The lord of a country holds the greatest power and authority.
Everyone can make mistakes, but the lord of a country cannot. Anyone can be guilty, but the lord of a country cannot be guilty.
With the highest power and authority, how could he be guilty? Who can judge him?
Throughout history, whenever a lord of a country is convicted, it is when he has already lost his power.
The so-called "self-punishment decree" is nothing more than self-deception and self-punishment.
Today, Yang Xuange is forcing Yang Jiande to admit his guilt, and it is definitely not as simple as a mere "I am incompetent."
In the Yang Kingdom, where the calendar and written language have been gradually abandoned, this has always been a forbidden topic of discussion. No one dares to talk about it, and no one can bear the responsibility.
Many people feel that perhaps the responsibility will only be determined when Yang Jiande abdicates the throne, to be pushed onto him by future generations.
Therefore, when Yang Jiande directly admits to being responsible in the great hall of the Yang Palace, many people are stunned and shocked.
Especially Yang Xuange, the crown prince of the Yang Kingdom. He has prepared a lot of evidence and backup plans to make Yang Jiande "admit guilt" step by step without fail.But now that Yang Jiande has directly "admitted guilt," he seems a bit at a loss.
However, after years of experience, he quickly recovers and continues, "So..."
Yang Jiande interrupted him, "So should I bind myself and kneel before the enemy? To comfort the lord and reassure the people?"
Even the crown prince of the Yang Kingdom, who is known for his deep scheming, looks a bit embarrassed at this moment.
Regardless of whether he is a subject or a son, he should not be the one to say such things.
But if it were not for the current situation, he would not have done it.
"Well, then..." Yang Xuange hesitated, quickly organizing his words in his mind, "In times of national crisis and instability, those who serve the king and father should bear some responsibility."
"And then, after you ascend to the throne, what do you plan to do?" Yang Jiande asked from the dragon throne, pressing on step by step, "Lead the army directly into the Qi Palace?"
As the future ruler of the country, Yang Xuange has been preparing for many years. Although his reputation may not be perfect, there is no need to deny it.
Seeing Yang Jiande's direct question, he replied directly, "After I ascend to the throne, I will never forget today's grievances. I will work hard to govern the country, strengthen foreign relations, and build a strong army. I will seek revenge for the country!"
He spoke passionately.
On the other hand, Yang Jiande only asked, "What if the Qi Kingdom does not allow it? What if I, as a prisoner, beg for mercy, and the Qi Kingdom still does not allow the Yang family's ancestral temple? What will you do?"
"The Qi Kingdom's army is only blocking the border because they fear the spread of the plague after the changes. As long as I can control the plague, the siege will be resolved on its own. The Yang Kingdom has been serving the Qi Kingdom for many years, always respectful and paying tribute. If the Qi lord dares not allow our ancestral temple, won't he be afraid of the criticism of the world?"
Yang Xuange spoke confidently, or rather, he had to show confidence in order to demonstrate the qualities needed to take over the country, so that those who support him would not waver.
"I'm not asking where your confidence comes from to control the plague." Yang Jiande almost laughed, but he didn't know where to start laughing, and it was really inappropriate to laugh, so he just asked, "Do you really think that Chong Xuan Chu Liang brought the Autumn Kill Army here just to stop the spread of the plague to the Qi border?"
"If that's the case, one commander and two teams of soldiers guarding the border would be enough! Does the Yang Kingdom still have brave warriors who dare to challenge the Qi people?" He pounded the armrest of the dragon throne, "Is it necessary to mobilize the army and send out the executioner? Do you know who the executioner is? Go to Daxia and ask those lost souls!"
"What about the executioner? Can't the executioner be communicated with? Does the executioner have no weaknesses? Father! Don't be frightened! It's not thirty years ago. Chong Xuan Chu Liang is old!" Yang Xuange angrily said, "There are many ways to deal with him!"
He could have smoothly taken over the political power and calmly realized his ambitions. But overnight, everything changed, and the situation became uncertain. The throne that was within reach turned into a mess. He was anxious, angry, and uneasy, and he almost collapsed!
Being able to quickly recover, make a decision, and involve the ministers, kneel before Yang Jiande to convene a court meeting, and then use internal and external forces to force the palace... was already a rare display of deep scheming.
But even so, in the face of the cruel truth revealed by Yang Jiande, his will faltered.
He was angry.
His anger was not due to hatred or injustice, but because of his unease. It was because he felt the danger and realized his own powerlessness.He roared in the hall, as if to prove that he was not afraid of Chuxuan Chu Liang: "Can't the power of the Yang country move the heart of the old man? Whatever he wants, I'll give it to him, even if it hurts him! If that doesn't work, I'll hire someone to assassinate him! If that fails, I'll just give the land to Qi Jun, a piece of land, a city, even a county! Just to retreat once, can't it be done? Just give me time... just give me time!"
"Surrendering land for peace?" Yang Jiande interrupted his rising emotions: "Is that your true intention?"
He sneered, "But do you want me to do it? Let me, the sinful king, bear the shame of surrendering land again?"
