The Emperor of the Three Realms

chapter 4

Many nobles were present as they accompanied Duke Tianshui to inflame the momentum; they all wanted to take down the Jiang family.    

But right now, who would dare to speak up?    

If one were to defend the duke of Tianshui, it would mean opposing the gods. If they were to argue with the king instead, it meant that they did not want the princess to recover.    

It was at this moment that Xuan's chubby mind connected the dots as well. He had always been someone who liked to make a fuss and immediately joined, “Tianshui Duke, he said, you are always blurting out words about how if you were ranked number two for the loyalty and courage of all the nobles, then no one else would dare to claim number one. Now the time to prove your loyalty has come, you make excuses and avoid doing anything. What the hell is going on here?"    

“Tianshui Duke, you were very eloquent in executing the entire Jiang family clan earlier. Now, no such demands have been brought to you, yet you are reluctant to slap yourself three times?”    

Jiang Chen would definitely not let this opportunity pass him by; he said as he dealt yet another blow to the fallen enemy, “It seems that the so-called loyalty and courage that ranked first under the heavens was just a joke that the Duke of Tianshui had done to comfort others. It is better not to put too much stock into it.”    

The Duke of Tianshui had originally come to laugh at the Duke of Jiang Han, but who would have thought things would turn on him and he was instead the target of everyone's attack?    

However, the Duke of Tianshui was already outdated in this political game and quickly found his footing again. He spoke in a tone of feeling right himself, This old “Duke would not even furrow his brows if His Majesty ordered me to commit suicide, let alone just three slaps. If it is beneficial to our country and homeland, I am willing to help shoulder some of His Majesty's burden. Chen’er is small, I can easily slap myself three times and eliminate some of Your Majesty's worries, but if you play around with us, then what?”    

It was true, if this brat was just joking, then he would humiliate all the nobles and kings!    

Jiang Chen's voice grew colder, “Tianshui Duke, you can insult me, but you can't blaspheme the gods! Your Majesty, this man is not only once, but many times, speaking in a serious tone. The gods are very angry and I fear I can no longer help His Majesty's illness.”    

Eastern Lu was shocked by these words and was furious. Duchy of Tianshui, why are you procrastinating? If you are loyal and patriotic, slap yourself three times! Make it easy for yourself and find a way out. Should I really command it, and look like a king who oppresses his people?    

As his thoughts drifted in this direction, Eastern Lu became enraged and raised his eyebrows. Duke Tianshui was skilled in observing expressions and spent a lot of time studying the emotions of kings. He knew that the king was really angry and without any warning, hurriedly slapped himself eight times.    

Every slap of his was loud and resounding, he knew that the harder he slapped himself, the greater it would ease the anger of his king.    

His face began to swell and almost resembled a pig's head after this slap.    

After that slap, all eyes focused on Jiang Chen again.    

Jiang Chen said unhurriedly, “You were told to slap yourself three times, what does it mean to slap yourself eight times? Feel rebellious? Are you not satisfied with the will of the gods? Or disloyal to His Majesty? Ah, forget it. You will be reluctantly forgiven this time regarding this matter.    

Although he indicated that he would not continue the matter any further, the same did not apply to the friends of the Dukes of Tianshui. They could only sit idly by and watch while the Duke of Tianshui slapped himself, yet they could no longer hold themselves back after the slap had occurred. It's okay to defend him now, right? The slap couldn't have been in vain, could it?    

Someone immediately jumped out, “Jiang Chen, how long are you going to keep doing that? The duke of Tianshui had slapped himself. You will add to your list of crimes if you cannot give a full explanation.”    

“Yes, if you cannot say anything then you will mislead the king and mock the nobles of the country. The entire clan of the Jiang family must be executed in that case.”    

These people must have come from the same cloth, they even had the same mantra that was executing one's entire family clan.    

On the other hand, Jiang Chen yawned lazily and said carelessly, “Your Majesty, the embodiment of the gods is a very sacred thing. These people could not stop continuously executing the entire clan of the family. Were they not afraid of endangering the princess' health if it enraged the gods? Do they want their family clan executed?”    

