"Kneel."

These two words weren't shouted.

However, though many people were present, it was unusually quiet, making the words extremely clear.

Situ Yu,

The current Prince Cheng,

Guarding Yingdu,

A hereditary title;

This was the grace that the Yan Kingdom's court, the Yan Emperor, had bestowed upon his Situ family.

Out of the blue,

At his own father's mausoleum,

In front of all the dignitaries of Yingdu,

To make him kneel?

Immediately, a surge of anger flared.

He had once ascended the throne at the age of ten, though it was merely a formality, as he subsequently degraded his kingdom, demoting himself from Emperor to King.

At his father's state funeral, the Grand Prince Ji Wujiang, commander of the Yan Kingdom's Eastern Expeditionary Army, led troops into Yingdu and read out the Yan Emperor's decree, demoting him from King to Prince of the Yan Kingdom.

However, due to the favor earned by Situ Lei and Yingdu's subsequent cooperation in adhering to the Yan Kingdom, the Situ family's treatment was far better than that of the Prince Yu's of Jin, who had been relocated to Yanjing.

But,

Situ Yu was still young then, only ten years old, at an age of ignorance.

Situ Lei hadn't anticipated that the situation would spiral out of control, so he neglected or wasn't in a hurry to provide his嫡son with the necessary education in imperial statecraft.

And Situ Yu wasn't like Ji Laoliu, a "naturally born prince prodigy";

In those years, under the instigation of a group of Dacheng Kingdom officials and dignitaries, he did things step by step, essentially being pushed out as a figurehead to preserve the original system of the old Dacheng Kingdom.

But in these past few years,

He had gradually grown up. He had seen more, read more, and most importantly, he had been tasting a dish almost every day, a dish called "the fickleness of human relationships."

This dish helped one grow the most.

He couldn't help but lie in bed at night, feeling grief and depression,

Why?

On what basis?

How could this be!

Perhaps,

This emotion

Was very similar to Puyi after his abdication, driving his motorcycle, which was considered quite novel at the time, to the foot of the Forbidden City and gazing at the city walls.

Everyone has their own mask.

Marquis Zheng actually had one too. He used to wear it often, but now he didn't bother much. Maybe when he went to Yanjing, he would have to take it out, wipe off the dust, and use it for the sake of appearances.

But in this world, those who could be as carefree as Marquis Zheng and also have the qualifications for this carefree attitude were rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

Marquis Zheng, sitting on the steps, although not looking directly, was actually sizing up this young Prince with his peripheral vision.

He was angry,

Heh,

However,

Anger is the cheapest and most useless emotion in this world for an individual.

Gou Moli, standing behind Marquis Zheng, also suppressed the queasiness he felt in his heart when offering incense to Situ Lei earlier. At this moment, his calm eyes were fixed on Situ Yu below.

This was the son of his old rival;

He wasn't too young. When Gou Moli was this age, he was already helping Jin merchants run goods and could discern at night whether there were wolves lurking around the camp.

However, Gou Moli didn't look down on this young man too much, because there was no need.

The Blind One had always been a staunch rebel in the Marquis's mansion.

In this regard, the Blind One was first, then Gou Moli was second. He wouldn't hide this emotion, because he knew very well that if the Marquis of Pingxi's mansion was really like the Marquis of Zhenbei's mansion, lasting for a hundred years, then he and the Snow Plain would have no room to maneuver at all.

He understood very well that he was now just a dog at the feet of the Marquis. Only when the master could eat at the banquet table could his dog gnaw on bones with meat.

So on the way, he had suggested to Marquis Zheng that the Marquis of Pingxi's mansion had started in Jindong, but its influence must be spread out by all means. The best way was to form alliances, with the main purpose being to mutually benefit.

An existing one was the Cheng Prince's mansion.

The Cheng Prince's mansion was now very weak. Although it had a hereditary title in name and enjoyed princely treatment, to be honest, whether it was the earliest Grand Prince or Yingdu Prefect Mao Mingcai, they outwardly respected the Cheng Prince's lineage, but in reality, they were cutting off the Cheng Prince's influence or deliberately dividing the Situ family's influence on Cheng or even Yingdu. And the former ministers of the Dacheng Kingdom not only didn't oppose or outwardly comply while inwardly rebelling, but instead almost all rushed forward together for their own interests, dividing up the power vacuum after the Situ family withdrew.

But, in any case, the Situ family's influence within the borders of Cheng, no, to be precise, throughout the entire Three Jin region, was actually the greatest.

