Chapter 195 |
West Warm Pavilion.
The Ministers and Vice Ministers of the Six Ministries sat upright on both sides.
Fang Hechuan sat at the very front on the left. Xi Zixing and Xia Fuyang, being relatively junior in seniority, sat further back.
Qu Dubian sat at the head position, handing the memorials submitted by the three commanderies to Ye Xiaoyuan to pass down.
After they had all finished reading them one by one.
Qu Dubian asked, "What are your thoughts? Speak your minds."
Xia Fuyang: "Your Majesty, the Emperor of Nanning has lost his virtue and the hearts of his people, and their country is unstable. The anger of our Great Zhou's people has already been ignited. In the next ten or even decades, there may not be such a suitable opportunity for war."
"I believe this is an excellent opportunity for the unification of Great Zhou."
Lin Zongping snorted coldly: "Opportunity for war? Doesn't fighting a war require money? General Xia, do you know how much silver is left in the national treasury right now to be calling for war? Although Nanning is in chaos, its foundation is still there, and it absolutely cannot be taken down in a short time. In this old minister's view, it would be better to wait a few years and discuss it again when the treasury is full."
The Minister of War sighed: "But if that's the case, the public's anger will be hard to appease. Minister Lin, do you have a way to calm the anger of our Great Zhou's people and scholars?"
Lin Zongping was speechless. After a moment, he said, "What does Grand Tutor Fang think?"
Fang Hechuan pondered: "The current situation of Great Zhou is different from usual. The hidden danger in the Northern Frontier has been eradicated by His Majesty and General Xia. There is no need to worry about being attacked from both the front and the back when engaging Nanning. Therefore, we don't have to be as cautious as during the late Emperor's time."
More than ten years ago, when there was friction with Nanning, the Northern Frontier would always take the opportunity to plunder the borders.
At that time, everyone's combat power and weapons were about the same. But now, the weapons of Great Zhou have been upgraded by His Majesty, and without the threat of the Northern Frontier, why can't we fight Nanning?
Xi Zixing asked, "Minister Lin, how much silver is left in the treasury now?"
Lin Zongping curled his lips: "Only a little bit."
He knew that what the others said made sense, but that still wouldn't do. He, Lin Zongping, had diligently managed the Ministry of Revenue for most of his life, and he just couldn't bear to see money flowing out like water, unable to be recovered for a long time.
That was no different from cutting off his own flesh.
Xi Shiqiu: "Everything is up to His Majesty to decide."
Qu Dubian swept his gaze over everyone present.
He met the eyes of Xia Fuyang, Xi Zixing, Grand Tutor Fang, and the others.
Actually, the answer in his heart was very clear, and the answer in their hearts was also very clear.
He slowly said, "When the late Emperor was alive, Nanning allied with the Northern Frontier to attack Great Zhou. When the Northern Frontier ran out of food, the three commanderies provided aid. Without them, Great Zhou would not be so stable now. Since the nation's disaster is the people's disaster, then the people's blood feud is the nation's blood feud. How can a nation's blood feud not be avenged?"
Xia Fuyang immediately cupped his hands and said, "I beseech Your Majesty to order an attack on Nanning!"
"We beseech Your Majesty to order an attack on Nanning!"
Among everyone present, only Lin Zongping was very depressed.
Qu Dubian said, "Once Nanning is pacified, the funds entering the national treasury will be personally counted by Minister Lin."
Lin Zongping's expression turned serious: "What is Your Majesty saying? This minister didn't have much intention of opposing it in the first place."
"Since that is the case," Qu Dubian said, "pass down the order. Great Zhou is to enter a state of combat readiness to crusade against Nanning and bring peace to our dynasty's people!"
"Yes!"
-
Great Zhou entered the preparatory stage for war.
Because the Fifth Prince had previously been in charge of the overall transportation of food for both Zhennan Pass and the Northern Frontier and had experience, His Majesty specially pardoned the Fifth Prince from prison to serve Great Zhou.
Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that this was just an excuse His Majesty found, but almost no one dared to jump in His Majesty's face to forcefully stop this matter.
In any case, the late Emperor had been dead for quite a while, and besides, given Great Zhou's current situation, they still needed the Fifth Prince to have more children.
On the day he was released from prison.
The Fifth Prince saw the long-lost sunlight.
Greeting him was not only the sunlight but also the Third Prince.
Regarding the release of the Fifth Prince, the most dissatisfied person was the Third Prince. His arm was severed; the mastermind was the Second Prince, the one who startled his horse was the Fifth Prince, and the one who filled the gap at the end was Consort Yi.
The mastermind was dead, but he just couldn't get over that hurdle in his heart.