Jiang Chen took a few steps forward after he finished and stood in front of the crowd of elders, lecturing them with righteous fury.    

“You all made a lot of noise but have you ever really thought about the princess's illness?”    

“What is the sacred duty of healing His Majesty in your eyes? A tool that can be used to persecute political enemies and oppress those who are kind?”    

“Tianshui Duke, you continue to call for the execution of the entire Jiang family clan. If I don't have the great fortune to survive and am actually whipped to death, then how can I pass on the message of the princess's illness to Her Majesty? Is your so-called loyalty nothing more than forcing your king to the edge of a cliff and ending the princess' life?”    

“You are amazing, you are strong, but which one of you can step forward and tell me what is wrong with Your Majesty? You do not have the ability to do so but envy those who are capable, and even forbid me from conveying messages from the gods? And in essence, I only received this divine vision after being nearly flogged to death. Is this easy for me? What if the gods get angry and leave, can you shoulder the responsibility?”    

“I have one last question for you, what if the gods are really angry and ask for the execution of your family clan to save His Majesty? You are talking about loyalty and courage, will you remove your family clan to ease some of the burden of His Majesty?”    

Jiang Chen voiced out various frustrations and was very pleased with the questions that came down like a barrage of arrows. He used this excuse to become more eloquent and soared hotly above these nobles like a black cloud above the city. They were at a loss for words and could only stare in disbelief!    

Especially the last question, which caused their expressions to change drastically and shudder in horror and fear.    

They had originally come to help the Tianshui duke suppress the Jiang family and kick the defeated enemy when the family fell. But now, the Tianshui supporters were unable to find courage even though they tried it.    

If this brat really used the will of the gods as an excuse to convince His Majesty to execute their family clan…    

Given His Majesty's unconditional love for the princess, it was a legitimate possibility!    

Jiang Chen only had one thought as he looked at the pale face from fear around him –    

Who would have thought it would be so satisfying to denounce these immoral old men.    

Especially since these old geezers thought they were something, just because they held power and prestige.    

"alright then. Young Duke Jiang, you have expressed your opinion, and those who are guilty have punished themselves. The real problem at stake here is the problem of the princess's illness.”    

“Disease of the princess?” Jiang Chen was silent in surprise. “Who said princess is sick? Didn't I have said before that the princess is not sick?”    

Here again! Eastern Lu turned his gaze to Jiang Feng, causing a cold tremor to creep down Jiang Feng's neck. He grumbled in his heart, son, finish your mind and stop talking in danger.    

“Your Majesty, your simple people have one question. When His Majesty was born, was it the day of the solar eclipse?” A trace of a calm smile was seen on the curves of Jiang Chen's lips.    

Eastern Lu inwardly began to be shocked. How did he know that? Did he really have a dream from the gods? People consider solar eclipses as bad omens.    

Hence, Eastern Lu had always avoided this topic.    

“Not only Your Majesty, when the mother of the princess was born, that day must also have been a solar eclipse. This phenomenon continued for nine generations of girls, and as this legacy continued, yin and yang became unbalanced. The body slowly lacked Yang, and in the ninth generation, was born a body with a yin!” constitution    

When Jiang Chen said the words “body with yin” constitution, he did so with a heavy heart. It has been plaguing her past life for years. Even his parents, the Celestial Emperor, were unable to fully resolve this matter.    

Hence, he instantly felt a kinship born from mutual tribulation when he saw Eastern Zhiruo, and immediately diagnosed the source of her problem.    

It was because of this pain of mutual suffering that he stopped pretending to be dead, because he saw in the princess a way to resolve the current crisis of the Jiang family.    

How else could he offend the royal family, if not with a fart during the Rites? Why was the Rite held? Didn't they want to obtain a blessing for Eastern Zhiruo?    

If he could solve Eastern Zhiruo's problem, wouldn't that be the best way to clear up his mess?    

