Chapter 316: Not Giving Any Face Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
"G.o.ddammit!"
Jiang Yi might not completely understand, but he knew the rough idea. It caused vicious aura to instantly surge out from his heart while his body was bursting with killing aura.
He was originally suspicious that Su Diw.a.n.g"s death was abnormal, but after hearing this report, he had come to realize the truth. Su Diw.a.n.g was probably murdered; otherwise, he wouldn"t be buried in such a hurry and before Su Ruoxue even regained consciousness.
These b.a.s.t.a.r.ds weren"t anywhere to be seen when the Great Xia Kingdom was about to be extinguished, but when it was time to strive for authority and benefits, they were rather fast to act, huh? His eyes flickered a few times before he asked coldly, "Who is Su Heng and Su Yu?"
Old General Lu explained: "These two are His Majesty"s young cousin brothers. You should also know that His Majesty"s heirs have all been killed, and His Majesty has died. According to the rules set by the ancestors, they all have the qualification to inherit the kingdom! During these few days, they have respectively controlled some military and officials. They have argued in the royal court for a few days and had yet to decide who was going to inherit the throne. Thus, they tried to a.s.sa.s.sinate one another yesterday night. Just earlier, the two of their sides were in an argument again. I am afraid if this continued on, they will muster their troops and stage a mutiny…"
"Dog sh*t!"
Jiang Yi was laughing from the extreme anger. What had the Great Xia Kingdom become now? Not only were they not doing their best to stabilize the kingdom, but they were in internal strife instead? How many soldiers did the Great Xia Kingdom have left? About 100,000, right? Would they be happy if all these soldiers were to perish?
The six influential forces had a three-year promise with Jiang Yi. So what if they ascended to the throne? What if Jiang Yi decided to ignore them three years later? Even he if was to help, what if he didn"t have the strength? Who would be able to withstand against an army of a million soldiers? Was that throne truly so attractive?
Jiang Yi remained silent for a moment and asked the crucial question, "Is there any evidence that proved that the two of them murdered His Majesty?"
"None!"
General Lu shook his head and replied, "We were all busy securing the military"s heart and taking over the cities. His Majesty was doing fine, and so we didn"t have time to worry about him either. The two dukes have both visited His Majesty. We do not know who is the one who did it. Of course… His Majesty might have pa.s.sed away from natural causes."
"Let them fight then!"
Jiang Yi muttered for a moment and snorted with a wave of his hand. "General Lu, I am an outsider; and it wouldn"t be good if I am to interfere with this matter. You do your best to restrain the military. If they are able to kill one another, the surviving one shall be the King. This wretched matter of your Great Xia Kingdom is something that I do not wish to meddle with; neither can I meddle with!"
This was a ruined va.s.sal kingdom, and one that might be extinguished at any time. Jiang Yi truly didn"t have any intention to get involved. This was another clan"s internal affairs, and it wouldn"t be good for him to be involved. If there was evidence, he would be able to step in and take revenge for Su Diw.a.n.g. Right now, General Lu didn"t have any evidence; and Su Ruoxue had yet to regain consciousness, too. It naturally wasn"t good for him to get involved.
"This…"
General Lu"s expression changed as he looked impatiently at Jiang Yi and pleaded. "Lord Jiang, you have the utmost prestige in the kingdom and the military. If you are to step in, Summer Rain City will surely be settled. The Great Xia Kingdom has already suffered a huge loss; we cannot have another one! This useless general isn"t up to par and isn"t able to suppress the two dukes."
"Then who do you think is most suitable to take the throne?"
Jiang Yi was a little impatient as he spoke casually, "Tell me a name, and I will pa.s.s the word that I will support his ascension. The Great Xia Kingdom is already in this state; what is there to struggle for?"
"Me?"
General Lu"s body shook with fright. Jiang Yi actually gave him the authority to decide?
In other words… if he decided to support someone, that person would be the next king of Great Xia Kingdom. He would then become the right-hand man of the next king.
General Lu suddenly gulped down his saliva and took deep breaths. He pondered for a long time and finally gritted his teeth to reply. "Lord Jiang, I do not know who to support. Because… these two dukes are known for their hedonistic behaviors. If either one of them ascended, it would be a misfortune for the Great Xia Kingdom."
Jiang Yi knitted his brows. The two of them wanted to strive for the throne as soon as Su Diw.a.n.g was dead. It proved that they were truly bad in character. He then asked again, "Other than them, is there no one else?"
"None!"
General Lu shook his head and said, "Apart from Princess Ruoxue, His Majesty"s heirs are all murdered. The late King only has these two dukes. According to the ancestor"s rules, only the two of them are qualified to inherit the throne."
