Chapter 749
Chapter 749
All eyes turned to Zhu Hongzhu as he spoke.
“The darkness before the dawn has arrived. We face our darkest moment, but I know the dawn will soon come. I had originally intended to preserve a sliver of strength for Ning Han and the State of Yue, but His Majesty the King has extinguished that final hope. Since it has come to this, we will hibernate and wait quietly. Until a thunderous roar shakes the heavens, until the moment the world truly collapses.”
Hearing his words, everyone held their breath.
*Why is Zhu Hongzhu saying something so astonishing? Why is he speaking of this matter with such gravity?*
“The world will soon undergo a cataclysmic change. This time, it will be a true cataclysm, a cataclysm for the entire Eastern Dynasty. This upheaval will be like a towering tsunami, sweeping across the entire world. No one, no power, will be able to stop it. Whether it’s Yue, Chu, or the Great Southern Kingdom, they will all be shattered before this great tsunami. Therefore, our Zhu Clan will withdraw completely from the court of Yue. Everyone will resign.”
“Xue Che, leave the capital. Take all your people and your power and leave the capital. Yan Nanfei, take all the disciples of the South Sea Sword Sect and the direct warriors of the Blackwater Terrace, leave the capital, and return to your Southern Archipelago. Zhong E, you too shall resign from your post as Vice Minister of the Privy Council and return to the Zhong Clan's domain in Tianshu Province. Your Highness Ning Qi, leave the State of Yue and go to Yan Capital. Everyone is to wait quietly until the astonishing roar resounds. Yan Nanfei, Xue Che, I have a mission for the two of you. This is not my order, but an order from the Zhu Clan of Yan Capital.”
Xue Che and Yan Nanfei replied in unison.
“Prime Minister Zhu, please give us your command.”
“Use all your strength to attack Raging Tide City and annihilate the Jin Clan.”
Yan Nanfei couldn't help but be surprised.
*Annihilate the Jin Clan and seize Raging Tide City at a time like this? Why?*
“Remember, do not regret any cost, do not care how many people die. You must take Raging Tide City. After that, you must completely seal off all defensive lines in the eastern waters of Yue. The Hidden Yuan Society will cooperate with you with all their might.”
At Zhu Hongzhu's words, Xue Che replied.
“Yes!”
***
The next day.
Ning Zheng received over a hundred letters of resignation. All the direct officials of the Zhong and Zhu clans in the court resigned in unison. The Xue Clan also submitted their resignations, and Yan Ye, the Commander of the Blackwater Terrace, also resigned. As a result, nearly half of the court of Yue was left empty. The Zhu and Zhong clans, who had once wielded power that could blot out the sky, had all vanished. The remaining civil and military officials in the court felt lost in the face of this situation, and no significant discussions could be held during the morning assembly. Eventually, Ning Zheng and the direct ministers of the Grand Secretariat and the Privy Council discussed the current situation in the study.
“Your Highness, you must hold them back. Close the city gates and detain them. The Zhong and Xue clans will surely rebel once they return to their domains.”
The new Vice Minister of the Grand Secretariat, Wang Shengchu, was as aggressive as ever.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, you must not miss this golden opportunity. Neither Zhong E nor Xue Che should be allowed to leave the capital. You must immediately issue an edict, declare them traitors, and dispatch troops to eliminate them.”
The Regent Crown Prince Ning Zheng said.
“Your Graces, Uncle Ning Jiang and Uncle Ning Ji, what are your thoughts?”
Ning Jiang replied.
“Your Highness, if we declare them traitors now, they will start a civil war right here in the capital.”
Ning Ji said.
“Our forces are superior in the capital.”
Wang Shengchu immediately countered.
“Your Highness, you must not show the indecisive benevolence of a woman. Even if a civil war breaks out in the capital, even if the nation is left in tatters, we must endure this one hardship to eliminate the threat for good.”
“Even if a civil war breaks out in the capital, we cannot completely eradicate their power. A civil war may be inevitable, but it must not happen in the capital. We can only claim to have uprooted them if we can annihilate the domains of the Xue and Zhong clans in one fell swoop.”
