After the countdown ended, Zhi Ning remained kneeling on the ground, quietly looking at Tu Ling Duo!
“You do not choose. Then it seems you do not want either of the baby’s hands.” Tu Ling Duo said coldly, stepping forward and fiercely pulling the baby’s small hand from his mouth.
The baby had been sleeping sweetly, and now was abruptly startled awake, immediately wailing loudly.
Tu Ling Duo grabbed the baby’s two lotus-root-like pink and tender arms, placing the dagger at the wrist and measuring, smiling, “Such pink and cute little hands. When Suo Lun sees them, I wonder if he will die of heartache?”
The baby was frightened, desperately struggling to break free from Tu Ling Duo’s grasp, but he was only a little over a year old. How could he escape Tu Ling Duo’s demonic clutches? He immediately cried even harder.
“Good baby, it will not hurt for long.” Tu Ling Duo said in a coquettish voice, raising the dagger to strike down.
Zhi Ning remained kneeling on the ground, neither begging for mercy nor weeping, and said in a cold voice, “After you chop them off, I will leave this world with the baby. A woman who cannot even protect her own child has no face to live.”
Tu Ling Duo was startled.
Zhi Ning said, “My baby is complete and perfect. If he is harmed by even a single finger, then I will die! To spare him further suffering, I will take him with me.”
“You are threatening me?” Tu Ling Duo said.
Then, she placed the dagger on Zhi Ning’s face and said coldly, “At this moment, you still dare to threaten me?”
“Yes, I am threatening you.” Zhi Ning said, “Because kneeling to you is useless, and begging for mercy is also useless. I can only threaten! What do you mean by placing the dagger on my face? Do you want to ruin my appearance? Go ahead. In any case, I cannot marry anyone else in this life.”
Tu Ling Duo lightly drew the dagger across.
Instantly, bright red blood seeped from Zhi Ning’s snow-white face, then flowed down along her cheek.
Zhi Ning did not move a muscle. Instead, she reached out and placed the dagger on her own carotid artery, saying, “I am Suo Lun’s woman. If killing me can help you vent your fury, then do it. This is the carotid artery. Once cut, death comes in minutes. Even immortals cannot save me.”
“You are not only threatening me, but also blackmailing me.” Tu Ling Duo said, then lightly drew the dagger across.
“No!” Fang Qing Zhuo cried out in alarm, her liver and gallbladder about to shatter.
A bloody wound appeared on Zhi Ning’s snow-tender neck, blood gushing forth. The incomparably sharp blade was merely one millimetre from her carotid artery. Once cut, death was certain.
However, Zhi Ning simply remained motionless like this, looking at Tu Ling Duo, her gaze filled with a willingness to face death.
Instantly, she and Tu Ling Duo fell into a stalemate.
After Zhi Ning expressed her absolute will to seek death, Tu Ling Duo fell into passivity. Her remaining reason told her that if she killed Zhi Ning, Zhi Li would not let her off. And if Suo Lun’s son died, then she, Tu Ling Duo, would certainly die without burial.
The two confronted each other for a long time.
Zhi Ning suddenly said, “Now the greatest obstacle to my brother’s ascension is not merely Zhi Ting, but also Gao Yin and Hei Ning Qi!”
Hei Ning Qi, the great commander of the imperial guards, was under the control of the great eunuch Gao Yin.
Zhi Ning said, “Without Hei Ning Qi’s tacit approval, my brother Zhi Li cannot even enter the royal palace, let alone ascend the throne? Can he ascend the throne at the Young Lord’s residence?”
Tu Ling Duo gradually recovered a trace of reason. Taking revenge on Suo Lun was certainly satisfying, but ensuring Zhi Li’s smooth ascension was her ultimate goal.
Zhi Ning said, “Suo Lun is a very stubborn person. Before interests and family affection, he will choose family affection without hesitation! Yesterday I wrote a blood letter, and also a tuft of the baby’s lanugo. Did you send them to Suo Lun’s side?”
Tu Ling Duo said, “Lord Zhi Li does not have a griffin, so he sent the letter to the princess’s residence. Gao Yin will certainly send someone to deliver this secret letter to Tian Shui City at the greatest speed.”
Zhi Ning said, “Not necessarily. Gao Yin is loyal to the king and Zhi Yan, not to Suo Lun. For Gao Yin, it is most in his interests for me and the baby to die, and most in Zhi Yan’s interests as well. So, he may not necessarily deliver this letter before Suo Lun.”
