Volume 3 Chapter 57: Absolutely Certain

  "Nonsense!"

  The hall suddenly fell silent, and everyone realized that the one who had shouted was none other than Old Master Fan Zeng.

  Yin Xu's expression was slightly frozen, and he immediately came back to his senses. He didn't expect Fan Zeng to take such a sudden approach. As it wasn't his business, he hung high and watched the conflict between Mr. Fan and Liu Pei with great interest. So, he put on an air of cold observation, quietly observing the parties involved.

  A flash of turmoil flickered in Xiang Liang's eyes, and his body slightly moved, perhaps still with a few points of lucky hope. However, now Fan Zeng's voice was like a wake-up call, making General Xiang suddenly sober.

  Xiang Liang's eyebrows moved, a wave of emotion flashed across his majestic face, and he immediately returned to normal. In this situation, with Uncle Xiang Liang and Mr. Fan Zeng present, it was not his turn to speak, so it was better for him to observe quietly.

  Liu Bang stood there in shock, no matter what his original intention was, it was just a suggestion. Unexpectedly, Fan Zeng did not leave any room for sentiment and directly defined the matter as "nonsense". The speech of Liu Pei Gong at the Anti-Qin Alliance Conference was like child's play, it was nonsense. Whoever encountered this situation would feel embarrassed, but Liu Bang could do nothing about it. Fan Zeng was 70 years old, he could rely on his age to bully others, but Liu Bang couldn't. For half a day, he stood there in shock, unable to speak.

  Zhang Liang's eyes flashed with a hint of astonishment, Liu Bang's proposal was his plan, originally harmless, but unexpectedly Fan Zeng's reaction was so big, and the words were so ruthless. For a moment, it was indeed somewhat embarrassing.

  Fan Zeng stood up, his eyes coldly staring at Liu Bang: "Liu Bang, you are a great rebel, committing treason and stirring up trouble, and now you want to drag down General Xiang as well, your intentions are despicable!" The old man's expression was stern, his voice full of energy, his words striking the ground with force.

  After the commotion, Mr. Fan threw down a big hat of great disobedience and unrighteousness, making Liu Bang's atmosphere heavy. The people in the hall looked at each other in astonishment, trying to find some reason from each other's eyes, but there was no good harvest. Finally, their gaze fell back on Fan Zeng and Liu Bang, who were the main characters of the event.

  Liu Bang was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said: "Mr. Fan, why did you say that? I just made a small suggestion." At this time, he could still be so calm, which shows that Liu Bang's psychological quality is not bad.

  Fan Zeng slammed his cane and said angrily, "Suggestion? What suggestion did he make? To establish Xiang Yu as the King of Chu? How dare you think of that!"

  "Hmm... Liu Bang still maintained a smile, although it was somewhat forced: 'General Xiang's family has been a noble family of Chu State for generations, with high morals and prestige. At this critical moment, he took the lead and shouldered the great responsibility, which is what everyone expected!'"

  "How dare you say such a thing! Just a few days after Jing Ju and Qin Jia's death, you're already speaking such treasonous words. In times of crisis, General Xiang stood up to organize the righteous army against Qin, but was the King of Chu appointed casually? The Xiang family has received the imperial grace of the Chu state for generations, so isn't becoming the King of Chu a betrayal of one's lord and a usurpation of power?" Fan Zeng's words were like a slap in the face to Liu Bang, making him lose all dignity. A small suggestion was suddenly elevated to the level of plotting rebellion, leaving everyone stunned."

  Yin Xuxin's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately grasped the key to the situation. Why would Liu Bang suddenly make such a proposal? Why would Fan Zeng become so enraged, loudly speaking out in rebuke.

  Everything depends on this Chu king position, Liu Bang's proposal is obviously from Zhang Liang. Mr. Zifang proposed Xiang Liang as the King of Chu with great intention. As the son of Xiang Yan, if the nobles of Chu country inherit the throne at this time, what difference does it make with Jing Ju? Although power and strength are there, but this position is not legitimate. Self-proclaimed king, in name, would be a betrayal of the original King of Chu, which is a great rebellion against the monarch.

  Zhang Liang did this, undoubtedly to kill Xiang Liang, letting him take the old road of Jing Ju and Qin Jia, repeating the same mistake, becoming the target of public criticism. In the battle of Pengcheng, Xiang Liang was somewhat complacent, perhaps also having some improper thoughts. Fan Zeng saw through this point, so he deliberately reacted strongly. On the one hand, it was a wake-up call for Xiang Liang; on the other hand, it was to tell Liu Bang and Zhang Liang that I have seen through your little tricks, while also warning the leaders of the allied forces present. Of course, it is not ruled out that Mr. Fan had some dissatisfaction with Liu Bang.

