Chapter 717: The Sun Is Out

Xue San sat on Zhao Jiulang's shoulders.

His two short little legs swung in front of the Chancellor's chest.

A dagger rested against Zhao Jiulang's throat.

Zhao Jiulang had already stripped off his outer robe and now wore only white underclothes. Carrying Xue San on his back, he walked out from the pitch-dark street.

"Little brother, could you come down?"

Xue San grinned.

"People say a Chancellor's belly can hold a boat. This time I want to spend a little longer finding out what a Chancellor's shoulders can hold."

"They hold the realm."

"At a time like this, what's the point in still spouting grand official lines?"

Xue San waved toward Zheng Fan.

"Master! Over here! Over here!"

His voice carried thick expectation.

The problem was... the aura within his own body had not changed in the slightest.

"Sigh."

Xue San let out a long breath.

"Lord Chancellor, couldn't you have exercised a little more in ordinary times and turned yourself into some great expert? I clearly scored the biggest merit tonight, yet I haven't gotten the slightest actual benefit out of it."

Naturally, the Chancellor was no hidden Second Grade expert.

He was merely somewhat overweight and soft.

Zhao Jiulang answered:

"My apologies."

Off to one side, Fan Li rubbed his shoulder.

The old carriage driver had punched him there earlier and cracked the bone slightly.

But... compared with the crack in his heart right now, that fracture was nothing.

He looked at the handful of guards still remaining.

Then at Zhao Jiulang, who already had Xue San's blade against his throat.

Fan Li stamped one foot miserably.

How was it... already over?

Where was the desperate battle they had been promised?

Where was the baptism of blood and fire?

How could it end this quickly?

Then... while the Sword Saint continued facing Li Liangshen, Fan Li, Siniang, A'Ming, and Xu Chuang rushed forward together and killed the remaining guards outright.

Li Liangshen gripped the hilt of his greatsword.

His expression was dark.

Zheng Fan looked at him.

"This Marquis asks you one question. Are you a jianghu swordsman, or are you a Garrison Commander of Great Yan?"

"Heh." Li Liangshen looked sidelong at Zheng Fan. "And what about you? Are you a rebel assassinating the Chancellor, or are you Marquis Pingxi of Great Yan?"

"I'm the one asking you."

"You still have the nerve to ask me?"

"Why wouldn't I? This Marquis is a rebel. Fine. Come on, then. Who dares condemn this Marquis? If you're a jianghu swordsman, though, then tonight you are absolutely going to die. You won't even make it out of Yanjing. So tell me. Do I have the qualifications to ask you?"

"What use is there in asking this now?"

"Of course there's use. If you're a jianghu assassin, then you're dead tonight. No question. But if you're a Garrison Commander of Great Yan... kneel. This Marquis will save your life."

"Heh-heh-heh." Li Liangshen laughed. "Marquis Pingxi, do you take Li for an idiot?"

Zheng Fan reached into his robes and pulled out an imperial decree.

He raised it.

Then looked at Li Liangshen.

"Garrison Commander Li Liangshen of Great Yan's Zhenbei Army, receive the decree!"

Li Liangshen stared at the edict in Zheng Fan's hand.

Naturally... the decree was fake.

It was the blank imperial decree Ji Chengjue had used when ordering Zheng Fan to bring troops into the capital last time. Because it bore a genuine imperial seal, Zheng Fan had never thrown it away.

The decree itself was genuine.

The seal was genuine.

If needed, all he had to do was add some words.

Who knew when such a thing might come in handy?

Marquis Zheng had always liked keeping useful things close to his body when they did not take up space.

From nearby...

Zhao Jiulang, still held by Xue San, spoke.

"Garrison Commander Li, kneel and receive the decree."

Li Liangshen remained standing there.

His greatsword planted against the ground.

He did not move.

Zhao Jiulang spoke again.

"Garrison Commander Li. Kneel."

Zheng Fan held the decree and walked behind the Sword Saint.

