Peace Order-Chapter 1453 - 131: Price and Promise

Outside the imperial palace, the civil and military officials were kneeling. Wei Yiwen was the foremost of the civil officials. This Prime Minister had followed Jiang Wanxiang even before his rise to power. At that time, Jiang Wanxiang was already in his thirties, while Wei Yiwen was just a teenage boy.

The two were twenty years apart in age.

He started as an official in the secretariat, and later assisted Jiang Wanxiang in ascending the throne, thus becoming a meritorious minister of the True Dragon. He then followed Jiang Wanxiang to conquer the south and north, repeatedly thwarting the Turkic invasions and quelling uprisings on three fronts. Later, as the Ying Country stabilized, Wei Yiwen, at an age younger than any of his predecessors, ascended to power.

He served as the Minister of the Left and the Minister, opening an office and holding the position of pillar of the country.

He implemented new laws, campaigned in the north and south, promoted agriculture and mulberry cultivation, and renovated the new capital. With high virtue and great renown, despite being such a pillar of the country, at this moment he knelt here, feeling vaguely dazed and unfocused.

The flickering candlelight brought back memories of Jiang Wanxiang, and for a moment, he had no mind for party politics, but after all, he was already growing old. He glanced sideways and saw the gathered civil and military officials outside the palace, all of whom showed changes in expression.

Everyone knew, His Majesty wasn’t likely to survive.

Throughout the realm, Chen Country, Ying Country, and Tuyuhun had each enjoyed over three hundred years of imperial rule. Tuyuhun was first to fall, and Chen Country and Ying Country each had their flaws. However, Ying Country’s flaw, the disaster of factional politics among the civil and military officials, was forcibly suppressed by this brilliant and capable emperor during his reign.

But now, that True Dragon which suppressed the heads of these heroes was waning.

The sharpness and fangs of the civil and military officials began to show.

Even though Jiang Wanxiang had not yet passed, the hostility and rivalry among the civil and military officials were already faintly perceptible in their actions and expressions. One could faintly glimpse the entanglements of their factions through their words and actions.

The myriad forms of these civil servants and military generals, the changes in people’s hearts, had all surfaced.

With the passing away of the Great Emperor of Ying, it was as if the water level encompassing all of Ying had receded, exposing these hearts, these machinations, and the conflicts between civil and military generals and ministers.

All were brazen generals and arrogant literati.

After His Majesty, whether it be the Crown Prince or Prince Jiang Guang, who could suppress them?

If they could be suppressed, then Daying Kingdom might manage to maintain this grand situation. But if they couldn’t, must Daying crumble and break from within?

Wei Yiwen knelt silently there, his sleeves hanging down, seemingly hearing the people’s hearts and perceiving their sharpness. With His Majesty on the brink of death, the civil servants and military generals already looked at each other like knives and swords, their sharpness icy, and occasionally, in their idle chats, some hidden things had already begun to emerge.

"His Majesty must preserve the dragon body. If anything were to happen to His Majesty..."

"Shut up! What are you saying? His Majesty has the Heavenly Phenomenon and will be fine!"

"How hateful, the Wolf King, how hateful that Chen Country, how hateful Marquis Qin Wu!"

"We must definitely avenge this grudge!"

In their exchanges with each other, they did not notice when raindrops suddenly began to fall from the sky, pitter-pattering down within the courtyard walls of the palace. Wei Yiwen spoke suddenly, "All you esteemed officials!"

When he spoke, each word was deliberate, and his momentum was immense, seemingly suppressing the civil and military officials, the aristocratic ministers, and the forces of the royal family generalized under the tension and the threatening concealed beneath the rivalry.

Everyone looked towards the Prime Minister, and Wei Yiwen said sternly, "His Majesty still stands with us!"

Thunder crackled across the sky, illuminating the dark clouds on all sides as rain poured down. Among the officials, a Vice Minister said, "The Prime Minister is right, His Majesty’s dragon body is surely unharmed."

The wind swept away, lightly covering Wei Yiwen’s warning.

Wei Yiwen clenched the fists beneath his sleeves, but he knew that throughout the realm the brazen generals and the influential officials of aristocratic families each had their own power and foundation. At this moment, with Jiang Wanxiang’s incident, everyone’s thoughts had changed.

At this moment, steady and resolute footsteps sounded.

The voice of an eunuch called out loudly:

"Great General, Grandmaster, First-Rank Duke Zhen, Jiang Su has arrived!!!"

The ambitions sparked by the absence of the dragon which suppressed them among the civil and military officials froze in that instant. Jiang Su had not changed his robes, clad still in full military attire, his battle cloak still stained with the blood from quelling uprisings.

Turning, the civil and military officials looked on as, in the doorway between the palace halls, the towering Grandmaster’s white hair hung solemnly and coldly, like an immense pillar, bearing an indescribable pressure.

Though Wei Yiwen and Jiang Su were never on particularly harmonious terms, at this moment, he let out a long sigh, full of a sense of tension finally stabilizing.

Jiang Su ignored everyone, striding to the front of the palace.

The Silent Annihilation Divine Spear in his hand pierced the ground, as sharp as when pacifying the world, extinguishing countless ambitions in people’s hearts. Jiang Su ignored the eunuch’s attempts to stop him, pushed open the palace doors, and strode inside.

Yet, just moments before——

Jiang Yuan had made up his mind. He called out to his father, but there was no response, so he gritted his teeth and stepped forward, reaching out to support Jiang Wanxiang. Jiang Wanxiang’s body was lifted by his support.

Because he had slept too deeply, Jiang Wanxiang’s body had become extremely heavy and was difficult to lift. After quite a while, Jiang Yuan managed to support Jiang Wanxiang up, and as he looked at the medicine, which had turned an unusual color, countless emotions flickered across his face. Finally, he gritted his teeth.

He still brought the medicine to Jiang Wanxiang’s lips.