Chapter 659: Changning's Fate!

The common people of Great Chu and the court officials finally realized!

So all the changes Emperor Chu has undergone in the past six months are because of this truth?

Several princes fell into trouble one after another, and even the Crown Prince was personally deposed by Emperor Chu.

Now he lets a king of a foreign surname inherit the throne; Emperor Chu really isn't insane, is he?

But he was originally a mad tyrant.

Carrying out such a succession doesn't seem that outrageous, yet it leaves the officials unable to believe it.

Earlier, some cunning and scheming ministers had already harbored such unfathomable speculation.

They thought perhaps I would pass the throne to that highly favored Yue King.

But the truth they guessed then was vastly different; they all believed the Yue King was actually Emperor Chu's illegitimate son.

After all, between the two, their brows and eyes really bore some resemblance.

Now, the truth turns out to be a prince of an enemy state!?

How is that any different from handing Great Chu over to DaLiang?

Yet soon countless citizens of Great Chu sobered up.

Prince Su of DaLiang is dead!

No matter what, Prince Su is dead!

And regardless of who he is, Emperor Chu is crystal clear about one thing.

That is, this Yue King could one day lead the Chu state to its true pinnacle.

He can pull the already collapsing Great Chu out of the mire completely.

"He will be a wise ruler..."

"You all must loyally support him..."

"After Great Chu... the royal surname... the state name... all are unimportant..."

"The people's peace and prosperity... the nation's stability... are the foundation of the state..."

Before his death, Emperor Chu finally became completely lucid.

He seemed to have found his former self, still full of ambition.

In a daze, he painfully regretted having turned a once harmonious land into this mess.

Thus he left Duan Rongshi with such a wreck.

Fortunately, Duan Rongshi did not disappoint himself.

His achievements and battle merits have already been enough to convince the people and officials of Great Chu.

Yue Er, can you forgive me?

Now brother has given everything to your child.

This is brother's recompense to you...

Yue Er, I hope to see you in the underworld.

But I also do not wish for you to appear in the underworld.

Duan Rongshi ultimately could not catch a final glimpse of Emperor Chu.

Fortunately, that imperial edict still safely fell into his hands.

With a turn, the ministers led by Wei Zhaolie were already kneeling at his feet.

In half a year, he reclaimed all the cities Great Chu had lost.

He also drove the Western Regions army five hundred li beyond the frontier and even retook three Western Region cities.

Dare I ask the world, dare I ask all of Great Chu's history, has there ever been such a war god who lifted Great Chu to such a lofty pinnacle?

I believe that in the future, Great Chu will ascend to a position that no one dares to imagine.

Therefore, whether he is Li Wu or the Yue King, whether he is Prince Su or the Lan Hai King,

From now on, Great Chu will completely turn its fate around!

"May my emperor live ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand ten thousand years."

Yet Duan Rongshi only hurriedly held an enthronement ceremony before rushing back with all his armies to the frontier.

This time, he led the campaign personally.

"If the Western Regions are not eradicated, the court will not return!"

He handed Great Chu's administration to a few relatively reliable people, such as Yang Qilang and Zhang Tinggui, as well as several senior ministers and former chancellors; all the loyal and patriotic veterans he knew were recalled to the court.

It is said that although Yang Qilang is a collateral branch of the former Crown Prince's maternal clan, the Yang family has long served the Crown Prince.

But after the Crown Prince was deposed, Yang Qilang decisively chose to cut ties with the legitimate line.

While all the former Crown Prince's followers still hoped for his restoration, Yang Qilang had already, led by Zhang Tinggui, fully pledged allegiance to Emperor Chu, becoming a loyal subject.

Thus, after the true lineage of the Yue King was revealed and he ascended the Great Chu throne, the two became the happiest men in the entire court.

Not only were they delighted, the delighted ones went mad.

Sure enough, their initial intuition was the most accurate!

They were close to Li Wu, believed Li Wu, so they cleanly and decisively chose to favor the tyrant who adored Li Wu amid the squeeze.

Now both of their positions are crucial, and isn't this also Emperor Chu's early paving for Li Wu… oh no, the future emperor?

Yang Qilang's collateral branch was certainly relieved to have begun trusting their own son, while the legitimate line vanished with the Crown Prince's downfall.

From now on, Nan An has only one Yang family.

Zhang Tinggui is even smarter.

Even without his stirring, Yang Qilang would not have made a wise choice at the critical moment.

Only his household still has a daughter, Princess Changning, who gives him a great headache.

This Chang Ning, though not his biological bloodline, was nonetheless raised with his countless favors and pampering.

But after the Yue King was publicly announced to the world, his lineage fully revealed and his succession to the great throne disclosed, Chang Ning began to hurl insults constantly within the manor.

"Even if she is Prince Su of DaLiang's consort, so what?"

"Even if she is the Yue King's consort, or the Lan Hai King's consort, or a future empress, she is still a scoundrel!"

"How long does she think she can still be arrogant? A lowly merchant's wife, whether she can truly ascend that throne in the future remains uncertain."

"She'd better die out there and never return, better yet have a thousand women share her favor…"

These words terrified the servants in the manor half to death; they hurriedly summoned Zhang Tinggui back and told him everything without omitting a single word.

