Fu Lingchuan’s expression was equally grave. The Wei Crown Prince’s defeat had come as swiftly as an avalanche, happening so quickly that he was caught unprepared, wishing he could sprout wings and fly back to New Xia. With the Wei Kingdom successfully quelling the rebellion, the force restraining it had vanished. New Xia, having just established its nation, was still vulnerable—how could it withstand an attack from Wei?
“One man directly changed the outcome of the war,” he said, enunciating each word. “General He Lian Jia suddenly turned coat, killed the Wei Crown Prince, and presented his severed head to the royal court.”
Feng Miaojun was shocked again: “Was He Lian Jia originally on the Crown Prince’s side?”
Fu Lingchuan sighed: “After the Wei court achieved a great victory at Ming Qian Pass, they gradually turned the tide, switching from defense to offense. The Wei Crown Prince could no longer advance like an unstoppable force, and both sides reached a stalemate. From what I know, State Preceptor Miao Fengsian had secret communications with Wei Crown Prince Xiao Jing, promising to help him reclaim the throne. The evidence is that people suddenly invaded northeastern Wei, intercepting over ten thousand Wei soldiers on their way—that troop had received orders to march south to support the Wei court.”
Feng Miaojun blinked: “It sounds like the situation was unfavorable for the Wei court, so how did Xiao Jing end up dead?”
“General He Lian Jia has always been at odds with State Preceptor Yun Ya, frequently denouncing him for misleading the country with sorcerous words. After the Wei court circulated news of the Crown Prince’s patricide, He Lian Jia didn’t believe it and secretly left the Wei capital, raising an army and establishing himself at a location ninety li southwest of Jiyang City. After Xiao Jing suffered several defeats following Ming Qian Pass, he went to recruit He Lian Jia, hoping they could jointly attack the Wei court.”
Feng Miaojun felt a stirring in her heart: “Did they join forces?”
“They did, and consequently won several battles in succession.” Fu Lingchuan took tea from a maidservant to moisten his throat before continuing, “But just as people had begun to advance into Wei territory, he suddenly turned on him, severing Xiao Jing’s head with one axe blow. After the Wei Crown Prince’s death, the rebel army was left without leadership. None of the remaining generals had He Lian Jia’s formidable reputation, so they quickly surrendered. That’s how Wei’s internal rebellion was quelled.” He gave a cold laugh. “It seems He Lian Jia was also Xiao Yan’s man. This fellow kept his true colors well hidden.”
Feng Miaojun had seen He Lian Jia in the Wei army and knew he had indeed been at odds with Yun Ya—one look and you could tell these two men’s fortunes conflicted. After pondering for a moment, she said: “Not necessarily. If He Lian Jia was loyal to the Wei Kingdom rather than to Xiao Jing personally, such an action would be understandable.”
Fu Lingchuan was greatly surprised: “What do you mean?”
“Although his axe blow shocked the world, upon closer examination, it was perfectly timed.” Feng Miaojun rested her chin on her hand. “At that time, Wei was divided, consumed by internal strife, and outsiders were about to interfere. With military assistance, Xiao Jing might have stood as an equal to the Wei court, but to defeat the court and reclaim the capital and throne would likely still have been a long journey. This would have left Wei exhausted, financially drained, and weakened—exactly what the Kingdom hoped to see.”
Warlord separatism and internal division consumed the greatest amount of national power and resources—countless historical precedents had proven this.
“Suppose you and I were He Lian Jia—unable to enter the Wei capital or kill Xiao Yan, yet unwilling to see our beloved homeland shatter into pieces… what would you do?”
Fu Lingchuan was a clever man. Before she finished speaking, his eyes had already lit up. He clapped his hands and said, “Exactly! Why not kill Xiao Jing instead, thus eliminating the endless future calamity before it takes form!”
This way, Wei could quickly reunify, and the Kingdom’s plot would fail. This internal rebellion had lasted less than a year—not enough to seriously wound Wei. After a period of recovery, its national strength could naturally be restored. For the Wei commoners, who sat on the throne mattered little—after all, it would still be someone from the Xiao family.
All they wanted was peace and security.
But such a solution couldn’t be conceived by ordinary people, and would even be emotionally unacceptable. He Lian Jia, who killed Xiao Jing, despite his accumulated military achievements, would inevitably be criticized behind his back for the rest of his life.
If He Lian Jia truly was such a selfless patriot, it would be Wei’s blessing; otherwise…
Fu Lingchuan shook his head: “Wei quelled the rebellion with lightning speed—I suspect the Kingdom wasn’t prepared. With Xiao Jing dead, Xiao Yan should be preparing to purge the Crown Prince’s faction and ascend to the throne.”
Feng Miaojun said regretfully: “Couldn’t Empress Zheng and Xiao Wu buy us more time?”
“We can only hope,” Fu Lingchuan was also dejected. “Empress Zheng is confined to the palace depths, and Xiao Wu hasn’t yet grown his wings—he can only rely on his maternal relatives’ support.”
Feng Miaojun and he exchanged glances, both perceiving each other’s thoughts:
The Crown Prince’s faction had almost zero chance of winning. Earlier, when the Crown Prince’s army attacked the Wei court, their repeated efforts proved insufficient and were suppressed one by one—now there was no need to struggle further.
She couldn’t help wondering how much influence Yun Ya had exerted in this world-shocking coup in Wei.
While she was lost in thought, Fu Lingchuan was gazing at her. The two sat in a small garden with a cool breeze blowing. Behind her bloomed osmanthus flowers, their beauty complementing her fair face—she looked too beautiful to be real. He remembered his cousin’s original appearance; her stunning beauty surpassed even the former Queen of An Xia, yet she was merely sixteen this year.
But such beauty was deceptive, causing people to marvel at her appearance while overlooking the person herself.
While explaining the intelligence, Fu Lingchuan deliberately avoided articulating the relationships between multiple nations. Those complex entanglements of contradictions were so intricate that not just an exiled princess, but even court officials of the Six Kingdoms might not fully comprehend them.
Yet she not only understood but could extrapolate—clearly, she had long been well-versed in world affairs.
This proved that in the past few years, she had certainly not been the leisurely commoner she claimed to be. During their interactions over the past few days, she had deliberately or inadvertently avoided his probing. Besides her current name and identity, Fu Lingchuan still hadn’t uncovered her past.
Where did she come from? Why did she need the Golden Branch Jade Dew? Why would she abandon matters of state to seek the Lord of Yangshan? She kept her lips sealed on all these matters, leaving Fu Lingchuan helpless.
This cousin with an unknown past was certainly no pushover.
With such a monarch, New Xia would likely face many new variables.
Three days passed.
By now, Feng Miaojun had developed some admiration for Fu Lingchuan. Though he worried about New Xia, he disapproved of Feng Miaojun neglecting public duty for private matters, though they spent each day idling in Taiping City while spirit stones continued to flow out to the Crane Spirit…
He never mentioned it, nor showed the slightest dissatisfaction. He remained by her side daily, still making her feel like she was basking in spring sunshine.
This man had a profound temperament and excellent self-restraint—much better than that yin-yang oddity Yun Ya.
On this day, Fu Lingchuan accompanied her on an outing. As they approached the northern part of the city, they heard firecrackers going off continuously for about the time it took to eat a meal. The thick smell of gunpowder could be detected from several streets away.
Feng Miaojun looked in that direction and asked curiously: “Which family is celebrating?”
This was the wealthy district of Taiping City, filled with mansions whose owners were either rich or noble, with the powerful significantly outnumbering the merely wealthy—money alone wasn’t enough to live here.