Chapter 730: What Should I Say After All?

"Tuan Tuan!" Xiao Lin beamed with delight as he gazed at the bright‑yellow figure in the distance: "I see Father Emperor!"

"Really? Let me see!"

Xiao Lin hoisted the cloth tiger high, pointing it toward the outskirts of the city.

"Eleven! I also see my dad! Ah! And Dada! He's here too!"

Xiao Lin didn't understand: "What's Dada?"

"I don't know either; Dada made me call him that."

"He's someone I met when I went to the Western Regions; he's the great king of the Kucha Kingdom, and he's been good to me!"

"Tuan Tuan, you're so impressive!" Xiao Lin exclaimed, "You've even been to the Western Regions!"

"Of course! After we drive those two villains away, I'll take you to the Western Regions for fun, okay?"

"Fine!" Xiao Lin nodded, "But Tuan Tuan, where in Jingcheng is the Western Regions?"

Tuan Tuan: "……"

So you really have no idea where the Western Regions are!

Qing Wang and Chen Wang looked down at the great army outside the city.

The two exchanged a glance, and Chen Wang raised his hand slightly toward Qing Wang: "Come."

Qing Wang nodded, stood at the parapet, his face full of righteousness, his voice booming down: "Xiao Jieyun! While you were in power, you squandered troops, were unfilial and disrespectful!"

"My benevolent heart only expelled you from Jingcheng, never took your life, and even installed your son as the new Emperor!"

"You should have merely survived in this world, repenting for your sins all your life!"

"Yet you neither think nor repent, your thief's heart never dies!"

"Now you even collude with barbarian tribes of the Western Regions to attack our fiery nation's Jingcheng? It's sheer wolf‑child ambition, everyone should punish you!"

"My will shall never let you succeed!"

He drew the treasured sword at his waist, raised it overhead, the tip pointing to the heavens: "My will swears to share life and death with Jingcheng and its soldiers!"

He turned to the soldiers on the city wall: "Sons of the fiery nation, what about you?"

The soldiers shouted in unison, "Share life and death! Share life and death!"

Hundreds of thousands shouted, shaking the heavens, their momentum awe‑inspiring.

Qing Wang, after the shouting ceased, raised his hand and pointed at the dragon throne on the high platform: "Xiao Jieyun! Open your eyes and see clearly! The Emperor is right here!"

"If you still have any conscience, you should dismount, submit to restraint, and kneel before His Majesty, proclaiming yourself a subject!"

Xiao Jieyun sat upright on his horse, staring straight at Xiao Lin in the dragon throne.

That is his son, now sitting alone on the dragon throne like a lamb placed on an altar.

Bai Buluo snorted a laugh: "Who is this? The eloquence is actually not bad."

Xiao Yuanhang hummed: "Probably you haven't known how many times you've recited it by now."

Bai Buluo laughed heartily: "But that's truly despicable, putting a child on the city wall—it's my first time seeing that."

Tuan Tuan, half‑understanding, said: "Eleven, is that villain cursing Imperial Uncle?"

Xiao Lin's small face tightened: "Right! He cursed terribly! Tuan Tuan, none of what he says is true; what will Father Emperor do?"

"It's nothing, not only villains curse," Tuan Tuan replied dismissively, "Don't worry, Imperial Uncle will surely retort later."

Xiao Jieyun spurred his horse forward a few strides, then halted his mount.

He raised his head, pointed a finger at Qing Wang, and shouted loudly: "Xiao Jichang!"

"Da Xia repeatedly violates our border; I led troops personally, how does that become squandering troops in your words?"

"If it weren't for Prince Ning and the soldiers fighting bloodily, winning the border war, and having Emperor of Xia's Gongsun Chi cut down from his horse, Jingcheng wouldn't have today's peace."

"I am the sole son of the late Emperor and Empress Yuan!"

"The Murong clan poisoned Empress Yuan, killed mother and seized child; I merely placed her under house arrest in the harem, not taking her life—already a great mercy—how does that become unfilial in your words?"

