The people inside the main tent didn't take it to heart. Kneel? Kneel to Chu Tianling? They might as well just kill themselves.
Bai Chuxiao glanced at the man beside her who seemed lost in thought, and slowly said to the center of the room, "Lord Kong, let's just read it directly."
Lord Kong nodded. The palace has already gone to such extremes; do you really expect them to obediently follow your orders?
"The Emperor decrees... that the Prince of Yan and his consort be brought to the capital immediately. Furthermore, the protracted war in the Northwest has resulted in the responsibility of both the Prince of Yan and the Marquis of Xibo for inadequate command. Therefore, General Pang Kun is hereby appointed to replace the Prince of Yan as commander-in-chief, and Zhang Tuo, the heir apparent of the Prince of Yingchuan, is appointed to replace the Marquis of Xibo as deputy commander-in-chief. All matters concerning the three prefectures in the Northwest shall be under the command of General Pang and Heir Apparent Zhang. This is the imperial decree."
Zhang Tuo and Pang Kun both respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, we receive the imperial decree."
Pang Kun stood up and sternly addressed the unmoved crowd, "I demand that the Prince of Yan and the Marquis of Xibo hand over their command orders and return to the capital immediately."
Chu Tianze's expression remained unchanged as he lightly tapped the table with one hand. "Have you finished speaking?"
Lord Kong lowered his eyes and said, "Your Highness, there is only this one imperial edict."
Chu Tianze said calmly, "Well, Lord Kong, please rest for a while."
Upon hearing this, Murong Xuan helped Lord Kong to the side, saying, "Father-in-law, please sit down."
Lord Kong nodded, looking helplessly at everyone in the tent. After today, the Great Xia Dynasty would likely descend into chaos...
Zhang Tuo's eyes showed some wariness as he moved a little closer to the experts behind him...
Bai Chuxiao noticed his subtle movement and couldn't help but smile amusedly. Zhang Tuo did have some brains, but not many; otherwise, why would he have come to see them so readily...
Chu Tianze slowly stepped down, saying, "I don't care about the commander's order."
Pang Kun said sternly, "Then please hand it over, Your Highness."
Chu Tianze sneered, "I'm just afraid you won't live to enjoy it."
He then grabbed Pang Kun by the neck, and the guards, caught off guard, quickly drew their swords, watching him warily.
Caught off guard by his sudden attack, Pang Kun sensed his genuine intent to kill and quickly said, "Prince Yan, I am now the commander-in-chief of the Northwest. Do you know the consequences of killing me?"
Zhang Tuo, who was standing to the side, quickly stood behind the guards. He was speechless at Pang Kun for saying such things at this time, and quickly shouted sternly to one side of the tent, "Lord Kong!"
Murong Yuan and the others' expressions darkened slightly; this was a threat to the lives of the Kong family...
A cold glint flashed in Chu Tianze's eyes. With a wave of his hand, Pang Kun crashed to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Mo Yan and Mo Wen also suddenly appeared in the tent, placing a sword against Pang Kun's neck.
Zhang Tuo quickly said, "Your Highness, Xiyue is now eyeing us covetously. Please consider the overall situation."
The Prince of Yan's expression at this moment was truly terrifying. He even began to doubt whether the lives of the entire Kong family were truly of any use. In the end, the Kong family had no connection to the Prince of Yan; they were merely the in-laws of the second son of the Murong family. The Prince of Yan might not care about them at all…
Chu Tianze glanced at the sword-wielding guards behind him, a look of disdain on his face. "Cousin? How come the Wei family let you have such a great opportunity?"
Zhang Tuo also looked somewhat hesitant. His father had suggested that he or Wei Baichuan come, but Wei Junyan had refused outright. Could there be something fishy going on...?
Bai Chuxiao raised an eyebrow. Wei Junyan hadn't forgotten what he did back then, so naturally he wouldn't feel comfortable letting his son venture deep into the Northwest controlled by the Murong family. If it was Wei Baichuan who came today, he would probably be killed on the spot...
Chu Tianze returned to his throne and said calmly, "Take them all down for me."
