I am the snake demon!

Chapter 39 A daring madman, how dare he impersonate an imperial envoy!

After the imperial edict was read, the posthumous title of Prince Zhenbei, "Zhongwu," was conferred upon him.

Then, Wei Xuanli calmly took out another imperial edict, his expression slightly serious, but his gaze bypassed Bai Xuan and landed on Xu Yanheng beside him. He smiled and said, "This second edict is for General Mingwei. Please come forward to receive the edict."

Xu Yanheng was slightly stunned, unable to believe that the second imperial edict was actually for him.

Xu Yuhua, Li Daoyan, and the others all changed their expressions, realizing that the real killing move was coming.

"Brother, receive the imperial decree!"

Bai Xuan smiled faintly and offered his seat to Xu Yanheng, somewhat anticipating what tricks the emperor would come up with.

"Wild geese flying overhead".

Xu Yanheng's mother, on the other hand, urged Xu Yanheng with some excitement.

This imperial edict is not good news for Bai Xuan, but it could very well be good news for them.

Xu Yanheng stepped forward with a frown.

Wei Xuanli continued to proclaim the imperial edict, reciting it aloud.

"By the grace of Heaven and the order of the times, I have received this decree. General Xu Yanheng, a man of both loyalty and bravery, and of exceptional wisdom and strategy, was appointed Governor of Bingzhou by imperial decree in the past for his strict military discipline and effective governance of the people. You shall immediately assume your post. Strive to fulfill your duties and do not fail the grace of Heaven and the expectations of the people."

Upon hearing Wei Xuanli finish reading, everyone in the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion had a change in expression.

Xu Yanheng's mother was overjoyed.

With Bai Xuan's ascension to the throne, Xu Yanheng's position as the eldest son born out of wedlock suddenly became awkward.

It's fair to say that Xu Yanheng's future is already quite predictable.

He was stripped of his power, left idle at home, and lived a life of wealth and leisure until his death.

But who could have imagined that the emperor would issue such an imperial edict, appointing a prefectural governor to oversee the military and political affairs of the prefecture.

In that case, it's not impossible to fight again.

She, Xu from Shanyang, has not yet lost.

Li Daoyan and the others looked grim.

The Governor of Bingzhou was in charge of all government affairs in Bingzhou.

The Prince of Zhenbei commands the two prefectures of Liang and Bing.

Its administrative center was in Liangzhou, so its control over Bingzhou was inherently weaker than that over Liangzhou.

Moreover, Bingzhou was a prosperous commercial center, and its merchants were known as Jin merchants. Xu Yanheng's maternal family, the Xu family of Shanyang, was a leading Jin merchant family.

For Xu Yanheng, going to Bingzhou was like a dragon entering the sea.

Furthermore, the troops of Bingzhou were placed under the command of Xu Wenzheng.

In other words, after this trip, none of the top civil and military officials in Bingzhou were close to Bai Xuan; they were all his enemies.

No matter how the two of them fight, they will inevitably work together to exclude Bai Xuan and prevent him from getting involved.

Because Xu Wenzheng and Xu Yanheng could only manage to weaken each other at best, while Bai Xuan could devour them both.

Thinking of this, a terrifying glint flashed in Li Daoyan's eyes. He knew that the emperor was a man of deep thoughts, but he never expected him to be so ruthless, striking at the heart of the northern border and splitting it apart.

And yet, there was nothing that could be done to stop it.

Anyone from outside the North who interferes in North affairs is doomed to die, but this is a person from the North, and the son of the King of Zhenbei.

There was no way to stop Xu Yanheng from taking the position, except that he himself did not want to.

Xu Yanheng couldn't possibly not want to take the position.

Huangfu Xiongwen frowned and transmitted his voice to Bai Xuan: "Shi'an, when your father dies, you should observe three years of mourning. Civil officials should return to their hometowns to observe mourning, while military officers, due to their special positions, only need to observe mourning for one hundred days. Xu Yanheng is a military officer now, so he only needs to observe mourning for three months. However, the governor is a civil official, so we can use this as a pretext."

Bai Xuan gently shook his head.

no need.

Although that's how it's supposed to be according to etiquette.

However, the emperor has the right to discontinue mourning, allowing his subjects to be exempt from observing the mourning period.

