Chapter 113: Extra: About the Throne 4

Chapter 113: Extra Chapter – Concerning the Throne (4)

Su Zheng stealthily ran his hand over Luo Yunchen's lean, taut waist one last time—it felt shapely and scorching hot, notably sturdier and more powerful than his own.

Withdrawing his hand, Su Zheng released Luo Yunchen and stepped back half a pace, clasping his hands behind his back.

The eunuch's high-pitched recitation of the imperial decree ended at that very moment. The assembled crowd, still processing the decree's contents and implications, fell into a momentary silence.

Su Zheng had issued this decree without consulting or informing anyone, so the court officials were completely stunned.

To summarize, the main contents of the decree were to ennoble Luo Yunchen as a prince of non-imperial lineage, adding several titles to his identity. In full, it read: Great Yin's Guardian Prince of the Realm, Regent, Commander-in-Chief, Marshal, Supreme Commander, Grand General Luo Yunchen!

Naturally, these titles came with substantial power and influence—it was no exaggeration to say Luo Yunchen now held half of Great Yin's territory!

Such authority, nearly rivaling the emperor's own, shocked the court officials deeply.

Officials, loyal or treacherous, could not bring themselves to offer congratulations. Their hearts were filled either with worry or dread. Yet they could not openly defy the emperor's decree before the citizens of the capital and beg him to rescind it. So the silence dragged on.

The eunuch holding the decree looked anxiously at Grand General Luo—the general should now accept the decree and express gratitude.

But at this moment, the emperor stood right before the general as though he had completely forgotten that the general needed to accept the edict. The eunuch hesitated to remind him.

Eunuchs were adept at reading the room. Anyone with eyes, unless completely blind, could see that the emperor treated Grand General Luo with extraordinary favor—truly unprecedented in both court and countryside.

The eunuch thought to himself: the emperor currently has no imperial harem, but even if he did, Grand General Luo would probably be the sole favorite dominating the harem!

Just now, the general should have knelt to hear the decree, but the emperor had stopped him. Now, when it was time to accept the edict and thank the emperor, the eunuch dared not urge him—who knew if the emperor wanted the general to bow in gratitude?

Just then, as he was in a quandary, a flash of bright yellow sleeve caught his eye. The emperor extended a hand, palm up, before the eunuch.

The eunuch instantly understood. Bowing quickly, he trotted two steps forward and respectfully placed the imperial decree into Su Zheng's hand.

Su Zheng took the decree and handed it to Luo Yunchen, gesturing silently with his lips for him to accept it.

Luo Yunchen lowered his gaze and took it, his solemn, restrained voice concealing the smile at the corners of his lips: "I, this general, accept the decree. I shall exhaust all my efforts to live up to Your Majesty's grace and trust!"

Su Zheng laughed heartily, speaking with familiarity and confidence: "Excellent! The Grand General is loyal, brave, and dignified, with illustrious military achievements that make foreign foes tremble in fear and dare not intrude! Having the Grand General assist the nation is a joy for Great Yin and a blessing for the people!"

Unlike the court officials, whose thoughts were divided and heavy with worry, the common people did not dwell on issues of merit outshining the throne or power struggles. They only knew that they now had a formidable Grand General, that the emperor praised him highly, and that the general was a stalwart guardian who brought them fortune!

Thus, as soon as Su Zheng finished speaking, the people cheered as one, congratulating the Grand General and acclaiming the emperor long life!

Su Zheng's lips curved into a full grin, practically flying off his face—he seemed very satisfied, his mood buoyant.

This was precisely why he had chosen to publicly announce the decree on this occasion.

This decree was not meant for the ministers to hear, nor for Luo Yunchen to hear. Whether or not this decree existed, it would not affect Luo Yunchen's power and position.

The decree was meant for the people's ears, and the effect was clearly good.

Of course, this was not the only decree. Luo Yan and other generals and deputy commanders received promotions and ennoblements as well, and all soldiers were granted promotions or commendations based on the magnitude of their contributions.

