Chapter 517: Prince Yan has arrived
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
"Chaos?" Xing Yuanguo didn't rebut Chi Hou. He knew how Yan Qianli was like.
As the leader of Western Liang, Yan Qianli was renowned for being strict and tough with his sons and grandsons.
The only thing that could be said...
The quality of the sons of the Yan Family was testament to the success of Yan Qianli's teaching methods.
Yan Qianli was notorious for being domineering and strict.
Yan Xiu was the target of an assassination? In the capital?! If Yan Qianli got wind of this, the consequences would be catastrophic.
...
King Duan took advantage of the situation whilst Xing Yuanguo and Chi Hou thought about the ramifications of Fang Zhengzhi's plan.
"Prime Minister, what do you have to say for yourself?" King Duan smirked as he looked at Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.
"I have nothing to say." Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping shook his head.
With things as they were, there was no way he could explain his way out of this situation. He had to find some way to maintain his composure.
The two assistant ministers lowered their heads when they heard this. All hope was lost the moment Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping gave up.
"Arrest them!" King Duan ordered without hesitation.
"Yes, sir!" the city guards replied in unison as they surrounded Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and the two assistant ministers.
Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping allowed the city guards to arrest him without resisting.
The two assistant ministers didn't resist arrest either.
King Duan looked at Fang Zhengzhi after he made sure that Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and the two assistant ministers had been arrested.
After a moment of hesitation, he walked over.
"Fang Zhengzhi, you have contributed a lot to the arrest of these criminals. If you don't mind, I would like to invite you..."
"King Duan, your highness, are you speaking to me?" Fang Zhengzhi blinked as he looked at King Duan.
"Of course." King Duan nodded.
"Then, did you call me by the wrong name?" Fang Zhengzhi reminded.
"Ahem... yes, I forgot. Fang Zhengzheng, you have contributed a lot to the arrest of these criminals. If you don't mind, my residence is nearby. You can come over for some rest..."
"Your Highness, thank you for the invite, but... I'm busy!" Fang Zhengzhi shook his head as he looked at Yan Xiu. "Yan Xiu, are you free?"
"I'm not either." Yan Xiu shook his head.
"Since we are all not free, let's just go back and have hot pot." Fang Zhengzhi waved to King Duan apologetically after Yan Xiu replied.
"Great! I love eating hot pot!" Ping Yang shouted in excitement even before Yan Xiu could speak.
"None for you!" Fang Zhengzhi's lips twitched.
"Humph! I don't care! If you're making it, I want to eat it!" Ping Yang pouted, then leaned in, "You were right. Sometimes dead men are more useful than live ones."
"Can we talk about the bet that you lost?"
"What did I lose? It's just 450,000 silvers! It's no big deal! I am not someone who will go back on my word."
"But you are!"
"Am not!"
"You are!"
"Am not!"
"..."
King Duan watched Fang Zhengzhi and Ping Yang bicker, his face turning red and paling in quick succession.
He was a king! He just invited Fang Zhengzhi to rest in his residence! Yet, he had been rejected?
Furthermore...
The reason given was so lame.
Most importantly, they were planning to eat hot pot back at their own residence! They were clearly free!
King Duan clenched his fists, feeling the looks from the city guards and the wardens.
"Fang Zhengzhi, how dare you humiliate me?!" King Duan wanted to flip out. However, he felt a chill down his spine when he thought about Fang Zhengzhi's plan to defeat Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping.
Fang Zhengzhi's plan was nothing short of perfection. Furthermore, the viciousness unsettled him greatly.
"He managed to send Wan Chong to jail and implicate Left Prime Minister Yu Yiping and two other assistant ministers within 10 days of his arrival. As for the Ministry of War..."
That was a pity... even though there were five members of the ministry who were assassins in this plot...
It would be quite a long shot if they tried to tie this to the Minister of War.
Based on what he knew of the Crown Prince, there would be someone else in the ministry who would take the fall for this.
Hang on!
No!
King Duan turned to look at Fang Zhengzhi and company, who had already begun walking away. He felt another chill down his spine.
This chill was even more intense than the previous one. He realized that this involved someone else. That person was Prince Yan, Yan Qianli.
When it came to Yan Qianli...
Things...
Would not end so easily.
...
Ping Yang's residence...
There were a few guards in golden armor standing by the gates. There was one man standing in the middle, Ninth Prince Lin Yun.
He was slightly shocked to see Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and Ping Yang walk towards him. After some hesitation, he decided to walk forward to greet them.
"Brother, stay and eat hot pot with us." Ping Yang greeted him enthusiastically.
"Hotpot?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun nodded after recovering from the shock. Then, he seemed to recall something, "Didn't... didn't King Duan invite the all of you over to his place?"
"He did." Ping Yang replied.
"Then... why aren't..."
"This guy rejected his invite. He said that he wasn't free! Hahaha, it was hilarious! You should have seen the look on King Duan's face!" Ping Yang pointed at Fang Zhengzhi and guffawed.
