#393 - The window paper that cannot be broken

The lingering heat fades as cicadas cease their song, a new autumn is ushered in by the arrival of geese.

The early autumn breeze feels exceptionally refreshing, descending from the sprawling clouds, scattering the summer's heat, rustling the gradually yellowing leaves from the trees, and quieting the daytime clamor of Shuzhou City.

Ning YuKe, under the title of "Shu King," took residence in the "Royal Palace" and hosted a banquet for the officials that very night.

Throughout the feast, she remained silent about Ning Yongnian, only to suddenly rise near the end of the banquet, her eyes reddened, and face the northeast as she drank three cups of wine in succession.

The northeast, that was the direction of the capital.

It was also where her parents and two younger sisters were buried.

And so, regardless of the thoughts of the people of Shuzhou, the ceremony of bestowing the title of King had settled like dust under the "watchful eyes of all," concluding on the last day of this light and breezy August.

But the series of shocks and changes it brought to the entire Da Ning Dynasty had only just begun.

The fifteenth year of Tianji, the first day of September.

Da Ning Imperial Palace, Shiqu Pavilion.

"Minister Wei, now that four hundred thousand troops are about to descend upon Fengyuan, and this matter has arisen in Shuzhou..."

Shaking his head, Ning Yongnian looked up at Wei Xianzhi, who stood before him.

"Tell me, which side should I prioritize?"

"..."

Dressed in a black robe embroidered with golden flying fish, his face devoid of any unnecessary expression.

Wei Xianzhi looked up at the memorials piled high on the desk, almost forming a small mountain, and calmly replied, "Your Majesty, this humble subject does not know."

"However, my son is currently trapped in Shuzhou City, and I naturally hope that Your Majesty can first send troops to quell the chaos in Shuzhou."

"Trapped in Shuzhou City, yes, Changtian is still in Shuzhou..."

Nodding meaningfully, Ning Yongnian casually tossed over a long memorial.

"Minister Wei, this is a memorial jointly presented by several censors of the Censorate today, saying that Ning YuKe's rebellion was instigated by Changtian. I do not know if it is true or false... Why don't you take a look?"

"..."

Without taking the memorial, or even looking at it.

Wei Xianzhi merely lowered his head slightly, then narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty, there is no need to look, this matter has absolutely nothing to do with my son."

"My son is usually a bit reckless, and sometimes his actions are not very prudent, but he would never do anything rebellious."

"Taking a step back, how could a good-for-nothing who only knows how to eat, drink, and be merry all day have the ability to instigate others to rebel?"

"I hope Your Majesty will investigate thoroughly!"

"..."

His words were filled with righteous indignation, but they were all just superficial nonsense.

Apart from the common people who were kept in the dark, everyone in Da Ning with any ability knew why Ning YuKe was able to gain the support of both the legal and illegal elements in Shuzhou, and why she was able to successfully declare herself King.

This was already an open secret, but because it involved too many things behind the scenes, no one was willing to easily break through this layer of paper.

Including Ning Yongnian at this time.

"Hahaha, Minister Wei, do not be agitated, I naturally do not believe these rumors."

"It is just that these censors who offer advice have always been loyal and devoted to me, which is why I inevitably have some doubts."

"Since you have said so now, then this matter will be dropped, and I will never mention it again..."

Laughing loudly, Ning Yongnian reached out to take back the memorial.

However, at this moment, a hand suddenly pressed down firmly on the other end of the long memorial.

"Your Majesty, I believe this matter should not be settled like this."

"..."

Wei Xianzhi's expression remained unchanged.

"Your Majesty, as the Commander of the Hanging Mirror Division, I should investigate the Shuzhou matter to the bottom."

"If this matter was truly instigated by my son behind the scenes, then I am willing to take people to Shuzhou and personally bring this孽子 back to the capital to be executed."

"But if these censors are speaking nonsense, intentionally framing my son, then they have committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor."

"Your Majesty, according to the laws of Da Ning, this is a capital crime."

"..."

Framing, deceiving the Emperor, capital crime.

As soon as these three words came out, the atmosphere of the entire Shiqu Pavilion instantly dropped to freezing point.

The Hanging Mirror Division to investigate Wei Changtian?

This was like the most outrageous of mothers opening the door for the outrageous – outrageous to the extreme.

It goes without saying what kind of result would be investigated, and it was also obvious what fate the censors who presented the memorials would meet.

Yes, the lives of a few censors were not important.

But the meaning represented by Wei Xianzhi's actions made Ning Yongnian's expression become extremely sinister in an instant.

A hint of killing intent flashed in his eyes, then disappeared without a trace.

He looked at Wei Xianzhi, whose eyes showed no sign of panic, and after a moment, the hand holding the memorial finally loosened little by little.

"Minister Wei, what you said is reasonable, then you should handle this matter."

"..."

"Yes, this humble subject obeys."

Tucking the memorial into his arms, Wei Xianzhi slightly cupped his hands: "Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, then I will take my leave."

"Good."

Nodding, Ning Yongnian stood up and watched Wei Xianzhi turn around and walk out of the hall at a leisurely pace.

A gust of cold wind blew in, the palace door opened and closed tightly.

However, even after the sound of footsteps outside could no longer be heard, Ning Yongnian still did not sit down.

He was thinking about what he should do next.

Now that the Xu family had fled, the Liu family had perished, and the war with Da Feng was also under control, at first glance, the situation seemed to be extremely favorable for this Da Ning Emperor.

But it must be known that in this process, the Wei family's power had also been fully expanded.

Unlike the Xu family, who had no knives in their hands, the Wei family not only had an ancestor in the Second Rank, but also firmly controlled the Hanging Mirror Division, which had just undergone an "expansion."

If this force were detonated, then the Da Ning Dynasty would fall into turmoil far more violent than the "Xu family's market strike."

Ning Yongnian could not allow this kind of thing to happen no matter what.

So even if he had the strength to defeat or even kill Wei Xianzhi, he had to try his best to suppress the anger in his heart.

He even had to make concessions on some matters.

"..."

The candlelight flickered, illuminating the hall like daylight, and was swallowed by a long shadow.

In fact, from the moment Ning Yongnian acknowledged those "secret letters" and agreed to Wei Xianzhi's actions against the Liu family, he had already foreseen the arrival of this day.

It was just that he didn't expect it to come so quickly.

From the news of the Prince Shun case being released to Ning YuKe donning the dragon robe, it only took a month.

A month's time to establish a new King.

Ning Yongnian did not know why Wei Changtian was so eager, but he had a new understanding of the latter's energy.

It turned out that this only son of the Wei family not only had the ability to kill a Second Rank.

He had unknowingly taken control of everything in Shuzhou.

No, perhaps not only Shuzhou...

At this moment, Ning Yongnian suddenly had a feeling.

He suddenly felt that the threat Wei Changtian alone posed to him had exceeded that of the entire Da Feng Dynasty, and that he should completely extinguish the chaos in Shuzhou at the first opportunity.

But...

Four hundred thousand troops were about to arrive in Fengyuan, was he really going to give up this hard-won opportunity?

If Da Feng was given another month, or even just half a month, the outcome of this national war might no longer be as clear as it was now.

No!

He must not lose the big picture for the sake of small gains!

But he must not allow the Shuzhou side to do whatever they want!

After thinking for a long time, Ning Yongnian finally made a compromise decision.

Yuanzhou still had three hundred thousand troops that had not been moved, which was enough to deal with Shuzhou.

"Someone!"

"Summon General Han Zhao to see me!"