Chapter 498 Same boat

Meng Lingge's voice trembled with grief and indignation, but her spine remained straight.

Every word he uttered was like a boulder thrown into the hearts of the officials, stinging their nerves and subtly altering their inner thoughts.

The officials behind Xie Guanzhi silently stepped back a few paces, keeping their distance from him.

After Meng Lingge finished speaking, a young official at the next table slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

“The Princess is right! Even a woman like her doesn’t bow down to power. Don’t we men have blood in our veins and a bit of courage? I never wanted to be associated with that Xie fellow, but he controls the northern frontier. If I don’t obey him, my life will be in danger. But now his actions are getting more and more outrageous. If we continue to be his accomplices, we are simply unworthy of being human. So even if I have to give up my life today, I will die a righteous death and never share the same sky with this treacherous official!”

Once someone took the lead, several other officials quickly followed suit.

"That's right. I haven't dared to touch the silver Xie Guanzhi gave me. It was earned with the lives of the people of the Northern Frontier. We've been waiting for the Emperor to send a capable general or minister to the Northern Frontier to rectify the situation and give us and the people of the Northern Frontier a way to survive. If the King of the Northern Frontier also perishes here this time, the Northern Frontier will be completely finished!"

"Xie Guanzhi poisoned the prince, framed the Blue Feather Kingdom, and even tried to make the princess and the county princess maids. He's gone to any lengths. Rather than die at his hands, we'd rather fight him now!"

"Xie Guanzhi, I advise you to hand over the antidote quickly, otherwise with so many witnesses like us, you can forget about getting away with this! If things are exposed, the prince's elite troops will raze your mansion to the ground in no time!"

Six officials stepped forward, while the remaining twenty or thirty officials kept their eyes downcast, looking hesitant but ultimately refraining from uttering a word.

"Wonderful, wonderful!"

Seeing the officials' indignant and righteous demeanor, Xie Guanzhi couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"Hahaha...a bunch of fools. You have a path to heaven but you refuse to take it, and you insist on coming to hell when there is no way out. What's wrong with being my lackeys? You're all eager to die after being slightly instigated by the princess."

He truly hadn't expected Meng Lingge to be so sharp-tongued; her words had actually made these fools lose their bearings and turn against him.

If it weren't for the fact that all the officials were attending the banquet alone today, with their only one or two subordinates being kept out in the outer courtyard, her meddling would have caused even more trouble.

Seeing that the remaining officials were also somewhat conflicted, Xie Guanzhi worried that Meng Lingge might say something else that would sow discord, so he darkened his gaze and ordered his men to arrest these officials.

Although the men fought back fiercely, they were no match for Xie Guanzhi's men and were quickly tied up in a row and secured with ropes.

They tried to hurl insults, but the guards stuffed rags into their mouths, preventing them from making a sound. They could only glare at Xie Guanzhi with resentful eyes.

Xie Guanzhi chuckled sinisterly, "Since none of you want to live anymore, after I send off the two princes, I'll send you down to join them. You can then serve your country faithfully in the afterlife."

These clueless fools are a hindrance if left unchecked, so it's best to deal with them all today. However, there's no need to rush with these insignificant figures; dealing with Wen Zhiming is the priority.

Delay can lead to unforeseen changes. We've had our fill of showing off; it's time to take action.

Xie Guanzhi handed Mo Dingcang over to his subordinates, then picked up his long sword and walked step by step to Wen Zhiming. Looking at the remaining officials, he smiled sinisterly.

"My lords, in the treacherous world of officialdom, the most taboo thing is to be two-faced. The Princess's words just now reminded me that in order for us all to be on the same boat in the future and not to easily betray each other, today all the officials, including myself, will stab the King of Northern Frontier. At the beginning, do not stab vital organs. Make sure that all the officials have personally taken action before sending the King of Northern Frontier on his way."

"Firstly, it shows our respect for the King of the Northern Frontier; secondly, those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. Today, let's test everyone's courage."

The officials present turned pale and were filled with panic upon hearing this. They had thought that Xie Guanzhi had killed the prince alone, and that all they needed to do was keep quiet.

As a result, Xie Guanzhi, in order to drag them down with him, actually made them all participate in the plot to kill the prince.

Most of them had never killed anyone before, yet Xie Guanzhi was now ordering them to lay a hand on the Northern Frontier King, who was known as the King of the Battlefield and the God of Slaughter.

They said they were going to toughen them up, but they were clearly trying to scare them out of their wits.

Everyone was filled with fear and trepidation. Not only did no one respond, but they all took a step back in unison.

If it weren't for Xie Guanzhi's men stopping them, they would have fled in panic long ago.

Xie Guanzhi observed everyone's expressions and said meaningfully.

"My lords, you must understand that the strongest relationship in this world is never friendship or interests, but a shared sin. Working together on a task or as colleagues is far less valuable than committing a mistake together."

"Without ruthlessness, one cannot stand firm. Every ruler should have blood on their hands; the number of souls fallen under the Northern Frontier King's blade is already countless. Whoever is the first to strike will become my trusted confidant..."

He patiently persuaded them, but none of the officials moved forward.

Even if he was cunning and shrewd, and well-versed in human nature, the officials could only turn a blind eye and stand by and watch him commit the heinous crimes. They could not bring themselves to do something as heinous as personally killing the King of the Northern Frontier.

After talking for a long time, these people remained unmoved, which made Xie Guanzhi angry.

He then pressed the long sword against the chin of the nearest official, forcing him to look up and meet his gaze.

"It seems none of you are prepared to share this boat with me. In that case, how can I spare your lives? Either use this knife to strike the King of Northern Frontier, or die. I'd love to see your choice..."

The official he had chosen trembled all over. Before he could even utter a word of "no," Xie Guanzhi's knife flicked upwards and pierced his chin.

The man touched his hand with blood, and the fear of death made him nod repeatedly.

"I'll do it, I'm willing, I'm willing to stab the King of the Northern Frontier..."

"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences." Xie Guanzhi snorted coldly, placed the knife in the official's hand, took a step back, and waited to watch the show.

The official muttered to himself, "Your Highness, please forgive me, I was forced into this," as he raised his knife high, preparing to stab Wen Zhiming in the hand.

However, with just a glance up and meeting Wen Zhimou's piercing gaze, his hands and feet instantly went numb, his spine went cold, and the knife in his hand clattered to the ground.

"waste!"

Xie Guanzhi quickly picked up the long knife, stabbed it into the official's abdomen, pulled it out violently, and then kicked the official away.

His confidants immediately dragged the screaming official away.

The horrific scene of a man's abdomen pierced and intestines spilling out filled everyone present with terror. They looked at Xie Guanzhi as if they were facing a deadly demon.

Everyone was on edge, fearing that Xie Guanzhi would choose them as the next person to carry out the knife.

Xie Guanzhi glanced at them once, and seeing that everyone lowered their heads in fear, he smirked and pointed his knife at Wen Zhiming.

"They're all so useless. It seems I'll have to make the first cut. Look up and watch carefully. Treat the Northern King like meat on a chopping board. I'll just close my eyes and chop him down. He's been poisoned; he's no different from meat on a chopping board."