SBCEJM -Chapter 87 The Great Blame-Shifting Conference! The Eldest Prince Is Impotent, the Third Prince Has a Terminal Illness!

Inside the Xiongnu royal court, beneath the golden tent—

“Report—!”

A scout came tumbling in, rolling and crawling in panic.

“Marshal Tiemujia has been defeated! The Great Xia army has reached our gates!”

“Pffft—!”

The old Khan spat out a mouthful of sheep’s milk that sprayed three meters away.

His beard practically twisted from rage as he pointed at the scout and roared:

“Useless trash! More than four hundred thousand troops lost to barely three hundred thousand?!”

The scout was so terrified he didn’t even dare raise his head.

“K-Khan, spare me! That Great Xia marshal is practically a monster! One swing of his sword kills over a dozen men! Our soldiers run the moment they see him!”

The old Khan’s vision darkened with fury. He had to grip the throne to keep from collapsing.

“Don’t spread word of this yet! Go! Bring the three princes here immediately!”

Not long after, the Eldest Prince, the Third Prince, and the “Second Prince” wedged between them hurried into the tent.

The Eldest and Third Princes had already heard about the disastrous battle and looked utterly grim.

Xiao Mingyu, meanwhile, was completely confused. Just moments ago, he’d still been in his own tent studying how to roast lamb on the grasslands.

The old Khan pointed at the gem-encrusted throne, his voice trembling.

“This throne… will be passed on today! Which one of you will take it?”

The moment the words fell—

Thud!

The Eldest Prince dropped to his knees and burst into tears, snot and tears flying everywhere.

“Royal Father! Your son can’t do it! I… I have problems in that department! I can’t produce heirs!”

He slapped his thigh dramatically while crying.

“I’ve never gotten hard once in my entire life! How could I possibly sit on this throne?!”

Not to be outdone, the Third Prince executed a perfect sliding kneel, his knees scraping a long mark across the floor.

“Royal Father! I have an incurable illness! I don’t have many days left!”

He deliberately coughed twice, even forcing out a few drops of blood.

“This throne is beyond my ability to enjoy!”

【Good grief. One’s crippled, the other’s dying. Are these two performing a comedy routine together?】

Feng Zexuan complained while watching the “live broadcast.”

After finishing their performance, the two brothers spun around in perfect sync and pointed straight at the dumbfounded “Second Prince.”

“Royal Father! Second Brother is strong and healthy, right in his prime!”

“Exactly! Second Brother excels at horseback riding and archery. He’ll definitely lead us to victory against Great Xia!”

Xiao Mingyu stared wide-eyed and pointed at himself.

“Me?”

What did they mean he was the most suitable?!

All he wanted was to enjoy a carefree few years on the grasslands! Who the hell wanted to become king?!

The old Khan swept a glance over his two cowardly sons, then looked at the stunned “Second Prince.”

Well, better a dead friend than himself.

“Fine. Second Son, from today onward, the Xiongnu belongs to you!”

Xiao Mingyu completely froze.

He opened his mouth, and after a long while finally forced out a sentence:

“Royal Father, please reconsider! I only like riding horses and drinking wine. I know nothing about governing! Making me king would destroy the Xiongnu!”

The old Khan narrowed his eyes and revealed his trump card.

“If you inherit the throne, the hundred-plus beauties in my tent are all yours!”

The Eldest and Third Princes immediately chimed in, terrified Xiao Mingyu might refuse.

“Exactly, Second Brother! My twenty-something wives can go to you too! I can’t use them anyway!”

“And mine too! Second Brother, you can’t let your sisters-in-law become widows!”

【Tsk tsk. Selling off their wives just to survive—now that’s dedication to self-preservation!】

Xiao Mingyu’s heartbeat quickened.

The wild beauty of grassland women really was tempting.

But no!

If he became king, he’d have to manage state affairs all day. That would kill him!

Unfortunately, before he could think up an excuse to flee, the three men had already surrounded him.

“Second Brother, for the sake of the Xiongnu, you’ll have to suffer a little!”

“The nation is in crisis—you can’t refuse!”

Seven or eight hands worked together to shove the golden crown onto his head and drape dragon robes over his body.

By the time Xiao Mingyu reacted, the three culprits had already vanished without a trace.

Only he remained, sitting alone on the empty throne in oversized robes and a crown so heavy his neck nearly snapped.

The tent was so quiet he could hear his own heartbeat.

