Chapter 119 He said, "I want that position..."
The sounds of battle were deafening.
Blood flowed like water, and corpses lay strewn for dozens of miles.
The air was thick with the smoke and fire of cannons, flames and black smoke rising together, the smells of sulfur, blood, and burning corpses mingling together, making it hard to open one's eyes.
"boom--"
The blood flowing down his face was a mixture of snow that had fallen and melted rapidly in the heat, forming a murky stream that was indistinguishable from the real thing!
The fighting finally subsided by evening the following day.
Amidst the swirling blood-red aura, a massive black banner fluttered in the wind, and a colossal black dragon surged violently in the gale.
Ji Chengnin's heart pounded wildly. The extreme tension of the past few days, coupled with two days and one night of fighting, did not make him feel tired. On the contrary, he was so excited that his hands were trembling.
Amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the great banner was deeply embedded in the banks of the Baihao River—the sacred river from which, in the myths of the barbarian tribes, the first barbarian king floated.
The brilliant firelight illuminated his eyes, those undisguised, ambitious, and excited eyes.
He heard a response that could shatter the heavens and the earth, like a mountain collapsing and the earth splitting.
A great victory!
Ji Chengnin stared blankly at the surging river, then bent down and grabbed a handful of soil that still smelled fishy.
He closed his eyes.
Mother, if you could know this from beyond the grave, you would surely feel some comfort for me at this moment.
The wind howled.
Meanwhile, a group of people quietly headed towards Cangzhou. Although they were numerous, they moved quickly and discreetly. Because each person had a identification tag, they looked like ordinary merchants, so no one stopped them.
...
"Clang!"
The jade vase fell to the ground, and the exquisitely crafted twin lotus flowers on it instantly shattered into pieces, each fragment reflecting the emperor's ferocious face.
"Investigate, investigate, Consort, go—" He abruptly stopped. These past few days had been a holiday for the court, and apart from a secret letter sent three days ago stating that everything was normal, the spies monitoring the Yongning Marquis's residence had not sent any further reports. "Quickly, order the Imperial Guards to surround the Yongning Marquis's residence!"
Qin Min had never seen the emperor so angry, and answered in a panic, "Yes!"
His chest heaved violently.
How could that be?
No, how could Ji Chen disappear right under his nose? Even if Ji Chen didn't care about his life, could he really be indifferent to Ji Lin's life or the lives of the rest of the Ji family?
An extremely terrifying thought flashed through the emperor's mind.
No, it won't.
Anyone in this world might betray him, but the Ji family wouldn't, and Ji Chengnin wouldn't. Ji Chengnin was someone he watched grow up, and he was deeply trusted by him. In his twenties, he rose rapidly through the ranks thanks to his favor, reaching the highest position in the court. He regarded him as a ruler and a father, so how could he possibly betray him!
Moreover, Ji Chengning is far away in Cangzhou. How could he possibly take the Ji family away? Unless, as if struck by lightning, an indescribable chill crept up his spine, unless there was an inside accomplice in the capital.
Qin Min was shocked to see the emperor's pale face and quickly offered him ginseng tea, saying, "Your Majesty."
The emperor took a few deep breaths.
It's just needless worry.
It wasn't unheard of for Ji Chen to suddenly disappear from his palace, leaving his servants clueless about his whereabouts. One time, he turned the entire palace upside down only to discover that Ji Chen was simply reading military texts in the royal library.
The emperor took the teacup and was about to take a sip.
His heart was still pounding wildly, making him feel nauseous.
Nothing will happen.
Cheng Ning is a man who values relationships and loyalty above all else. Moreover, he is currently leading troops in the field, the war situation is still uncertain, and he is under the control of the imperial court. He has neither a reason to rebel nor a righteous cause to rebel.
The Imperial Guard Commander practically rushed in. "Your Majesty, the Ji residence's gates are tightly shut. No matter how I tried to persuade them, it was to no avail. I had no choice but to send men to break down the door." The Emperor's expression changed drastically. Before the Imperial Guard Commander could catch his breath, he continued, "There's no one inside anymore!"
"Smack!"
The teacup fell to the ground and shattered instantly.
