“My injuries are too severe. By the time I return to the Imperial Garden, I’ve already missed the appointed hour. The Yao people have deployed heavy forces to surround the ancestral temple. It’s no longer possible to launch a surprise attack as originally planned.” This time had been extremely dangerous; Mo Tizhun had unexpectedly shown up to join the commotion without making a sound. Fortunately, she came to the rescue, or the outcome would have been difficult to predict. “This series of unexpected events has deviated too far from our original plan. Being able to eliminate the Miao father and son was already no small feat. If we push any further, I fear we won’t meet a good end.”
Yun Ya smiled and said, “One says that man proposes, another says follow heaven’s will—it all depends on what choice you make. I believe that taking a step back opens vast horizons.”
Lu Ming thought for a moment and suddenly understood: “Now that we’ve removed the Yao Kingdom’s backbone, the days until its collapse are likely not far off. Indeed, there’s no need to rush things.”
Through his schemes, Yun Ya killed the Yao King and his son. The only remaining heir of the Miao family was a tottering infant. The great Yao Kingdom had officially entered a period of turbulence—how could it be a match for the Wei Kingdom? Earlier, when Yun Ya had boldly and unexpectedly infiltrated Yinzi City, it was with the entire strategic situation in mind. After all, the Yan Kingdom’s war against Xi showed an overwhelming advantage. If the Wei Kingdom hadn’t taken this risky move, it would have been impossible to capture the Yao Kingdom in a short time and gain the initiative for the next war.
Now that the two leaders of the Yao Kingdom were gone, what was there for the Wei Kingdom to worry about? And why should Yun Ya risk stealing the foundation stone? After all, the Wei army’s chances of taking Yinzi City had already multiplied several times over.
To maintain an unbroken string of victories, one must not only know when to advance but also when to retreat. Unfortunately, most people are controlled by circumstances—they only know how to advance, not retreat, and often end up failing when success is within reach.
Being able to decisively let go—isn’t that wisdom in itself?
Yun Ya asked Lu Ming, “You know what to do now?”
“During your period of rest, I already sent messages to our frontline forces. Our King should receive this good news very soon,” Lu Ming replied. “You need only rest. I will arrange for people to spread the news that both the Yao King and his son are dead, to aid our King.”
“Go, then.” Yun Ya closed his eyes; speaking for so long had left him somewhat depleted. “Shortly, pay close attention to the Yan Kingdom’s movements.”
For the people of Yao, each day felt like a year. Yet time silently passed—three days had gone by.
Feng Miaojun was eating lamb meat soup at the Shundongfeng Restaurant. She had returned to her original appearance and, although seated in a corner by the window on the second floor, still had a stunning effect on the surroundings. Patrons frequently glanced her way with amazement in their eyes. Because her aura was exceptionally powerful and the current situation was unstable, none of the young gentlemen dared to approach her.
The Yao people were searching for Yun Ya, and their suspicions didn’t fall on her.
She picked up a piece of tender lamb with skin using her chopsticks, blanched it in the pot until it turned snow-white and quivering, then rolled it in the small pot of bright red spicy powder before putting it in her mouth. As she chewed, the taste was so satisfying that it made one want to sigh.
The delicious flavor of meat was the pinnacle that no other food could reach.
Feng Miaojun bit on her chopsticks and suddenly remembered the first time she came to Shundongfeng. At that time, Yun Ya had been upstairs enjoying this rare worldly delicacy, while sending her to impersonate the female manager Yao Nianzi to argue and cause trouble with Wei envoy Qiao Tianxing.
These memories were vivid as if they had happened just yesterday. But after that incident, Shundongfeng had closed for renovations for several months before reopening. Even the tables and chairs had been completely replaced. One could hardly speak of things remaining the same while people changed. The only constant was the taste of this lamb soup.
The conversations of surrounding patrons naturally didn’t escape her keen hearing.
These days, the focus of heated discussion among the Yao people was, of course, the palace coup in the Imperial Garden. The deaths of both the Yao King and the Crown Prince were an unprecedented bombshell of news that naturally spread far and wide. Less than five days after the incident, even the vegetable-selling old women at street corners knew about it.
A low pressure hung over Yinzi City. The citizens lived in constant anxiety, and many had begun to flee. After all, the Wei army was only a few hundred li away from Yinzi City. In Feng Miaojun’s view, beyond the inherently explosive nature of the news, there must have been someone deliberately fanning the flames for it to spread so quickly. She knew that Yun Ya had spies planted in the Yao royal court, and these people might be hidden among the officials, stirring up trouble during the capital’s chaos.
Such news couldn’t be concealed, but what the Wei King wanted to see was the Yao people losing confidence, morale plummeting, and falling into disarray, unable to form any meaningful resistance. So she had reason to believe that this terrible news would spread to the four corners in an extremely short time until people in the most remote parts of the Yao Kingdom would know that their world had collapsed.
She raised her wine cup and sipped slowly. The wine tasted somewhat bitter in her mouth.
After eating about half a plate of lamb, someone hurriedly came upstairs and sat across from her.
Feng Miaojun called for the waiter to bring another set of bowls, chopsticks, and a wine cup, but how could this person dare to eat from the same pot as her? He only raised his cup of wine and drained it in one gulp.
This person was, of course, Chen Dachang.
Before the incident at the Imperial Garden, she had sent Chen Dachang to prepare for their withdrawal at any time. However, as the situation remained unclear until the end, she stayed behind, and naturally, Chen Dachang had to accompany her to the end.
With such a beautiful woman constantly wearing a stern expression and a murderous look in her eyes, Chen Dachang felt somewhat uneasy in his heart. After receiving the news that Miao Fengxian had been assassinated, the queen’s beautiful face had turned ashen for quite some time before she finally let out a cold laugh: “No wonder he promised me he would leave the city immediately! So that’s what it was about. He didn’t even need to make a move himself! Good, very good!”
Every word she uttered seemed to have been rolled through the hell of ice, making listeners shiver repeatedly.
Who was “he”? Chen Dachang didn’t dare to ask more, but he felt he knew the answer.
In the days that followed, the queen spoke little and remained melancholy. Fortunately, today there was finally news to distract her attention, though it wasn’t good news.
“Miss,” this was how he addressed Feng Miaojun in public, “we just received news that the Yan army has crossed the Niumu River and is advancing toward the capital of Xi Kingdom.”
Feng Miaojun was indeed moved: “The Yan army defeated the chi dragons in the river?” The most powerful aquatic creatures in the Niumu River were the chi dragon tribe, who stirred up trouble at the command of State Preceptor Yu Haizhen, preventing the Yan army from crossing.
The river was their territory. No matter how sturdy the Yan army’s boats or how powerful the Yan Kingdom’s cultivators were, once in the water, their abilities were greatly diminished, leaving them helpless against these troublesome opponents.
Yet a breakthrough had come so quickly?
“The Lord of Yangshan intervened,” Chen Dachang said in a low voice. “He killed the Dragon King, which reportedly had nearly a thousand years of cultivation. The remaining chi dragons fled in panic, allowing the Yan army to cross the river smoothly.”
The Lord of Yangshan? Wasn’t that the Yan King?
Feng Miaojun was secretly shocked. The so-called “Dragon King” referred to a chi dragon, not a true dragon, but a chi dragon with a thousand years of cultivation was still a powerful regional hegemon, especially when fighting in its territory. Yet the Yan King was still able to kill it—his cultivation level could only be described as unfathomably deep.
Even more terrifying was the news that “the Yan King has joined the military campaign.”