After the decrees were read, the civil and military officials, along with the generals, were to enter the palace for a feast. Su Zheng signaled the eunuch to prepare the imperial carriage, and the guards' attention shifted.

Just as Su Zheng was about to turn around, a mournful cry erupted from the crowd: "Your Majesty! I beg Your Majesty to seek justice for this humble commoner! Please redress our grievances!"

Su Zheng looked up at the sound, but before he could see who had cried out, the imperial guards rushed forward to intercept the person: "Stop! Who are you?"

But the person ignored them entirely and continued wailing bitterly to have grievances redressed and justice done, charging toward Su Zheng's direction.

The sudden commotion quickly caused a stir, and the imperial guards immediately entered a state of alert, forming a protective circle around Su Zheng and the defenseless court officials to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos to stage an assassination.

The head of the Dali Temple had a gut feeling something was wrong and stepped forward to reprimand: "Who dares to create a disturbance here? Disturbing the Emperor is a crime punishable by death! Arrest him and get him out of here!"

The imperial guards, fearing that the man might charge recklessly and disturb the emperor, prepared to subdue him.

Just as the man was about to rush into the guards’ spears, the people on higher ground with a clear view couldn’t help but gasp in alarm.

Su Zheng frowned, grabbed Luo Yunchen’s arm, and shouted: "Don't hurt the civilians!"

Luo Yunchen glanced at Luo Yan, who got the message and darted over to the man’s side. With a single move, he swept aside the guards’ spears to prevent any accidental injury to the man.

Then, with lightning speed, he struck the man’s pressure points. Luo Yan got a good look at the man and was somewhat surprised.

The newcomer was just a boy of thirteen or fourteen, with a faint scholarly air about him. He looked gaunt and haggard, as if a gust of wind could blow him away—weak and ragged.

Yet, despite his appearance, the boy’s eyes were fierce and determined, filled with a desperate determination to charge forward even if it cost him his life.

Luo Yan didn’t say much. He searched the boy, confirmed he had no martial arts training and carried no weapons or poison, then brought the boy before Su Zheng.

After bowing, Luo Yan presented a letter that he had taken from the boy.

Luo Yunchen first took it, inspected it, then looked at Su Zheng. Su Zheng gave a slight nod, and Luo Yunchen unfolded the letter to read it.

Su Zheng looked at the boy and asked: "What injustice do you want to report?"

Luo Yan freed the boy’s pressure points, and the boy knelt, bowed low, and said, his words clear and forceful: "I, Jiang Ming, accuse Zhou Qin, son of Zhou Huaimu, the Langzhong, of kidnapping a common girl and driving my elder sister to her death!"

As soon as the boy spoke, the court officials were all taken aback.

For no other reason—did this boy realize who he was accusing?

Zhou Huaimu was not merely a fifth-rank Langzhong; he was the consort of Grand Princess Gui'an, the youngest and most favored sister of the late emperor!

Not to mention that Zhou Qin was the most spoiled youngest son of this grand princess!

The boy’s next words gave everyone the answer, and also gave them a shock, as he continued: "The prince consort’s household has treated human life like dirt, wielding power to commit murder, beating my mother to death!"

Su Zheng beckoned to Xu Mo and asked in a low voice: "Is Langzhong Zhou here today?"

Xu Mo shook his head: "Your Majesty, Langzhong Zhou’s rank is too low."

Su Zheng understood. No wonder the officials’ gazes were scattered and not focused on any particular person.

The head of the Dali Temple felt uneasy. He stepped forward and said to the boy: "Impudent lad! If you truly have a grievance, you may report it to the yamen. Do you know that by presenting an imperial appeal and disturbing the emperor, the law says you get fifty lashes first? Can you withstand that?"

Regardless of whether this matter was true or false, if the emperor were to pursue it, the head of the Dali Temple would first be guilty of dereliction of duty!

Su Zheng turned his head to look at the head of the Dali Temple, his expression calm, his voice unruffled: "My dear minister, you seem to remember the law quite clearly now. Fifty strokes of the cane—do you expect to beat this person to death so I’ll just forget about it?"