Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 831: Li Xingsheng & Ling Yuezi Extra (03): Official Appointment
This news was truly shocking.
Ling Xingyun was taken aback, "Ah Jie, is what you said true?"
Ling Yuezi nodded, "Back then, you were injured and fell down the cliff. I wanted to find you, but then a group of pursuers came. Mother protected me from behind to allow me to escape, and those men..." Ling Yuezi’s eyes reddened, "Over ten big men, wielding knives, came at Mother, a frail woman. Mother angrily shouted, ’Prince Ping, a traitor, kills the Emperor’s family; he will surely face divine retribution.’ That was the title given to the Regent King back then, exactly Prince Ping!"
Ling Xingyun’s face grew increasingly pale, "Mother..." He trembled at the corners of his mouth and began to cry, "Is Mother gone like that?"
"Luo Yifu was gravely wounded. To protect us, Mother pushed Luo Yifu and me off the cliff. At the bottom of the cliff, I heard Mother’s anguished cries and voices above saying they couldn’t let us escape, they wanted us dead or alive! Luo Yifu and I dared not cry out and hid in the bushes. The sky was dim, and the pursuers couldn’t find us. After they left, Luo Yifu and I climbed up the cliff and lit a torch to see. Mother was already...dead, with many knife wounds, bleeding heavily."
Ling Yuezi could not continue.
She lowered her eyelids, tears continuously flowed downward.
To prevent Mother from being left alone in the wilds, Ling Yuezi and Luo Zhencuan cremated Mother’s body into ashes.
Wherever she went, she carried Mother’s ashes with her.
This time returning, she also brought back Mother’s ashes, now placed in the bedroom of the Bright Moon Palace.
Ling Xingyun sobbed, "Mother..., Mother..."
Ling Yuezi recalled something, "Ah Di, what happened afterward? After you fell off the cliff, what happened next?"
When people from the Nanyue Imperial Palace suddenly found Feihu Village and told her that her brother was still alive, saved by the Regent King, she knew things wouldn’t be simple.
The person who launched the coup wasn’t apparently the Regent King, but the mastermind surely was the Regent King!
When Mother led them to flee, she mentioned why the coup took place in the palace.
Ah Di was only five then and didn’t understand, but she at ten years old did, as well as Luo Zhencuan.
Prince Ping held military power and was adept at winning hearts.
Gradually, he replaced most of the court officials with his people. Coupled with his military power, his ambition began to grow, and he started coveting the throne.
Ultimately, when the late Emperor fell ill and bedridden, Prince Ping could not contain himself.
One day, the Imperial Guard suddenly stormed into the palace, and their father was killed amid the chaos.
The leader of the Imperial Guard was a person under Prince Ping.
Mother took them and several trusted guards to escape from the palace, taking advantage of the night and chaos. Sadly, Mother still died during the chase.
Ling Xingyun wiped away his tears and choked out, "After I fell off the cliff, I knew nothing, maybe I passed out. When I woke up, I found myself being carried on a stretcher by those pursuers, who sent me back to the capital but didn’t give me freedom, keeping me locked up with poor food. I don’t know how long I was imprisoned until Prince Ping came and told me father was dead and I was the new Emperor. Just like that, I became the new Emperor, and everyone then elected Prince Ping as Regent King."
Ling Yuezi realized, "That’s how it was..."
Ling Xingyun added, "But, Ah Jie, I can’t understand, when father was alive, he, as Prince Ping, already held significant power. Now his status is the same as before, why would he launch a coup? What does he seek?"
Ling Yuezi said, "He wants something, of course! Because he wants to be Emperor, but he didn’t anticipate the High Priest’s disagreement, nor the elders’!"
Ling Xingyun blinked, "Why did the High Priest disagree?"
Ling Yuezi continued, "When the Eight Great Kings founded Nanyue Country, the High Priest of Xuanxing Pavilion predicted that only the Ling family members, one of the eight, possessed the Emperor’s fortune. Only by having a Ling family member on the throne could Nanyue Country ensure lasting peace. Hence, the throne was passed down among Ling family members generation after generation. If the people of Xuanxing Pavilion disagreed, Prince Ping’s seizure of Imperial Power would face opposition from all of Nanyue, even if he ascended the throne. Therefore, he had to let others become Emperor while he held real power."
Ling Xingyun nodded, "No wonder, when I was imprisoned, I thought I was going to die, but later they released me and made me the new Emperor. Turns out the High Priest was opposed."
Ling Yuezi’s gaze turned distant, "The High Priest can protect us for a while but not forever. He still wants to seize power and will act sooner or later, seeking ways to disrupt the Ling family’s Emperor’s fortune. Ah Di, you must always be wary of him."
