"I refuse this decree."
For a moment, Zheng Fan subconsciously swallowed. Is this a direct call to arms?
Zheng Fan’s peripheral vision swept over the personal guards by his side. He found them all remarkably calm. Even though their Lord had spoken such treasonous words—in the capital, no less—they remained utterly unperturbed.
Brothers, this isn’t Yinlang County; this is the capital! Zheng Fan desperately wanted to shout. The capital, where there are large numbers of Imperial Guards! Didn’t you hear what your Lord just said?
Reason told Zheng Fan that pointing his saber at Eunuch Wei was wrong. Eunuch Wei was old; doing so was disrespectful to an elder and violated traditional virtues.
But he couldn’t lower his saber now.
Now that he was on Lord Jingnan’s ship, trying to jump off at this point was a death sentence.
This Imperial Edict was issued by the Yan Emperor to the Third Prince, Ji Chengyue, not to Lord Jingnan. So when Lord Jingnan said he "would not accept this decree," it meant he did not approve of the Yan Emperor’s handling of the matter.
This couldn’t be Lord Jingnan showing affection for his ’nephew’ or thinking the Yan Emperor’s judgment was too severe. It could only mean Lord Jingnan felt the punishment was far too light.
Wei Zhonghe’s mouth twitched slightly. He said, "Lord, please choose your words carefully."
As the Chief Eunuch of the Ministry of Rites, despite being a eunuch, his status surpassed ninety-nine percent of the men holding power in the Yan State.
At this moment, with an imperial edict in hand and being in the capital, this should theoretically be Wei Zhonghe’s true home ground. But he had no choice; even facing Lord Jingnan’s words and attitude, he still had to remain exceedingly cautious.
"Massacring the soldiers of the frontier armies is an act that undermines the very foundation of our Great Yan’s establishment. If not for the sons of our Great Yan sacrificing their lives for the country over hundreds of years, our Great Yan today would likely have become a pasture for the Barbarians, a northern frontier for Jin and Qian. House arrest?"
The last two words dripped with clear sarcasm. Translated, they implied: Still thinking of living?
Wei Zhonghe pressed his hands downward, his horsetail whisk lowering, and said sincerely, "Lord, this is His Majesty’s Imperial Edict."
Wei Zhonghe had no other recourse but to say this. In truth, this was a way of forcing the issue, but it was also a double-edged sword.
Some matters, as long as they haven’t reached the point of direct confrontation, can still have room for mediation. But once the facade is truly torn, neither side will have any path for retreat.
However, facing Lord Jingnan’s relentless pressure, Wei Zhonghe knew he could no longer back down.
"Wei Zhonghe, how audacious you are! You dare to misrepresent the imperial edict!"
Lord Jingnan stood up, his gaze fixed directly on Wei Zhonghe.
Lord Jingnan neither chose to defy the imperial edict nor to question if the imperial edict was effective against him. Instead, he kicked the ball back to Wei Zhonghe.
This window paper was, in truth, already incredibly fragile. Anyone who touched it lightly would break it. But the crucial point was, who would be the one to actively poke it through?
Lord Jingnan was arrogant, yes, and domineering too. Today, upon entering the capital, he neither went to the palace nor returned to his own residence; he went straight to the Third Prince’s mansion. He was here to demand an accounting!
He wasn’t the type of courtier who became timid and overly cautious upon entering the capital, nor was he the type of general who, holding some military power, lived in constant dread that the Emperor might grow suspicious of him.
Wei Zhonghe took a deep breath. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝⟡𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕥⟡𝕟𝕖𝕥
Facing Lord Jingnan’s pointed question, he actually dared not directly confirm that the imperial edict he had just delivered was truly from His Majesty!
It wasn’t that he was craven, nor that he was afraid. It was because he knew clearly: at this gambling table, His Majesty could sit, the great aristocratic families could sit, the Earl of North Border could sit, and Lord Jingnan could sit. But there was simply no place for him, Wei Zhonghe. He was not qualified to play a card!
Ignoring Wei Zhonghe’s silence, Lord Jingnan turned to look at the Third Prince standing behind Wei Zhonghe.
"Ji Chengyue, you pride yourself on being well-read in poetry and books. Then let this Lord ask you, do you know the saying: ’A measuring line is not bent for curves; the law does not bend for the powerful’?"
The Third Prince, Ji Chengyue, bowed deeply.
Even though his close Attendant and his tutor had just died before his eyes, he still maintained his composure. Perhaps, at this moment, that composure was all he had left.
"In response to your Lordship, Cheng Yue has read it."
"Yes, Cheng Yue has also read: ’Rites do not extend down to the common people; punishments do not extend up to high officials’."
"This is precisely why this Lord looks down on you and this bunch around you. Do you think that by merely relying on your mouths, you can make the Barbarians not advance south, or make Jin and Qian not dare to launch a northern expedition?"
"Cheng Yue is not so naive."
"Cheng Yue lost, and Father Emperor punished me; this is the outcome Cheng Yue deserves. In Cheng Yue’s opinion, it is precisely because of you, Lord Jingnan, because of the Earl of North Border, because of the Earl of North Border’s estate, because of the Army of the North Border, and because of the great clans and scholar-officials of the realm who do not respect propriety, do not uphold morality, have no regard for the sovereign, and ignore the virtues of a minister, that our Great Yan is in its current predicament!
It is they who forced my father, the Emperor, to concede!
It is the Army of the North Border, two hundred thousand strong, that presses upon our borders!
And it is you, Lord Jingnan, who dares to face an imperial edict without kneeling!"
Ji Chengyue grew more agitated as he spoke.
"Without rules, order cannot be established! Without the guiding principles of ethics, the hearts of the people cannot be settled! Everyone pursues their private interests and forgets the greater good! Everyone is fixated on the boots beneath their feet and forsakes the divine on their very caps!
This is the state of our Great Yan today! This is the century-old malady of our Great Yan!
My tutors were willing to help Cheng Yue because they believed Cheng Yue could bring an era of peace to Great Yan. Cheng Yue is untalented and his learning is shallow; ultimately, he failed to achieve success. If you, Lord Jingnan, wish to humiliate me today, then humiliate me. Cheng Yue deserves it!"