Love Lock

Chapter 198 Places Where the Sun Doesn't Shine
The hall erupted in uproar. The civil and military officials were so frightened that they all took a step back, staring at the suddenly violent King of Xuzhou as if he were a ghost.

"Ah...this...this..."

Li Zhongxin was so frightened that he almost lost his mind. He pointed at the King of Xuzhou with his whisk and stammered for a long time, unable to utter a complete sentence.

The King of Qi and the King of Ji stared wide-eyed, their voices trembling.

"Eldest brother, what... what are you doing?"

"Quickly...quickly release the Three Emperors..."

Two of Liangzhou King's guards stepped forward, but were stopped by Xuzhou King's personal guards.

Weapons are not allowed inside the palace, but the two personal guards of the King of Xuzhou were able to quickly pull out two daggers from their boots.

Two flashes of silver light appeared, and the two bodyguards of the King of Liangzhou were already dead on the spot.

"what!"

"Oh my God!"

Screams erupted in the main hall.

"Ah!" the Imperial Noble Consort screamed, her voice trembling, as she shouted towards the outside of the hall. "Guards! Guards, come quickly!"

Upon hearing the Imperial Noble Consort's shout, the heavy palace doors were pushed open with a bang, and a troop of fully armed Imperial Guards filed in. The commander at the head of the troop was gleaming in armor and wore a precious sword at his waist.

"Commander Yu, capture the King of Xuzhou immediately!" The Imperial Concubine, as if seeing a savior, hurriedly gave the order.

However, the commander of the Imperial Guards remained motionless, a strange smile appearing on his lips.

With a wave of his right hand, the Imperial Guards immediately dispersed and surrounded the princes.

"Your Majesty, please forgive me," Commander Yu said, bowing with his fists clasped, but his voice was icy cold. "This humble general was ordered by the Prime Minister to maintain order in the court."

"What?!" The Imperial Noble Consort's face turned deathly pale, her astonished gaze darting back and forth between Commander Yu and Prime Minister Wei. She staggered backward, stammering, "You...you..."

Before she could finish speaking, several imperial guards stepped forward and pinned the King of Qi, the King of Ji, and the King of Liang to the ground.

The three vassal kings started cursing, and the King of Xuzhou stepped forward and slapped each of them, then stomped on the King of Liangzhou's stomach and laughed loudly.

"Hahaha... Keep cursing! If you want to die, keep cursing! Don't say I'm not magnanimous. After you've finished cursing, I'll execute you."

The three vassal kings immediately fell silent, staring wide-eyed at the "I" before them.

Born into royalty, they knew better than anyone that the imperial family was the most ruthless place.

Before the throne, what are kinship and brotherhood but empty words?

For the sake of that highest position, the Prince of Xuzhou was capable of forcing the emperor to abdicate; executing them would be no trivial matter.

Faced with the sudden coup attempt, she turned to flee, but was blocked by two imperial guards.

"Your Majesty, please wait." Commander Yu's voice came from behind.

Only then did Prime Minister Wei, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly open them. He leisurely stroked his beard, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall before finally settling on the King of Xuzhou.

"Your Highness. No, Your Majesty. You can release the Prince of Liangzhou now." Prime Minister Wei's voice was old but powerful.

The King of Xuzhou snorted coldly and withdrew his foot. The King of Liangzhou fell to the ground, grimacing and coughing violently, with five dark blue finger marks still clearly visible on his neck.

The hall was deathly silent. The civil and military officials exchanged bewildered glances, none daring to utter a sound.

Minister of War Cao Ge's eyes darted around, and he suddenly stepped forward and knelt down.

"Your subject Cao Ge pays homage to the new emperor! The King of Xuzhou is a man of great talent and strategy, possessing both wisdom and courage; he is truly the chosen one by Heaven!"

The Minister of Personnel also stepped forward and knelt down: "Your subject pays respects to the new emperor. An emperor should have the same courage and determination as the Prince of Xuzhou. Your subject will certainly serve him with utmost loyalty."

Immediately afterwards, the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Justice also knelt down and pledged allegiance.

The imperial court is like a condensed version of a small world. Anyone who can get close to the court is naturally a shrewd and capable person.

The Imperial Guard, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Personnel, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Ministry of Justice have all sided with Prime Minister Wei and the King of Xuzhou. They don't know what other tricks they have up their sleeves.

Other ministers were unwilling, but forced by circumstances, they had no choice but to comply. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't have been able to leave the palace today.

So their kneeling was like toppling the first domino.

Officials such as the Minister of Revenue and the Vice Minister of Rites followed suit, kneeling and shouting.

"Long live my emperor! Long live!"

The King of Qi and the King of Ji exchanged a glance, then helplessly knelt down, shouting, "Greetings, Your Majesty the New Emperor! We will certainly follow Your Majesty!"