Ling Xingyun was very agitated, "I am a man, I’ll protect myself. But Ah Jie, I am worried about you. Knowing he is evil, why do you return? You must go! He harmed our father and mother, he will surely harm you too."
Due to his agitation, Ling Xingyun’s body began trembling, his speech stuttering, his expression anxious.
Ling Yuezi felt deeply moved.
Her Ah Di was still the same as before, clearly weak, yet always claiming to be a man, always shouting about protecting her.
Back then, when Mother fled with her and Ah Di together, her five-year-old brother often shielded her from incoming arrows.
She was ten years old back then, capable of dodging, needing no cover from a five-year-old child?
He took an arrow for her.
The blood dyed his white robe a deep red.
She was scared to tears, yet he did not cry and kept saying it didn’t hurt.
"No, little brother, elder sister is now very capable, she has come back specifically to protect you!" Ling Yuezi rolled up his sleeve to look at the old wound.
There was still a very conspicuous scar on the upper part of his left arm, a trace left by that arrow back in the day.
Ling Xingyun, seeing her looking at the old scar, started to cry.
He smiled slightly, put down his sleeve and comforted Ling Yuezi, "Elder sister, it’s okay now, it’s just a small scar, it hasn’t hurt for a long time, see, my arm is fine, I can move it freely."
Ling Yuezi wiped her tears, took a deep breath, "In any case, now that I’m here, I won’t leave, I will find a way to drive away Prince Ping! I won’t let him bully you anymore! Moreover, I will avenge our parents!"
Ling Xingyun furrowed his brow, "Elder sister, Prince Ping holds great power, with your status, it’s probably not easy to drive him away! You don’t have an official position."
Ling Yuezi smiled, "Little brother, I don’t have an official position, you can appoint me to one, can’t you? After all, you are the Emperor."
Even a powerless emperor is still an emperor.
As long as he mentioned it, she would find a way to make the decree realized.
Ling Xingyun’s eyes lit up, "Yes, I can appoint elder sister to a high rank. Elder sister, what kind of official do you want to be?"
"Appoint me... as National Guardian General." Ling Yuezi thought for a moment, she said.
She disdained being a civil servant, she wanted to be a military officer.
Moreover, a National Guardian General is a first-rank official, with the authority to mobilize troops at any time.
Ling Xingyun said, "Elder sister, the General must be able to command vast armies, what if they say they want to test you? If you can’t command them, now that it’s the Regent King who commands, he will take away your title."
Ling Xingyun looked at his elder sister worriedly.
Ling Yuezi smiled slightly and patted her little brother’s shoulder, "Don’t worry, little brother, although elder sister has not commanded vast armies, she has commanded a village of hundreds, and has studied how to command vast armies, just trust in elder sister."
Ling Xingyun looked at the resolute gaze of Ling Yuezi, and felt confident, "Hmm, I trust elder sister."
Immediately, Ling Xingyun drafted an imperial decree.
The decree needs to be publicly announced to be effective.
There are the most civil and military officials present during the daily morning court.
Ling Yuezi told Ling Xingyun that it would be best to announce it at that time, and also reminded Ling Xingyun not to leak the information in advance, to prevent the Regent King from acting early and threatening the officials.
If this decree does not get the support of the officials, it will become useless.
Ling Xingyun was young, without much scheming, but not stupid.
After being reminded by Ling Yuezi, he immediately understood, "I understand, elder sister."
He hid the decree in his chest.
The siblings talked for a while, and after Ling Yuezi accompanied Ling Xingyun to have a meal here, she left with her people.
The two palace maids sent by the Regent King stood outside, stretching their necks to eavesdrop, but unfortunately, Ah Qing and Ah Lan were guarding the door, so they couldn’t get near and heard nothing.
Ling Yuezi glanced at them lightly and said, "Back to the Bright Moon Palace."
After they left, others who were secretly watching Ling Xingyun ran to report to the Regent King’s palace.
"Only leaving after talking for so long?" The Regent King squinted his eyes and smiled, "The siblings sure can talk."
"What did they talk about?" The Regent King asked again.
The eunuch’s expression changed suddenly, "This humble one... this humble one... this humble one was too far away to hear clearly, the Emperor doesn’t allow people to come close."
He stammered and couldn’t say anything.
The Regent King smirked, "One doesn’t know, two don’t know, have I raised a bunch of useless people? Even raising pigs can provide meat, what benefits do I get from raising you?"
"Spare my life, Prince, this humble one will make sure to hear clearly next time."
"Remember, don’t let it happen three times, next time if there’s no information, you don’t need to come, just bury yourself." The Regent King said slowly.
Though he spoke slowly, every word carried a lethal intent.
Coupled with his cold gaze, it made people inevitably fearful.
"Yes, yes, there won’t be a next time." The person kowtowed a few times and left trembling.