Tu Ling Duo thought for a moment and immediately agreed with Zhi Ning’s words.
Zhi Ning continued, “Gao Yin will pretend that nothing has happened, pretending that he did not receive your death threat. And what you need to do now is make this threat public, so that Gao Yin can no longer evade the fact that the baby is in imminent peril. So if anything happens to the baby then, Gao Yin cannot escape the guilt of standing by and watching him die. Suo Lun will certainly not forgive him.”
Tu Ling Duo said, “Then what do you think should be done?”
Zhi Ning said, “Call Duke Zhi Ting to this secret chamber, and force him to compromise using my life and the child’s life.”
Tu Ling Duo said, “Compromise to what extent?”
Zhi Ning said, “To the greatest extent. Make him not attend the anti-Zhi Li gathering, so that the officials opposing Zhi Li continue to be a dragon without a head. And make him publicly acknowledge that the king’s death has nothing to do with Brother Zhi Li, making him indirectly acknowledge Brother Zhi Li’s ascension! Not only that, you can also have him relay to Gao Yin and Hei Ning Qi that they cannot prevent Zhi Li from entering the royal palace for the coronation ceremony, or else they will kill us mother and child.”
Tu Ling Duo’s face twitched and she said, “Such excessive conditions, would they agree? Would they yield the entire throne for merely a child?”
Zhi Ning said, “Impossible for others, but completely possible with Suo Lun! If we mother and child die at your hands, the mad Suo Lun will certainly tear Zhi Li and you into ten thousand pieces. And he will also absolutely not forgive Zhi Yan and Zhi Ting, because the child will have indirectly died at their hands. Zhi Yan can temporarily lose this throne, but she absolutely cannot lose Suo Lun’s support.”
Tu Ling Duo said, “I still do not believe that Gao Yin and Zhi Ting would make such great compromises for this child?”
Princess Zhi Ning said, “Then try it. Bring Zhi Ting here.”
Tu Ling Duo looked at Princess Zhi Ning for a long time, then turned and walked out of the secret chamber!
After she had completely left, Zhi Ning once again collapsed to the ground, her entire person seeming to have lost half her life.
At this moment the baby was still crying until he could barely catch his breath. Zhi Ning’s heart ached as if being twisted. She held the baby in her embrace, gently patting and comforting him.
“Sister-in-law, are you alright?” Zhi Ning asked while crying.
“I am fine.” Fang Qing Zhuo struggled to get up and came over to help comfort the baby.
……
Over an hour later, Duke Zhi Ting appeared in the secret chamber of the high tower in the Zhi Du Sacred Hall, and saw Zhi Ning with her child, and Fang Qing Zhuo.
He had lost a circle of weight, but was still quite fat.
“Duke Zhi Ting, the child before your eyes is Suo Lun’s biological flesh and blood.” Tu Ling Duo said.
Then, she walked to Zhi Ning’s side, took out a sharp dagger and waved it before the child, as if she might stab down at any moment. This instantly frightened Zhi Ting into a violent shudder.
Tu Ling Duo said, “You also know that what follows is an absolute life-and-death struggle. If Lord Zhi Li retreats half a step, he will die without burial. And once we die, we will certainly drag Suo Lun’s flesh and blood down with us as companions in death. Before dying, I will certainly entrust you to deliver the child’s head before Suo Lun.”
The moment these words were spoken, Duke Zhi Ting directly collapsed to a sitting position on the ground.
Once such a thing happened, how many people would Suo Lun kill? A hundred thousand? A million?
Everyone related to this matter would be killed clean, including him, Zhi Ting. Suo Lun was certainly capable of such a thing.
Duke Zhi Ting said in a trembling voice, “I…… I will not attend the anti-Zhi Li gathering, and even less will I lead the ministers to oppose Zhi Li. I will stay in my ducal mansion and not step outside by a single step.”
Tu Ling Duo said, “Not enough. You must also support Lord Zhi Li in ascending the throne as king?”
“Impossible!” Duke Zhi Ting said, “At worst, after I return, I will directly take a dose of poison and end my own life. I absolutely will not do this.”
Tu Ling Duo immediately placed the dagger on the child’s pink and tender neck.