Who would have thought Eastern Zhiruo would be born with a yin body; people like this were only one in the hundreds of millions. Who could have predicted that the reincarnation wheel had brought Jiang Chen in contact with it.    

It could be said, luck was something mysterious.    

Eastern Zhiruo did not have the same birth as Jiang Chen in the past, and therefore his luck was much more unlucky. Without the Celestial Emperor as a father and the lack of Sun Moon and to prolong his life, his lifespan would naturally be much shorter.    

He was 13 years old at the moment and all the diagnoses showed that it would be difficult for Eastern Zhiruo to live past the age of 14.    

This was why Eastern Lu, a father who loved his daughter more than anything else, held the Heavenly Adoration Rite to pray for his daughter.    

“Body with yin constitution?” The gathered nobles started whispering to each other. It seems that none of them had ever heard the term before. If not for the fact that Jiang Chen spoke with self-confidence and specifics, they would all loudly denounce Jiang Chen as a pathological liar.    

It took a while for Eastern Lu to recover from his shock. Jiang Chen was at least right with regards to the solar eclipse.    

Eastern Zhirou and her mother were born under a solar eclipse.    

Right now, Eastern Lu had come to believe. It seemed that this Jiang child had actually received guidance from the gods and conveyed their message.    

“Could we have moved the heavens and the gods with our sincerity?” Eastern Lu asked restlessly, his posture as low as possible. Then, Jiang Chen, is it possible to heal this yin constitution?    

“The yin constitution itself is not a disease, but a disability. If His Majesty had never practiced martial arts or attempted to train his qi, then there would be no problem for him to live thirty or fifty years. Forcing him to practice was the wrong thing, this weakened his already fragile middle qi. Therefore, if there is no outside intervention, then it will be difficult for His Majesty to live beyond the age of sixteen.”    

This diagnosis is actually similar to the diagnosis of the royal doctors.    

After hearing these words, more and more people began to wonder, did this Jiang Chen really receive divine guidance from above? How else could he speak so specifically?    

Eastern Lu hurriedly asked, “Intervention outside? Does this mean there are still some methods to deal with the Yin constitution?”    

“At first this was not a disease, so of course there is a method. The first step is to stop all martial arts training, and stop taking pills that increase the energy channels in the body, namely the meridians. Otherwise, even if God's intervention happens, we won't be able to do much within half a year.”    

These words caused Eastern Lu's heart to pound as he felt it barely escaped death. He had always thought that Eastern Zhiruo had a weak body and therefore he was a strong champion in his training. Even if he did not succeed in his training, strengthening his body was not a bad thing.    

But who would have thought that such training would backfire, and those pills would be a deadly poison.    

"What should we do next?" It was as if Eastern Lu had become a devout disciple and sought knowledge when he asked in embarrassment.    

“I'm sorry for my straightforwardness, the princess will never be able to practice in this life. A body with a yin constitution does not live long. The most urgent matter was to prolong his life. This process will take a long time as there is no quick fix. If Your Majesty trusts your humble subordinates, then please leave the princess's life to me. If Your Majesty doesn't trust me, then please give the order to take me to the basement.”    

“Don't talk like this, Minister Jiang. It was as if the sun had broken through the clouds and we had an epiphany after talking to you. Zhiruo's business is in your hands now. Whatever you ask for will be granted. Moreover, we give you a royal carved dragon medal. You can freely enter and exit the palace with this token, and there is no need to prostrate when you see the presence of our kingdom.”    

Eastern Lu was clearly the ruler of a kingdom. No ordinary person could match his generosity and shrewdness. He had summoned Jiang Chen's head a moment ago, yet the next he bestowed a carved dragon medal. Jiang Chen did not even need to bow when he saw his subordinates, this was an honor not even enjoyed by the three nobles in the palace.    

The Duke of Tianshui desperately hoped that a hole in the ground would swallow him. Although the king had unintentionally made him lose face; but rewarding Jiang Chen with so much was worse than slapping the duke's face.