’s words in the conversation record were even more audacious, even bolder than during his previous audience with the King. Shen Lang had said that while Ning Yuanxian was a decent ruler, he was not a wise one. That he loved to take risks too much, that he didn’t follow the kingly way, and that if he continued to gamble with the nation’s fate like this, a major problem would one day arise. He also said that while Ning Yuanxian was intelligent and determined, he was not broad-minded. He claimed that the arts of an emperor were like pretty feather dusters, for show, not the foundation of a ruler, and even called Ning Yuanxian a political novice in the past. On top of that, he had even said that Ning Zheng was more suited to be king than Ning Yuanxian.
These words were beyond audacious; they were indescribably treasonous. If anyone else had uttered them, their entire clan would probably have been annihilated. As Ning Yuanxian read the record, his whole body trembled, a chill ran down his spine, and his vision even turned black before dizziness set in. It wasn't just that Shen Lang's words were harsh; it was that some of them had struck a nerve with Ning Yuanxian.
Ning Yuanxian was extremely intelligent; he knew many of these things deep down, but he simply wouldn’t admit them to himself. He was clearly aware of his own flaws but had no intention of correcting them, and besides, one's character is innate and cannot be changed. Moreover, he had always been surrounded by countless fawning ministers and had recently achieved a great victory, leading him to believe he was a wise and brilliant ruler. But now, both Shen Lang and Ning Zheng had directly stated that Ning Yuanxian was merely a decent monarch. Naturally, he was so furious that his whole body shook, and he felt the urge to tear them to shreds.
Why speak the truth? This is why, throughout the history of China, ministers who offered frank advice across various dynasties and generations never met a good end. Wei Zheng and Li Shimin were considered a model pair of a wise ruler and a remonstrating minister, and their story has been told for over a thousand years. But not long after Wei Zheng died, Li Shimin had his grave dug up and his tombstone toppled.
When a minister endlessly spouts unpleasant words, telling the king, “I’m saying this for your own good, and if you don’t listen, you’re a foolish ruler,” would the king resent the person or be grateful to them? How could he possibly be grateful? There are no saints in this world; we are all just ordinary people. Of course, even the remonstrating minister Wei Zheng had his own selfish motives, and his relationship with Li Shimin was not entirely pure. Wei Zheng was one of the leaders of the Shandong-based power bloc, and being a frank minister was his established persona. While he was certainly a loyal subject, his intentions were not pure, and he did seek to wield power.
* * *
Once the shuddering rage passed, Ning Yuanxian entered a period of reflection. Shen Lang hadn't said these unpleasant things directly to his face, but he had conveyed them indirectly through his conversation with Ning Zheng. What did this prove? That Shen Lang had a lot of nerve? No, Shen Lang had said even bolder things before. The fact that he hadn't said these unpleasant words in front of Ning Yuanxian proved that he couldn't bear to hurt Ning Yuanxian's feelings. Although Ning Yuanxian outwardly dismissed such gestures as trivial, inwardly he valued them highly. For someone as arrogant as Shen Lang to be concerned about not hurting his feelings, what did that prove? Being an intelligent man, Ning Yuanxian could immediately tell that Shen Lang cherished him.
Next, Shen Lang's words were almost all true. Of course, Ning Yuanxian still considered Shen Lang's judgments about Ning Zheng to be beneath contempt. But when he put his hand on his heart and thought about it, he knew that Shen Lang's judgments about him were all true. Normally, Ning Yuanxian was the type to ignore what others said, even if they were right. He only tended to listen to two people: Consort Bian, and his father-in-law, Zhu Hongzhu.
Consort Bian was the person he loved and cared for the most, the woman he considered his true wife in his heart. As for Prime Minister Zhu Hongzhu, although he had his own selfish interests for the Zhu Clan, he had watched Ning Yuanxian grow up. He thought of Ning Yuanxian as his own child and had placed his hopes in him. Ning Yuanxian had not been close to the previous king, but he was very close to the Prime Minister, vaguely thinking of him as a father figure.
Of course, once Ning Yuanxian ascended the throne, Zhu Hongzhu also stopped giving direct advice to the King of Yue under normal circumstances. Zhu Hongzhu felt that he couldn't change the king's personality, so it was better to let him be than to try to restrict him to the point of suffocation. It was like a head of a household dealing with a child; as long as the child caused trouble, the head would just help clean up the mess. As long as he didn't cause a disaster so great that it couldn't be undone, it was fine. At least until now, while Ning Yuanxian couldn't be called a truly wise ruler, he could still be called an outstanding one. That was why the relationship between Prime Minister Zhu and Ning Yuanxian, despite being one of ruler and subject for decades, had remained extremely close and without reservation.
But now, Ning Yuanxian was also listening to Shen Lang's frank advice. Of course, the more important point was that Shen Lang had clearly laid out the king's strengths and weaknesses, but it couldn't be called direct remonstrance. This was because Shen Lang hadn't said that the king must correct these flaws, or that Your Majesty must do this and that to become a wise ruler. Shen Lang's meaning was that Your Majesty is this kind of person, so you can just continue living as you please. The only advice Shen Lang wanted to give the king was this: the next King of Yue cannot be another person like you, so Prince Ning Zheng is indeed a suitable successor.
Ning Yuanxian still scoffed at the latter part of Shen Lang's statement, but at least the first part had certainly registered in his mind. The next King of Yue could no longer be a spendthrift king who squandered the family fortune as he did. The only reason Ning Yuanxian could act so loftily was thanks to the fruits of the great victory over the State of Wu. This victory was so massive that he could enjoy its benefits for at least twenty years.
But the current situation in the State of Yue was certainly not good. First, the civil officials were severely corrupt, and the bureaucracy was failing to govern the people well. Moreover, the New Deal had been obstructed, and the national treasury was empty. Ning Yuanxian himself knew best just how empty the treasury had become after twenty years of his profligate spending.
The thought of the astronomical debt owed to the Hidden Yuan Society was enough to keep the king from sleeping soundly at night. He could only fall asleep by forcing himself to stop thinking about the debt. In that respect, his personality was exactly like Shen Lang's. Shen Lang also owed a huge debt to the Sky-Sea Pavilion, but unlike the king, he was completely unconcerned and continued to spend money like water.
The king knew in his heart that the next king absolutely could not be a spendthrift like him. He had to be someone who learned to be diligent and frugal in managing the household, someone who would devote all his energy to finding ways to govern the country. For this very reason, the king had hesitated until now in deciding on a successor to the throne.