The King of Xuzhou slowly turned his head, his cold gaze fixed on the King of Liangzhou, who trembled.

He quickly lowered his eyes, concealing the resentment in them, and struggled to kneel on the ground.

"Your subject..." King Liangzhou gritted his teeth and had no choice but to bow his head to the ground: "Your subject greets the new ruler."

Seeing that the Liangzhou King, who had been jumping the most fiercely, finally lowered his head, the Xuzhou King snorted lightly, his lips curled up, and he stood with his hands behind his back, secretly delighted.

He turned and walked slowly toward the imperial steps, each step making the kneeling ministers' hearts race.

As he stepped onto the last step and turned to face his ministers, Chancellor Wei also slowly rose and bowed in greeting.

"Everyone is safe!"

The King of Xuzhou—no, he should now be called the new emperor.

The resounding voice of the new Emperor Jing echoed within the Golden Palace—

"To prevent any unrest, the name of the country shall remain unchanged from this day forward, and shall continue to be 'Jing'. The funeral of the late emperor shall be handled by the Ministry of Rites, and the enthronement ceremony shall be held three days later."

His gaze swept over the princes who were pinned to the ground, and a slight smile appeared on his lips: "As for my brothers... please return to your respective residences for now. Without my decree, you are not to step out of your residences."

The Imperial Guards escorted several princes out of the palace, while the Imperial Concubine slumped in her chair, her face ashen.

The new Emperor Jing walked up to her with a wicked smile, leaned down and whispered, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will treat you well." He emphasized the word "treat well."

Prime Minister Wei coughed lightly: "Your Majesty, state affairs are busy. This old minister suggests that we convene a cabinet meeting immediately."

The new Emperor Jing nodded and turned to walk towards the dragon throne, which symbolized supreme power.

The moment he sat down, a thunderclap suddenly rang out outside the hall, and a torrential downpour began.

In the rain, no one noticed the glint of cunning in Prime Minister Wei's eyes. The old fox's lips curled slightly upward, then quickly returned to normal.

It turns out that since the previous Emperor Jing ascended the throne, the other princes who had participated in the struggle for the throne saw that the situation was hopeless. After being enfeoffed as princes, they were all disheartened and lived obediently in their fiefdoms.

While Chancellor Wei resided in the capital, and although Emperor Jing was suspicious and had many secret guards, Chancellor Wei, that old fox, had also been making his own moves in secret. At least, the commander of the Imperial Guard and the ministers of various departments, who were ostensibly Emperor Jing's trusted confidants, all secretly had close ties with Chancellor Wei.

With his status as a senior prime minister and the power of the head of a powerful family, all the connections he had cultivated and the promises he had made were finally at his disposal.

In every dynasty, there were few civil and military officials who did not secretly communicate and cultivate relationships.

Even though Emperor Jing's spies were spread throughout the capital region, there were always places where the sun couldn't reach.

That is—the human heart!
On the eighth day of the seventh lunar month, the new Emperor Jing held his enthronement ceremony at the imperial palace in the capital.

In just over half a month, the capital city has undergone a complete transformation, and the situation has changed dramatically.

Meanwhile, in Cangzhou, thousands of miles away, a similar upheaval is taking place.

On the outskirts of Qingshui County, potato stalks stretch out like a sea on a wasteland project site, interspersed with bright red chili peppers that resemble dancing flames.

The newly appointed prefect of Cangzhou, Luo Hai, is directing the small number of refugees who remained to harvest crops. These carefully tended crops are now at their fullest and most bountiful harvest time.

Further along the field ridges, sweet potato vines are brewing sweetness underground, and plump bean pods sway gently in the breeze. In a few more days, both crops will be ready for harvest.

At this moment, Zhao Zun and Han Lei were leading a large group of refugees through Fufeng County.

As they left the county town, amidst the swirling dust, the ragged refugees stared wide-eyed in amazement at the wide, smooth cement road in the open field.

The bluish-gray cement road surface gleamed coldly in the sunlight, stretching straight into the distance.

After traveling for more than ten miles along the wide cement road, exclamations of astonishment from those who had never seen the world rose again from the group of refugees.

"My God! How...how could this be? Is this the Great Jing Dynasty?"

"What are those plants over there? Why are they so tall?"

"Look over there!" A thin boy tugged at the sleeve of the old man beside him, pointing to a construction site in the distance.

Amidst the towering scaffolding, laborers are putting the roofs on the last few factory buildings, the brand-new corrugated steel sheets gleaming in the sunlight.

Hearing the exclamations outside, Zhao Zun and Han Lei lifted the carriage curtain and looked at everything with satisfaction.

A few months ago, this place was a wasteland, but now chicken and duck farms and pig farms have been established.

Further away, the vast cornfields resemble a green ocean.

The stalks, taller than a person, rustled in the summer breeze, and the plump ears of corn drooped heavily.

