Chapter 197 Last Will
Shen Yuexi had also experienced many battles, but she was still stunned when she saw all this at such a close distance.
Xiao Zhuo covered her eyes with his hands and said briefly, "Go find Doctor Hua quickly."
Shen Yuexi was stunned for a moment, then turned around and ran out of the room.
Doctor Hua was out treating patients in the city today and wasn't at the prefect's residence. However, no one else could treat the King of Xiliang's injuries, so Shen Yuexi ordered Qiang Lin to immediately send secret guards to find Doctor Hua and bring him back.
When they hurriedly arrived with Doctor Hua, many people were already standing in the room where the King of Xiliang was. When they saw Shen Yuexi bringing Doctor Hua, they all made way.
"Husband, I have found Doctor Hua."
Mei Cheng lay in bed, with Xiao Zhuo and Mei Pu at his sides. With his dying breath, he raised his hand and shook it at Doctor Hua, as if to signal him not to come over.
Doctor Hua stopped and looked at her carefully. He turned back to Shen Yuexi, shook his head, and whispered, "Let the prince arrange the funeral."
Mei Cheng took Xiao Zhuo's hand, who was sitting beside the bed, and said, "When a man is about to die, his words are true. My father and I are incompetent. If it weren't for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, Xiliang would have belonged to someone else long ago. In front of all the civil and military officials here, I have a favor to ask of you."
Xiao Zhuo said, "Your Majesty, please speak."
Mei Cheng's eyes were filled with hatred, and he gritted his teeth as he said, "Our Mei family has a deep hatred for Jingzhou. I hope that His Royal Highness will pacify Jingzhou and avenge me and Pu'er. As long as His Royal Highness agrees, the four counties of Xiliang will all belong to His Royal Highness."
When Shen Yuexi heard this, she was surprised, happy and scared.
She was shocked that Xiliang King Mei Cheng would actually give all of Xiliang to Xiao Zhuo. She was happy that this had always been her husband's goal, and now it had suddenly been achieved. She was also afraid that her husband would have to defend the Mei family against the upcoming Jingzhou army.
Xiao Zhuo turned his head and glanced at Mep. Mep seemed to be still immersed in great pain and did not respond.
After hearing this, everyone in the room began to whisper to each other.
Captain Zhang Song stepped forward and said to the crowd, "The prince is seriously injured and unconscious. Don't believe what he says. Since Xiliang was granted the title, it has been passed down from generation to generation by the Mei family. Even if the prince abdicates, it should be the Mei prince who succeeds. Even if His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has made great contributions, he cannot be surpassed."
Some people nodded, some shook their heads.
Mei Chengdao: "As long as I am alive, my words are law."
Zhang Song fell to his knees, crawled to the bedside, and banged his forehead against the ground with a thud, crying, "Please, Your Majesty, retract your order."
Mei Chengdao: "My mind is made up, no need to say more."
After saying this, Mei Cheng looked at Xiao Zhuo and said, "Your Highness, please make a decision quickly."
Xiao Zhuo held Mei Cheng's hand and said, "I promised His Majesty that I would assist Prince Mei in pacifying Jingzhou for His Majesty."
Zhang Song saw that the situation was irreversible and left home crying.
Mei Cheng said, "You all should go out first. I have something to say to Pu'er alone."
Seeing that King Xiliang had made his decision, everyone retreated outside the door.
Shen Yuexi and Xiao Zhuo went out together, and Qiu Liming and Song Zhen followed.
Qiu Liming whispered in a voice only they could hear, "Why send it? Yongwei has been occupied by the Jingzhou army, and to the north, the Xirong occupy Nanping. We only have two cities, Zhangwu and Leshan, and there are enemies on both sides."
Song Zhen put the feather fan on his back and whispered, "Even if there is only one city left, Xiliang is still surnamed Mei. But if the King of Xiliang says it, we can stand firm in name only."
After saying this, Song Zhen bowed to Xiao Zhuo and said, "I would like to congratulate you, my lord, on obtaining the four counties of Xiliang."
Seeing Song Zhen's happy expression, Shen Yuexi felt a little strange. The King of Xiliang wasn't dead yet. Besides, was this the right time to congratulate Xiao Zhuo?
Xiao Zhuo waved his hand and said, "It's not appropriate to discuss this at this moment. Let's wait outside the door first."
Inside the house, Mei Cheng held Mei Pu's hand and said tearfully, "Pu'er, I gave the four counties of Xiliang to Xiao Zhuo. You don't blame me, do you?"
Mei Pu had regained consciousness and said sadly, "I know what Daddy is thinking. I lost one hand and am a cripple. Only Xiao Zhuo can defeat the Jingzhou army and avenge our Mei family."
