flstandardbreds Chapter 164 9 Tin
Chapter 164 9 Tin
Liu Shan carefully unrolled the parchment scroll, which contained a shocking century-old secret: the Fang family's ancestors were actually Northern Di shamans who would sacrifice young boys and girls to pray for rain during years of famine.
A surge of anger and shock welled up in Liu Shan's heart.
In a fit of rage, he crushed the jade pendant at his waist. The shards of jade were so sharp that they instantly cut his palm, and blood dripped onto the ground.
At that moment, Jiang Ruolan's cough came from outside the tent, her voice weak and feeble. Liu Shan's heart tightened, and he hurriedly went out of the tent. He saw that the blood seeping from under Jiang Ruolan's armor had stained half of her battle robe, and her face was as pale as paper as she leaned weakly to one side.
“Back then, my mother was falsely accused of adultery with the Xia people, and I was thrown into Wolf Valley as soon as I was born.” Jiang Ruolan’s eyes were filled with pain and sorrow.
“My master used money to save my life.” She suddenly coughed violently, spitting out a mouthful of black blood, and then revealed a crescent-shaped birthmark on the back of her neck—the “Azure Wolf Mark” unique to the Northern Di royal family.
Liu Shan looked at Jiang Ruolan, his heart filled with mixed emotions, and the veins on his hand holding the knife bulged.
He recalled the complex look in Jiang Ruolan's eyes as she gazed at the head of the Left Wise King on the night the grain was burned, and he seemed to understand something in his heart.
Just then, the voice of Chu Lan's special envoy suddenly came from outside the tent. The eight-treasure food box contained the imperial gift of amber wine, which seemed particularly abrupt in the tense atmosphere.
……
Half a month later, Liu Shan returned in triumph.
Fang Mingzhe was burning incense and bathing in the military supervisor's tent, a smug smile on his face. Listening to the clamor of the victory banquet in the distance, he thought his plan was about to succeed.
When Liu Shan raised his cup for the seventh time, the copper bell in his sleeve finally rang out clearly—this was the signal for the five hundred shadow guards to be dispatched.
Fang Mingzhe was overjoyed, awaiting the arrival of victory.
However, the shadow guards who rushed into the tent were stunned by what they saw.
All that could be seen were civil and military officials lying haphazardly on the ground, seemingly unconscious, while Chu Lan's Nine Dragon Sword was coldly held against Fang Mingzhe's neck.
"Is this your last trump card?!"
Chu Lan's words filled Fang Mingzhe with despair.
At midnight, the Fang family's cellar was brightly lit by torches. Chu Lan came here in person, her face cold, and without hesitation, she lifted the hidden compartment behind the ancestral tablets.
All that could be seen was the golden wolf-headed sword of the Northern Di royal family, secret letters exchanged with the Western Rong, and the bones of thirty-six boys and girls, piled up into a small mountain on the blue brick ground. These pieces of evidence were particularly glaring in the firelight.
The next day, at the execution ground.
"Scrape him three thousand six hundred times before he dies." Empress Chu Lan's eyes burned with rage as she threw the secret letter into the brazier.
Flames erupted instantly, engulfing the evidence of the crime.
Meanwhile, a bloody mass execution was taking place on Zhuque Street, with Fang's henchmen losing their heads one after another.
Blood seeped into the cracked imperial road like a stream, and in this bloody atmosphere, several strange clusters of red smartweed sprouted, as if telling the story of the cruelty and tragedy of this power struggle.
"The Xia Dynasty is doomed!" Fang Mingzhe was tied to the execution rack, and although he was on the verge of death, he was still roaring madly. His ribs had been cut open by the executioner, exposing the white bones. The scene was too gruesome to bear.
“It’s not just the Northern Barbarians, there are also…” He tried to reveal the final secret, but the executioner precisely severed his tongue, and the last half of the curse could only be swallowed back down his throat mixed with blood and foam.