Zhang Tinggui instantly felt his qi and blood surge, nearly collapsing from the shock.

He has struggled to reach today; is it all merely due to luck?

And also his own painstaking effort and timing!

He is no longer the prince consort of the princess's manor, but now the highly influential Lord Zhang!

Yet all this is about to be ruined by his beloved daughter.

If even one of these words spreads, it would be a death sentence for the entire clan!

He struck Chang Ning for the first time.

A slap sent her to the ground, blood spilling from her mouth.

Under Chang Ning's shocked and incredulous gaze, he, heartbroken, made a resolute decision.

"Do you think I truly don't know whose bloodline you belong to?"

"You are nothing but the bastard born of your mother and Xie Huaiyuan!"

"And I can still cherish you as before, putting aside past grievances, because father truly loves you."

"But you repeatedly commit these vicious acts—first daring to poison the princess and frame that consort; if the princess hadn't let it go, do you think you'd still be alive now?"

"You don't reflect at home, but your thoughts grow ever more malicious, and now you dare to curse that noble lady indiscriminately within the house."

"Isn't her status more noble than yours?"

"Why must you oppose her?"

"She accomplishes top‑tier great deeds, while your petty, vicious, scheming tricks in the inner chambers can't even catch that noble's attention; before her, you are merely a spoiled clown."

Zhang Tinggui's gaze turned utterly cold and ruthless: "Chang Ning, father gave you a chance. You failed to cherish it, repeatedly disappointing father."

"I cannot allow you to continue like this."

"Father can set aside past grievances and still treat you as his daughter, but you must not ruin our entire Zhang family."

"From now on, I can no longer protect you."

"Our father‑daughter bond ends here."

"Attendants, send the princess—back to the Xie family!"

"Just say she's the Xie family's lady; my Zhang family can no longer discipline her. Send her away!"

Chang Ning, of course, cried and refused, kneeling on the ground until her head was bruised.

"Father, you cannot be so ruthless; Chang Ning only recognizes you as her father, father—"

She did not realize her fault.

She only clung to Zhang Tinggui's leg, unwilling to leave.

If she returns to the Zhang family, her bastard status would be fully cemented.

Later, how could she ever hold her head up in all of Nan'an?

She won't, she—

However, Zhang Tinggui this time was also determined to give her some hardship; he had someone gag Chang Ning, shove her into a carriage, and send her to the Xie family.

But in the end he also feared the Xie family might drive her to death, so he had someone deliver a message to the Xie family: "Tell the Xie family, Chang Ning is the princess's daughter; if she dies under unclear circumstances, my Zhang manor will not stand by idly!"

It is said that after Chang Ning was sent to the Xie family, they, in panic, reluctantly settled her.

But she spent every day in the courtyard still refusing to rest.

First she cursed the Xie family members as delusional, saying this princess would never consider the Xie family as kin.

Then she berated the Zhang family for being heartless and ruthless toward her.

Finally she ranted about Nan Gong Qingle.

The Xie family members initially did not know who this Nan Gong Qingle was.

When they realized that Nan Gong Qingle was the lady of the Flower Pavilion tavern, later the Yue King's consort,

and possibly the future empress of Great Chu, the entire Xie family instantly felt as if facing a great enemy.

They had only been unable to lift their heads in Nan Yuan Temple's scandal; if they now also suffered because of this Chang Ning mongrel, the Xie family would face extermination!

Zhang Tinggui truly is a despicable scoundrel.

Knowing that this Chang Ning princess is troublesome, he sent her to the Xie family to cause chaos.

Is he trying to drive the Xie family into a dead end?

The Xie family knows the new emperor is a ruthless and decisive man.

Therefore they dared not hesitate and bound Chang Ning, sealing her mouth tightly.

Then they only informed the Zhang manor in a hurried note that she was married off to the Xie family's ancestral home.

Zhang Tinggui did not intervene in this matter.

He was only busy having the household servants inquire about the kind of man Chang Ning's husband would be, then he returned to his own political battles.

Soon after, it was heard that Chang Ning never caused any more rebellious words, and was quietly sent to the countryside.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Tinggui felt a deep pain in his heart.

Did the Xie family give Chang Ning a sedative?

Still mute medicine?

No matter what it is, their methods are indeed ruthless.

"She is ultimately the daughter of the Xie family."

"However, as long as I, Zhang Tingjiu, am alive for a day, I can keep her alive for a day."

"If she can behave herself a bit more in the future, she can still struggle out of adversity."

"Forget it, let them go."

From then on, Zhang Tingjiu no longer cared about Changning's affairs.

And Changning, in this life, never returned to South Peace...

However, even though Zhang Tingjiu now holds high position and power, he cannot control the court.

Soon, a situation that gave him a tremendous headache appeared.

Those old fogeys summoned back to court by the new emperor are indeed a bunch of stubborn, restless old men; every day he has to argue with them to no end.

But Zhang Tingjiu also understands deep down that the new emperor's purpose is to let them check and balance each other.

So, he goes to court each day full of vigor to argue.

Perhaps, their state of Great Chu will truly have another new situation awaiting the new emperor's return...

However, Duan Rongshi had not yet returned to Mantuo City when the Western Regions' great army once again arrived at the city walls.