It doesn't matter what the lord is.

Page 330

No one knew what direction Nanchu would go in the future, including Xiang Jiqing and Xiang Geling who started this war. The two old men put on cold armor, held heavy spears, marched forward in the rain, and attacked the lord's mansion with the army, surrounding this large mansion that occupied more than half of the city. During the period, they did not encounter any resistance, all checkpoints were open, and the soldiers under the two men had almost no losses.

Heavy rain washed away this dark world.

The door of the City Lord's Mansion slowly opened, and Lord Nanchu Xiang Mu walked out alone.

He didn't hold an umbrella.

The moment they saw him, Xiang Geling and Xiang Jiqing felt bitter. Xiang Mu was over 40 years old this year, but he looked only in his early 30s. He still had the heroic spirit of his youth, but time had turned his rebelliousness into maturity and indifference. If Xiang Geling and Xiang Jiqing remembered him as a sharp sword, then Xiang Mu at this moment had shed those external halos and became calm.

It is just like this, even if Mount Tai collapses in front of you, you won’t change color.

Looking at the huge army, Xiang Mu calmly stroked his beard and said with a smile:

"It's been a while since we last met. You two uncles have lost a lot of weight."

Xiang Jiqing rode on his horse, with the spear in his hand pointed diagonally at the ground, and said to Xiang Mu:

"No need to be polite, Mu boy. You know what we are here for."

Xiang Mu still smiled calmly and replied:

"I know. But, kid, I still want a reason."

Xiang Jiqing closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

The heavy rain fell on his helmet, pulling the scenes back to decades ago. Xiang Jiqing pursed his lips and said in a steady voice:

"Because lust is a sword above your head. Ah Mu, you have changed so much for that woman. When you broke up with Xi Qin and took her back forcefully, we advised you. That woman is the real trouble. You can control her, but you can't be controlled by her. If you feel that you can't control her, you should kill her! And you? Even now, you still want to drag us to a decisive battle with Xi Qin, just to bring her back to Nan Chu!"

The robe behind Xiang Jiqing was soaked with water and hung over his armor.

The white-haired old man clenched the spear in his hand, with the tip of the spear pointing directly at Mu's head.

He clenched his teeth, and the expression on his face changed again and again, but the sadness and determination in his eyes remained.

他说:

"We, the nobles of Nanchu, have enjoyed the blessings of this land for generations, and have been supported by the people here for generations. That's why we have so many noble families here today. But now you insist on destroying all of this in the flames of war. How can we old guys agree to that? When Xiang Geling and I are buried in the underworld, how will we explain to your father? Xiang Mu, give up the position of Lord of Nanchu and leave here. You are... no longer worthy of that position."

60. A domineering step

Nanchu Lord Xiang Mu stood in the heavy rain, facing the dark army like a tide.

He had a smile on his face all the time, and Xiang Jiqing didn't know whether it was a sign of calmness or self-abandonment, or whether this man over 40 still naively believed that what happened today was just a joke. Xiang Jiqing looked at him with a little more disgust in his eyes, but Xiang Mu spoke calmly:

"My dear uncles, do you still remember the questions you asked me when we were wandering at night with candlelight?"

Xiang Jiqing did not answer. Xiang Geling beside him said:

"Remember. We once asked you which path you would take, the kingly way or the hegemonic way."

Xiang Mu looked at the sky above his head and put away the smile on his face.

His tone was still gentle, but when his voice reached everyone's ears, it made people feel cold in their hearts:

"Well. At that time, I answered you that I would take the path of hegemony. Now I can tell you again that the path I will take has never changed in the past few decades. The so-called hegemony means trampling everything, conquering everything, enjoying everything, taking everything visible to the naked eye as my own, and destroying all enemies that stand in my way. This is my goal. Among the things I want to possess, I want to include the woman you mentioned; among the objects I want to destroy, I want to include Xi Qin, whom you fear like a tiger."

The wind blew up Xiang Mu's sleeves, and his figure stood firm in the heavy rain like a stabilizing force.

Xiang Mu glanced at Xiang Jiqing and Xiang Geling who were sitting on their horses, and said expressionlessly:

"Since I have decided to dominate the world, there is no right or wrong, good or evil in my eyes. All those who are not my vassals are my enemies, and all those who are not my slaves are my enemies. Whether it is Xi Qin, the royal family, or Lingwu, they are all troubles that must be solved. My uncles and aunts say that I have changed over the years. How have I changed? I was like this when I was young, and I am still like this now. It is you who have changed, everyone! When Jiang Yuesheng was still alive, who in the world did we Nan Chu dare not fight? Back then, we united the various regions in the north and pacified the witches in the south. How powerful was our Nan Chu? Now there is only Xi Qin, and you all regard it as a scourge. You keep saying that you are doing this for the century-old foundation of our Nan Chu, but in the end, don’t you just want to protect your own glory and wealth?"

