Chapter 311: His Majesty and Head Commander in the whirlpool
No emperor would want to receive a reputation for being cruel and heartless. If the monarch of a nation could be cold and ruthless to his own imperial clansmen, how well could this person treat the people of the world? The imperial clansmen obstructed Ning Xiaoyao right on the street and asked for a decree to leave the capital because they assumed that Ning Xiaoyao would give them their way in order to leave a meritorious reputation after his death. However, the imperial clansmen had absolutely not expected that the reigning emperor was innately shameless…
"Second Young Master," Ning Xiaoyao told Pei Yan, "I'll have to trouble you to make a trip and send the imperial clansmen back to the imperial palace."
Pei Yan asked, "To where in the imperial palace?"
"Hall of Punishment," Ning Xiaoyao uttered those three words.
"Your Majesty!" As soon as Prince Xi heard the three words 'Hall of Punishment', he completely broke down. The imperial clansmen had spies in the imperial palace. They were well aware that Second Prince had died in the Hall of Punishment. Now that His Majesty also wants to incarcerate them in the Hall of Punishment, could he want their lives as well as their assets and privileges?
"Don't force me to beat someone." Ning Xiaoyao glanced at Prince Xi whose body weakly turned limp. "We still haven't finished fighting the war. There are only three places that are safe in the imperial palace. You think you can stay at the Empress Dowager's palace? Supreme Splendor Hall is also not a place you all can stay, so that leaves only the Hall of Punishment. If you find the name 'Hall of Punishment' unpleasant to the ears, then you can just change the name."
By now, the imperial clansmen also realized that His Majesty was not capable of human speech. No matter what name you change it to, it's still a place to imprison people right?!
"This subject accepts the decree." Pei Yan bowed to Ning Xiaoyao and accepted the decree.
"Mhm." Ning Xiaoyao nodded with a long face. This time, she didn't pay attention to what the imperial clansmen were yelling from behind her. Ning Xiaoyao simply turned around and got onto the sedan.
"Escort His Majesty back to the palace." Pei Yan instructed the two deputy generals beside him.
The two deputy commanders hurriedly nodded.
Two soldiers raised the sedan and everyone escorted Ning Xiaoyao as they continued to walk towards the imperial palace.
Pei Yan randomly beckoned to a group of troops and horses. He told Prince Xi and Prince Qi, "Both princes, please."
Prince Xi pointed his finger at Pei Yan and was about to berate him. Pei Yan didn't give Prince Xi a chance to open his mouth and rebuke people. He commanded, "Take him away."
The soldiers had heard His Majesty's words just now. Even His Majesty is shameless, so why would they have to be courteous to these imperial princes? The soldiers swarmed forward and took away the pampered imperial clansmen. Those who resisted were directly carried away.
The party continued to move along the direction of the imperial palace. However, before Ning Xiaoyao had returned to the palace, the news of His Majesty reclaiming assets and privileges of the clansmen had already spread throughout the entire capital.
"The people in the city didn't even leave!" Ning Xiaoyao stood below the stairs at Supreme Splendor Hall and stared at First Young Master Ning and Lord Protector with a dazed face. "How did this news spread? Does this mean every single person now knows that I'm born shameless?"
The people below the stairs: … That's not the main point, right?
"Has Old Gramps gone home?" Ning Xiaoyao lowered her voice as she asked with her heart full of hope.
First Young Master Ning said, "Your Majesty, what about Xie Wenyuan?"
"Eh, he escaped." Ning Xiaoyao replied, "He was rescued by the rebel forces. Supreme Commander and General Xu have taken troops and left for Xiang City."
"He was rescued by who?" Lord Protector asked incredulously.
"The rebel forces, also known as the roving bandits," Ning Xiaoyao explained.
Lord Protector stood there blankly for a very long time. Finally, he clenched his fists and cursed in rage, "Damn it!"
First Young Master Ning said, "It looks like the rebels are worried that His Majesty would focus on dealing with them after killing Xie Wenyuan."
"Xiang Nong thinks that he can obtain benefits with Xie Wenyuan alive?" Lord Protector fumed.
"He wants to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. He wants to be the ultimate siskin*, the last one standing." First Young Master Ning said in a low voice.
Ning Xiaoyao said, "Big Bro Ning, both you and Supreme Commander said the same thing."
"Can Supreme Commander block off Xie Wenyuan at Xiang City?" Lord Protector asked.
Ning Xiaoyao spread out her hands. Who knows?
"I guess we can only do our best and leave the rest to heaven's will." First Young Master Ning murmured.
