Chapter 738
Chapter 738
King Ning Yuanxian stood and said.
“Prepare the imperial edict. Officially…”
Everyone held their breath, silently waiting for Ning Yuanxian to say Ning Zheng’s name. But for a long time, Ning Yuanxian made no sound. His mouth opened, but no words came out. His body seemed to have gone completely rigid.
“Ugh…”
His eyes wide, Ning Yuanxian desperately tried to speak, but not a single syllable would come out. His mind and spirit had gone completely blank, as if they had exploded from within.
*Truly, truly a cruel heart. To think you would even stoop to patricide…*
Though Ning Yuanxian was unable to speak, he wept inwardly. He summoned every ounce of strength in his body, all of his will, and pointed a finger at Ning Jiang and Ning Qi. After using his last bit of energy, he fell to the floor with a thud, stiff as a board.
“Father!”
“Father…!”
Ning Zheng and Ning Yi screamed, rushing forward to support Ning Yuanxian.
“Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty!”
Grand Eunuch Lü Jun and Grand Eunuch Lü Yin also hurried over.
***
The ministers in the grand hall were completely stunned.
*Wh-what is this? His Majesty collapsed at the most crucial moment? Could it be another stroke? I heard His Majesty suffered a sudden stroke before and couldn't move… But this is too coincidental. A stroke right as he was about to declare the Crown Prince?*
The ministers trembled inwardly, a chill running down their spines. What did His Majesty mean by pointing at Ning Jiang and Ning Qi before he collapsed?
Right now, Vice-Chancellor Ning Jiang felt as if his head was about to split open and explode. He was utterly enraged.
*How dare they. These people have gone completely mad. They dare to assassinate the king?*
He had originally held Ning Yi in high regard, but now he was nothing but disappointed and furious with him.
*His Majesty the Emperor has gone too far. The Great Yan Empire has gone too far. Do they think they can just kill the monarch of a vassal state of the Great Yan Empire whenever they please? I am an elder of the Ning royal family and His Majesty's uncle. At a time like this, I must be the one to calm the situation. The State of Yue must not fall into chaos, and these rebels and traitors must not be allowed to succeed.*
Having made up his mind in an instant, Ning Jiang roared and pointed at the ministers.
“No one move! Grand Marshal of the Palace Guard, hear my command! Seal the palace gates, and if anyone dares to leave, kill them without mercy! All of you, do not move! Kneel! Kill anyone who moves! Palace Guard, draw your swords and advance ten paces.”
At Ning Jiang's order, the Grand Marshal of the Palace Guard commanded his men to draw their swords and advance ten steps.
*Shing!*
Three thousand men of the Palace Guard drew their swords.
“Advance, advance!”
They shouted in unison, taking ten steps forward before blocking the doors of the grand hall.
“All of you, kneel and do not move.”
As Ning Jiang shouted, Zhu Hongzhu took a step forward.
“Zhu Hongzhu, do not move. If you take one more step, I will truly kill you!”
Ning Jiang yelled, pointing at Zhu Hongzhu, who replied in a trembling voice.
“Chancellor Ning, I am well-versed in medicine. I only wish to go and see His Majesty.”
“There is no need! All of you, kneel!”
Immediately, the ministers in the grand hall knelt in an orderly fashion, not daring to move. Vice-Chancellor Ning Jiang glanced at Ning Qi, then ascended the steps and looked down at the ministers.
“In terms of rank, Ning Qi and I may be lesser than Zhu Hongzhu and Zhong E. However, His Majesty secretly summoned us and said that if anything should happen to his person, he would appoint me, Ning Qi, Duke Bian Wu, and Marquis Jin Zhuo as the Four Regents. Currently, Duke Bian Wu and Marquis Jin Zhuo are not in the capital, leaving only the two of us here.”
Hearing this, everyone was astonished.
