Chapter 159 The Line

Prince Cheng's Residence, he'd crossed that line himself.

Settling accounts after the autumn harvest, discarding the millstone after the donkey is used—that's the tradition. Even if those in power here weren't Yan people, but Qian or Chu, as long as the external threat was resolved, they would inevitably purge and reorganize the internal affairs, hoping to achieve lasting peace.

Besides,

Prince Cheng's Residence wasn't as pure as a lotus flower; the facts had already proven that the residence wasn't clean.

But when Wenren Minjun revealed her family crest, smiled and spoke of the child in her belly, even uttering words from the boudoir, everything, everything, was beyond redemption.

The line,

Had been crossed.

After crossing it,

Situ Yu was already weary and helpless.

And for the two most important figures in Yingdu now, the Marquis and the Prefect, they had lost the constraints they once had.

What they were considering before was Situ Lei's reputation, the face the Yan Emperor wanted to give, but the premise was that Prince Cheng's Residence had to respect that face;

Since you yourself have completely broken the rules of the game, don't blame the Yan people for ending it.

Extinction,

Wasn't just a simple threat.

In fact,

The reason why Marquis Zheng would tear off the pretense and say those words to the current Prince Cheng already showed an attitude.

Wenren Minjun, whether she was stupid or simple, couldn't fool Zheng Fan and Xu Wenzu.

This woman was definitely not simple.

In all likelihood, she chose to detonate herself at the most appropriate time, in order to drag the Prince's Residence into the abyss.

The inside story could be dug out later; what needed to be resolved now was the problem of the Prince's Residence.

Marquis Zheng took out an iron box from his bosom, took out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth.

He Chunlai stepped forward, took out a fire starter, and helped Marquis Zheng light the cigarette.

The world had it that when Marquis Zheng was fighting in the north and south, he had been injured, resulting in residual cold poison in his body, which needed to be treated with tobacco to fight poison with poison, so he needed a cigarette from time to time.

In Fengxin City, there were also tobacco shops specially operated by the Marquis' Residence, selling this kind of cigarette. Although the price was high, the sales had always been booming.

This made Marquis Zheng realize that even in this era, the Marquis' Residence Tobacco Bureau was still a real profiteer.

Exhaling a smoke ring,

Marquis Zheng crossed his legs.

In the misty haze,

He didn't really want to think too much;

Tonight's events had come one after another, making him a little tired.

Most importantly,

There was a fork in the road ahead.

Whether he went left or right, it seemed to be under that person's calculations.

If he went left, supporting the Prince's Residence to untie the knot, after going to Yanjing, he might be met with attacks and outbursts;

So he went right, and then, the Prince's Residence collapsed piece by piece and then piece by piece in front of him.

The Wenren Minjun in front of him,

Couldn't help but remind Zheng Fan of Du Juan back then.

Could it be the work of one person?

If so, that would be fine, you're in Yanjing, right?

The atmosphere in the chamber dropped to freezing point because of the words "extinction" from the Pingxi Marquis.

At this moment,

The beaded curtain was lifted,

And the Queen Mother walked out.

She walked to Wenren Minjun.

Wenren Minjun was still smiling; perhaps because she had been smiling for too long, the smile was inevitably a little stiff.

The Queen Mother was also smiling.

Reaching out,

She took Wenren Minjun's hand,

And patted it gently,

Saying:

"Actually, I knew that the Prince had hidden you in the residence."

Wenren Minjun nodded and said, "This concubine also understands that Your Majesty knows about this concubine."

"The reason why I didn't get angry is because I felt that my son was too bitter. His father only cared about fighting in the north and south and doing great things, and basically didn't spend much time with him.

Later, he became an emperor, then a lord of a country, and finally a prince. He was just being pushed around by the surrounding ministers and nobles. To put it bluntly, my son had always been their puppet.

My son lived a very bitter life. The older he got, the more he understood, and the more he understood, the more deeply he felt this bitterness.

So, I knew about you, and I knew your identity.

I wasn't doing it for any remnants of the Wenren family, and I never thought about reshaping any glory in the future. I just thought that my son could be willful for once.

Since my son liked it, then I would just accept it."

Saying that,

The Queen Mother looked at Zheng Fan, who was sitting there smoking.

Saying;

"Isn't the Marquis also taking back a Chu princess to be his wife? What's wrong with my son wanting a Wenren woman as a concubine?"

Zheng Fan didn't speak.

Xu Wenzu pointed to Situ Yu, who was sitting there,

And opened his mouth, saying;

"Is he worthy of being compared with the Pingxi Marquis?"

Xu Wenzu couldn't say the word "stealing a concept," but his expression was more direct and cruel.