  As Fan Zeng's words fell, the people in the hall suddenly burst into an uproar, whispering to each other and exchanging glances. Liu Bang smiled awkwardly: "Mr. Fan's concerns are not unreasonable, but when Shouchun City was broken that year, King Chu and all the princes were killed, and there was no heir to the throne!"

  Someone immediately echoed: "Yes, when the great king and prince died in battle, the king of Chu had to choose another wise and capable person."

  Liu Bang saw someone echoing, and immediately smiled: "Yes, Mr. Fan, Liu Bang is indeed considering this, so he proposed that General Xiang take the throne, no one is more suitable than General Xiang."

  Fan Zeng sneered, "The king and many royal nobles died in the war, but did all of them really die? Wasn't there anyone who survived? As a subject, instead of searching for the royal descendants, you first want to enthrone a new ruler. Your intentions are truly suspicious."

  " Jing Jue and Qin Jia are just jesters, but that's not all." Fan Zeng's gaze swept across, continuing: "Chen Sheng's defeat was inevitable. When Qin destroyed the six states, Chu was the most innocent. Since King Huai of Chu entered Qin without rebelling, the people of Chu have pitied him to this day, so it is said that 'although Chu has only three households, it will surely be the one to destroy Qin'. Now Chen Sheng has taken action, but he did not establish a Chu dynasty and instead established himself, his power will not last long.

  Chen Sheng's failure was inevitable. When Qin destroyed the six states, Chu State was innocent and had no fault. Since King Huai of Chu was deceived into entering the Qin state and never returned, the people of Chu still sympathize with him to this day. Therefore, Lord Nan of Chu said, 'Even if only three households are left in Chu, it will be the people of Chu who will destroy the Qin State.' Now Chen Sheng has risen up in arms first, but he established himself as king without establishing a descendant of the Chu royal family, which is a great rebellion and unrighteous, not gaining the hearts of the people. His fortune will inevitably not last long.

  Fan Zeng's analysis was a bit too harsh, and it would have been better if he hadn't mentioned Jing Ju and Qin Jia. Scolding Liu Bang was also somewhat acceptable, but then he went on to scold Chen Sheng as well. Many of the people present were former subordinates of Chen Sheng, and they became agitated and chaotic at once.

  Someone shouted: "Mr. Fan, you can't go on like this, didn't General Xiang also accept the imperial edict of Emperor Chen and serve as the Senior Pillar of State?"

  Fan Zeng said solemnly, "General Xiang's actions are a temporary measure to resist the Qin. Moreover, General Xiang is worthy of being the Duke of Lu! Many brave warriors and righteous armies have flocked to him because he is a loyal minister of Chu, so we must find the heir of the royal family and restore the great state of Chu."

  Someone asked, "Mr. Fan, you keep saying that you want to restore the royal descendants of Chu State, are there still any descendants of the king and princes in this world? Where should we look for them?"

  Fan Zeng said in a low voice: "There are also royal descendants who have fallen into the folk, how can you know if you don't look for them? In short, as long as the great Chu king's heir is not found, the great Chu cannot be restored!"

  "What... if we can't find it for a long time, or have to wait for a very long time? The Chu State's Righteous Army is like a dragon without a head. If this delay continues, the consequences will be unbearable."

  "Alas, don't be too pessimistic. I once met a former imperial guard in the south. According to him, after Shouchun fell, the crown prince's son was reduced to wandering among the common people and is still alive today, somewhere in Huainan. He shouldn't be hard to find." The speaker was Chen Ping, who had arrived somewhat late and immediately spoke up to help Fan Zeng out of his predicament. As for whether what he said was true or false, it's still unknown at present.

  "Is Lord Chen certain? That's great!" Liu Bang asked hypocritically, already seated back in his original position.

  Of course, the legitimate grandson of King Huai must be alive in this world. Otherwise, how could there be a second King Huai of Chu, King Yi? It's time to take action. Yin Xu stepped forward and said: "I am certain that the descendants of King Huai are still alive and can definitely be found."

  Everyone was amazed, who is this young man?

  Someone soon recognized that this was indeed the young and promising General Yin, who had made great contributions in suppressing the rebellion in Peng City. How could he suddenly speak out like this, with such conviction? Did he know the whereabouts of the descendants of King Hui of Zhou? Or had he already found them?

  Xiang Liang, Fan Zeng and Chen Ping did not expect Yin Xu to speak out, and he seemed so confident. Liu Bang and Zhang Liang exchanged a glance, seeing the concern in each other's eyes, they had seen Yin Xu's expression before. This guy could directly reveal their identities and experiences, perhaps he really knew where the descendants of Prince Hui were.

  "Is General Yin certain?" The words came from Xiang Liang, who was sitting in the main seat. As soon as he spoke, it was equivalent to expressing his unwillingness to take the throne of Chu and his willingness to faithfully support the restoration of the descendants of the bad king.

  Yin Xuzheng nodded heavily and said loudly: "100% certain..."