Chapter 550 All the Pieces Fall into Place

The grand court assembly dispersed.

Ji Chengjue returned to his Prince’s residence. His first act was to tease his pair of children, successfully making them cry before handing them over to the nannies.

Then, he snatched the warm goat milk from his youngest son and walked into the courtyard, drinking it as he went.

In the courtyard was a reclining chair. Zheng Fan had once laid on it when he came to the capital and stayed at his home last year, and it had been kept ever since.

Ji Chengjue lay down on the reclining chair, gently rocking it as he drank his milk.

He wasn't pondering the scenes from the grand court assembly; he simply wanted to clear his mind.

Just then,

He Sisi and Lingxiang walked over together.

Ji Chengjue raised his hand,

Saying;

"Let your husband have some peace and quiet."

At this moment, he didn't want his two women to comfort him, even though he understood they wanted to share his burden. But right now, he really didn't want to deal with it.

He just wanted to be quiet,

And,

Think about that Zheng.

He Sisi said, "The Marquis of Pingxi has arrived."

"Hah…"

Ji Chengjue was taken aback for a moment,

And said:

"Is he sick or something!"

He could come before the grand court assembly;

He shouldn't come after the grand court assembly.

Because at the grand court assembly, he had won completely, but also lost completely.

The Emperor of Yan’s intent to protect the Crown Prince was simply too obvious.

And the attitude of such an aging emperor was often almost tantamount to an accomplished fact.

The Sixth Prince’s faction would have most of its vigor and spirit drawn away today.

Isn't it laughable?

He clearly led the troops to a great victory, clearly conquering territory and routing the enemy, and yet, he still lost.

And that's precisely why,

Him meeting with the Marquis of Pingxi at this time,

What was he trying to do?

If words don't work, resort to force?

It wasn't impossible, but why stir up trouble when nothing was certain yet?

"Sigh, I smelled a sour odor from afar, are you burning vinegar to ward off plagues?"

The Marquis of Zheng, dressed in casual clothes, appeared in the courtyard.

Behind him stood the Sword Saint and Xue San.

Zheng Fan knew the outcome of the grand court assembly.

He had Si Niang disguise herself as him, wearing black armor, riding the Pixiu, and continuing to wield the Son of Heaven Sword, acting as a mascot at a garrison within the city.

As for himself, he changed into casual clothes and, with Xue San leading the way and the Sword Saint helping to avoid detection, sneaked into Ji Chengjue's residence.

Because of the Imperial Grandson, Sixth Master Ji had thoroughly purged his Prince’s residence, not giving face to anyone. In addition, there were many experts guarding the residence inside and out, so the residence, especially the inner quarters, was actually very safe.

And the Emperor of Yan had initially acquiesced to this, probably for the sake of his grandson’s safety.

"Prepare a meal."

Ji Chengjue immediately waved for his two women to go and prepare it.

The Marquis of Zheng also waved his hand behind him,

The Sword Saint and Xue San walked out of the courtyard.

In the courtyard,

It suddenly became quiet.

Sitting on the reclining chair, Ji Chengjue’s eyes suddenly turned red,

His jaw jutting out slightly.

When people want to cry, they often like to use this action to suppress the tingling in their noses.

The Marquis of Zheng walked up to him,

Reached out,

And placed his hand on Ji Chengjue’s shoulder.

Ji Chengjue was just preparing to enjoy the encouragement and support when he realized he was being lifted to his feet.

"…" Ji Chengjue.

The Marquis of Zheng was, after all, a Sixth-Rank peak martial artist. Standing with the Sword Saint and the others, he was naturally a small fry, but in front of Sixth Master Ji, he was a true strongman.

Ji Chengjue was moved out of the way,

Zheng Fan sat down on the reclining chair and lay down.

His body slightly lowered its center of gravity, and the chair began to sway back and forth.

Standing to the side, Ji Chengjue shrugged and asked:

"Is this okay?"

"What’s not okay?"

"I'm still a prince, give me some face."

"At this time, your Sixth Prince’s faction is probably falling apart. My coming here is already giving you the greatest face."

Ji Chengjue sighed and simply sat down on the ground beside him, saying:

"True."

He Zheng Fan was a Marquis, he could have chosen not to take sides, but he still came.