Looking at Li Liangshen, he said:

"This Marquis knows Garrison Commander Li is not afraid of death. And then what? You die just like this? Forget all the wars you missed these past few years. Even the future campaigns to destroy Qian and Chu won't have anything to do with you. Afraid of death? Sigh. A real man naturally isn't afraid of death. If you feared death, what sort of soldier would you be? But... dying like this... in such a damned suffocating, humiliating way... is it worth it? You are Li Liangshen. You were once one of the Four Great Swordsmen. This Marquis can try to keep you alive. Kneel and receive the decree!"

Death itself truly was not frightening.

But there was one thing Zheng Fan had said correctly.

If Li Liangshen died on a battlefield, then fine.

That would count as dying where he belonged.

But if he died inside Yanjing, smothered to death by a mob of experts from the Secret Intelligence Department... that kind of death would truly be too suffocating.

And then... there was Zheng Fan's promise.

Li Liangshen had always looked down on Zheng Fan.

Before.

Now.

He simply did.

But one fact could not be denied.

In the current situation, if Zheng Fan said he would try to preserve Li Liangshen's life... then there truly was a possibility he could do it.

Because Li Liangshen knew Zheng Fan possessed that confidence.

So...

Li Liangshen planted his greatsword upright before himself.

Then... lowered onto one knee.

Zheng Fan hesitated briefly.

In the end, he still walked directly up to Li Liangshen.

He was not afraid Li Liangshen would suddenly kill him.

People... what they feared most was having hope.

So long as even one thread of hope remained, most people found it difficult to gamble everything on a final desperate strike.

Earlier, when Li Liangshen and the Sword Saint had competed over who could strike faster, the Sword Saint had forcefully opened Second Grade and was indeed faster.

But Li Liangshen had not needed to immediately withdraw his sword the instant he saw the carriage destroyed.

Why had he withdrawn it?

Because there was one extremely awkward fact.

Even if he truly killed Zheng Fan... he himself would still certainly die afterward.

Even if Zhao Jiulang survived.

The sky over Yanjing was no longer ruled by the late Emperor with his vast capacity.

It belonged to... the new sovereign whose heart was much smaller.

In truth, Li Liangshen had it very difficult.

His difficulty came from one thing.

While the late Emperor lived, he had given many people an illusion.

The illusion of a true Son of Heaven.

After Ji Chengjue ascended... the Son of Heaven... became an Emperor.

He no longer endured for the sake of the greater situation.

Instead, there would be more imperial technique.

More caprice.

Li Liangshen had not reacted to that change quickly enough.

Zhao Jiulang had not either.

One could only say the late Emperor's authority and influence had soaked too deeply into everyone's bones.

Zheng Fan placed the imperial decree on the ground before Li Liangshen.

"The decree is fake. It's blank."

"..." Li Liangshen.

"Don't look at me like you're surprised. I know you guessed it was fake. Lord Chancellor guessed it too. The Emperor isn't sick in the head. He isn't going to want you dead and then also give me a decree telling me not to kill you. I'm telling you, our new sovereign really knows how to hold a grudge. But don't worry. You stay here and kneel properly. I'm going to have a little chat with Lord Chancellor. After I'm finished, I'll take you into the palace for an audience. And while you're kneeling, don't just stare stupidly. Think about what you're going to say once we enter the palace after dawn. I'll put in a few good words for you too. You definitely can't stay around the capital region anymore. This Zhenbei Army formation probably won't listen to you either. If worst comes to worst, come back to Fengxin City with this Marquis. You want troops? This Marquis has plenty. Pick whichever ones you like. You know perfectly well... in this world, the only person who can preserve your life before the new sovereign... is me."

Li Liangshen said nothing.

Marquis Zheng straightened and walked toward Zhao Jiulang.

Xue San's eyes widened like bronze bells.

But even when Master reached him... nothing inside Xue San's body had changed.

"Get down."

"Yes, Master."

