Realms In The Firmament

The king entered the side hall. He saw Jiang Yu-Ming was there on his knees holding his head up. He had a sullen expression. The moment he saw the king, he burst into tears, “Your Highness, you must make the decision for your humble servant this time…”

Jiang Yu-Ming, although he was the Revenue Minister, still called himself a servant to the king in private. He wanted to show the king how he wouldn’t forget the days he served the king. The king was pleased about it though.

The king sighed and thought, [You foolish servant. Your ‘son’ is just a bastard who doesn’t even have a clear identity. Look how you cry like he is your own kin. Do you have to be like this…]

He looked calm though, and he asked, “What are you crying for? Quickly get up and speak.”

Jiang Yu-Ming kowtowed and said, “Your highness, I have been truly wronged this time…”

“Just tell me everything.” The king showed kindness.

“My beloved son was tortured for no reason outside the south gate by Ye Xiao, son of Ye Nan-Tian… Most of his bones are broken, and he is totally disfigured. His body was covered in blood and flesh. I couldn’t even tell any part of him that wasn’t lashed. He didn’t even look like a human when he was carried home. He is now still in a coma and I am afraid he will die at any moment. Your Highness, please hold justice for your humble servant and punish the assailant!”

The king was shocked, “How come he got so seriously hurt?”

Jiang Yu-Ming cried, “Your highness, please. He is the only son I have…”

The king twitched his lips. He was rather speechless.

[I know he is the only… urh.. son you have. Well everybody knows about this son of yours…

I was sorry for you a second ago, yet now I have nearly laughed out because of what you said…]

He was about to speak but then he thought of something, “The south gate? Isn’t it where Su Ding-Guo departed from? Why did your… beloved son got beaten there? I was on the wall there, not for long though. After they left, I just returned to the palace. Why didn’t I notice the fight?”

Jiang Yu-Ming was stunned and he replied ambiguously, “My son and the boys, they urn… They… must… have arrived at the gate… after Prince Hua-Yang departed… Your highness, you must have already left for the palace. So urn… it is a reasonable situation.”

The king frowned tightly, “Your son got there after the army left? And then he got beaten up?”

Jiang Yu-Ming shouted ‘Oh Noooo’ in mind and said, “Your highness, it was because Ye Xiao was arrogant and domineering. He talked with a dirty mouth and intentionally challenge my son. My son didn’t have any other choice but to answer back with some strong words. Yet he ended up beaten up bad by Ye Xiao and now he may die for it. Your highness… Please… I need justice…”

While speaking, he shouted and got down on the floor. He couldn’t stop crying and said, “Looking at my son suffering such pain… My heart is broken…”

At this moment, a voice sounded coldly, “You liar.”

The king was stunned. Jiang Yu-Ming who was on the floor was shocked too. He suddenly forget to cry and turned around his head to look for the person who spoke.

At the door of the side hall, the Crown Prince was stepping in with big strides, “Father, it is an emergency, so I didn’t send people to inform you of my arrival. Please forgive me.”

The king frowned and said blandly, “What is it so urgent?”

The Crown Prince talked hurriedly, “Father, I don’t have the time to explain. Please send a royal doctor to the house of the great General Ye. His son, Ye Xiao, is at a critical situation. If we do it later… I am afraid he may die.”

“What?” Jiang Yu-Ming was blank all of a sudden when he heard it. He couldn’t help but scream out.

[My son is in coma now at home because of being beaten up by Ye Xiao. How come Ye Xiao is in vital danger now?

What happened?]

To his surprise, the king lost the color of his face when he heard it. It was totally a different reaction when he heard Jiang Tai-Sui was beaten up by Ye Xiao.

- Puff! - The king stood up fast and shouted with furiousness, “What? What happened?”

He didn’t wait for the Crown Prince’s response. He just went on shouting, “Go get Doctor Li, Doctor Huang! Tell them to go to the House of Ye immediately! Without delay!”

He didn’t stop shouting, “Tell Master Sun to go tell the doctors to keep Ye Xiao alive in any cost!”

And then, “Tell the Interior Minister to open the storehouse. Send all the best medical materials to the House of Ye! Whatever it needs to cure Ye Xiao, just use without asking!”

[What?]

Jiang Yu-Ming was shocked and frightened.

He had served the king since he was a child. He was a good friend to the king and that was why he knew so much about everything about the king. It was also the reason why he could stay safe in the royal court after countless times of embezzlements and punishments.

He knew that Doctor Li and Doctor Huang were the best royal doctors. They only accept people in the royal family as their patients. Even the king’s concubines couldn’t casually see them as they wished. People all behaved politely in front of these doctors.

