son, don't mess around

The night was deep, and a chill was in the air.

Lin Jiangnian stood before the imperial bed, gazing at the emperor whose life force was gradually fading away, his heart filled with complex emotions.

Lin Jiangnian had no intention of becoming emperor, nor did he have any thought of usurping the throne. He was very clear about his own abilities; he wasn't cut out for it.

As the Prince of Lin, Lin Hengzhong was unwilling to risk his infamous reputation for thousands of years to fight for that elusive position.

But when the opportunity is right in front of you, won't you be tempted?
Lin Jiangnian asked himself these questions, but couldn't find the answers.

He can only represent himself, not Lin Hengzhong, let alone the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the Prince Lin's mansion.

When Li Cining said that he could replace him, Lin Jiangnian was naturally extremely shocked.

He never expected that this emperor would be so magnanimous as to say such a thing, that he would be willing to hand over the throne of the Great Ning Dynasty.
But when Lin Jiangnian met Li Cining's gaze, he realized that he had been thinking too simply.

"I do indeed have other thoughts in mind..."

Li Cining's tone became somewhat strained as he said, "Now that the Xu Prince's Mansion has raised an army in rebellion, the imperial court... can hardly quell the rebellion."

No one understood the dire situation on the front lines better than Li Cining. With the national treasury empty, the front lines were on the verge of running out of pay.

If the war continues to drag on, and the soldiers on the front lines can't even get enough to eat, the situation will turn around in an instant.

The most serious problem is that Li Cining is now powerless to change these things.

The national treasury was already empty; even after executing so many ministers over the past year, he still couldn't find much silver in their homes. This had also caused widespread fear among the powerful families in the capital, who were now in a very precarious situation.

Right now, the only thing that can change the situation is... the Prince Lin's residence!

Li Cining had already received word that the Prince Lin's mansion had sent people into Jiangnan and secretly taken control of most of the aristocratic families there. These Jiangnan families were virtually powerless against the Prince Lin's iron cavalry.

Even though the powerful families of Jiangnan were extremely angry and unwilling, they had no choice but to feign compliance under the overwhelming force of the Prince of Lin's army.

In this way, the Prince Lin's mansion possessed a vast amount of wealth and grain.

As the wealthiest region in the Great Ning Dynasty, Jiangnan possessed immeasurable riches. The resources controlled by various powerful families were astronomical.

For many years, the imperial court had been trying to take action against Jiangnan. However, faced with the fact that the Jiangnan scholars held almost half the power of the country, the court was helpless and had to hastily conclude its efforts.

But now, this situation has been disrupted by the unreasonable actions of the Prince Lin's Mansion.

Controlling the Prince Lin's residence in Jiangnan meant controlling a continuous supply of provisions.

More importantly, the Jiangnan region holds an extremely important strategic position. As a major route connecting the north and south, linking Linzhou with the northern states, it was an essential passage for the Prince of Lin's uprising.

The Jiangnan region is mountainous with steep terrain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. If the Jiangnan region falls into the hands of others, it will cause extremely serious obstacles and troubles for the Prince Lin's residence.

However, once Jiangnan is in the hands of Prince Lin's mansion, Prince Lin's army can easily advance northwards without hindrance.

And this is Li Cining's real intention and plan!

"Brother-in-law, you and your Prince Lin's mansion are the only key to breaking this deadlock..."

"Only if your Prince Lin's Palace sends troops can you help the imperial army quell the rebellion and defeat Xu Hong's rebel army..."

Asking the Prince of Lin's mansion to send troops is undoubtedly a very bad idea.

Using one tiger to devour another is not an ideal choice. If the Prince of Lin sends troops, it means that he may be inviting a wolf into the house.

No one knows what the consequences will be, and no one dares to bear such consequences.

However, this is the only chance the imperial court has now.

In this precarious situation, most of the prefectural governors are adopting a wait-and-see approach. The troops sent to defend the emperor are mostly driven by their own ulterior motives, and the court can be largely relied upon.

Only the participation of the Prince of Lin's Mansion can change the course of the battle!

As for the consequences, Li Cining couldn't care less. He knew that if he didn't make this choice, the situation would be even more dire.

Once the imperial army is unable to withstand the offensive of Xu Hong's rebel army and their troops approach the capital, the country will be in chaos, and it will be too late for anything!

Either the ancestral legacy would be lost, or... the governors of each prefecture would rise up in rebellion and declare independence, plunging the world into complete chaos and dynastic change.

Lin Jiangnian remained silent, fully aware of the emperor's plans and schemes.

Indeed, this is the court's only chance.

There are no more options!

And this is the result that Lin Jiangnian has always wanted.

