Chapter 458

The heir of the Prince of Dongping, Mu Chen, can come to report the news; naturally he is also a member of the Prince of Nan'an's faction.

Translation: "The heir of the Prince of Dongping, Mu Chen, could rush here to report the news—naturally he is also a member of the Prince of Nan'an's faction!"

We need to keep it concise but faithful. Let's produce: "The heir of the Prince of Dongping, Mu Chen, could rush here to report the news—naturally he is also a member of the Prince of Nan'an's faction!"

The heir of the Prince of Dongping, Mu Chen, can come to report the news; naturally he is also a member of the Prince of Nan'an's faction.

Or to put it another way, among the four princes of the founding lineage, aside from Prince Bei Jing Shui Rong, they are no longer particularly close to the Jia Mansion.

Translation: "Or to put it another way, among the Four Kings of the founding line, except for Prince Bei Jing Shui Rong, they are no longer particularly close to the Jia Mansion."

We need to keep "Jia Mansion" as Jia Mansion. Good.

This can also be seen from the original text.

Translation: "This can also be seen in the original work."

At Qin Keqing's funeral, among the four princes, only Prince Bei Jing Shui Rong personally attended to pay respects; the Dongping Prince's mansion, the Nan'an Prince's mansion, and the Xi Ning Prince's mansion only sent subordinates or descendants to set up the canopy, and the heads of those households did not attend in person.

Translation: "At Qin Keqing's funeral, among the Four Kings at that time, only Prince Bei Jing Shui Rong personally attended to offer sacrifices; the Dongping Prince's Mansion, the Nan'an Prince's Mansion, and the Xining Prince's Mansion only sent subordinates or descendants to set up the mourning shed, and the heads of those households did not attend in person."

We need to keep "heads of households" as heads of households. Good.

Compared to Prince Bei Jing's personal presence, the other three princes' practice of merely setting up offerings according to protocol undoubtedly appears perfunctory, merely going through the motions as a formality.

Translation: "Compared to Prince Bei Jing's personal presence, the other three kings' practice of 'setting up offerings according to protocol' undoubtedly appears merely perfunctory, just going through the motions ceremonially!"

We need to keep quotes? We can keep as is.

Even including the grand occasion of Jia Matriarch's eightieth birthday, the original text only records the attendance of the Bei Jing prince's consort and the Nan'an grand princess, with no mention of any family members from the Dongping or Xi Ning princes attending.

Translation: "Even including Jia Mu's eightieth birthday, the original work only recorded that the Princess of Bei Jing and the Grand Princess of Nan'an attended, without mentioning that any members of the Dongping Prince's or Xining Prince's families were present."

At that moment in the hall, the Prince of Nan'an slightly raised his brow, turned his body, looked at Mu Chen, and asked in a gentle voice:

Translation: "At this moment, in the hall, the Prince of Nan'an slightly raised his brow, turned his body, looked at Mu Chen, and asked in a gentle voice:"

"What lofty opinion do you have, nephew?"

Translation: "\"What lofty opinion do you have, nephew? \""

The Prince of Nan'an also values Mu Chen greatly, after all the elderly Prince of Dongping is on his deathbed, and Mu Chen is about to inherit the title.

Translation: "The Prince of Nan'an also values Mu Chen greatly, after all the former Prince of Dongping is on his deathbed, and Mu Chen is about to inherit the princely title!"

"Your strategies, uncles, are naturally unsurpassable!" Mu Chen spoke neither too fast nor too slow, his voice not loud but each word clear, like chess pieces falling onto the board:

Translation: "\"Your uncles' strategies are naturally superb! \" Mu Chen spoke unhurriedly, his voice not loud but each word clear, like chess pieces falling on a board:"

"I merely think that relying solely on delay, impeachment, and burning the fish-scale registers, etc., is ultimately too passive."

Translation: "\"I merely think that relying only on delay, impeachment, and burning the fish-scale registers—those strategies—are ultimately too passive. \""

"Now the situation is that Jia Jing is in the open while we are in the dark, but the knife is ultimately in his hand. Delay may work for a while, but not forever. Rather than wait passively, we should… strike first."

Translation: "\"Now the situation is that Jia Jing is in the open while we are in the dark, but the knife is ultimately in his hand. Delay can work for a while, but not forever. Rather than wait passively, we might as well… strike first. \""

Mu Chen set down his teacup on the table, leaned forward, his tone low and slow, yet each word was like honey laced with poison:

Translation: "Mu Chen set down his teacup on the table, leaned forward, his tone low and slow, yet each word was like honey laced with poison:"

"The fates of the Minister of War's mansion and the Pingyuan Marquis's mansion are not far off as warnings; under the mountain of ironclad evidence, an edict has already ordered the extermination of their entire households."

Translation: "\"The Duke of Shan's mansion and the Marquis of Heyuan's mansion are not far from being a warning—under the mountain of ironclad evidence, they have already been ordered to be exterminated to the last person. \""

"Among those of us present, who is truly cleaner than those two families? Who could withstand a thorough investigation?"

Translation: "\"Among the families present here, who is truly cleaner than those two? Who could withstand close scrutiny? \""

"As long as the court's resolve to reform the army does not change, and as long as Jia Zi Jie remains our opponent, even if we can gloss over the current investigation of the military farms, we will eventually run into trouble elsewhere—this is certain."

Translation: "\"As long as the court's resolve to reform the army does not change, as long as Jia Zi Jie still stands opposite us, even if we can bluff through the current investigation of the military farms, sooner or later we will find trouble elsewhere—this is certain. \""

The hall suddenly fell silent, so quiet that a dropped pin could be heard.

Translation: "The hall suddenly fell silent—so quiet you could hear a pin drop."

Mu Chen's gaze swept over everyone's faces, finally resting on the old locust tree outside the window, its leaves rustling in the wind; his voice was faint and distant, as if drifting from afar:

Translation: "Mu Chen's gaze swept over everyone's faces, finally resting on the old locust tree outside the window, rustling in the wind; his voice was faint, as if drifting from afar:"

"And if we want to fundamentally change this passive, beaten situation, aside from raising troops to purge the ruler's side, there is only one way!"

Translation: "\"And to fundamentally change this passive state of being beaten, aside from raising troops to purge the ruler's side, there is only one way! \""

"That is to make the emperor no longer trust Jia Zi Jie, not let him command the Bureau of Military Affairs, and even not let him control the Twelve Division Camps!"

Translation: "\"That is to make His Majesty no longer trust Jia Zi Jie, not let him hold the Bureau of Military Affairs, and not even let him command the Twelve Regiment Camps! \""

"And once Jia Zi Jie falls, who else could take charge of our Han military affairs besides the Nan'an uncle? Then we will be able to rise with the Nan'an uncle as the water rises and the boat lifts!"

Translation: "\"And once Jia Zi Jie falls, who else could hold the military authority of our Da Han Empire besides our Nan'an uncle? Only then could we rise with his fortunes! \""

Xie Ying expressed some doubt:

Translation: "Xie Ying voiced some doubt:"

"Making the emperor stop trusting Jia Zi Jie seems unlikely; I see the emperor now trusts him even more than his own son!"

Translation: "\"Making the Emperor stop trusting Jia Zi Jie seems unlikely—I see that the Emperor now trusts him even more than his own son! \""

Others also nodded in agreement; Jia Jing is currently the emperor's foremost favorite—who doesn't know that?

Translation: "Others also nodded in agreement—Jia Jing is currently the most favored person at court; who doesn't know that?"

Mu Chen slowly said:

Translation: "Mu Chen spoke slowly:"

"Since ancient times, emperors have never lacked suspicion, especially when it concerns imperial authority."

Translation: "\"Since ancient times, emperors have never lacked suspicion, especially when it concerns imperial authority. \""

"His Majesty now trusts him because he perceives his great achievements and sees him as a lone minister he himself promoted."

Translation: "\"His Majesty now trusts him because he sees his great achievements and that he is a lone minister promoted single-handedly. \""

"Ordinary methods naturally cannot shake the emperor's trust in him, but if… someone were to spread a prophecy among the people right now? Just a short phrase, easy to remember. For example…"

Translation: "\"Ordinary methods naturally cannot shake His Majesty's trust in him, but what if… someone now spreads a prophecy among the people? Just a short sentence, easy to remember. For example…\""

He paused, his expression solemn, and recited word by word:

Translation: "He paused, his expression solemn, and recited word by word:"

"The emperor leaves Jinzhou City; the capital region becomes a battlefield!"

Translation: "\"The emperor leaves Jinzhou City; the capital region becomes a battlefield! \""

The ten words landed like eight nails driven into a coffin lid, each strike echoing with a heavy resonance.

Translation: "The ten words landed like eight nails driven into a coffin lid, each strike echoing with a dull thud."

"Consider this, gentlemen. If this prophecy reaches the palace, even if His Majesty still trusts Jia Zi Jie, wouldn't he have doubts in his heart?"

Translation: "\"Everyone, think about it. If this prophecy reaches the palace, even if His Majesty still trusts Jia Zi Jie, wouldn't he have doubts in his heart? \""

"No matter how skilled Jia Zi Jie is at warfare and administration, once those ten words take root in the emperor's heart, whatever he does will be wrong."

Translation: "\"Even if Jia Zi Jie is skilled in battle and administration, once those ten words take root in His Majesty's heart, everything he does will be wrong. \""

"Investigating the military farms would be seen as buying soldiers' hearts; reforming the army would be seen as holding troops for self-aggrandizement; dealing with us would be seen as eliminating dissent."

Translation: "\"Investigating the military farms becomes buying soldiers' hearts; training the army becomes holding onto troops for self-aggrandizement; dealing with us becomes eliminating dissent. \""

The Dongping Prince's heir, Mu Chen, leaned back against the chair, took a sip of tea, his smile revealing a chilling composure:

Translation: "The Prince of Dongping's heir, Mu Chen, leaned back against the chair, took a sip of tea, his smile revealing a chill composure."