Dead silence.
The commander of the Imperial Guards looked up tremblingly, only to find that his emperor's eyes were shrouded in a thick layer of red veins, swelling up as if they were about to burst open.
Ji Lin and Ji Chen couldn't have disappeared without a reason; Ji Chengnin must have been there to help them, otherwise they would have nowhere to go.
But why would Ji Chengnin do this?
Why?
The emperor froze. Did he know about what happened back then?
But—Ji Lang didn't die at his hands. It was that barbarian prince who suddenly went mad and tried to assassinate him. What did it have to do with him? He only executed an assassin. Who would have thought that it could kill Ji Lang!
Even if Ji Chengning is to hate, he should hate the Tilan clan and Xu Sheng, who presided over the trial of the assassination of the Tilan prince!
How could he, how dare he, defy the world's law and commit treason? The emperor, who has maintained his appearance well for many years, now has a fierce and menacing look on his face, which makes him look only about thirty years old. Indeed, he is raising an army to protect himself. Indeed, he is raising an enemy to protect himself!
...
In contrast to the oppressive atmosphere of the imperial palace, the Cangzhou army appeared quite cheerful.
Before they could even write the military report of their first victory, they received a stern imperial decree ordering them to send troops. Calculating the travel time, the decree was issued exactly ten days prior.
This move further fueled the resentment of the Cangzhou army, which was already extremely dissatisfied with the imperial court.
The soldiers guarding Cangzhou were not rotated. Once they joined the Cangzhou army, they had to serve on the frontier until they were fifty years old. They fought frequently outside, living worse than donkeys and horses. Meanwhile, the court indulged in a life of debauchery and extravagance. For many years, they embezzled grain and supplies. Now that they finally had to mobilize troops and fight a war in one fell swoop, the allocated military supplies were never sufficient!
Currently, the capital is still urging them to move troops without knowing the battlefield situation. Everyone knows that to achieve a great victory, the right time, place, and people are indispensable. Today, they were able to advance into the barbarian royal court in one fell swoop because all the conditions were just right and the barbarian army's patience and vigilance were exhausted in advance. If it had been ten years ago, it would have been uncertain whether they could have won!
Using their lives to fill the void left by the incompetence of the ruler, even the hottest blood will freeze into ice after years of hardship.
At the victory banquet, all the soldiers looked at the spirited young man in the main seat with admiration and respect in their eyes.
The border troubles that have plagued us for so many years have now been a thing of the past.
The soldiers had never seen the emperor, but they spent every day with this general. He was capable, approachable, and fair in his rewards and punishments. Since his arrival, the Cangzhou army had never lacked supplies.
Amidst the clinking of glasses, Ji Chengnin drank one toast after another, and even though he had a good tolerance for alcohol, he began to feel dizzy.
“General.” Li Bi stepped forward quickly and whispered something to Ji Chengning.
Ji Chengnin immediately regained his senses and stood up. "Where are they? Quick, take them to the main tent. I'll be there right away!"
A moment later, Ji Chengning lifted the curtain of the tent. His steps were steady, but his fingers trembled for a moment when he lifted the curtain.
Upon seeing everyone in the tent, he exclaimed with barely concealed excitement, "Second Uncle!"
Ji Lin gently patted Ji Chengning's shoulder and whispered, "Young Master Cui... has already explained everything to us."
Upon first learning of Ji Chengning's intentions, Ji Lin was surprised to find himself completely unsurprised. Perhaps he had long known that, given Ji Chengning's personality, he would never tolerate the fact that his mother's killer was the very monarch he was about to serve.
So, he agreed to Cui Yao's request without hesitation.
Cui Yao stood silently to the side until Ji Chengning made a brief eye contact with him, his eyes seeming to hold a thousand unspoken words. Cui Yao then raised his lips slightly.
Ji Chengning looked around at the people in the tent; they were all close relatives and acquaintances, except for the tall man whom he had never seen before.
His pupils dilated sharply.
This person was tall and slender, with beautiful features, but his skin was as pale as a ghost.
What shocked Ji Chengning was not that this person's appearance was rare in the world, but that standing in front of this person was like looking in a mirror!
