Chapter 411

"I, the king, am Xiao Jieyun's imperial aunt's husband, and you are his close imperial uncle. If we join forces, even without contesting the throne, we can keep him in our grasp."

"But right here in this hall, that pack of old mutts from the Murong family stand behind the young emperor, constantly chanting 'ancestral law' and 'the hierarchy of legitimate and illegitimate.'"

"They lead the ministers, shouting endlessly. They have forced you and me to hide our light and bide our time in our respective fiefs for so many years."

"'Hide one's light and bide one's time?' Prince Qing sneered, 'That's just enduring humiliation to survive!'"

"You and I both once followed the late emperor to expand the realm, and in the end his son ascended the throne as Emperor, while we can only stay far from Jingcheng, retreating to a corner!"

"And the Murong clan! Propping up Xiao Jieyun's dragon throne, they rot the nation and enrich themselves. They keep throwing obstacles at us, slandering us."

"This debt, I will settle sooner or later," the king said.

"Naturally we must settle it," Prince Chen nodded. "When Xiao Jieyun dies and we obtain the Jade Seal, the Empress Dowager—who has lost her natal family and is a forgotten old woman of the inner palace—will be at our mercy, won't she?"

"Let the Murong clan repay their debt slowly."

"We still need her for now; let her enjoy a few more days of triumph."

Prince Qing looked out the window: "By now, our 120,000‑strong army should have already reached Luoyan Slope."

"This battle must achieve its purpose in a single strike—kill Xiao Jieyun."

"The most important thing is the Jade Seal," Prince Chen said with a worried expression. "You and I have searched the Palace everywhere and can't find it; Xiao Jieyun must have taken it."

"Without the Jade Seal, even though we sit here in Zichen Hall, our legitimacy will always fall short. As time passes, we fear we cannot silence the endless gossip."

"Brother Wang, you are being overly cautious," Prince Qing replied dismissively. "You and I each dispatch 60,000 troops, a combined 120,000 army, well‑supplied and elite; there is no way we will fail."

"Xiao Jieyun now has only 70,000 men left and no grain supplies; at this moment his troops are exhausted and his horses are famished, unable to withstand a strike."

"Even if Xiao Jieyun is fortunate and survives by chance on the battlefield…"

He paused, showing a smile that implied certainty: "The Supreme's 'Blood Blade' has already rushed forward; are you still afraid it can't take his life?"

"In short, whatever happens, we must not let Xiao Jieyun step into Jingcheng alive!"

"This Zichen Hall should have had a new occupant long ago."

Prince Chen listened quietly, pondering for a moment: "Do we have any news on Prince Ning? He commands troops like a god; even the Emperor of Da Xia fell by his hand, so he must not be underestimated."

"Xiao Yuanhang?" Prince Qing seemed to hear a joke, shrugged his shoulders, leaned comfortably back in his chair, his expression full of disdain. "He may have won the border battle, but the casualties were disastrous."

"Now he's nothing but a starving, bereaved dog driven by us to run east and west."

"No matter how godlike his tactics, with only a handful of fully fit troops left, he can hardly protect himself, let alone stir up any storm."

He paused, his smile cold and playful: "Moreover, his mother, wife, and children are all locked up in our hands."

"If Xiao Yuanhang were wise, he would now be thinking about how to protect his entire family, not about the Emperor at all."

Prince Chen nodded slightly; that is indeed the reality—having the hostages means having the strongest chain binding a fierce tiger.

"You must not be careless; if Xiao Yuanhang were to seize them, it would be like releasing a tiger back to the mountain."

"Rest assured, Brother Wang. I have already laid a heavenly net and an earthly net."

"If he dares to come, that would be exactly what I have been waiting for."

"Moreover, there are still people of the Supreme there, carefully 'caring for' Princess Consort Ning."

Prince Qing wore a face of triumph: "We'll just sit in this Zichen Hall and wait for the good news to arrive."

"And also see whether Prince Ning will walk into the trap of his own making."

The two exchanged a glance, each seeing the other's thirst for power reflected in the other's eyes.

Suddenly, Prince Qing folded his smile: "Brother Wang, the daughter of Xiao Yuanhang who was appointed Immortal Envoy always makes me uneasy."

"She is no ordinary child."

"On the day she prayed for rain, I saw it with my own eyes: a golden dragon appeared, the masses knelt in worship, as if the heavens would obey her every word."

"If she is not removed, you and I will not be able to sit securely on this land."

"This time the Supreme has deployed the Blood Blade; besides Xiao Jieyun, the target is this Immortal Envoy, showing that the Supreme's aversion to her is already on par with that toward the Emperor."

Prince Chen was about to speak when a eunuch's report came from outside the hall: "Report to Prince Chen, Chen Hao is outside requesting an audience."

Prince Chen frowned. Chen Hao? What does he want?

Prince Qing raised an eyebrow, a look of anticipation on his face: "Brother Wang, could my worthy nephew be here to pay his respects to us?"

Prince Chen ignored his teasing and shouted: "Let him in."

The hall doors opened and closed; Chen Hao entered, knelt and saluted: "Son, I present myself to Father King. I have met Uncle Prince Qing."

Prince Chen looked down at his eldest son, his tone even: "Rise. What business brings you to Zichen Hall?"

"Thank you, Father King," Chen Hao rose, scanning the hall.

Seeing his father and Prince Qing seated on either side of the dragon throne, they looked like the masters of the hall.

His eyes were complex: "Father! I dare ask, a few days ago the army left Jingcheng—was that by your order to go and eliminate His Majesty?"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere in the hall tightened instantly.

Prince Qing's teasing vanished; his gaze turned icy as he scrutinized him.

Prince Chen's face was as still as water: "So what? Sending troops to quell rebellion is the natural order of Heaven and Earth."

"You have been in Jingcheng so long—have you truly come to think of yourself as an Emperor, forgetting your own surname and which side you should stand on?"

"Quell rebellion? Father!" Chen Hao's eyes reddened slightly. "Has His Majesty ever committed rebellion? The border victories have made the nation's prestige shine!"

"On the contrary, Father and Uncle, while His Majesty was on campaign, Jingcheng was left empty; you forged edicts, colluded with the Empress Dowager, and seized control of the court!"

"That is the true treason!"

"Father, are you not afraid this act will leave a thousand‑year‑old curse upon you?"

"How dare you!" Prince Chen rose abruptly, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "You yellow‑mouth brat knows nothing of the world's affairs!"

"Xiao Jieyun squandered troops, favored traitors, and has long lost virtue in the world! The Empress Dowager's edict to depose and install is in line with Heaven and the people! Our uprising is to cleanse the court and save the nation!"

"Cleanse the court? Save the nation?" Chen Hao laughed bitterly. "Father calls them traitors, but are they not Prince Ning?"

"Prince Ning is the pillar of the state; in the border battle he turned the tide, protecting our fiery nation's lands!"

His daughter Tuan Tuan, moreover, has a life‑saving favor toward the son; the name Immortal Envoy is known throughout the world!

The father king now, however, imprisons his kin, and even wishes to harm his father!

In the future, what face will the son have to stand between heaven and earth? What face will he have to see her?