The Crown Prince of Ruhé was a man of fierce and boundless ambition. These past two years, every campaign and conquest had been sparked by him alone. Yet it had to be said that this Crown Prince was genuinely formidable — in only two short years, he had brought enormous quantities of spoils and wealth back to Ruhé.

Because of this, the King of Ruhé now held particular favor for this eldest son, and it appeared there was even talk of establishing him as heir to the throne.

What no one could explain was why the plan to attack Phoenix City had been stalled.

“Could it be that there are those within Ruhé who also oppose going to war?” Jiu’er asked.

“From what I know, the Second Prince of Ruhé is not a man who enjoys warfare. He has always advocated for peace and for developing the people’s livelihoods and agriculture.”

However, Xing Zizhou’s people could not easily uncover intelligence from within the Ruhé imperial family. The Ruhé people had the blood of wolves in them — their imperial family was no different.

The Ruhé people were largely intensely loyal to their royal house. Attempting to sow discord or gather intelligence from within was no simple matter.

His people had already entered Ruhé territory safely, but had not yet managed to turn up anything of use.

That said, some stories about this Second Prince had circulated before.

When the Ruhé tribe had expanded its strength so rapidly, it had naturally drawn considerable attention from many quarters, and Xing Zizhou’s people had taken note as well.

At the time, however, Ruhé had not yet begun encroaching upon Bei Mu. And since Xing Zizhou’s resources were limited, he had not placed a major focus on monitoring them.

“The Second Prince of Ruhé?” A man who valued the people’s livelihoods and refused to pursue warfare — to the common folk, he would at least be a decent man.

If contact could be established with this Second Prince, was there any possibility of extinguishing this current blaze of war?

In a time of upheaval, there is no peace. Whenever war ignites, it is always the countless ordinary people who suffer. No one who truly loves their country wishes to see the flames of war burn. And who would willingly provoke war if it were not absolutely necessary?

The battle they were fighting now was a defensive one. But if the Ruhé people pushed too far, the Ninth Imperial Uncle might well turn this defense into an offense and drive straight to Ruhé’s heartland.

The Ninth Imperial Uncle’s wolf-like ferocity was not the least bit inferior to the Ruhé people’s — in fact, it exceeded theirs. If provoked beyond his limit, he might rouse his army and march south to crush Ruhé entirely. That was entirely not out of the question.

As long as one had heard the name of the Ninth Prince on a battlefield, one would not be unfamiliar with that wolf-like ferocity of his. Surely there were those on the Ruhé side harboring the same apprehension?

“This Second Prince of Ruhé — I have not met him personally. What manner of man he truly is, I cannot say for certain at this time.”

Xing Zizhou thought it over, then added, “However, at the moment, the Crown Prince’s faction is clearly far more powerful than the Second Prince’s. If the Crown Prince is established as heir, then in the future, the entire nation of Ruhé will likely be set upon a path of endless warfare and bloodshed.”

“Since the Crown Prince’s forces so outstrip the Second Prince’s, and the Ruhé King already holds such particular favor for the Crown Prince, why has this campaign shown no movement whatsoever until now?”

Above all, before the Ninth Imperial Uncle had arrived at Phoenix City, he had still been a fugitive sought by the imperial court.

Feng Jiu’er was certain this news had spread rapidly to every neighboring nation. The Ruhé King’s side would absolutely have heard of it.

If the Ruhé King had listened to the Crown Prince, then the time to strike Phoenix City had already been during that earlier window. Why had there been no deployment of troops?

Had something happened within Ruhé?

Jiu’er had personally witnessed Mu Mu meeting with Ruhé individuals before. Who exactly had he been meeting with?

Even Ye Luosha had no knowledge of this matter. Had she known, once she discovered the Ninth Imperial Uncle’s identity, she would certainly have informed him.

Yet Ye Luosha had never said a word — she truly had no knowledge of it.

What had Mu Mu been doing in secret?

“Jiu’er, how about I go to Ruhé myself and take a look?” Xing Zizhou said.

Although they already had people inside Ruhé, gathering intelligence about the Ruhé imperial family was indeed difficult work.

Xing Zizhou had grown somewhat uneasy waiting, and this thought had been circling in his mind even before he came to find Feng Jiu’er. But he had to wait for Jiu’er’s agreement before acting.

They had not yet reached Phoenix City, and the pace of travel was far slower than the Ninth Prince’s side. Jiu’er’s group still had no way of knowing how much else would need to be handled.

If matters on this side were not yet in order, Xing Zizhou would not be free to leave.

Feng Jiu’er knitted her brows in thought. Xing Zizhou did not press her, only waited patiently at her side.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before Jiu’er finally gave a nod. “All right. I’ll give you something to take with you. Go to Ruhé, find a way to make contact with the Second Prince, and get a sense of what kind of man he is.”

“If the Second Prince truly has a genuine desire for peace, then speak with him properly — see how this conflict might be brought under control.”

With great care, Feng Jiu’er took out something she had been carrying close to her person all along, and held it before Xing Zizhou.

“The Ninth Prince’s command token!” Xing Zizhou’s heart lurched, and his legs nearly gave out beneath him.

“Jiu’er, you are entrusting something this important to me? Do you know… do you know that this token can directly command the entire army?”

“Of course I know. Were it not this valuable, how would you have the leverage to negotiate with the Second Prince of Ruhé?”

To see the token was to see the Ninth Imperial Uncle — so it was no surprise that it could command the army. As she recalled, it was because she herself had this item on her that Huo Yan and the others had obeyed her every word without question.

If Xing Zizhou were to go to Ruhé with nothing credible on his person, why would the Second Prince ever believe him?

“But if you give me this token, what if I bear ill intent toward you…”

“Then tell me, Xing Zizhou — do you bear ill intent toward me?” Feng Jiu’er turned the question back on him.

“Of course not! I, Xing Zizhou, swear before heaven — if I ever harbor a treacherous heart against Feng Jiu’er, may I be struck down by the five divine thunders and meet a wretched end!”

This was no casual oath. Jiu’er understood it fully — people of this ancient era placed enormous weight on their sworn words.

The so-called five divine thunders — they believed in it. If a sworn vow were broken, they were certain retribution would fall upon them. And even if, by some chance, retribution did not come, they would live out their days in anxious dread over the terrible oath they had once sworn.

To put it plainly, people of the ancient world were simply more superstitious.

She smiled faintly. “Since that is so, what more is there to say? On the Ruhé side, I am counting on you.”

“If the conflict can be resolved, that is the best outcome of all. And if there is even some possibility of cooperation — all the better.”

Xing Zizhou nodded, and at last accepted the token with both hands, tucking it away with great care.

“In that case, I will depart immediately and make for Ruhé as quickly as possible, to reach the Second Prince.”

For people in their situation right now, time was life — not a single moment could be wasted.

Mu Mu could not go anywhere in his present state, but the others could. Above all, with Xing Zizhou’s connections and resources, reaching Ruhé swiftly was no difficult feat.

Feng Jiu’er gave a nod. Xing Zizhou added, “Once I have any news, I will have it sent back to you promptly through dedicated means.”

“Good.” Jiu’er inclined her head. “Travel safely.”

At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Xiao Yingtao’s face was taut with alarm.

“Jiu’er — something has happened to Mu Mu.”