Master Sun was the royal dan-maker the royal family specially hired. He usually only served the king. Even the Crown Prince needed the permission from the king to see Master Sun…

Yet when the king heard that Ye Xiao was in danger, he just sent three of his most important men for it.

And he actually said that all the medical materials could be used without permissions!

Whatever was stored in the royal storehouse were all extremely rare and valuable materials. Any of them was a priceless treasure. Yet now whatever Ye Xiao might need, it could be used without any hesitation!

All these things showed one thing clearly to Jiang Yu-Ming — Ye Xiao couldn’t die.

[If Ye Xiao couldn’t die, then…]

He didn’t dare to think deeper about it. He knew well that the king could be ruthless.

The king didn’t show his ruthlessness to him yet, but another person did it first.

The Crown Prince just took some breath and he looked at Jiang Yu-Ming coldly, “Lord Jiang, how can you confound right and wrong and turn white into black like this?”

Jiang Yu-Ming was scared, “Why do you say so, your highness? How did I exactly confound right and wrong?”

The Crown Prince spoke indifferently, “Well. Lord Jiang, you connived at the violence of your son, yet now you come here to sue the victim first. You tried to confound right and wrong. What exactly do you want?”

Jiang Yu-Ming was extremely wronged and he said, “I really don’t understand any of your words, your highness. The truth is Ye Xiao has beaten up my son nearly to death. There were many people from other officials’ families. They can prove it!”

The Crown Prince spoke coldly, “Lord Jiang, answer me. Prince Hua-Yang left for the battle in order to protect the our kingdom, our home. Why didn’t your son see him off? Well maybe your son just doesn’t love his country. That’s fine. Why did he ride a horse with a group of people to where the army just left and acted arrogantly like that? Was he trying to show how magnificent his family was and how his family overrode the kingdom?”

Jiang Yu-Ming was stunned, “Your… Your highness… Why do you…”

The Crown Prince seemed to make things sound much more serious. He actually made it look like something about national crime and security.

Well, he wasn’t done yet.

He waved his hand and continued, “It is fine that your son didn’t see the warriors off. Yet he thought that the military group had no leader in the capital, so he arranged some lads claiming they were going to get the junior generations of the military group. Am I wrong?”

Jiang Yu-Ming was extremely scared. He shouted, “Your highness, you can’t speak of it like this. It was merely…”

The king’s eyes had become extremely cold at the moment.

The Crown Prince stepped closer and interrupted, “We all know what happened. Not only the two sides of the quarrel saw the whole thing. The guards on the wall knew clearly about the truth too. You said those foppish lads could prove it. I just want you to know that there are thousands of people there who can prove that you are lying! Do you really think your baby son is wronged now?!”

The king was calm. He was listening with a cold expression.

“The soldiers left for the battle to protect our home with their blood and lives. Yet your son actually led a bunch of people to bully their families… Lord Jiang, I wonder how you dare to see my father now. And I wonder how you can be so shameless to reverse right and wrong here. How can you do this?”

The Crown Prince pushed him hard through scolding.

Jiang Yu-Ming felt a bit dizzy and said, “Your highness… What shame do I have? My son is still lying at home not knowing whether he will live or die… I can’t lie about that, can I…”

He was truly confused, [I wasn’t told Ye Xiao got beaten! And… Why does the Crown Prince keep aiming at me today?

He is offending a main official in the court now. That doesn’t seem what he usually will do…]

“I don’t care whether your son is going to die or live. He deserves to die anyway.” The Crown Prince showed no mercy. He just took his stand immediately.

At the moment, the Crown Prince was somehow full of the aura of a dominator.

[What happened to Ye Xiao should actually be my responsibility. Now there is a stupid one who is going to be the scapegoat. I have to make sure of it.]

“Lord Jiang, answer me! Your son, Jiang Tai-Sui, brought a group of others outside the city right before Prince Hua-Yang left. You guys claimed that you were going to get on Ye Xiao and his friends. There were thousands of people there who can prove it! Do you really think your son is wronged now?”

The Crown Prince spoke coldly.

“Well… Well…”

Jiang Yu-Ming lost his ability to speak. He was astonished.

He had truly never thought that the Crown Prince would do this to him. He felt like the Crown Prince was going to push him to the edge.

The Crown Prince repeated the same question again and again…

He kept emphasizing his point again and again…

…

5th guaranteed chapter of the week. The 6th and last guaranteed chapter of the week would be posted later on.

From: XianXiaWorld