Chapter 747
Chapter 747
Royal Uncle Ying Ji said.
“Wait… Ying Qi, I will not resign. Isn’t it enough if I don’t resign? Ying Jiang is His Majesty’s uncle and over seventy this year. Do not torment him any longer.”
At Ying Ji’s words, Ying Qi shot to his feet and roared.
“Royal Uncle Ying Ji, how can you be so foolish? Is this a matter that can be swept under the rug privately? What do you take the laws of the nation and the dignity of the court for? Ying Jiang’s tampering with the Royal Father’s secret decree is an act of treason. As his son, am I supposed to turn a blind eye to this? If I did, how could I stand in this court? How could I face the ancestors of the Ying royal family?”
Xue Che said coldly.
“Royal Uncle Ying Ji, you defend Ying Jiang so vehemently. Could it be that the two of you have hatched some unspeakable conspiracy? Are you perhaps afraid that Ying Jiang might confess something?”
Hearing this, Royal Uncle Ying Ji trembled with rage.
*‘Could there be anything more absurd in this world? The true traitor is accusing a loyal subject of treason. To twist black and white like this, to call a deer a horse. I, Ying Ji, must have been truly blind before. To think I supported a beast like you, Ying Qi. Ying Jiang was right. You are a treacherous usurper. A treacherous usurper!’*
Ying Qi feigned a rebuke toward Xue Che in a cold tone.
“Governor Xue, do not speak recklessly without evidence. Yan Que, what are you standing there for? Go and arrest Ying Jiang at once.”
“Your Highness, what should I do if the palace staff obstructs me while I am arresting Ying Jiang?”
Ying Qi replied coldly.
“Kill anyone who stands in your way without mercy!”
“As you command.”
“When arresting the traitor Ying Jiang, kill anyone who obstructs you without hesitation.”
At that moment, Ying Zheng, who had been silent all along, spoke up.
“Wait! I will speak with the Queen of the Jiang Kingdom.”
Ying Qi let out a cold sneer.
*‘Trying to compromise now? Too late! Once I arrest Ying Jiang, I will use him to fabricate a major treason case, implicating everyone involved. Then, your fate will be in my hands. Ying Zheng, your fatal flaw is that you are too honest. And sometimes, honesty is just another word for stupidity.’*
Ying Qi spoke coldly to Ying Zheng as well.
“Duke of Yue, is this how our Royal Father taught you? Are you trying to bargain with matters of state? Ying Jiang’s tampering with the Royal Father’s secret decree is tantamount to treason. What does that have to do with you? Ah, unless you have something to worry about?”
*Bang!*
Yan Que, the Governor of the Blackwater Terrace, immediately pushed open the doors of the grand hall with a loud noise and stepped outside.
“Men, arrest the traitor Ying Jiang! Kill anyone who resists without mercy!”
Yan Que left the grand hall, leading several hundred experts from the Blackwater Terrace toward the rear palace. Along the way, eunuchs and palace maids scattered to make way. Soon, Yan Que and his men arrived outside the palace where Ying Jiang was being held. This was also the place where Ning Yuanxian was recuperating, so Eunuch Lü Jun stood guard outside the palace gates.
“Governor Yan Que, what are you doing?”
Yan Que bowed and replied.
“I have come to arrest the traitor Ying Jiang. He has committed the heinous crime of daring to tamper with His Majesty’s secret decree.”
“Wasn’t it said that Ying Jiang would be imprisoned in the royal dungeons? Why is the Blackwater Terrace taking him away again today?”
“Eunuch Lü, this is a direct order from the Junior Lord. Please do not make things difficult for me.”
“And what if I refuse to let you in?”
Yan Que raised his head, looked Lü Jun straight in the eye, and answered.
“The Junior Lord has ordered the arrest of the traitor Ying Jiang, and to kill anyone who resists without mercy.”
Lü Jun asked in a calm voice.
“His Majesty is recuperating inside. Are you certain you will kill anyone without mercy, Yan Que?”
“Of course, I would not dare disturb His Majesty. However, arresting the traitor Ying Jiang is a matter of utmost urgency that cannot be delayed. Eunuch Lü, please step aside immediately. Otherwise, do not blame me for being unaccommodating…”
Then, Yan Que gripped the hilt of his sword and drew it slightly from its scabbard.
“Anyone who obstructs the arrest of the traitor Ying Jiang will be killed without mercy!”
Lü Jun asked coldly.
“Yan Que, are you sure you want to enter?”
“Of course!”
Lü Jun sneered and said.
“Then enter!”
The palace gates then opened, and Yan Que led the Blackwater Terrace straight inside. But the moment he stepped through the doors, he immediately felt an icy aura. When he raised his head, he saw someone sitting in a wooden wheelchair. It was King Ning Yuanxian.
*‘He… he’s awake!’*
As if struck by lightning, Yan Que’s entire body turned ice-cold, and he couldn’t even move. A moment later, cold sweat poured down his body, and he fell to his knees, slamming his head against the floor.
“This servant greets Your Majesty! This servant deserves to die ten thousand deaths!”
Ning Yuanxian glanced calmly at Yan Que and replied.
“I never realized you were so clever.”
Then, ignoring Yan Que, he said.
“The show in the grand hall must be in full swing. It’s time for us to make our entrance. Let’s go.”
Shen Lang pushed the wheelchair, and protected by Lü Mu and Zhong Chuke, Ning Yuanxian slowly made his way to the grand hall.
***
Inside the grand hall.
Enraged by Ying Qi’s order to arrest Ying Jiang, Royal Uncle Ying Ji was vehemently berating him.
