Chapter 162: Remonstrance, A City Offered as Betrothal

What does it mean to change the era name but not declare a new kingdom? The crowd exchanged silent glances.

Xie Mingyu, who had been quietly listening nearby, asked, “Does the prince have no intention of ascending the throne?”

Meng Yuanheng smiled, “Ascend the throne? With only this small patch of northwest land, how could I dare? Even if I were to found a country, it wouldn’t be so shabby. Where is the imperial palace? Where is the imperial city? Besides, the coronation ceremony costs a fortune. The northwest is not yet fully restored; everyone should just make do and save some expenses.”

If one were to casually seize a small city and proclaim oneself emperor, how would Meng Yuanheng differ from those fools who dream of emperorship? Since the northwest is already under his jurisdiction, if he calls himself prince, he is prince; if he calls himself emperor, he is emperor. Why cling to trivial titles?

Thus, the day after Prince Xuan’s grand wedding, the Xuan Prince’s Mansion once again announced to the world: Jingzhou City was renamed Mo City, the era name changed to Xuanhe, and Mo City would serve as the base. Prince Xuan, Meng Yuanheng, officially took control of five prefectures and eighteen cities beyond Zhengyang Pass in the northwest. From then on, with Zhengyang Pass as the boundary, the northwest was no longer part of the Great Sheng territory.

The declaration of the Xuan Prince’s Mansion severing ties with the Great Sheng court spread like the raging sandstorms of the northwest, rapidly reaching every corner of the land. By the time the news reached Shengjing and Meng Tianxu’s ears, almost everyone in the realm already knew.

The reaction was far fiercer than Meng Tianxu had anticipated. Not only did the common people and scholars of Great Sheng sharply criticize the court, but even the princes enfeoffed across the land began to stir restlessly. If the Xuan Prince could rebel and establish himself, perhaps they could too... Moreover, neighboring countries mobilized troops and adjusted military deployments, while provocations and skirmishes along the borders became increasingly frequent. The border residents of Great Sheng were the first to feel what losing the Meng family army’s protection meant.

Meng Tianxu had no time to devise countermeasures or issue rebuttals, as he was overwhelmed daily by countless memorials from civil and military officials and questions from scholars. What was worse, the facts from the northwest were irrefutable, clear, and flawless. No matter how much he argued, it only seemed like a futile cover-up.

The Xuan Prince’s Mansion and the Meng family army had always been heroes in the hearts of Great Sheng’s people. They had fought valiantly on battlefields for centuries, never retreating even in the face of death. The Xie Family’s Bishan Academy had educated generations and produced countless pillars of the state. Yet, the royal court’s methods and intentions toward these meritorious figures were outrageous, chilling the hearts of commoners and literati alike.

The people of Great Sheng, engulfed in the betrayal by the emperor and anxious over the loss of the Meng family army defending the borders, forgot to condemn the treasonous act of the Xuan Prince’s Mansion breaking away.

“What a clear division of governance! What a severing of loyalty and affection! Meng Yuanheng... you deserve to die!” Inside the imperial study, Meng Tianxu raged wildly, smashing the furniture about. “Ninghou, I order you to lead five hundred thousand troops immediately to the northwest to punish Meng Yuanheng!”

His fury had clouded his mind. He only wanted Meng Yuanheng dead at once and the Xuan Prince’s Mansion and Meng family army utterly destroyed to vent his hatred.

Standing in a corner to avoid being hit, Ninghou exchanged a heavy glance with Prime Minister Lu Hengshan. Seeing Meng Tianxu’s madness, both furrowed their brows deeply, their faces grave.

Ninghou was about to reply when Lu Hengshan stopped him with a look. After a moment's hesitation, Lu Hengshan advised, “Your Majesty, the people’s hearts are unsettled at home, and the neighboring countries eye our borders greedily, their stances unclear. Moreover, Meng Yuanheng commands two hundred thousand elite troops stationed at Zhengyang Pass alone, with the entire Meng family army in the northwest totaling over four hundred thousand. To rashly dispatch troops now is unwise. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider.”

“Lu, you said Meng Yuanheng has only four hundred thousand troops, but I have a million. Can I not defeat his mere four hundred thousand?” Meng Tianxu snarled.

Lu Hengshan and Ninghou remained silent, but their meaning was clear: Your Majesty, that’s obvious. If we could defeat them easily, would we still be risking our lives here to advise you?

Though Great Sheng has a million troops, several times more than the Xuan Prince’s forces, there are few commanders capable of matching the Meng family army. The veterans are too old; the younger generals lack experience. It is a transition period with no strong successors. Chu Pingchuan and Cao Xun are the most outstanding among the old generals but are stationed at the border. Among the young, only Chu Pingchuan’s adopted son Feng Ze shows promise but recently requested to serve at the frontier as well. With unrest rampant at Great Sheng’s borders, capable generals are indispensable. So if Meng Tianxu insists on immediate deployment, only Ninghou is fit for the task.