To reach the Prince's residence, one needs a legitimate reason for taking action.

And now, we've finally gotten this opportunity.

Lin Jiangnian and Li Cining nodded: "The Prince of Lin's Mansion will definitely send troops to protect the Great Ning Kingdom for His Majesty."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured that the Great Ning Kingdom will not fall into Xu Hong's hands under any circumstances."

Whether judging from the overall situation or from the grudges between the Prince Lin's Mansion and the Prince Xu's Mansion, Lin Jiangnian would not allow Xu Hong to seize the throne of the Great Ning Dynasty.

He could give up the country, but he would never give it to Xu Hong.

Of course, the third prince wouldn't be suitable either.

Apart from Elder Li and the Eldest Princess, Lin Jiangnian would not support anyone else to sit in that position.

"Then I am relieved!"

Li Cining breathed a deep sigh of relief. His aura grew weaker and weaker, and he became even more haggard. He almost curled up, wrapped himself tightly in the quilt, but still felt a chill all over his body.

Upon seeing this, Lin Jiangnian quickly stepped forward and transferred his internal energy into Li Cining's body.

As the Xuan Yang Heart Method channeled its scalding internal energy into his body, Li Cining's previously chilled body seemed to gradually improve.

He was hoarse and wanted to say something, but Lin Jiangnian stopped him: "Your Majesty should rest first. Your health is the most important thing."

Li Cining shook his head: "I...I have no time left...I'm afraid I won't make it through the night..."

"I still have many things to tell you..."

Li Cining mumbled to himself, perhaps because his time was running out and he was eager to settle everything.

"I have prepared many things for you... You will find them useful when the time comes..."

"I left behind two imperial edicts... I'll leave them here... You can dispose of them as you see fit..."

"Everything I wanted to say has been arranged... cough cough cough... This empire, I... I entrust it to you..."

Finally, Li Cining coughed violently again.

Immediately afterwards, a mouthful of blood spurted out. The blood instantly stained the bedding, a glaring red that sent chills down one's spine.

"Your Majesty, please stop talking and rest well!"

Lin Jiangnian stopped Li Cining from continuing. His health was extremely poor, and his life force was rapidly fading. As he became more emotional, his life force dissipated even faster. If he continued speaking, he might not survive the night.

While forcibly using his profound Xuan Yang mental technique to stabilize his mind and prolong his life, Lin Jiangnian shouted towards the door.

"Someone come quickly!"

Hearing the commotion outside, Eunuch Chen quickly pushed the door open and entered. When he smelled the blood in the air, his expression changed drastically.

"His Majesty?!"

Eunuch Chen hurried to the screen, his shrill voice rang out, his face filled with fear and worry: "Your Majesty, are you alright?!"

"Mr. Xuan!"

Lin Jiangnian coldly interrupted him.

Only then did Eunuch Chen regain his composure from the panic: "This old servant will go right now!"

As he spoke, Eunuch Chen turned and ran out of the hall in a panic. A group of imperial physicians had been waiting outside the hall for a long time. After being summoned, they quickly rushed to the Hall of Mental Cultivation and came to His Majesty's side.

Lin Jiang stepped back and looked at Li Cining, who was surrounded by imperial physicians. Li Cining was pale and on the verge of death.

Extremely ill!

Lin Jiangnian felt a sense of despair and heaviness wash over him.

For the first time, he felt a profound sense of helplessness and despair!
Having been here for two years, Lin Jiangnian's life as the heir apparent of the Prince of Lin has been smooth sailing.

His status as the heir apparent to the Prince of Lin gave him the greatest confidence in the world; there was almost nothing he couldn't do if he wanted to.

He has no worries about food or clothing, and doesn't have to worry about survival. He can do whatever he wants, even if he wants to be emperor... and it seems there's a chance!
However, until tonight, at this very moment, Lin Jiangnian felt the despair of being powerless for the first time!

The emperor's life was coming to an end, but there was nothing he could do. He could only watch helplessly as the emperor, who had placed so much hope and trust in him, ultimately departed this world in sorrow.

A heavy mood enveloped Lin Jiangnian, and he found it difficult to describe his feelings. Although he hadn't interacted much with Li Cining, the two hit it off immediately and could be considered kindred spirits.

In any case, Lin Jiangnian did not want him to die.

However, he couldn't change any of the outcomes.

In his line of sight, Li Cining lay on the dragon bed, surrounded by imperial physicians who were anxiously trying to find a way to save His Majesty's life.

Li Cining's expression was utterly calm, as if he had long since taken life and death in stride. His slightly open gaze fell on Lin Jiangnian, his lips trembling slightly.

He seemed to want to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

Until Lin Jiangnian met his gaze and nodded slightly.