"However…"
General Lu"s eyes suddenly lit up as he looked at Su Ruoxue, who was lying on the bed, and said, "My Lord, if Princess Ruoxue is willing, perhaps she might be able to inherit the throne. With Princess Ruoxue"s capability, I am sure the Great Xia Kingdom will be restored quickly."
"Ruoxue?"
Jiang Yi"s straight brows lifted as he asked coldly, "Can a woman inherit the throne? Is there such a rule stated by the ancestors?"
"There isn"t."
General Lu spoke awkwardly, "But if Lord Jiang supports Princess Ruoxue for the ascension—even if the royal court tries to object, you will be able to suppress it."
"Don"t bother!"
Jiang Yi shook his hand resolutely. "That throne can be given to whoever that wants it. I will not support Ruoxue for the ascension. Alright now, you shouldn"t bother about this matter. Go control the troops and don"t allow anything significant to happen. Let them struggle however they like."
What a joke!
Su Ruoxue was Jiang Yi"s exclusive woman; how could he allow her to be the ruler of the ruined Great Xia Kingdom? To put herself in public eyes and to exhaust herself in reviving the Great Xia Kingdom? Jiang Yi couldn"t bear that. He planned to bring Su Ruoxue faraway from here and seclude themselves.
"Sigh!"
General Lu let out a deep sigh and saluted before he left helplessly. Jiang Yi couldn"t be bothered and secluded himself in cultivation again.
In the end…
One hour later, there was an announcement that echoed from the outside. "Duke Su Heng is requesting for an audience!"
Jiang Yi"s mind thought quickly and immediately understood the intention of this duke, but he was hesitating whether to meet him or not. A middle-aged man wearing an official"s robe actually walked in right away and bowed deeply while greeting, "Su Heng pay his respects to Lord Jiang!"
The opposition was very polite, and Jiang Yi couldn"t just greet him with an indifferent face. He stood up and just nodded while saying, "Let"s go out and talk. Do not disturb Ruoxue."
"En. This Duke has witnessed how this Ruoxue child grew up myself. Fortunately, Lord Jiang was around to reverse the predicament. I believe she will be regaining her consciousness soon."
Su Heng nodded seriously—while groaning and moaning—as he followed Jiang Yi outside. Once he walked out of the main hall, he gave Jiang Yi another deep bow and spoke in a stern expression, "Su Heng represents all the citizens in the Great Xia Kingdom and thank Lord Jiang for the great favor. Without Lord Jiang, the Great Xia Kingdom will never be able to escape this calamity, and Su Heng would have been smashed into pieces. Lord Jiang will always be the benefactor of the Great Xia Kingdom. The future descendants of the Great Xia Kingdom will always have the great deeds of Lord Jiang Yi carved in their memory. This Duke has ordered his men to construct a statue of Lord Jiang in the city plaza—for all the citizens of the Great Xia Kingdom to worship…"
Su Heng let out a long speech while his eyes and face were revealing sincere grat.i.tude, which made Jiang Yi embarra.s.sed. Jiang Yi didn"t want to save the Great Xia Kingdom; he came solely for Su Ruoxue. If it wasn"t for Su Ruoxue, he couldn"t be bothered with the Great Xia Kingdom.
After giving his speech, Su Heng"s tonality changed immediately into a voice that was deeply worried. "My Lord, you do not know something! After the Great Xia Kingdom suffered a huge loss, we have a thousand things to do; and the citizens do not have any way of getting by. Many of the citizens in the cities are starving and in poverty. My King Brother"s corpse isn"t even cold yet, but there are people that do not weigh the situation properly and are eyeing the throne. This Duke has suffered numerous a.s.sa.s.sinations, and if it wasn"t for the sake of all the citizens in the Great Xia Kingdom, I would rather have died along with my King Brother…"
As Su Heng spoke, he actually shed tears emotionally; but Jiang Yi was getting impatient and feeling upset.
If you were truly thinking for the Great Xia Kingdom, why couldn"t you take a step back and support Su Yu? If you were truly worried for the citizens of the Great Xia Kingdom, what were you struggling for? You should first stabilize the Great Xia Kingdom; would the kingdom fall without a ruler for a single day? Bulls.h.i.t!
When Jiang Yi saw Su Heng giving his "speech" in pretense, Jiang Yi shook his hand impatiently and said, "Duke Su Heng, I do not wish to bother in your matters. Neither should the two of you come looking for me. I only have one request. Do not make a din all the way to Drifting Snow Palace; otherwise, don"t blame Jiang n.o.body for not giving any face."