Even so, the reputation of the official whose mourning was taken away is basically ruined.

But Xu Yanheng wasn't a real civil official, and he had no reputation among scholars!

He won't let this opportunity slip by, so the impact won't be significant.

However, the imperial edict appointing him as emperor had not yet been read aloud.

He deliberately left his decree until later, presumably for this reason.

Go if you want. It's a good opportunity to clean up the Prince's mansion; out of sight, out of mind.

Moreover, Bingzhou is Xu Wenzheng's territory. If Xu Yanheng goes there, the two of them will fight it out, like dogs biting each other, which will be quite a show.

But after all that effort, the emperor came up with this one move?

I thought the emperor was going to issue a decree of favor.

It seems I overestimated him.

Seeing Bai Xuan shake his head, Huangfu Xiongwen then put his mind at ease.

Xu Yanheng happily accepted the imperial edict, his joy visibly evident. He bowed to Wei Xuanli and said, "Thank you for Your Majesty's grace."

Seeing Xu Yanheng's reaction, Wei Xuanli's lips curled up slightly and he said, "Prefect Xu is too kind. I hope Prefect Xu will not fail His Majesty's great favor."

The position of Governor of Bingzhou can be granted by the imperial court, and it can also be revoked.

Using a worthless position to incite infighting in the north was a very profitable deal for the imperial court.

This is the true power of the emperor.

Xu Wenzheng watched this scene with a cold eye, his expression darkening slightly.

Although he only managed the military affairs of Bingzhou and was not involved in political affairs, Bingzhou was practically his personal fiefdom, especially after the death of the Prince of Zhenbei.

The governor of Bingzhou was as timid as a quail in his presence, no different from a puppet in his eyes.

But things were different when Xu Yanheng left.

The eldest son of the Prince of Zhenbei, a disciple of Leng Shih-hu, and a nephew of the Xu family of Shanyang.

It won't affect the overall situation, but it will make him feel very troubled, so troubled that he wants to kill someone!

However, Xu Wenzheng did not react, but calmly continued to look at the four imperial edicts.

Now that the first and second imperial edicts have been issued, the fourth imperial edict can be confirmed to be the conferment of the title of Prince Zhenbei upon Bai Xuan. So what is the third imperial edict?

"By the grace of Heaven and the mandate of Heaven, I hereby bestow this decree upon Xu Yuhua, the eldest princess of the Prince of Zhenbei's residence, who is gentle, virtuous, and wise; and Guo Mingcheng, the heir apparent of the Prince of Wei, who is of imposing stature and exceptional talent. I now consider their noble birth and commend their matching social standing and virtuous character, and hereby grant them this marriage, ordering Xu Yuhua to marry Guo Mingcheng. An auspicious day shall be chosen for the wedding ceremony, so that they may be forever united in marriage and strengthen the bonds of kinship. This is my decree."

While Xu Wenzheng was puzzled, Wei Xuanli took out the third imperial edict and read it aloud.

After reading it, the atmosphere in the hall immediately became terribly somber.

Xu Wenzheng's eyes were sharp as knives, and a terrifying killing intent was about to burst forth uncontrollably, turning the hall into an ice cave.

Princess Zhenbei's expression also changed drastically. Her eldest daughter had finally returned home, but now she was married off to the capital, a den of dragons and tigers. If something went wrong, how could she return?

Li Daoyan's expression changed even more; he was thinking about something else entirely.

From a purely economic standpoint, Xu Yushuang could marry him, but Xu Yuhua absolutely could not.

Because Xu Yuhua knew Bai Xuan's true identity.

She was a princess of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion before marriage, but if she were to marry, she would inevitably have to consider her husband's family.

It's hard to say whether the husband's family or the wife's family is more important.

Someone once said, "Many men can be husbands, but only one can be a father."

Anyone can be a husband, but there can only be one father.

But Bai Xuan isn't his father.

And if she gets married and has children in the future, then it's even harder to say.

Although Li Daoyan trusted Xu Yuhua, he knew even better that for a plan to be thorough, the fewer loopholes the better.

Therefore, on that day, it was proposed that Xu Yuhua marry Bai Xuan, and that their offspring would become the future Prince of Zhenbei.