Hearing Ning Zheng's words, the various leaders of the court were greatly surprised. Annihilating the domains of the Xue and Zhong clans in one fell swoop was certainly a good thing; it would resolve a potential threat for the next hundred years. But could it really be done? The State of Yue couldn't achieve it even at its strongest, nor could the King of Chu when he attacked Jinseo Province with an army of three hundred thousand. That place was the Zhong Clan's long-established base, a domain they had managed for over a century. How many troops could Ning Zheng mobilize now? At most, no more than fifty thousand. If three hundred thousand couldn't take Jinseo Province, could forty or fifty thousand?
And what about the Xue Clan? Their plan to become kings across the sea had begun decades before the Jin Clan's. The Count of Wu'an's estate, belonging to the Xue Clan, was now empty; all their power was in the Southern Archipelago. They were a massive military power disguised as the South Sea Sword Sect. The Xue Clan not only monopolized all the trade routes in the southern seas but were also a subsidiary power of Mount Fudao. They possessed an incredibly strong navy and martial arts corps. To speak of annihilating the Xue Clan without a fleet that could command the seas was nothing but a fool's dream.
The Southern Archipelago was a full two thousand li from Tiannan Province. There was no complete information on how large this archipelago was, how many troops were stationed there, or how many fortresses it had. The Xue Clan had been supporting the South Sea Sword Sect for over a century, and for decades they had been migrating the people of their domain to the Southern Archipelago on a large scale. Mount Fudao had also been supporting the South Sea Sword Sect for decades. Thus, the Xue Clan's Southern Archipelago must have become a formidable power.
A single past event was enough to demonstrate the strength of the Xue Clan and the South Sea Sword Sect. After Mount Fudao seized the development rights to the ancient ruins on Black Stone Island, the South Sea Sword Sect dispatched a fleet to blockade the entire sea region. The fleet they mobilized numbered over a hundred ships and more than ten thousand men. And how large was the Jin Clan's fleet? At most, it was no more than four thousand strong, and they had only been trained as an army for just over two years.
Wang Shengchu spoke again.
“Your Highness, you can let Zhong E go, but Xue Che must be detained. Zhong E is not the head of the Zhong Clan, but Xue Che is the head of the Xue Clan, the master of the South Sea Sword Sect, and the lord of the Southern Archipelago. Letting him leave the capital is like releasing a tiger back into the mountains.”
“Prime Minister Wang, on what charge should we detain Xue Che?”
“The charge is simple, is it not? Treason!”
As expected of a former Censor-in-Chief, he was adept at accusing others. He used to claim at every turn that Jin Zhuo was committing treason; now he was saying Xue Che was.
Ning Zheng asked him.
“But we have no evidence that Xue Che has committed treason, do we?”
Of course, Xue Che leading troops in an attempt to kill Ning Zheng was an act of treason. But that incident could not be made public. If it were, the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion and Mount Fudao would all be implicated.
“Why is proof necessary? We can declare the crime, arrest the man, and then investigate.”
“To mobilize troops, one must have a just cause and act reasonably.”
Hearing Ning Zheng's words, Wang Shengchu felt a sense of regret. His Highness Ning Zheng was truly too upright, even to the point of being archaic. Of course, as a minister, he wanted a righteous monarch, which was why he had harbored dissatisfaction with Ning Yuanxian, a king who refused to practice the kingly way and insisted on taking unorthodox paths. But now, seeing Ning Zheng's righteousness, he couldn't help but think it was archaic.
But was Ning Zheng really an archaic person? Of course not. In the current situation, it was simply impossible to detain Xue Che. Xue Che, Yan Nanfei, and Yan Ye were all Grandmaster-level experts. Although only Yan Nanfei among the three had earned the title of Grandmaster, the other two had also reached that realm. In the palace that day, Ning Yuanxian had suppressed them with his kingly authority; had he tried to use force, he would not have been their match.
