Chapter 659
Chapter 659
Zhu Hongzhu knew full well that it was impossible to kill Shen Lang using King Ning Yuanxian. The Third Prince's attempt to kill Shen Lang with the help of Mount Budao had already failed, so how was this man to be killed? Zhu Hongzhu was far more knowledgeable than ordinary people, especially when it came to news about the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion. After persuasion from the Hidden Yuan Society, the consensus at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion was that Shen Lang had to be killed. This was because Jin Mulan giving birth to a second-generation bloodline mutant proved that Shen Lang was not the person the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion was looking for. Thus, Shen Lang, having lost his value, could be disposed of.
However, Shen Lang had once again become the direct disciple of Elder Wu Daozi of Mount Budao. Of course, Wu Daozi herself was hardly worth mentioning. If not for the Master of Mount Budao, how could someone like her, with no connections, have attained the position of an elder? The key was the intention of the Master of Mount Budao. His intentions were exceedingly clear. The ancient ruins had opened, but difficult challenges could still arise within. Shen Lang possessed an extraordinary, heaven-sent aptitude for mathematics. If another unsolvable problem were encountered in the ancient ruins, they intended to use Shen Lang's prodigious talent. Therefore, Yan Nanfei and the elder of Mount Budao's Hall of Punishments had no choice but to halt their efforts to kill Shen Lang.
Afterward, Elder Jimie of the Xuan Kong Temple also publicly expressed a very high opinion of Shen Lang. Of course, among the six transcendent powers, the Xuan Kong Temple was the smallest and thus held little sway. But Abbot Jikong was someone the world dared not underestimate. If only Elder Jimie had expressed a high opinion of Shen Lang, it would have been of little use. But with Abbot Jikong also showing his esteem, the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion would have to act with extreme caution in any move against Shen Lang.
On the other hand, Marquis Jin Zhuo could certainly be dealt with after the Crown Prince ascended the throne. In fact, he had to be dealt with. The pretext for eliminating him was quite simple. They could use the new government as an excuse to curtail the Jin Clan's military authority and strip them of their fiefdom. The Hidden Yuan Society was burning with the desire to possess Raging Tide City, and to eliminate the Heaven's Path Society, they first had to seize it.
It was a good thing that the King had become estranged from his ministers over Shen Lang. Despite his best efforts to hide the illness he had contracted, the trembling in his hands was becoming more and more apparent. The Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion had already made a judgment based on the specific symptoms. Within a few years, Ning Yuanxian was highly likely to become paralyzed on one side of his body. A monarch on the verge of paralysis versus a Crown Prince whose achievements were as brilliant as the midday sun—the ministers naturally knew which side to choose. When that time came, even if it wasn't necessary to have the Crown Prince ascend the throne early, they could still strip Ning Yuanxian of his actual power.
Zhu Hongzhu had known Ning Yuanxian since he was a child and understood him very well. He was too emotional. Moreover, before the eighth month, Zhu Hongzhu had already severed ties with Ning Yuanxian. Since the broken relationship could not be mended, they had no choice but to remain in opposition until one side was completely defeated. Now, by a stroke of great fortune, the Crown Prince had won a smooth victory in the war against the Southern Ou Kingdom. The timing, the terrain, and the people's hearts were all on their side.
Just then, a trusted aide beside him spoke.
“My lord, they have asked me whether they should continue to impeach Shen Lang.”
“Tell them to continue.”
The aide was surprised by Zhu Hongzhu's words. After all, the King would neither arrest nor kill Shen Lang, so continuing seemed pointless.
“Continue!”
Zhu Hongzhu waved him away. His intention in having the ministers continue to impeach Shen Lang was not merely to target Shen Lang himself. Rather, it was to drive a deeper wedge between the ministers and the King. With the war won, the Crown Prince would be like the sun at high noon. If the ministers' conflict with the King intensified, they would be even more inclined to support the Crown Prince. As the Crown Prince's power grew, it would eventually overshadow the authority of the semi-paralyzed King Ning Yuanxian. The best-case scenario would be for the King to become completely estranged from his ministers and stop attending the morning court sessions altogether.
