336 The Gues (1/2)
Chapter 336: The Guest
Translator: TransnEditor: Transn
Power in the Stone Kingdom essentially belonged to two families: Ju and Yang. For years, the Ju family had claimed the throne, with the Yang family as their subject; there had never been any deviation. But this road was soon nearing its end.
Upheaval was coming, and it would be at a scale that the nation had never seen before. Prime Minister Yang Dou felt deeply worried just thining about it - the influence he retained, along with the lives of his family depended on how he handled the events of the next few days. If it turned out well, the Yangs would continue to be in charge of the government in the Stone Kingdom. If not, perhaps even the Stone Kingdom itself would soon become a fading memory.
Yang Dou was quickly nearing 60. When he had taken over the position of Prime Minister from his father, he had experienced several big incidents during his tenure but none that made him feel as helpless as he did now.
More than 10 years ago, when the old King Ju passed on and his brother had usurped the throne, the Yangs had supported the usurper and exiled the young Crown Prince. But very soon, the Yangs realized that the new King was not such an easily controlled puppet that they had desired. After tolerating him silently for a few years, the usurper died mysteriously. Yang Dou had never dig into the details, but he would definitely not try to rake up the past as well.
Yang Dou personally went to Jade City to escort the Crown Prince back to the kingdom, and that experience was still fresh in his mind.
The Crown Prince was a disappointing weasel. Rash and ignorant, he did not understand the importance of compromise that needed to rule a kingdom. His resentment towards the Yangs was undisguised, having already thought about seeking revenge for his exile before even sitting on the throne.
It is always better to prevent trouble before it comes, Yang Dou decided. And his wish came true as the Prince was soon found murdered in a brothel; his reputation destroyed. The Second Prince was a smart man, and he was willing to make major concessions in exchange for the throne. Therefore, Yang Dou quickly reached a private agreement with him.
In the following years, Yang Dou and his clan rose to a height of power they had not achieved for the past dozens of years. He held absolute power in his hands and was like a regent of the kingdom.
The long war of attrition had exhausted the Ju family bloodline. As the royal family, they plotted and killed each other for the ridiculous puppet throne, and the dwindling number of family members had created a situation where, for the first time, there was no heir in line for the throne.
The Second Prince had already been in poor health even before he ascended the throne. This was also a major reason why he was willing to cede most of his power to the Prime Minister. But he was more than willing to bear a son for the Ju family. It was a pity then, that the heavens failed to grant his wishes, as the Queen still did not showing signs of pregnancy even after four years. Even the women who had been secretly sent into the palace did not manage to conceive as well.
This should have been the perfect opportunity for the Yangs. But Yang Dou had not expected that this situation had also lured several opportunistic suitors to the Stone Kingdom, each of them wielding even more influence than his own clan.
Today, he would be meeting these suitors.
He would have to focus all his energy on the meeting. If he handled the situation well, perhaps he could still secure the independence of Stone Kingdom and maintain the standing of the Yangs. An even better victory for the Yangs, of course, was to chase away all these suitors who were eyeing the throne of the Stone Kingdom as well.
Immersed in his fantasy, Yang Dou let out a sigh. He knew very well that the only choice for the Yangs right now was to choose a less ruthless master among these suitors. Perhaps, he might be able to get some of the leftovers after the new heir apparent had had his fill, renewing the bitter struggle between his clan and the royal family.
The guests were slowly arriving, one after another. Yang Dou dismissed his fantasies and summoned the composure of a Prime Minister before going out to greet the guests.
The Prince of Kang Kingdom was the first to arrive. He was a boorish-looking young man, and he did not look too pleased. Yang Dou met his rudeness with a flattering smile and invited him into the Council Chamber; he understood where his anger was coming from.
Xiaoyao Lake was a big lake surrounded by five small kingdoms that were comprised of the Stone, the Kang, the An, the Sha and the Hui Kingdoms respectively. These five kingdoms were linked by common rivers and mountains and were closely connected to each other. By convention, the royal families practiced intermarriage. For example, the current Queen of Stone Kingdom was from the Hui Kingdom.
As one could imagine, the Stone Kingdom's decision to choose the Princess' husband from the entire Western Region had caused great dissatisfaction among the other four kingdoms, especially the Kang Kingdom. The Prince of the Kang Kingdom was of suitable age and unmarried. He had long regarded the Princess of Stone Kingdom as his own fiancee and had harbored the thought of taking over the throne of Stone Kingdom. He never imagined that he would need to compete with a other suitors, some of which were not even of royal descent.
”Prime Minister, since when did the royal families of Xiaoyao Lake decided to mix their bloodline with impure blood?” asked the Prince of Kang Kingdom as he walking in furiously, wanting to clarify the situation.
”Please calm down, Your Highness. Our kingdom has had no choice but to resort to this. The five kingdoms have been intermarrying for many years now and although it's a good thing to cement our kingdoms' relationships with one another... Your Highness, as the Princess' uncle, this is somewhat...”
”So what? Didn't the King of the An Kingdom marry his aunt as well? What's wrong with me marrying my sister's daughter?”
”It's not always a good thing to be so closed off, and it's not like Your Highness doesn't stand a chance...”
”This is an insult to the Kang Kingdom, as well as towards the royal families of the five kingdoms. Prime Minister, I don't need to remind you that the coalition forces of the four kingdoms are just stationed at your nation's border, right? It must be me who marries the Princess.”
Yang Dou continued smiling, but his heart was full of contempt for the Prince of the Kang Kingdom. Even though the Kang Kingdom was not the weakest among those that had surrounded the Stone Kingdom, they did not have what it took to compete with the strongest contender. They were no better than the Stone Kingdom. The coalition forces of the four kingdoms were probably made up of hired machetemen from Golden Roc Fort, using money from the Meng family of Jade City as well. Yang Dou scoffed inwardly.
Yang Dou tried his best to appease the Prince of the Kang Kingdom without telling him the truth, wanting to let this young man learn his lesson by himself.
The second and third guests arrived almost at the same time, and after exchanging greetings at the doorstep, they entered together, hand in hand.