Taking the trouble to come here was already a kind of support and encouragement to him.

"Your methods were very clever, it's a pity I wasn't there for the final act."

"Yes," Sixth Master Ji also felt it was a pity.

"But in the end, you still lost. Do you know what this is called in war?"

"What?"

"On the battlefield, it's not uncommon to see examples of winning battles all the time, only to inexplicably become unable to continue or suffer a crushing defeat, because of the overall situation.

Clearly, the overall situation is on the Crown Prince's side, not yours.

No matter how well the local battles are fought, even if you keep winning, it's useless."

"You're just stating the obvious. Also, the overall situation isn't on the Crown Prince's side either, it's on Father Emperor's side."

"Yes, the three routes of the Northern Garrison Army, a total of fifteen thousand iron cavalry, have entered the capital and are now stationed in three areas within the capital, forming a mutual defense with the imperial palace.

It's over, it's over. His Majesty is completely not giving us a chance. In the normal rules of the game, His Majesty is the arbiter, but he's clearly biased towards your opponent."

The implication being,

We can only try to make some attempts outside the rules.

To be honest, revolting in the capital as a prince is actually much less difficult than raising the banner of rebellion in other parts of the country. At least, that's how Zheng Fan felt.

Because the capital is the heart of the empire, and a prince inherently has the facade of a legitimate heir.

A few hundred armored soldiers, combined with internal cooperation within the palace, might be able to directly determine the outcome.

But the problem is that with an Emperor like this, he can still tightly control the situation until the very end.

Within the capital, the Emperor’s will is still supreme.

"Xiao Liu, do you have people in the Imperial Guards?"

"I do."

Ji Chengjue was very honest.

"If needed, how many troops can you pull out?"

"With wealth, titles, and promises, ensuring secrecy beforehand, at most, a thousand."

"A thousand, that's not enough."

Estimating that three hundred Northern Garrison cavalry charging would scatter them. When rebelling, your morale isn't facing death and living, but comes with a collapse attribute. A slight setback would cause the tree to fall and the猢狲 (húsūn - monkeys) to scatter.

"Why so few?" The Marquis of Zheng said dissatisfied.

"It's not few," Ji Chengjue raised his head, looking at the sky. "It was originally meant as a way to escort family members out of the capital at a critical moment. Leading them to charge the palace gates… I wouldn't dare dream of success even in ten dreams."

"Don't be discouraged, don't be disheartened. Think about the old days, you'll realize that you should have gotten used to it a long time ago."

"Zheng, is that your way of comforting people? Who did I support the most before? Who did I want to use to get involved in military power? But who knew that after that person rose to prominence, he ran to the far east. Can I count on him?"

"Uh…"

"I need comfort now."

"What's the point of comfort now? I came here personally just to ask you, Ji Lao Liu, do you still have any options?

Is it that as long as His Majesty is determined to protect the Crown Prince, you have absolutely no chance at all, not even room to struggle?"

"Does it have to be so direct?"

"I'm helping you, directly shattering your illusions, allowing you to pick up the spear of reality and stab at your bleak life."

"Sigh."

Ji Chengjue reached out and rubbed his face.

He wouldn’t be like this in front of his wives. No matter what the situation, he had to maintain the posture of the head of the household. It wasn’t about putting on airs, but because he knew that the “pillar” of the family couldn’t fall, or even tremble, or it would cause panic among those living under the roof;

But in front of Zheng Fan, his physical emotions and actions became more numerous.

"Actually, I’ve been arranging things for a long time. Some captains, a few guards, not many people. I slowly won them over in the palace when Father Emperor was in the back garden.

It's not to say they are completely loyal to me, but at least, there is a chance to try.

As long as I coordinate their shifts and have them on duty on the same day, then there is a high probability that I can directly enter the inner palace with a group of people without hindrance.

Not to mention how feasible it is, even if it really succeeds, there are countless experts from the Secret Agent Division around Father Emperor. Even if I charge in with a hundred or so people, it's a dream to control Father Emperor in an instant.

And as long as I can't control Father Emperor immediately, my troops will immediately be devoured by the troops that are still loyal to Father Emperor."

"So, the problem still lies in the imperial palace. As long as His Majesty is in the palace, we have no chance."

