Xiao Rongyan’s voice was stern as he reprimanded Murong Li, the Emperor of Yan, like scolding an incompetent child from his own family, showing no regard for saving face: “Even a three-year-old child knows the principle that one cannot gain the world by breaking faith with it. Your father often taught this when he was alive, yet Your Majesty makes such mistakes—can you face your father?”
Seeing Murong Li lower his head without responding, Xiao Rongyan’s tone grew even more ominous: “After Yan allied with Great Zhou, every time war spoils were divided, Great Zhou would take care of Yan and give Yan more. Under such circumstances, Yan stabbed them in the back—this is unrighteous! Before the people of the world, this places our Yan in a position of treachery and baseness, making our Yan into ungrateful villains! Making our Yan the target of everyone’s arrows! Are you satisfied with such results, Your Majesty?”
“Ninth Prince…” Wang Jiuzhou, standing beside Murong Li, quickly knelt and kowtowed, “Please calm your anger, Ninth Prince. This matter was not done by His Majesty! It was…”
“Wang Jiuzhou!” Murong Li sternly reprimanded.
Only then did Wang Jiuzhou tightly purse his lips, showing an expression of wanting to speak but stopping himself, yet unable to bear not defending Murong Li.
Wang Jiuzhou understood in his heart that this time, whether it was his master or His Majesty, both probably harbored thoughts of pulling the Empress Dowager down from her regent position. Wang Jiuzhou didn’t name the Empress Dowager, but this also served as a warning to the court ministers, letting them know that this disaster of Great Zhou deploying troops at Yan’s borders was caused by the Empress Dowager.
Wang Jiuzhou was eager to defend Murong Li, while Murong Li reprimanded him and wouldn’t allow Wang Jiuzhou to speak—this was simply attempting to cover up, only making it more obvious.
The court ministers looked at each other, and who could understand that there must be other circumstances involved, very likely done by the Yan Empress Dowager, who had been frequently in contact with the Xiliang people recently, while their Majesty was merely trying to shoulder this matter alone.
“Enough! Your Majesty should come with me to see the Empress Dowager, and let the Empress Dowager also meet the trusted subordinates of General Cui Shanzhong. The truth will eventually become clear.” Xiao Rongyan spoke.
The Yan ministers watched, feeling this Ninth Prince was unrelenting, apparently wanting to use this opportunity to pull the Empress Dowager down from her regent position. From then on, at least until the Emperor came of age, this Yan court would be the Ninth Prince’s sole domain.
The court ministers who originally followed Ninth Prince Murong Yan were naturally overjoyed, feeling that the Yan Empress Dowager was courting death, and Great Zhou’s deployment of troops at Yan’s borders helped the Ninth Prince.
Meanwhile, the court ministers who followed the Empress Dowager immediately became worried, and Murong Li’s maternal uncle Zhong Xingxiao’s heart “thumped” heavily. They knew clearly that this matter was indeed done by the Empress Dowager, and now Yan and Great Zhou still had differences in national strength. If they fought, Yan probably wouldn’t be Great Zhou’s match, so this matter needed to be explained to Great Zhou an explanation.
Especially since they just heard the Ninth Prince say that the trusted subordinates of General Cui Shanzhong were to be handed over to the Ninth Prince by Great Zhou, this meant that Great Zhou already knew that the one who betrayed Great Zhou behind the scenes was the Empress Dowager. Since an explanation was needed, naturally, it was the Empress Dowager who had to provide it.
Now, the Emperor was young, and these ministers who ostensibly followed the Emperor all followed the Empress Dowager, so no matter what, they had to protect the Empress Dowager!
The ministers of the Empress Dowager’s faction had already made up their minds to protect the Empress Dowager’s regent position at all costs.
“Your Majesty, Ninth Prince…” Zhong Xingxiao stepped forward, and after respectfully bowing to Murong Li and Xiao Rongyan, said: “The so-called trusted subordinates of General Cui Shanzhong that Great Zhou handed over may not necessarily be General Cui Shanzhong’s real trusted subordinates.”
Zhong Xingxiao raised his head to glance at Xiao Rongyan, whose mask gleamed coldly, then continued: “Naturally, now that Great Zhou has deployed troops at our Yan borders, the most important thing is to resolve the immediate crisis where our Yan’s main forces cannot return and domestic military strength is insufficient. If a fight breaks out, our Yan cannot withstand it! Please, Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and the Ninth Prince discuss this properly! If there’s anywhere we ministers can be of use, we will certainly risk our lives. Please, Your Majesty and the Ninth Prince, take us all to see the Empress Dowager together and pool our wisdom!”
The corner of Xiao Rongyan’s lips under his mask curved slightly as he looked at this old National Uncle who had lowered his posture to the lowest point. He didn’t respond, only asked Murong Li: “What does Your Majesty think?”
Murong Li’s fists in his sleeves clenched tightly, as if very afraid of his Ninth Uncle, and spoke: “Ninth Uncle, why don’t we let the court ministers all follow! Just so happens that I… I have thought of a method these past days that I want to tell Ninth Uncle and all the court ministers. How about letting the ministers follow, and we go to the front hall first. The matter of seeing Mother can be discussed later. After all, now is not the time to pursue right and wrong. We should first think of solutions, and pursuing responsibility can come later.”
Xiao Rongyan knew that Murong Li wanted to strike while the iron was hot and speak of the strategy to merge the two countries with all the ministers today, so he nodded.
Soon, General Cui Shanzhong’s two trusted subordinates were also brought down from the prison cart.
An official who had previously seen this deputy general of General Cui Shanzhong in the Yan capital widened his eyes: “Isn’t this…”
Hearing this, Xiao Rongyan paused in his steps and looked toward that official: “What do you know?”
That official was frightened by Xiao Rongyan’s cold, stern voice and immediately knelt and kowtowed: “These… these Xiliang people, this humble minister has seen them before in the Yan capital, seen them… entering and leaving… entering and leaving the imperial palace!”
That official closed his eyes and steeled his heart, saying everything he knew. After speaking, he didn’t forget to pull others in to give himself courage: “Previously, this humble minister and Minister Guan and Minister Li saw them together when leaving the palace!”
Minister Guan and Minister Li, being named, quickly knelt…
Xiao Rongyan turned to look at the kneeling officials and asked: “Is what he said… true?”
“Replying… replying to the Regent Prince, it’s true!”
“It’s true! It’s true!”
Getting a definitive answer, Xiao Rongyan turned and continued walking into the palace with Murong Li. The ministers immediately followed behind Xiao Rongyan and Murong Li. They all knew that there would likely be a bloody storm later, so each one dared not even breathe loudly.
Especially the three officials who had just revealed that Cui Shanzhong’s trusted subordinates had entered the palace, seeing the dark gaze that old National Uncle Zhong Xingxiao cast toward them, were filled with regret, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads. They understood in their hearts that they had probably been drawn into the struggle between the Regent Prince and the Empress Dowager, and had accidentally taken the Regent Prince’s side.
Originally, they just wanted to serve in court until honorable retirement, but now, with this mishap, never mind honorable retirement—this National Uncle had always been petty and vindictive, and they feared it would implicate their entire families.
The Yan Empress Dowager sat restlessly in the palace. Upon hearing news of Xiao Rongyan’s return to the Yan capital, she had no mood even for feeding fish. She held the fish food box in her hands, but hadn’t scattered the fish food for a long time.