“The Southern Holy Sea?”
Nie Chouwen’s deed of persuading Duan Kingdom to withdraw its troops through his own strength alone quickly spread throughout Lu Kingdom. In every street and lane, people clapped their hands in praise and sang his praises aloud.
Because of him, Cangyun Academy was nearly trampled flat by scholars and students alike.
Yet after only a few days, another version of events began circulating in the marketplaces.
No one knew who first spread it, but people began saying that the Nie family had long since colluded with Prince Li. Not only that, Prince Li had also worked together with Duan Kingdom from within and without, promising benefits to Duan Kingdom. For that reason, Duan Kingdom had specially staged a performance for everyone to see, so that the Nie family could gain a good name and Prince Li could build momentum for himself.
The moment these words came out, they stirred an uproar.
Many people chose to believe Nie Chouwen, yet there were also some whose hearts began to waver.
While everyone was still in heated discussion, news came from the south that Duan Kingdom had presented Prince Li with a letter seeking peace.
The entire court was shaken.
When one kingdom bowed its head and submitted, yet did not present its letter of peace to their Emperor but instead to a prince, it was without question a fierce slap across the Emperor’s face.
It also completely confirmed the rumors that Prince Li and Duan Kingdom had been colluding in secret.
This move stirred public fury. Quite a number of people rushed angrily to the palace gates to submit a petition, demanding that the imperial house immediately strip Prince Li of his princely title, reduce him to a commoner, and exile him to the northern frontier.
The tide of public opinion was vast and forceful. Yet there was still a small portion of people who chose to believe Prince Li and the Nie family, believing they would never commit such utterly conscienceless acts. Their strength, however, was too weak, and the voices of their doubts were drowned out by the crowd.
In the seventh month, Bai Qingyu took Kang Kingdom. By the time the army stormed into the imperial palace, the ruler of Kang Kingdom had long since fled far away.
They stationed troops in the capital for three days. After all the necessary matters had been arranged, the army returned along the original road to rejoin Prince Li.
When Bai Qingyu saw Lu Ronghuai on the fifth day, he took the initiative to ask forgiveness, only to have Lu Ronghuai seize his arm and pull him upright.
Lu Ronghuai asked him, “You used fifteen days to take Kang Kingdom. This is a great merit. Why are you asking forgiveness?”
Bai Qingyu did not claim the merit for himself. With guilt in his expression, he said, “I did not capture the ruler of Kang Kingdom. He escaped.”
Lu Ronghuai raised his dark brows and snapped his fingers. Very quickly, a person was brought in, bound fast.
“The ruler of Kang Kingdom?” After seeing the man clearly, Bai Qingyu’s expression shifted in surprise.
Lu Ronghuai explained, “After he fled the capital, he hid within Liu Kingdom’s military camp. Two days ago, a general of Liu Kingdom was captured by This Prince. To preserve his own life, he took the initiative to betray him.”
As he spoke, he bent down and smiled as he looked at the ruler of Kang Kingdom. “This ‘unbreakable’ alliance between the Six Kingdoms truly moves This Prince deeply.”
The Kang ruler knew his cause was lost. Now that he had fallen into Prince Li’s hands, there was even more certainly no path to life.
His expression turned vicious. “Lu Ronghuai, do not be so pleased with yourself. A living Yama like you, cold-blooded and without feeling, who has done every evil deed, will sooner or later descend into hell as well.”
Lu Ronghuai let out a light laugh. Straightening up, he carelessly ordered his subordinates, “Drag this dog, barking madly, away, lest...”
“You just wait. The ruler of Chu Kingdom will not spare any of you, and especially not the Prince Consort. He will surely make him die without a good end, ugh...”
Before he could finish, Prince Li’s expression suddenly changed. In an instant, he struck out, his five fingers clamping hard around the man’s throat, his gaze ferocious.
“This Prince originally intended to leave you one dog’s life,” Lu Ronghuai said. The strength in his hand kept increasing. His eyes were cold and sharp, and his tone a glacial calm. “Yet you do not know what is fitting and come here spouting nonsense. This Prince thinks you are weary of living. Better for you to die. Dead men are quieter.”
How could the ruler of Kang Kingdom be a match for him? It was as if an iron clamp had locked around his throat. He struggled desperately, his face flushed red and the whites of his eyes rolling upward.
“You... you...”
In the end, he failed to speak even one complete sentence. His body went limp like rotten mud and collapsed to the floor.
“Drag him out.” Lu Ronghuai threw him aside without expression.
From his sleeve, he took out a plain handkerchief carrying a faint fragrance and wiped his hand with loathing several times over. Only then did he carefully tuck the handkerchief back into his breast.
After dinner, the whole group came to the study to discuss the next course of action.
“Qingyu, how many men do you have left on your side?”
Bai Qingyu replied, “This time, we lost nearly forty thousand men. Twenty-six ten-thousands remain.”
Nie Siran said, “That is somewhat better than our situation here. In the last two days, Liu Kingdom’s great army seemed as though it had been seized by madness, attacking the city in a frenzy. Of the hundred thousand men we kept behind, only fifty thousand remain.”
Zhao Lu’s right arm was injured, and his arm hung in a sling as he said, “One hundred thousand against two hundred thousand. The other side lost even more heavily than we did. This wave was not a loss.”
Su Ruhe held paper and brush in his hand. After recording the total number of troops, he lifted his head and asked Lu Ronghuai, “Your Highness, where do you plan to strike next?”
Lu Ronghuai tapped the tabletop. “How much grain remains?”
Su Ruhe glanced at the account book. “At most, it will hold out another half year.”
