Chapter 114

"This official has met the two princes and two dukes. Sorry for not welcoming you from afar; I hope you four will be forgiving."

Shen Tianxing arrived, smiling broadly, clasped his hands — that counted as a salute; his words were polite enough, but in reality one should at least bow to be considered a proper salute. However, what could these four possibly quibble about now?

"Governor, you're too polite; we came uninvited and disturbed you, but we had no choice — aside from your place, Governor, we don't know where else we could take refuge."

We have come for two important matters. First, I hope Governor can lend us a hand to march into Jingcheng and eliminate Sun Zhongquan; no matter which of us four ends up ascending the throne, Governor, you will be ennobled as a prince.

The second matter is that we need to stay temporarily in Leizhou; I hope the Governor can arrange our lodging, without needing many attendants — a few mansions and dozens of servants will suffice, plus a dozen or so maidservants.

The one who spoke up upon opening the door was the Prince of Rong; he hadn't said a word during the argument, but upon seeing Shen Tianxing, he spoke as if issuing a command — sounding polite, yet actually leaving no room for doubt.

The other three had no objections; they all looked to Shen Tianxing, awaiting his answer. Yet Shen Tianxing merely smiled, walked to his main seat, sat down, and gazed at the crowd.

"Third Prince, Fifth Prince, two dukes, I'm truly sorry, but these two matters cannot be done; I do not serve the Imperial Court, and naturally I do not serve the Imperial Family."

"The only reason you four are here is because Old Master Yang is my wife's grandfather, as the Prince of Rong said; I am capable of taking Jingcheng, so why shouldn't I make myself emperor instead of backing one of you — what point would there be?"

"How presumptuous and bold — you're plotting rebellion; I've never seen anyone frame rebellion so righteously. You deserve to die."

Only the Third Prince could be this furious, his beard bristling and eyes glaring, as if he wanted to tear Shen Tianxing to pieces.

"Governor Shen, do you really think that with these troops from Leizhou you could seize the world? The Yue Family Army and the Yang Family Army have been loyal for generations; aren't you afraid they'll turn on you and take your life?"

The Prince of Fu's face darkened, his voice turned icy; as soon as he finished speaking, Yang Tieqiang and Yue Yunyang entered, gave a slight bow to those few members of the Imperial Family, then walked over to Shen Tianxing and dropped to one knee.

"This subordinate greets the lord!"

"Old Man Yang, Father-in-law, why stand on ceremony? Please rise and sit!"

Shen Tianxing smiled and greeted the two to rise; this scene already made the four ill at ease, their only confidence being that Yang Tieqiang and Yue Yunyang remained loyal, but now it was obvious they weren't being taken seriously.

"Old General Yang, General Yue, could it be that you too are plotting rebellion? My late father treated you well; how could you rebel?"

Still, the Third Prince, this brainless oaf, at least knows he can't beat those two before him, so he didn't rush forward to fight; but his clenched fists and gritted teeth show his fury is monstrous, ready to explode at any moment.

"Your Highness, Third Prince, that's mistaken; the loyalty of the Yang and Yue families forever belongs to the people of the world; we will follow only a wise ruler who cares for the populace."

If Your Majesty were a wise ruler, he wouldn't have given Sun Zhongquan an opening, and you wouldn't be in this predicament; before, we had no choice — lacking a suitable wise ruler, we remained loyal to the court — but now it's time to change who rules this world.

Yang Tieqiang's few words left the four speechless; their imperial brother and father had initially been a decent emperor, having just seized the throne, and indeed seemed diligent, but he changed within three years.

Afterward, his depravity knew no bounds — even a simple outing could see him abduct a woman back to the palace, married or not; if her family resisted, they were killed.

In the palace, the proper consorts he had married were hardly favored; instead he preferred courtesans, married women from outside, and pretty young girls.

Besides that, he had people seek ways to make elixirs, even sent them to look for immortality pills, heeded eunuchs and treacherous ministers, slaughtered the loyal and good — in short, everything a foolish tyrant ought to have, he possessed.

Although his health had failed in recent years and he had restrained himself, attempting to govern well, he had become so foolish and incompetent that he lacked any ability to rule, and gradually he was completely done away with.

"Yang Tieqiang, even so, you shouldn't follow this yellow-mouthed brat; what could he bring to the people? We are the true members of the royal family who care for the populace."

"Your choice will ultimately be regretted; even if he treats the people well now, once he truly gains the world, can you be sure he'll still treat them well?"

The Prince of Rong thought his words hit the mark, but all they did was make Yang Tieqiang and Yue Yunyang smile indifferently.

"No need for you to worry, Prince; we've made our choice, we can accept the outcome, and we've seen that the people of Leizhou are actually living well — if we could make the whole world's populace live like that, why not?"

This time the four didn't know what to say, and they began to worry; if Shen Tianxing refuses to help them, he might even take their lives — they are in danger.

We understand what Old General Yang and General Yue mean; in that case, we should take our leave — I wonder if the Governor will allow us to go?

The Fifth Prince rose to his feet, and the other three likewise stood; this time it seemed the Fifth Prince had taken the lead.

"Of course, but if you leave Leizhou, your fate would be uncertain; actually we could keep you here, but only if you live among the common folk."

Perhaps the life would be harder, but at least it would be safe; I just don't know if the two dukes and two princes are willing — this isn't something to force, you can consider it.

The four stared at each other, momentarily unsure whether to agree or not.

As Shen Tianxing said, aside from Leizhou, they really have nowhere else to go; everywhere else is too dangerous.

But to stay here and become ordinary commoners is hard for them to accept, having been used to fine clothes and jade food.

"Thank you, Governor; we're willing to stay, but we should be free to choose how we live in Leiming City — we don't have to be mere commoners, after all we do have some silver to spend."

The Fifth Prince spoke first, the others had no objections, proving he was the key leader of the four; Shen Tianxing smiled and nodded.

"Of course, if the two princes and dukes have silver, they can certainly buy better residences and live better lives; after all, even if life is good, having no office or title still makes one just a commoner."

The Fifth Prince smiled, knowing he could stay; although he'd have to spend his own silver, safety was no problem — even living under others' roofs isn't without a chance to turn things around.

"If that's the case, we'll take our leave now; once things settle, we'll invite the Governor to a feast, and then bid farewell."