Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 553 - 515: Zhang San’s karma must be repaid by Zhang San himself!

Chapter 553: Chapter 515: Zhang San’s karma must be repaid by Zhang San himself!

Above the imperial court, the atmosphere was solemn.

Emperor Kaihuang set down the memorial he was holding and asked the assembly below, "Ministers and generals of the full court, why do you remain silent?"

Many furrowed their brows and clenched their teeth, unsure of what to say.

For the matter Emperor Kaihuang wished to discuss concerned the incident at Longyun Path where General Ningyuan, Zhang San of the Lingwu Army, shot and killed Maxim, the Second Khan of Tujue.

Everyone knew that a general of Great Sui, having killed the Second Khan of Tujue, had indeed achieved a great feat worthy of reward and recognition.

Yet, all were aware that the death of this Second Khan would likely lead Tujue to declare war on Great Sui.

It was as though Zhang San, despite earning merit, had also brought a disaster upon Great Sui.

Therefore, at this moment, many were uncertain whether they should praise Zhang San or accuse him of guilt.

This was particularly awkward for proponents of Legalism.

It was well known that Zhang San was the favored disciple of Pharaoh, the leader of Legalism; thus, those who usually wouldn’t dare offend Legalists were now hesitant to openly criticize Zhang San’s actions.

Seeing that no one was speaking, King Jin stood up and said with a bow, "General Ningyuan, Zhang San, has driven off our enemies and made a significant contribution to the frontier army and our state. Especially his slaying of the Second Khan of Tujue has served as an intimidation to their petty thieves. His merits are undeniable. I hope Emperor Kaihuang will greatly reward him to boost the morale of the frontier army and bolster the spirit of our Great Sui soldiers!"

As King Jin took a stance, many from the Ministry of War quickly followed, supporting his view.

The Crown Prince watched King Jin with a dark, cold gaze.

In the recent past, he had been constantly competing with Zhang San and had inadvertently overlooked this younger brother, whose fief was originally located in the south.

For just a vassal king who had returned to the capital to visit their mother with his wife, it was peculiar that he remained in the capital without leaving.

If one were the emperor and wished to reduce the power of vassal kings, naturally one wouldn’t want these princes to stay at their posts.

But now, being the Crown Prince, it was King Jin, a vassal king, who remained in the capital reluctant to leave. This thought had previously escaped the Crown Prince’s notice, but now he was becoming aware of it.

Yet, after repeated confrontations with Zhang San over time, the Crown Prince had grown a great deal.

In this moment, the Crown Prince did not stand up to say anything, but instead glanced at several ministers under his command.

Immediately, someone stood up.

"King Jin speaks inappropriately!"

"Zhang San’s actions appear meritorious, but in fact, they have also bound Great Sui to a personal vendetta with Tujue! This is clearly the consequence of Zhang San’s own doings, yet Great Sui is expected to bear it with him! Is this the way of a subject? I believe Zhang San’s act disregarded the welfare of our state and he should be severely punished!"

King Jin hadn’t expected someone to oppose him from such an angle.

After all, everyone knew not to mention that the Second Khan of Tujue shouldn’t be killed—nor could they imply that Great Sui couldn’t defeat Tujue.

The facade had to be maintained, after all, to save face for Emperor Kaihuang.

But the men under King Jin were not pushovers, particularly the ones from the Ministry of War. Just when they had a chance to stand tall and proud, others were calling for severe punishment—an unthinkable insult!

Consequently, the imperial court quickly descended into a scene of two factions of ministers fiercely debating against each other.

Fortunately, within the grand hall, everyone managed to show some restraint.

The civil officials knew they could outtalk the rough folks from the Ministry of War, so they did not express their arguments too harshly.

Meanwhile, the military generals were aware they were in the grand hall, so they only shouted about settling matters after court was dismissed, without resorting to a physical altercation on the spot.

After listening to the squabble for a while, Emperor Kaihuang threw the memorial onto the ground with force.

A sharp slap echoed.

