Shipin Dalizheng

The four guards glanced at the officials present, sheathed their swords, and followed their master. There were still a few imperial guards guarding the palace, but who would dare to stop Earl Annan?

The officials present at the meeting looked at each other in bewilderment, and soon scattered like birds and beasts, each one looking more miserable than the other.

Finally, someone caught up with Rong Tang and explained the reason to him.

Rong Tang looked at Lord Xie in front of him with a half-smile, "What do you mean, Lord Xie?"

Lord Xie stammered, "It was actually a misunderstanding. Everyone was afraid you might have that intention, so they deliberately tested you. Now that the misunderstanding is resolved..."

"Misunderstand?"

Rong Tang stared at Lord Xie, "Aren't you looking for someone to take the blame? First, keep me safe, use the food and soldiers to protect you. When the Northern Dynasty army arrives, push me, the scapegoat, out to save you, and you take advantage of the situation to submit to the Northern Dynasty and become good ministers and good officials?"

Lord Xie's face twisted, "Lord Annan, you..."

"Master Xie, when did Northern Dynasty Grand Tutor Xie write the letter? What did it say? Let me guess. Did he ask you to stay put, stay out of the way, and just wait for him to come and pick up your family?"

Lord Xie's body swayed slightly and his face was pale.

"So don't put on a show in front of me, pretending to be loyal and virtuous. Let those idiots come out to cause trouble, and you will be perfectly invisible."

After saying this, he turned away, leaving Lord Xie feeling ashamed and angry.

After walking for a while, Cao Daban came up with a clatter and called out sharply, "Lord Annan, please stay." Rong Tang stopped and saw Cao Daban's eyes were red as he knelt deeply in front of him. "Lord Annan, thank you for giving His Majesty this last bit of respect."

He wrote a letter of abdication, which caused him some loss of face, but he also left a good reputation in the hearts of the people as someone who cared about the people. His death was intact, and he had his children to see him off after his death. This was the most dignified way Cao Daban could have imagined.

He was standing beside the Southern Emperor and saw everything clearly. He knew very well whether Rong Tang really sacrificed himself to save him, but that was His Majesty's own choice. He had reached some kind of deal with the Earl of Annan and was willing to die. This was fair and there was nothing to resent.

Who cares what the truth is? Your Majesty died at the hands of the Marquis of Yong'an, and the people are witnesses to that. That's enough.

He added, "I will allow you to take care of the funeral for your Majesty, and I will naturally follow you."

Rong Tang tugged at his cloak and asked, "Who said I wanted you to die?"

Cao Daban was stunned for a moment, "Doesn't Annan want me to die?"

"I never said I wanted you to die. Those who wanted you to die were afraid that you would hinder them in the future. As for me, I never had such concerns."

He gently helped Cao Daban up and said, "Since I appeared in the imperial capital, Cao Daban has taken great care of me. Rong Tang will never forget this. Just live well. Tell me who wants you to die, and I will let him die first."

Cao Daban's eyes suddenly filled with tears. It turned out that he remembered everything. The little bit of good thoughts he had during that time actually led to good results today.

"Yes, I will listen to you."

Rong Tang continued, "Take me to see His Majesty's mourning hall."

The mourning hall for the Southern Emperor was set up in Chengqian Hall. There were not many people crying. Most of the palace maids and eunuchs took advantage of the chaos to escape. Some had nowhere to go and felt that they would starve to death if they went out. So they waited here for their final fate, either death or life.

The second prince and Princess Zhaoren were hugged and crying by their nanny. There was also a baby in swaddling clothes, who was crying heart-wrenchingly, perhaps because he was hungry or had foreseen a dark future.

Rong Tang had a headache and frowned as he asked, "Aren't there only the Second Prince and Princess Zhaoren? Who is this little one?"

The nanny holding the swaddling baby whispered, "It's Concubine Li's child. Lord, please spare her life."

