The Demon Lords-Chapter 740 - 161: Pillar Stone_1

Upon hearing Zheng Fan's statement, Xue Three did not think their lord was being shameless. Instead, he proposed, "My lord, our General Mansion can be constructed right by the north gate. In future propaganda, we can claim that the Zheng Clan guards the gate of the country, sharing the fate of Snow Sea Pass!"

Even the most unscrupulous thought can be made to feel 'pleasant to the eyes' when stamped with the seal of righteousness.

"That's right, that's right. Very good." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

General Zheng easily accepted this suggestion.

Then, as if remembering something, he said, "San'er, tomorrow, lead a team to the Snow Plains and bring the Eldest Prince back."

"Yes, sir, I understand."

The Eldest Prince had successfully completed his task. During the siege, there was no war on the north side of Snow Sea Pass, which tremendously aided the southern defense.

Zheng Fan looked towards the Snow Plains to the north, feeling somewhat emotional as he said, "Ever since waking up in this world, I've either been eating sand in the west or trudging through the Snow Plains in the north. The only time I went south was when I followed Li Fusheng to attack Qian State.

Even the most majestic sights, like lone smoke rising straight in the great desert or the round sun setting over the Snow Plains, become tiresome after a while. Now, I truly yearn to see the small bridges, flowing water, and households of Jiangnan in Qian State.

People are never truly satisfied. Once their basic material needs are fulfilled, they begin to pursue spiritual enjoyment.

These past two years, I've either been cutting people down or on my way to cut people down. I've seen enough valor; now I'd rather experience a genuine 'cultural' atmosphere."

"That's easy to arrange, My lord. Once things settle down here, you can take Siniang and sneak off to Jiangnan in Qian State for a trip, just like a honeymoon. Considering how high the heavens are and how far away the emperor is here, your presence or absence doesn't really…"

Xue Three paused for a moment before continuing, "With you here, we feel secure. If you're not here, we'll strive to maintain the situation for you."

"We'll talk about it later. Given my current status, it won't be convenient for me to go to Jiangnan."

In the past, when I was merely the Commander of Green Willow Fortress, it didn't matter. If I had truly wanted to defect to Qian State, it would have been very easy. But now, once the imperial court confers merits and rewards, I'll become the General of Snow Sea Pass. With this position and official rank, trying to sneak off to Jiangnan in Qian State for leisure will be genuinely difficult. After all, the quality and skill of Qian State's Silver Armored Guard are there for all to see.

"By the way, My lord, I've already had Ah Li put the prisoners to work. The area outside the city walls needs to be cleared first, and then the damaged sections of the walls must be repaired. And that area, and that one, and that one too—all need to be repaired again. Sigh, it's a huge amount of work, so we must get started quickly."

The repairs Xue Three mentioned included Snow Sea Pass itself and the northern defense line that relies on it. Since we are taking over, we must go over everything again. This is a massive project and truly cannot be delayed. After all, once the military and civilians from Shengle City migrate here, the subsequent construction will undoubtedly prioritize public livelihood.

Twenty thousand wild people laborers may seem like a lot, but given the sheer volume of work, it really might not be enough. We can only wait until the blind man brings the Shengle military and civilians over. After the troops are reorganized, we can then try to find a way to procure more labor from the Snow Plains.

Any primitive accumulation is accompanied by the extraction of blood and sweat. Either you exploit others, or you exploit your own people. Fortunately, Snow Sea Pass is adjacent to the Snow Plains. After the invading wild people army was 'put to the torch,' the Snow Plains will likely be devoid of any significant disruptive forces for a short time, making it ideal for us to suppress and plunder.

"San'er, try to build it a bit better. Put some heart into it."

"Yes, My lord, I know."

"Once it's built well, let's try not to leave."

"Very well, My lord."

***

Things had temporarily settled down on General Zheng's side at Snow Sea Pass, but due to the distance, the wind from the Battle of Wang River had only just begun to blow back to Yan State.

In Yan State, everyone from the high officials in the imperial court and His Majesty, down to the common folk, was eagerly awaiting news from the front lines. It was like a much-anticipated main course, tantalizing everyone's appetite before its arrival.

First came the devastating defeat at Wang River, making everyone clench their fists, eager for revenge. Then, Lord Jingnan ignored the Imperial Edict. Several decree-bearing eunuchs died, yet he still did not move. When Lord Jingnan finally set off for the front lines, a long period of silence followed from that front.

This kind of fervor doesn't last long. As time slowly wore on, people's patience began to erode, replaced by restlessness and anxiety.

Everyone could accept a single failure. But if they failed a second time, the problem would be truly immense.

Various speculations began to circulate among the populace, with all sorts of theories emerging. Even within the imperial court, dark undercurrents were stirring.

However, after the Yan Emperor directly ordered the home of a Vice Minister to be ransacked, the court officials, understanding His Majesty's attitude, finally quieted down. That unfortunate Vice Minister, of all things, had submitted a memorial advising the Yan Emperor to be wary of Lord Jingnan. He suggested that with Lord Jingnan commanding the eastern expeditionary army and situated near Ying Capital City, he might negotiate peace with the Chu people and the wild people, and establish himself independently in the land of Three Jin!

