Chapter 665
Chapter 665
‘He’s mad. His Majesty has gone completely mad.’
Just as small animals sense a coming catastrophe before a great calamity strikes the heavens and the earth, all the officials in the throne hall felt the same.
Prince Ning Qi glared at Shen Lang, wishing he could tear the man to shreds, break his bones, and burn him to ashes. But since His Majesty had already made his decision, Ning Qi had no other choice. He was a member of the royal family; if the kingdom fell, he would die with it.
“This subject obeys your command!”
Prince Ning Qi kowtowed before rising to his feet.
“Ning Zheng!” the King called out. Ning Zheng stepped forward from the ranks.
“I hereby appoint Ning Zheng as the Grand General of the Southern Pacification. You will lead ten thousand of Tianyue City’s palace guards, march south, and engage Prince Ning Qi’s army in a decisive battle!”
Upon hearing this, both Shen Lang and Ning Zheng were startled. Lead ten thousand palace guards south? That would leave only ten thousand to defend the entire capital, turning it into a virtually undefended city.
“As for Shen Lang…”
Ning Yuanxian thought for a moment but couldn't find a suitable title for him.
“Fine. If there’s a title you want, just call yourself whatever you wish…”
‘A scoundrel like you probably doesn't need a title anyway.’
“I appoint Jin Zhuo as the Admiral of Tiannan Province, granting him authority over the province’s local defense forces. It is decided. Court is dismissed!”
“Court is dismissed!” the grand eunuch Lu Zhun announced.
The civil and military officials in the hall remained stunned in their places, not uttering a word. Even those kneeling on the floor didn't dare to rise. A bone-chilling cold had seeped into them, leaving their limbs weak. They forced themselves to their feet and walked out like living corpses.
‘The kingdom is about to fall! The State of Yue is collapsing. Where will I and my family go?’
Instinctively, the officials’ gazes fell upon Shen Lang.
‘He is a scourge upon the nation and its people. If it weren't for you, His Majesty would have accepted Prince Ning Qi's truce. If it weren't for you, the State of Yue wouldn't be facing ruin. Let's kill him. If we kill this man, we might be able to salvage this situation.’
The officials were not acting out of personal grudges. They truly believed that if they killed Shen Lang, His Majesty might change his mind and agree to the truce with Prince Ning Qi. But before they could make a move, a powerful presence filled the hall. They had been caught off guard when the officials had beaten Ning Zheng last time, but now, the grand eunuchs Lu Zhun and Lu Mu were watching the hall like hawks.
‘Anyone who moves will die!’
Ning Yuanxian was in a state of madness. He would kill anyone who stepped out of line, regardless of their background. What would a king who did not fear the fall of his own nation care for a little turmoil in his court?
***
That day, Prince Ning Qi’s envoy left Tianyue City. It signaled the complete breakdown of negotiations between him and the King of Yue. With that, the State of Yue stood at the precipice of life and death.
The next day, the newly appointed Grand General of the Southern Pacification, Ning Zheng, and Warrior Shen Lang led ten thousand palace guards south.
When the Crown Prince had marched south for war, the capital had been a sea of people. It was the same when Nangong Ao’s grand army had departed before that. But this time, as Ning Zheng marched south, the scene was desolate. No one came to see them off. Not even the King made an appearance; there was no need. He had wagered his own fate and that of his nation on them, so there was no need for pretense.
The officials did not come because the ones leaving were Ning Zheng and Shen Lang. The people of the capital did not come because they believed seeing them off would be a bad omen.
Countless eyes merely watched in silence as the ten thousand palace guards of Tianyue City marched south along Xuanwu Avenue. Their gazes were not necessarily filled with malice. After all, in a time when everyone else remained silent, for an army to march into the jaws of death was a truly monumental act. Wishing them well felt futile, so with sorrowful eyes, they simply watched the ten thousand guards as if they were seeing off men already dead.
Not long ago, the people of the capital had despised Ning Zheng and Shen Lang, branding them as surrenderists. Now, these two had become the war hawks, while the former war hawks had, ironically, become the proponents of surrender. What a bitter joke it was. Thus, the gazes of the capital’s citizens upon Shen Lang and Ning Zheng grew ever more complex.
Of course, there was blame in their hearts. Everyone had heard that the King was originally planning to accept a truce with Prince Ning Qi and cede the five southern commanderies. Not just the officials, but even the common people felt it was a worthy price, that Prince Ning Qi’s terms were not at all excessive. Of course, had the territory truly been ceded, in two or three years, the people would have cursed Ning Yuanxian as a foolish king who had brought ruin to the nation.
But for now, the people of the capital inwardly agreed to the cession, hoping the flames of war would not reach their own heads. Yet, because of Shen Lang’s opposition, the King had rejected Prince Ning Qi’s truce, betting everything he had left on one last gamble, and initiated a hopeless, desperate war. The word ‘destruction’ now loomed in everyone’s mind.
However, the people were not entirely shameless. How could they condemn someone who was marching to their death to protect the dignity of the State of Yue? How could they hate a brave man going to his death? The wise scholars might be capable of it, but the common people truly could not. So, they saw them off with their gazes, even if those gazes were like those for the dead.
