dognovel Chapter 142 The Blow of National Destruction *2
Chapter 142 The Blow of National Destruction *2
Finally, the audience was announced, and the delegation of envoys entered the Fengqin Hall one by one.
A barrage of scrutinizing eyes fell upon them, like needles pricking their skin, making them feel itchy all over.
Crescent Moon's gaze shifted slightly.
one two Three……
Three women were standing at the morning court session of the Great Yong Dynasty.
She only knew that Princess Jianyang of the Dayong Dynasty held an official position, but she never expected that a princess could attend court and participate in political discussions.
She was surprised, but the other envoys were even more surprised than she was.
If this weren't outside their territory, someone would probably have jumped out and yelled, "What kind of behavior is this?"
After the greetings, the emperor and Prince Chou engaged in lengthy pleasantries, while the people of Dayong and Heguo stared at each other blankly.
After the lengthy process was completed, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites stepped forward with a list in his hand.
After listening quietly to Prince Chou's remarkable feat the previous day, the emperor said meaningfully, "Prince Chou... is quite lively indeed."
King Chou: ...
Do the people of Dayong have some kind of problem?
Isn't this the morning court session? Shouldn't people from two different countries be polite and courteous when they meet? Why bring up such trivial matters?
His face darkened for a moment, but it had to be said that once the matter was brought into the open, he couldn't deny it.
Because he couldn't afford to lose that person.
He could only let the Vice Minister of Rites read the bill aloud.
Upon hearing the amount of compensation demanded, his expression grew increasingly grim.
He also suspected there were spies among the envoys, otherwise why would the figures on the bill be the sum of all the valuables they carried?
The timing was perfect; if it were a few taels more, he would have had to take off his jewelry and clothes and pawn them today.
But... no matter what, he was relieved that he didn't have to lose face.
The people of Dayong are quite nice.
Zheng Xun almost laughed.
[This Vice Minister of Rites is quite capable; last night he managed to drug Prince Chou and his men, and then led them to investigate their background.]
If the Minister of Revenue knew about this, wouldn't he probably try to abduct him?
Minister Fang of the Ministry of Revenue looked at this colleague who usually didn't have much of a presence and gave him a friendly smile.
The Minister of Rites quickly moved in front of his subordinates, glaring fiercely at Minister Fang.
It's impossible to do it, absolutely impossible in this lifetime.
The Ministry of Rites didn't have many capable subordinates to begin with, and now that they've finally found a competent one, he naturally has to protect him.
Among the envoys, Lord Mu suddenly stood up: "It was our King Chou who was rude first, so compensation is due, but isn't this amount a bit off..."
The Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites remained calm and composed, as if he were not the one being accused: "Da Yong does not lack your compensation. If Lord Mu cannot afford to pay, he can say so. We can reduce your payment by 20%. After all, you are guests from afar. This is our sincerity as a gesture of goodwill from Da Yong."
[The intention was never to drain them dry; this was the Right Vice Minister's ideal price.]
Fang Xunshan's eyes lit up.
This person must be from their Ministry of Revenue! He'd be a good fit to work with Chief Secretary Qin.
However, he's currently only a vice minister, and there's no position available in the Ministry of Rites...
He turned back to look at his subordinates thoughtfully.
Oh, what a pity, there's no space available.
Officials of the Ministry of Revenue: That was close.
I almost lost my job just now.
On the other hand, Lord Mu knew there was no room for negotiation on this matter, so he had no choice but to retreat.
Recalling the contents of the original book, Zheng Xun seemed to be deep in thought.
This Lord Mu is actually a good official.
All the court officials looked at Lord Mu.
They were all very curious: who was this person who could earn the princess's praise, especially since the other party was from an enemy country?
The much-anticipated Master Mu: ...
The courtiers of Dayong were all puzzled. Why were they looking at him like that? Did he have something dirty on his face?
He really wanted to wipe his face, but he couldn't do it in front of so many people.
Good officials in the Brown Kingdom are extremely rare.
[Wouldn't he be considered a pure and innocent person in the Brown Kingdom?]
Unfortunately, from the emperor to the ministers, no one in the Brown Kingdom could understand his ideals and ambitions, so it's not surprising that he ended up dying in despair.
At that time, the current King Yong, who would later become the emperor of the He Kingdom, led the He Kingdom's army to conquer the capital.
Before Lord Mu could even rejoice, he learned of the King of Yong's plan to massacre the city.
He staggered into the street, where he saw devastation everywhere, and corpses scattered all over the ground...
The Brown Kingdom won, but he felt a sense of unprecedented confusion.
He possessed a compassionate heart, and thus decided to persuade the emperor to treat the people of Dayong with leniency.
He knew all too well that territorial disputes and wars between nations were merely games played by the upper classes; ordinary people were nothing more than a speck of dust in the torrent of history. What could they possibly control? They couldn't enjoy the blessings, yet they had to suffer the hardships—wasn't that incredibly unfair?
However, King Yong was not one to listen to advice; he was extreme, bloodthirsty, and firmly believed that the people of He were superior to the people of Dayong.
He had done too many wrong things, so he often suffered from insomnia. When he needed to vent his anger, his knife would always be wielded against the remnants of the Dayong dynasty first.
He wanted Zheng Jin, but Zheng Jin refused, so he threatened the entire city's inhabitants.
So many vibrant lives were treated like playthings in his hands.
Zheng Jin was trapped between life and death, and could only helplessly feign compliance with Prince Yong.
