The First Marquis of Leisure

The trail went cold, and although Bai Xinghe was very unhappy, there was nothing he could do for the time being.

If they were to directly lead their troops into battle against the Nine Gates Admiral, it would be an unprecedented upheaval.

No emperor could tolerate this, and besides, he knew very well his father's ways and wouldn't allow him to do such a thing.

I just didn't expect He Wuji to be so disrespectful and to suddenly become so tough.

Seeing that there was no point in continuing the argument, Bai Xinghe told Bai Shuang, Bai Li, and a few guards to return to the Marquis's residence to discuss the matter further.

The next day, in the morning

During the day, he dressed in casual clothes and gathered his trusted confidants from the Marquis's residence together.

He was also very unhappy after learning about the Nine Gates Admiral's attitude.

Other matters can be overlooked, but the fact that someone dared to hire someone to assassinate his only son is something he can't swallow even during the day.

"General, there's nothing to discuss. If you agree, we'll immediately lead our troops to kill He Wuji!"

Bai Tianque was naturally not so reckless; his thoughts were similar to Bai Xinghe's.

The person behind He Wuji's secret assistance must be someone of great importance.

In the capital, the only person who has a blood feud with Bai Xinghe is Prime Minister Li Taibei.

"Father, uncles, we can only put this matter aside for now. Even if we all know it was Li Taibei who did it, there's no way to prove it now, so we can't do anything to him!"

Bai Xinghe expressed his opinion, saying that he had also considered leading a group to storm the Prime Minister's residence.

But this made things even more uncontrollable, so we had no choice but to endure it for now.

Bai Tianque glanced at Bai Xinghe with great satisfaction.

Such insightful views would have been utterly awful to Bai Xinghe in the past.

"Do as Xinghe said, suppress it for now, but don't let up on the investigation secretly!"

"Whoever dares to touch my son, I'll make sure they pay!"

During the day, he spoke with great arrogance, but in a moment of emotional agitation, he coughed up blood.

"Dad!"

"General!"

Bai Xinghe, Bai Shuang, and the others hurried over and asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Bai Tianque waved his hand, indicating that everyone should not be nervous.

However, the observant Bai Xinghe noticed something amiss: ever since his father returned to the capital in triumph yesterday, his father's spirits and energy had been off.

He's coughing up blood in his excitement, and judging from Bai Shuang, Bai Li, and the others' reactions, it seems to be more serious than we imagined.

"Yesterday, His Majesty publicly proposed to bestow upon me the title of 'One-Character Parallel King.' What are your thoughts on this?"

Bai Shuang, Bai Li, Bai Heng, and other trusted confidants all expressed that he should be granted the title immediately!

You should know that being granted the title of king is the limit for a subject, and it is an iron-capped king whose title is hereditary.

"Father, I think this is inappropriate!"

Bai Xinghe shared his opinion.

He had read a lot of Zizhi Tongjian (Comprehensive Mirror for Aid in Government), and knew that all those who were granted the title of king by a woman ended in tragedy, without exception.

Moreover, there was an agreement at the founding of the Great Zhao Dynasty that no one other than the Zhao family could become king, otherwise the whole world would attack them.

Zhao Tianhe personally led all the officials to kneel and welcome them, and personally promised to bestow upon them the title of king, seemingly showing them the utmost favor.

But he understood the principle that prosperity inevitably leads to decline, and he even sensed a hint of conspiracy.

The higher you're lifted up, the harder you'll fall!

"Those who rule by the opposite sex never meet a good end. Father, this title of 'King of the Same Rank' must be resolutely resigned; it must never be accepted."

Bai Xinghe's analysis once again stunned Bai Tianque.

He looked at his son, who had always been ignorant and incompetent, with surprise and shock, and was astonished to find that he had such insight.

However, he also had his own considerations, so he did not adopt Bai Xinghe's suggestion.

"What you say makes sense, but this is His Majesty's grace, and we cannot afford to fail to repay it."

"Father, you're confused!" Bai Xinghe exclaimed anxiously.

If the king receives this word, he will surely face unforeseen disasters in the future.

"Do you really want to see the entire Bai family wiped out? If you trust me, quit without hesitation."

Bai Tian shook his head, his attitude suddenly becoming very firm: "You unfilial son, who's in charge, me or you?"

"father."

"Alright, that's settled then. You will meet the Emperor at court tomorrow morning to receive the imperial decree!"

Bai Xinghe wanted to say something more, but Bai Tianque had already left with his men.

This greatly displeased him; he possessed a vast knowledge base and countless bloody examples.

.....

In the Prime Minister's residence, in a secret room

I heard that Bai Xinghe was assassinated and seriously injured, almost losing his life.

Li Taibei felt extremely pleased, but he was also very curious that someone would still try to harm Bai Xinghe when the Marquis's mansion was at its peak.