Shen Lang thought that if some mournful music were added, the procession would seem even more like a funeral.
‘This is enough. Today, the grudges between me and the people of the capital are settled. You may be foolish, but you still have a conscience.’
The ten thousand guards marched swiftly, disappearing from the people’s sight in just two hours. The scene was a perfect reflection of the song: ‘A warrior, once gone, shall never return!’
Countless citizens of the capital returned home and shut their doors in unison.
***
“When a nation is about to perish, monsters appear!”
Several scholars were drinking. Unlike the previous wartime measures, the brothels were now open and bustling with customers. With the nation on the brink of collapse, what did it matter if they got drunk? The courtesan’s song was a cheerful melody, yet her voice was filled with sorrow.
Last spring, the State of Yue had held the provincial and metropolitan examinations, passing a hundred new civil scholars and eighty military scholars. But with the war looming, most of the successful candidates had not yet made a name for themselves. Of the eighty military scholars, more than half were already dead, for they had all followed the Crown Prince on his southern campaign.
Most of the civil scholars had also been unable to secure official posts due to the war with Nam'gu. Only a few had received appointments. Originally, the Grand Secretariat and the Ministry of Personnel had planned to appoint the successful candidates en masse after a great victory in the south and the Crown Prince’s triumphant return, adding to the joyous occasion. As a result, dozens of scholars had waited in the capital for over half a year, only for no positions to become available due to the turn of events. Though they were more fortunate than others, these brilliant men who had passed the highest examinations had failed to become officials, and so they spent their days in idle, philosophical debates.
These were the same men who had once extolled the Crown Prince. The countless poems and odes praising Ning Yi had all come from their hands. It couldn't be helped. They had to be astonishingly sycophantic to catch the eye of Zhu Hongzhu and the Crown Prince, as it would be far more advantageous when it came time for official appointments. These were also the men who had vehemently slandered Shen Lang and Ning Zheng, branding them as shameful surrenderists.
When news of the great defeat in the south and the Crown Prince's capture and surrender arrived, they fell silent as if struck by lightning. They had intended to lie low, but upon hearing that Prince Ning Qi's envoy was meeting with the King of Yue and had offered terms to cede five commanderies, they didn't dare say it aloud, but inwardly they screamed, ‘Accept the offer, quickly accept it!’ As long as the State of Yue remained intact, they could one day become officials. Besides, to be honest, not all of them were malicious; some were genuinely loyal to the monarch and loved their country.
In recent days, they had begun to breathe a sigh of relief. The State of Yue's territory would be preserved, and they would simply switch their allegiance to the Third Prince, Ning Qi. With Crown Prince Ning Yi finished, the throne would surely fall to him. The more proactive among these scholars had immediately set off for Tianbei Province to curry favor with Ning Qi, while the less decisive ones sought out Xue Che, the Grand Commandant of Tianyue. As a result, the Xue estate had been bustling with visitors in recent days, and Xue Pan, the heir to the Count of Wu'an, had enjoyed immense prestige.
Things had been turning around, but unexpectedly, Shen Lang had reappeared and ruined this favorable situation. And the King, whether truly foolish or simply muddle-headed, had actually accepted Shen Lang’s proposal. Now, their futures were completely ruined, utterly hopeless.
“When a nation is about to perish, monsters appear!”
“Shen Lang and Ning Zheng deserve to die, but what a waste of the State of Yue's beautiful lands. I hear Prince Ning Qi is magnanimous and has the air of an enlightened ruler. Perhaps…”
At those words, everyone glared at him.
‘What do you mean by that? Are you suggesting defecting to Prince Ning Qi? But… it’s a possibility. The Great Nan Kingdom is newly established, so he must be short on scholar-officials. Besides, wasn't he a man who had read the classics extensively? Back when he was in the capital, he was quite close with the scholars.’
“Brother Xu, I heard that you used to associate with Prince Ning Qi in the capital and that you were on close terms.”
The man called Brother Xu was in his thirties. He had wasted over a decade before finally passing the examinations, so he could still be considered a young talent. He had indeed met Prince Ning Qi and even shared drinks with him. At the time, Prince Ning Qi had been completely without airs, willing to spend half a day talking even with a mere student who came to see him. Many influential figures and scholars had hosted banquets and invited Prince Ning Qi, and he would gladly attend if he had the time. So, Scholar Xu certainly knew him, but to say they were on close terms would be an exaggeration.
“No, no such thing.”
Scholar Xu’s eyes betrayed a hint of pride, but he waved his hands in denial. He wanted others to think he was indeed on good terms with the prince but was denying it to avoid giving anyone leverage over him. Inwardly, however, his blood was boiling. Prince Ning Qi treated wise men with courtesy; defecting to him didn't seem like a bad path at all.
‘As a new scholar, I would at best be a seventh-rank official in Yue. But in Prince Ning Qi’s Great Nan Kingdom, I could at least become the prefect of a commandery, couldn't I?’
At that thought, his desire to defect to Prince Ning Qi grew even more fervent.
‘If I defect to Prince Ning Qi, which commandery would be best to govern? Nu River Commandery seems good. Shen Lang’s home is there. If I become the Prefect of Nu River Commandery, I’ll torment the Jin Clan until they’re half-dead.’