Immediately afterwards, the wailing palace maids and eunuchs kowtowed and shouted for mercy. Rong Tang was very impatient, as if he was a bloodthirsty devil who enjoyed killing people.

"Stop howling! If you keep howling, I'll drag you out and chop off your head."

Everyone was so frightened that they immediately fell silent. The strangest thing was that even the baby fell silent.

Cao Daban drove everyone out and left only the second prince. He is now the so-called backbone of the Southern Dynasty Palace, but he is only an eight-year-old child.

The Second Prince's eyes were red from crying. In one day, his country was destroyed, his family was ruined, his father was assassinated, and his mother was buried alive with him. His little heart was numb, and his voice was calm. "Am I going to die?"

Cao Daban's heart clenched. He knew that he couldn't keep the Second Prince, but he still looked at Rong Tang with hope. In his mind, those who knew how to be grateful were not bad people. He wondered if he could...

No, it's impossible. The Second Prince has a special status, and the Northern Dynasty Emperor will not spare his life. Perhaps dying at the hands of Annanbo's knife at this moment is the most satisfying relief.

Rong Tang squatted down and looked him in the eye. "Second Prince, I don't even know your name, but I don't want to ask now. You were born into the royal family. Even at your young age, the education you received taught you that dying now is the simplest and most honorable way. There's no humiliation, no suffering, and you'll get a thin coffin."

The Second Prince tried to remain calm, "I know, this is how the royal family is. Go ahead, I don't blame you."

Rong Tang admired him quite a bit. This kind of character was beyond the tolerance of many adults.

"But what can I do? I won't let innocent blood stain my hands."

He spread out his hands and slowly displayed the Buddhist beads. The Second Prince watched without blinking, and heard his soft voice, like chanting a sutra, "Second Prince, in your impression, are Prime Minister Liang, Lord Liu, and Lord Xie good people?"

The Second Prince's head was spinning, his entire mind focused on Rong Tang's question, and on his father's evaluation of these people when he was alive. Finally, he gave an affirmative answer, "Yes."

"Then tell me, would you feel safe if I temporarily placed you guys in their homes?"

The second prince opened his eyes wide. Is it possible? Can he, his brother and sister be placed in the homes of these adults?

But he soon became discouraged again, "I will die sooner or later."

It turned out that no matter how open-minded he was, he didn't want to die. Rong Tang found it funny and sighed, "There's nothing we can do about it. You are of royal blood after all. We don't know what your future will be. I can't kill you, nor do I dare to let you go. I can only have someone guard you for now. Fortunately, these gentlemen are noble people. They won't treat you harshly until the dust settles. You can live a stable life before you die."

The Second Prince was still worried, "Will it not implicate several of their families? After all, with our status?"

Rong Tang's eyes flickered. "No. I entrusted you to their care. If anything goes wrong, I will be responsible."

The Second Prince seemed very excited and suddenly made another request, "I want to see the Queen Mother."

Rong Tang agreed to his request.

The deposed queen was imprisoned deep in the sky prison. Not long after the second prince entered, he came out crying, "My mother wants to see you."

This was within Rong Tang's expectations. Any mother who heard that her children had a glimmer of hope would do everything in her power to achieve it.

He went down to see Empress Sun, who was already mad and screaming, "What do you mean? Tell me what you want to do. I only have these two children. As long as they can survive, I will do anything."

Rong Tang was very calm, "Empress Sun, if you want your children to live, I want these people to disappear from the officialdom. I guarantee that no one will die."

Empress Sun laughed and cried, and after hearing his plan, she was completely stunned. "Annanbo, you are so young, but you can calculate people's hearts so accurately. It's really terrible."

"Is it scary? This is an open conspiracy. They can refuse. I never force anyone to do anything they don't want to do. If I agree to anything, it's a decision made after careful consideration and weighing the pros and cons."

Empress Sun's eyes were filled with ruthlessness. "Very well, if a man does not work for himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. I will do it."