It wasn't just these three; Ning Qi and Zhong E were also top-tier experts. Since a great many warriors of the Blackwater Terrace came from the South Sea Sword Sect, Ning Zheng's side would be at a disadvantage when it came to martial arts forces in the capital. Although Ning Zheng had Li Qianqiu and his wife, Zhong Chuke, Lü Mu, Big Dummy, and others, which was enough for self-protection, detaining Xue Che was absolutely impossible. Not to mention, weren't the experts of Mount Fudao and the Hidden Yuan Society hidden behind Xue Che? Therefore, it was better for them to withdraw completely and hand over the capital to Ning Zheng intact.
***
As Ning Zheng approved the resignations one by one, Zhong E led all the members of the Zhong Clan out of the capital, and Xue Che and Yan Nanfei also departed with a large number of people. With this, the Blackwater Terrace was more than half-empty, its core warriors all gone. Shen Lang's Black Mirror Division took this opportunity to fill the vacancies and seize control of the Blackwater Terrace, with Grand Eunuch Lü Zhun concurrently serving as its new Commander. That's right. After Yan Ye left, the Blackwater Terrace was immediately demoted. Although the Xue and Zhong clans had all left, the Zhu Clan still remained within Tianyue City, showing no intention of leaving the capital. And the third prince, Ning Qi, also did not leave the capital.
***
The Empress Dowager's funeral was conducted with solemnity and dignity, but it was by no means extravagant or lavish. After the funeral, the Prince of Yan from the Empire, who was preparing to leave the State of Yue, asked Ning Qi.
“Ning Qi, are you certain you won't come with me to Yan Capital? Now that the Xue and Zhong clans have withdrawn, if you alone remain in the capital, you may be walking into your own death.”
At the Prince of Yan's words, Ning Qi shook his head and said.
“I appreciate your kind offer, Your Highness, but it is at times like these that I must remain in the capital.”
Ning Qi had his thoughts well-ordered. If he went to Yan Capital now, he would be seen as a complete failure, a dejected man, even a puppet of the Great Yan Dynasty. But if he remained in the capital of Yue, another opportunity might present itself. The Prince of Yan looked at Ning Qi for a long time before speaking.
“The world is vast indeed, producing countless brilliant and talented individuals. Ning Qi, you are truly Ning Yuanxian's son. To show such remarkable clarity in the face of adversity.”
Ning Qi bowed.
“Your Highness is too kind with your praise.”
“Do not worry. It is the darkness before the dawn; it will not last long.”
***
Ning Qi was immediately stripped of the military command he had held for a mere couple of hours. Once Ning Zheng became the Regent Crown Prince, Ning Qi was left with only his position as Vice Minister of the Privy Council. Logically, even if he insisted on staying in the capital, he should have locked his doors and not stepped outside. Yet, he still attended the morning court every day, remaining silent from beginning to end.
After Crown Prince Ning Zheng became regent, King Ning Yuanxian completely withdrew from the stage, recuperating daily in Consort Bian's palace and relinquishing all authority. Ning Zheng brought him memorials every day, but Ning Yuanxian didn't look at a single one, entrusting all state affairs to Ning Zheng and allowing him to handle official duties as he saw fit. The only things Ning Yuanxian did each day were listen to books being read to him, sunbathe, and diligently perform his rehabilitation exercises.
Despite Ning Yuanxian stepping back from state affairs, the results were quite good. The governance of the entire capital, and even the entire State of Yue, was very well-organized. Of course, this wasn't just because Ning Zheng was exceptional, but because everyone's minds were at ease. After enduring a major war for two years and a month of upheaval in the court, countless common people had spent their days in great fear and anxiety. Now that everything had finally calmed down, who would have the heart to cause trouble when they could be living peacefully and working happily?
Moreover, Ning Zheng was far more diligent than Ning Yuanxian. He handled every matter, big or small, with great effort and saw everything through to the end. No matter what difficulties he encountered, he did not try to avoid them but resolved them completely. To be honest, with Ning Zheng at the helm, the capital became less dramatic, but it could finally pursue development in peace. The court stabilized in a most peculiar way.