At this time, Prince Youming was still following the Rakshasa King in the Yun’e Clan, participating in important affairs of the Demon Clan Alliance’s upper echelon.
Marquis Beiling felt that dealing with Lan Ling alone was more than enough, especially since Lan Ling was so good at courting death.
After returning to Rakshasa City, Marquis Beiling felt that this was still not enough. He needed to make the matter bigger and stir up public outrage. Only then could he pressure the Little Rakshasa King into a corner.
Therefore, he summoned most of the second and third generation members of the Rakshasa Royal Family, as well as the second and third generation members of the elders’ families in Rakshasa City.
Although most of these people did not hold political power, they possessed enormous influence over public opinion.
In a human kingdom, these young people would be equivalent to imperial relatives and aristocrats. In the early Qing Dynasty, they would be equivalent to the Eight Banners aristocracy.
When they heard that Lan Ling had been so aggressive, actually humiliating the Rakshasa Royal Family, killing Princess Yudie, and killing royal family servants, they immediately exploded with rage and followed Marquis Beiling in striking the Hell-Splitting Drum.
In their eyes, the so-called Princess Yudie was nothing more than a fake title. She was merely the adopted daughter of a distant member of the Rakshasa Royal Family. Ultimately, she was still just a maid of Princess Shayan.
To put it in the words of later generations on Earth, “Who do you think you are to have the surname Zhao?”
To put it in the words of the early Qing Dynasty, “You are nothing more than a Han Eight Banners member. You are not even as good as my household slave, yet you want to become a master?”
But even if Yudie were a female dog, she was still a female dog of the Rakshasa Royal Family. And Lan Ling, merely a lowly Near-Human, was still a lowly Near-Human even if he successfully rebelled and became the Flame Demon Banner Lord. He was not even as valuable as a dog of the Rakshasa Royal Family.
Yet now, you actually dared to kill the adopted daughter recognised by the Rakshasa Royal Family, and you even dared to kill servants sent by the royal family?
His crimes were monstrous and unforgivable. His entire clan should be exterminated, even his tenth generation should be exterminated, he should be subjected to a thousand cuts and slowly executed.
None of these descriptions were enough to express the enormity of Lan Ling’s crimes.
Therefore, if the Rakshasa Crown Prince did not send troops to destroy Lan Ling, it would mean surrendering power and humiliating the nation, and it would tarnish the dignity of the Rakshasa Royal Family.
“Send a million troops and destroy Lan Ling!”
“Exterminate Lan Ling’s entire clan and slaughter every bastard in Flame Demon City!”
“If Lan Ling is not killed, the Rakshasa Clan’s prestige will be completely ruined!”
“If Lan Ling is not eliminated, heaven and earth will not tolerate it!”
Several hundred of the most influential young people knelt on the ground and raised their arms, shouting in front of the Little Rakshasa King.
Marquis Beiling knelt on the ground, repeatedly bowing his head as he presented his case, his eyes filled with satisfaction and coldness.
He felt that this move of his was brilliant. He did not know the saying, “Xiang Zhuang practises swordsmanship with Pei Gong as his true target”, otherwise it would have been even more fitting.
On the surface, they were destroying Lan Ling. In reality, they were attacking the Little Rakshasa King.
Behind him stood the entire Rakshasa Royal Family and the descendants of the Rakshasa elders. It was an overwhelming force.
Even someone as noble as the Little Rakshasa King could not suppress this force.
If the Little Rakshasa King refused to kill Lan Ling, it would provoke outrage and place him against the entire Rakshasa Royal Family and the Rakshasa Council of Elders.
But if the Little Rakshasa King killed Lan Ling, he would be humiliating himself, because Lan Ling had been raised up by him and treated as one of his trusted arms.
Marquis Beiling desperately wanted to know how anxious and miserable the Little Rakshasa King was feeling at this moment. He thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of forcing the Little Rakshasa King into a corner.
From this point onwards, no matter what the lofty Little Rakshasa King did, he was destined to lose.
The feeling of defeating the Little Rakshasa King was wonderful. He had always been too arrogant and too irritating, as if he regarded everyone as beneath his notice.
Now it seemed that this Crown Prince was nothing special after all. Previously, he had merely been putting on airs. With a small scheme, Marquis Beiling had already forced him to the edge of a cliff.
……
However, he had truly overestimated himself.
In Marquis Beiling’s eyes, this move was like a deadly cannonball that would inflict a fatal wound on the Little Rakshasa King.
But in the eyes of this Crown Prince, this move was probably… not even worth a pile of shit.
Before he could say anything, Princess Nishang, who was beside him, said coldly, “Beiling, are you trying to rebel?”
Although Nishang did not like Lan Ling, she possessed considerable political sensitivity. She immediately saw that Beiling appeared to be attacking Lan Ling, but his real target was her husband.
Marquis Beiling said, “Princess, the one rebelling is Lan Ling. He dared to kill the Princess Yudie bestowed upon him by our Rakshasa Royal Family, and he even skinned and mutilated the servants of our royal family. He is completely trampling upon the dignity of our Rakshasa Royal Family. His actions are even more serious than rebellion. His entire clan should be exterminated.”