Li Cining seemed to finally relax, a relieved expression on her face, and slowly closed her eyes.

……

This night was destined to be a difficult night.

As Lin Jiangnian stepped out of the room, snow began to fall again in the night sky. Snowflakes drifted down from the earth in the cold wind.

Everything is quiet!

Despite the heavily guarded courtyard of the Hall of Mental Cultivation being teeming with people, the surroundings remained eerily quiet, without a single sound.

Lin Jiangnian stood in the courtyard, gazing at the swirling snow, his heart heavy with complex emotions.

Until, footsteps gradually began to sound beside her.

Lin Jiangnian turned around and saw a familiar figure in his line of sight.

"senior."

Lin Jiangnian spoke.

The person who appeared in my line of sight was Elder Li.

The elderly Li, dressed in a gray robe, stood beside Lin Jiangnian, quietly looking at him: "What is Your Highness thinking about?"

Lin Jiangnian shook his head, then paused in silence. After hesitating for a moment, he finally asked, "Your Majesty, is there really no hope?"

Senior Li countered, "Doesn't Your Highness already have the answer in your heart?"

Lin Jiangnian was stunned. Yes, he already knew the answer in his heart.

Even so, my feelings were still extremely complicated.

Perhaps it's because this answer isn't what he wanted?

"Birth, aging, sickness, and death are inevitable for everyone; it's fate!"

Senior Li clearly saw things more clearly: "Since we already know the answer, there's no need to dwell on it."

As he spoke, the old man gave him a meaningful look and patted him on the shoulder: "There are still many things waiting for you to do. You can't be feeling sentimental at this time."

Lin Jiangnian gave a wry smile. He wasn't a sentimental person, but his mood was somewhat heavy.

But as Elder Li said, he still has much to do. Li Cining set up this scheme, even at the cost of prematurely sacrificing his own life. He wanted to take advantage of everyone's lack of awareness to support Li Piaomiao's ascension to the throne, catching everyone off guard and reducing obstacles to Piaomiao's ascension.

The most crucial figures in carrying out this task were Lin Jiangnian, Zhao Xiang, and the elderly Li standing before them.

Tonight, Li Cining only summoned the three of them.

The next plan will require the three of them to work together to execute it.

"Your Majesty left behind two imperial edicts."

Lin Jiangnian looked at Senior Li and said in a deep voice, "One of them is for you, Senior."

"I?"

Senior Li was taken aback, then realized what was happening. He shook his head and said, "I am not suitable."

"Senior, you are actually the most suitable candidate."

"No, I'm not suitable!"

The old man gave him a meaningful look: "If I were to sit in that position, your father would be unhappy."

"Don't be fooled by how much your father trusts me now. If I were to become emperor, he would be the first to object. As for me, I would certainly be the first to reduce your father's fiefdom."

Lin Jiangnian remained silent, unsure how to answer. But upon reflection, his answer made perfect sense.

“Cining does indeed intend to abdicate in favor of me, but my mind has long since moved beyond that.”

Elder Li chuckled and shook his head: "Besides, I wouldn't stoop to fight for a throne that's been given away as charity."

"You should give this position to your little girl."

Lin Jiangnian nodded silently, without saying anything more.

Li Cining left him two wills, giving him the right to choose. Now that the elder Li has refused, only one other option remains.

"However, it won't be so easy for that girl to ascend to the throne."

The senior scholar Li remarked with emotion: "There must be many crises and enormous obstacles involved. Whether she can overcome them depends on her own abilities."

Lin Jiangnian said, "This matter will require your assistance, senior."

"There's not much I can do to help, I can only do my best. But this world is ultimately not something that a few of us can control."

At this point, Elder Li paused, then suddenly seemed to remember something. His gaze turned to Lin Jiangnian, gradually becoming profound: "And what about you? Have you ever thought about taking that position yourself?"

Lin Jiangnian shook his head: "No."

"really?"

Lin Jiangnian spread his hands, saying helplessly, "Senior, don't you know me? Don't you know how much I'm capable of? You can make me indulge in drinking, gambling, whoring, and harassing respectable women, but you want me to govern a country?"

"Within five years, I will become the next ruler to lose his country."

Upon hearing this, Elder Li chuckled: "You've got a pretty good understanding of yourself, haven't you?"

"However, you really aren't very promising, you're nowhere near as good as your twin brother..."

As if remembering something, Elder Li sighed with emotion.

"Unfortunately, he was just too unlucky and had too little fortune..."

"If he were still alive, it would be hard to say whether the Great Ning Dynasty would be ruled by the Li or the Lin family in the future..."

"..." (End of this chapter)