Because he had been an emperor, because he had been completely preserved;

Therefore, Gou Moli suggested, win over the Cheng Prince's mansion. A small fledgling bird will always grow up, and after growing up, its appetite will naturally become larger;

One was a newly promoted Marquis's mansion, and the other was an old Jin Prince's mansion,

If the two could form a tacit understanding,

In the future, when the winds changed and the world was in turmoil,

The Marquis of Pingxi's army would march west, pass Yupan City, cross Wangjiang River, and take the Cheng Prince's mansion to establish itself, commanding Jin and gaining legitimacy;

Even, if this little fledgling really retained three parts of his father's qualities, he might be able to take Yingdu himself and offer it to the Marquis's mansion with both hands.

Because in Gou Moli's view, the threat to the Marquis's mansion was not in the north or the south. The visible threat was actually from the west, from the court that nominally sat above his own head and the head of his own Marquis.

Setting up the layout early and taking down the Cheng Prince's mansion would allow three routes of troops to be dispatched as soon as there was any movement, instantly restoring the power of the former Dacheng Kingdom.

However, Gou Moli had made his suggestion, but he didn't know whether this Marquis would adopt it, because the Marquis had shown an attitude of noncommittal.

Gou Moli had heard Ah Ming and Xue San talking in a low voice, sighing that their master was becoming more and more mature.

What?

Could it be that he had missed the Marquis's previous innocent and naive period?

However, at least the Marquis had come to Stone Mountain, come to the mausoleum, and when that little fledgling came up, he had directly made him kneel.

It seemed that the Marquis had adopted it.

First give the big stick, then the sweet date.

The ministers and dignitaries were all silent at this time.

Among them, those from Jin had an innate disadvantage, and naturally didn't dare to come forward. They didn't dare to cause trouble.

Those from Yan should, in theory, have a stronger backbone. In fact, many Jin dignitaries were already secretly sizing up the Yan people around them.

But precisely because they were from Yan, they understood even more what a military merit Marquis meant.

Before the two Princes of the North and South, a Marquis was already the peak of the Yan Kingdom's heteronomous noble titles.

Most importantly,

Everyone present understood that a new official's arrival meant three fires, let alone the conferring of a new Marquis?

His authority needed someone to sacrifice.

Stepping forward to dissuade him at this time would be like rushing to offer up the lives of oneself and one's family.

The Dacheng Kingdom had gone through several wars, and more than half of those with strong bones had already been lost. Some of the remaining hard bones, such as Grand Tutor Sun Youdao, had also slowly begun to protect themselves in this situation.

The kingdom was no longer a kingdom. Even if the people below wanted to establish themselves upright, they couldn't.

Empress Dowager Wang turned her head and swept a glance behind her. Her face was filled with clear contempt.

When her son was subjected to such great humiliation, these ministers, these dignitaries, didn't dare to open their mouths, didn't dare to make a sound.

A woman is inherently weak, but becomes strong when she is a mother;

She then took a step forward, wanting to question this Marquis of Pingxi of the Yan Kingdom, what his intentions were, to humiliate the Situ family and the Prince Cheng in this way, and moreover, in front of her late husband's mausoleum!

Could it be that he wanted to force her, a widow and orphan, to this point,

Did he want her to smash her head against the stone pillar of this mausoleum, so that the Yan Kingdom's ruler and ministers would have face!

A woman

Is capable of going all out,

Especially in this situation.

In fact, this was the first time Marquis Zheng had properly seen the Empress Dowager Wang of the Cheng Prince's mansion.

Of course,

He just glanced at her and withdrew his gaze.

Outsiders had always had a misunderstanding about Marquis Zheng, that he had a fondness for other men's wives, which was even more nonsense.

Ma Changshan was probably still lying in bed drinking ginseng soup. This was the consequence.

Most importantly,

This Empress Dowager,

Was too thin.

He didn't know if she was naturally like this, or if she had been exhausted by these years of hardship. Even the mourning attire on her body seemed to be hanging off her.

In comparison,

The Jin Empress Dowager

Was much more lovable.

Especially after he had discovered the secret of Master Jiao, that embarrassment;

Even though her son was so old and she was of age, she could still reveal a daughter's shyness,

Tsk tsk,

Heh heh.

At this moment,

No one could have expected

That this Marquis of Pingxi was actually thinking about these things in his mind.

Empress Dowager Wang stepped forward,

Just as she was about to open her mouth,

She was grabbed by Situ Yu, who pulled her back,

Then,

Situ Yu walked up three steps,

And said loudly:

"At my father's mausoleum, as a son, I should kneel."

Calling him father was correct, because it was Situ Yu who had degraded the kingdom, not Situ Lei. The Yan Kingdom's court also recognized Situ Lei's status as Emperor, and it was a final verdict from the Yan Emperor.

Immediately afterwards,

Situ Yu, in the manner of performing a grand sacrificial rite,

In a measured manner,

Seriously and respectfully,

Facing the mountain gate and mausoleum,

Knelt down.