This is the best way to solve the problem.

This ensures that Bai Xuan and Xu Yuhua will both work hard for the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion and will not become disloyal.

Since Duan Baiyu didn't agree at the time, he put it aside for the time being.

In fact, even now, he still believes that this is the best method.

In any case, Xu Yuhua cannot marry into the capital.

Xu Yuhua herself frowned and glanced at Guo Mingcheng behind Wei Xuanli with considerable disgust. Guo Mingcheng had pursued her in the capital before, but she did not like him.

Now, at the moment of the Prince of Zhenbei's recent death, they are being forced to come to his door.

If you refuse, it will be considered defying the imperial decree.

The North is probably too vulnerable to withstand this.

But if I agree, not to mention having to spend the rest of my life facing such a disgusting person, what will happen after she leaves, if Bai Xuan doesn't want to get involved? Who will support the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion?

Second sister?

Wei Xuanli looked at Bai Xuan with a half-smile, waiting for Bai Xuan's consent.

In his opinion, if Bai Xuan could accept the second imperial edict, the third one was nothing.

With Bai Xuan accepting this imperial edict, the policy of dividing the northern border became even smoother.

Outsiders find it difficult to establish themselves in the northern border, but the son-in-law of the Prince of Zhenbei is different.

After the marriage, Guo Mingcheng would be able to enter Liangzhou legitimately.

"Mingcheng greets his mother-in-law."

Guo Mingcheng even took the initiative to step forward and bow to the Princess of Zhenbei, his eyes full of pride.

The eldest princess of the Zhenbei Prince's Mansion, a disciple of the Imperial Preceptor, whose status was once comparable to that of a princess, is now finally about to become his woman.

Princess Zhenbei frowned, neither agreeing nor refusing.

Upon seeing this, Guo Mingcheng frowned, then stood up and looked at Xu Yuhua, saying, "Yuhua, aren't you going to accept the imperial decree?"

"Heh~"

Bai Xuan couldn't help but laugh when he saw this.

"What are you laughing at, young prince?" Guo Mingcheng frowned at Bai Xuan and asked, "Don't you want your title of Prince of Zhenbei anymore?"

"Uncle, you are guilty!" Bai Xuan said abruptly.

Li Daoyan looked at Bai Xuan with suspicion, wondering why Bai Xuan had suddenly said such a thing.

"As the sages said, 'A child is weaned from its parents' arms after three years. The three-year mourning period is the universal mourning period.' Now, our father has only been gone for three months, and we children have not married, not feasted, not made merry, not had children, and not traveled. How could the current emperor, so wise and virtuous, bestow a marriage upon our eldest sister so soon after our father's passing, committing such an inhumane and unjust act? These people must be incredibly audacious, impersonating imperial envoys and falsely conveying the imperial decree. We must arrest them immediately and report to the emperor!" Bai Xuan's face was as cold as a knife.

"Yes."

Li Daoyan immediately realized what was happening, and the generals of the Prince's Mansion stepped forward to surround Wei Xuanli and the others, their killing intent palpable.

"Xu Shian, do you dare to rebel?"

Upon hearing Bai Xuan's words, Guo Mingcheng's expression changed drastically. He looked at Bai Xuan in disbelief, but before he could finish speaking, a blur appeared before his eyes, and he saw Bai Xuan rushing to his side, hastily circulating his true energy.

Bai Xuan's expression was cold. He threw a powerful punch, easily tearing apart Guo Mingcheng's internal energy. He grabbed Guo Mingcheng's shoulder, and Guo Mingcheng felt as if his bones were shattered.

Immediately afterward, a terrifying force struck, and Guo Mingcheng uncontrollably fell to his knees, his knees shattered, blood everywhere. Then, Bai Xuan kicked him in the chest, and Guo Mingcheng was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, flying dozens of feet away before crashing to the ground, spitting out blood. Several of his ribs were broken, and his life was uncertain.

"You traitors, impersonating imperial envoys, even on the verge of death, you still dare to spout nonsense. You truly deserve to die a thousand deaths," Bai Xuan said, standing there with a righteous expression.

The guards of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion, fully armed and clad in armor, glared menacingly at Guo Mingcheng and his group.