*His Majesty anticipated something like this would happen today?*
“Just now, when His Majesty collapsed, he pointed at me and Ning Qi with his hand. This is because His Majesty gave us a secret edict and told us that if he were to fall, we two were to open it. That edict is hidden in the plaque of this grand hall. Bring a ladder. We must retrieve the secret edict from behind the plaque.”
Anyone with high martial skill could have leaped up and retrieved the edict. But right now, everything had to be done with proper justification. A ladder was brought, and Ning Jiang climbed it himself, taking down a box from behind the plaque before descending.
“Everyone, look at this imperial box. The seal on the outside is intact. The wax seal is also intact and has not been damaged in the slightest. Grand Princess Ning Jue, Lü Jun, Lü Yin. You are the witnesses. Was this not the secret edict that His Majesty personally wrote, personally sealed, affixed with a sealing paper, stamped with a wax seal, and then had Grand Princess Ning Jue herself place behind the plaque?”
“That is correct. I am a witness.”
“I am also a witness.”
“I am a witness!”
Lü Jun, Lü Yin, and Grand Princess Ning Jue stepped forward. Today, Grand Princess Ning Jue was clad in full armor. At critical moments, Ning Yuanxian trusted only his own people. Grand Princess Ning Jue was his full-blooded sister, and they had grown up together. She had admired Jiang Li and remained unmarried to this day. Later, for Ning Yuanxian's sake, she entered the Blackwater Terrace and took up a key position, acting as a check on Xue Che's power.
She could be said to have devoted half her life in loyalty. That was why when Su Nan rebelled, Ning Yuanxian had dispatched Ning Jue along with Zhang Chong to White Night County. Ning Yuanxian's trust in Ning Jue was no less than his trust in Lü Mu, who always guarded his side. Moreover, Grand Princess Ning Jue desired nothing, so it was impossible for anyone to bribe her.
Everyone witnessed that the sealing paper on the imperial box was intact, and they testified that the wax seal was also unbroken. Ning Jiang took a deep breath, tore off the sealing paper and the wax seal, and opened the box. When the king had secretly summoned him and spoken of preparing a secret edict, Ning Jiang had thought it unnecessary. Yet, just as the king had worried, someone had truly gone mad and made a move against him.
*Worse than a beast! It's a good thing His Majesty was prepared, or we would have fallen for the enemy's scheme. To think that the secret edict prepared for the appointment of the Crown Prince would actually come into effect.*
The grand hall fell silent, all eyes fixed on Ning Jiang's hands.
*It was surprising enough that His Majesty suddenly collapsed, but to think he anticipated this and even prepared a secret edict?*
Ning Jiang took a deep breath, opened the box, took out the edict inside, and slowly unfurled it. He instinctively prepared to read the name written on it, for he too had seen this edict, which appointed Ning Zheng as the Crown Prince. But after unfolding it, he was completely stunned. The name on the edict had been changed. The edict that was supposed to appoint the Fifth Prince, Ning Zheng, as Crown Prince had been flawlessly altered to appoint the Third Prince, Ning Yi, as Crown Prince. In that moment, Ning Jiang felt as if he had been struck by lightning. No matter how hard he stared, he could not believe the altered edict before him.
*What… what in the world happened? How did this happen?*
He had personally seen the edict His Majesty wrote, and he had watched Grand Princess Ning Jue place it behind the plaque. Afterward, Lü Jun and Lü Yin had guarded this palace, with hundreds of masters standing guard outside the hall, permitting no one to enter or leave. Yet the name on the edict had been changed?
*Who swapped this edict? Who? Who possesses such incredible ability? Impossible, this is impossible!*
A cold sweat broke out all over Ning Jiang's body, and he was on the verge of collapsing.
*Your Majesty, what should I do? What should I do?*
The civil and military officials all raised their heads and stared intently at Ning Jiang, waiting for him to read the decree.