Both Lord Protector and Ning Xiaoyao didn't like this response. Isn't leaving one's fate to heaven tantamount to waiting for death? They exchanged glances with each other. Yet, Ning Xiaoyao and Lord Protector also couldn't find any words to refute First Young Master Ning. Does this mean they really have to depend on fate?
"Damn it," Lord Protector cursed again.
Ning Xiaoyao opened her mouth and wanted to follow him in cursing a few words. At this moment, the sound of a roof collapsing could be heard in Supreme Splendor Hall. 'Bang!' The floor under everyone's feet shook thrice.
"What's going on?" Ning Xiaoyao jumped in fright and yelped.
"The palace hall's bedroom has collapsed!"
Shouts could be heard from within Supreme Splendor Hall. Along with these sounds of shouting was the deafening sound of walls and roofs collapsing again.
"Ahhhhhh——" Ning Xiaoyao hugged her head and cried out continuously as she ran up the stairs to Supreme Splendor Hall. Her palace hall's bedroom ah!
By the time everyone below the stairs had returned to their senses, Ning Xiaoyao had already dashed into Supreme Splendor Hall.
"Are there still rebel troops?" Lord Protector was bewildered.
The Dragon Guards at the side all had embarrassed faces. The palace hall's bedroom ultimately still collapsed.
"What's going on?" First Young Master Ning looked at the Dragon Guard and asked.
"The palace hall's bedroom is flooded." replied a Dragon Guard.
"What did you say?" Lord Protector doubted his own ears again. Where did Supreme Splendor Hall get this much water from? It was enough to flood the palace hall's bedroom?
"His Majesty competed with Supreme Commander in martial arts," the young Dragon Guard had a proud expression on his face as he boasted, "His Majesty smashed the floor such that the underground water flowed out."
Lord Protector looked at him. He believed His Majesty could smash the floor until the underground water flowed out. After all, His Majesty had actually tossed a big cannon and destroyed a whole street. "Who won?" Lord Protector asked.
First Young Master Ning covered his mouth and wanted to cough but did not produce a coughing sound in the end. First Young Master Ning strode forward and climbed the stairs. None of the people around his sister seemed normal. Looking at this bunch of fellows, he could already tell how tough his little sister's days had been. (Author: Hey hey, First Young Master Ning, don't be like this~)
Ning Xiaoyao stood in front of the pond. The palace hall's bedroom, garden and enclosing wall no longer existed. Only that old Chinese parasol tree** was still standing tenaciously in the middle of the water.
"We probably can't save this tree too, right?" A Dragon Guard muttered beside Ning Xiaoyao.
There were tears in Ning Xiaoyao's eyes. Shadowgale glared at the Dragon Guard and tried to comfort Ning Xiaoyao, "Your Majesty, it's alright. The tree can't drown to death."
The Dragon Guard: … Bro, are you treating His Majesty as an idiot?
Ning Xiaoyao sniffed. "Really?"
The Dragon Guards became silent. They should still firmly believe that His Majesty was a dashing person who could pierce the heavens and had totally no connections to being an idiot.
"Yes, really, Your Majesty." Head Commander Shadowgale was uttering nonsense brazenly. At any rate, whether this tree was dead or alive, it was impossible for it to settle a score with him.
At this moment, Lord Protector and First Young Master Ning were blocked by Elder Li at the entrance of Supreme Splendor Hall. After Lord Protector paid his greetings to Elder Li, he said, "Elder, I'm going to go check on His Majesty first. Please chat with eldest heir of the Duke first."
First Young Master Ning glanced at Lord Protector and smiled. "This humble one is garrisoned at the frontier and knows extremely little about the matters of the court. It's better for Lord Protector to remain."
As Lord Protector looked at Eldest Young Master Ning's smiling face, there were three words in his mind, 'smiling faced tiger'!
Elder Li didn't have the time to bother about the friction between the two of them. He spoke with a solemn face, "This old man requests to meet His Majesty."
"Elder," Lord Protector blurted, "The palace hall's bedroom has collapsed. His Majesty isn't free to see you now."
Elder Li gave a start. "Why did the palace hall's bedroom collapse?"
Lord Protector repeated the Dragon Guard's original words verbatim for Elder Li to hear. Elder Li exclaimed, "Are you deriving joy from teasing this old man? You think this is the time to joke around? Or did you think that all is well now that Xie Wenyuan is defeated?!"
Lord Protector felt extremely wronged. "It's really true, Elder Li."
"Have you all heard about the matter of reclaiming the clansmen's assets and privileges?" Elder Li didn't drag on the topic about the flooding with Lord Protector but stared at First Young Master Ning and asked.
