Chapter 552: The World Mourns Together

The entire scene was silent.

It was not a silence of shock.

It was not a silence of surprise.

It was not even a silence of being stunned like a wooden chicken.

It was a calm silence.

It seemed everyone believed this was meant to be Xie Ling's final destination.

After that roar, there were no more screams.

When people found Xie Ling's corpse, his body was already unrecognizable and devoid of all breath.

"Your Highness..."

"Third Prince!"

Many people still felt deeply moved.

Especially Grand Eunuch Zhou, who could not help but wipe away tears. The Third Prince, who had once been active on the political stage of the Longyan Dynasty, had just leaped to his death, ending his young life.

This seemed to be a long-destined ending.

But this also seemed to be the beginning of all chaos.

Liu Zheng sighed and shouted loudly: "Rebel troops suddenly appeared at Yang'an Pass. The Third Prince, Xie Ling, heroically rescued the Longyang Princess, was overwhelmed, and has passed away!"

"The rebel army has been completely annihilated!"

Upon hearing this, the crowd followed suit and shouted.

"The Prince is mighty!"

"The Prince is mighty!"

That General Luo was also a shrewd man; he immediately waved his hands, creating an incredibly heroic atmosphere. Soon, these thirty thousand garrison troops solemnly loaded up Xie Ling's corpse, intending to transport it back to Jinghua.

"Hehe, Prefect Liu, this subordinate arrived late, this subordinate arrived late. I only blame that rebel general Cheng Anguo for holding half the Tiger Tally, I!"

General Luo, named Luo Zhenning, belonged to the faction of the Scholar-officials. At this moment, he was fawning and following behind Liu Zheng, trying to curry favor in every way.

Liu Zheng sat on his horse, noncommittal, and smiled slightly.

Arrived late?

Why could he come later without needing the Tiger Tally? Liu Zheng was naturally clear in his heart about the deceit, the watching from the sidelines, and the conflicts of interest involved.

Seeing Liu Zheng's cold face and his refusal to acknowledge Luo Zhenning, Prince Yong hurried over to smooth things over, laughing: "This matter, who could have known, right? Force majeure, force majeure, who knew this Cheng Anguo was actually a rebel general! He must have colluded with the Xiongnu. For this, General Luo has performed a great service, and I will certainly report it to the Emperor!"

Only then was Luo Zhenning overjoyed. He originally wanted to say something else, but seeing Liu Zheng's face remained icy, he felt timid again, gave a sheepish laugh, and went off to clear the battlefield.

"Prefect Liu, why go so far..."

Prince Yong was a kind-hearted man; he rode over and tried to persuade Liu Zheng.

Liu Zheng laughed coldly: "If he had arrived one moment earlier, my brothers from Liangzhou would have died dozens fewer!"

Prince Yong was left between laughter and tears: "The situation was as it was. Since Cheng Anguo is dead and he has emerged, why must Prefect Liu be so rigid about these things?"

Of course, Liu Zheng was only in a fit of anger. He simply looked down upon a two-faced villain like Luo Zhenning. By comparison, he actually thought Cheng Anguo was a real man—it was a pity. This was why the closer one got to the Capital, the more complex the situation became. If Cheng Anguo had held the entire Tiger Tally today, Liu Zheng and the others would likely have died before Yang'an Pass long ago.

He couldn't help but smile and said to Prince Yong: "I heard this General Luo is a protégé of Zhu Zhen. Since when have you people, Prince Yong, been pissing in the same chamber pot as those Scholar-officials?"

Prince Yong was stunned, then shook his head with a wry smile: "I just didn't want Prefect Liu to be in a difficult position, that is all."

Liu Zheng patted Prince Yong's shoulder and said indifferently: "Prince Yong's intentions, how could I, Zheng, not understand? Going back to Jinghua like this, I don't know how Zhu Zhen's side will flatter and fawn, or what kind of drama they will stage. It's just that I don't want to think about those things for now. These officialdom matters are truly not suitable for rough men like us; they give me a headache!"

Prince Yong wanted to say something but stopped, feeling between laughter and tears.

As a friend of a different generation to Liu Zheng, how could he not understand Liu Zheng's inner state at this moment? Exhaustion, mental fatigue. Disappointment, confusion, numbness—these complex emotions were currently filling Liu Zheng's heart.

Originally, he and the Crown Prince were getting along quite well.

And the result?

In this battle at Yang'an Pass, the Crown Prince didn't send a single soldier...

How was Liu Zheng supposed to play along with him after this?

Passive dissolution of the alliance?

Liu Zheng really wanted to laugh but couldn't, and wanted to cry but it wasn't quite the time. He just felt it was troublesome, truly troublesome. Xie Ling was dead, while he and the Longyang Princess were safe and sound. The Crown Prince must be feeling awkward now, right?

Those who stir up trouble and fan the flames would naturally find some new scheme to cook up.

He shook his head, too lazy to think about these things, but grabbed Prince Yong and sighed: "Regardless, Xie Ling is dead. How does Prince Yong think we can appease the anger of that old man?"

Prince Yong rolled his eyes, thinking, I thought you were afraid of nothing?

So, there are things that even you, Prefect Liu, worry about?

He chuckled: "Very simple!"

Liu Zheng's eyes lit up: "What?"

"Money!"

Xie Ling has passed away!

The Third Prince has passed away!

This news spread throughout the entire Jinghua in that very instant.

Almost everyone in the Capital—whether they were high-ranking ministers, palace maids and eunuchs, or the noble youths, wealthy merchants, and members of the Powerful Clans walking the streets—was stunned.

"You, you, you, what are you saying?"

"Is this matter true?"

"Has the Third Prince really passed away?"

"This..."

How could it be!

How could he have passed away?

Wasn't it agreed upon that fifty thousand against six thousand would be a fight with eyes closed?

It's over!

The sky is collapsing!

Very quickly, these people ran back home as fast as they could, and the entire Capital fell into chaos.

"Dead?"

Inside Yangxin Hall.

After Xie Tianyao heard this news, his whole body trembled along with it.

Then, the entire Yangxin Hall fell into a deathly silence.

Eunuchs and palace maids knelt in a sea.

Yuan Qingming also knelt down.

Silence.

Xie Tianyao suddenly let out a loud cry, using both hands to violently sweep the chessboard in front of him onto the floor!

His son!

Xie Ling, that was his son!

His third son! Just like that, he died?

"Useless!"

"A bunch of useless trash! All of you are useless!"

Xie Tianyao was furious, his whole body trembling, his chest heaving.

It was unknown whether he was calling Xie Ling useless, or the group of people who followed Xie Ling useless. In any case, Xie Ling was dead.

Yet Prefect Liu was alive and kicking!

He even put on a show, claiming that Xie Ling had died while attempting to rescue Longyang Princess, a tragedy for the world, a sorrow for the Nine Provinces! Alas and alack, how lamentable and pitiable!

Bah!

Lamentable my foot!

Xie Tianyao's face was gloomy as he leaned over his desk and growled: "Bury him!"

"Yes..."

The group of people, as if granted amnesty, ran out.

They were terrified that this capricious Emperor, whose thoughts no one could guess, would suddenly do something.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites has been waiting outside the hall for a long time..."

The Deputy Grand Eunuch said from the side, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Get out, all of you get out!"

Xie Tianyao roared angrily: "Coming to ask Me for silver again, aren't you? Get out! There is none, none!"

After saying this, he slumped down again, clutching his head with both hands.

"Pain, it hurts, it hurts!"

"Quick!"

"The imperial physician!"

"Quick!"