This really livened things up at the marquis's manor.
Not only had the ruler of the kingdom, Dongfang Lu, personally shown up, but he'd brought an entourage as well. Not a large one, though—just a few marquis-lords and a handful of trusted ministers, seven or eight people in all. Most surprising of all, Dongfang Lu's ailing daughter, Dongfang Zhiruo, had come too.
It had to be said—every last one of these nobles was a top-tier actor. From the king himself down to the marquis-lords, each wore an expression of profound grief.
As though the
When it was Dongfang Zhiruo's turn to offer incense, the sickly girl whispered, "Brother Jiang Chen, I'm sorry. It's all because Zhiruo is useless that you got dragged into this. But don't worry—if there's another world after death, Zhiruo will personally come and apologize to you. When I get there, you can hit me, scold me, do whatever you want. My father's sacrifice to heaven was all to pray for my blessing, so your death is also Zhiruo's sin. I hope Heaven can see clearly and let Zhiruo bear all the blame alone. Please don't take it out on the people of our kingdom. Don't take it out on my father..."
The girl spoke with complete sincerity, her voice halting and weak—clearly short of breath—but she was utterly earnest. These words made each and every one of those performing nobles feel a faint twinge of shame inside.
Even Fatty Xuan, who had been gritting his teeth in hatred toward the royal Dongfang family, couldn't bring himself to hate her after hearing that.
"Hey, Princess Zhiruo, the man's dead—saying all this won't change a thing. If you feel so guilty, when you get to the underworld, just marry my Brother Chen. He wasn't good enough to be prince consort in life, but in death? Heh heh! Oh, and my Brother Chen's always been partial to the big-buttocked type. As for positions, well, he..."
Once Fatty Xuan's filthy mouth got going, there was no stopping it. His words turned Dongfang Lu's face green on the spot. You damn fatso—were you cursing my daughter to die soon?!
The other nobles fought to control their facial muscles, terrified that Fatty Xuan's antics would make them laugh at the worst possible moment.
Jiang Chen, lying in the coffin, had actually been perfectly relaxed. But when he heard that Fatty Xuan was in danger of spiraling out of control, he couldn't stay still any longer. He bolted upright and cursed: "Dead fatso, can't you even let me die in peace?!"
The moment he sat up, everyone on the scene except Jiang Feng was frozen solid for a good several seconds.
It was Fatty Xuan, closest to him, who reacted first. His face lit up: "Brother Chen, are you rising from the dead, or were you just playing possum?!"
"Playing your sister—playing dead is exhausting. Why don't you try it?!"
When Dongfang Lu saw Jiang Chen suddenly sit up in the coffin, his expression hardened on the spot. A man beside him immediately bellowed: "Jiang Chen, you dare feign death! This is deceiving the sovereign—a crime punishable by extermination of your nine clans!"
Sycophants like that—every ruler had them in spades.
Jiang Chen couldn't be bothered with him. Instead, he leisurely climbed out of the coffin, his gaze calm and level, and looked toward Dongfang Lu: "Your Majesty, Jiang Chen has been fortunate enough to survive. I merely wish to ask—are you going to have me dragged out and beaten to death again, or will you pardon this subject's unintentional offense?"
Dongfang Lu was the sovereign of an entire kingdom, yet when Jiang Chen's gaze swept over him, the heart he kept hard as bedrock trembled ever so slightly. It was as though the youth who had just climbed out of a coffin had suddenly given off an aura—something invisible and intangible, yet so formidable that even he felt the need to be wary.
"Hmph! A king of my stature cannot stoop to quarrel with a brat like you. Since you've survived by sheer luck, count yourself fortunate."
In truth, Dongfang Lu very much wanted to crush Jiang Chen then and there. But reason reminded him that a king must carry himself with a king's magnanimity.
If he made another move against Jiang Chen now, never mind that Marquis Jianghan would certainly rebel—his own subordinates would think him petty and unfit to rule.
"Your Majesty, this boy is cunning and deceitful. He feigned death to escape execution—his intentions are utterly criminal! I humbly request that Your Majesty deal with him severely, in accordance with the law."
It was that same sycophant again.
This time, Marquis Jianghan—Jiang Feng—had had enough. He jumped to his feet and started bellowing: "Marquis Tianshui, what the hell is your problem? His Majesty has already declared the matter closed! What are you hopping around for?!"
The 108 marquis-lords of the Dongfang Kingdom were far from one big happy family. Marquis Tianshui and Jiang Feng's Marquis Jianghan were famous mortal enemies.
Marquis Tianshui smiled grimly. "Jiang Feng, your son dies and comes back to life, and you don't find it the least bit suspicious. I suspect you were involved in deceiving the sovereign as well. I urge His Majesty to send investigators to look thoroughly into the Jiang father and son. If the accusations are confirmed, exterminate their nine clans."
Jiang Chen saw that his father was on the verge of exploding and let out a chuckle. His gaze drifted with amusement between Dongfang Lu and Dongfang Zhiruo.
Then, in a leisurely tone, he spoke: "Your Majesty, exterminating my Jiang family's nine clans would be easy enough. Saving the princess's life—now that, I'm afraid, won't be quite so simple."
Dongfang Lu's expression turned ice-cold. "Jiang Chen, what exactly do you mean by that?"
"Nothing in particular. When I was being beaten half to death in the sacred hall earlier, in a haze between life and death, it seemed a divine being whispered in my ear and said something. Those words happened to concern Her Highness the princess's illness. The thought of the princess's condition made me unwilling to die just like that, so I fought my way back to life. If Your Majesty believes Jiang Chen deserves to die, then by all means, have me beaten to death once more!"
Jiang Chen was a clever man. He knew exactly how to speak to hook someone's interest. And these words naturally scratched Dongfang Lu right where he itched.
Dongfang Lu, as a king, was ruthless, cold, and suspicious by nature. But as a father, he treasured Dongfang Zhiruo like the jewel of his palm.
Hearing that divine intervention might hold the key to his daughter's illness, he was immediately tempted. What was the heavenly sacrifice for, if not for his daughter's health?
When every medicine and remedy had proven powerless, one could only place one's hope in heaven.