Apart from Fan Ziming, everyone present was quite skilled in martial arts. Zhang Tuo's self-proclaimed experts were all defeated after only a few rounds.
Zhang Tuo, who was being held down, turned his head and said, "Doesn't Marquis Murong, the Grand General of the Western Marquis, care about the lives of the entire Kong family?"
Both Murong Yuan and Murong Cheng had slightly cold eyes; they naturally couldn't just stand by and watch the Kong family lose their lives because of them...
Chu Tianze said coldly, "Don't worry, you will definitely die before the Kong family."
Lord Kong was helpless. Because of the Murong family, the Prince of Yan had already made some concessions, and given the current situation, he didn't expect the Prince of Yan to let these two go for the sake of the Kong family...
He despised Chu Tianling's actions, but the Kong family was all in the capital, and he had to go back, even if it meant certain death...
"Your Highness, the imperial decree has been delivered, so this old minister will now return..."
Bai Chuxiao smiled faintly, "Lord Kong, why don't you stay for now?"
Lord Kong shook his head. If he stayed in the Northwest, the Kong family would likely be beheaded immediately.
Chu Tianze said calmly, "Lord Kong, please wait. I have important matters to discuss. Please rest assured regarding the Kong family."
Lord Kong thought for a moment and then sat back down. He was doomed anyway; since the Prince of Yan had spoken, perhaps the Kong family still had a glimmer of hope.
Pang Kun shouted angrily, "Prince Yan, are you planning a rebellion?"
Chu Tianze sneered, "This throne never belonged to Chu Tianling, so how can you talk about rebellion?"
Pang Kun sensed something was wrong and said sternly, "The camp is already surrounded. If you kill us today, don't even think about leaving this tent."
There are still 300,000 imperial troops around Yumen Pass, and the troops from Shuo, Jin, and Fu prefectures have already surrounded Zhenzhou City. Hundreds of thousands more imperial troops are also approaching the northwest. He wanted to see what these people would do...
Bai Chuxiao said mockingly, "What do you think we've been wasting all this time talking to you? Those soldiers outside the tent can't save your lives. Whether you survive or not depends on Chu Tianling's choice."
Chu Tianze waved his hand, "Take them away first."
"yes"
Once only his own men remained in the tent, Murong Xuan said with a wry smile, "Father-in-law, it's my fault for dragging you into this."
Lord Kong sighed, "This isn't your fault, Your Highness. Your Highness, Your Highness, this old minister should return to the capital. The Kong family will announce that they have no daughter named Xihan, and the palace should stop making things difficult for us."
Murong Yuan said in a deep voice, "Since the palace has repeatedly sent Lord Kong to obstruct us, even if Lord Kong no longer acknowledges the relationship with the Murong family, he will inevitably take his anger out on the Kong family in the future... The lives of those two are enough to exchange for the entire Kong family, but I wonder if Lord Kong is willing to stay."
Lord Kong hesitated for a moment, "Is His Highness willing to let those two go..."
Chu Tianze said calmly, "Why not? If Chu Tianling is willing to make the exchange, I will have someone escort the Kong family to Yongzhou. However, if Chu Tianling is unwilling..."
Lord Kong quickly replied in a deep voice, "Thank you, Your Highness. This old minister is willing to stay."
If neither of these two works, whether he goes back or not, the Kong family will inevitably face death... It's better to take a gamble. Compared to Chu Tianling's character, the Prince of Yan and the Murong family are naturally more trustworthy.
Murong Xuan was relieved. If the Kong family had suffered any misfortune because of him, he didn't know how he would face Xi Han...
Fan Ziming suddenly laughed, "Now, Your Highness just needs an excuse."
If it were like Chu Tianling and his ilk who directly controlled the capital, it would be fine; everything could be smoothed over. Besides, Chu Tianling's status was indeed the most noble, and the people wouldn't notice anything amiss, so they would naturally accept him as the new emperor.
They were clearly incapable of doing so from the far northwest, and an open rebellion would inevitably provoke popular discontent.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com