Chapter 578: Chapter 578

Xie Jue had no idea that Xie Xun had ascended to the throne and declared himself emperor. He and the Marshal received the news at the same time and were utterly shocked, with a mix of disbelief and a "how is this even possible?" feeling. He unconsciously began speculating how Xie Xun managed to ascend the throne—he neither needed to painstakingly lead an army to attack Zhongzhou, nor did he have to clash with Fang Chuning on the battlefield, nor was it necessary to fall out with the Marshal. Just like that, he ascended?

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The Capital City is Yuwen Jing’s domain. How did he pull it off?

Even with the Kyoto Capital Guard, there wouldn’t have been enough manpower.

Xie Jue was truly, truly astonished. When the Marshal questioned him, he didn’t respond immediately, as he was still lost in his thoughts. It wasn’t until Fang Chuning secretly poked his thigh that Xie Jue snapped back to reality and said, "Marshal, please calm your anger. This is the first time I’ve heard about this matter as well."

To the Marshal, these words sounded somewhat like taking advantage while playing innocent. The Marshal was infuriated, flung his sleeves, and stormed off. Seeing this, Fang Chuning glanced at Xie Jue and hurried to chase after the Marshal.

The tent instantly erupted in chaos. The generals of the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry burst into laughter and loudly celebrated. Two of them openly raised their cups in toast, exclaiming, "The Prince is wise and brilliant!"

The generals from Jiangnan, however, appeared particularly awkward, as though sitting on pins and needles. They quickly found excuses to leave, unwilling to partake in the jubilant atmosphere of the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry. If they were generals of the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, they would also feel joyful—after all, winning without having to fight a battle, what could be better?

Xie Jue cleared his throat lightly. "After all, this isn’t our territory. Be a bit more reserved."

"Second Young Master, rest assured. We absolutely won’t get carried away in front of the Marshal."

"Hahaha, with His Highness now the Emperor, this... this gives us even more motivation to conquer Sannan."

"Second Young Master, now that His Highness is Emperor, there’s no need for us to follow the orders of those Jiangnan garrisons in everything, is there?"

Xie Jue said calmly, "This is the Marshal’s territory. It would be unwise to overstep our bounds."

Even Xie Jue allowed himself a rare moment of joy, drinking with a few of the generals. His mood was exceptionally light, as this turn of events would eliminate many complications.

The Marshal was beside himself with rage, so angry that he almost smashed the chair in the room. He just couldn’t understand—how could the Capital City, Yuwen Jing’s domain under the command of the Jinyi Guard and the Forbidden Army, have allowed Xie Xun to become Emperor? How incompetent must they have been for this to happen? Did Xie Xun single-handedly kill all of the Jinyi Guard and the Forbidden Army? Even if he had the Kyoto Capital Guard, there’s no way they could have taken the city. How was this possible?

The battles in Jiangnan weren’t even resolved yet, and the Yuwen Royal Family had already been annihilated.

The Marshal was so furious his face turned pale.

"Xie Xun was indeed unable to rush to Jiangnan due to his injury. His ascension to the throne is not something Ting Feng orchestrated. Father, you..." Fang Chuning said as he followed the Marshal into the room. Seeing the enraged figure of his father, Fang Chuning felt distressed. This matter must have been a severe blow to his father.

"Silence!" The Marshal was already on the verge of exploding, desperately trying to suppress his anger, but Fang Chuning had to go and speak up for Xie Jue. The Marshal grabbed a teacup and hurled it at Fang Chuning. "At a time , you’re still speaking on his behalf? If not for Xie Tingfeng’s scheming, how could Xie Xun possibly have taken the Capital City? I know you’ve always resented the Yuwen Royal Family and have never been of one heart with me. Now that the Xie family has claimed the throne, are you happy? Who knows, perhaps you’ll even snag a merit as a supporter of the new regime, stepping over the corpses of your father and mother to earn it. Satisfied now?"

In a fit of rage, people often say things they don’t mean, and the Marshal was no exception. His words were undoubtedly devastating to Fang Chuning, cutting straight to the heart. Fang Chuning had never even considered vying for such merit.

Fang Chuning, disillusioned, sneered and asked, "Father, in your eyes, I’ve always been such an unfaithful, unfilial scoundrel, haven’t I?"