Chapter 1472
The one who laughs last laughs best.
Chapter 1472 The one who laughs last laughs best.
The new Chuanzhu was stunned. Yin Song took a step forward, no longer hiding or pretending.
Looking at her father's pale face, it was as if the anger that had been suppressed for twenty years had finally found an outlet at this moment.
“From childhood to adulthood, you have always told me that I am the eldest son of the family, and that I will bear the responsibility for the future of Jiuchuan!”
"He also said that being born into an imperial family means there are no fathers and sons, only rulers and subjects, and one should not trust anyone."
"You told me to be wary of my brothers, my ministers, and everyone else. I believed you and did as you said, but what was the result?"
He pointed to the new Sichuan leader on the dragon throne: "The result is that you have never truly trusted me!"
“You say I am the eldest son of the family and the future ruler of Sichuan, but everything you do is to guard against me!”
"You promoted the sixth son, allowing him to hinder me at every turn; you supported the third son, letting him take away my power."
"You're using everyone as a whetstone, trying to grind down my character until I'm completely obedient to you!"
"But I'm not a stone!" Yin Song roared furiously, "I'm a human being! I'm your son!"
The hall was completely silent. Shinkawa opened his mouth as if to say something, but found that he couldn't say anything at all.
Yin Song took a deep breath, and his voice lowered further, so low that only those nearby could hear him:
"Do you know how I've lived these past twenty years? Every day I've lived in constant fear, as if walking on thin ice."
“I have to ponder every word you say three times; I have to think for a long time about every look in your eyes.”
“I’m afraid that if I do too well, you will become suspicious. I’m also afraid that you won’t be satisfied with what I do, that you will be disappointed, and that one day you will think I’m not worthy of being the eldest son and kick me aside.”
He raised his head, his eyes reddening, and said:
"But what about you?" Yin Song roared, his voice choked with emotion.
"You only test me, doubt me, and use the third, fifth, and sixth brothers to warn me. Have you ever thought that there might be a day when I can't hold on anymore?"
The new Chuanzhu leaned back on the dragon throne, his face ashen. His lips moved a few times before he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence: "So...you...forced the abdication?"
Yin Song closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, his eyes had returned to calm.
"Father, you taught me that no one in this world is indispensable!" he said softly, with a sense of relief.
"Xinchuan needs a leader. You're tired, it's time to rest."
After saying this, he took a step back, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed to the new Sichuan chieftain.
The impact was severe; his forehead slammed against the gold brick with a dull thud.
"Please abdicate, Your Majesty."
Behind them, the Minister of Revenue was the first to shout, "Please, Your Majesty, abdicate!"
Dozens of court officials echoed in unison: "We request Your Majesty to abdicate!"
The sound was like a tidal wave, one wave higher than the next.
The new lord looked at the courtiers kneeling on the ground, then at his son kneeling at the very front, and suddenly smiled.
The laughter was bittersweet and ironic.
Thinking back to the past twenty years, when Yin Song was first established as the eldest son of the principal wife, he was just a little boy with his hair in topknots, lying on his lap and calling him "Father" in a childish voice.
Back then, he thought this child would be his pride, but now...!
"It's time to teach you your final lesson!" the new Chuanzhu murmured, turning his gaze from the kneeling courtiers to Yin Song.
Actually, he wasn't so angry about the second son's coup; he was more disappointed and disgusted by his son's stupidity.
Not to mention that with his old and frail body, he wouldn't last long anyway, and even if he forced the emperor to abdicate, he wouldn't get anywhere.
Shin Chuanzhu took a deep breath and slowly stood up with Liang Shi's help.
"Second brother!" His voice wasn't loud, but there was a hint of disappointment in his tone.
Yin Song knelt on the ground, raised his head, and still had a smug smile on his face.
"Father, have you thought it through?"
The new lord ignored him, instead turning to look outside the hall, and suddenly raised his voice: "Where are the Imperial Guards?"
The palace gates burst open with a roar, and amidst the clanging of armor, dozens of imperial guards filed in, completely surrounding the court.
The swords were drawn, their cold light gleaming, turning the faces of the kneeling courtiers deathly pale.
Yin Song's smile froze on his face.
With Liang Shi's support, the new Chuanzhu descended the imperial steps step by step.
Although his steps were unsteady, and each step seemed to require all his strength, his back remained ramrod straight.
He stopped in front of Yin Song and looked down at his once most beloved son.
"You think I'm angry because you forced me to abdicate?" The new Chuanzhu's voice was hoarse, yet carried a condescending pity as he said, "I'm angry because you're stupid!"
Yin Song's pupils contracted slightly.