Xue San could only slide from Zhao Jiulang's shoulders and walk over beside Fan Li.

Siniang had tied her injured arm behind her back.

Her other hand rested against her waist.

A'Ming was straightening his already tattered formal robes. When Xue San and Fan Li looked toward him, he wore a natural air of reserved superiority.

Marquis Zheng saluted Zhao Jiulang.

"Lord Chancellor."

Zhao Jiulang returned the salute.

"Marquis Pingxi."

...

On the street below...

Li Liangshen remained kneeling.

Zheng Fan... took Zhao Jiulang onto a rooftop.

The two sat on the eaves.

To make sure nothing unexpected happened, the Sword Saint stood behind them.

Marquis Zheng had reached the classic stage where villains died because they talked too much.

But there was no helping it.

That stage was also where the real satisfaction lay.

Besides... right now, he had the opportunity.

The only man who might still create an accident, Li Liangshen... was kneeling below.

Xue San and Fan Li kept staring at him, wishing the man would suddenly jump up and attack Master again so they could block a sword.

Unfortunately... when Li Liangshen said he would kneel, he knelt very honestly.

"I won't hide it from Lord Chancellor. This assassination has been much easier than Zheng imagined."

"Marquis jokes. This Chancellor originally planned to shed the shell of a golden cicada and escape. Who could have expected Jingnan troops would be stationed at both ends of the street? I had no choice but to find somewhere to hide for the moment, and then one of the Marquis's men found me almost immediately. Difficult? If one wants it to be difficult, then that is what truly takes effort. The Marquis has the Sword Saint beside him. Back then, the old patriarch of the Situ Clan was killed by the Sword Saint. With him here, there are not many people the Marquis could truly find difficult to assassinate."

That was true.

Zheng Fan had sealed the street with troops.

After that... it had fundamentally become catching a turtle inside a jar.

It was no different from surrounding an enemy commander and his personal guard on the battlefield, then deliberately refusing to order a volley of arrows because you wanted to play at single combat first.

Nothing more than seeking a little extra entertainment.

Most importantly...

Zheng Fan had never expected Ji Old Sixth to be so steady.

He had genuinely withdrawn every last "crow" that normally protected the Chancellor day and night.

Tonight's Chancellor... was like a peeled egg delivered directly to Zheng Fan's mouth.

It proved one thing.

When an Emperor wanted you dead... at least inside this capital... you would very quickly become extraordinarily weak.

"Was Du Juan forced to death by you?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"This Chancellor knew very early that she had once belonged to Qian's Silver-Armored Guard."

"That isn't the reason. Because I believe the Prince of Jingnan certainly knew that too."

"Yes."

"Then tell me the real reason you forced her to die."

"An heir. Tian Wujing could not be allowed to have a legitimate son in this world."

"Heh-heh. Absurd."

"Absurd? Why did Tian Wujing not dare keep his son beside himself? Because even he could feel that when he faced his own son... he was beginning to lose control. For Great Yan, he could destroy his own entire clan. That was giving up family for the sake of the state. But for his own son... he could also usurp the state itself. Even if that meant completely turning himself into some beast that was neither man nor ghost."

"Nonsense."

"Nonsense? Marquis, look at yourself. The Prince of Jingnan's Heir is being raised inside your residence. If something happens to the Prince of Jingnan during this expedition, who exactly will the Jingnan Army in Jin choose to follow? Will they incline toward Marquis Pingxi Residence? Or toward the imperial court? At present, the Marquis possesses enormous prestige inside the Jingnan Army. And with the Heir in your hands... you could even directly bring half the Jingnan Army completely onto your side. If the Marquis wished to rebel and simply pushed the Heir forward... the whole of Jin would be thrown into chaos. So tell me, Marquis... should that child be allowed to remain? And besides... isn't the current situation rather good? The suffering that had to be endured has already been endured. One more wound hardly changes anything. His hair turned white in a single night. What of it? The child survived. The child is still with you. But what this Chancellor did was equivalent to ringing one warning bell for the Prince of Jingnan. Making him a little more clear-headed. The facts prove this Chancellor was correct. Even though I did not achieve the full result, I still achieved an effect. Tian Wujing now... is probably seeking death with his whole heart and hoping for release. And who told him to be the youngest? Who told him his cultivation was the highest? So he cannot possess any true attachment. He needs only walk one road all the way to the end. In short... while men like them exist... Great Yan will be well. What this Chancellor must do... is make sure that when they are gone... Great Yan becomes even better."