"The situation is such that surrendering land is just a temporary measure. We can just give away the Rizhao County and leave the plague to them. With the size of the Qi country, there is a way. And we, the Yang country, can move forward lightly and simply!" Yang Xuanji's voice softened, almost cold and gentle: "Father, for the sake of the ancestral temple. The Yang country has already had a foolish king, and cannot have another one. Otherwise, the people's hearts will be completely scattered. Therefore, surrendering land can only be done by you."
To everyone's surprise, Yang Jiande did not explode in anger, but only asked in a calm voice, "And then?"
"Although it is painful, only by cutting out the rotten sore can we restore health! All internal and external troubles will be gone, and the people of the Yang country will be united, knowing shame and being brave. What's to fear about the great cause not prospering?"
The more Yang Xuanji spoke, the more excited he became, the more he spoke, the more agitated he became, pointing out the mountains and rivers: "Ten years! Just give the child ten years, and he will tidy up the old mountains and rivers for you!"
The entire court of nobles and ministers remained silent. None of them had the right to interrupt the conversation between the Yang family.
But the courage, confidence, and even the cruel and cold side displayed by Yang Xuanji gave many who were in confusion confidence.
It made them see a glimmer of hope, as if the shaky Yang country still had hope.
As long as the former lord confessed, surrendered land, and left with shame.
The new lord ascended, the military and the people united, and they seemed to see the possibility of the country's resurgence from that faint hope.
It was like a dream back to the time when it was called Tianxiong City!
However...
Yang Jiande sat on the dragon throne, casting such a heavy shadow.
"In simple terms, it's a compromise, a test of patience and courage?"
The twenty-seventh generation monarch of the Yang country asked in this way—
"Isn't that what your father has been doing for so many years?"
"You disappoint me!"
The king of the Yang country stood up from the dragon throne: "In the past, I entrusted you with the state affairs, and you took care of them yourself! Today, you pushed me to the court, just to make me bear the responsibility of the country's destruction?"
"Yang Xuanji!"
He pointed at his son who stood opposite him on the steps: "You don't even have the courage to bear the name of the king who lost the country. What are you talking about knowing shame and being brave, and avenging the country's enmity?"
Yang Xuanji's mind was greatly shaken, and he wanted to say something in defense.
But Yang Jiande had already raised his hand and pressed it down.
In the blink of an eye, the world turned upside down. As if an endless stream of blood light, in an instant, rolled up Yang Xuanji, and then retracted into the palm.
He had never slackened in his cultivation, and he was a strong figure in the Inner Palace Realm, but he couldn't even take a single move and was crushed in an instant!
He disappeared from the court, in front of the ministers of the Yang court.
Yang Xuanji's confidants and supporters had already prepared to force the palace with military force, but they had never expected that before they could act, the prince was gone!
"Your Highness!" The most trusted general under Yang Xuanji rushed to the place where his flesh and blood had disappeared, shouting towards the direction of the dragon throne: "You, the king who brought disaster to the country!"
But halfway there, his head was taken off by Liu Huai. Only the headless body fell in front of the steps.
Liu Huai held the head in his hand, turned lightly, and said respectfully, "This person conspired to assassinate the king, please execute his entire family!"
"Enough." Yang Jiande waved his hand indifferently.
"The Blood Demon Scripture of Annihilating Emotions and Desires!" At this moment, an old minister remembered the history and became agitated: "Your Majesty, how can you learn such demonic techniques?"
The Blood Demon Scripture of Annihilating Emotions and Desires is said to be one of the demonic techniques created by the ancestor of the demonic path.
The most cruel part of this technique is that in order to achieve perfection, it requires the consumption of one's own blood relatives. Completely living up to its name, it is truly the technique of annihilating emotions and desires.
This old minister had only seen the introduction of this technique in ancient classics.
Most demonic techniques are considered demonic because of their cruelty and opposition to human ethics, and are shameful to the world.
At this time, Yang Jiande stood with his hands behind his back in front of the dragon throne, his face surrounded by a layer of blood light: "You bunch of useless people, you can't even support my son in maintaining the country's power. Don't try to advise me anymore."
"Liu Huai." He ordered in a low voice, "Summon all of my sons and daughters to the palace."
Liu Huai was greatly shocked, and he knew the meaning of Yang Jiande's order. This was an unrelenting decision to kill the offspring and achieve the demonic technique.
But since the lord had made up his mind, he could only bow and go to carry out the order.The great hall was filled with kneeling courtiers, not with shouts of anger but with cries and pleas for the sovereign to awaken from his folly.
"Day in and day out you weep, will your tears bring the dead Elder Jiang back to life?"
Yang Jiande bellowed with a sweep of his sleeves.
"Enough with your wailing, you useless lot!"
Though the hall was filled with prostrate ministers, Yang Jiande stood above on the dais, his hair and beard fluttering, his dragon robe billowing, exuding an aura of profound solitude.
"The shame of the nation's collapse, the disgrace of the ancestral temples' abandonment, the hatred of a country's ruin and a family's fall—I alone shall bear it all!"
Le Wen