Chapter 722: Extra Chapter Thirteen

【This chapter is a side story, unrelated to the main text; those not interested can skip it.】

Yellow Springs Realm

"Hahaha, I never expected that the useless emperor of Great Jin would produce such a fierce character like you!"

The Bald Xianbei chief's loud scolding echoed throughout the Eleventh Hall, and Ningde even felt it reverberate. He was so angry his mind went blank, and he instinctively stared at the Great King, waiting for the Great King to rebut this barbarian. He cursed your father as a useless wretch!

Who knew that in the next instant, that person's head was chopped off by the Great King's personal guard! The Great King opened his mouth, then closed it, as if nothing had happened and continued killing the enemy. Ningde only felt a suffocating resentment stuck in his throat, making his whole body uncomfortable.

This unfilial son!

With the death of the Bald Xianbei chief, the Western Xianbei, whose hand had been cut off, also surrendered. The Great King won a great victory at his doorstep, and everyone in the Eleventh Hall except Ningde felt that suffocating resentment lift, so life could go on again.

Watching the Great King and the Marquis of the Eastern Capital bid farewell amicably outside Secluded Prefecture's city, agreeing to split the indemnity, Ningde was dumbfounded. "Is that old coot Liang Jin rebelling?!"

No one paid him any heed.

Ningde began to worry anxiously; his Jin'er… was not looking good.

Even Liang Jin, who was skilled in battle and loyal, ran off……

Next, Baili Jin in Long Peace scraped together the indemnity silver by digging three feet underground; the smooth 800,000 taels of silver that the Xianbei had received ended up in the Great King's hands, and Ningde jumped up in anger. "You just pocketed it yourself? You unfilial wretch, how dare you? Hurry up and return it to Long Peace!"

As soon as he said that, the other twelve emperors turned to look at him. Taizu glanced at him with the corner of his eye, as if unwilling to spoil his good mood by looking longer at his foolish appearance, and immediately withdrew his gaze.

The good-tempered Hezong asked, "On what basis should we return it to Long Peace?" Anzong was even more perplexed; he directly asked his grandson Zhangzong: "All this time I never asked you—did you choose him because you have no other sane son?"

Zhangzong: ……

Ningde: ……

The two of them stayed silent as chickens, not uttering a sound all day.

The Great King smoothly took back Wing Prefecture, which the prodigal son had carved out; thereafter Anzong softened toward Ningde a bit, shown by not laying a hand on him for three or four days.

The gloom hanging over the Baili clan in the Eleventh Hall dissipated, and everyone truly saw hope this time.

When the Great King said, "A perfectly fine person, and he becomes a rebel king! I'm not used to this yet…" Taizu also laughed.

Next, everyone gathered to watch the Great King's flamboyant performance show.

He had the Western Xianbei issue a deed of transfer, claiming they were unaccustomed to the land and admired the Great King's character, voluntarily handing over Wing Prefecture to him. Then he swiftly took military control of Wing Prefecture and wrote a letter deceiving Lan He into coming to Fishery Yang.

Baili Jin in Long Peace quickly received the Great King's notice deceiving the Wing Prefecture populace into returning, clearly stating that Wing Prefecture would henceforth belong to the Prince of Secluded; unsurprisingly, this fellow smashed the Establishing Chapter Palace to pieces.

In front of the court officials he still restrained himself, but once only the attendants remained beside him, Baili Jin dropped all pretense, practically spewing every vicious word he knew in his lifetime at the Great King. Just as everyone listened, frowning, he summoned his confidants to arrange assassins to head north; he wanted his own brother's life!

"Old Three, is he rebelling or just pretending to be reluctant!"

After his brother had just reclaimed from the foreign tribes the land he had carved out, his first reaction was to dispatch assassins northward.

Anzong gave a cold snort: "This heir-to-the-emperor, rotten."

Emperor Ningde felt as if sitting on pins and needles.

His mood was also complicated now; on one hand he resented his eldest son for breaking his promise, having pledged to spare his brothers' lives yet going back on his word; on the other hand he worried about his own survival environment. Since sending out the assassins, even his father couldn't be bothered to strike him.

Of the twelve ancestors, not one stood with him; he resolved henceforth to keep a low profile and must rein in his mouth.

He didn't even consider whether the Great King would allow him to lie low and survive.

A few days later, the border troops at Upper Valley Pass abandoned the pass and garrisoned Wing Prefecture; he endured that. But that colonel openly told Liang Jin in his face that they had taken up with the wealthy households, and Liang Jin actually…… accepted it!

"……Hanging out with that land‑ceding peace‑seeker Baili Jin is nowhere near as good as following the Prince of Secluded. The Prince of Secluded has a future!"

"……We haven't defected to the enemy; following the Prince of Secluded doesn't betray the imperial house, and we still guard Great Jin's territory just the same."

Each of those words stabbed Ningde in the heart; in recent days he had let his guard down a bit, and the blunt truth burst out: "Liang Jin, you old coot, I misjudged you!"

This time Taizu himself spoke up to praise him: "Yes, you misjudged the Marquis of the Eastern Capital; the heir you designated in Long Peace widely recruited hands to assassinate those who had rendered service to Great Jin, and you have quite an eye for talent."

Taizu had already spoken; the low‑level Zhangzong in the food chain saw him still standing there foolishly, kicked him over with a thud, then himself adeptly knelt to apologize: "……It's all the grandson's fault; the grandson blindly chose this thing, bringing misery upon our Great Jin!"

Ningde: ……

No, isn't everyone supposed to have their own underground palace after death? How did they end up sharing one?! Wouldn't that underground palace have been built in vain? Thinking of the luxurious underground palace, the masses of burial figurines meant to accompany him, he has empty hands, having enjoyed none of it…… Most importantly, having grown accustomed to carefree, leisurely days, he can barely get by like this……