Although, Marquis Pingxi was sitting there, not getting up;

Although everyone present knew that he had succumbed to those two words;

But the dignitaries who could breathe here, if they really didn't understand how to be flexible, could have followed the late Emperor on the day the Dacheng Kingdom changed;

Therefore, the dignitaries present all understood Situ Yu, and even couldn't help but applaud in their hearts for this way of bowing his head without losing face.

When face and life were placed together, life was definitely more important; but on the basis of preserving life, it was best to grab as much face as possible.

Then,

The dignitaries and ministers from Jin behind him all performed the grand rite and knelt down.

They didn't dare to carry the flag at the front, but they dared to support the stage at the back.

On the contrary, a group of Yan people who were officials in Yingdu stood there, not knowing whether to kneel or not.

Marquis Zheng reached out his hand,

And pressed down.

The Yan officials breathed a sigh of relief when they saw this, and knelt down, taking it as everyone making up for the worship of this Situ family Emperor this year.

A dark mass of people all knelt down.

The mountain breeze blew slowly,

Situ Yu didn't get up, and the people behind him didn't find it convenient to get up either.

At this time, Gou Moli's gaze, standing at the back, had already fallen on his own Marquis.

According to the script,

At this time, the Marquis should be angry,

Get up and walk forward, angrily reprimanding this Prince Cheng for having no sense of responsibility, for not even being able to suppress the situation in Yingdu, what use was he?

It would be best to also put things like the people's fat and the people's welfare on the table for a stroll.

This seemed to be a reprimand,

But in reality, it was a way to help him advance by retreating,

As long as Situ Yu wasn't stupid, he would definitely be able to understand this intention at the moment, and then first conduct a self-examination, and then make a guarantee for the future, to work hard and consolidate Jin for the Yan Kingdom, and that the Yan Kingdom would last forever.

In the past, the Cheng Prince's mansion was just a mascot;

The Prince's mansion was there, the Prince was also there. The Situ family line, except for the rebels of that year, had not actually been liquidated;

The Yan people and Yingdu officials were playing a tacit game, suppressing the power that the Prince's mansion should have had together.

That thing called tacit understanding was difficult to break without an external opportunity.

The Cheng Prince's mansion could take this opportunity to extend its hand out of the Prince's mansion.

To the various departments, to the patrol division, and even, if you were bolder, to the Jin army camp stationed outside the city, you could infiltrate.

Anyway, your name was here, and the Yan Kingdom's decree was clearly written. Marquis Pingxi could give you a push from behind and completely use the tiger skin of the Marquis's mansion to make wedding clothes for your Prince's mansion.

In this way,

Let you kneel,

Step on you,

And you would still have to thank and be grateful from the bottom of your heart.

It was standard help in the nick of time, and it depended on whose side you would stand on when you really had the opportunity to choose in the future.

And the Marquis's mansion wasn't really afraid that you would quit and not be able to hold on at a critical moment,

After all,

The Yan army was far away,

But the Marquis of Pingxi's army was right next to your river.

However,

To Gou Moli's surprise,

His own Marquis seemed to have completely forgotten how the performance below should continue, and was still just sitting there quietly.

Stone Mountain wasn't high, and it was just after noon. The wind had been熏染by the sunlight, and when it blew on the body, it still had a trace of warmth.

Marquis Zheng's face didn't have much expression at this time;

When you yourself don't even know what you're thinking about,

The people below have no way to fathom your intentions, and naturally, they feel even more mysterious, and the synonym for mysterious is awe.

Gou Moli couldn't help but feel a little anxious. After being anxious, he was also a little doubtful. The script he had given was naturally exquisite, and there was no doubt about it. He, the Wild Man King, could control a group of heroes on the Snow Plain in a short period of time, so his means of controlling people must be absolutely tough.

But the problem was,

Did the tone of the script seem to be wrong?

In fact, most of the people present were a little confused, whether they were kneeling or standing.

One person was thinking, and that was Gou Moli.

Another was sitting, and perhaps, only he himself was truly awake.

Finally,

Marquis of Pingxi stood up,

And started to walk down;

Empress Dowager Wang was also kneeling there with her son. When Marquis Pingxi walked down, she raised her head and looked at this Marquis who had made great military achievements in recent years.

What she was greeted with,

Was a cold gaze.

The Empress Dowager's body trembled again, but at this moment, her son was kneeling in front. She wasn't very good at political wisdom. She only saw humiliation and trampling, and didn't see the deep meaning that Gou Moli had arranged.

On the contrary, Situ Yu, after the initial shock and anger, kneeling there, sensed that there were footsteps coming down in front, and his heart was actually a lot more at ease.

Dragons beget dragons, phoenixes beget phoenixes. No matter how bad Situ Lei's son was, his aptitude wouldn't be too bad;

Moreover, he had witnessed the great changes in his family and country at the age of ten. He could pretend, but no one would believe that he would grow into a true pampered young master.

