"You've all joined His Highness in rebellion to clear the King's side, and yet you can't distinguish between the big and small kings? Has a donkey kicked your brains?"
Hearing Lu Jin'an's voice, Households Commander Huang scrambled to his knees on the ground: "Your subordinate... your subordinate... was wrong!"
"Nonsense!" Lu Jin'an walked past him, directly taking the seat of honor in the room: "Why did you follow His Highness to the Southwest initially? Wasn't it to follow His Highness from the Dragon, achieve greatness, and rise to the position of a minister?
Yet now, you dare put down your affairs because of so baseless rumor, gather here to seek accountability from His Highness?"
"I ask you this..." Lu Jin'an lightly tapped the table: "Do you still see the distinction of monarch and minister, of rank and file, do you still recognize King Qin?"
"Your subordinate doesn't dare, your subordinate doesn't dare!"
Households Commander Huang hurriedly kowtowed: "Everything your subordinate has was given by Lord Qin, I wouldn't dare harbor any disloyalty towards His Highness, I ask for your discernnt, Sir."
"Very well." Lu Jin'an leaned back in his chair: "Then, Mr. Huang, you ought to answer my first question."
First question?
Households Commander Huang was stunned, and the next mont he raised his head and shouted coldly: "n, arrest Luo Yuan, Ding Feng...!"
Several Jinyi Guards imdiately apprehended those present, and Households Commander Huang promptly said to Lu Jin'an: "Sir, it's these few of hundred households, Chiefs who spread rumors, I ask for your discernnt, Sir."
"So it's you few?" Lu Jin'an's gaze swept over them: "Who gave you the courage? Or rather, who instructed you to do this?"
"No one!" Luo Yuan was clearly unconvinced, incessantly resisting the grasp of two Jinyi Guards: "Commander Song treated us generously, he escaped Shengjing at the cost of his life, how could he die at King Qin's hands and we remain indifferent!?"
"Escape at the cost of his life?" Lu Jin'an chuckled: "What kind of place is Shengjing? With the Martial God stationed at the Divine Temple, the Director of the Observatory watching over, and experts abound, how could he escape such a place, is it due to the Martial Saint's strength, hmm?"
"Even if the Crown Prince deliberately let Commander Song escape from Shengjing, why assu Commander Song has defected? King Qin's killing of Commander Song is too suspicious and tyrannical, how can it win public trust?"
"Win public trust?" Lu Jin'an stood up and strode: "Is Song Zhong your father or your master, that you are so eager to defend him?
Didn't it occur to you that following King Qin to the Southwest is an act of betrayal against His Majesty and the Crown Prince?"
Luo Yuan hesitated in his tone before retorting: "His Majesty was poisoned and severely ill by the Crown Prince's plot, we're clearing the King's side!"
Lu Jin'an halted his steps, raised a hand and patted Luo Yuan's face: "We're all human, no need for such grandiose words, do you actually think you're fit to clear the King's side?"
"You..."
Crack—
Blood splashed, all of Luo Yuan's sound was stuck in his throat, stunted by the sight of splattering blood.
Thud, thud...
The two Jinyi Guards controlling him fell backward onto the floor, their bodies twitching, their breath faint.
"Sir, what do you an by this!?" Households Commander Huang's face instantly changed; wasn't the one to be killed supposed to be Luo Yuan?
Lu Jin'an shook his hands: "What do I an? I rely think that Luo Yuan was right, just us, how could we be fit to clear the King's side? But we can avenge Commander Song."
Luo Yuan, Ding Feng, and others stared in disbelief at Lu Jin'an; what he said earlier differed from now!
Ignoring their gaze, Lu Jin'an continued towards the next person: "We all know in our hearts the reason for His Majesty's serious illness is immaterial, what's more, the Crown Prince has not reduced his power, we've followed King Qin to the Southwest out of fear of future retribution when the Crown Prince ascends, and secondly to support King Qin, enter Shengjing, becoming ministers from the Dragon, achieving great deeds, and securing blessings for future generations."
Lu Jin'an raised his hand and slapped the two Jinyi Guards controlling Ding Feng, amidst the sound of bodies twitching he continued: "I understand your desire to show loyalty, but what reward have we received? Commander Song, loyal to His Highness, escaped Shengjing at the cost of his life, even if it's a sche by the Crown Prince, on what basis did she, Dongfang Xinglan, directly execute Commander Song?
She completely disregards us Jinyi Guards who followed her to the Southwest, how could we possibly be sincerely convinced?"
Amidst the dull sounds of several Jinyi Guards falling, ultimately only Lu Jin'an's footsteps and silence remained within the room.
Having determined that Luo Yuan and the others are usable, Lu Jin'an returned to the seat: "Households Commander Huang, what do you say?"
"Sir's words are correct!" Households Commander Huang's voice trembled: "Commander Song escaped from Shengjing to sow discord within King Qin, yet King Qin unjustly executed Commander Song, such a King Qin not only disregards us but lacks wisdom, following her leads only to a dead end..."
"Oh?" Lu Jin'an's voice turned playful: "Now you're this insightful?"
"Your subordinate... your subordinate..." Households Commander Huang's forehead touched the ground: "Your subordinate just realized by your reminder, Sir."
"It's good, but..." Lu Jin'an sighed softly: "Too late."
Households Commander Huang jerked his head up to look at the mask of Asura on Lu Jin'an: "Sir, your subordinate doesn't understand your aning..."
"As a thousand of households of the Jinyi Guard in Jiangde City, you should have been the first to stand and accuse King Qin, yet you hesitated and didn't dare as so many gathered here, you have no loyalty to Commander Song..." Lu Jin'an pointed to each of them: "So I helped you, now King Qin will completely distrust us."
The faces of Households Commander Huang and others instantly changed, they had joined Dongfang Xinglan's rebellion because of Lord Qin's higher popular reputation than the Crown Prince, the fear of Crown Prince's reckoning, and the current situation where many Princes and loyalty armies are also rebelling; they betted everything on King Qin's ascension, only now... nothing might co of it.
User Comments
0 comments from readers