Chapter 708: Extra Eleven
Ning De's last edict designated Bai Li Jin as his successor; Bai Li Jin's first edict was to withdraw the fief of Youzhou and summon Bai Li Jing back to the capital to choose another fief.
After death, he could still look back on Chang'an and all his acquaintances; Ning De had never imagined that.
At this moment Ning De stood in the Eleventh Hall, together with everyone watching the king, who had been caught off guard by the two edicts.
The king was sobbing for his father in the Suiyu Hall, his father having grown somewhat accustomed to the heavenly curtain's broadcast of worldly affairs, but turning the view to Youzhou still inevitably broke his defenses.
Compared to Chang'an's Jianzhang Palace and his eldest son's You Prince's mansion, it was… nothing more than a dilapidated house with only its historical background to speak of.
His eyes fixed on the heavenly curtain, his mind replaying the scene of the third son throwing a tantrum before him and evading the tribute payment. 'And you still cry poverty? How dare you? It's I who should be weeping!'
He had been utterly deceived by this rebellious son!
But now… the faint ache in his back had taught him to control his expression.
Just a few days ago, having just seen it, he was probably too shocked; when An Zong asked what he wanted, he let slip without thinking: 'I wonder how many more things this rebellious son is hiding from me!'
Unsurprisingly, he was whipped again by his great-grandfather...
After Ning De's death, observing Chang'an's conduct, the Eleventh Hall had united in support of the king; the under-ten-year-old Bai Li Jing had become the last hope of the Bai Li clan's realm.
At this moment, hearing the king speak fondly of his father, saying that if he went again to the Han'zhang Palace to play the rogue, no one would strike him, Ning De felt uneasy—after all, he was his own son!
Just as the king's 'good son' persona lifted its head, he heard that fellow continue: 'If Bai Li Jin becomes emperor, he will simply kill him.'
"... It won't happen; when I departed, I instructed Jin'er, and Jin'er agreed..."
His father Zhang Zong let out a cold laugh: 'You actually believe that? When you ascended the throne, did you spare the King of Handan?!'
Ning De: ……
How could a half-brother and a son be the same!
The next instant he no longer bothered to make excuses for his eldest son, because the king's giant fluffy beast had actually begun to speak!
Speak! Words! Spoken!
Bai Ze opened his mouth to comfort the king.
"Your father lived his life doing as he pleased; for the first forty years everything went smoothly, he was supreme under heaven, and actually had no regrets. Great Jin lost so much territory under his hand; his life was a torment, the regime unstable. This man could never bear the realm from start to finish, driving the world into chaos; his departure may well be his fortune."
When these words were spoken, Tai Zu fell into thought, feeling they had hit the mark! The death of a great hidden enemy at this time might indeed be a blessing, though discarding the ruined mess was too swift. Meanwhile, Zhang Zong instinctively grasped the dry willow, and the next instant, realizing who had spoken those words, he froze……
"Ah!"
"How can it speak?!"
"What exactly is it?!"
This time, it was still the first time anyone in the Eleventh Hall had seen Bai Ze speak.
Everyone, for a moment, didn't even care what Bai Ze was saying, startled by the fact that Bai Ze could speak.
After the shock wore off and they pondered its sharp content, it was far more than just being able to speak!
"A divine beast?"
"It seems…… to know all affairs of the world……" This is hardly ordinary speech!
The Eleventh Hall fell into silent mutual stare; even the Old Zhou side felt a bit broken. What background does that You Prince of the Bai Li family have? Could he really be the heaven-chosen Son of Heaven? Is that reasonable? Why does the mortal realm have a divine beast?!
If they knew Bai Ze only appears beside a virtuous ruler, they would be even more broken.
Having reacted, the Bai Li side grew excited; this little three is truly not ordinary! They said heaven wouldn't be so cruel……
While they were still excited, the king, tears in his eyes, countered: '…You mean my father died at just the right time?'
Ning De: ……Rebellious son!
But having just been disciplined, this time he wisely kept it to himself.
The king formally announced that the court had abandoned Youzhou; from now on Youzhou would be his alone, no longer part of Great Jin's Youzhou, and he refused to be summoned back to the capital.
He then issued the
Emperor Ning De's feelings were mixed; the third son was also too naïve—how could he bear it? Even four or five hundred thousand people couldn't stop it…… His father stood beside him, sneering: 'Others know at nine years old that the ancestral realm cannot be ceded! Take a good look—this is the difference! Blind as you are, you can't see who can hold onto the realm!'
Ning De: ……
Then the heavenly curtain seemed to deliberately let them watch the reactions of Youzhou's populace, one close-up after another, for fear that everyone couldn't fully hear the folk response.
"Why not cut Chang'an instead……" "……Why didn't they choose our king but pick the Prince of Yu?" "…I don't want to live anymore! They're now the crown prince, about to ascend the throne!" "What's that got to do with it? Here in Youzhou we've already been cut off; what do we fear from the Great Jin crown prince!" "Exactly! We're no longer Great Jin's Youzhou, just the You Prince's Youzhou."
The valiant Youzhou people switched seamlessly; whoever could hold Youzhou, they'd follow.
Emperor Ning De's face flushed then paled, "Rascals!" Of course, he didn't dare speak loudly, only muttering under his breath.
And his father still threw in a jab from the side: "The people's hearts… Bai Li Jin hasn't even taken the throne, and already they're lost."
Ning De: ……
As the king rallied, Emperor Ning De felt especially tormented.
The king invited the Upper Valley Pass Border Army to withdraw to Youzhou, actually just having the Duke of the Eastern Capital declare his stance, choosing between the court and him. He then sent a document to Chang'an, blaming Bai Li Jin's led peace talks for angering his father to death, deeming him unfit to inherit the throne. He declared that henceforth Youzhou would be guarded by him alone, court affairs of Youzhou were none of its business, and proclaimed this was his final memorial as a feudal lord.
In short, he rebelled.
Counting the thirteen emperors of Ning De in the Eleventh Hall, he was the only one who could not accept this.
But as a lowly subordinate, the moment the words 'rebellious son' left his mouth, his great-grandfather An Zong's shoe sole came flying……
Bai Li Jin summoned all the feudal lords to the capital for the mourning, but not one arrived; instead came the king's 'rebellion' declaration, enough to make one die of anger. Even Ning De was fuming—let alone him.
Who would have thought that, with a shift of view, the king and the Fifth Princess were clutching each other and weeping in the You Prince's mansion; only then did everyone realize that this fellow, amidst his busyness, had even sneaked the princess out of the imperial palace.
Tai Zu curled the corner of his mouth, "Smart child."
This fellow had obviously made thorough preparations; as long as he could stand firm, Chang'an would thenceforth pose no real threat to him. His maternal clan in the southwest held heavy troops, which the court could not easily manipulate, and could even mutually support Youzhou.
Ning De barely managed to swallow the words 'rebellious son' that rose to his lips; calling him a rebellious son was treating his imperial edict like a fart!
The Eleventh Hall unanimously supported the king, and Ning De felt a bit broken.
He had thought that after his death the second son would rebel and the Cui family would support the fourth son; he never imagined that ultimately the third son from the border poor prefecture would become the eldest son's greatest obstacle……
【Evening main text update】
End of Chapter