***
As expected, following Zhu Hongzhu's will, the ministers did not cease their impeachment of Shen Lang, despite the King's confrontation and reprimands the day before. On the contrary, it only intensified. Memorials of impeachment piled up like mountains. The civil officials of the Crown Prince's faction, on one hand, organized grand celebrations within the capital, leading the populace to celebrate the Crown Prince's great achievements and the glorious victory in the war. On the other hand, they frantically publicized Shen Lang's "crimes," inciting the people to unilaterally condemn Shen Lang and Ning Zheng. Even though Ning Zheng was already in seclusion, reflecting on his actions, they brandished their clubs as if to beat a dead tiger.
Furthermore, as soon as the morning court began, numerous censors came forward to impeach Shen Lang and Jin Zhuo. The King ordered the impeaching ministers to be flogged and beaten with rods, but this act only turned the censors into heroes. The King, in a fit of rage, had thirteen of them beaten to death. The officials and people of the capital were all enraged, secretly calling Ning Yuanxian a fatuous ruler.
‘To kill loyal ministers and fail to distinguish right from wrong, all for the sake of one Shen Lang, he is a monarch like Jie and Zhou. What a fatuous ruler! What a tyrant!’
Soon, the civil and military officials, along with numerous scholars, began to hope even more fervently for an enlightened monarch to appear and take the King's place. Of course, that person was naturally the Crown Prince.
‘Your Highness the Crown Prince, when will you return in triumph? The court of Yue is unspeakably dark; you must save us with your light.’
That day, the King finally announced the temporary suspension of the morning court sessions. The censors, in unison, presented their memorials outside the palace gates. Ning Yuanxian ordered Xue Che and Yan E to arrest the insubordinate censors.
***
Thus, Zhu Hongzhu's first plan succeeded. The ministers and the King were in complete opposition, and Ning Yuanxian had suspended the morning court. Of course, even with the court sessions suspended, the Secretariat, the Privy Council, and the important government offices of Yue were still functioning normally. They had won the war against the Southern Ou Kingdom, so the key issue now was the war with the State of Chu. Zhu Hongzhu's Secretariat showed great favor to the Third Prince's faction, providing funds when they needed money and provisions when they needed food. Thus, the Secretariat and the Third Prince's faction in the Privy Council united with one heart to fend off the State of Chu. In doing so, it seemed as if the temperamental Ning Yuanxian was unfit to be the ruler of a nation.
Zhu Hongzhu was a master of the art of harming people imperceptibly. He made it seem as though it was no great matter even if the King didn't attend court; as long as the Privy Council and the Secretariat were present, all government affairs would proceed normally. Damnable as it was, it was actually true. The Wanli Emperor also hadn't attended court for decades, yet the imperial court did not fall into chaos.
Although the King was at odds with the civil officials, when it came to defending against the State of Chu, they compromised for the sake of the country and worked together. In truth, all important political and military matters concerning the State of Chu were personally approved by King Ning Yuanxian; he simply didn't attend the court sessions. But to others, since he wasn't attending court, it appeared as if these tasks were handled by the Secretariat and the Privy Council.
‘The King is neglecting his duties while the ministers work themselves to the bone.’
Zhu Hongzhu's masterful use of political maneuvering was truly something to behold.
***
“Shouldn't we start spreading rumors about His Majesty's illness now?”
Zhu Hongzhu shook his head at his aide's question.
“Wait a while longer. After His Highness the Crown Prince returns in triumph and the State of Chu withdraws its forces, then we can reveal His Majesty's illness. By then, the ministers will all rally behind the Crown Prince, and His Majesty the King will be pushed to the side.”
Just then, someone announced news.
