flstandardbreds Chapter 140 Hanging oneself
Chapter 140 Hanging oneself
Prince Kang took a deep breath. He loved Princess Kang too much, and Princess Changning looked remarkably like her mother. Therefore, he had never revealed his feelings to her all these years and treated her as his own daughter...
When Emperor Xia was young, he was in love with Consort Kang (the mother of Princess Changning). However, in order to consolidate his imperial power, the late emperor forced Emperor Xia to marry the daughter of the General of the Northern Frontier. After Consort Kang was betrothed to Prince Kang, Princess Changning, whom she gave birth to, was actually of Emperor Xia's blood.
This is the real reason why the Xia Emperor had to kill his own brother.
……
The setting sun cast a blood-red glow over the city walls of Cangzhou, turning the blue brick walls a deep crimson.
Below the city gate, the messenger's copper bell shattered on the stone pavement, breaking into several pieces.
"His Highness Prince Kang... has passed away!... He hanged himself in the capital's prison!"
The courier's shouts pierced the twilight, startling crows from the eaves.
The entire city exploded instantly, like an anthill doused with boiling oil.
A gust of wind swept through the streets and alleys, and someone squatted in a corner, sobbing, clutching a farming tool bestowed upon them by the King of Kang.
In the streets and alleys, people whispered and discussed the matter, all feeling heartbroken and indignant about King Kang's fate.
The Prince of Kang was highly respected in Cangzhou. His death was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up a thousand waves.
Some radical citizens even began to organize themselves, preparing to spontaneously rebel against the rule of the Xia emperor.
Shouting slogans and wielding crude weapons, they prepared to avenge King Kang.
However, Liu Shan, Yin Nantian, and others knew that such actions would only plunge Cangzhou into an even greater crisis.
They must remain calm and plan carefully in order to avenge King Kang and protect the people of Cangzhou.
Inside the Cangzhou government office, the atmosphere was extremely tense.
Li Polu, He Qiong, and others had ashen faces, their eyes burning with fury.
In their view, the death of King Kang was irrefutable proof of the Xia emperor's cold-bloodedness, and continuing to be loyal to such a court would undoubtedly be irresponsible to the people of Cangzhou.
Li Polu smashed the stone table with his fist, sending fragments and drops of blood flying everywhere: "Cangzhou shall stand on its own!"
His eyes were bloodshot, and the sword at his waist was drawn half an inch from its sheath with a clang. "Pass on my order! Conscript the troops immediately—"
"No!" Liu Shan's shout was like a thunderclap.
He strode through the commotion, the hem of his blue robe stained with mud, clearly having come galloping on horseback.
He knew that once he declared independence, Cangzhou would immediately become the target of the Xia Dynasty, and elite troops such as the Divine Martial Army, the Imperial Guard, the Dragon Soaring Army, and the Heaven-Shaking Army would flock to it, plunging Cangzhou into endless war.
He Qiong's fingers turned white as she gripped the military report, the paper creased and wrinkled: "Lieutenant Liu wants us to sit idly by and watch the Prince be wronged?"
The lanterns under the eaves swayed, casting flickering light on his face. "Are the men of Cangzhou cowards who fear death?"
“Master He, you are mistaken.” Yin Nantian stepped out from the shadows of the government office, the xiezhi embroidery on his official robes appearing ferocious and lifelike in the firelight. “Raising troops now would only confirm the Prince’s crime of treason, and the people of Cangzhou would be plunged into misery.”
He raised his hand and pressed down on Li Polu's hand holding the knife, the force so strong that his knuckles turned white. "What's more, does the general want the princess to be torn to pieces in the capital?"
Liu Shan also sighed and said, "Lord Yin is absolutely right. The Xia Emperor is ruthless. If we were to declare independence at this time, it would be tantamount to courting our own destruction. Moreover, Princess Changning is still a hostage in the capital. We cannot allow her to fall into an even more dangerous situation."
Li Polu, still furious, slammed his fist on the table and said, "Are we just going to stand by and watch Prince Kang die unjustly without taking any action?"
He Qiong also said indignantly, "The Xia Emperor slaughtered his own brothers, he is cold-blooded and ruthless. If we continue to be loyal, how can we face the people of Cangzhou?"
Yin Nantian was silent for a moment, then slowly said, "If Princess Changning were not held hostage in the capital, I would have been the first to declare Cangzhou independent. However, we cannot act rashly now; we must plan carefully."
Liu Shan nodded and said, "Lord Yin is right. Our current strength is not enough to contend with the elite troops of the Xia Dynasty. The Divine Martial Army, the Imperial Guard, the Dragon Soaring Army, and the Heaven-Shaking Army are all forces that we cannot easily deal with. We must remain restrained and wait for the right opportunity."
Li Polu snorted coldly and said, "So we're just going to swallow our anger like this? Is the death of Prince Kang just going to be left like this?"
Yin Nantian said in a deep voice, "Of course not. We must secretly accumulate strength and wait for the right opportunity to avenge King Kang. But for now, we must remain calm and not give Emperor Xia an excuse to attack us."
Liu Shan sighed and said, "Emperor Xia is truly unfilial. He actually used his mother's birthday celebration as an excuse to go on a killing spree and slaughter his brothers. Such cold-blooded ruthlessness is truly the mark of a villain."
Yin Nantian nodded slightly and said, "Emperor Xia is indeed a ruthless and ambitious man. He will stop at nothing to secure the throne. As far as I know, the Empress Dowager is nearing the end of her life. Emperor Xia's actions are probably aimed at consolidating his own position."
He Qiong asked in confusion, "Isn't the Empress Dowager's birthday approaching? Why is Emperor Xia in such a hurry?"
Yin Nantian sneered, "Emperor Xia probably can't wait any longer. He's worried that the other princes will speak ill of him to the Empress Dowager, so he's taken action ahead of time to wipe them all out. That way, even if the Empress Dowager wants to plead for them, it will be to no avail."
Liu Shan angrily said, "Emperor Xia's actions are truly outrageous. He is willing to kill his own brothers for the sake of his throne; he is utterly cold-blooded."
Li Polu gritted his teeth and said, "We can't let him get away with this. We must make him pay for the death of Prince Kang."
Yin Nantian said in a deep voice, "Of course we must make him pay the price. But we cannot act rashly now; we must plan carefully. We must secretly accumulate strength and wait for the right opportunity to launch a counterattack."
Liu Shan nodded and said, "Lord Yin is right. We must remain restrained now and not give Emperor Xia an excuse to attack us. We must secretly accumulate strength and wait for the right opportunity to avenge Prince Kang."
Although Li Polu was still angry, he knew that Yin Nantian and Liu Shan's suggestions were correct.
He took a deep breath and said, "Alright, I will follow Lord Yin and Liu Shan's arrangements. We must strengthen our defenses and ensure the safety of Cangzhou."
He Qiong nodded and said, "I will also fully cooperate to ensure that the defense of Cangzhou is foolproof."
Yin Nantian nodded slightly and said, "Alright, in that case, let's each do our part."
Liu Shan, Li Polu, and He Qiong responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"
Inside the government office, everyone performed their duties and quickly got to work.
Inside the secret chamber of the government office, candle wax piled up like a small mountain on the bronze candlestick, making Yin Nantian's temples appear even more frosty.
He stroked the rim of the teacup, the sky-blue glaze of the Ru kiln porcelain reflecting the bloodshot veins in his eyes: "Three years ago, the Yellow River breached its banks, and the Shenwu Army slaughtered three garrisons that were protesting for their pay."