After months of hard work, the results were about to be seen, and Zhao Zun's face showed a gratified smile.

Suddenly, he looked into the distance and exclaimed "Eh!" with a slight frown.

"Quick, give me the binoculars." He turned to look at Han Lei, his voice tinged with urgency.

Han Lei was puzzled, but she still took out a telescope from her spatial storage and handed it to him. Zhao Zun took the telescope, but his hand, which was adjusting the focus, suddenly paused.

Through his clear glasses, he could clearly see Hua Tianyou, the usually carefree young man, carefully raising his hand to brush corn kernels from Zhao Ling'er's hair at the edge of the cornfield in the distance.

Sunlight filters through the gaps in the green leaves, casting dappled shadows on them.

Zhao Ling'er's cheeks were flushed, and the way she lowered her head and fiddled with the hem of her clothes was a shyness that Zhao Zun had never seen before.

"That bastard!" Zhao Zun gritted his teeth. "I've only been gone a short while, and he dares to..."

"What's wrong?" Han Lei asked, puzzled. "Let me see."

Han Lei snatched the binoculars and began to observe with great interest: "Oh! Young Master Hua looks quite dashing today. This bamboo-green robe makes him look very presentable."

She deliberately drew out her words, "I think Ling'er is quite happy too, they seem very much in love..."

"Hmph! Nonsense!" Zhao Zun rolled his eyes at her and snatched the binoculars back.

But then they saw Hua Tianyou had already picked an ear of corn and was gesturing to Zhao Ling'er, saying something that made Zhao Ling'er cover her mouth and giggle.

The sight made Zhao Zun's temples throb: "That brat! I put him here training the soldiers, and he dares to lay a finger on my sister! I'll go and break his legs right now!"

Zhao Zun called for the driver to stop the carriage and stood up as if to jump off.

Han Lei quickly grabbed his arm: "Hey! What are you doing? They're both single, why are you gossiping?" She blinked, "Besides, the Duke of Heng's mansion and your Zhao family are a good match."

"Tch! That's not what I meant. Hua Tianyou is a spoiled brat, always loafing around. He's not good enough for my sister." Zhao Zun said, but couldn't help raising his binoculars again.

This time, he saw Zhao Ling'er take out a handkerchief from her sleeve and wipe Hua Tianyou's sweat.

Hua Tianyou's flattered expression almost made his older brother crush the glasses in his hand.

The carriage continued forward, and the view of the cornfield was gradually obscured by other buildings.

Zhao Zun put down his binoculars with a gloomy face, tapping his fingers on his knee in a restless rhythm.

Han Lei stole a glance at his expression, a sly smile playing on her lips.

"You're not allowed to go!" Han Lei pouted and glared at him, looking like a wife scolding her husband.

"To be honest, I didn't like Hua Tianyou at first either. I thought he was just a good-for-nothing rich playboy. But after spending more time with him, I realized he's not a bad person at heart. Although he's a bit unconventional, he's reliable when it comes to getting things done. This time, while we were away, he managed to keep things in perfect order..."

“That’s what he should do!” Zhao Zun sneered. “If it weren’t for the fact that he did his best, I would have sent him back to the capital long ago.”

"Hehe. Is that so?" Han Lei curled her lips and teased, "I think you love your sister too much. You think no man in the world is good enough for her, right?"

Zhao Zun was taken aback upon hearing this, and his tense expression relaxed slightly.

“What you said makes sense.” Zhao Zun pursed his lips. “Before, this kid was always playing with cats and dogs or carrying birdcages. Since arriving at the Beiguan military camp, he has changed a lot in the past few months. It’s as if he has grown up a lot all of a sudden. Even his parents probably wouldn’t recognize him.”

"Isn't that all?" Han Lei shrugged and continued, "Hua Tianyou is your best friend. You know his true nature best. Otherwise, you wouldn't have been friends for so many years."

“Alright,” Zhao Zun said, stroking the cup, his tone finally softening. “Thinking about it carefully, Tianyou is a suitable candidate, both in terms of family background and character.”

As he said this, his brows were still unconsciously furrowed, as if he had swallowed something bitter.

Han Lei couldn't help but chuckle and patted his shoulder: "That's right. As her older brother, you can't protect your sister forever. You have to let her find a good partner she knows well. Besides, didn't you say that Hua Tianyou seems to have suddenly grown up? He might just be a little late to mature and not as steady as you."

Zhao Zun's eyes lit up when Han Lei praised him for being composed.

"Really? In your heart, I'm really that mature?" He looked intently at Han Lei, like a child hoping for praise from his teacher.

Han Lei smiled without saying a word, lifted the car curtain, and looked out the window.

In the distance came the orderly chants of the workers, and the newly paved cement road shimmered with hope in the sunlight.

She suddenly realized that what was growing on this hopeful land was perhaps... more than just crops.

Those who commented more than ten characters are the best! Love you all!