Chapter 104: Presentation to the Emperor_3
Zheng Fan took a deep breath. He quickly made a decision in his mind. Finally, he said, "Yan still has three hundred thousand soldiers in the North Border Army!"
Lord Jingnan's left fist suddenly tightened. For a moment, the flames in the charcoal brazier seemed to be completely suppressed by an invisible force, and the light inside the carriage instantly dimmed, causing Lord Jingnan's face, reflected in it, to flicker.
After a long silence, Lord Jingnan spoke, "Is this what Chengjue told you?"
"The Sixth Prince and I are close; he considers me an intimate friend. However, these are my own observations. I came from Beifeng Prefecture and have also served in the North Border Army. I am not sure about other matters, but there is one thing I can guarantee with my life: the Earl of North Border will absolutely not rebel!"
Lord Jingnan seemed to filter out all of Zheng Fan's other words, focusing on a peculiar point. He asked, "As a provincial official, privately associating with a prince—do you know what crime that is?"
Zheng Fan's mind immediately flashed back to his conversation with Blind Bei that night. After he told Blind Bei about Lord Jingnan, Blind Bei had reached a conclusion:
Lord Jingnan is the Empress's younger brother and the current Yan Emperor's brother-in-law. Logically, such imperial relatives by marriage should learn to keep a low profile. After all, the 'external' in 'external relative' signifies their greatest limitation. Throughout history, any imperial relative by marriage who dared to be too prominent met a miserable end, unless they managed to usurp the throne. At best, they were regarded as chamber pots—used and then discarded.
Yet, this Lord Jingnan not only commands the Jingnan Army but also acts with such arrogance and dominance—breaking into cities and carrying out massacres in Yinlang County. Excluding the possibility that Lord Jingnan is a complete fool who leaves himself no path of retreat, there is only one other explanation:
Lord Jingnan is very likely the same type of person as the Earl of North Border.
At this point in his explanation, Blind Bei had looked up at the starry sky, slapped his thigh, and lamented Yan's good fortune. Could it truly be that its National Destiny is at its peak, for such outstanding individuals to emerge one after another?
Blind Bei worried that if Yan's prosperous National Destiny meant it was fated to unify the East, would people like them have to live as docile citizens for the rest of their lives? A chaotic era is the fertile ground where ambitious men like them thrive. If you sent Li Zicheng to a peaceful, modern China, he could only be a diligent and hardworking deliveryman for a company like JD.com in Beijing.
In Blind Bei's analysis, Lord Jingnan's perspective and ideology had transcended personal gains and losses, even the limitations of his own destiny. In his eyes, perhaps only the future of the country and its people mattered. Such a person could no longer be considered a mere politician; one could add the prefix 'great' to their title.
One Yan Emperor, one Earl of North Border, one Lord Jingnan...
Finally, Blind Bei had cursed aloud: "If these three stand together, what chance do the other three kingdoms and we even have?!"
Therefore, facing Lord Jingnan's question, Zheng Fan adopted an extremely forthright stance and replied, "I once saved the Sixth Prince's life, which is how we became acquainted. Furthermore, the Sixth Prince is kind-hearted and gentle, possessing the air of a benevolent man who doesn't judge people by their family status. I genuinely respect the Sixth Prince."
"The air of a benevolent man? Why not say he has the air of a sovereign?"
"Actually..."
"Actually what?"
"Actually, I do believe so. Perhaps it's because, among all the princes, I am only acquainted with the Sixth Prince. Therefore, I assume the other princes must be even more outstanding. Otherwise, I truly don't understand why the Sixth Prince cannot..."
"Audacious!" Dujuan rebuked.
Zheng Fan immediately dropped the sweet potato peel in his hand onto the carriage floor, shifting from a seated kneel to kneeling on one knee. "I misspoke."
"Hmph. You should know which prince is about to enter the East Palace, shouldn't you?"
"I know. It is the Second Prince."
"Then you should also know the Second Prince's relationship to me?"
"I know. He is Your Lordship's biological nephew."
"And you still dare to speak to me in this manner?"
"Replying to Your Lordship, whatever Your Lordship asks, I will answer truthfully. I dare not conceal anything from Your Lordship."
"A fine 'dare not conceal anything.' Does your close relationship with Chengjue mean that if he fails to become Crown Prince, you intend to emulate the Earl of North Border's household, which once deployed troops to help the late Emperor ascend the throne, and do the same for Chengjue?"
"I will not."
"Oh? Suddenly you won't? Why is that? Weren't you speaking so boldly just now, saying all those inappropriate things? Now, all of a sudden, you don't dare? You claim to have such a good relationship with Chengjue, yet you wouldn't dare help him at a critical moment?"
Zheng Fan smiled and replied, "Replying to Your Lordship, my forces are too few. My Green Willow Fortress originally had only five hundred cavalrymen. This southern campaign has cost me several dozen. These troops... are simply not enough."
Dujuan's expression suddenly froze; she barely managed to suppress a laugh.
Lord Jingnan, however, laughed outright, pointing at Zheng Fan. "You, you! HAHA! What, are you so audacious because you're certain I can't bear to kill you?"
"I wouldn't dare."
"What wouldn't you dare? With only a few hundred men under your command, you dared to venture south on your own initiative. If you commanded an army like the Jingnan Army, would you then directly help your Sixth Prince rebel?"
"If I commanded an army like the Jingnan Army, I would rather march on the imperial capital of the Qian State. The Green Willow Fortress, where I am stationed, is where the first Earl of North Border performed the 'willow breaking' ceremony a century ago. However, he was never able to fulfill his lifelong aspiration, which he considered a great regret. Therefore, I earnestly implore Your Lordship to grant me this wish. If, one day, Yan's iron cavalry tramples the imperial capital, even if I am not the Commander, I would gladly serve as a vanguard soldier. In short, I wish to be the first to scale the city walls of the imperial capital!"
Hearing this, Lord Jingnan's expression calmed. He reached out, picked up the remaining sweet potato beside the charcoal brazier, and asked, "There's one sweet potato left. Do you want it?"
"I won't eat anymore."
"Why not? It's quite sweet."
"Your Lordship, eating too many sweet potatoes makes you fart a lot."
Lord Jingnan stared. His chest heaved. Finally, he threw the sweet potato in his hand at Zheng Fan, yelling, "Get out!"
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In the previous chapter, a 'sister's son' was mistakenly referred to as a 'brother's son'. This has been corrected thanks to reader feedback.
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