Instantly, Zhi Ning immediately covered the baby’s eyes, not letting him see such a terrifying scene.
Duke Zhi Ting directly burst into tears, saying, “Kill me, kill me. Death ends all troubles.”
Tu Ling Duo said, “Otherwise take one step back. You publicly declare that Lord Zhi Li has nothing to do with the king’s death, and you absolutely do not believe that Lord Zhi Li would murder his sovereign.”
This condition was too unreasonable. Zhi Ting still could not agree!
Tu Ling Duo’s stunningly beautiful face smiled, then she grabbed the baby’s small hand and said, “If you will not even agree to this condition, then I can only chop off one small hand as a gift for you. I wonder if you will like it?”
Then, she raised the dagger, making a motion to strike down.
“Alright, I agree, I agree……” Duke Zhi Ting cried out loudly, desperately clutching his heart, feeling as if he might convulse and faint.
Tu Ling Duo said, “I also want you to relay to Gao Yin and Hei Ning Qi that Lord Zhi Li will ascend the throne in the front hall of the royal palace, and I hope the imperial guards will not have any interference.”
“Alright, I agree, I agree……” Duke Zhi Ting clutched his heart and desperately nodded.
Tu Ling Duo sneered, “It seems emotions are truly not a good thing, to actually make a person so passive, completely at the mercy of others. Lord Zhi Li truly miscalculated. At that time during the decisive battle with Suo Lun, he should have brought this baby along. Aren’t Suo Lun’s cannons formidable? Then hold this child and charge in the first rank, and see whether Suo Lun truly dares to fire!”
“Die a terrible death, die a terrible death……” Duke Zhi Ting trembled, “You will all die terrible deaths……”
……
More and more officials gathered at Princess Zhi Yan’s ducal mansion. For them, this was a tremendous speculation!
Zhi Li’s such perverse acts were precisely the time for everyone to stand up for justice. If everyone contributed today to the matter of overthrowing Zhi Li, then when Suo Lun and Zhi Yan returned to the royal capital in the future, rewards would certainly be distributed according to merit.
Of course, everyone had the courage to overthrow Zhi Li while hiding in the crowd.
But to stand up and take the lead in overthrowing Zhi Li, no one had that courage. The gun shoots the bird that sticks its head out. Hiding in the crowd, the law does not punish the masses. Zhi Li could not kill everyone. But whoever dared to stand up and take the lead would certainly be slaughtered.
After waiting for a long time, Duke Zhi Ting still did not appear.
Without a leader, everyone’s confidence in opposing Zhi Li was not strong. At critical moments, there was also no scapegoat.
Finally, countless officials and nobles at the princess’s mansion could wait no longer, and went one after another to Duke Zhi Ting’s mansion.
In the evening, several hundred officials were already kneeling outside Duke Zhi Ting’s mansion, each beating their chests and crying out.
“Duke Zhi Ting, the kingdom has reached its most dangerous moment. You must step forward……”
“Your Grace, there is an evil demon in the state. As the kingdom’s pillar, you must step forward and save the kingdom from collapse!”
“Princess Zhi Yan is absent, Marquis Suo Lun is absent. Your Grace, you must step forward, or else the kingdom will fall into the hands of the evil demon!”
Each person cried until they could barely catch their breath, begging Zhi Ting to come forward and oppose Zhi Li’s ascension.
But not a single person here dared to shout Zhi Li’s name. They repeatedly said “evil demon, evil demon,” yet did not even dare to speak Zhi Li’s name, fearing being remembered by Zhi Li.
If justice could bring benefits, then of course everyone was willing to stand on the side of justice.
But if justice required paying a great price, then one had to consider carefully.
So these officials desperately shouted for Duke Zhi Ting to come out, hoping someone would take the lead, and at critical moments could also block the executioner’s blade for everyone.
Previously in these officials’ mouths, Duke Zhi Ting was a useless fop, the dregs of the kingdom. Now he had already become the kingdom’s pillar, the jade pillar supporting the heavens of the kingdom!
In just over an hour, over a dozen officials kneeling outside Duke Zhi Ting’s mansion had cried themselves into fainting, and three had vomited blood.
Several hundred people, their cries shaking the heavens!
Finally, the ducal mansion’s great gate opened, and Duke Zhi Ting finally emerged after being called a thousand times, standing before everyone.