The Queen Mother wasn't angry, but looked at her child with affection, reaching out and stroking Situ Yu's face.

Saying:

"Why doesn't my son have this qualification? I think my son has this qualification. If the late Emperor was still here, it would be natural for him to marry a Chu imperial princess.

How could it be like it is now,

Wanting to marry a Ji family's noble daughter, he still has to see the Ji family's mood."

Xu Wenzu opened his mouth and said:

"The Emperor of Cheng is already gone, and Cheng is long gone as well."

The Queen Mother didn't care. "Just a Wenren woman, and just a child in her belly. I don't believe that you, sir, and you, Marquis, can't hear what this girl just said.

She actually said that her Wenren family had descendants.

This child,

His father's surname is Situ, so he must be a descendant of the Situ family. How can he be considered from her Wenren family?

I don't know why she did this,

My son is very good to her,

She should also have her own difficulties, right.

Marquis, Prefect,

What do you say?"

The Queen Mother looked at Wenren Minjun with pity, and then looked at her belly, which was likely to contain her grandson.

Marquis Zheng, who was sitting there, threw the cigarette on the ground,

Got up,

Stomped on it with his boot sole,

And then slowly walked over.

He didn't answer the Queen Mother's words; he just walked to Situ Yu. Situ Yu looked at Zheng Fan, and Zheng Fan reached out,

"Slap!"

A slap,

Solidly hit Situ Yu's face.

He didn't hold back much.

A red palm print appeared on the right side of Situ Yu's face, and his mouth was also broken, and he began to bleed; his body was trembling.

Not because of anger,

But because of fear.

When a marquis who had once led an army of thousands of men to charge and kill, and who still controlled an army of thousands of men, stood in front of him and slapped him,

Anger?

Didn't exist.

Grief, exhaustion, and hesitation,

All kinds of emotions with a pretentious meaning disappeared at this time, leaving only the most essential and purest fear.

"Get down."

Marquis Zheng opened his mouth and said.

Situ Yu tremblingly got up, covered his right face with both hands, and slowly left the throne.

Perhaps feeling that his movements were too slow, Marquis Zheng reached out and directly grabbed the back of Situ Yu's neck.

This place was actually a soft spot on a person. When you grabbed it with enough force, it was like grabbing the person's vital point. The pain, the soreness, the spasm, was really something that ordinary people couldn't bear.

"Ah..."

Situ Yu let out a wail.

Marquis Zheng flicked his arm,

And Situ Yu fell to the steps.

The Queen Mother stepped forward and protected her child, but she didn't dare to look at this Marquis.

She didn't dare to before, and now she dared even less.

Marquis Zheng turned around,

And sat down on the throne.

"He's very bitter?"

Marquis Zheng asked.

"I've always felt that when you have enough to eat, can sleep well, and don't have to worry about being frozen or starving, saying that you're bitter is a bit shameless.

The child is his;

He's bitter, huh,

But he doesn't untie his belt, doesn't go to be comfortable. Did the child fall from the sky?

Being a person,

Be honest,

Don't always think of yourself as too wronged.

Outside Fengxin City, how many refugees can only eat potato paste to survive this winter and spring;

Outside Yingdu City, every day, I don't know how many people are freezing to death and starving to death.

And then,

The Prince of Yingdu,

And his mother,

Are here saying,

How bitter he is, even fine clothes and good food can't make up for the bitterness in his heart.

What about your face?"

Situ Yu's face turned from green to white.

The Queen Mother opened her mouth, her lips trembling, but she didn't dare to continue to speak.

The smile on Wenren Minjun's face also began to gradually disappear.

One was because she had already finished laughing what she needed to laugh;

The second was because, when this Yan Marquis tore off all pretense and just sat on the throne so grandly, she didn't dare to continue to laugh.

"Yan is reasonable. I, from being a commoner, have risen to the position of Marquis, which is the best interpretation of Yan's reason. Otherwise, there would be no me today.

The late Emperor of Cheng left a very rich legacy for his descendants, that's true;

But if the descendants desperately court death, no matter how rich the legacy is, they won't be able to eat it all.

Yan's reason is very simple;

Those who obey my Yan prosper; those who oppose my Yan perish.

Situ Yu,

You chose your own path,

Bear the consequences yourself."

Hearing the stern meaning in his words,

The Queen Mother hugged her son,

Summoned up her courage with difficulty,

Raised her head,

Looked at Zheng Fan and said:

"Marquis, he's still just a child."

"Your Majesty, you can go and see how many children younger than your son freeze to death and starve to death outside the city every day. Besides, your son is already a father; can he still be considered a child?"

Marquis Zheng reached out,

Beckoned to Situ Yu, signaling him to come over himself.

Situ Yu didn't dare to move.