Based on the principle that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, Li Taibei also ordered his men to investigate who was responsible.

But he has more important and urgent matters to attend to today.

Inside the secret chamber, a mysterious man in black from the Great Yan Dynasty stood to one side.

"Didn't you say it was all planned out in advance? Why did I see no abnormalities in my body during the day?"

The man in black snorted coldly, then casually pulled out a blood-stained jade pendant!

"Lord Li, do you recognize this item?"

Lee Tae-beok said he didn't know.

The man in black continued, "This is what Bai Tianque always carries with him. Don't worry, although Bai Tianque won the battle at the border, it was a Pyrrhic victory."

"He was shot by the greatest archer of our Great Yan with a poisoned arrow, and this jade pendant was shot down at that moment."

"This poison is incurable. Anyone who is poisoned will surely die within three days. Counting the days, tomorrow will be the third day. As for the fact that they appear perfectly fine during the day, that's just an act!"

Li Taibei was overjoyed upon hearing this: "Really?"

"It is absolutely true. Our Great Yan has spies all over the world. Not to mention your Great Zhao, even the Zhenguo Marquis's mansion has them."

"Tomorrow during the day, he will officially accept the title of 'One-Word King,' at which point he will surely die vomiting blood in public!"

"Great! If that's true, then this is truly cause for celebration!" Li Taibei exclaimed excitedly.

He had waited too long for this day. As long as one person died during the day, he could control everything.

"Remember, don't forget your deal with my Great Yan: the sixteen cities of Nanjun, and Zhang Chunqiu's head!"

......

Late at night, at the Zhenguo Marquis's residence

Bai Xinghe recovered quickly from his injuries, and he kept thinking about being crowned a king.

I really can't understand how my father, with his wisdom, could accept this.

Seemingly glamorous and hereditary, it actually harbors hidden dangers.

His intuition told him that Zhao Tianhe was probably trying to flatter him to death and didn't have any good intentions.

However, just as he was racking his brains...

Bai Heng knocked on the door and came in, saying that Bai Tianque had asked him to come over.

Soon Bai Xinghe arrived at the side room, where Bai Shuang, Bai Li, and other trusted confidants of the Marquis's mansion stood at the door.

Moreover, everyone's face was filled with anxiety, which gave Bai Xinghe an ominous premonition.

"Young master, please go inside. The general is waiting for you!"

Bai Xinghe nodded, pushed open the door, and went inside.

Upon closer inspection, Bai Tianque was deathly pale, leaning against the bed with a gloomy expression, and there were bloodstains on the bedsheets.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

Bai Xinghe disregarded the fact that his legs were not yet nimble enough and limped over.

"Dad, don't scare me."

Seeing Bai Xinghe's worried expression, Bai Tianque smiled knowingly.

"Galaxy!"

Bai Tianque called out once, his voice weak but full of kindness.

"My days are numbered. The reason I'm holding on and preventing outsiders from noticing anything is all for the sake of everyone in the Marquis's mansion!"

What!

Upon hearing this, Bai Xinghe immediately flew into a rage.

"Dad, what nonsense are you talking about? If you're not feeling well, call a doctor immediately. You absolutely can't be hurt!"

"Sigh." Bai Tianque sighed.

"It's no use. Although we won the border battle by luck, I was also hit by a poisoned arrow from the Yan state."

As he spoke, Bai Tianque tore open his clothes, revealing his chest.

A large, bruised, and black wound was bleeding black blood; the wound was about the size of a fist.

Seeing this, it was clear that the wound was seriously infected, and Bai Xinghe's heart tightened instantly.

"Dad!"

"Don't panic!" Bai Tianque remained calm. At this moment, he was no longer the God of War who protected the country, but a dying old father.

"Do you know why your father accepted a king of the opposite sex? My days are numbered. If I am gone, someone will surely seize the opportunity to cause trouble."

"But if you become a hereditary prince, even if Li Taibei and his cronies want to take you down, it won't be so easy! Bai Shuang, Bai Li, and Bai Heng have followed their father in his southern campaigns for many years; only by being made a prince can they be granted wealth and honor!"

Bai Xinghe's eyes reddened slightly, and he finally understood the good intentions behind Bai Tianque's actions!

"Dad, stop talking now. Your wound is infected and needs to be disinfected!"

"What disinfection and sterilization?"

Bai Tianque shook his head and sighed, "It's no use, that arrow is poisoned."

As he spoke, Bai Tianque coughed violently again, spitting out streams of blood.

"Dad!"

Bai Xinghe was extremely anxious, but he was also at a loss.

Although he knew the wound was infected, he was powerless to do anything about it due to the limited resources available.

"You go out first, and call Bai Shuang, Bai Heng, and Bai Li in!"