"With my body, how much longer can I hold on? Are you in such a hurry?" The new Chuanzhu shook his head and continued:
"Do you think that by contacting a few officials in the Household Registration Office and having them shout 'abdicate' a few times in court, the world will be yours?"
He pointed to the courtiers kneeling on the ground:
"Look at them, besides those in the Household Registration Department, who else is there? Of the Six Ministries and Twelve Departments, how many have you managed to win over? And how many of the Nine Provinces actually support you?"
Yin Song's face gradually darkened, and he even became somewhat impatient.
"The prerequisite for forcing someone to abdicate is having strength and military power, but what do you have? You don't even have a decent army!"
The new Chuanzhu took a deep breath, his voice growing colder:
"The third son controls Xinchuan's finances, the fifth son has formed a marriage alliance with Danchuan, and the sixth son has appeased both Daichuan and Danchuan. And you? What do you have besides an empty title of eldest son?"
Yin Song opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found that he couldn't say anything.
"Consider this my final lesson to you, not a lesson on how to be an emperor," the new ruler said, turning his back to him.
"This lesson teaches you—if you don't have the skills, don't take on the job."
He walked back to the imperial steps, turned around and looked at the assembled civil and military officials. His voice, though weak, carried an undeniable authority as he spoke:
"Imperial Guards, take down the eldest son, Yin Song!"
The palace remained silent. No one expected things to turn out this way. Those courtiers who had long since sided with the second prince cursed inwardly how unreliable the eldest prince was, coming to seize the imperial guards.
Unexpectedly, the Imperial Guards did not move, leaving the new Chuanzhu stunned.
He turned to look at the Imperial Guards, who stood still, their armor gleaming coldly in the sunlight, but not one of them took a step forward.
"Hahahaha, hahahahaha~!" Yin Song suddenly laughed, his voice growing louder and more arrogant.
He stood up, dusted off his knees, and the fear on his face vanished, replaced by arrogance and smugness.
“Father, you say I lack the necessary skills?” Yin Song ascended the imperial steps, stood before the new Chuanzhu, and looked down at him, saying:
"Do you think that I would not have thought of this when I was forced to abdicate?"
He turned around, facing the kneeling courtiers, and opened his arms as if embracing the entire court.
"You're right, of the Six Ministries and Twelve Departments, I only managed to win over the Department of Revenue, but..." He paused, a cold smile playing on his lips.
"The entire Imperial Guard is already mine!"
The new lord's expression completely changed. "You taught me that the handle of the knife must be in my own hand, how could I forget!" Yin Song said with a mocking tone.
"So, I took the knife handle from your hand."
He looked at the new Chuanzhu's pale face and said, word by word:
"Father, stop struggling. You're really getting old. You should rest and go back to spend time with Mother!"
"Guards, help His Majesty back to the palace to rest!" Yin Song's words, filled with smugness and arrogance, echoed in the hall.
However, the palace remained silent, and the imperial guards stood firm.
Yin Song's smile also froze on his face, looking quite similar to the expression on the face of the previous Chuanzhu.
He turned his head to look at the commander of the Imperial Guards, a hint of barely perceptible panic in his voice:
"Didn't you hear what I said?" At this moment, Yin Songru had already assumed the title of Lord of Sichuan and couldn't wait to address the emperor as "I" and "I am the widow."
However, the commander of the Imperial Guard stood still, looking at him expressionlessly, without moving an inch.
Yin Song's face darkened completely.
"I will let you—"
"Alright, stop howling!" A clear voice came from outside the hall.
At the palace gate, a figure walked in against the light. It was none other than the sixth prince, who should have been locked in the forbidden room.
Lin Hao, dressed in a moon-white robe, stood tall and walked with ease. Behind him were two people: one was the Fifth Young Master Yin Qi, who still looked bewildered, and the other was vaguely hiding behind the Fifth Young Master.
"Sixth Brother?" Yin Song's pupils shrank, and he looked at Lin Hao in disbelief. "What are you doing here? Weren't you locked in the forbidden room?!"
His voice stopped abruptly, and his gaze suddenly turned to Yin Jun, who was standing to the side.
"Fourth brother...you...!"
Yin Jun lowered his head, not daring to meet his gaze. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Then, as if he had thought of something, he propped his neck up and looked at Lao Er.
"I'm curious, what brings Fourth Brother here?" Lin Hao smiled and continued:
"Last night, Fourth Brother was ordered by you to send men to my villa to kill Chen Xi. They failed to kill him, but ended up drinking tea with my men until midnight. As they drank, Fourth Brother had a sudden realization!"
Yin Song's face instantly turned ashen as he stared intently at Yin Jun: "You... betrayed me?"
Faced with Yin Song's questioning, Yin Jun's usual composure vanished, and he replied calmly and without fear:
"Second brother, I've already told you, An Xiyuan is pregnant, and I'm about to become a father, but you insist on making me kill someone for you. Have you thought about what will happen to me?"