The Queen Mother didn't let go either.

Marquis Zheng smiled.

And at this time,

Two well-trained Flying Fish Guard stepped forward, grabbed Situ Yu's shoulders without any scruples, pulled him out of the Queen Mother's arms, and sent him to their own Marquis, who was sitting on the throne.

Marquis Zheng tilted his head slightly,

Looked at Situ Yu,

And asked;

"Child?"

Situ Yu was stunned there. He felt that his right face was hurting even more.

"Hehe, child."

Marquis Zheng laughed.

Laughing and laughing,

He extended his foot,

And directly kicked Situ Yu in the abdomen.

Situ Yu was kicked down, rolling over.

The Queen Mother's maternal instincts were completely aroused. She shouted almost hoarsely at the Pingxi Marquis:

"Marquis, his surname is Situ!"

Marquis Zheng looked at the Queen Mother,

And said word by word:

"How did Situ Yi and Situ Jiong die?"

For a moment,

The whole place was silent again.

Everyone knew,

That the puppet Emperor Situ Yi and his brother Situ Jiong, who were Situ Lei's two older brothers, Situ Yu's uncles, were captured by Marquis Zheng after he broke through the city back then,

And died from being drowned in excrement!

Your surname is Situ; what's so great about that?

Of those present,

There was more than just Marquis Zheng who had killed someone with the surname Situ, and from the direct line, too.

Marquis Zheng killed your uncles,

And there was someone who killed your own grandfather!

"Pingxi Marquis, are you really not going to save any face and insist on humiliating people like this?" The Queen Mother said with tears streaming down her face.

"I gave you face."

Zheng Fan raised his head,

"But have you ever given face to Yan?"

Saying that,

Zheng Fan took out a token from his bosom, hesitated for a moment, didn't throw it to He Chunlai,

But threw it to Gou Moli, who was standing there,

"Pass down my order, mobilize the troops from the South Gate camp to enter the city!"

Gou Moli took the token and immediately saluted:

"Yes, sir!"

The army was about to enter the city.

Previously, whether it was Zheng Fan, Xu Wenzu, or the Prince's Residence, they were all trying to avoid the army entering the city, because the army entering the city represented a change in the nature of the matter, and everyone actually didn't want to change the impact of the matter.

But the problem was that the nature of the matter had already changed.

So,

At this time, the army had to enter the city to maintain the situation and stabilize people's hearts.

The main reason was that

Everyone was clear that the power of the Prince's Residence wasn't just as simple as those guards. Only with enough power could they not have to worry about a counterattack from the Prince's Residence's forces in the future, and could they also deter those villains.

Gou Moli led the token out to mobilize the troops.

Zheng Fan began to issue orders again:

"Summon Cheng State's Grand Tutor Sun Youdao to the Prince's Residence to discuss matters."

"Yes, sir!"

A guard responded and left.

"Order the North Gate, East Gate, and West Gate camps to be on strict alert and not to act rashly!"

One camp of troops entering the city was enough to stabilize the situation. There was no need to move the other three camps, and they also had to prevent them from rioting.

"Summon all officials above the fifth rank in Yingdu, and the heads of all departments, to wait in the Prefect's Residence!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Order the four main gates of Yingdu, except for the South Gate, to be closed immediately. Anyone who dares to open the city gate without permission will be charged with treason, including the defending captain and the guards on duty!"

"Yes, sir!"

After arranging all this,

Zheng Fan looked at Xu Wenzu; he was a little presumptuous.

Xu Wenzu nodded to Zheng Fan, indicating that he understood and understood.

In fact,

At this time,

Since the Pingxi Marquis was here, the situation should definitely be presided over by the Pingxi Marquis. With his status and position, he could eliminate some people's thoughts to the greatest extent.

Xu Wenzu wouldn't think that Zheng Fan was trying to compete with him for power. The current situation wasn't the time to think about any power struggles. With Zheng Fan around, he really felt at ease; at least the situation wouldn't fall into chaos.

In other words,

If Marquis Zheng was keeping a low profile or still worrying about this and that at this time, it would be a dereliction of duty.

Gou Moli had speculated that he seemed to have fallen into a trap before. If the Marquis' Residence was too eager to untie the Prince's Residence, it would be a very obvious move in the eyes of those with ulterior motives in Yanjing.

In fact, with Marquis Zheng's current status, he didn't fear many people and things.

Moreover, he also knew how those three would view things.

When you were wholeheartedly for the public good, sitting in this position and doing what you should do, everything started from Yan's perspective, those three would see it clearly, and they would never blame you.

This was perhaps the most comfortable thing about this Yan.

Zheng Fan pointed to Wenren Minjun,

Saying;

"Take her down, keep her under strict guard, and without my permission, she is not allowed to contact anyone else!"