But what she didn't know was that King Yong wouldn't change any of his decisions because of her compromise.
Apart from the beautiful young women who are still living in agony, all the other people in the capital perished in the fire.
Zheng Jin was kept in the dark, enduring the pain until her death for the sake of these lost souls.
Zheng Jin lowered her head, her hands trembling incessantly at her sides.
Zheng Xun opened the canopy.
Her live streams are always broadcast live, rarely revealing future scenes.
This is the second time.
The envoy from the Brown Kingdom looked at the officials of the Great Yong Kingdom who were starting to lose focus, somewhat bewildered.
The emperor had no time to deal with them, so he quickly sent them away and then turned his gaze to the sky.
Seeing the country fall again, even though everyone was prepared, they still couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
This time the image was clearer and lasted longer than the last.
Many people saw their own faces and those of their loved ones reflected in the sky.
The following scenes take place outside the capital city.
The people of Dayong became lowly commoners, cattle whipped in the fields, stones lying at the bottom of irrigation ditches, and wild beasts toyed with by the nobles...
Since they're not our own people, we don't care how much we use them. If they die, they die. We can just lock the men and women together and they'll produce many more Dayong people. We can afford to consume them.
In the world ruled by the Brown Kingdom, they are the lowest of the low, slaves, cattle, tools for venting malice and desire, cheap expendable goods, and never, in the truest sense, "human beings."
In the light-filled screen, a withered mother strangles her newborn child who has just come into this world and is suffering. A young man loses in the arena, and his relatives hanging beside him are thrown into a cage of wild beasts...
The land is shattered, and bones lie everywhere...
The final scene of the video shows Lord Mu kneeling in the Brown Kingdom's court, remonstrating with his life.
He denounced King Yong's sins and begged him to lay down his sword, but King Yong and the other officials just watched him coldly. In the end, he wept bitterly and died by throwing himself against the dragon throne.
Zheng Xun turned off the light screen and sighed deeply.
There was dead silence in the hall.
[A nation has fallen...]
When Zheng Xun brought up those two words again, the court officials, who were usually tired of hearing her say them, no longer complained that she was being long-winded.
They are wrong.
They thought they were already quite shrewd, but now it seems they still weren't!
After the court session ended, the officials hurriedly left, each heading to their respective positions.
Raising money, recruiting soldiers, training...
Let's get it going! Let's get everything going!
And Zheng Jin? She thought nothing could hurt her, but she didn't expect that the blows she had suffered before weren't strong enough.
She was deeply troubled and fell ill after returning home. However, she did not disturb anyone and simply locked herself in her room.
She needs to think this through...
Think of something you can do. The Brown Kingdom, right? The Seventh Prince, right? Die, all of you!!
……
Zheng Xun, unaware of the political turmoil at court, was entrusted with the task of receiving the envoys from the Brown Kingdom by the emperor.
Because anyone other than her would be responsible for a murder if they were to receive the guests.
The people of the Brown Kingdom deserve to die, but they cannot die now, much less on the soil of Dayong, lest they become a reason for the Brown Kingdom to attack them.
Zheng Xun completed his routine patrol duties for the day before heading to the post station.
Prince Chou harbored many grievances against Zheng Xun. Upon seeing her, his face immediately darkened: "Why is it you? Where is the Crown Prince?"
Zheng Xun explained with a smile, "My elder brother suddenly fell seriously ill yesterday, so I am the one entertaining you all."
She didn't care about the king's barking, but she also didn't intend to let him run wild.
So, just after leaving the post station, King Chou suddenly "fell seriously ill" and had to return to the post station to lie dead.
Zheng Xun thoughtfully arranged for Dr. Zhao to be his first doctor.
Zheng Xun wanted to focus on winning over Xinyue and Lord Mu, so he privately gave Zhao, the head of the academy, a piece of advice.
"Prince Chou is exhausted from his journey and his old illness has suddenly relapsed. It seems he is not used to the environment of Dayong. Let him rest well during this period."
After listening, Chief Zhao solemnly agreed, and then turned around to prescribe the bitterest medicine and give the most painful acupuncture to Prince Chou.
Finally, Zheng Xun happily led Lord Mu and Xinyue out.
Yes, she has now added Lord Mu to her list of potential defectors.
This wasn't her original plan. It wasn't that she wasn't interested, but rather that the strategy was too difficult.
Unlike the carefree Crescent Moon, Lord Mu is from a prestigious family. He has family and disciples in the Brown Kingdom, so he has too many concerns and worries.
Moreover, he was somewhat blindly loyal; he was utterly devoted to the Brown Kingdom.
Zheng Xun changed his mind for a simple reason—he was a good official.
What she couldn't bear most in her life was seeing good people betrayed, and if possible, she also wanted Lord Mu to have a good ending.
It's very difficult, but she has to do her best...
Zheng Xun suppressed his chaotic thoughts and looked at Lord Mu and Xinyue: "It's getting late, let's take a stroll first, and then I'll take you to try some of Dayong's specialties at noon."
Lord Mu and Crescent Moon exchanged a glance, both somewhat surprised.
Because Zheng Xun's attitude was very easygoing, not only was he not hostile, but he was also treating him like a friend who had come from afar.
Lord Mu's mind was racing, but he showed no sign of it. He simply stroked his beard and said politely, "I will leave it to the princess."
"Let's go then."
Zheng Xun took the first step.
Crescent Moon looked around and asked in confusion, "Where's the carriage?"
"If we're going to go shopping, we should walk!"
"But……"