One could say this Vice Minister was purely considering matters from the perspective of the Ji Family and His Majesty, or one could say he was engaging in political opportunism. After all, ever since Lord Jingnan refused to accept the imperial edict, discerning individuals had sensed it: the relationship between Lord Jingnan and the Emperor—that iron triangle formed when the three of them led the cavalry of the Zhenbei Army and Jingnan Army into the imperial palace—was no longer so steadfast.

But the Yan Emperor was, after all, the Yan Emperor. He was not the type of emperor to be swayed by slander. The Vice Minister who submitted the memorial had his house ransacked and was exiled. He himself was ambushed and killed by bandits during his journey into exile.

Heaven knows, with Yan frequently waging wars these past few years, to the point where even those committing adultery or other public indecencies were being conscripted, where would such bandits come from? And why, of all things, would they choose to attack the convoy of an exiled minister?

But His Majesty used this clear and decisive stance to tell his officials that he trusted Tian Wujing. How the war was fought was Tian Wujing's affair; he would not interfere from behind the scenes.

Despite this, while the overt turbulence was suppressed, the undercurrents continued to surge fiercely. Trampling the great clans had eliminated a large portion of their power, but to completely annihilate them, both physically and spiritually, was almost impossible.

Many were well aware of how terrifying the suppressed anger and dissatisfaction were, accumulated over these past few years due to the forceful measures of centralizing power. However, because a series of major victories in expanding territory had consolidated the Son of Heaven's authority, many people were furious but dared not voice their anger. And should another defeat occur at Wang River, the contradictions previously concealed by continuous external victories would become utterly irrepressible.

***

Crown Prince Ji Chenglang entered the inner palace. He was going to visit his mother, the current Empress.

"Greetings to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Greetings to Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

A group of eunuchs and palace maids knelt respectfully, paying homage to the Crown Prince.

In this imperial palace, the brightest sun was naturally His Majesty. The moon, naturally, was the Empress. And beneath the sun and moon, the noblest figure was, of course, the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince waved his hand, signalling them to withdraw. Without waiting for an announcement, he walked directly into the bedchamber.

Logically, even between mother and son, the rites of monarch and subject applied; one certainly couldn't enter directly without an announcement like this. But the problem now was, one couldn't make an announcement to the Empress.

Upon entering, the Crown Prince saw his mother sitting on the edge of the bed, attended by two matronly attendants. Her hair was somewhat disheveled, and her clothes were wrinkled.

"Your son pays his respects to Mother Empress."

The Crown Prince knelt formally. After kneeling for a while and seeing that his Mother Empress said nothing, the Crown Prince slowly rose, looked at one of the matronly attendants, and asked, "Is Mother Empress unwell again?"

In the palace, one naturally couldn't say that one's own mother had gone mad.

The matronly attendant immediately curtsied and replied, "Replying to Your Highness, Her Majesty the Empress was fine last night, but this morning… perhaps she had a nightmare again last night."

The Crown Prince nodded upon hearing this. When he looked at his Mother Empress again, he found that she was also looking at him. The Crown Prince took the initiative to walk a few steps forward, intending to hold his mother's hand and speak to her, offering some consolation.

The Royal Family is heartless, but the Empress had only the Crown Prince as her son, so their mother-son relationship was indeed exceptionally good. As a woman of the Tian Family, she had been sheltered by her father and relatives from a young age. After entering the palace and marrying the Son of Heaven, her life had always been relatively smooth. Furthermore, the Yan Emperor, while displaying great ambition and strategic thinking in external affairs, was somewhat cool-tempered and detached towards his own family. Therefore, situations of vying for favor rarely occurred in the inner palace. After all, with such an Emperor, competing for the status of 'Mother of the Nation' was impossible. So, the Empress had always been serene. After having her son, three-tenths of her thoughts were on His Majesty, while a full seven-tenths were on her son.

Who would have known that just as the Crown Prince approached the bedside, the Empress suddenly trembled, and, flailing her arms, cried out, "Don't kill me, don't kill me, don't kill me!!!!!!!!"

The smile on the Crown Prince's face froze. He began to retreat, and as he did, the Empress's emotions gradually stabilized, with the matronly attendants trying to comfort her.

"Ah Daddy, Ah Daddy, Mother, Mother…"

The Empress leaned against the headboard, her eyes vacant, murmuring.

The Crown Prince took a deep breath. His right hand clenched into a fist, and then slowly loosened.

This was the inner palace. He could express his anger, he could express his dissatisfaction, but everything had to be within limits.

The Empress murmured, "Ah Brother, Ah Brother, Wujing, no, no, those are our parents, Ah Brother, no…"

"Take good care of the Mother Empress."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Yes, Your Highness."

The Crown Prince strode out of Fengjia Palace, his teeth clenched tightly against his lip. The eunuchs around him, even Li Yinglian, dared not breathe too loudly at this moment.

Yet, at this very moment, in a corridor outside the palace, a group of eunuchs and palace maids began to cheer, as if rushing to spread some joyous news. Before Li Yinglian could inquire, a shout came from that direction: "Victory, victory, Lord Jingnan has won a great victory at Wang River, slaughtering a hundred thousand wild people!!!!!!!!"

The Crown Prince's somewhat gloomy expression began to forcibly lift. A smile was pulled onto his face. Simultaneously, he waved his hand and declared to the surrounding attendants and Li Yinglian, "Good, Lord Jingnan is indeed the pillar of my great Yan!!!"