"Prince Cheng Residence. Was that your work too?"

"Yes. I originally intended to use that opportunity to strike at the Marquis and find some reason, some excuse. Marquis Pingxi Residence truly did need to be suppressed somewhat. Otherwise, things would have gone far too smoothly for you. In the end, the Marquis never entered the trap. So I simply pushed Prince Cheng Residence down along the way. That also counted as suppressing one enormous future danger in Jin ahead of time."

"Lord Chancellor?"

"Mm?"

"Did you guess I would come tonight?"

"No. This Chancellor did not expect it to be this fast. Nor this direct. But most fundamentally... this Chancellor never expected the Marquis to be such a sincere man. This Chancellor was once born from a poor, humble family too. So I understand very well just how difficult it is for a man to rise from the black-haired common people all the way to the highest offices of state. How much one should treasure the position already gained. But Marquis... you are different. Truly different."

"Lord Chancellor is praising me?"

"No. In terms of power and politics, the Marquis is too rash. His Majesty permitted you to kill me tonight. But for this, you have spent part of the affection between yourself and His Majesty. Affection with a sovereign... is truly priceless. Because to the Son of Heaven, affection itself is actually a burden. In terms of future development, if you kill me here today, His Majesty has given you one measure of favor. Later, when the Prince of Jingnan returns from campaign, does that not also count as the new sovereign giving the Prince of Jingnan face? Both you and the Prince of Jingnan will have received dignity. Then when the Jingnan Army is reorganized next, unless Marquis intends to rebel outright, the court's hand will be able to reach deeper into the Jingnan Army in Jin. His Majesty is better than anyone at doing business. He loses one Chancellor capable of assisting him... yet can tighten his grip over even more military power. You spent some of His Majesty's affection... but your own affection toward His Majesty has increased. Has it not?"

"So this Marquis has lost money?"

"Yes."

"Lost badly?"

"Very badly."

"Oh. So that's how it is."

"Before tonight, even this Chancellor never imagined the present scene. The sitting Chancellor of Great Yan... intercepted and assassinated inside Great Yan's own capital... on a street not far from the imperial palace. Absurd."

"But I don't think it's absurd."

"If you wanted to kill me, the Prince of Jingnan had countless opportunities. Why did the Prince of Jingnan not kill me? Because in his eyes, this Chancellor remains of great use to the state. The three of them... opened Great Yan's new age. And I... am one of the key men capable of helping the new sovereign carry that age forward. So... the Prince of Jingnan did not kill me."

"He wanted to," Zheng Fan said.

"In this world, who does not have things they want to do but cannot? The Prince of Jingnan himself never intended to act. So why must Marquis add one unnecessary move?"

"Sigh. Truly, Lord Chancellor... listening to you talk makes me genuinely angry. How can you sound so damned righteous about all of this?"

"Because fundamentally, this Chancellor, the late Emperor, and the two Princes... are the same kind of people. Give this Chancellor three years. No. Two years. Let me help His Majesty straighten out the court. Afterward, I will retire from office. I will go to Fengxin City. I will enter Marquis Jingnan Residence. And there, before the spirit hall of the late Madam... you may kill me and offer my life to her. Would that satisfy the Marquis? Garrison Commander Li said earlier that he was not afraid to die. In truth... this Chancellor is not afraid either. I could have stood here tonight and spoken with righteous passion. I could even have put on the appearance of willingly letting the Marquis kill me in order to complete the trust between Marquis Pingxi and His Majesty. Using the death of this Chancellor alone... to help His Majesty stabilize eastern Jin... and pacify Marquis Pingxi Residence as a regional military power. I could have spoken with heroic passion. Every word could have struck the ground like iron. I could have made my own death more heroic. More shocking."

