Chapter 1286 - 1281: The More One Hides, the More Is Revealed
Xiao Rongyan spoke sternly, reprimanding Murong Li, the Emperor of Yan Kingdom, as if he were scolding an inept child of his own, without the slightest consideration for face: "The principle that one cannot win the world by breaking faith is known even to three-year-olds. Your late father often taught this lesson. Have you honored your father by making such a mistake?"
Seeing Murong Li lower his head in silence, Xiao Rongyan’s tone grew even more somber: "Yan Kingdom... after forming an alliance with Zhou, received more in every division of the spoils. In such a situation, Yan Kingdom’s betrayal is unjust! Displayed before the world, it places our Yan Kingdom in a position of treachery and deceit, making us faithless ingrates and placing Yan at the center of criticism! Is such an outcome... satisfactory to you?"
"Ninth Prince..." Wang Jiuzhou, standing beside Murong Li, hurriedly knelt and bowed his head, "Ninth Prince, please calm your anger, it was not the Emperor who did this! It was—"
"Wang Jiuzhou!" Murong Li snapped sternly.
Wang Jiuzhou tightly pressed his lips together, looking as if he wished to speak but couldn’t bear to defend Murong Li.
Wang Jiuzhou understood that this time... both the master and the Emperor might have thoughts of removing the Empress Dowager from her regent position. Wang Jiuzhou did not name the Empress Dowager directly, but essentially, he was warning the court officials that the disaster of Zhou deploying troops at the Yan border was caused by the Empress Dowager.
Wang Jiuzhou was eager to defend Murong Li, and Murong Li’s reprimanding of Wang Jiuzhou’s voice was simply a cover-up.
The court officials exchanged glances, all realizing that there must be more to the story, and it was very likely that the Empress Dowager of Yan, who had been frequently in contact with the Xiliang people lately, was behind it. Their emperor was just taking the blame for the matter.
"Enough! Your Majesty should accompany me to see the Empress Dowager, and let the Empress Dowager meet the confidant of General Cui Shanzhong. The truth will become clear." Xiao Rongyan spoke.
The ministers of Yan watched, sensing that the Ninth Prince would take this opportunity to remove the Empress Dowager from her regency, making the Yan court his domain, at least until the Emperor came of age.
The ministers who had long followed the Ninth Prince, Murong Yan, were naturally overjoyed, feeling that the Empress Dowager was courting her own doom and that Zhou’s troops at the Yan border were actually helping the Ninth Prince.
The ministers aligned with the Empress Dowager were instantly gloomy. Murong Li’s uncle, Zhong Xingxiao, felt a pang of anxiety in his heart. They knew that it was indeed the Empress Dowager’s doing, and currently, the national strength of Yan versus Zhou still held a gap. If war were to break out, Yan might not be a match for Zhou, hence there indeed needed to be an explanation given to Zhou.
Especially after hearing the Ninth Prince saying that General Cui Shanzhong’s confidants had been handed to the Ninth Prince by Zhou, which suggested that Zhou already knew it was the Empress Dowager who betrayed them. Hence, it was necessary for her to provide an explanation.
Since the Emperor is still a youngster, those of them who openly follow him are mostly followers of the Empress Dowager, so they must protect the Empress Dowager at all costs!
The ministers aligned with the Empress Dowager had resolved to do whatever it took to keep her in her regency position.
"Your Majesty, Ninth Prince..." Zhong Xingxiao stepped forward, respectfully bowing to Murong Li and Xiao Rongyan before saying, "The so-called confidant of General Cui Shanzhong handed over by Zhou might not truly be such."
Zhong Xingxiao glanced at Xiao Rongyan, whose mask reflected cold light, and continued: "Of course... Now that Zhou’s troops are stationed at our Yan border, the primary issue is dealing with the fact that our main forces cannot return, and domestic forces are scarce. In case of a confrontation, our Yan Kingdom won’t be able to withstand it! I urge Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager, and the Ninth Prince to deliberate thoroughly! If there is an area where we ministers can be of service, we will pledge our lives for it and ask... Your Majesty and the Ninth Prince, to take us all to meet the Empress Dowager, so we may contribute our collective wisdom!"
Xiao Rongyan’s lips slightly curved beneath his mask, observing the old imperial uncle who had almost humiliated himself, but he didn’t respond, only asking Murong Li: "What does Your Majesty think?"
Murong Li clutched his fist tightly inside his sleeve as if deeply afraid of his Ninth Uncle, and spoke: "Ninth Uncle, perhaps it’s best to let the ministers accompany us! Just...I... have also thought of a plan in recent days, and wish to share it with you and the ministers. Perhaps having them accompany us first to the forecourt, before discussing the matter with Mother afterward. It’s not the time to focus on right or wrong, we must first find a solution, and there’s still time to pursue this later."
Xiao Rongyan knew that Murong Li wished to seize the moment to propose the merger of the two countries to the ministers, so he nodded.
Soon, two of General Cui Shanzhong’s confidants were also brought down from the prison carriage.
An official who had previously seen this deputy of General Cui Shanzhong in Yandu widened his eyes: "Isn’t this..."
Hearing this, Xiao Rongyan halted and looked at the official: "What do you know?"
Frightened by Xiao Rongyan’s cold and stern voice, the official trembled and hurriedly knelt and bowed: "These...these Xiliang people, I saw them before in Yandu... saw them... entering and leaving... the Imperial Palace!"
The official shut his eyes, steeling himself to reveal all he knew, and did not forget to implicate others for courage: "Before, I saw them with Master Guan and Minister Li after leaving the palace!"
Master Guan and Minister Li, being mentioned, hurriedly knelt down...
Xiao Rongyan turned to the kneeling officials and asked: "Is what he says... true?"
"It is true... true, Regent Prince!"
"It’s true! It’s true!"
Receiving a definite answer, Xiao Rongyan continued with Murong Li toward the interior of the Imperial Palace, with ministers immediately following behind them. They all knew that a bloody storm was likely to ensue, so that none dared to even breathe heavily.
Especially the three officials who had just revealed that Cui Shanzhong’s confidants had previously entered the palace, seeing the dark and sinister gaze of the old imperial uncle Zhong Xingxiao upon them, were filled with regret, cold sweat pouring from their foreheads. They understood that they had likely been drawn into the battle between the Regent Prince and the Empress Dowager and, inadvertently, had ended up on the Regent Prince’s side.
Originally, they just hoped to achieve an honorary retirement in the court, but now with this mess, achieving even an honorary retirement was out of the question. Moreover, the old imperial uncle was notoriously petty, so they feared it would implicate their entire families.
The Empress Dowager of Yan restlessly sat in the palace, having heard the news of Xiao Rongyan’s return to Yandu, and was so distracted that she couldn’t even feed the fish. She held the fish food box in her hand but hesitated to scatter the feed.