Vaguely,

Situ Yu had already guessed what might happen next, and couldn't help but feel a little dry-mouthed, and his breathing became rapid.

At this time,

His mother broke the silence by speaking.

"Marquis of Pingxi, don't push people too far!"

"........." Situ Yu.

At this moment,

Situ Yu really wanted to jump up and strangle his mother's neck!

Marquis Zheng's mouth curled into a arc,

Reached out his hand,

Pointed to the back,

And said slowly:

"Empress Dowager Wang is deeply worried about the late Emperor. Does she want to be martyred here?"

"........." Empress Dowager Wang.

She had dared to think in her mind earlier whether she could force this Marquis to be embarrassed in the court by killing herself in one breath;

But when this Marquis said these words so calmly, as a woman, and not the kind of princess or郡主who had been politically cultivated since childhood and whose only pride in her life was giving birth to a嫡son, she instantly lost her confidence;

Not daring to answer back,

Her body even slumped to the ground.

The dignitaries kneeling below were momentarily stunned. This Marquis of Pingxi spoke so unreasonably, even resolutely.

Situ Yu was also a little panicked, feeling that things seemed to be different from what he had thought.

At this time,

Gou Moli standing behind sighed.

Marquis of Pingxi walked past Situ Yu, reached out his hand, placed it on Situ Yu's crown, and patted it gently.

A prince kneeling;

A marquis standing;

The marquis even patted the prince's head in this childlike manner;

This was absolutely unimaginable in other countries, but here, people would only think that the marquis was too disrespectful to the prince, but no one really thought that the marquis didn't have this qualification.

After all,

This was a Jin prince,

And he,

Was a military merit marquis of the Yan Kingdom.

In the end,

The Yan people had taken this land with their sabers. He could affectionately perform the act of the Yan and Jin being as close as brothers with you, but he could also tear off the disguise and tell you what bloody reality was.

"Prince Cheng Situ Yu."

"I......... I............"

Without waiting for Situ Yu to answer,

Marquis Zheng continued:

"If you can't be calm when things happen, then you should read more; if there's no peace outside, then you should go out less."

"I..."

"Prince Cheng is noble, and not yet an adult. The other night, the late Emperor of Cheng entrusted me with a dream, asking me to take good care of his嫡son.

Therefore,

I am going to Stone Mountain today to worship and inform the late Emperor of Cheng that I have accepted this matter.

The Prince is still young and not yet married, and has no children. His Majesty the Emperor of Yan has promised in his holy decree that the Cheng Prince's mansion will be hereditary, and we will never allow any mishaps.

Pass on my order,

From today onwards,

In order to ensure the Prince's safety,

If the Prince leaves the mansion,

Then the guards above and below the Prince's mansion will be regarded as negligent and rebellious, and all will be executed;

If the Prince leaves Yingdu,

The battalion commanders above the four gate camps outside Yingdu City will all be executed!"

Gou Moli lowered his eyes and licked his lips;

He originally thought that the Marquis had come to untie the Cheng Prince's mansion, but who knew that the Marquis had come to add iron chains.

The most shocked was actually Situ Yu. He looked up at Marquis Zheng, but found that Marquis Zheng's gaze was no longer on him.

"Everyone go to worship in turn. I will be waiting for everyone at the foot of the mountain."

After speaking,

Marquis of Pingxi went down the mountain, and the dignitaries and officials below immediately knelt down and moved aside to make way.

The personal guards in flying fish robes closely followed on both sides of the mountain road.

When he reached the foot of the mountain,

Gou Moli finally couldn't help but ask;

"Marquis, what do you mean?"

This wasn't a question, but it had to be asked, because as a subordinate, he had to know what the boss wanted to do in order to be able to strategize and do things.

Otherwise, it might be like this time,

Where the script he designed deviated from the theme.

Marquis Zheng pointed to the southwest, which was where Litian City was located.

What kind of person was Gou Moli? He understood immediately.

He thought to himself:

That's right, Tian Wujing wasn't dead yet, so we couldn't act recklessly.

Untying the Cheng Prince's mansion here was equivalent to digging into the Yan people's plate;

At that time, Tian Wujing would definitely be able to see it, and only his own Marquis knew the temperament of that Prince of Jingnan best.

But in fact,

What Marquis Zheng meant was that he didn't believe in this so-called "righteousness" from the bottom of his heart, or rather, he felt that this thing wasn't of much significance.

Most importantly,

He had promised Lao Tian that no matter what happened in the future, what he was carrying in his hand

Must be the black dragon flag.

————

Thank you to the students Zishu Wan, Aemilia emt, and Baili Xiangyu for becoming the 162nd, 163rd, and 164th alliance leaders of *The Descent of Magic*!

The next chapter will be before three o'clock. Everyone, go to sleep first. Hold on tight, everyone!