Chapter 305 The King and the Demon
Nan Lijun opened the imperial edict and showed Huo Gannian the bright red imperial seal at the end.
There was a hint of smugness on her brow, as if she was waiting to see Huo Gannian's surprised expression, but deep in her eyes there was a malicious and excited smile.
She thought she had concealed everything well, but she didn't know that nothing could escape Huo Gannian's eyes.
Almost in an instant, Huo Gannian knew what this beautiful yet vicious woman was planning.
Granted marriage? I'm afraid...
Nan Lijun said, "The token, military seal, and marquis' crown are all yours. The court is in urgent need of men due to the war, and I have decided to personally lead the expedition north to attack Luojiang. Once the war is over, I will ascend the throne, and you will remain Marquis Huo, commanding 300,000 troops and ruling the Huo Clan. I will use the first imperial decree after my ascension to grant you and Yun Chen a marriage."
Nan Lijun spoke with great confidence, but Huo Gannian saw it more and more clearly, and his heart grew colder.
Although Ni Kun is dead, Nan Lijun openly violated the will of the late emperor and ascended the throne before waiting for ten years, which made it difficult to convince the people.
She needed a far greater achievement than Huo Gannian, Yun Chen, Cao Fang and others to win the approval of the world and convince the court officials so that she could legitimately ascend the throne.
She wanted to use Huo Gannian and Yun Chen as stepping stones to ascend to the throne.
At the same time, he was worried that after leaving Kyoto, other eyes would covet the throne.
For example, Huo Gannian, who stands out from the crowd in terms of financial resources, military strength, wisdom and strategy, is her primary fear.
In addition, this time, Huo Gannian and Yun Chen made a great contribution to driving out the enemy and saving the city in front of the whole Kyoto.
Everyone is discussing Lord Huo, who is extremely capable, wise and brave. His reputation has apparently surpassed that of Lord Nanli.
Even though she was jealous to the core, Nan Lijun knew clearly that she had to make use of Huo Gannian.
As for the arranged marriage...
Nan Lijun's words were firm, sincere and serious, but they were three parts true and seven parts false, and could not withstand close scrutiny.
She seemed to have forgotten the way she came, and how many heroic souls of the Huo Gang were buried there.
Huo Gannian took a deep breath and looked up at the tall and dazzling ceiling of the palace.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but he always felt that the palace seemed to be getting lower and lower and cramped, and could no longer allow even a little bit of light to shine in.
Holding on to the last bit of hope he had for Nan Lijun, Huo Gannian shook his head:
"Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness. However, I have decided to resign. As for my marriage with Yun Chen, ordinary people do not dare to ask for Your Majesty's blessing. We will just get married quietly in a place where Your Highness can't see."
This means that I, Huo Gannian, do not need your consent, Nanli Jun, to marry Yun Chen. Regardless of your imperial decree or not, I will marry him anyway.
Although the words were not said explicitly, the strong intention was obvious. Nan Lijun's face immediately changed slightly and turned dark:
"Huo Gannian, do you think this is just a granted marriage? Yun Chen's crime of disguising himself as a man, and the two of you're guilty of deceiving others, only if I grant you a marriage, will it be completely forgiven and no one can bring this matter up again. Otherwise, anyone who wants to stir up trouble will be able to use this as a fuss, and the trouble will be... endless."
Nan Lijun said the last four words slowly and deeply, which was very meaningful.
Huo Gannian knew very well that this "interested person" was Nan Lijun himself.
This is a naked threat, meaning that you, Huo Gannian, have to agree to it whether you want to or not. She, Nan Lijun, will never let it go easily.
Huo Gannian stretched out his slender fingers and stroked his brows, trying to drive away the recurring annoyance.
He really wanted to look into Yun Chen's eyes at this moment. He desperately needed that pure light to suppress his inner restlessness so that he wouldn't be like this now -
The deep abyss has completely cracked open, and countless demons and monsters are crawling out of it.
After a long silence, he finally let out a long breath and let out a complex laugh that was contemptuous, sad, and a little bit happy.
He raised his eyes to look at Nan Lijun again, and the previous indifference disappeared, and the unfathomable light returned to his eyes again.
He asked, "Your Highness is personally leading the Northern Expedition. Who will remain in Kyoto to oversee the country?"
"The Prime Minister is the regent, and Su Zhengyang leads the imperial guards to stay behind." Nan Lijun replied.
He was a little surprised that Nan Lijun was willing to continue using Yun Wang, but then he realized that in her eyes, Yun Wang was just a scholar with a family that he could control, so he would not pose too much of a threat.
Moreover, Yun looked very talented, and no one else could be the prime minister except him.
Nan Lijun said, "I will personally lead Yan Shijiu and Cao Fang in the Northern Expedition. Meng Jianyun and Duan Jie will remain in the central region to suppress the rebellion. You and Yun Chen will cross the southeastern border to pursue the Black Scale Cavalry. This is the best arrangement."
After a moment's thought, Huo Gan recited, "Your Highness is going on his first expedition, so it would be wise to have young generals by his side to give him a better chance of victory. General Cao is already old, and I'm afraid he can't fight deep into the bitter cold of the north."
Nan Lijun felt that this made sense.
However, there are not many military generals in the court, and among the young generals, apart from Huo Gannian and Yun Chen, there is only Duan Jie.
She was afraid of Huo Gannian, and the battlefield was full of ruthless swords and many variables, so she did not dare to keep Huo Gannian and Yun Chen by her side.
After pondering for a moment, she thought that Duan Jie was a new general transferred from distant Youyang. Apart from occasions such as the child's hundred-day banquet where everyone would attend, Huo Gannian had no personal relationship with Duan Jie and could trust him. So she said:
"Then order Duan Jie to join me in the Northern Expedition, while General Cao and General Meng will go to the central region to quell the rebellion."
After a long silence, Huo Gannian slowly nodded.
His eyes narrowed slightly, and he stared at Nan Lijun deeply, then slowly took a step forward:
"Your Highness, have you thought it through? Will you really give me the token, the military seal, and the marquis' crown? Will you not even take them back after the battle?"
Nan Lijun was about to say "yes" when he suddenly noticed the oppressive feeling emanating from Huo Gannian.
She nodded in agreement, and Huo Gannian took another step forward, staring straight at her.
"When the war is over, will you grant me and Yun Chen a marriage?"
It was as if he was looking at a lion approaching step by step with an expressionless face but full of murderous intent. Nan Lijun's body stiffened and he felt a huge danger.
"Once this palace speaks, it cannot be reversed. Not only will I grant you two a marriage, I will also confer upon you the title of First-Class Loyal and Brave Duke! Yun Chen will be his Imperial Madam!"
These few words obviously failed to move Huo Gannian, nor could they stop him.
He took another big step forward, and was now only an arm's width away from Nan Lijun.
Nan Lijun seemed to be able to hear the low growl in the Beast King's throat and feel the sharp fangs slowly opening towards her.
Huo Gannian was calm and dignified. He raised his hand and grabbed the marquis's crown on the table as if he was holding a dagger.
The marquis's crown is made of copper and iron inlaid with precious beads, which means the country's important weapon and solidity.
The sharp decorations on the marquis's crown stood upright, as if they could kill people.
For a moment, Nan Lijun almost shouted "Help!"
She swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue and clasped the armrests of the chair tightly with both hands, but her wide eyes and trembling eyelashes still betrayed her panic.
Looking at Nan Lijun with a sharp and threatening look, Huo Gannian took back the three things on the table one by one, pointed at the imperial edict with the seal, and said lightly:
"I will wait patiently for Your Highness to fulfill his promise."
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