"You say you expelled me from Jingcheng?" He shook his head, almost laughing, "When I led troops out of the capital, where were you? Still in your fief!"

"You and Chen Sheng are merely feudal princes, receiving Imperial Court's favor yet not repaying the nation; taking advantage of my campaign, you sent troops to seize Jingcheng—truly thieves of the state!"

"To think you still bark like a vicious dog here!"

"You!" Qing Wang's face turned iron‑blue, about to speak again.

Xiao Jieyun cut in: "Since ancient times, when the ruler is weak, the minister is strong; the court's foundation becomes unstable."

"You claim you installed my son as the new Emperor; fine, let me ask you, why didn't you install my adult crown prince?"

"Insisting on making a sixteen‑year‑old child the new Emperor?"

"I…" Qing Wang was momentarily speechless.

"Nothing more to say, Xiao Jichang! You only intend to use the Son of Heaven to command disloyal subjects!"

"Your two's wolf‑child ambition is obvious, yet you still dare to invert right and wrong before my nation's soldiers!"

"Do you think their eyes are all blind?"

Xiao Jieyun raised his hand and pointed at the high platform: "Soldiers in the city! Look!"

The soldiers on the wall couldn't help but turn their heads toward the platform.

"Today, before the two armies' formations, they had already erected the platform early, even placing my prince before thousands of troops!"

"Such conduct is downright despicable and extremely malicious!"

He shook his head: "Xiao Jichang, how long have you privately practiced that speech? One month? Two months?"

"Truly a hardship for you; I recall the late Emperor once said, you were talent‑poor and shallow in learning since childhood, yet you managed to memorize so poorly—still the greatest effort of your life."

Qing Wang's complexion instantly shifted from green to red, then red to black, his eyes nearly blazing: "Xiao Jieyun! You must not babble here! My…"

Xiao Jieyun no longer looked at him, shifting tone, his voice suddenly rising: "Soldiers in the city! I know you have been deceived by treacherous men!"

"Now lay down your weapons, and I will not punish you!"

I am the Emperor; my words are gold and jade, utterly without falsehood.

Your parents, wives, and children—some are in Jingcheng, some far in the frontier—are waiting for you to return home for reunion! Not to die on the battlefield.

The soldiers on the city walls, hearing this, couldn't help but lower their heads slightly.

Xiao Jieyun continued: "What you should be protecting are the people of Lie State, not fighting on the battlefield for these two Ni Ze!"

If you insist on following the Ni Ze, I will also show no mercy!

He turned his horse around, waved his hand at his own army: "My troops today are the army to exterminate the rebels, the blade to sweep away treachery!"

I will not only fight today, I will surely win!

Because, the Heavenly Way is with me! The Mandate of Heaven is also with me!

Qing Wang was speechless, instinctively turning his head to look at Chen Wang.

Xiao Jieyun! Chen Wang's face sank: "Don't spew grandiose nonsense here, bewitching people's hearts!"

His Majesty is here; it is absolutely not what you say, I will block him before the army!

His Majesty does not disgrace your conduct; he has long since severed ties with his father! Only now, sitting on this high platform, is he to cheer for our army!

Since we each hold our own views, let us listen to His Majesty's golden words!

He stared intently at Xiao Lin: "His Majesty! Did you come here today to boost our army's prestige and suppress the Ni Ze?"

Upon these words, countless eyes inside and outside the city fixed on the young emperor in the dragon throne.

Xiao Lin's body stiffened; his small hands clutched the cloth tiger in his arms tightly, his lips moved but no sound came out.

His Majesty! Qing Wang looked at Xiao Lin, "Is Consort Rong still waiting for you in the Hua Rong Palace?"

Yes, His Majesty, Chen Wang soothed softly, "You know in your heart what to say; just speak it out nicely."

Speak it out, and I will immediately send someone to escort you back to the Hua Rong Palace.

Xiao Lin lowered his head and asked softly: "Tuan Tuan, what exactly should I say?"

Tuan Tuan chuckled: "Don't be afraid, Eleven, just follow my lead."