First Young Master Ning's brows furrowed slightly. He immediately understood what this old gramps was worried about. Why would the Duke of Yue's estate join His Majesty's side without benefits? Could it be that His Majesty was in a hurry to reclaim the assets and privileges as he wanted to distribute the benefits in the hands of the dukes with fiefs to the people who was helping him to deal with Xie Wenyuan?
"If His Majesty wants to reclaim the assets and privileges, how is he going to raise so many imperial clansmen without their fiefs?" Elder Li spoke in a low voice, "Can assets and privileges simply be reclaimed just on a whim? How should the fields be divided afterwards? How would we rearrange their subordinates? Who will be allowed to stay in the princes' residences? All these matters need to be discussed. His Majesty being like this…" Elder Li looked towards Lord Protector again.
Lord Protector was in the middle of pretending that he was dead. No matter what, he couldn't disclose that it was his second brother who egged His Majesty on to follow through with it.
"Go inform for this old man," Elder Li instructed the Dragon Guard next to him. "This subject Li Wuqi requests to meet His Majesty."
The Dragon Guard took to his heels and immediately ran to Supreme Splendor Hall.
Meanwhile, Ning Xiaoyao had jumped into the water. She felt that the big tree would definitely die if it was soaked in the water for too long. (Author: Do you still need to think for this kind of matter? o(╯□╰)o)
Shadowgale could only follow Ning Xiaoyao and jumped into the water as well. "Your Majesty, that is just a tree."
"My house is gone, my garden is gone, my wall is also gone." Half of Ning Xiaoyao's body was steeped in water. She waded in the water to walk over to where the old Chinese parasol tree was. "I still have to lose this tree too?"
So your house is gone, your garden is gone, and your wall is also gone. What else can happen even if another tree is gone?
Shadowgale was incomparably vexed as he followed Ning Xiaoyao. He told Ning Xiaoyao, "If you move a person, he lives. If you move a tree, it dies. Your Majesty, there's no way you can move this tree."
Ning Xiaoyao said, "It's alright. It's okay if you pull it out and plant it again. As long as the roots aren't damaged, the big tree will definitely survive."
"Then I'll find people to pull out the tree," Shadowgale suggested again.
Ning Xiaoyao stood under the Chinese parasol tree. She's already here. Why would he need to find anyone else?
Shadowgale touched the trunk of the Chinese parasol tree. This trunk needs two burly chaps to hug it together. How should this be pulled out?
Ning Xiaoyao rolled up her sleeves and told Shadowgale, "Windy, step back."
"You're going to pull it out alone?" Shadowgale exclaimed. You can't even hug it so how are you going to pull it out?
Ning Xiaoyao clung on the tree with both her hands. She had slowly been recuperating and has recovered about fifty percent of her strength. She certainly had the strength to pull out a big tree.
Shadowgale really couldn't think of another solution, so he turned around to call the other Dragon Guards to get in the water to help out.
However, the Dragon Guards standing at the shore all looked as if they had seen a ghost. They were gawking at something behind Shadowgale. In fact, their mouths were so wide agape that one could stuff two eggs in them. Shadowgale hastily turned his head back. Then, Head Commander Shadowgale saw that His Majesty was lifting the tree from the ground.
"Be strong, okay." Ning Xiaoyao was also talking to the old Chinese parasol tree while pulling, "We'll change to another place to stay at. I'll find you a place where the sunlight is abundant, the soil is fertile and where everything is great."
As the old Chinese parasol tree's colossal twining roots gradually left the ground, the water began to whirl towards the place where the old Chinese parasol tree had rooted itself. Furthermore, it was spinning faster and faster.
"Your Majesty!" Shadowgale felt that something was wrong. He reached out his hand to pull Ning Xiaoyao away at once.
Ning Xiaoyao also felt that things weren't quite right. The ground should be filled with water but why was the water still circulating in this direction? The ground is empty?
"Your Majesty!" The Dragon Guards on shore also started to panic. They jumped into the water one after another and rushed towards where Ning Xiaoyao was.
The pond had now formed a gargantuan whirlpool. The centre of the whirlpool was where Ning Xiaoyao and Shadowgale were standing. It was about to swallow them both.
*An image for your reference Eurasian Siskin
**Click here for an image of Chinese Parasol Tree
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Note: This chapter took FOREVER. WHY IS IT SOOOOO LONGGGGG? SAVE MEEEEE. *cries* Please be patient because it takes me so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so many hours to edit/check/go through each chapter. It feels like it will never end.