Chapter 371 (1/2)

Chapter 371: Human Heart

The burly man stilled when he heard about the scholarly man's death. He gritted his teeth. The messenger was intimidated by the coldness radiating from him.

After a long pause, the burly man asked, “The army has been more and more agitated these days, hasn't it?”

The soldier nodded. The burly man's eyes grew murderous. He scoffed and told the soldier to pa.s.s down his message. The soldiers were to stop listening to Ji Bo's orders. The messenger was then told to write a letter to the imperial city to tell the royal clan what had happened.

The soldier nodded in understanding. He left after giving the burly man a final, worried glance. The burly man sat on the divan, his eyes unfocused. In his tight grip was a pristine piece of white jade. It was the scholarly man's favorite piece of accessory.

Disobedience spread through the Eastern Wu's army like wildfire. Nan Xun, who'd been injured in the last battle and was in recovery, was surprised when he found out.

At noon, when he was applying medicine, he asked Jun Huang about it. She answered, “Ji Bo's a.s.sa.s.sination of the scion was exposed to the royal clan. They became wary of him and ordered two officers to keep an eye on him. To their surprise, Ji Bo refused to change his ways and even killed one of the officers, which destroyed the last of the royal clan's trust in him.”

“Moreover, Ji Bo has blatantly ignored the people's needs, and he never treats the soldiers as human beings. It's not that surprising for the soldiers to start something.”

“So the royal clan played a part as well?” asked Nan Xun.

Jun Huang shook her head. “The royal clan intended for the two officers to act as check and balance for Ji Bo. They didn't expect Ji Bo to kill one of them. The two officers are as close as brothers. The surviving one ignored the royal clan's orders and instigated the chaos.”

“A mere officer shouldn't be capable of single-handedly turning the entire army, though. Ji Bo only has himself to blame.”

Nan Xun considered Jun Huang and smiled. “If Ji Bo cares about the soldiers like you do, they wouldn't have been so easily riled up.”

Nan Xun's train of thought went off track. He began to wonder how wonderful it would be if he and Jun Huang had a child together.

Jun Huang didn't know Nan Xun's heart was elsewhere. She contemplated if she should send people to escalate the tension. It'd be good if they could incite a civil war within Eastern Wu.

She told Nan Xun about her idea. He approved and authorized her to execute her plan.

Ji Bo had thought the ensuing chaos was merely a simple act of disobedience from the soldiers, but it was a planned move led by the burly man. He was furious. He hadn't put a puppet on the throne yet. Everything in the world seemed to have turned against him at the same time.

The royal clan had received the burly man's letter. It said that Ji Bo had killed a high-ranking officer with no good reason, which made the soldiers lose faith in the army. The royal clan was in a difficult enough position. Ji Bo's defiance was the last straw. They decided to take away Ji Bo's power.

Their responding letter to Ji Bo was vague, but Ji Bo knew what it actually meant. With a scoff, he threw the letter to the ground, his eyes flas.h.i.+ng with murderous intent.

He hadn't planned to completely take over Eastern Wu, but the royal clan defied him again and again. He was at the end of his patience, and he didn't have a lot of options now. He ordered his men to storm the palace. They were to put their puppet on the throne, no matter the cost.

Eastern Wu's court was seized overnight. All members of the royal clan were imprisoned by the puppet Ji Bo put in power. There was nothing holding Ji Bo back now. However, Eastern Wu had suffered one too many blows lately, which hurt the nation's power.

Nan Xun seized the opportunity and attacked Eastern Wu with great ferocity. Not only did Ji Bo have to fend off Northern Qi's advances, but he also had to resolve the conflicts within Eastern Wu. His hair turned grey overnight due to the stress.

The possibility of losing what he'd spent years building aged him significantly. He realized he still had one trump card – Southern Mu.

Southern Mu had been an affiliate jurisdiction dependent on Tianyu to survive. It wasn't until Tianyu fell that the first emperor of Southern Mu claimed his t.i.tle and established an independent nation.

Ji Bo jumped off his bed. His eyes shone brightly in the dark. The shadowguard keeping watch outside heard the noises and rushed in, lighting the lamp immediately.

“Is something the matter, sir?” the shadowguard asked respectfully.

Ji Bo nodded after a long pause. “I need you to deliver a message for me.”