But is it worth it? To pacify the northwest might cost the entire nation. To Lu Hengshan, this was not worth the risk.

Meng Tianxu understood this well. Precisely because he knew the disparity between him and Meng Yuanheng, he was all the more furious.

“Out! All of you, get out!” Meng Tianxu’s face darkened as he shouted furiously, grabbing an inkstone from the desk and hurling it at them.

The inkstone flew straight at Lu Hengshan, but Ninghou, quick-witted, pulled him aside just in time. The inkstone struck Ninghou’s hand instead, cracking it open and spilling blood.

“Ninghou, you...” Before Lu Hengshan could finish, Ninghou shook his head, gritting his teeth against the pain as he dragged Lu Hengshan out of the study.

Outside, standing on the empty steps, the two exchanged a heavy sigh.

Inside the study, Meng Tianxu paid no heed to Ninghou’s injury.

“Send someone!” Meng Tianxu ordered briefly, his narrow phoenix eyes narrowing, gleaming with dark, ruthless light.

A black figure promptly entered and knelt before the desk, silently awaiting instructions.

“Notify the master of the Wuying Sect of the Ink Sect. Have him come to the palace immediately!”

While chaos reigned across Great Sheng and Shengjing over the Xuan Prince’s declaration, far away in the northwest, in Mo City, joy and celebration filled the air.

Changing the city’s name and era signaled that this land was now under the Xuan Prince’s control. Compared to the frequent wars ravaging the northeast and southwest borders without the Meng family army’s protection, the people of the northwest felt their happiness soar.

At least under the Meng family army’s guard, they could live peacefully and prosper.

The name “Mo City” also deeply expressed the Xuan Prince’s profound affection for the Xuan Princess. Although people still puzzled over why the character “Mo” was used instead of the “Mo” in the princess’s name, the prince surely had his reasons. Everyone knew that Mo City was a betrothal gift from the Xuan Prince to the princess.

Otherwise, why proclaim the break with Great Sheng and change the city and era names right on the day of their wedding? Clearly, the city was the bride price.

Within the Xuan Prince’s Mansion, Baili Xiao scratched his head, puzzled, and asked Shen Qianmo, “Brother Xie, why did the prince choose the character ‘Mo’ instead of the one in your name? What could it mean? Could it be... the prince still doesn’t know how to write your name properly?”

He asked cautiously, lowering his voice and glancing around nervously, fearing Meng Yuanheng might suddenly appear.

Fortunately, besides Shen Qianmo, only Ye Qinglan, who was fully devoted to taming the Fire Hound, was present.

Shen Qianmo lounged on a soft chair in the courtyard, stroking the blue-eyed spirit fox curled in her lap as a makeshift heater. Seeing Baili Xiao’s eager, curious expression, she laughed and said, “Why don’t you wait until the prince returns from his patrol in Yunzhou and ask him yourself?”

Baili Xiao’s face fell. Was he out of his mind to dare ask the prince such a question?

But he was genuinely curious why the prince chose “Mo” over the other character.

In the main garden of the front courtyard stood an elegantly designed pavilion named “Qianmo Pavilion” by the prince himself that day.

Could it be that Brother Xie’s real name was not “Qianmo” but those two characters?

Just as Baili Xiao pondered this, the Fire Hound locked in an iron cage suddenly let out a sharp, long howl, startling Baili Xiao into leaping from his stone bench.

The blue-eyed spirit fox in Shen Qianmo’s arms immediately opened its eyes and leapt to the hound’s cage, issuing a clear, warning cry.

The two beasts glared at each other, tense and ready to fight.

Ye Qinglan and Shen Qianmo exchanged a glance, their beautiful faces showing a trace of helplessness.

Shen Qianmo smiled lightly, “Qinglan, don’t be impatient. The Fire Hound is notoriously difficult to tame. From what I see, it has become much more docile these past few days; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been so quiet just now. By the way, why not give it a name? It will be easier to call it later.”

Ye Qinglan frowned thoughtfully and said softly, “Let’s call it ‘Red Flame.’”

“Red Flame?” Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Quite fitting, isn’t it? After all, it’s just a ball of red fire.”

Baili Xiao looked disdainfully at the ugly, fierce beast in the cage, then at the two smiling ladies before him. His handsome face twitched slightly.

Have the people here recently gotten addicted to naming things? They even gave a name to this hideous, ferocious beast, and such an elegant one at that.

Could Senior Sister Qinglan really be planning to keep this terrifying beast, which always scares him out of his wits, as a pet? Suddenly, he felt the world darken before his eyes.

Just as he despaired, a black figure silently landed in the courtyard, startling him again.

Baili Xiao cursed inwardly. Why do people in the Xuan Prince’s Mansion always like to scare others?

The newcomer wore black, his features cold and expressionless. It was He Qing, the shadow guard once assigned to protect Shen Qianmo.

He Qing respectfully reported to Shen Qianmo, “Princess, Governor Qiao Yuan has sent word that the prince consort of the Nan Zhan Kingdom suddenly died this morning at his city residence.”