Part 4
His Majesty raised his hand. Waiting until it was completely quiet, he smiled and said, “The Second Prince was merely playing a joke with everyone just now. I also highly value General Ning, but General Ning is, after all, from an external family. If the Second Prince truly does not wish to be the Crown Prince, we can still discuss it. While the appointment of the Crown Prince is important, it is not as severe as the crisis and call for aid at the border. Therefore, we will temporarily set this matter aside and revisit it once the danger has been neutralized.”
The Second Prince pursed his lips. He had never participated in military affairs and was completely unaware of tonight’s unexpected emergency. He originally thought doing this would directly rip off the royal family’s fig leaf. Who knew he had seemingly made a wrong move.
The Second Prince looked apologetically toward the Ning family. He had originally thought that with Marshal Zong’s support, General Ning’s status, and the military’s backing, it would be enough to force His Majesty to take a step back…
At that moment, His Majesty spoke up again. “Now, Marshal Zong and General Ning, hear your orders! Due to the crisis at the border, you are hereby specially commissioned to immediately prepare and lead troops to eradicate the insect tide threat.”
The Second Prince suddenly looked at him, his face darkening. At this critical juncture, dispatching Marshal Zong alone was more than enough. Why also send General Ning? Was he doing this on purpose?
The Second Prince couldn’t help but be suspicious. After all, His Majesty’s actions were definitely not born of good intentions. He had just proposed making General Ning the Crown Prince, and His Majesty immediately turned around to send the man to the battlefield. Would he even be able to return alive?
While His Majesty acted as if this was a perfectly normal command assignment, the Second Prince immediately dropped to one knee. “This son also wishes to serve. General Ning was wrongfully accused not long ago and his severe injuries have yet to fully heal. It would be better to swap General Ning out and let this son take his place.”
His words caused the already quiet banquet hall to fall into a deathly, graveyard-like silence.
No one dared to speak, but acquaintances immediately exchanged glances. Good heavens, His Majesty clearly harbored ulterior motives due to the Second Prince’s earlier words. Sending General Ning to the border at a time like this meant that, if things went south, he wouldn’t be coming back.
The Second Prince’s move was even more ruthless—if you don’t swap him out, then I’ll take his place. Worst comes to worst, I won’t be the Crown Prince, and I’ll throw my life away too.
A threat. This was directly using his own life to threaten His Majesty.
The crowd watched as His Majesty’s face turned even greener than before. They could even hear the sound of His Majesty grinding his teeth from such a distance. He was obviously absolutely furious. Through several heaving breaths, His Majesty was both enraged and livid.
However, the Second Prince saying this actually put His Majesty’s mind at ease. With his second son having so little desire for power, didn’t that make him the absolute most suitable candidate for heir?
With the former Crown Prince as a cautionary tale, he specifically wanted someone without such vast ambitions. The fact that the Second Prince would rather go to the battlefield than become the Crown Prince made him perfectly suitable. He would absolutely never try to drag His Majesty down out of a desire to claim the throne early.
He was still in the prime of his life. If worst came to worst, and all three sons proved useless, he would simply father another one.
Over the span of a few breaths, His Majesty actually calmed down. Looking at General Ning’s family again, he figured it out. He had simply been too blinded by anger for a moment. The Ning family had never participated in palace power struggles; this time, it was likely just his second son’s solitary idea.
Only then did His Majesty speak up. “The Second Prince is correct. It is true that I did not consider that angle. Since that is the case, Marshal Zong shall lead the troops alone, while General Ning remains on standby on the Capital Star. As for the Second Prince, you have never been on a battlefield, so stop this nonsense. Tonight… we will end it here. Everyone is dismissed.”
After finishing his piece, His Majesty shot a deep look at the Second Prince, flicked his sleeves, and strode away.
The attendant also glanced at the Second Prince before hurrying after him. Although this Second Prince had made quite a scene, His Majesty hadn’t seemed genuinely angry just now. Did this mean the Second Prince could still continue to be the Crown Prince? He was far too lucky, wasn’t he?
The crowd shared the same thought. After all, if His Majesty had truly wanted the Second Prince dead, or had given up on him, he would have simply agreed to let him go. Given the current situation… it was highly likely the Crown Prince position still belonged to the Second Prince.
The Second Prince stood up in a daze. He shot an apologetic look at Ning Yunyi’s family before hurrying after His Majesty. He needed to make sure His Majesty dropped any suspicions against the Ning family.
Ning Yunyi sighed. No wonder the Second Prince had asked him if he wanted to be the Crown Prince during his last visit. It turned out he had intended to yield the Crown Prince position to him from the very beginning. When Ning Yunyi had refused, he simply decided to offer the position to his older brother.
The Second Prince had been confined to the palace for too long, making his thinking too simplistic. While Marshal Zong was currently on their side, His Majesty had been the Emperor for decades. To have sat securely on that throne for so long, it was impossible for him not to have any backup plans.
The reason the former Crown Prince had suddenly succeeded in his scheme was simply because His Majesty had never anticipated the Crown Prince making a move against him, catching him entirely off guard.
With the Second Prince returning to the palace this time, he likely wouldn’t be able to leave again anytime soon. His Majesty would only confine him to the palace, preventing him from coming into contact with them again.
As for suspecting the Ning family, the Second Prince probably only had that worry the moment he spoke. However, his older brother’s rank wasn’t very high, keeping everything well within His Majesty’s control. Their father was a scientific researcher, and Ning Yunyi himself was on academic leave and rarely made public appearances. Upon a moment’s reflection, the possibility of them usurping the throne would be easily ruled out.
As he withdrew his gaze, he saw Zong Hao taking large strides toward him. Wearing his mask, his expression couldn’t be seen, but his long strides clearly indicated that time was short. Once he finished speaking, he would need to head to military headquarters immediately.
Zong Hao stopped in front of Ning Yunyi, practically ignoring the stares of others. He lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear. “While His Majesty likely won’t be overly suspicious tonight, he will still send people to monitor you. Just in case, I am leaving Ichi here. If you need anything, you can contact him.”
Ning Yunyi shook his head. “No need. Just take him with you.”
Zong Hao replied, “He is my commanding officer. In reality, he helps cultivate my trusted confidants. It’s inconvenient to take him along this time, and it’s also a precaution. Keeping him on the Capital Star ensures he’s available for unexpected emergencies.”
Ning Yunyi thought about not putting all his eggs in one basket, so he agreed. “I understand.”
Zong Hao breathed a sigh of relief. He had truly been afraid Ning Yunyi would stubbornly refuse. After some thought, he left behind one final sentence: “I’m leaving… If I can make it back, I want to tell you something.”
Ning Yunyi frowned, laughing out of sheer exasperation. “I’ve truly never seen anyone curse themselves before they even leave.” Even though he felt it was impossible for anything to happen to Zong Hao given his skills, his full recovery, and his extremely high mental power, thinking about the so-called fated omens from the “heavenly dao” mentioned in the book made him purse his lips. He fell silent for a moment, his mood instantly plummeting.
Seeing him like this, Zong Hao actually laughed. “Wait for my return.” With that, he strode toward Ichi, and soon the group departed.
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thank you for the chapter!