One was in the prime of life, full of vitality, while the other had passed away, its aura so serene it almost exuded a sense of death.
When she looked at Ji Chengnin, her usually calm eyes flickered slightly.
He spoke, "Cheng Ning."
Without needing any introduction, Ji Chengning already knew this person's identity.
He was both the Marquis of Yongning and Consort Ji, who had been imprisoned in the palace for more than ten years, and his maternal uncle, Ji Chen.
He knew that his uncle and mother were twins, and their features were very similar. Seeing them, he could vaguely see his mother's legacy. For a moment, his feelings were so complicated that he could not express them!
His Adam's apple bobbed laboredly, and finally he uttered two words in a hoarse voice: "Uncle."
"You're so grown up now." Ji Chen just smiled at him and said this softly.
Ji Chengning closed his eyes briefly, feeling a slight dampness spreading across his eyelashes.
Ji Chen possessed unparalleled martial arts skills. To prevent him from making any "unwise" moves, the emperor had been ordering him to take a rare medicine for many years. Although it was not life-threatening, it was enough to keep someone bedridden and weak. Although Ji Chen no longer needed to take the medicine, his body was still frail.
Ji Lin sighed, "You've all had a long and tiring journey, so go and rest first."
Ji Chengnin seemed to wake from a dream and hurriedly said, "I'll make the arrangements."
After carefully arranging his lodgings, he asked Chen Jian to examine Ji Chen's pulse.
Although he didn't understand medicine, he could understand what it meant to have weak heart and depleted blood and energy.
Back then, Ji Chen and Ji Lang were enfeoffed as Marquises of Yongning. How spirited, amazing and resolute they were! Now, one is dead without a complete corpse, and the other is about to die. How can Ji Chengning not hate them!
The charcoal fire inside the room was burning brightly, and the heat and smell of alcohol rushed to his face. Ji Chengning felt so hot that he could hardly stand up, so he pushed open the door and went out.
He gripped the railing, his chest heaving violently.
"Da, da, da."
The footsteps were very light.
Ji Chengnin turned around abruptly.
There were no stars or moon around, and the sky was pitch black, except for the faint light emitted by the lanterns hanging on the wooden corridor.
It fell directly into the eyes of the newcomer.
A pair of serene, dark eyes, yet these somewhat eerie eyes were filled with worry, staring at him without blinking.
Cui Yao.
"It's cold outside," Ji Chengnin said in a hoarse voice. "Why aren't you inside?"
Cui Yao raised her hand.
The latter's breathing was still rapid as she watched the other person reach out and place their icy-cold hand on her burning cheek, before cupping it in their palm.
When he came to his senses, he didn't realize that he was already being held in Cui Yao's arms.
I both love and pity you.
Ji Chengning buried his head in the crook of his neck, "A-Yao."
He closed his eyes.
The other person's cool fragrance wafted over him, but he could not calm his turbulent emotions. "Bringing my family to Cangzhou is tantamount to treason in the emperor's eyes."
With troops in the field, there was no one in the capital to check and balance him.
What do you, Ji Chengning, want to do?
What dare you do?!
Cui Yao gently brushed Ji Chengnin's hair, "The emperor is wary of you, so he will surely treat you with kindness."
After all, the emperor was unaware of the great victory, so he might simply go with the flow and appoint Ji Chengning as a military governor, which would both intimidate the various barbarian tribes and deplete Ji Chengning's military strength.
Ji Chengnin shook his head.
He knew that what Cui Yao said was very likely to happen.
But he didn't want to!
Now that things have come to this, there's no going back. Even if the current emperor can't do anything to him, what about later? His family will become a major headache for emperors of all generations, who will be eager to get rid of them as soon as possible.
Ji Chengning absolutely refused to let this knife hang over his head.
Either don't do it at all, or do it thoroughly.
"I don't want to be granted land and titles." Ji Chengnin left Cui Yao's embrace and stood side by side with him.
Looking into the distance towards the east, his naturally cheerful voice made his tone sound incredibly light and cheerful, like a child begging for candy.
He said, "I want that position."
Calm, composed, and taking it for granted.
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Author's note: The countdown to the end is on!
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