Word reached the east gate of Feng City that a red firework had been spotted. Prince Anqing’s eyes lit up. He turned to Chi Feng. “They’ve taken her?”
“Just after Your Highness left, it happened,” Chi Feng answered quietly, then couldn’t resist adding, “Qing Ying is furious—terrified my lord will kill him when he returns.”
“Well, can’t blame him—with you as the mole passing information, it’s no wonder the Cyan Group’s defenses were breached.” Prince Anqing suppressed a smile and, as if nothing were amiss, continued issuing orders. “Surround the Grand Commandant’s residence and cut off all communication. I want Queen Wang and everyone in the Eastern Palace turned deaf to the outside world! Anyone who slips through, I’ll hold you responsible!”
“Yes, my lord. Rest assured, the Pigeon Group’s intelligence is reliable. Aside from Grand Commandant Wang, who entered the eastern camp last night, everyone at the Grand Commandant’s residence and the Eastern Palace has already been placed under house arrest,” Chi Feng replied, then hesitated. “This subordinate doesn’t quite understand, though—why insist on letting the Crown Princess’s people abduct the young lady?”
“Because last night the palace suddenly gained five thousand of the Crown Princess’s own troops, and all three gates were sealed. Where did these men fall from the sky? My palace has stood for over three hundred years—the tombs of Ning Guo’s royal ancestors lie on that mountain. How could I let the Wang family, cornered like desperate dogs, destroy our ancestral shrine?”
Chi Feng still looked puzzled but pressed on. “But won’t the young lady’s fate be uncertain now, going in like this?”
Danger, certainly—but it would let Wang Yanhui believe A’Luo was the true trump card, and thus grow careless about everything else. The whole point of letting his son and the Fourth Prince appear to fall out over her had been precisely to demonstrate A’Luo’s importance to them both. Complicated emotion showed in Prince Anqing’s eyes. “I need the palace to remain completely unharmed. Go. Follow the plan.”
“Yes!”
Prince Anqing gazed far off toward the west, uncertain how the battle was unfolding. The sun had already climbed to its zenith—midday.
At the eastern camp, Grand Commandant Wang waited anxiously for word from the west. Once the Crown Prince achieved victory at Yellow Water Gorge and sent the signal, he would lead his troops to storm the east gate. With the Southern Army leaderless, Prince Anqing alone would have no choice but to surrender—and besides, whether Prince Anqing truly stood with them remained uncertain even now. A messenger rushed into camp with an urgent report. “My lord! The signal has been spotted from the palace!”
Delight flashed across Grand Commandant Wang’s eyes. He strode out and looked north—a wisp of green smoke drifted in the sky above the palace. He exhaled in relief. His daughter had succeeded in bringing the Right Chancellor’s third daughter into the palace.
At the hour of Weishi, six ke past, a trail of green smoke finally rose in the western sky and lingered there.
Overjoyed, Grand Commandant Wang gave the order at once. “The Crown Prince has won a great victory at Yellow Water Gorge! Eastern Army, follow me—we storm the east gate!”
At the command, the Eastern Army’s one hundred and fifty thousand troops formed ranks and marched toward the east gate.
By now, the Southern Army had massed heavily at the east gate. Prince Anqing had also spotted the wisp of green smoke, and a weight lifted from his heart. He commanded gravely, “Bring the Wang clan and the families of the Eastern Army’s officers up onto the city wall! Southern Army, stand ready!”
Grand Commandant Wang sat calmly on his horse, watching the east gate remain firmly shut, when he noticed bursts of weeping drifting down from atop the wall. Looking closer, his eyes nearly split with rage. “That old bastard! How utterly ruthless!”
Bound atop the city wall were over a thousand hostages. Prince Anqing called out amiably from a distance, beaming. “Grand Commandant! I feared your camp might be dull, so I’ve gathered your entire Wang clan here for a little reunion!”
“Old prince, why go to such lengths? Using the women and children of my clan as leverage—is this the conduct of a real man?!” Grand Commandant Wang spat out each word with venom.
“Would the Grand Commandant rather our soldiers of Ning Guo slaughter one another? To preserve our nation’s strength, I find this the simplest solution!” Prince Anqing answered coldly.
“Don’t forget—the Crown Prince is also your own nephew! He is the rightful, legitimate heir to the throne! You and the Fourth Prince conspiring together is treason!”
“By the late King’s final decree, the Fourth Prince now ascends the throne. Anyone who resists shall be treated as a traitor! Would you like to see the edict?” Prince Anqing replied unhurriedly, his weathered face suddenly breaking into a wide grin. “By the way, let me tell you—the Crown Prince has already surrendered!”
Grand Commandant Wang exploded with rage. “Impossible! The Crown Prince also sent up a victory signal!”