Why should he, just because he had a good relationship with His Majesty, be comfortably locked up for two years and then come out as if nothing happened?
He came carrying a sword.
The Fifth Prince glanced at the unsheathed sword. "Third Brother, are you here to kill me?"
The Third Prince: "If I am, what will you do?"
The Fifth Prince smiled: "Plotting against one of your arms, and you want me to pay with my life? Where is there such a way of settling accounts?" He pointed to his own arm. "At worst, I'll pay you back with one."
Behind him, Wen Xiaochun took a step forward, blocking in front of the Fifth Prince, and looked at the Third Prince. "Your Highness, allow me to say a word. What His Majesty wants is a completely intact and living Fifth Prince."
The Third Prince: "Eunuch Director Wen, it seems your rank cannot stop this prince."
Wen Xiaochun said indifferently, "I report directly to the Emperor. I do not yield to the imperial clan, nor do I yield to the courtiers. There is no such thing as whether I can stop you or not."
A hand pressed on Wen Xiaochun's shoulder. The Fifth Prince said, "Thank you, Eunuch, but this is between my Third Brother and me. I will explain it to His Majesty."
If this matter wasn't resolved, or if it was forcibly suppressed using Little Seven's name, it would sooner or later become a hidden mine between them brothers that could explode at any time.
The Fifth Prince stood in front of the Third Prince, pinched the blade of the sword in his hand with two fingers, and aimed it at his own shoulder.
He smiled slightly: "Come, Third Brother."
The Third Prince paused.
His hand holding the sword loosened, then slowly tightened again.
He looked directly into the Fifth Prince's eyes; in those eyes, there was a quiet peacefulness.
He had avenged all his hatred and crawled out of that sticky mire of resentment. He knew someone needed him, someone was waiting for him.
So, facing others' revenge against him, he could also smile and deal with it calmly like this.
...It was as if he, the Third Prince, was the ignorant one, the one who had done wrong.
What did he do wrong?
The long sword in the Third Prince's hand suddenly thrust forward, piercing through the Fifth Prince's right shoulder, and then twisted viciously.
The sound of flesh and meridians being churned and severed.
Drip.
Beads of blood dripped from the tip of the sword.
The Fifth Prince didn't make a sound. His right shoulder was stained with a patch of blood.
The two brothers looked at each other for a moment.
The Third Prince was expressionless. He pulled the sword out and, in the end, did not chop off his arm.
"The Second Brother is dead, and Consort Yi is dead, so I won't take your arm. This sword strike has definitely injured the meridians in your right shoulder. From now on, I will make your right arm ache unbearably every rainy season and winter."
"I will be in pain for a lifetime, and you must also be in pain for a lifetime."
Clang.
The Third Prince dropped the sword and flicked his sleeves, leaving.
The Fifth Prince's face turned pale, and he stumbled back a step.
Wen Xiaochun supported the Fifth Prince. "Your Highness, I'll take you to the imperial physicians."
Beads of blood dripped from the fingertips of his right arm like rain. The Fifth Prince looked down at his right hand. With a slight movement, the pain was excruciating.
Yet, he smiled.
"...No need. Just bandage it up simply."
Wen Xiaochun turned his head back, and a confidant behind him immediately returned to the Eastern Depot to fetch the best medicine for incised wounds.
The Fifth Prince: "I won't go to His Majesty's place for now. He can't stand the smell of blood and will feel uncomfortable. When I'm healed, I'll go see him again. If anything happens in between, have Eunuch Ye send someone to tell me."
Wen Xiaochun had no choice but to escort him back to the Fifth Prince's manor first before entering the palace himself to explain the situation.
Qu Dubian listened and remained silent for a long while, offering only a sigh.
Wen Xiaochun asked, "Should we have an imperial physician go over and take a look?"
Qu Dubian replied, "For a man like Fifth Brother, what lingers on his shoulder for the rest of his life is not pain, but complete liberation."
However, he still dispatched an imperial physician to the Fifth Prince, and found an excuse to send some rewards to the Third Prince.
Since the two men had already settled their old affairs in their own way, he could not just cater to one side. In the future, his third and fifth brothers would still have to work together for many years, seeing each other constantly. Things could not be left too awkward between them.
Meanwhile.
At the Fifth Prince's estate.
The Fifth Prince took out the jade carving of the golden-eyed scorpion that had accompanied him for many years.
He caressed it for a moment.
Past events surfaced in his mind one by one.
His obsessions were completely gone, and he no longer owed any debts; keeping this relic of the past was useless.
The Fifth Prince took the jade carving outside and smashed it against the ground.
Crash.
The jade carving shattered into pieces.
With this, their tangled history and lingering grudges were truly brought to an end.
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