"By then, we won't need to lift a finger; the palace will naturally turn against him. Uncle, what do you think?"

Translation: "\"By then, we won't need to lift a finger; the palace will naturally turn against him. Uncle, what do you think? \""

Chen Ruiwen's eyes lit up as he slapped his thigh:

Translation: "Chen Ruiwen's eyes lit up as he slapped his thigh:"

"\"The emperor leaves Jinzhou City; the capital region becomes a battlefield! \" Brilliant plan! Brilliant! These ten characters are practically a bloodless killing!"

Translation: "\"The emperor leaves Jinzhou City, the capital region becomes a battlefield! Brilliant plan! Brilliant! These ten characters are practically a bloodless killing! \""

Qi Jianhui also nodded repeatedly, the anxiety on his face vanishing, replaced by an expression of deep conviction.

Translation: "Qi Jianhui also nodded repeatedly, the anxiety on his face vanishing, replaced by an expression of deep conviction."

"People commonly believe in prophecies and omens; moreover, young Jia Jing's excessive power already makes him unfit to be a minister's appearance."

Translation: "\"People readily believe in prophecies; moreover, young Jia Jing's excessive power already makes him unsuitable as a minister. \""

"As long as we compose a few nursery rhymes and have beggars and street rascals sing them throughout the city, within half a month we can stir up a storm across the whole city."

Translation: "\"Just compose a few nursery rhymes, have beggars and ruffians sing them throughout the city, and within half a month the whole city will be in an uproar! \""

Ma Shang's usually gaunt face rarely showed a smile as he twirled his goat beard and said slowly:

Translation: "Ma Shang's usually stern face rarely showed a smile as he twirled his goat beard and said slowly:"

"Not just the city. Once such a prophecy spreads, those officials will surely find excuses to impeach; the number of impeachment memorials will likely exceed last month's faction case."

Translation: "\"Not just the city. Once such a prophecy spreads, those officials will surely find excuses to impeach; the impeachment memorials will likely exceed last month's faction case. \""

By then, Jia Jing's little brat won't even have time to manage the army and clear the fields; in order to silence the gossip of the world, he'll probably have to voluntarily resign and await trial!

Xie Jing also gave a dry chuckle twice, but his smile hid an indescribable meaning; his eyes flickered, his lips moved twice, and in the end he said nothing.

The Prince of Nan'an did not immediately state his position. He stood by the window, his back motionless.

After a long while, he slowly turned around and reseated himself.

He lifted his teacup, gently stirring the foam with the lid, once, once, as if playing a game of chess.

"This ploy of the prophecy can be used."

He finally spoke, his tone flat, his gaze falling on Mu Chen, giving a slight nod,

"But we must gauge this carefully; it may only be spread among the common folk, and must never be traced back to anyone present here. Once the news leaks, we won't even need to wait for Jia Zi Jie to act—the emperor will take our heads first."

Mu Chen shook his folding fan lightly, his smile unchanged:

"Uncle, rest assured. For such a matter, we just need to find a few unrelated people, spend a few taels of silver, and have them spread it on the streets and alleys. Even if investigated later, they'd only trace back to a few beggars paid to do the job, never to this room."

The Prince of Nan'an listened, fell silent for a moment, then slowly set down his teacup. The base tapped the rosewood table, emitting a clear sound, like a tuning strike.

"Good." He lifted his eyes, scanning each face in the room, his voice low but carrying an unquestionable resolve,

"Starting today, we will proceed in three steps. First, everyone notify their old troops stationed at the Capital Region Guard Post; burn the documents that should be burned, seal the mouths that should be sealed, and if an inspection team comes later, delay if possible, conceal if possible, bribe if possible. Second, contact as many people as possible to submit petitions—not impeachment, but pleas—asking the court to delay the land clearance due to unstable army morale and suffering soldiers; the more such petitions, the better. Third, Mu Chen will handle that prophecy, doing it cleanly, not in haste, but steadily."

He rose, straightened the cuffs of his dark robe, clasped his hands behind his back and stood in the hall, his posture straight as an old tree with deep roots.

"After these three steps, whether Jia Zi Jie's military order can even leave the Premier's Office is still up for debate. Even if we concede ten thousand steps and assume none of this stops him, by then we can still strike hard without delay. I, the prince, want to see whether he alone can overturn heaven."

"What is discussed today, if spoken beyond this door, will rot in your stomachs. Now, go."

Outside the window, the old locust tree rustled in the wind, its branches shaking the morning light that filled the courtyard, casting on the ground a flickering patch of brightness that fell on each person's face, like a series of half‑light, half‑dark masks.

Everyone rose one after another, cupped their fists in farewell. The sound of footsteps gradually faded away, and the side hall fell quiet again.

The Prince of Nan'an stood alone by the window, watching the crowd's retreating backs; his fingers lightly tapped twice on the window lattice, and the arc of his mouth finally turned utterly cold.