Chapter 240
Chapter 240
As soon as everyone heard the Wang speak, there was immediate commotion. Punishing the wrongdoer was not such a big deal; after all, no one could object to the punishment for this matter. But the consolation was indeed peculiar!
It was true that requesting a royal marriage to hasten the wedding of the deputy general and Young Miss Chang was nothing unusual. It was a gesture of honor and an affirmation that the position of the deputy general’s principal wife would never be diminished. Even without this reward, as the eldest young miss of the Chang family, she should never be disrespected or bullied. Moreover, the deputy general was not the type to allow such things. Besides his excessive dedication to his work, there was nothing else to worry about.
Therefore, it was the other forms of consolation that truly shocked everyone!
Starting with Furen of Governor Mu, who suddenly received a grand reward of the Cold Jade Palace. Everyone knew that currently, the Governor of Red Earth City resided in a manor bestowed by the Wang. He did not even have his own residence in the capital. But now, there was no need for a manor since they had a palace to live in, right?
Although when transferred to the hands of officials and non-royals, its name had to change from a palace to a manor, the intrinsic value and decoration, given its history as a palace, were beyond estimation.
Furen Mu could auction it off, earning enough to buy more than ten high-class manors, or if she chose to live in it herself, she would undoubtedly be greatly honored. And this Cold Jade Palace was no ordinary palace. It not only once adorned the nobility but also had special attributes.
It was said that on the day this palace was built, a monk from the Divine Power Temple came to this place to pray, invoking the heavens and earth to bless it with serenity.
Thus, the mother of the Wang often visited this place when she was troubled. Upon returning, she would find her mind at peace. In other words, they believed that the Cold Jade Palace could cleanse the impurities from one’s heart, allowing those who resided there to achieve greater nobility in thought and spirit.
No one knew the truth of the matter; only the Wang’s mother and the Wang himself truly understood. Because this palace was forbidden, the Wang’s mother had decreed that no one else should meddle with it. It was unexpected that today the Wang would bestow it upon Furen Mu.
In fact, even the Wang himself was surprised by this decision. However, when he recalled the monk standing and waiting for Mu Heng, personally welcoming him, he considered that with the monk’s abilities, he might have seen something. Being a keen observer, he could faintly sense the monk’s unease. Thus, his decision to give away the Cold Jade Palace was to prevent any potential disaster in the future.
He didn’t know what the monk saw in his vision, but he was confident it wasn’t anything good. Besides, he knew Mu Heng quite well. During his time in the Mu family’s village, even while disguised as a thief to smuggle valuables back to his Region, he investigated the surrounding stories.
Especially regarding the person who saved his life, a Wang like him paid special attention. This made him realize that the young man from the Mu family was peculiar. Mu Heng was a good, brave, and courageous person, but he lived like a lifeless being. His eyes seemed to just exist day by day.
Until those lifeless eyes changed, the Wang didn’t know when exactly, as he didn’t follow Mu Heng’s life daily. But when he saw, it was when this Mu man had a beautiful woman by his side.
So, having experienced much, the Wang knew from the start that this beautiful woman would undoubtedly become the other half of Mu Heng’s life. Time passed, and his thoughts were confirmed the day Mu Heng approached him with a determined look. That’s when he knew that this “tiger” had fully awakened.
Mu Heng, who had no plans for his own life, only finding food for his siblings, having money for them, planning for his brother’s education and his sister’s good marriage, and then hoping to be free without any expectations, had become ambitious simply to protect his woman.
This made the Wang decide that if he wanted to win over this man or make him a full ally and prevent future disasters, he had to be as kind as possible to Furen Mu.
Unknowingly, the Wang of the Bai Region had walked a path that was more than just right. Perhaps even the monk, who knew the truth in his heart, couldn’t find a way to prevent disaster, but this Wang managed to!
Returning to the present situation, people were still shocked by the Wang’s words of consolation. Furen Mu receiving the Cold Jade Palace was certainly enviable, but even more alarming was the direction of the coming storm.
Everyone knew that this Wang was the master of the Second Prince, and he was too lazy to take on any other disciples. Despite the Crown Prince’s persistent efforts to have his uncle teach him various skills, it was to no avail.
In the Bai Region, they believed that as lovers, as husband and wife, once they received a divorce, the relationship ended. As parents, once they declared a severance, the bond was broken, and they became strangers. However, being a disciple and a master, even after ten thousand years, the disciple remains a disciple, and the master remains a master for hundred thousand years.
No matter the scolding or beatings, the disciple must be grateful, and the master will always be a master. Therefore, this relationship is to be cherished, and this is why the Wang didn’t casually accept disciples. Once he became a master, it meant that if his disciple committed a mistake, he shared the responsibility for that mistake.