Here, it wasn't "you" that was used, but "we."

The imperial palace is the Emperor's home. Even if the Emperor has lived in the back garden for a long time, when he returns, he is still the supreme master here.

It's inconvenient to clear out external officials, but replacing and arresting eunuchs, palace maids, and imperial guards can be done without going through the outer court at all, and the efficiency is extremely high.

"It's not just His Majesty, but also the Crown Prince. We have to take them both down at the same time," Zheng Fan reminded.

"Yes."

"So, is there still a chance?" Zheng Fan asked a similar question again, and at the same time explained, "If you really have no hope, then I'll go to the Eastern Palace and get close to the Crown Prince temporarily."

"Is it that real?"

"I'm also thinking about the future of Great Yan. The local and central governments must get along harmoniously. You should understand my difficulties."

"There is still one chance," Ji Chengjue said.

"I don't want any more 'civil' struggles. Even if you use the same method as in today's grand court assembly again and push the Crown Prince into a corner, in the end, His Majesty's one sentence will still mean that you won and lost again.

That's so boring."

"Are you teaching me how to do things?" Ji Chengjue asked.

"Can't I?" Zheng Fan asked back.

"Zheng Fan, do you know what you're instigating me to do?"

"To do what I've been instigating you to do since the first time we met."

"But I have no way now. You're a Marquis who leads troops in battle, you should see it more clearly than me. On the surface, my Father Emperor simply hasn't given me a chance!

You can't possibly ask Fourth Brother now to have him lead his subordinates to open the door for me, right?

If Fourth Brother really had the courage to do such a thing, why wouldn't he sit on that chair himself?"

"Quiet, quiet, why are you shouting? Isn't it just rebelling and forcing your father to abdicate? Didn't His Majesty say at the grand court assembly today that he's willing to abdicate and give way to the worthy?"

Zheng Fan continued to rock back and forth in the reclining chair,

Reminding him;

"Hesitation breeds chaos."

Ji Chengjue took a deep breath and slowly exhaled;

"Zheng Fan."

"Hmm?"

"Remember what you promised me, my family."

"I'm a man of character."

"Also, the last chance," Ji Chengjue looked at Zheng Fan, "The last chance."

"Do you need my help?" Zheng Fan asked.

Ji Chengjue shook his head.

Zheng Fan's expression immediately relaxed.

"Lao Zheng ah."

"Hmm."

"Tell me, have you ever thought about it? Those words you said to me in the Zhenbei Marquis residence five years ago, those things we discussed, today, they might actually come true."

"So you doubted that it couldn't come true? I've always been certain that there would be such a day."

"Is it because of trust in me?"

"It's confidence." Zheng Fan pointed to his nose, "I've always had confidence in myself."

These words weren't finished,

The complete version should be,

I've always had confidence in my demon kings.

"Do you know that if I really become the Emperor, these words you're saying to me now will leave thorns in my heart?"

"You ah, become the Emperor first before you say anything else. Besides, it sounds like if I didn't say anything, you would treat me as a loyal and good general anyway.

Following the way of ruler and subject will sooner or later lead to problems.

I'm not the Prince of Jingnan, nor the Prince of Zhenbei. My first principle is to live comfortably. In the past, I had to kneel, say nice things to those in power, and even suffer a little grievance.

It wasn't because those who achieve great things don't bother with small details, it was purely because I thought that after continuing to climb up, there would be no need to suffer grievances anymore. I really can't stand suffering grievances."

"Actually, me too."

"When I'm praising myself, can you not join in? It'll seem very shameless."

Ji Chengjue tilted his head and reached out to vigorously pinch his neck.

"I've always been fighting with my Father Emperor."

"Look, you're gilding your face again, you've always been getting abused by your Father Emperor."

Ji Lao Liu automatically blocked out the mockery from Zheng Fan,

And continued on his own;

"This time, I plan to really fight him."

As he said this,

Ji Lao Liu drew a circle in the dirt with his finger,

"This is the capital, you should understand it better than me. Even though you're the Marquis of Pingxi, famous in Jinyang, in the capital, your own capabilities might not even be as good as that Sword Saint by your side.

But precisely because of this, the situation is too small, within these few feet, you have to be ruthless, you have to be meticulous. Since you can't break through with force, then you have to use a needle to completely puncture this situation."