“Ying Qi, how can you act so unreasonably? Do you not fear that the kingdom our ancestors built will be ruined? Our Ying ancestors spent hundreds of years to build this kingdom. And you intend to give it away so easily? Your arrest of Ying Jiang today, framing him for treason—is this not a plan to escalate the incident and kill off half the officials in this court?”
Both Ying Ji and Ying Jiang were upright men. Unable to endure it any longer, he was now roaring loudly. Ying Qi offered no response, but the Imperial Prince Yan of the Empire spoke slowly.
“Is this the court of Yue? The Junior Lord is still a monarch. Is a subject of Yue allowed to treat his monarch with such disrespect? Bring in the Queen!”
A moment later, Queen Zhu reappeared.
“Royal Uncle Ying Ji, you seem tired. Guards, escort the Royal Uncle away so he may calm himself!”
*Bang!*
Just then, the great doors of the palace burst open. Everyone in the hall assumed it was the warriors of the Blackwater Terrace rushing back in. *It seems the court of Yue is about to enter a dark age.* As they were about to lament this inwardly, they unexpectedly saw King Ning Yuanxian.
Ning Yuanxian was seated in a wheelchair, being slowly pushed in by Shen Lang. Watching Ning Yuanxian enter slowly, the ministers were struck by an indescribable shock, unable to believe what they were seeing.
*‘How did His Majesty wake up? Wasn’t he supposed to never wake up? What on earth happened?’*
Queen Zhu’s body trembled. Her face turned deathly pale in an instant, drained of all color. Ying Qi, too, felt as if he had been dropped into an icehouse. No, not just an icehouse, but a place frozen solid by ten-thousand-year-old ice. He could feel no warmth at all, and it felt as though a bolt of lightning was about to strike his head and split it in two. The Imperial Prince Yan of the Empire also lost all expression in an instant, even ceasing to breathe. Zhu Hongzhu’s old body shuddered once, and his vision went black as he felt on the verge of fainting.
***
After a long moment, the ministers of Yue finally came to their senses as if waking from a dream. Then, they knelt in an orderly fashion.
“We, your subjects, greet Your Majesty! Congratulations, Your Majesty! May the great King live a long and healthy life!”
Most of the ministers in the hall had harbored grievances against Ning Yuanxian in the past, but now, seeing his gaunt figure, they felt an immense sense of relief. His Majesty could be harsh and ungenerous, even handling matters in extreme ways. But at the very least, he knew what lines should not be crossed, and for the sake of the country, he and his ministers could generally tolerate each other.
King Ning Yuanxian came to the foot of the steps and said.
“Ying Zheng, carry me up to the throne.”
Ying Zheng, trembling all over, stepped forward, lifted Ning Yuanxian’s frail body from the wheelchair, and carried him up the steps one by one, placing him on the throne. In that moment, father and son felt as if their blood was connected. Ying Zheng’s very soul was trembling. He had endured for so long recently. Even though his forces were superior, he had never initiated a battle, never crossed the lines that shouldn’t be crossed. This was because he firmly believed that Shen Lang could save his father. Once his Royal Father awoke, everything would return to normal, and that would cause the least damage to the court’s situation. His intuition had been correct; Shen Lang had once again created a miracle.
Ning Yuanxian looked at Ying Zheng once, sighed, and said.
“You are too earnest and upright.”
From the throne, Ning Yuanxian looked at the Imperial Prince Yan of the Empire and said.
“I heard you held a king selection assembly, but according to the rules, the position of Crown Prince is for me alone to decide. Is that not so?”
The Imperial Prince Yan’s face twitched once as he replied.
“Of course. The so-called king selection assembly was held only out of necessity. However, Prince Ying Qi is indeed a very outstanding prince, and the Empire holds him in high regard.”
King Ning Yuanxian smiled and said.
“Is it only the Empire that holds him in high regard? I do as well. Ying Qi, your duties as Junior Lord are now complete. You have worked hard.”
Then, Ning Yuanxian spoke in a slow tone.
“Draft an imperial edict. The Fifth Prince, Ying Zheng, is hereby appointed Crown Prince of Yue. By imperial command! All you ministers present, my speech may not be smooth, but did you all hear me clearly? I will make Ying Zheng the Crown Prince!”
The moment Ning Yuanxian’s words fell, all the civil and military officials filling the hall knelt and kowtowed.
“Your Majesty is wise and brilliant! We, your subjects, greet His Highness the Crown Prince!”
***
It was a colossal humiliation. Ying Qi felt as if he were standing naked in a raging inferno. Every inch of his body seemed to be on fire, burning from the inside out. Though no one showed it, he could feel that many people here were inwardly reveling in his misfortune. Moreover, their eyes were filled with ridicule. He was probably the shortest-reigning Junior Lord in the world. To be deposed less than an hour after being chosen. It was a great humiliation.
Ying Qi had suffered a greater humiliation than the former Crown Prince Ying Yi ever had, and he was about to become the laughingstock of the world. Ying Qi was certain that his Royal Father had woken up long ago and could have stopped the assembly midway, but had instead waited until after the Junior Lord was chosen, waited until Ying Qi had a taste of power, only to suddenly appear and slap him viciously across the face.
*Slap, slap, slap, slap!*
He felt as if he were being slapped relentlessly. It wasn't just him; Ning Yuanxian's slap had struck the faces of the Imperial Prince Yan of the Empire and Queen Zhu as well. Resentment! A bone-deep resentment. No other words could describe what Ying Qi was feeling.