Chapter 739
Chapter 739
Ning Zheng cradled the collapsed Ning Yuanxian in his arms and said.
“Zhu Hongzhu, Ning Qi, Zhong E, Ning Yi. And to all the esteemed ministers present, I have a proposal. With my royal father’s collapse, his life hanging in the balance, should we not set aside the struggle for the crown prince’s position for a moment and focus on saving him first? Brother Ning Yi, what do you say?”
The third prince, Ning Yi, replied.
“Let us do as our fifth brother says.”
“Zhu Hongzhu, Zhong E, Ning Qi, what say you?”
“We will follow the Duke of Yue’s wishes.”
“Court is dismissed. Everyone is to leave the palace at once, without delay. Grand Princess Ning Jie, you will also withdraw with the entirety of the Blackwater Terrace.”
Grand Princess Ning Jie departed immediately without another word.
“We must summon Shen Lang to the capital at once to save His Majesty!”
* * *
The moment the ministers stepped outside the palace, the gates were firmly sealed. The palace guard entered a state of battle readiness, as did the ten thousand Qiang cavalry outside the city. A curfew was declared over the capital, day and night. No citizen was to leave their home, and no shop was to open its doors. No one was permitted to travel the four main avenues of the capital without an official decree from the Grand Secretariat or the Bureau of Military Affairs. An order was issued: anyone who disobeyed would be considered a traitor and killed without mercy.
The ministers who returned home all bolted their doors and hid under their covers, trembling. Everyone had been profoundly shocked by the day’s events. Even the ministers who had originally supported Ning Yi felt a chill in their hearts. He had seemed to know no bounds. Although no public discussion was taking place due to the king’s sudden collapse, everyone could clearly deduce the truth.
‘For the Zhu, Zhong, and Xue clans to act so shamelessly, without any restraint. How could Prince Ning Yi attempt to assassinate the king, his own father? And why did Grand Princess Ning Jie do it? How could someone as dispassionate and desireless as her be bought? How loyal was she to His Majesty? The king trusted her as much as he did Lü Jun and the others. So why did she betray him? What on earth happened? His Majesty was truly blind. To think he trusted Ning Jie. Lord Ning Jiang is truly a loyal and righteous man, a man of fiery temperament. To have torn that edict at such a crucial moment. If he hadn't, Prince Ning Yi would have become the crown prince.’
* * *
Inside the royal palace.
Dozens of royal physicians tried every means at their disposal, but they were helpless. Ning Yuanxian’s heart was not beating, nor was he breathing; he appeared completely dead. And yet, there were no pathological signs. Superficially, his condition resembled the cerebral infarction he had suffered before, but in reality, it was completely different. Lü Mu, Li Qianqiu, Zhong Chuke, and others all entered the palace and tried every method they knew, but they couldn’t even determine what state Ning Yuanxian was in. They couldn’t even judge if he was alive or dead.
“Who was it? Who? His Majesty hasn't been near anyone suspicious these past few days, and all his food and drink have passed through our hands. Even if Mount Budao possessed divine means, he couldn't have assassinated His Majesty from thin air, could he?”
What could have happened? For His Majesty to collapse at the most critical moment. It was then that Grand Eunuch Lü Mu spoke.
“It was Princess Ning Han. She appeared suddenly last night and saw His Majesty from a distance of three feet. She didn't make any specific move at the time, but I instantly felt as if my entire body had been pierced.”
“Pierced, you say?”
Li Qianqiu asked. Lü Mu replied.
“It’s a difficult feeling to describe. In that moment, it felt like my head would explode, like every hair on my body was standing on end. Of course, that was just a sensation; physically, there was nothing wrong with me.”
“Ning Han? Ning Han?”
Bian Fei silently repeated the name. Her already shattered spirit suffered another devastating blow, and she could no longer even cry. She spoke in a trembling voice.
“Why? Did she hate His Majesty that much? He is still her biological father. Why would she murder her own father? Even a beast does not devour its own parents. Is she worse than a beast?”
Li Qianqiu said.
“The Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion has mastered many ancient civilizations, so they possess exceedingly mysterious and powerful forces. Perhaps she used an ancient power to assassinate His Majesty.”
Lü Jun ground his teeth and said.
“The Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion and the transcendent powers… when those thieves excavate ancient ruins, they should just treasure them amongst themselves. But to keep the world in ignorance and suppress the world’s civilizations just to maintain their status as transcendent powers… Why did the heavens not protect His Majesty Jiang Li, and why did they not strike down all those creatures who are worse than beasts? In any case, with His Majesty's life now in the balance, the Empire will soon try to intervene. Prince Ning Zheng, why don't we declare war immediately and execute Ning Yi, Ning Jie, and the entire Zhu Hongzhu clan?”
Ning Zheng shook his head.
“We won't have the chance. The entire Blackwater Terrace has betrayed us, and the other side has the support of the Hidden Yuan Society and the Empire, not to mention a great number of supreme experts. They cannot kill me, but we cannot kill Ning Yi either. Besides, if we start a war in the capital, we give the Great Yan Dynasty a pretext to interfere. If that happens, the Yan Emperor will issue an edict and swiftly march his grand army into the State of Yue.”
Ning Zheng was right. If a civil war were to be fought, it would have to be after Ning Yuanxian woke up and issued an edict declaring the Zhong and Xue clans traitors, with Shen Lang and Ning Zheng receiving the order to quell the rebellion. Only then would the Great Yan Dynasty have no authority to intervene. With Ning Yuanxian’s life in an uncertain state, a civil war between Ning Yi and Ning Zheng would surely be used as a pretext by the Great Yan Dynasty to send a large army, under the guise of mediating and helping a vassal state find stability.