Xiang Jiqing said coldly:

"Shut up! Ah Mu, I'm so disappointed in you. Even at this point, you don't reflect on yourself and are still making excuses here! In the past hundreds of years, there have been many heroes in Nanchu, but when have we ever seen someone as ignorant as you—"

Xiang Mu shook his sleeves heavily and replied coldly:

"So, my Nan Chu has not unified the Central Plains for hundreds of years."

Xiang Jiqing didn't know what to say for a moment. He didn't know why, but he still saw confidence and composure in Xiang Mu - but the situation didn't allow him to think about it. What kind of person Xiang Mu was was actually not important at the moment when he started his army. The arrow was on the string, and even if Xiang Mu said something wonderful, Xiang Jiqing and Xiang Geling had to kill him!

He pointed his spear towards the sky and said loudly:

"In that case, you can go and argue with my Xiang family ancestors! Follow me to kill - kill into the lord's mansion, and eternal merit will be before your eyes, and a hundred generations of glory will be effortless! Everyone, fame and fortune can only be achieved on the spot, and whether you can grasp it depends on you!"

The soldiers raised their spears high and cheered in unison.

Then, no one came forward.

Some people didn't want to move, some people didn't dare to move, because after the cheers, countless people died at the hands of their companions in an instant.

Xiang Jiqing and many senior generals rode out on horseback, only to realize that no one was following them. When they looked back, they saw the soldiers in front of them with indifferent expressions, standing in the heavy rain like stone statues. Xiang Jiqing and Xiang Geling were in doubt, and at this moment, a flash of lightning broke through the sky, reflecting Xiang Mu's calm face.

Xiang Mu's voice was flat:

"It seems that Lord Yunyang is indeed a young talent, able to keep the attention of all uncles firmly on Jinxiu City. However, my son is also a hero who is not inferior to him..."

In the heavy rain, a young man slowly walked out from among the soldiers.

He wore the same armor as the soldiers, and was inconspicuous in the crowd. But when he separated from the crowd and slowly took off his helmet, Xiang Jiqing and Xiang Geling recognized his true identity at a glance.

The prince of Nanchu, Xiang Hei, who was not much older than Lid, looked exhausted and covered in mud, which was totally unlike what a prince should look like. Xiang Hei tucked his helmet under his armpit, combed his sweaty hair, and looked at Xiang Jiqing and Xiang Geling. In this tense atmosphere, he was the first to smile.

Xiang Mu looked at him with relief and said:

"Well done, thank you for your hard work."

Xiao Hei shook his head:

"It's not me who's suffering, it's Lid. Dad should think about how to apologize to him later."

Xiang Mu nodded, not knowing whether he heard what he said or not.

Xiao Hei looked at Xiang Geling and Xiang Jiqing who were still at a loss, sighed, and asked:

"Second uncle, third uncle, don't you know how you lost?"

Xiang Geling closed his eyes and stared at Xiang Mu after a moment, his voice full of bitterness:

"So that's how it is... Xiang Jiqing and I were both a step late. Decades ago, you were thinking about dealing with us, and you started planting all kinds of spies in the army! You targeted those mid-level officers, infiltrating our family soldiers day after day. They didn't contact you, but they had secret dealings with the Prince's Mansion... Amu, what did Xiang Jiqing and I do wrong that you need to guard against us like thieves?!"

Xiang Mu let his hands hang naturally at his sides and said calmly:

"My uncles and aunts should know this very well. After the defeat, there was no clear outcome whether to fight or make peace. If Jiang Yuesheng hadn't fought back arbitrarily, Nanchu might have never recovered from that time. I was still young at that time, but I also knew that Nanchu couldn't continue like this. I couldn't expect a new Jiang Yuesheng to stand up every time, so I could only hold all the power in my own hands. This is also part of being a tyrant."

Xiang Geling wanted to say something, but Xiang Jiqing interrupted him by swiping his spear.

The old man with the eye patch looked at Xiang Mu and said coldly:

"If you want military power, you have to step over the bodies of old men like us first! Prepare your fate, Mu boy—"

Xiang Jiqing kicked his horse's belly and rushed towards Xiang Mu with a gun.

Xiang Geling gritted his teeth, sighed, and followed.

Xiang Mu looked at them rushing over, turned around, and said to his son Xiang Hei calmly:

"I'll leave this to you to handle."

After saying this, the Nanchu lord walked towards the lord's mansion. Behind him, Xiang Hei raised his hand, and a black copper stick flew into his palm from the army formation. In just a flash, blood splattered the ground under the feet of the Nanchu lord, but he walked back to the mansion without noticing.

Xiang Hei lowered the copper stick in his hand, wiped the blood off his face, and said to the bewildered senior officers:

"Only the ringleader will be executed, the rest will be spared. The families of Xiang Geling and Xiang Jiqing are also considered the descendants of the Xiang family. From today on, their noble titles will be abolished and all privileges will be exempted, but they will be allowed to keep all their property and live out their lives. The generals who participated in the rebellion, from top to bottom, will be punished severely, but they will be allowed to make meritorious contributions while serving their sentences. Hold your heads up, the generals of Nanchu will die on the battlefield even if they die."