Instantly, everyone rushed forward to kneel, crying loudly, “Your Grace, the Fury Wave Kingdom has reached its most dangerous moment. Princess Zhi Yan is absent, Lord Suo Lun is absent. You must prop up the collapsing heavens and save the kingdom!”
Duke Zhi Ting said, “How to save?”
A noble at the head said, “Lead us to stop the evil demon from stirring up trouble.”
“Stirring up trouble?” Duke Zhi Ting said, “What do you mean by stirring up trouble? Speak more clearly.”
If you do not even dare to speak Zhi Li’s name, and still want to push me out to lead you in opposing Zhi Li?
This noble fiercely gritted his teeth and said, “Stop Zhi Li from ascending the throne as king?”
After speaking, regardless of whether he regretted it or not, in any case he had staked everything and finally spoke Zhi Li’s name.
Duke Zhi Ting said, “On what grounds?”
This noble said, “His Majesty the King was assassinated and died. Certain people have suspicions that cannot be washed clean!”
Here, he shrank back again, saying certain people were suspected.
Duke Zhi Ting said, “Who exactly are these certain people?”
Someone in the crowd shouted, “It is Zhi Li. His Majesty the King was assassinated by him.”
“Hero……” The officials and nobles present applauded for him.
……
Duke Zhi Ting coughed once.
Everyone instinctively quieted down, because they knew Duke Zhi Ting was about to deliver an important speech.
Duke Zhi Ting said in a clear, loud voice, “As everyone knows, last night in the royal palace occurred a shocking case of assassinating the king that made heaven and earth change colour. Many people say this was done by Lord Zhi Li……”
Speaking up to here, Duke Zhi Ting’s gaze turned towards the crowd.
Everyone held their breath and pricked up their ears, waiting for the second half of Duke Zhi Ting’s sentence.
Duke Zhi Ting slowly said, “I absolutely do not believe it! First, Lord Zhi Li is at the southern border city, separated by no less than a thousand li. Wanting to direct the royal palace’s assassination case? How is that possible! Second, Lord Zhi Li is humble and filial. I absolutely do not believe he would be so demented as to assassinate his sovereign father! So, this matter of Lord Zhi Li assassinating the king is completely groundless.”
Zhi Ting’s words swept through everyone’s hearts like a storm!
All officials were completely stunned!
What was happening? What exactly was happening?
Had Duke Zhi Ting defected? Or did Lord Zhi Li have some trump card that forced Suo Lun to compromise?
After Zhi Ting finished speaking, he directly returned to his ducal mansion, tightly closing the great gate with no intention of opening it again!
……
Duke Zhi Ting’s stance swept through the royal capital like a category twelve hurricane!
This leader of the anti-Zhi Li camp, upon whom everyone had pinned their hopes, had actually stepped forward to publicly express support for Zhi Li. Then what hope did everyone else have?
If someone stepped forward again to oppose Zhi Li’s ascension, would that not be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot?
With Suo Lun and Zhi Yan both absent, who were you performing justice for, to be pulled out by Zhi Li as a chicken to scare the monkeys?
Instantly, the officials outside Duke Zhi Ting’s mansion scattered like birds and beasts. Those officials who had vomited half a sheng of blood and fainted to the ground also secretly woke up, mixed into the crowd, and fled, regretting that they had overacted.
After half an hour, the officials standing outside Duke Zhi Ting’s mansion had all disappeared completely clean.
The officials inside Princess Zhi Yan’s mansion had also almost all left.
The officials and nobles who previously repeatedly spoke of the kingdom’s justice and saving the kingdom from collapse had all disappeared.
Duke Zhi Ting looked through the door crack and saw the desolate scene outside returning to its previous deserted state, and shook his head with a sigh.
The kingdom had raised these officials for several decades, and these nobles for over a hundred years. But at the critical moment, not a single person was willing to truly stand up and loyally serve the country in stopping Zhi Li.
This truth truly made one’s heart grow cold!
Actually, what made one’s heart grow cold was not merely this!
Previously, the officials at the princess’s mansion and outside Duke Zhi Ting’s mansion who had repeatedly spoken of upholding the kingdom’s justice and overthrowing Zhi Li, many of them had secretly gone to Zhi Li’s Young Lord’s residence, beating their chests and stamping their feet while cursing Suo Lun’s despicableness, that he had kept secret the king’s death and attempted to pin the great crime of regicide on Lord Zhi Li’s head.
Although Zhi Li was absent, these officials kowtowed before the empty chair, crying out in pain that a kingdom could not be without a ruler for a single day, begging Lord Zhi Li to ascend the throne as king as soon as possible!
……
Night fell, and Zhi Li and Prime Minister Yan Wu Ji rode griffins back to the royal capital!
An incomparably shocking yet incomparably absurd phenomenon appeared.
The moment Zhi Li’s griffin beast landed.
Several hundred to over a thousand officials inside the Young Lord’s residence immediately knelt to the ground, wailing loudly, their mouths speaking only one sentence.
“A kingdom cannot be without a ruler for a single day. We beg Lord Zhi Li to ascend the throne as king as soon as possible!”
“A kingdom cannot be without a ruler for a single day. We beg Lord Zhi Li to ascend the throne as king as soon as possible!”
Both Zhi Li and Prime Minister Yan Wu Ji were stunned!
When Yan Wu Ji left the royal capital, there were still very few officials and nobles inside the Young Lord’s residence, while there were many people on Zhi Yan’s side.
At least seventy percent of the officials and nobles in the entire royal capital were opposing Zhi Li, even shouting to fight and kill, repeatedly saying there was an evil demon in the state and such.
By evening when they returned, unexpectedly over seventy percent of officials had come to the Young Lord’s residence to kneel and beg Zhi Li to ascend the throne as king, and repeatedly cursed Suo Lun’s despicableness, that he had actually attempted to pin the great crime of regicide on Lord Zhi Li’s head.
Moreover, a very large portion of these were the same group of people. In the morning they shouted to overthrow Zhi Li, and in the evening they shouted to overthrow Suo Lun, kneeling to beg Lord Zhi Li to ascend the throne as king.
Some even took an even more extreme tone. Previously they had said Suo Lun staged the false appearance of assassinating the king to frame Zhi Li, but later they simply changed it to Suo Lun assassinating the king.
The nobles and officials of the entire royal capital ran to the Young Lord’s residence to kneel and beg Zhi Li to ascend the throne, comprising only about seventy percent. Where had the other thirty percent gone?
They were not at Zhi Yan’s princess’s mansion either, but hiding at home playing the ostrich, not making a sound, not expressing a stance.
In just one day, the situation had completely reversed!
And all these dramatic changes were due solely to Duke Zhi Ting’s public stance.
The trick of calling a deer a horse and reversing black and white was directed by Zhi Li with one hand, but when it truly happened, he was still stunned.
It actually had an even better effect than he had imagined.
This was clearly a deer, yet several hundred to over a thousand clever people present spoke with one voice, saying this was a horse.
Even fools knew that last night it was Zhi Li who assassinated the king. Yet several hundred to over a thousand people spoke with one voice, saying this was Suo Lun’s scheme, and even that Suo Lun had assassinated the king.
Zhi Li was truly somewhat dazed, feeling that the scene before his eyes was truly bizarre and fantastic.
His reversing black and white had actually succeeded! His plan to assassinate the king and forcibly ascend the throne was originally nine deaths and one life, yet it was also about to succeed.
At this moment, he could not help but say to Prime Minister Yan Wu Ji beside him, “They say the mouths of nobles and officials are like prostitutes’ rear ends. Now it seems they are not even as good as prostitutes’ rear ends. Their rear ends are only used for defecating, but these people’s mouths not only defecate, but also eat it back.”
……
From this point on, the nobles and officials of the entire royal capital had only one voice: a kingdom cannot be without a ruler for a single day, kneeling to beg Lord Zhi Li to ascend the throne as king!
That very night, officials wept blood while kneeling to beg Zhi Li to ascend the throne as king.
Zhi Li refused three times. As a result, one noble fiercely crashed his head against the wall, and instantly blood gushed forth, incomparably tragic.
At the same time, more officials and nobles removed the hats from their heads, threatening that if Zhi Li did not agree they would crash into the wall and die.
With no other choice, Zhi Li could only agree with tears in his eyes.
Early the next morning!
Zhi Li, together with all civil and military officials and all nobles, under the protection of the city defence army, grandly proceeded towards the royal palace.
Fang Qing Zhuo was dressed in splendid attire, in brocade and gorgeous clothes, following beside Zhi Li as they entered the royal palace!
The impatient coronation ceremony formally began!