Chapter 675

The Plastic Brothers finished acting out their deep brotherly bond, and the three siblings together boarded Ningguo's carriage back to the palace.

Considering how embarrassing the king's last encounter with Si Pangzi was, this guy didn't mention a word after returning to the palace, and Ningguo truly didn't know that the fourth brother had come to Youzhou, but she always felt that Baili Jing hadn't just found out today. After sending away the doubtful sister, the king brought Si Pangzi to Orchid Terrace Hall.

The king propped his chin and carefully sized up Si Pangzi, 'Tsk tsk~ Isn't rebel work hard to do? Your inner turmoil must be burning a lot, huh? Look at you, you've gone all thin and deflated, you can't even roll around anymore~'

Baili Hu's posture was even loftier than the king's; he glanced at the king with his lower eyelids: 'Third Fatty, you're talking about yourself, aren't you!'

The king slammed the table: 'Nonsense, when have I ever been fat!'

Wei Shen: ……

'Don't you Baili Clan have any reliable person?' Is feeling not an isolated case?

Baili Hu cleared his throat tactically and spoke first: 'I advise you, if you don't dare to kill me, just let me go.'

'What do I have to fear? Once you die, the Cui clan occupying Jing Prefecture will have no pretext for rebellion, and you aren't rebelling under the pretense that the legitimate heir of the Central Palace is the rightful ruler, are you?'

'Once you die, they'll be nothing but traitors and villains. Without my brother in Jing Prefecture, I'll have no psychological burden at all and can easily slaughter Jing Prefecture, just like the Cui clan in Ever Peace.'

'You don't think those few troops of yours can stop the Northern Frontier's Xuanjia cavalry, do you? Old Fourth, are you that stupid?'

'By then, unbeknownst to gods and ghosts, it'll just be a matter of one night, and I'll still hold the moral high ground. What does the Cui family have to do with this world anyway? They're merely external relatives.'

'You dare! The empress dowager is your foster mother, you unfilial son, you don't even care about the kindness of raising you!'

The king leisurely swung his leg, 'She's not only my son; don't you also count as her biological son? Her latter half of life is either a imprisoned captive dying in war, or she comes comfortably to the Secluded Prefecture as her queen dowager, all depending on her biological son, you.'

Baili Hu frowned and glared at the king, not knowing what he meant.

'You want me to sacrifice myself in exchange for the empress dowager's life?'

The king chuckled, 'You've admitted it, you can't beat me.'

Si Pangzi was gasping from anger at him, Wei Shen gave him a look meaning 'don't get carried away, hurry up and talk about the real matter.' The king wasn't in a rush either; Si Pangzi was already in his hands—what else could he stir up?

The king assumed a solemn, earnest posture, 'Old Fourth, do you really like this position that much? Even if you have to stake your own life and the empress dowager's, as well as the lives of countless soldiers and civilians in Jing Prefecture, you still want to seize it? The world is already tough enough; natural disasters are unavoidable, but man-made calamities should be avoided if possible, don't you agree~?'

Baili Hu laughed at his bombastic nonsense.

'You talk so nicely, don't you want to give up your seat? If you don't like it, why did you sit down in the first place? Was someone forcing you onto it?!'

'I'm not like you.'

'How are we not alike?'

'I've won; I can guarantee your and the empress dowager's lives, and I can be the master of the Northern Frontier's five hundred thousand cavalry. Can you? I say I won't kill you, then no one can move against you, and you can live well. Conversely, can you protect my life in the hands of the Cui clan?'

This time Baili Hu remained silent. If they won, Baili Jing would surely die—there's really no doubt about that.

The king didn't press further either; this isn't a trivial matter that can be figured out in a moment.

Old Fourth, you're not stupid at all. There are some things I hope you can think about again. Whether it's Liangtang or Fengde, the handling of Jingzhou has been terrible—terrible to the point of not deserving to win this world. Old Fourth, relying on those little schemes of yours, you can't even manage the grasslands and the Western Regions. I've already taken this position; I will absolutely not let go, otherwise all that awaits me is death. But you're different—with me here, you still have time.

The world is vast, the burden is heavy, and I don't even know what's good about this position.

... If Father Emperor were still alive, if the world were still peaceful, I don't know how happy I'd be just to be a Prince You.

This time Bai Li Hu fell silent; Lao San really was a salted fish when he was young, no doubt...

Finally the two brothers peacefully went their separate ways, and there was no more swords-drawn-and-bows-bent tension.

Bai Li Hu had already reached the door when the King called him back. 'The assassins sent from Jingzhou aren't acting on your will, are they?'

Bai Li Hu snorted coldly, 'You're still quite confident.'

The King lifted his chin, mimicking his way of looking at people with his lower eyelids, and said, 'I have no delusions about your character, nor any confidence in the brotherly bond of the Bai Li clan; I simply believe you are a proud little rooster~.' Si Pangzi and Lao Da are different; this fellow's eyes sit on top of his head, his pride won't let him pull such petty tricks. He'll only feel that doing so is beneath him, then grit his teeth and strive to prove he's a hundred times stronger than him.

This time, Si Pangzi walked out of the Lan Tai Hall with a disgusted look on his face.

The attendants from Jingzhou were locked up, but the King didn't specify where Old Fourth should go; Zhao Ba, smiling, sent Bai Li Hu to Old Seventh's place.

His Majesty is also in a difficult position; who knows how big a reaction there will be when the court finds out later! Since His Majesty hasn't made it clear, let the Fourth Prince and the Seventh Prince be together. There are still two elder princesses and the Noble Consort in the palace; Your Highness can go visit them when you're free, just as before.

Bai Li Hu felt a bit complicated inside; if Jingzhou were to capture Old Third... his uncle would only hang him on the city walls.

The King has been absent from duty for two days, and tomorrow he really has to attend court.

As expected, the top priority is the great cold wave, and the second matter is the Prince of Jing.

The court's feedback was enthusiastic; everyone thought this was a windfall like a pie falling from the sky, yet the only one who remained calm was actually the King.

He had already been excited.

Everyone debated for half an hour how to deal with the Prince of Jing; the King remained noncommittal, saying, 'The Prince of Jing affair isn't urgent—Jingzhou doesn't even know he's in our hands. For now, the top priority is still the cold wave: stabilize the disaster situation in the northern borders and handle post-disaster relief.'

Seeing that it was almost noon, the King thought the meeting could disperse, but the Minister of Rites had another matter to report.

'Your subject has a report: the captive from Wusun has recovered, and the other side is now eager to return to Wusun.'

The King looked toward Zhang Tu and asked, 'What about those five thousand knives?'

'... Your Majesty, we have found them; they are temporarily stored in the western armory of the grand camp.'

After half a day of the meeting, the listless King instantly perked up, saying, 'Finally, it's settled! My letter has long been ready. Like this: arrange his departure over the next few days. For now, let him come here, and have the Ministry of Commerce come see me at once.'