【I’m dying of laughter. The Second Prince somehow became king by accident. He basically got gifted an entire country! Life really is unpredictable!】

【Ding! Host, doesn’t the Second Prince inheriting the Xiongnu throne basically mean Great Xia has taken over the entire Xiongnu?】

Feng Zexuan raised an eyebrow.

【Makes sense. This way Great Xia can officially take control of the Xiongnu.】

【And this Second Prince is truly talented. He just wanted to “experience life,” and somehow ended up becoming a foreign monarch… Life really is absurd beyond belief!】

Feng Zexuan leisurely wrote a letter and handed it to a messenger officer.

“Go deliver this to the newly appointed Khan of the Xiongnu. Tell him it’s Great Xia’s peace treaty.”

Xiao Mingyu was still sitting on the throne questioning his life when a Great Xia envoy swaggered in and handed him the letter.

He opened it blankly.

There were only a few short lines on the paper, yet they sent chills racing down his spine.

“Prince Xiao Mingyu, long time no see. I heard you’ve just taken office. The winds outside the city are rather strong—how about opening the gates to welcome me?
—Great Xia Marshal, Feng Zekai”

He was doomed.

His father’s army had arrived.

And worse—his identity had been exposed.

How did this Great Xia marshal know he was Xiao Mingyu?!

Xiao Mingyu’s hands trembled as he stared at the letter.

What now?

Run?

Where could he even run to?

The entire grassland was already surrounded by Great Xia forces.

Resist?

With what?

Even a fierce general like Tiemujia had been defeated. What could a weak scholar-prince like him possibly do?

Return home?

Then how would he explain this Xiongnu king identity?

And if he were sent back to Great Xia, how would the Emperor punish him?

Xiao Mingyu sat restlessly on the throne, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

A moment later, the gates of the Xiongnu royal court swung wide open.

The newly crowned Khan, Xiao Mingyu, dressed in obviously ill-fitting royal robes, stood trembling at the city gates alongside a group of dejected Xiongnu ministers.

Feng Zexuan sat atop her horse, looking down at him from above.

【Oh? This Xiongnu Second Prince is actually pretty handsome. More handsome than I expected. I wonder who looks better—him or the real Second Prince?】

A crisp voice suddenly echoed in Xiao Mingyu’s mind.

He stared at the Great Marshal in horror.

What the hell?

He could hear this person’s thoughts?

Or had today’s shock been so overwhelming that he was hallucinating?

Feng Zexuan dismounted gracefully, and Chen Jin immediately handed her the prepared documents.

“Sign it. Since you’re now the Xiongnu king, you should take responsibility for the Xiongnu’s future.”

The court scribe unrolled the document and read loudly:

“Article One: From this day onward, the Xiongnu nation shall abolish its national title and be renamed ‘Tingxia,’ forever becoming a vassal state of Great Xia!”

“Article Two: The new Khan must personally travel to the Great Xia capital and perform the rites of submission before the Emperor of Great Xia!”

The moment those words were spoken, the Xiongnu ministers exploded.

“Khan! This is the ultimate humiliation!”

“We would rather die than submit!”

Xiao Mingyu listened to the humiliating terms without the slightest reaction.

What did it have to do with him?

He was a Great Xia citizen too, alright?!

【Making the Great Xia Second Prince personally return home as the king of a vassal state to pay respects to his own father… just imagining it is hilarious.】

Second Prince: …

【Still, this works out perfectly. Letting the Emperor’s biological son become king solves the border crisis and gives the old Emperor a perfect explanation.】

Feng Zexuan leaned closer to the Second Prince and lowered her voice.

“So, Second Prince—do you want to return to Great Xia and resume being a prince, or stay here and become king?”

Hearing the question, Xiao Mingyu’s emotions turned complicated.

Return?

Did he even dare go back?

Go back and face the Emperor’s judgment?

If his father learned about this ridiculous stunt, he’d probably scold him to death.

He might even get charged with “colluding with foreign enemies.”

Rather than return home to be punished, he’d rather stay on the grasslands as a miserable king.

At least here, he was still the local ruler and relatively free.

And after hearing the marshal’s inner thoughts earlier, it seemed the other party didn’t truly intend to make things difficult for him.

Xiao Mingyu took the brush and, amid dead silence, signed his name.

His actions gave the Great Xia marshal his answer.

Feng Zexuan nodded in satisfaction.

“Very good. From today onward, you are the first king of Tingxia.”

With a single surrender document, the grudges between the two nations finally came to an end.

Just then, a soldier hurried over and whispered something into Feng Zexuan’s ear.

The moment she heard it, her expression changed drastically.