"Rejected? Erm... Young Master Fang, I don't know if it is appropriate to say this." Ninth Prince Lin Yun was slightly hesitant.
"Please speak." Fang Zhengzhi nodded.
"Even though I do not participate in politics, I think you should choose King Duan especially since you've already antagonized the Crown Prince."
"Is he the best choice?" Fang Zhengzhi chuckled.
"He may be your only choice." the Ninth Prince replied.
"Yes, he is my only choice, but, why does it matter?" Fang Zhengzhi nodded and queried.
"Young Master Fang, since you know that it is your only choice, why do you antagonize him? There was a great opportunity presented to you today." Ninth Prince Lin Yun was rather confused.
"What if I told you that I never planned to choose between the Crown Prince and King Duan? Would you believe me?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at the Ninth Prince.
"Erm..." Ninth Prince Lin Yun's mouth twitched. He wanted to say something but decided against it when he saw the look in Fang Zhengzhi's eyes.
"Would you like to eat hot pot?" Fang Zhengzhi smiled.
"Of course!" Ninth Prince Lin Yun shuddered before accepting the invite.
"Come on then."
"I heard that the Emperor paid you when he ate your hot pot. I will get someone to bring over some silvers." Ninth Prince Lin Yun nodded.
"No need for that. Tonight's meal is on me." Fang Zhengzhi shook his head.
"Free?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun was shocked. Fang Zhengzhi's love for money was well known throughout the empire.
"Brother, what are you waiting for? Come on in! He is rarely this generous! I am getting hungry already! I want to eat my fill tonight!" Ping Yang waved to Ninth Prince Lin Yun.
"Okay..."
...
It was going to be a long night. Both the Crown Prince's and King Duan's residence were well lit and packed with officials.
The night dragged on for ages.
Dawn, the next day.
It was dark and breezy. The atmosphere was rather somber and it looked as though a storm was brewing overhead.
There was a man in his 40s seated in the Ministry of War. He was the current Minister of War, Shen Ming.
As one of the six ministers, he was known for his composure and calm demeanor. This made him the prime choice for Minister of War.
But now...
Shen Ming seemed extremely anxious. He kept shifting around in his seat and he was visibly uncomfortable.
In fact, the entire Ministry of War felt the same way. Every official simply couldn't keep still. They knew the storm that was coming for them.
"He's coming, he's coming. Minister..." A figure appeared at the door and fell to his knees.
"Who is here?!" Shen Ming paled as he looked at the kneeling figure. He stood up from his chair.
"The Crown Prince... the Crown Prince is here." The kneeling figure replied.
"Then what are you waiting for? Let him come in!" Shen Ming heaved a sigh of relief.
"Yes, your honor!" The figure disappeared through the door.
Before long, Crown Prince Lin Tianrong entered the room. He wore his trademark silver robe. He frowned as he looked at Shen Ming.
"Your Highness!" Shen Ming walked up and fell to his knees.
Crown Prince Lin Tianrong waved him off, signaling Shen Ming to stand. Then, he looked at the other officials.
"Leave us alone." Shen Ming bellowed when he saw the look on Crown Prince Lin Tianrong's face.
"Yes, your honor!" The officials immediately took their leave.
Shen Ming and Lin Tianrong were left alone in the room.
Crown Prince Lin Tianrong nodded when he saw everyone leave. He went to sit on the Minister's chair.
"Official Shen, why do you look so gloomy today?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong asked as he looked at the pale-faced Shen Ming.
"Your Highness, please save me!" Shen Ming fell to his knees. He couldn't be bothered about anything else.
"The responsibilities of the Ministry of Law are to select and qualify generals! You are also supposed to manage the logistics of the army. Even though you do not directly control the army, you have quite a heavy responsibility. Am I right?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong added.
"Yes, you are absolutely right!" Shen Ming nodded.
"It is inevitable that you are unable to oversee everything that happens here. Sometime, some of your generals in training might choose to interfere in politics."
"Yes, but I did have a lapse in judgment."
"You just have to admit to a lapse in judgment. You will also have to find the people in charge of those men. Official Shen, you have been in this position for seven years. I am sure you don't need me to teach you these things."
"Of course, of course... I have already found them in the night. They are currently being dealt with by the Right Assistant Minister. However, I still have to take responsibility for what happened." Shen Ming nodded.
"Yes, go on the record!"
"I have already prepared my statement. Please take a look at it!" Shen Ming retrieved his statement.
"No need for that. The Emperor might be at the Ten Mile Lake right now, but he should be returning soon. You should do this personally. Go kneel in front of the throne room!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong waved him off.
"Kneel in front of the throne room?" Shen Ming was stunned.
"Is there a problem?"
"No, no problem at all! I'll be on my way right now!" Shen Ming stood up and was about to take his leave.
Just as he walked out of the hall, he saw a figure rushing towards him. This figure crashed right into him.
"What is so urgent?" Shen Ming's expression was filled with rage. He questioned the figure solemnly.
"He's here... he's here..."
"Who's here? This is the Ministry of War! Who dares..."
"Prince Yan! It's Prince Yan!"