“Oh, then let’s just wait here a while longer. Give it another shichen, and I’ll have the Crown Prince himself come to the east gate to meet you!” Without waiting for a reply, Prince Anqing bellowed, “Soldiers of the Eastern Army, listen well! By the King’s final decree, the Fourth Prince ascends the throne. Since you have all been kept in the dark, any who lay down their arms and surrender will be forgiven entirely! Otherwise, your entire clans to the ninth degree shall be executed!”
Thin, broken sobs drifted down from the wall, the bound family members too frightened to cry out loud. One Eastern Army officer roared furiously, “Using our own families as hostages—Prince Anqing, this is beneath contempt!”
Prince Anqing said, “If a soldier dies on the battlefield for his country, for his sovereign, for his people—that is a hero’s death, and what is there to fear in dying? Our Ning Guo has enjoyed centuries of prosperity and peace, while the other four kingdoms watch us with hungry eyes. Would you truly bring internal strife upon us in such troubled times? Turn on your own countrymen and hand our enemies the perfect opportunity?” Then he added, “I’ll release them now. Think it over carefully—the King’s final wish names the Fourth Prince as heir to the throne!”
With that, the bound family members were untied and lowered from the wall. The east gate swung wide open, and the freed captives, having brushed so close to death, wept openly as they ran to embrace their soldier relatives. In an instant, all sense of battle outside the east gate dissolved into chaos.
Grand Commandant Wang, seething, raised his sword as if to strike down a soldier embracing his elderly mother, then thought better of it and lowered his blade with bitter resentment. He looked up and cursed. “The old prince truly has a gift! One capture, one release, and just like that, he’s drained our Eastern Army’s morale!”
“Grand Commandant, no need to fret. We’re all soldiers of Ning Guo—why turn on each other?” Prince Anqing said lightly.
“You—! Pass the order! Prepare to storm the city!” Grand Commandant Wang bellowed. With military orders absolute, the families were settled in the rear camp while the Eastern Army swiftly reformed ranks, preparing to attack.
“Doesn’t the Grand Commandant care for the lives of the Wang clan?”
Grand Commandant Wang declared solemnly, “We remain loyal to the Crown Prince. Anyone who dares support this usurpation shall have their heads taken to honor the Wang name!”
Just then Liu Jue arrived and rushed up onto the gate tower. “Soldiers of the Eastern Army! The Crown Prince has already surrendered! The Fourth Prince will ascend the throne in three days!” The Eastern Army erupted in confusion, their newly rallied morale shattering once more.
Seeing Liu Jue, Grand Commandant Wang’s heart lurched; hearing his words, he nearly toppled from his horse, tears streaming down his weathered face. “Prince Anqing, how ruthless you are! You put on a show of supporting the Eastern Palace while secretly conspiring with the Fourth Prince all along!” Then he laughed bitterly. “Yanhui always said—if the Crown Prince should fail, our Wang family’s generations of hard-won standing would not be so easily destroyed. Even if we must fight to the very last man, the Wang family will never surrender!” With that, ignoring the Wang clan still bound atop the wall, he gathered his personal guard and rode east.
Alarmed, Liu Jue moved to give chase, but Prince Anqing stopped him. “Settle the Eastern Army first. The Grand Commandant will surely head straight for the palace.”
“Does the palace have a secret passage?” Liu Jue asked, startled.
“Over three hundred years old—there are always secrets no one else knows.” Prince Anqing sighed.
At the hour of You, Zili led five thousand of the Right Flank Army into the city, bringing the captured Crown Prince with him. Twenty thousand troops remained stationed outside the west gate; the rest returned to garrison the border city. Feng City settled into calm, as if no conflict had ever taken place. The Southern Army still held position outside the south gate, while the Eastern Army had been pacified and returned to the eastern camp. Only the palace gates remained firmly shut. In the dusk, it crouched like a trapped beast at the foot of Yuxiang Mountain.
With everything settled, Zili went to confer with Chancellor Gu, Chancellor Li, and a group of ministers.
Liu Jue helped Prince Anqing back to their residence. Prince Anqing sighed. “I really am getting old—can’t keep up anymore. A full day of activity, and I hadn’t even gotten to fight yet before I ran out of steam.” As he spoke, his full weight settled onto his son’s shoulder.
Liu Jue carefully supported him, and the moment they entered, called for attendants to help Prince Anqing to his chambers to rest. He himself rushed straight to Songfeng Hall without pause. Just as he reached the front of the residence, he found Qing Ying and a group of Cyan Group death-warriors kneeling in a row. His heart sank, an ominous feeling rising within him. He forced a teasing tone. “I know your master won, but no need for all this ceremony, is there?”
Qing Ying answered proudly, “There was never any chance our lord would lose!”
Liu Jue kicked lightly at him. “Then why are you all still kneeling here? This lord is exhausted today—someone get me some attention!” With that, he began removing his armor as he walked inside. After a few steps, sensing no movement behind him, he turned back. “Speak! What exactly happened! Where is she?”