Standing on the execution platform, Liu Shan watched this bloody scene and felt a complex mix of emotions.
……
Inside Chengtian Hall, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed to freeze the air.
The frost on the dragon pillar shimmered in the dim light. Liu Shan wore heavy black iron armor, the metallic luster of which seemed particularly cold in the oppressive atmosphere.
As he knelt down to receive the imperial decree, his armor struck the gold bricks with a crisp sound like a sharp arrow, instantly startling the crows that had been perched on the eaves.
The cawing of crows pierced the sky, as if warning of the approaching storm.
Chu Lan, dressed in a magnificent imperial robe, walked slowly across the steps.
The twelve-tassel beaded curtain on her head swayed gently with her steps, making a crisp sound like jade striking each other.
The imperial edict came from behind the beaded curtain, like a divine proclamation from the distant heavens: "I hereby bestow upon you the Nine Bestowments to commemorate your unparalleled achievements."
The sound echoed in the hall, but it failed to dispel the unease that shrouded everyone's hearts like a dark cloud.
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!" Censor-in-Chief Shi Liang suddenly stepped forward, slamming his ivory tablet hard onto the blue brick ground with such force that it cracked the ground.
The crack was like a chasm, instantly dividing the peaceful court into two opposing sides.
His voice trembled slightly with excitement, “The Nine Bestowments are the highest honor a subject can receive, and only founding heroes can receive them! If this precedent is set, I fear the court will be shaken and the country will be unstable!”
His words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up ripples.
For a moment, the Zichen Palace fell into a deathly silence.
As if they had agreed beforehand, the thirty-seven officials knelt down in unison, their court robes spreading out on the ground like a white wave of snow.
However, beneath this snowy expanse lies a turbulent undercurrent.
"General Liu pacified the Northern Barbarians in just three months, and now the southern barbarians are once again engulfing the land." A certain official stepped forward quickly, his voice echoing in the hall, "To bestow the Nine Bestowments at this time will surely chill the hearts of the soldiers guarding the border! The soldiers are fighting bloody battles on the front lines. If they see such rewards being easily given to one person, they will surely be disheartened. Who will be willing to risk their lives for the Great Xia in the future?"
Chu Lan suddenly chuckled, the sound of which seemed particularly eerie in the silent hall.
She leaned slightly forward, and the twelve-tasseled beaded curtain gently brushed against Liu Shan's shoulder armor, making a soft rubbing sound.
She asked softly, "What do you think, my dear minister?"
Liu Shan slowly stood up, his hand resting on the imperial sword at his waist, the scabbard of which was engraved with exquisite dragon patterns.
At this moment, the dragon pattern seemed to come alive under the light, tightly gripping Shi Liang's reflection.
Liu Shan's voice was calm and firm: "I remember that three days ago, Lord Shi received three boxes of jade from the Southern Border at Zuixianlou. The emerald green luster of that jade must still be fresh in Lord Shi's memory, right?"
His words were like a sharp sword, instantly piercing Shi Liang's vitals.
Shi Liang's expression changed drastically; his originally rosy face turned ashen white in an instant.
He opened his mouth as if to argue, but before he could utter a sound, a cold light flashed across his throat like lightning.
Blood gushed out like a fountain, the splattered droplets creating a bizarre ink-wash landscape on the glass screen.
Immediately afterwards, a second head rolled down in front of the ministers, its empty eyes seemingly telling of their resentment and fear.
At this moment, Liu Shan's sword was firmly pressed against the third official's brow. The official was so frightened that he collapsed to the ground, trembling all over, and muttering begs for mercy.
"I fear that Your Excellency sent six cartloads of ancient books to the Fang residence last month." Liu Shan's gaze was sharp as he swept over the crowd in the court. The sole of his boot slowly crushed the fallen white jade thumb ring, the crisp sound of which was particularly jarring in the silent hall.
"Do you want me to finish reading the gift list?" His words were like a heavy hammer, each word striking the hearts of everyone present.