“My lord, General Zhang Zhao requests an audience!”
Zhu Hongzhu flinched.
‘Isn't Zhang Zhao the former Admiral of Tianyue, one of the Crown Prince's men? What happened? Why has he come in person? Something's happened. Something big! Please, let it not be a major disaster!’
A moment later, Zhang Zhao, emaciated and reeking, knelt before Zhu Hongzhu and cried out in a hoarse voice.
“My lord, it's a disaster! A complete disaster! Our grand army has been utterly defeated, the Southern Ou Kingdom has completely fallen, and our main force has been annihilated! Grand Marshal Zhu Lin is likely already dead!”
In that instant, Prime Minister Zhu Hongzhu, as if struck by lightning, trembled violently, swayed, and collapsed.
‘Defeated? We were defeated?! The fortune the Zhu Clan has amassed over decades, wiped out in a single blow? I invested future political capital, and all of it has come to nothing?’
For this war, Zhu Hongzhu had shed his previous detached demeanor, willingly humbling himself to engage with all the nobles of the country, great and small. For this war, the Zhu Clan had mortgaged its honor to borrow money from the Hidden Yuan Society. He had also severed his relationship with the King. And after paying such a heavy price, they had lost the war?
He was already a man in his seventies, and upon hearing this terrible news, the blood vessels in his brain constricted in an instant, nearly causing a stroke. After all the strength drained from his body, he became as cold as ice. For a moment, his vision went black, and he could see nothing. At his advanced age, he simply could not withstand such a shock. Of the two hundred and fifty thousand troops, about one hundred and fifty thousand were conscripted by King Ning Yuanxian. The remaining one hundred thousand were an army the Zhu Clan had formed by exhausting all its resources and rallying nobles from across the country. And now, that army had been annihilated?
“My lord, my lord…”
Several aides rushed to Zhu Hongzhu, patting his chest, pressing the philtrum below his nose, and feeding him ginseng soup. After a full quarter of an hour, Zhu Hongzhu finally felt warmth slowly return to his body and his senses recover. He kept his eyes closed, trying to push away the endless darkness and pain, and it was a long while before he could open them again.
“What happened, exactly? Tell me.”
Zhang Zhao, still kneeling on the floor, recounted the entire sequence of events from beginning to end. Zhu Hongzhu's eyes welled up. His son, Zhu Lin, was likely dead, and the two-hundred-thousand-strong army could not have been saved. After a long pause, Zhu Hongzhu spoke.
“In truth, you all did nothing wrong. The enemy was simply too strong.”
Zhang Zhao, weeping, slammed his head on the floor in agreement. At first, he had thought the Crown Prince had made a mistake, that he shouldn't have led the main army to Shacheng. He believed Zhu Lin and Nangong Ao were both foolish, and that only he was right. But looking back on everything that happened later, Zhang Zhao realized he had also misjudged; he too had been within Ning Qun's predictions.
When news came that Shacheng had fallen, the Crown Prince wanted to lead the army north to retake it. But Zhang Zhao had insisted on heading south to attack the Southern Ou capital. He argued it would be easier for the army to deploy and confront the enemy there. But he had never imagined that Ning Qun would return to the Southern Ou capital. Compared to the Crown Prince, Zhu Lin, and Nangong Ao, Zhang Zhao had never possessed much talent in military affairs to begin with.
Zhu Hongzhu continued.
“We were all wrong. Only Shen Lang and Ning Zheng were right. The army should never have left the city. We should have fortified our defenses, waged a war of attrition, and built numerous fortresses along the border. Shen Lang's earlier strategy was the correct one.”
But it was meaningless to have regrets now. At the time, Zhu Hongzhu also believed that Shen Lang and Ning Zheng's method was the most correct answer, but the bow had already been drawn, and the arrow had to be loosed. They needed a great victory to solidify the Crown Prince's position; there was no other choice. This war was, from the beginning, a politically motivated one.