Chapter 222 The Real Person Behind the Scenes
Li Ming was Li Tian's eldest son, the one who died on the way to exile.
Hui Rong's face was expressionless: "Master, is there something I have done wrong? For so many years, I have been a diligent monk at Nanshan Temple, never touching the secular world again. If it is not something I have done wrong, then it is that you do not trust me. But I will only recognize you as my master in this life."
"You only recognize me, what about everyone else?"
Hui Rong fell silent.
Li Tian remained silent, his face expressionless, and no one knew what he was thinking.
After a long pause, Hui Rong sighed and said, "Master, it's not the eldest son, nor the second son. They have indeed passed away. I personally collected the second son's body. He died a very heroic death. Soldiers who die in battle like him could normally be buried in the Heroes' Tomb, but because of the Li family..."
Although the Second Young Master couldn't be buried in the Heroes' Tomb, the military camp gave him a proper burial. Originally, I wanted to bring his body back, but General Jiang stopped me, saying that the case had only been decided a few days ago, and the disaster relief funds were still missing. The court would definitely be watching us, so... Master, I'm sorry."
"As for the eldest son, he fell ill on the way. That's a bitterly cold place, and he was already sick. He couldn't have survived there, and he passed away within a few days. Master, I swear on my life that everything I just said is true. If I'm lying, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than a loud boom came from above, and lightning bolts shot in from outside, engulfing Hui Rong before disappearing in a short while. Hui Rong felt as if she had just walked through the gates of hell, and the numb sensation took quite a while to subside.
“Master, monks do not lie.”
Hui Rong had nothing to say.
“It’s General Jiang.” Li Tian murmured to himself, “The man who looked so much like me who appeared at Huji Mountain is his son, Jiang Buhui, who is now the commander-in-chief of the Jiangbei Camp.”
Zhao Yunjing's expression finally changed.
He dared to step into this situation and lift the veil of mystery surrounding the person behind it all because General Jiang was stationed in Nanjiang City, and the imperial disaster relief officials were already on their way. If the person behind it all was indeed General Jiang, then the Crown Prince's situation would be extremely dangerous!
Zhou Mujiao also thought of this, and her expression turned sour.
The couple exchanged a glance and, with perfect understanding, started to walk out at the same time. However, before they even left the courtyard, they were stopped by someone.
Xie Jiang glared angrily at the person blocking his way: "Get out of my way right now! Otherwise, I, the young master, will take your life!"
The opponent neither dodged nor yielded, so Xie Jiang stabbed them with his sword. The first one fell to the ground, and another immediately took his place. He stabbed three times in a row, and three people fell down. Then someone quickly took their place. They just stood on top of their companions' bodies, not caring that their companions might still be able to live if they were saved.
Xie Jiang was almost fainting: "Lord Zhao, they are not human at all!"
“They are the suicide squads I’m talking about,” Liang Qiao said. “They have no weaknesses, no independent thoughts, they only obey orders. If they don’t receive orders, they will not fight back even if they die.”
Death warriors are people whose basic human instincts have been stripped away, and who only obey certain specific commands. They have no joy, anger, sorrow, or pain; they are more like walking corpses than human beings.
But no matter what, the other party was also made of flesh and blood. Xie Jiang simply didn't have that kind of mental strength. After killing three, his hand started shaking.
Zhou Mujiao and Zhao Yunjing exchanged a glance, then simultaneously drew their short knives and lunged toward the door.
Only then did the assassins make a move, and once they did, they were relentless. Even if their heads were severed, their limbs would still swing forward due to inertia, and a chaotic fight broke out in the courtyard. Inside the house, Li Tian glanced at Hui Rong, who uttered a Buddhist chant before finally speaking: "Old General, stop!"
"Ha ha ha ha……"
An aged laugh came from the inner room. Walking up to him, it was General Jiang Yu'an!
Li Tian's expression changed. He had lived in this house for so long, yet he had no idea that other people lived there!
"Jiang Yu'an, did you orchestrate all of this? Were you also involved in the looting of disaster relief supplies back then?!"
"Since things have come to this, I can only apologize to you, Brother Li."
"Jiang Yu'an! I considered you an old friend! I even entrusted my collateral branches of the clan to you! And you, you actually—"
"Compared to what I'm about to do, what is the Li family? You were just a decoy, but since you have a granddaughter, I'll agree to your request: once this is done, I'll promote them to a higher position."
Li Tian said incredulously, "Even if you, a mere subject, succeed in your rebellion and ascend the throne, your rule will be illegitimate. The common people will never recognize you, a traitor, as their ruler!"
“They wouldn’t dare deny it,” Jiang Yu’an laughed. “Besides, my claim may be illegitimate, but there will always be those who claim it is. Right, Nineteenth Prince?”
The moment the title 'Nineteenth Prince' was uttered, Young Master Chen's expression changed.
Meng Jingjing stared at him incredulously: "Lord Chen, he called you 'Nineteenth Prince'? What's going on?"
Young Master Chen subconsciously looked at Zhou Mujiao. Seeing that Zhou Mujiao's face was calm and showed no emotion, he suddenly smiled and then replied to Meng Jingjing, "Two years ago, someone found me and pointed to the token I was wearing around my neck, saying that I was the nineteenth prince of the current dynasty. My mother was called Consort Ling. She was originally supposed to be the empress, but she was killed by the current empress right after I was born. The empress brought another boy who was born on the same day as me into the palace to replace me. From then on, he became the nineteenth prince. He passed away three years later, and I went to Peach Blossom County with my father and became the son of an ordinary county magistrate."
Meng Jingjing took a step back: "Are you trying to rebel?"
Young Master Chen didn't reply to her, but instead looked at Jiang Yu'an: "Does the old general really intend to rebel?"
“My lord, we are not rebelling, but restoring order and reclaiming what is rightfully yours. This position of crown prince was originally yours, and this empire will surely be yours too! My lord, with just your command, we will immediately raise an army and march on the capital to put you on the throne! My lord, please give the order!”
Young Master Chen smiled and walked towards Zhou Mujiao: "Ajiao, if I ascend the throne, would you be willing to be my empress?"
"Unwilling."
“See, she’s unwilling.” Young Master Chen chuckled. “I think we should just forget about raising an army.”
"My lord, do not let your emotions cloud your judgment! Once you ascend to that position, what woman can't you have? With just one order from you, she won't even be able to die; she'll have no choice but to obediently enter the palace!"
“That’s true, and that’s the logic, but,” Young Master Chen said with a look of regret, “I am not the nineteenth prince.”
"master--"
"Back then, my wet nurse did take money and take me away, but in the end, she had a change of heart and tricked us into switching swaddling clothes, and then switched the nineteenth prince back."
The real nineteenth prince was killed by your own hands many years ago. You know this yourselves, but you have been plotting for many years and are unwilling to give up. You also covet that position, so you deceive yourselves and try to deceive me. You plan to push me to the throne and make me a puppet.
"What a pity, old general! I have no great ambitions; compared to the world and its empires, I cherish only the love between my children and my family."
Jiang Yu'an's expression changed several times before he finally burst into laughter. Then, his laughter subsided: "Since you are so attached to love, then this general will grant your wish and let you and your beloved become a ghost couple!"
On the wall, a large group of assassins jumped down and surrounded Zhou Mujiao and the others. Jiang Yu'an stared at Zhao Yunjing: "Originally, I thought you had great talent and wanted to cherish it, but you are too ungrateful. So, I can only send you on your way!"
He raised his hand, about to wave it, when a voice came: "How does General Jiang know that we're not sending you on your way today?"
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