“Lan Ling killed Yudie?” the Little Rakshasa King finally spoke.
“Yes!” Marquis Beiling bowed his head and said, “I beg Your Highness to issue an order to eliminate Lan Ling.”
The Little Rakshasa King said, “I cannot listen to only your side of the story. Men, issue an order to the Flame Demon Banner Lord Lan Ling and have him enter Rakshasa City. He must give me an explanation for this matter, and give the Rakshasa Royal Family an explanation.”
“Yes!”
A moment later, a Black Blood Rider carrying the Little Rakshasa King’s decree flew towards Flame Demon City.
Marquis Beiling sneered inwardly.
In his eyes, the Rakshasa Crown Prince was completely at the end of his rope and was actually trying to use delaying tactics.
He did not realise that the longer this matter was delayed, the more it would ferment, and the more intense public opinion would become.
In the end, the consequences would be even more serious.
The most correct thing for the Little Rakshasa King to do was to act decisively and kill Lan Ling. Although this would mean humiliating himself, it would reduce the impact to the lowest possible level.
At this moment, Marquis Beiling felt that the wisdom and might of the Little Rakshasa King were nothing special after all.
With this thought, there was slightly less respect on Marquis Beiling’s face.
He gave a cold laugh and said, “I believe Your Highness the Crown Prince will certainly give the Rakshasa Royal Family an explanation, and give the dead Princess Yudie an explanation.”
Relying on the hundreds of people supporting him, he was openly and secretly threatening the Little Rakshasa King, trying to make him afraid to protect Lan Ling.
How ridiculous. Previously, the so-called title of Princess Yudie had merely been given to her to deceive Lan Ling. Yet now these people wanted to make the title real, so that Lan Ling’s crime would become even more serious.
Then Marquis Beiling led a group of high-ranking descendants of the Rakshasa Clan away in triumph.
……
Only the Little Rakshasa King and Princess Nishang remained in the hall.
The Little Rakshasa King’s eyes narrowed slightly, and his brows furrowed slightly. He actually showed a trace of difficulty, an expression he had never displayed before.
“Husband, they have come with such ferocity. What should we do?” Princess Nishang said worriedly. “Youming’s move is too vicious. No matter how we respond, we will be wrong.”
The Little Rakshasa King did not respond.
“Lan Ling really is a troublemaker. Husband should never have treated him so well in the first place. It was pointless,” Princess Nishang said angrily.
The Little Rakshasa King closed his eyes and drew patterns in the air with his fingers.
After a while, he opened his eyes.
“Husband, have you thought of a way to deal with this?” Princess Nishang asked.
The Little Rakshasa King was stunned. “What way to deal with it? How could I have thought of one so quickly?”
Princess Nishang said, “But their blade has already reached us. We have no time left.”
The Little Rakshasa King said, “What are you talking about? I am thinking about how to deploy the defences of the Earth Rakshasa Clan.”
Princess Nishang was stunned. She gently punched her beloved husband and said, “Husband, at a time like this, you still have the mind to think about the Earth Rakshasa Clan. How are we going to overcome the crisis in front of us?”
“The crisis in front of us? What crisis?” the Little Rakshasa King asked.
Princess Nishang said, “Youming and Beiling have already put a blade to our throats. How are we going to get through this crisis?”
“Oh, this matter?” the Little Rakshasa King laughed. “This is such a trivial matter. How could I have the time to think about it?”
“This is still a trivial matter? The entire royal family and the entire Council of Elders are standing behind them. If you handle this slightly incorrectly, it could bring you a huge crisis,” Princess Nishang said. “Moreover, they hold the moral high ground. No matter what we do, we lose. The only difference is whether we lose badly or less badly.”
“Hahaha…” The Little Rakshasa King rarely laughed so loudly. “My foolish Nishang, they are merely a rabble. They are not worth mentioning.”
Princess Nishang asked doubtfully, “Have you already thought of a way to deal with it?”
“Of course.”
“How?”
The Little Rakshasa King said, “Tomorrow, Lan Ling will definitely turn the tables and put the blame on Beiling. We will join forces to accuse Beiling of seducing the wife of a Banner Lord, break his hands and legs, and use him as a warning to others. Then no one will dare to step forward. Whoever does, we kill.”
Princess Nishang’s little mouth opened, and it remained open for a long time before she finally closed it.
“Husband, this… this is your plan?”
“Yes…” the Little Rakshasa King said.
Princess Nishang said, “But if you do that, you will completely offend the Rakshasa Council of Elders and the senior members of the royal family, especially Uncle Wang Mokan.”
The Little Rakshasa King said, “My little Nishang, if the direction of the Demon Empire Unified Front’s attack is the Earth Rakshasa Clan, and I make the necessary deployments in advance to avoid the terrifying situation of the Earth Rakshasa Clan rapidly falling, giving the Demon Clan Alliance a chance to catch its breath, what kind of situation will that create?”