“Si—Sihua is injured! And, and…” Qing Ying pressed his forehead to the ground, choking out the words. “This subordinate failed to protect her adequately. The attackers were not only highly skilled, but also managed to breach the Cyan Group’s defenses.”
“What happened to the young lady? Stop stammering!” Liu Jue felt as though he’d plunged into an ice cellar, cold spreading from head to toe.
Qing Ying’s forehead was already bleeding from striking the ground. He answered quickly. “The young lady was taken into the palace. This subordinate deserves death for this failure!”
Liu Jue laughed bitterly with fury. “Wonderful. One hundred and seventy-three members of the Cyan Group, and you couldn’t even protect one person? How many did they send—a thousand?”
“Sixty or seventy!” Qing Ying admitted, mortified beyond words.
Liu Jue drew his sword with a sharp ring. “You’ve disgraced my entire household! Sixty or seventy men—ha, the enemy sent only sixty-seven!”
“And moreover, all of the Cyan Group’s defenses remained completely intact—they only discovered the intrusion once it reached the inner hall!” Qing Ying, apparently not knowing when to stop, added yet another point against himself.
Liu Jue’s brow furrowed. “Bring Xuanyi here. Everyone else, back to your posts!”
“Yes!”
Xuanyi knelt before Liu Jue. “My lord, when the Eastern Palace learned we had found the third young lady, this subordinate suspects Chi Feng was responsible.”
“Oh?”
“At the time, when they entered Suxin Study, he was the only one who didn’t follow inside. It was only when my lord mentioned it just now that this subordinate thought to pay attention.”
“Then why report this only now?” Liu Jue slammed his fist onto the table.
“I told him not to report it.” Prince Anqing could no longer keep up the pretense, deciding it was better to explain things properly to his son rather than let him take his anger out on the black cavalry. “Chi Feng was deliberately planted by me to defect to Queen Wang and leak information—including, ahem, this breach of the Cyan Group and the exposure of Songfeng Hall’s defenses. That, too, was by my design.” With that, he turned his head away, not daring to look at his son.
“Why, Father? Why send A’Luo into the palace? How could you think Wang Yanhui would ever let her go?” Liu Jue looked at his father, anguished.
Prince Anqing waved Qing Ying and Xuanyi away. “I’ll speak plainly. My original goal in letting the Eastern Palace believe you and the Fourth Prince had fallen out over A’Luo was only to sow half-belief, half-doubt. The real purpose was to make them understand just how important A’Luo was to the two of you. Only then would Wang Yanhui take her seriously—see her as a card that could threaten you both. As long as A’Luo remains in her hands, she won’t go looking for another trump card. Understand—if she’d destroyed our Liu ancestral tombs, destroyed the palace itself, then even had we captured it, we would have had no face left to meet our ancestors in the afterlife!” Prince Anqing continued, “There was another purpose in sending A’Luo into the palace. I needed the two of you distracted by her so my hidden forces could seize the royal city with minimal casualties. The Pigeon Group reported last night that the palace had gained five thousand additional troops—do you understand what that means?”
Liu Jue blurted out, “She means to defend the royal city to the death!”
“And don’t forget—most of the city’s water supply comes from the Suiyu Spring. If Feng City’s hundreds of thousands of people had to fetch water from the Duning River instead, the city would fall into chaos!”
“But A’Luo…”
“Rest assured, she won’t die!” Prince Anqing tried to reassure his son.
“What kind of talk is that? ‘Won’t die’? Does that mean she’ll be hurt? Hm?” Liu Jue immediately caught the implication.
“Ah… well, that’s just how it is. What good does getting worked up do? Would you actually raise a hand against your own father?!” Prince Anqing, flustered and embarrassed, flung his sleeve and hurried off.
Liu Jue glared after him, utterly at a loss. After a moment’s thought, he rushed straight to Prince Li’s residence.
Zili had changed into a light robe. Seeing Liu Jue still in his bloodstained battle armor, he frowned. “What’s so urgent?”
“A’Luo is in Wang Yanhui’s hands!” Liu Jue answered irritably, eyes fixed on him.
Zili’s hand trembled slightly. “I know. My uncle already sent word. Tomorrow you’re to launch a full assault on the palace gates, while others infiltrate through the secret passage.”
Liu Jue dropped into a seat. “You’re calmer than I am!”
Zili gave him an inscrutable look, thinking privately, I’m only pretending to be calmer than you—when I first heard the news, I wanted to kill your father myself, the crafty old fox!
Outside, the faint sound of a zither drifted in, clear and graceful, carrying a note of congratulation. Liu Jue couldn’t help but smile. “Your consort is already waiting to toast your victory. This lord won’t intrude any longer. Your Highness had better explain things properly to your consort, or by tomorrow the whole city will know—and then there’ll be jealousy to deal with…” He left, chuckling to himself.
Zili was left speechless, choking on the remark. This Liu Jue—did he have to keep reminding him he’d married Tianlin? He gave a low huff, though a smile crept back onto his face regardless.