Two guards stepped forward and grabbed Wenren Minjun.

And Marquis Zheng's gaze fell on the Sword Saint.

This woman was very important, because Zheng Fan hoped to learn the true identity of the person behind the scenes from her.

He didn't trust others to guard her, only the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint didn't hesitate, got up, and left with the guards.

Zheng Fan's heart settled down.

He continued to give orders:

"In addition, all the servants in the Prince's Residence, including the eunuchs, maids, and servants, are to be arrested and their identities thoroughly investigated one by one. Order the Secret Intelligence Division to assist.

Tell the helmsman of the Yingdu Secret Intelligence Division that he cannot escape a charge of dereliction of duty in this matter. If he cannot redeem himself, there is no need to report to the court. I will take his head directly to offer as a sacrifice!"

"Yes, sir!"

A series of matters were arranged.

Only the matter of Gong Wangbu wasn't ordered.

First, on the night that Xu Wenzu reminded him, Zheng Fan sent someone back to send a message to Gongsun Zhi's unit, ordering them to keep an eye on Gong Wangbu during this period; at the same time, he also sent a message to the Blind Man in Fengxin City, informing him of this matter.

Secondly, Gong Wang's matter was an internal affair of the Marquis' Residence, and had to be handled by him, Marquis Zheng, personally.

Wenren Minjun's matter was already big enough. It didn't matter whether or not Gong Wang was added. On the contrary, if Gong Wang's matter was brought to the surface, it would damage the Marquis' Residence's prestige and make it seem like the Marquis' Residence was poor at managing its subordinates.

Accompanying the issuance of orders was actually a prelude to the collapse of the sky for the Prince's Residence.

Everyone present was actually clear that,

After preparing to finish things,

Next,

The Prince's Residence would be dealt with.

However, this was a relatively long process, because it had to get the approval of Yanjing.

But when this matter was made clear and public,

With Yanjing's temper,

It was absolutely impossible to endure it any longer.

Yan's temper,

Had never been good.

Even though the Emperor had been recuperating in the back garden for a long time, no one thought that Yan Emperor's temper had been eliminated.

Zhao Wenhua, who was tied to the ground, couldn't break free from his restraints.

But at this time, he still raised his head,

Looked at Zheng Fan,

And said:

"Please, Marquis, show mercy next. If the matter of the Prince's Residence is handled too harshly, I'm afraid it will make the Jin people feel cold!"

"Hehe, the Jin people feel cold?" Marquis Zheng reached out and gently tapped the armrest of the throne. "Okay, if you have the ability, then rebel. It's as if I'm afraid.

If Jin dares to rebel once, I will lead troops to quell it once;

If you dare to rebel twice, I will quell it twice;

If you dare to rebel as many times as you want, I will quell it as many times as you want.

I've been enfeoffed as a Marquis,

But I don't know how many children under my command are still eager for titles?

Using this matter to threaten me,

Ridiculous,

If the soldiers of my Yan are afraid of fighting,

The one sitting here today,

Wouldn't be me!"

Zhao Wenhua smiled sadly, knocked his head to the ground,

And said:

"The Prince is still a Prince after all. Please, Marquis, leave him some dignity."

Marquis Zheng said very calmly:

"I've overthrown princes before."

At this time,

Xu Wenzu opened his mouth and said, "Marquis Zheng, I'll go to the residence first to prepare to meet those ministers and stabilize the situation in Yingdu first. I'll leave this place to you for now."

Zheng Fan nodded. "Go ahead, Lord Xu. Don't worry, everything here is up to me."

"Yes." Xu Wenzu smiled. "It's fortunate that you're here this time, Marquis."

These words,

Were spoken unintentionally, but heard with intention.

Zheng Fan suddenly realized something.

So,

This was the purpose of the mastermind behind the scenes,

To lure himself into Yingdu?

His target wasn't himself,

But to remove this Prince's Residence in Yingdu from the root and legally, with a legitimate reason and means?

Or, was this another choice after his calculation against himself failed?

No matter how he chose, how he responded, that person could achieve one of his goals, just sooner or later.

Zheng Fan slowly closed his eyes.

He didn't have the sense of loss of being schemed against.

In his heart,

There was instead a kind of anticipation.

Because Marquis Zheng was clear that,

In this world, except for Old Tian, if anyone else dared to use him as a knife,

They had to be prepared to have their throats cut by this knife.

Seeing Zheng Fan in a daze, not speaking,

After a long time,

Situ Yu slowly got up at this time.

He wanted to stand up,

And Marquis Zheng, who was sitting in his seat, spat out two words:

"Kneel."

Situ Yu, who had just stood up,

Knelt down again.