Princess Nishang said, “The six Demon Kings are all wrong, and you are right. Your achievement will be too great, making you stand out too much, and everyone will become jealous of you.”
The Little Rakshasa King said, “There is a saying that great merit cannot be rewarded. If I achieve such a great accomplishment, how will Father and the six Demon Kings reward me? At that point, I need to commit a major offence to restore the balance, allowing Father to scold me a few times so that my merits and faults cancel each other out. Otherwise, how can Father and the other Demon Kings step down gracefully?”
Princess Nishang said, “What if you are wrong? What if the first target of the Heavenly Rakshasa King’s conquest is not the Earth Rakshasa Clan, but our Rakshasa Clan?”
The Little Rakshasa King shook his head. “There is no what if. Fine, as you said, suppose the Heavenly Rakshasa King’s first target is our Rakshasa Clan. In the face of an existential disaster, what does breaking Beiling’s hands and legs matter? At that time, the entire clan will have to unite against the external enemy. Any behaviour that undermines unity will be regarded as the greatest crime. Beiling and Youming are trying to create internal turmoil within the royal family at this critical moment. That is a lack of unity and a failure to see the bigger picture.”
Princess Nishang was stunned, then glared fiercely at her husband and said, “You are so annoying. Why didn’t you tell me this earlier? You made me worry all day for nothing. I hate it when you act as if everyone else is an idiot.”
Then she pouted her charming little lips and asked for a kiss.
Women often say one thing while meaning another. She clearly enjoyed this feeling the most. She wished that everyone in the world were a fool, while her husband alone was the smartest.
After kissing until they were both breathing heavily, Princess Nishang suddenly said, “Husband, do you think Lan Ling knows all this?”
“He… of course he knows,” the Little Rakshasa King said. “This man is as clever as I am, but he is much more sinister than me, and much crazier.”
……
Princess Shayan’s residence!
All the precious jade objects inside had already been smashed to pieces.
No words could describe Princess Shayan’s anger.
That bastard Lan Ling, how dare he? How dare he?
Yudie was her most beloved maid. She had followed Lan Ling to Flame Demon City for less than ten days, yet he had actually killed her.
Although the title of Princess Yudie had no real substance, she was still an adopted daughter recognised by the royal family. Lan Ling had killed her just like that. How could he possibly have regarded the Rakshasa Royal Family with any respect? How could he possibly have regarded her, Princess Shayan, with any respect?
It was a complete and utter trampling of her dignity and the dignity of the entire royal family.
In her fury, Princess Shayan smashed everything in her residence.
If Lan Ling were standing in front of her at this moment, she really would have drawn her sword and torn him to pieces.
But immediately afterwards, she heard that Marquis Beiling had led several hundred high-ranking descendants to the Little Rakshasa King’s residence and had even sounded the Hell-Splitting Drum.
She forced herself to calm down because she immediately sensed that this involved the struggle between Prince Youming and the Little Rakshasa King for the position of Crown Prince. She absolutely could not get involved and become a tool in their conflict.
It had to be said that Princess Shayan still possessed basic political sense in this regard.
After hearing that Marquis Beiling had already led his people away, Princess Shayan angrily entered the Little Rakshasa King’s residence and knelt directly before him.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, please give Yudie justice, give me justice, and give the Rakshasa Royal Family justice.”
The Little Rakshasa King said, “You also want me to execute Lan Ling? Then you will become a widow.”
Princess Shayan said, “I would rather become a widow than have him torn to pieces.”
The Little Rakshasa King said, “Very well. Tomorrow, Lan Ling will enter the royal city. At that time, a good show will be performed for you, but you must promise me that you will only watch and not say anything. Can you do that?”
Only watch the show and not say anything? What did that mean?
The Little Rakshasa King said, “If you remain silent, I may only need to kill dozens of people. But if you say anything, I may have to kill everyone. Do you understand?”
As soon as these words were spoken, Princess Shayan’s delicate body trembled.
“Yes!”
She then replied in a trembling voice.
The Little Rakshasa King said, “To prevent you from doing something foolish and causing irreversible losses, stay in my residence and do not go outside.”
“Yes!” Princess Shayan said.
……
Inside Flame Demon City.
Lan Ling received the decree ordering him to enter Rakshasa City and explain the matter of killing Princess Yudie.
Immediately, the Black Demon Banner Lord, Suo Mo, and the other senior figures became deeply worried. They advised Lan Ling not to go to Rakshasa City, fearing that this time he might never return.
Only Lan Ling laughed loudly and said, “I didn’t expect that I would enter the stage of Rakshasa City so soon. I have only been away for a few days.”
Then he reassured them, “Everyone, don’t worry. There is no danger in my going there this time. I am merely joining forces with the Little Rakshasa King to cut off one of Prince Youming’s outstretched hands, and conveniently kill a group of people.”
Half an hour later, Lan Ling rode a three-headed Chimera beast and flew towards Rakshasa City, joining the Little Rakshasa King in putting on a grand performance.
Of course, to him and the Little Rakshasa King, it was merely a performance.
But to their enemies, it was a bloody reality!