“The key now is to save my royal father.”
At Ning Zheng’s words, Grand Eunuch Lü Mu said.
“I fear it will be difficult. Shen Lang has the highest medical skills, but His Majesty is not suffering from a common illness. This is related to ancient civilizations. He is not well-versed in this area, is he?”
Ancient civilizations were entirely the domain of the transcendent powers. At present, several grandmasters and dozens of royal physicians couldn’t even find the cause of Ning Yuanxian’s condition, let alone cure it. In fact, Ning Yuanxian had not collapsed from an illness at all. Suddenly, Lü Jun asked.
“What if Shen Lang cannot save His Majesty, and the Great Yan Dynasty sends someone to preside over the situation?”
Currently, the State of Yue’s king had suddenly collapsed, his life uncertain, and the matter of appointing a crown prince remained unresolved. The Yan Emperor, as the common sovereign of the eastern dynasties, would certainly do his utmost to help a vassal state in crisis. The ensuing scenario was easy to predict. The imperial envoy sent by the Yan Emperor would arrive in the capital and have the ministers recommend a crown prince. In the end, the ministers would recommend Ning Yi, and the Emperor, under the pretext of following the will of the people, would enthrone Ning Yi as the crown prince.
It wouldn't end there. With Ning Yuanxian's life hanging in the balance, they would argue that a country cannot be without a ruler for even a day and would place the already-appointed Crown Prince Ning Yi on the throne in very short order. It would be better if Ning Yuanxian were dead, but if he remained in this state between life and death, he would immediately become the emperor emeritus. If that happened, it would be difficult for Ning Zheng to turn the situation around. Once a king was decided, it was nearly impossible to usurp the throne again.
Grand Eunuch Lü Jun said.
“Therefore, Your Highness, you must plan ahead. If necessary, you must force your way into the palace and ascend the throne yourself!”
Lü Jun, Lü Mu, and the others were extremely pessimistic about Ning Yuanxian’s condition. Since the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion had used the power of an ancient civilization to try and assassinate him, it was clear that even Shen Lang would find it incredibly difficult to save him. If Ning Zheng didn’t act now, the opportunity might not arise again, and he could miss his chance.
“Prince Ning Zheng, the capital’s garrisons follow you. We also have ten thousand Qiang cavalry. Even if we cannot eliminate the Xue, Zhong, and Zhu clans, we can control the capital and allow you to ascend the throne first.”
To Lü Jun’s words, Ning Zheng asked in return.
“Who would support it? My royal uncle, Ning Jiang, was imprisoned for destroying the false edict to protect me. Right now, the ones with the most power to preside over the situation in the palace are the Dowager Empress and the Queen. But the Dowager Empress is not of sound mind and cannot oversee matters of state. If I were to forcibly ascend the throne at a time like this, it would be no different from mobilizing the army to start a rebellion.”
Lü Jun shouted.
“Then what should we do? If Shen Lang cannot save His Majesty, must we just sit by and watch the Yan Emperor place Ning Yi on the throne?”
Ning Zheng said.
“We must make two preparations. First, Shen Lang must return to the capital and save my royal father. If he can be saved, all will be well. If he cannot, then we must do everything in our power to have Shen Lang restore the Dowager Empress’s mind, even if only for a moment. For me to ascend the throne, the Dowager Empress must be lucid for at least half a quarter-hour.”
“Yes!”
“Control the Queen. Do not let her take a single step out of her palace, and do not give her the chance to speak with anyone.”
“Yes!”
Unless absolutely necessary, he must never ascend the throne on his own initiative. No matter how justified the reason, one who seizes the throne for themself is considered a traitor.
“Li Qianqiu, Zhong Chuke, the two of you will go at once and bring Shen Lang to the capital.”
“Yes!”
The two grandmasters hurried out of the palace. Without a moment’s delay, they raced toward Tianshu Province.
* * *
A mere ten hours later, Li Qianqiu and Zhong Chuke arrived at Shen Lang’s military camp.
“His Majesty has been harmed and his life is in peril. You must return to the capital at once to save him.”
After speaking, the two prepared to leave with Shen Lang without delay, but Mulan ran after them and asked.
“My lord, should I go as well?”
“No, my love. You will remain here and prepare for battle at any moment. If my predictions are correct, the Zhong clan’s grand army will attack this position within half a month. I am entrusting the First and Second Nirvana Armies to you. Take this opportunity to annihilate the Zhong clan!”
Shen Lang instructed Mulan, then immediately mounted his horse and galloped toward the capital.
“I will!”
Jin Mulan replied, her voice trembling. She felt the weight of a great responsibility. Previously, she had led the Second Nirvana Army on an expedition to the State of Nan’ou, which had ended in failure and a catastrophic disaster. Later, she led a surprise attack on the Great Southern Kingdom Road, which had turned into a farcical situation. Because of this, Mulan was currently feeling a bit of self-doubt. It felt as if she didn't know how to fight without her husband by her side, and she thought it would be difficult for her to command a large army on her own.
“Mulan, if my lord entrusted this to you, he has already thought everything through. If he said you can do it, then you absolutely can. You must. I will never let my lord down!”
Mulan focused all her mental energy on defending the small fortress where she was stationed with over four thousand soldiers, waiting for the Zhong clan’s grand army to attack.