The Demon Lords-Chapter 658 - 122 Edict_2

"Regardless, I don't want the Southern Marquis to rebel at this time. If the Situ Family really can't hold back the wild people, and those accursed fiends come attacking, heh, just look at what happened to those enslaved by the wild people in the past—we can well imagine our own fate.

"Frankly, this Southern Marquis has been unnerving from the very start, but over this past year or more, we haven't seen him do anything truly atrocious. Besides, with him here in our Li Tian City, no matter how chaotic it gets outside, I actually feel quite secure."

"Indeed. Times are changing too fast."

"Do you still want this material?"

"Pack it up with the cargo."

"Alright."

"By the way, isn't it ironic? When he slaughtered his entire family, he immediately prepared to set out on an expedition, as if nothing had happened. But when his wife died here, he holed himself up in his mansion and wouldn't come out. It seems his entire family combined still doesn't compare to one wo—Mmmph! Mmmph!"

"Are you courting death? Spouting other nonsense is one thing, but how dare you say something like this? What in the world do you think you are?! If you keep spewing such dangerous words, I'm done doing business with you! You can forget about drinking my tea ever again! I'm terrified you'll get me killed one day!"

...

"Deliver this letter to Yanjing."

"Yes."

Having dispatched the letter, Man Yin, currently the head of the Crown Prince's street organization and secretly an agent for the Sixth Prince, silently gazed out of the second-floor window.

After the failure of the eastern expeditionary army, the Imperial Court had issued several imperial edicts. The two most recent ones were particularly unusual: they were carried by decree-proclaiming eunuchs who also brought imperial gifts, signifying authority equivalent to "the Emperor's esteemed presence."

But the main gate of Lord Jingnan's mansion remained firmly closed.

The Jingnan Army soldiers guarding the gate perfectly embodied the army's creed: they heeded only their Lord's military orders, not the Emperor's edicts.

Two decree-proclaiming eunuchs had already died by smashing their heads against the stone lions outside the mansion after announcing the edict before its closed doors.

Because they carried imperial gifts, they couldn't simply return in disgrace as their colleagues who had previously come to proclaim edicts had done.

The corpses were, of course, disposed of, but blood still seeped from the two stone lions at the mansion's entrance.

Throughout history, whenever a general dared to defy an imperial command in such a manner, it almost invariably signaled a clear intention to rebel.

Yet, the Imperial Court didn't rebuke Lord Jingnan. Instead, it continued to dispatch decree-proclaiming eunuchs, as if offering its right cheek after the left had been slapped.

Recently, Man Yin had been constantly receiving letters from the Crown Prince in Yanjing. These letters inquired about the situation in Li Tian City and even asked about the movements of the Jingnan Army near the city, as well as their preparations for military supplies.

Fool. That was Man Yin's assessment of the Crown Prince.

Of course, the Crown Prince's reaction wasn't necessarily wrong. As heir to the throne, it was natural for him to want to understand the situation in advance. However, at this juncture, even if the entire world believed Lord Jingnan was about to rebel, it could not be stated officially.

Thinking it and saying it aloud are two entirely different matters.

In stark contrast to the Crown Prince's nearly bi-daily barrage of letters, the Sixth Prince hadn't sent a single inquiry about the situation since this affair began.

Presumably, the Sixth Prince already clearly understood the implications of this matter, so he chose not to get involved from the outset. That is true wisdom!

What Man Yin didn't know was that Ji Chengjue had long since been demoted by the Yan Emperor to serve as a mere catchpole in a remote county town. Furthermore, it was publicly announced that the Sixth Prince had fallen ill and was recuperating at home. Wei Zhonghe had orchestrated this, leaving no trace for outsiders to discover.

And the Sixth Prince, now Yan Xiaoliu, naturally couldn't command his intelligence network from such a great distance, nor would he risk doing so.

SIGH...

Man Yin took a sip of Yellow Wine, tossed a few peanuts into his mouth, then rubbed his hands together and remarked, "The weather's turned cold."

...

A eunuch in red official robes, leading a contingent of guards, entered Li Tian City directly through the West Gate. Without any delay, they headed straight for Lord Jingnan's mansion.

Elsewhere, faced with such a decree-proclaiming eunuch, the local populace would typically gather to watch the novelty. Although eunuchs lacked their manhood, everyone understood that those capable of undertaking such an assignment invariably held considerable influence within the palace.

Moreover, for these eunuchs residing in the inner palace, an assignment to proclaim an edict outside the palace was highly coveted—something they'd fight tooth and nail for. The associated perks and benefits were secondary, and frankly, not that important. The most crucial aspect was that no matter how high-ranking a servant was within the palace, they were still, ultimately, a servant. But once outside, with an imperial edict in hand, voilà! They could finally savor the thrill of being a master!

However, for Eunuch Huang, the one proclaiming the edict this time, the experience was vastly different. As he entered the city, the onlookers gazed at him not with the usual awe, but with... pity.

The closer he drew to Lord Jingnan's mansion, the more Eunuch Huang's eyes welled with tears.

This old servant is so bitter, but this old servant cannot speak of it!

In the past, such fine assignments were fiercely contested. Everyone would go to great lengths, even pulling strings and offering favors, to secure one.

But the assignment to proclaim an edict in Li Tian City had become something all the supervising eunuchs in the inner palace went to great lengths to avoid.

If it were merely a matter of Lord Jingnan refusing to accept the Imperial Edict, one could, at worst, return in disgrace, endure the reprimand with gritted teeth, and be done with it.