Initially, those who were loyal to the Wang sided with the Second Prince because he was the Wang’s only disciple. Even though the Wang did not directly say that he supported the Second Prince.
But now something had happened! Suddenly, the Crown Prince, who had been their adversary, was about to become another disciple of the Wang? What did that mean? Was this punishment meant for the Second Prince? Who would fully support him from now on? Even the Wang was giving the Crown Prince such a chance!
The Second Prince himself was extremely shocked. The skills and teachings weren’t as important as the status of being his uncle’s disciple. His eyes reddened, wanting to say something to oppose this command but had to restrain his thoughts. Today, he truly had no right to speak out. Besides, he was also displeased with his wife’s actions.
With fierce eyes, he looked at his beautiful wife, whom he had once thought was very smart and had been pleased to have by his side. He never expected that today, she would be the one to bring disaster upon him.
This Consort Gui was incredibly audacious to scheme without informing him. Moreover, it was a cruel plan, daring to harm her own ally to such an extent. There was no need to mention that she did it for him, because even he had never harbored such malevolent thoughts. If he had to become like his elder brother just to secure the throne, then it would be better for him not to become emperor at all.
He had always been on the defensive and had never thought he would have to be the one to act maliciously towards others. His duty was merely to prove his capabilities, follow his uncle to help many villagers, and deal with the Crown Prince, his brother, only because he disliked his brother’s exploitative ways. If he didn’t fight, he would only face death.
But now, he felt that if he had to change his vision and worldview and become a despicable person without dignity, then let him die under his brother’s sword, for he could no longer be sure that he could rule the country with virtue and righteousness!
His strong hand clenched into a fist. He had made a mistake by not thoroughly investigating and allowing his wife to devise such a vicious plan. His friend’s fiancée almost died because of his consort’s scheme. Thus, he knew that this fault partly lay with him too. Even so, he looked at his uncle with disappointed eyes.
Was his uncle really willing to aid the malevolent Crown Prince just to teach him a lesson? Uncle had always said he wanted a disciple who would benefit the country, so what was this now?
The Second Prince, who still didn’t understand, decided he had misunderstood his uncle. His faith in his uncle began to wane unknowingly. This was, of course, due to his flawed thinking. In the future, he would understand why his uncle had to do this because otherwise, today’s events would not end easily.
Could his consort’s wrongdoing be punished solely on her? If the Crown Prince was not satisfied and intended to escalate the matter, accusing them of conspiracy and rebellion, no one could stop it.
After all, the Crown Prince held his position because of the Emperor’s appointment. This was a severe accusation against him, involving the killing of people in a sacred temple, and it was a grand event. If perceived as an attempt to disrupt the major event of the Hu Region’s visit, wouldn’t it escalate into a significant issue, posing a threat to the prosperity of the Bai Region?
The punishment for the Second Prince should have been execution!
The only way to calm this situation was for him to step back and give the Crown Prince one concession. Those people would surely understand his intentions in doing this because the other side also sought more power. By allowing the Crown Prince to learn from him, those individuals would seek to benefit from this time, which was better than fighting later on.
Wei Mudan, who was nearby, looked at the consort who devised this dirty plan with a cold demeanor. In fact, she knew about this plan as well; otherwise, how could she have gone to mock Furen Mu earlier? However, in her eyes, the consort had made a grave error. She felt no sympathy for her because losing meant being eliminated.
If it were her, she would never have allowed a mere court lady to confirm Young Miss Chang’s position. This plan was full of holes, and they were large ones. First, Young Miss Chang had to follow the plan; if she refused, the plan would be over. Second, the victim like Yueqian had to be involved, relying on the minds of two people, and humans were the most fickle and crude. If it were Wei Mudan, she wouldn’t trust these people’s words and would make a clear plan.
Perhaps if assassins had been placed in the temple from the start, they could have captured Young Miss Chang. Additionally, they would have noticed if Yueqian didn’t follow the plan. If known in advance, they could have re-planned any false accusations.
This was a mistake that even Wei Mudan laughed at. Her eyes were filled only with coldness and disdain, and when she looked at her former ally, there was no pity at all.
"Let’s disperse for today. Do not let the events of today leak out. It would be better if the reception of the Hu Region’s delegation went smoothly. If the delegation hears that our Bai Region staged a murder on the day of asking for blessings to welcome them... perhaps our Bai Region might not remain an independent Region."
"I hope everyone understands my words" After the Wang finished speaking, he quickly walked out. His anger was beyond words; at this moment, no one could face him. Of course, everyone understood the reason, as this was a truly significant matter. If anything happened, the Wang’s words would not be an exaggeration.