Generals and soldiers were kneeling in the heavy rain.

61. All beings in me

In a courtyard in Xiqin, a beautiful woman was sitting in a wooden corridor, squinting her eyes to watch the raindrops dripping from the eaves onto the Xiangfei bamboo. She had a relatively complicated braid on her head, with a bunch of flaxen hair wrapped around it like a crown, and a few elegant jade hairpins were inserted in the bun behind her head.

It would be difficult to judge her age just by looking at her appearance, but judging from her demeanor and charm, the woman in front of me is obviously married. However, her skin is still as smooth as that of a girl, and the years have only left two blushes on her face, which makes her beautiful face even more attractive.

It can be imagined that when she was young, she should have been a woman as beautiful as Lingwu Lord, but they were two completely different beauties: Lingwu Lord was very confident in her appearance, but she did not want to rely on her appearance to gain power. As a natural strong woman, she would rather wear a veil to let people below pay more attention to her ability and courage. But the woman sitting in the courtyard at this time was different. Her beauty was extremely exposed, extremely seductive, and the kind that brought disaster to the country and the people.

What’s even more terrifying is that she has no makeup on her face.

Extremely cold and yet extremely charming, these two temperaments are fully reflected in the same person.

The so-called natural charm, with every move and gesture showing charm, probably refers to this kind of people. The woman in the courtyard was wearing a simple white dress, but it outlined her fiery figure just right. Occasionally, she stretched lazily, and her beautiful eyes were shining. The rain outside was getting heavier, and water droplets rolled down her bare jade feet. For some reason, the woman smiled gently, and the scenery in the courtyard suddenly brightened.

A young girl in green came in from outside the door and whispered:

"Ma'am, Miss Ten Yuan is here."

The woman turned her head lazily and said gently:

"Let her in."

"Here."

The green-clothed Lolita left. Not long after, a woman with ordinary appearance and dress, but a pair of eyes as bright as spring water, walked in. The room fell into silence again, with only the sound of bare feet stepping on the tatami. The woman walked through the room and also came to the courtyard, sitting next to the owner of the courtyard.

At first, the woman who was watching the rain in the courtyard didn't look at her. Her tone was still gentle, without a trace of worldly airs:

"You shouldn't be here at this time."

The girl called Miss Ten Yuan wiped her face and replied:

"The civil strife in Nanchu is over. I came here to tell you. Xiang Jiqing and Xiang Geling were one step behind. Because Jiang Yuesheng was killed too early, they were forced to raise their army earlier and did not have time to clean up the traitors in the army. Xiang Mu's infiltration of the Nanchu army seemed to have been going on for some time, and in the end, the Lord's Mansion won a great victory. It seems that the military power that has been controlled by the aristocratic families for hundreds of years will be taken back by Xiang Mu."

The woman watching the rain had a flat voice:

"Yeah. Xiang Mu was like that when he was young. He would get whatever he wanted, no matter what the price. Xiao Hei is a talented kid who is willing to endure hardships. More importantly, he can sincerely make friends with various forces. His future achievements will only be higher than Xiang Mu's. As for the Yunyang Lord... hehe, he's quite interesting."

The woman paused, smiled and added:

"Not from this world."

Miss Ten Yuan smiled and said:

"He has good insight. When Yunyang was still unsettled, he allowed our Abyss Church to preach there. At that time, I told him that my name was Shi Yuan and that I was a bishop of the Lay Council. He didn't comment and didn't seem to believe it. My intuition told me that the man was difficult to deal with. His eyes didn't look like a young man who grew up in a lord's mansion in luxury at all."

The woman replied lazily:

"Some things cannot be solved by tricks and techniques. What is needed is timing. When the timing is right, even crude tricks can achieve unexpected results. When the timing is not right, even the best efforts will not bring any rewards. I know about Nan Chu's affairs. You can go now. There are still many things waiting for you to do."

Miss Shi Yuan stood up, wiped her face twice, and said to the woman in the courtyard:

"Really? We only see each other once every few years. I've never seen a mother so cruel to drive her daughter away."

The action of wiping her face just now seemed to have removed some of the disguise on her face, and her originally ordinary appearance suddenly became much more gorgeous. Although her true appearance was still hidden under the disguise, the kind of heart-pounding beauty could already be vaguely seen.

The woman in the courtyard smiled and replied:

"I rarely see your two brothers."

Miss Shiyuan sighed and prepared to leave. When she walked behind the woman, she suddenly stopped for a moment, turned around, and said to the woman:

"Mom, can I ask you a question?"

The woman didn't look back, still squinting at the rain on the eaves.

Miss Ten Yuan asked on her own:

"Have you ever liked Lord Nanchu?"

The woman replied calmly:

"probably."

Miss Ten Yuan asked again:

"Have you ever liked Lord Xi Qin?"

The woman smiled, turned her head and said to her: