As soon as Crown Prince Nguyen Hee Than finished speaking, he leaped up and rushed towards Nguyen Hee Thong, who was on a high place, intending to kill him.
Seeing that the new emperor was about to be killed, many ministers of the Southern Ling Kingdom cried out in alarm, "Your Majesty!"
However, Ruan Xizong's expression remained unchanged from beginning to end, his face calm and composed. His eyes, under the sunlight, strangely shone with a dazzling light. Then, with a bright smile, his clear voice rang out: "Ruan Xiqin, do you think you are the biggest winner today?"
As soon as he finished speaking, shouts of battle erupted outside the square, surging in from all directions.
Soon, countless armored soldiers surged forward. These men were clearly veterans who had fought on the battlefield. They were not only brave and skilled in battle, but also ruthless in their attacks. As soon as they charged forward, they attacked with deadly force, and the battlefield was quickly brought under control.
Crown Prince Nguyen Hee Thong was shocked by what had happened and his expression changed drastically. He then reached out and grabbed Nguyen Hee Thong's neck, speaking in a vicious and sinister tone.
"Nguyen Hee Thong, since I cannot live, you can't live either."
However, Nguyen Hee Tong did not back down. Seeing the Crown Prince attacking, he immediately retaliated, and the two began to fight.
However, another figure quickly attacked, and Crown Prince Ruan Xiqin cried out, "Ruan Xiyin, weren't you sick?"
It turned out that the person who led the black-armored cavalry to rescue the emperor was none other than the War King Ruan Xiyin. Ruan Xiyin held military power and could freely mobilize the garrison outside the capital, which was why he was able to successfully bring the people into the palace to rescue the emperor.
Ruan Xiyin's face was deathly pale, but his skills were incredibly sharp, each move carrying deadly intent. The former crown prince, Ruan Xiqin, was no match for him and was quickly captured alive. Ruan Xiyin held Ruan Xiqin to his neck and coldly ordered everyone, "Stop."
On the square lay the bodies of fallen traitors, but upon hearing Nguyen Hee Yin's order, everyone ceased their attacks. In particular, the remnants of the Crown Prince's faction, seeing the Crown Prince captured, could no longer bring themselves to strike. Led by Prince Huai, they all knelt down. With a wave of his hand, King Nguyen Hee Yin ordered his men to arrest all the traitors.
For a whole hour, the vast square was completely silent; the wind blew, and the hall was filled with the stench of blood.
Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling's faces turned frosty. Ye Lingfeng was surprised, not expecting that this young emperor was so shrewd. Given time, he would probably be a very difficult opponent.
When Hai Ling saw the War King Ruan Xiyin appear, she was furious. It turned out that the War King was fine at all. His move was clearly meant to lure out the Crown Prince and the troublemakers behind him. It was hateful that she had thought he was really heartbroken because of Xi Liang's suicide. Fortunately, she hadn't given him a kind look. How hateful!
The grand coronation ceremony had turned into this mess. Although the crown prince and his remaining followers had been captured, Nguyen Hee Thong's expression remained grim. He calmly ordered the guards to remove the dead from the square, and then ordered the Ministry of Justice to take the crown prince and his entourage away and place them under heavy guard.
The coronation ceremony continued, but it ended quickly. Ye Lingfeng said goodbye to Hai Ling and the others and returned to Luohua Pavilion.
Inside the carriage, Hailing couldn't help but grumble: "I didn't expect that Ruan Xiyin was completely unharmed. I thought he was really heartbroken and devastated by Xi Liang's death, but it turns out he was just faking it."
"Not necessarily. He looked terrible. Maybe he was just holding on for the sake of it."
Seeing Hai Ling's anger, Ye Lingfeng spoke gently.
The kittens also became restless and fidgety because of their mother's mood. When Hailing saw this, she quickly composed herself. But what did the War King's matter have to do with them?
The group returned to Luohua Pavilion to discuss the matter. Next, they would talk to the Nanling Kingdom about the handover of Lianshui City. Regardless of whether the Nanling Kingdom would give up the city or not, they should go back, as they had been away for quite some time.
Not only were Ye Lingfeng and his group anxious, but Ruan Xizong and his group from Nanling Kingdom were also getting anxious. So many things had happened to the people from Beilu in Nanling Kingdom, and it would be best to send them away as soon as possible. If they stayed any longer, who knows what kind of trouble they might cause.
After the coronation ceremony, Ruan Xizong immediately summoned his court officials overnight to discuss how to deal with Ye Lingfeng of Beilu. Should they really give up Lianshui City? If not, Beilu might join forces with Shaoyi. Now that they have broken with the Great Zhou Dynasty, if Beilu and Shaoyi join forces, Feng Zixiao will definitely get a share, and then they will surely die.
The Prime Minister immediately stepped forward: "Your Majesty, for now we can only cede Lianshui City to them. Once we have reorganized the Southern Ling Kingdom and our army is strong and well-equipped, we can take back Lianshui City."
The ministers below echoed in agreement. It wasn't that they wanted to give in, but they had no other choice at the moment.
The struggle for the crown prince in the royal family has consumed a great deal of manpower and financial resources. In addition, the troops of Shaoyi have been attacking relentlessly, not only taking back all of Shaoyi's cities, but now also intending to destroy the Southern Ling Kingdom. Right now, they only want to deal with Shaoyi with all their might. If they fall out with the Northern Lu, they will surely perish.
"We humbly request Your Majesty to make a decision."
In the main hall, all the ministers spoke in unison. Nguyen Hee Tong, who was at the head of the table, was unwilling, but he had no choice. Although he was smart, he had just ascended the throne and was forced by the situation to do so.
Ruan Xizong gave the order: "Guards, summon the emperor of Bei Lu."
The eunuch accepted the order and went to fetch the people. The hall was silent as everyone waited for the people from Beilu.
In Luohua Pavilion, Ye Lingfeng and Hai Ling were on the bed in the room, teasing the kitten. The kitten was happily rolling over, giggling as it did so. Not only that, Ye Lingfeng also lifted it by its feet, suspending it in mid-air. The kitten was not afraid at all; instead, it laughed even harder. In the room, Hai Ling looked helplessly at the father and son on the bed, both of them covered in sweat.
"Alright, it's about time to rest."
Hai Ling held the kitten, preparing to give her son a bath. After the bath, it was almost time to rest. However, the kitten had played a bit too wildly tonight, so when Hai Ling held him, he was a little unhappy and pouted. Hai Ling pretended not to see it and didn't even look at her son. She only talked to Ye Lingfeng about what happened at the coronation ceremony of the Emperor of Nanling Kingdom.
"I never expected that Prince Huai would be won over by the Crown Prince. Tell me, who killed Princess Huai at the palace banquet where the Emperor hosted us at Nanling Palace?"
The thought of this made her feel sorry for Princess Huai. She seemed like a very nice person, gentle and refined. How could she have been assassinated? Was it the Emperor or Prince Huai?
As Hai Ling was thinking, Ye Lingfeng's deep, magnetic voice rang out: "It should be Prince Huai. Princess Huai is likely someone the Emperor placed by Prince Huai's side. It's very possible that Princess Huai discovered Prince Huai's disloyalty, so Prince Huai took advantage of the palace banquet to get rid of Princess Huai. That way, no one can blame him. If Princess Huai dies inexplicably, it will definitely alert the Emperor."
"That man is truly hateful."
Hai Ling agreed with Ye Lingfeng's words. A woman's fate is sometimes thinner than paper. She thought of herself, Xi Liang, and the Princess Consort Huai. She couldn't help but feel a little melancholy. Ye Lingfeng saw her expression and knew what she was thinking. He got up and went to the mother and son, reaching out to put his arm around them.
"Even if I betray the people of the world, I will never betray you."
Hearing his gentle and kind words, Hai Ling's heart was conquered once again. All she had ever wanted in her life was a man like him. She smiled and nodded, letting go of all her worries, and softly said, "I'll go give the kitten a bath."
"good."
Ye Lingfeng nodded with a smile. Hai Ling walked out, but after only a few steps, she heard Shi Mei come in and respectfully say, "Your Majesty, the palace has sent a carriage to pick you up and take you to the palace. They say it is on the orders of the Emperor of Nanling Kingdom to discuss matters between the two countries."
Upon hearing this, Ye Lingfeng became interested, raised his eyebrows, and ordered Shizhu outside the door to summon several ministers. Shizhu accepted the order and left quickly.
Ye Lingfeng gathered everyone together, and then, along with Wenbin, another imperial official, and Shizhu and others, left Luohua Pavilion for the palace. Ji Shaocheng and General Pei stayed in Luohua Pavilion to protect Hailing and her son.
In the palace.
The Zhongjing Palace, where the emperor resided, was brightly lit at this time, and a large number of people had gathered inside. The emperor and his ministers of the Southern Ling Kingdom all had grim faces and remained silent. The thought of ceding territory and cities made them uneasy, but they had no other choice at the moment.
The hall was silent until a eunuch rushed in and cautiously reported, "Your Majesty, Emperor Xie of the Northern Lu Kingdom has returned?"
"Let him in."
The new emperor, Nguyen Hee Thong, was somewhat weak and listless. At this moment, he seemed to have a thousand strengths but could not use them. He could only helplessly take the beating, without any way to do anything about it.