"I actually thought you would do exactly that. I imagined you shouting something like: Come! To die where I should die is joy enough! One death in exchange for stability across Great Yan's newly conquered lands is more than sufficient."

"Yes. But this Chancellor did not. Because I calculated the accounts. The new sovereign has only just ascended. There are too many affairs. Dark currents are also moving beneath the court. Great Yan still cannot do without this Chancellor. The new laws still need this Chancellor to implement them. The late Emperor and the two Princes bored the tunnel through the mountain. This Chancellor must lay the roadbed behind them. I calculated again and again. To die now merely to pacify Marquis Pingxi... would not be worth it. Besides, His Majesty has already withdrawn the crows. The face. The favor. He has already given both to the Marquis. So this Chancellor believes I should still try to live. Two years. Give me another two years. Let me settle everything properly. Let me ram the foundation down until it is truly firm. Then... I will go to my death. Afterward... you people may gallop freely across Great Yan's realm. The grand undertaking of unifying all Xia... will absolutely not be a dream!"

Years ago, when Master Cang entered Yanjing to sever the dragon vein, Zhao Jiulang had stood beside the Emperor of Yan and urged that old master to hurry up and finish his tricks so Zhao could go back to the work in his hands.

One could see from that alone...

Great Yan's Chancellor possessed a certain spirit.

Still the same old saying.

Seeking death was simple.

Seeking life... could be harder.

"Marquis. The Prince of Jingnan is not here now. If the Prince of Jingnan were here... he would not agree to you killing me tonight either. It would obstruct Great Yan's progress. The pace of Great Yan's unification of all Xia... would inevitably be delayed by my death."

The truth... was exactly that.

Ji Chengjue allowed Zheng Fan to kill Zhao Jiulang because Ji Chengjue could not refuse.

First, it had been promised beforehand.

Second...

Ji Chengjue knew Zheng Fan's temperament.

If Ji Old Sixth dared break the bargain... that bastard surnamed Zheng truly dared go back, raise a banner, and rebel!

Whether the rebellion succeeded was a separate matter.

So long as he could wreck the situation and throw the realm into disorder, that would be enough.

Other than the Demon Kings, Ji Chengjue was the man in this world who understood Zheng Fan best.

Fundamentally...

Ji Chengjue hated to lose Zhao Jiulang.

At that moment... the first light of dawn began appearing along the horizon.

Daybreak was coming.

Zhao Jiulang's lips moved slightly.

Zheng Fan spoke first.

"Two years?"

"Yes. This Chancellor can swear here and now. When the two years end... I will enter Marquis Jingnan Residence in Litian City dressed in white... and die before that Madam's spirit hall."

"Sigh."

Zheng Fan let out a long breath.

Then said:

"Fine."

Hearing that, Zhao Jiulang staggered to his feet atop the eaves.

He bowed deeply to Zheng Fan.

"Zhao Jiulang, on behalf of Great Yan, thanks Marquis Pingxi for sparing my life today."

Zheng Fan stood as well.

He looked toward the dawn in the east.

"The sun is about to come out."

"Yes. The sun..."

Slash!

Wuya... cut across Zhao Jiulang's throat.

Marquis Zheng grabbed Zhao Jiulang by the head.

Then forcibly bent the Chancellor's neck backward... keeping the wound stretched open so that blood could continue pouring out.

Forcing him to remain in that unbearably miserable posture while he bled to death.

"Mar... you... I..."

Zhao Jiulang tried to speak.

But no words would come.

His body could only convulse helplessly.

"Well... I'm truly sorry, Lord Chancellor. But I told you... I wouldn't let you see today's... sun."

[End of Chapter 717]