"You're wrong..." Mei Cheng turned away slowly. "Daier once sent me a secret letter, saying that Xiao Zhuo is a cruel and murderous man who has long been plotting against Xiliang. She told me to be extra vigilant."
"Is that what my sister said?" Mei Pu shook her head. "Xiao Zhuo and I are good friends. He has saved us so many times."
"No one in our Mei family can rival someone like Xiao Zhuo. He has been so kind to us time and again. Since he wants to take Xiliang, I might as well give it to him," Mei Cheng said. "That way, if he turns against us in the future, he might spare your and Dai'er's lives, remembering this, and preserving the bloodline of our Mei family."
"I don't believe it," Mei Pu stood up suddenly, "I'm going to ask Xiao Zhuo."
"Don't..." The King of Xiliang sat up, reached out to grab Meipu, fell under the bed, and died instantly.
Mei Pu turned around, hugged the body of the Xiliang King and cried. The people outside the house heard the noise inside and knew that the Xiliang King had passed away. They all went into the house to comfort themselves and make arrangements for the funeral.
After burying the King of Xiliang, Zhang Song found Mei Pu and tried to persuade him again.
"Although the prince said before his death that he would make Xiao Zhuo the king, we believe that only His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is the legitimate successor. Xiao Zhuo is probably aware of this, as he has been inactive for the past two days. I believe it is better to strike first..."
Mei Pu raised his eyes and said, "You want to kill Xiao Zhuo?"
"If we don't take action first, the four Xiliang counties will no longer belong to the Mei family!" Zhang Song advised. "In my opinion, the prince must have made that decision under coercion from Xiao Zhuo. How could he have made such an absurd decision while you, Your Highness, were still alive? Perhaps Xiao Zhuo's intention was to trap you and the prince in the Xirong army..."
Meipu slammed his palm on the table. "What nonsense! Xiao Zhuo is not that kind of person at all! If it weren't for him, my father and I wouldn't be where we are today."
"This is Xiao Zhuo's cunning," Zhang Song said confidently. "He has shown us kindness time and again. Think about it, who would be kind to someone for no reason unless they had ulterior motives? Think carefully, if the four counties of Xiliang were taken away by Xiao Zhuo, how would you face your grandfather in the afterlife?"
Meipu raised his hand to stop Zhang Song from continuing.
"Needless to say, we are now completely dependent on Xiao Zhuo to lead the army. If anything happens to him, can I rely on you to resist the 200,000-strong army of Jingzhou?"
"Your Highness, I am truly loyal, and Heaven bears witness to this. If you hesitate to make a decision, there will be consequences!"
Zhang Song urged Mei Pu to stop, but he refused to listen. Then a soldier arrived to report that the Jingzhou army had mobilized 100,000 men and was marching towards Zhangwu. Mei Pu then went to Xiao Zhuo to discuss the military situation.
Seeing that he could not persuade Xiao Zhuo, Zhang Song went back and secretly arranged for an assassin to kill him.
Mei Pu came to the hall and said to Xiao Zhuo, "Jingzhou has already sent troops. What good plan do you have?"
Xiao Zhuo's face was solemn, and he said slowly: "Your Highness, I'm afraid we can't resist."
"Why?" Mep was surprised.
Xiao Zhuo said, "Just now, a scout reported that the Western Rong army, also with 200,000 troops, is gathering at Nanping City in the north."
Mep cried out, "How is this possible? Why didn't I receive this news?"
But now is not the time to worry about this. Xiao Zhuo has many secret guards from the Western Rong under his command, and it is hard to say whether they have received any information. But now a decision must be made immediately.
"King Duoma believes I broke the agreement first and has summoned the kings of the Western Rong to attack us. Zhangwu is flat and has no strategic locations. Furthermore, it is located between two armies. If we forcefully defend the city, it will soon be captured. We must first retreat to Leshan in the southeast."
"Are you going to hand over Zhangwu to the Jingzhou Army?" Mei Pu roared in dissatisfaction.
He had a deep hatred for Jingzhou, and now Xiao Zhuo was trying to give in. He subconsciously expressed his dissatisfaction.
Xiao Zhuo looked up at him, then lowered his eyelids and said, "Let's abandon Zhangwu first. Leshan is located on a dangerous terrain and cannot be attacked from behind. If the Jingzhou army wants to attack Leshan, they will have to go around to the Xirong side, and they will never do such a thing. After repelling the Xirong, we will return to deal with Jingzhou."
While the two were discussing, a mysterious messenger came and wanted to see Xiao Zhuo alone.
Xiao Zhuo was puzzled and led the messenger into the secret room. When he got inside, he looked around and saw no one. Then he took out a scroll from his pocket and said:
"Xiao Zhuo, please receive the emperor's secret order."
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