"It seems, you have it all planned out."

"This is the only path left, I have to take it. In addition, I have to rely on you and Big Brother…"

"Eh? Didn't you say that you didn't need me?"

"I don't need you beforehand, but afterwards, I need you to be more secure. I'll do ninety-nine, and the remaining step, you and Big Brother have to stand on the stage for me."

"The weight of the two of us isn't enough, right."

"Not many people know that the two princes aren't in the capital."

Ji Chengjue laughed as he spoke,

"Putting on airs, the father used it, why can't the son use it?"

"Don't need to tell me the specifics?"

"If you and Big Brother are really willing to stand up then, then stand up, the wind will be very clear. I'll go ahead, if I don't go smoothly, you have to take care of my family.

If I go smoothly,

If I succeed,

I will definitely help you with what you want to do.

Just as you said, you Zheng Fan don't like suffering grievances in this life, I Ji Chengjue haven't had a smooth life for half of my life, but I also want my brothers to have a smoother life."

As he said this,

Ji Chengjue supported himself on the ground behind him with both hands,

Looking at Zheng Fan.

"Change your damn posture," Zheng Fan cursed.

Ji Chengjue sat up straight again,

"Lao Zheng ah, my father isn't a good father, but I want to be a good father. My father isn't a good brother either, but I want to be a good brother."

"Generally, what you say beforehand will go against your wishes," Zheng Fan reminded him.

"Are you looking down on me, Yan Xiao Liu? I'm treating you as a brother, I don't believe that you, Zheng Fan, will be willing to cut me later."

"Future things will be discussed later, you take care of yourself first. In addition, my San Er will stay later and discuss the escape route for the family with the people in your residence.

If you lose,

Your few children…"

"Like Tian Tian?"

"You're thinking too much, rich and safe is enough."

Ji Chengjue nodded.

"Okay, I'll leave first, I have to go back and hand over, in case His Majesty suddenly summons me to the palace, I'll be exposed."

Si Niang disguising herself as him is almost indistinguishable from the real thing, because Si Niang knows him very well and is very familiar with him.

But entering the palace, disguise is impossible to fool.

"Respectfully sending off the Marquis of Pingxi."

Ji Lao Liu got up and bowed.

The Marquis of Zheng stopped,

Turned around,

And saluted Ji Lao Liu:

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The two of them smiled at each other for the last time.

Walking out of the Prince's residence,

The Sword Saint asked, "Does he still have a chance?"

"Yes," Zheng Fan said with certainty.

"So confident in him?"

"Which 'he' are you referring to?"

"Are there two 'hes'?" The Sword Saint asked.

"Correct."

"You're starting to be mysterious again."

"I always feel that things aren't that simple."

"But the Emperor is old, and with today's situation, the Crown Prince's position is actually stable."

"Do you know when it really means the Crown Prince's position is truly stable?"

"When?"

"When His Majesty issues an imperial decree to bestow poisonous wine upon the Sixth Prince;

A great emperor who wants to complete what three generations of wise emperors can accomplish in his lifetime,

Would he so easily ensure that the Crown Prince ascends the throne and then leave a powerful brother in the court?

I don't believe it."

"Then what exactly does the Emperor of Yan want to do?" The Sword Saint looked at his sword, "Don't be mysterious again."

"I think the old Emperor probably hasn't had enough fun, or rather, he didn't enjoy it to the fullest. In the last period of his life, he wants to play a big one.

At the roast duck restaurant, the two princes revealed this meaning.

Birds of a feather flock together,

Maybe the one who really wants to play a big game is His Majesty himself.

Do you know that the natives of the southwest of Qiang State are good at raising Gu?" (gu – a type of poisonous insect, often used in witchcraft)

"I know, I've seen them, I've killed them."

The Marquis of Zheng smiled and nodded,

And said:

"No matter how you look at it, it feels like His Majesty's way of cultivating princes is like – raising Gu."

————

Thanks to Mr. Langli Baitiao Wang, Rutian Guanshi, and Jiuduan Yichang for becoming new leaders of The Descent of Magic.

I didn't get enough rest today, my head hurts badly. The next chapter will be very late, read it tomorrow morning, hug everyone!