He paused, then lowered his voice: "I have to leave myself a way out."
"A way out?" Yin Song sneered. "You think Lao Liu will give you a way out? Are you so sure he'll win?"
“That’s right!” Yin Jun raised his head, glanced at Lin Hao, and said, “Sixth Brother won.”
Yin Song took a step back in disbelief, fear finally showing in his eyes.
······
Rewind to last night, Yin Jun stood at the entrance of the alleyway by the side gate of Lin Hao's villa, followed by ten masked assassins dressed in black.
"The person is locked in the woodshed in the backyard!" Yin Jun said coldly, his eyes dark.
"The Sixth Young Master is locked in a forbidden room. There aren't many capable fighters in the manor. Go in, kill him, and leave. Don't linger. Be ruthless."
"Yes!" The leader of the assassins accepted the order and led his men to silently scale the wall and enter.
Yin Jun did not go in, but leaned against the wall and waited, so that he could leave at any time in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
However, after the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, there was still no movement inside. Yin Jun's brows furrowed more and more, sensing that something was wrong.
"Something's not right," he muttered to himself, and was about to turn and leave!
"Fourth Young Master, where are you going so late?" A familiar voice came from behind, carrying a hint of nonchalant laughter.
Yin Jun turned around abruptly. Su Shen stood at the alley entrance, with two rows of guards standing behind him. Then, torches were lit up instantly, illuminating the area as bright as day.
Su Shen was still toying with a dagger in his hand, the very one that the assassin he had sent out carried with him.
"You~!" Yin Jun's pupils suddenly contracted.
"The men sent by the Fourth Young Master are already in the backyard." Su Shen smiled and then put the dagger into his sleeve.
Yin Jun's face turned ashen instantly. He turned around and tried to walk to the other side of the alley, but the alley was also blocked.
Before anyone knew it, more than ten guards had blocked all escape routes.
Su Shen said slowly and deliberately:
"Fourth Young Master, don't panic. The Sixth Young Master would like to invite you to the confinement room for tea, but he's afraid you won't go, so he asked me to pass on a few words to you."
"First, the eldest young master has already assembled border troops at the border, ready to support our young master at any time!"
He then took out a letter, had someone deliver it to Yin Jun, and continued:
"Secondly, Master Mo Chuan and the Sixth Young Master are on very good terms, and he asked him to write a letter to you and your wife."
Su Shen's voice was calm and unhurried, as if he were chatting casually, while Yin Jun held the envelope, his fingers trembling slightly. On it was a letter from his wife, An Xiyuan.
"The Sixth Young Master said that you are a smart man and you should be able to see the situation clearly."
Su Shen placed the letter into his hand, took a half step back, and bowed respectfully, saying:
"The Sixth Young Master also said that Chen Xi's life is in your hands, while the lives of everyone in the Fourth Young Master's mansion are in his hands. You can decide for yourself how to settle this score."
After saying that, Su Shen turned around and led his guards into the night, as if he had never been there.
Yin Jun stood alone in the alley, reading the contents of the letter. He clutched the threatening letter tightly, then closed his eyes in despair.
Taking a deep breath, he knew he had no way out, and without further hesitation, he headed to the solitary confinement cell where Lin Hao was being held.
······
Lin Hao ignored their argument, walked to the center of the hall, and bowed to the new Sichuan ruler on the dragon throne:
"Father, you have been frightened. I am late. Please forgive me."
The new Chuanzhu looked at him, his lips trembling, and after a long while he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "Sixth Brother... how did you get out?"
Lin Hao smiled, straightened up, and said calmly, "The door to the forbidden room will naturally open when I wish to leave."
He didn't explain, but everyone knew that this "natural" statement said a lot.
The new lord looked at the guards around him, and then at Lin Hao.
"Father, rest assured." Lin Hao straightened up and said calmly, "The Imperial Guard has already been replaced from top to bottom."
"The people that Second Brother arranged were invited for tea by my men last night."
He turned his head, looked at Yin Song, and added casually:
"I was worried they wouldn't be interested in tasting it, but they were surprisingly good at it and all said the tea was excellent,"
Yin Song's face turned completely pale. He never expected that the guards he had spent a lot of money to bribe would compromise so easily.
Lin Hao smiled slightly and gestured with his chin towards the outside of the hall: "Bring him in."
Two guards escorted in a man who was bound hand and foot; it was Chen Xi.
"Second brother, I already mentioned the counterfeit money case yesterday. Shouldn't we also have a proper discussion with Father about it?"
Inside the hall, sunlight streamed across the floor, but it couldn't reach Yin Song's eyes, which were gradually losing their luster.
He knew he had lost, lost utterly.