*What do I do? What do I do? I, Ning Jiang, am a son of the Ning royal family. I will never let the State of Yue fall into the hands of those who wish to devour it.*
Ning Jiang took a deep, ragged breath and suddenly tore the edict to shreds. Then, he tore the few characters spelling out "Third Prince, Ning Yi" into tiny pieces, stuffed them into his mouth, and swallowed. In the blink of an eye, everyone in the hall was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
“Stop him, stop him!”
Zhu Hongzhu shouted in a hoarse voice as Ning Yi charged forward, tackling Ning Jiang and knocking him to the ground. He pried open Ning Jiang's jaw with all his might, trying to retrieve the silk fragments from his mouth. Ning Jiang screamed madly.
“Traitor! You traitor!! His Majesty wrote a secret edict appointing His Highness Ning Zheng as Crown Prince! You traitors will not die a peaceful death!”
As others tried to snatch the torn decree from him, Ning Jiang was struck, losing several teeth and having his jaw dislocated. They dug into his mouth and pulled out the silk fragments, but they were already ruined. Not only had Ning Jiang torn the silk with all his might, but he had also chewed it into a pulp. He had even chewed so forcefully that the inside of his mouth was a bloody mess.
“Traitors! They are traitors!”
Though his jaw was dislocated, Ning Jiang roared from his throat.
“How audacious! Ning Jiang has privately destroyed His Majesty's edict. This is an act of rebellion! Arrest him immediately and imprison him in the Blackwater Terrace's dungeons. Torture him severely to find out who his accomplices are, who conspired to rebel!”
Chancellor Zhu Hongzhu stepped forward and shouted. The Grand Marshal of the Palace Guard was at a loss.
*What should I do in this situation?*
With His Majesty collapsed, whose orders should they follow? Lord Ning Jiang had indeed just destroyed His Majesty's secret edict, which was tantamount to rebellion.
*Thump, thump, thump.*
The palace doors opened, and dozens of Blackwater Terrace warriors rushed in to arrest Ning Jiang.
“Wait…”
Ning Zheng suddenly spoke.
“I may not be the Crown Prince, but I am the Duke of Yue. Here, my title is the highest. Blackwater Terrace, do not move!”
The captain of the Blackwater Terrace warriors bowed his head and said.
“Your Highness Ning Zheng, Ning Jiang destroyed His Majesty's edict, which is an act of rebellion. The evidence is conclusive. According to the laws of the state, this matter must be handled by our Blackwater Terrace.”
“Where is Yan E?”
Ning Zheng asked. The captain replied.
“Without His Majesty's order, Yan E cannot enter the palace.”
“Lü Jun, imprison Lord Ning Jiang in the palace's underground dungeon. He is to have no contact with anyone.”
A warrior from the Blackwater Terrace took a step forward and said.
“Your Highness, this is definitively within the jurisdiction of our Blackwater Terrace. Even as the Duke of Yue, you have no authority to interfere.”
Ning Zheng looked at Grand Princess Ning Jue and said slowly.
“The Grand Princess is also one of the leaders of the Blackwater Terrace. What are your thoughts?”
Grand Princess Ning Jue opened her eyes and said slowly.
“Ning Jiang has destroyed the secret edict. It is only right that the Blackwater Terrace investigates.”
Hearing this, Ning Jiang, Lü Jun, and Lü Yin turned to look at Ning Jue with eyes like flashes of lightning.
*It was you! You were the one who swapped the edict. His Majesty trusted you so much, regarded you as an absolute confidante. Why did you betray him?*
Grand Princess Ning Jue remained expressionless as she said calmly.
“Blackwater Terrace, proceed!”
Dozens of Blackwater Terrace warriors came forward to arrest Ning Jiang. Ning Zheng's whole body trembled, but his voice was exceedingly calm.
“Do not move. I know what you are trying to do. If you move now, it will mean civil war. Zhu Hongzhu, Zhong E, Ning Yi! Whatever you intend to do, stop it all for now. Otherwise, I will immediately give the order to commence battle. I will command the city's garrison to open the gates and let King Jiang's ten-thousand-strong army storm the city! Do not make me do it!”