Instant silence fell upon the grand hall.

"Zhang San, as a soldier of Great Sui, General Ningyuan, having defended the state and earned distinction, is therefore deserving of reward."

After Emperor Kaihuang had finished speaking, those from the Ministry of War were privately thrilled, while the ministers who had just spoken out against the decision all lowered their heads.

After all, Kaihuang had made a decision, and no one dared to rebut.

"However, if Tujue uses this as a pretext to start a war, that would indeed be troublesome. If Tujue invades, my dear ministers, do any of you have a good strategy?"

The officials glanced at one another, but most just kept their heads down and feigned death.

At this moment, a subordinate of the Crown Prince stood up and said, "Reporting to Kaihuang, when all is said and done, this matter is the consequence of Zhang San’s own actions. His cause, his effect. Naturally, Zhang San should be the one to quell the anger of Tujue."

Although the statement seemed unproblematic at first glance, anyone who wasn’t foolish could hear what was truly being said.

They were proposing to send Zhang San to Tujue to pacify their anger.

Kaihuang was very displeased when he heard this.

Even though Kaihuang knew that with the current strength of the Great Sui’s Frontier Army, defeating Tujue would be somewhat challenging, it was out of the question to appease their anger by handing over the soldiers of the Great Sui.

Not to mention how much he personally liked this Zhang San.

Even if it were a common soldier, outright handing one over to appease the enemy’s anger would not sit well with the other soldiers. How would he then continue to be the Emperor of the Great Sui?

Just then, the sound of an urgent dispatch came from outside the great hall.

The Emperor knew that only dispatches of utmost urgency from the border would make use of the Teleportation Array to be delivered directly to the Imperial Palace, and then to him.

And the urgent report he was now looking at was precisely such a case.

As the official responsible for delivering dispatches presented the urgent report, Kaihuang opened it and his face showed shock.

The ministers below watched Kaihuang’s expression, trying to guess what had happened and how to respond.

A moment later, Kaihuang slowly put down the urgent report in his hand and asked those below, "Just now, did you not say that Zhang San must repay his own caused consequences, right?"

On hearing this, many felt a chill run down their spine.

At this moment, whether it was truly Zhang San’s responsibility was no longer of concern.

What everyone cared more about was whether Tujue was going to attack!

Even many from the Ministry of War swallowed nervously.

In the past, many had been capable and battle-hardened in the military.

But having lived comfortably in the Capital for too long, their martial skills, honed wieldng the Horizontal Blade, hadn’t been practiced as much as they had been messing around with women, and now that there was a possibility of war, rather than feeling their blood boil, many involuntarily felt their legs tremble.

Seeing the expression on Kaihuang’s face, the Crown Prince felt a secret sense of triumph.

This time, Zhang San was destined to be out of luck.

The Crown Prince hoped that Zhang San’s misfortune could also implicate King Jin.

So, the Crown Prince stood up and asked, "Father Emperor, what exactly has happened?"

With a bitter smile, Kaihuang said, "Just now, an urgent report from the north arrived, covering ten thousand li. After Zhang San shot and killed Maxim, the younger brother of Khan Muzhen, Khan Muzhen saw his own brother die right before his eyes, fell into extreme sorrow, and actually..."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince struggled to control his expression. Although the incident would surely bring misfortune to Zhang San, he could not show the slightest hint of joy.

He needed to restrain himself, to remain solemn.

"Actually... actually died from excessive grief."

At this point, not just the Crown Prince was shocked.

The entire assembly of civil and military officials was stunned.

The Emperor, laughing, said, "In that case, it’s as if Zhang San killed one Maxim and even took down a Khan Muzhen as well! This Khan Muzhen, after all, was a ruler of the steppes, a hero of the age. His death grieves my heart! Hahaha... Ministry of War, Ministry of Personnel, and Ministry of Rites, after you leave, convene and consider what rewards to bestow upon Zhang San. Hahaha... With the enemy gone, my heart is in pain..."