“More than enough.” Lu Ronghuai gave a low laugh, a smile full of certainty appearing on his face. “Rest and regroup for two days. After that, we advance on Liu Kingdom.”
Hearing this, all the generals’ blood ran hot, each one rubbing his fists and palms.
For this past half month, in order to hold back Liu Kingdom’s forces, they had not even been able to properly fight a battle, circling the other side day after day. Their bellies were already full of fire. They had long wanted to fight one grand, satisfying battle.
Nie Siran closed his folding fan and asked in a lowered voice, “Liu Kingdom borders Chu Kingdom. After we take Liu Kingdom, will Your Highness strike Chu Kingdom directly, or first make a detour and overturn Duan Kingdom?”
“Then we must destroy Duan Kingdom first. Those bastards actually dared to lay a trap for us, changing methods to scheme against His Highness. We absolutely cannot let them off.” Zhao Lu shouted loudly.
Nie Xuxing also echoed him. “If we make a detour to Duan Kingdom, that side lies close to the south. We could also make contact with Father.”
At the mention of Nie Chouwen, Lu Ronghuai took out a piece of intelligence and handed it to Nie Xuxing.
“This was sent back by Xian Yue. They have already found Grandfather. With them there, Father and Ah-Die may set their minds at ease.”
Quite a few people in the room shifted with a faint, involuntary awkwardness and busied themselves affecting composure as they listened to Lu Ronghuai and Nie Xuxing speak.
Many among them had followed Lu Ronghuai for years. They knew their prince’s temperament deeply well. In the past, even in private, when speaking of Emperor Hongjia, he directly called him that old thing and had never once taken ritual propriety seriously. Yet now, hearing him call them Father and Ah-Die so naturally and warmly, it was enough to leave one speechless.
If this were placed in earlier days, it would have been absolutely astonishing.
The Prince Consort truly was formidable, to have managed him until he was so thoroughly obedient.
After coaxing the little one to sleep, Jiang Ni and Chu Yuan also came to the study.
When they reached the doorway, they happened to hear everyone discussing the plan to make a detour and first attack Duan Kingdom. The two exchanged a glance, then pushed the door open.
Lu Ronghuai lifted his eyes. When he saw it was Chu Yuan, he immediately rose to greet him and caught hold of Chu Yuan’s hand. “Has the child gone to sleep?”
“Mm. Xian Yu and Xian Shuang are watching over the little one. Ah-Die and I came to have a look.”
Chu Yuan raised his eyes and smiled in greeting to everyone. In a light, gentle tone, he asked, “Just now I heard you saying that you wanted to make a detour and first strike Duan Kingdom?”
Before Chu Yuan, Lu Ronghuai had never concealed or deceived anything. He answered truthfully, “Mm, I did have that thought. After taking Liu Kingdom, we would pass through Chu Kingdom’s southwestern border. If things go smoothly, we could reach Duan Kingdom’s capital in one month.”
“Yet I have heard that the southwest of Chu Kingdom has many mountains and much water. Passing through will likely not be easy.”
Chu Yuan nodded. In the past, when he had still been Crown Prince, he had dealt often enough with the Six Kingdoms, and he was very familiar with the terrain of each kingdom. Among them all, however, the one he knew best was still Chu Kingdom.
“In truth, there is no need to take such a troublesome roundabout path.” His clear, warm voice sounded out, neither hurried nor slow, carrying a calm steadiness that soothed the heart.
Everyone’s eyes lit up at once.
The Prince Consort clearly had another method.
Lu Ronghuai laughed. “What good idea does Ah-Yuan have?”
Chu Yuan exchanged a glance with Jiang Ni, and both of them smiled.
“Liu Kingdom, Duan Kingdom, and Chu Kingdom all border the sea. Rather than leading everyone over mountains and ridges in a detour, Your Highness may as well set out from the sea. The capitals of Duan Kingdom and Chu Kingdom both lie very near the coast. If we go by sea, they will absolutely be caught unprepared.”
Lu Ronghuai was the quickest to react. “Ah-Yuan means that after taking Liu Kingdom, we set out directly from Liu Kingdom’s coastline and take ships around to the side of Duan and Chu?”
Chu Yuan nodded.
Someone raised an objection. “Prince Consort, we have three hundred thousand great troops. We do not have that many ships.”
“Quite so. Moreover, the waves upon the sea are great. If one is not careful, the course may veer astray. Let alone attacking across it, we might not even make it back alive.”
Their concerns were not without reason.
Chu Yuan explained patiently, “At present the weather is hot, and the southern winds are strong. Going by sea would save both time and effort and shorten the journey by nearly half. If several people familiar with the sea go along to keep the direction, then there is no need for everyone to worry about the ships either. There will absolutely be enough.”
Seeing how certain he looked, Lu Ronghuai too could not help but grow curious. “Where did Ah-Yuan find so many ships?”
Chu Yuan only smiled and said nothing.
Jiang Ni could not help but remind him, “Your Highness, have you forgotten what the great sea in the south is called?”
Lu Ronghuai paused for an instant, then suddenly recalled it. “The Southern Holy Sea?”
“Exactly.” Jiang Ni did not circle around the matter and spoke plainly. “My people and Ah-Yuan’s all live upon the sea. They often go ashore to purchase supplies, and they have built many ships, strong and durable. We have also already made contact with our clansmen. They are willing to help everyone cross the sea.”
A burst of cheers rose at once from everyone.
For a moment, Lu Ronghuai did not even know what to say. Looking at Chu Yuan’s gentle, shallow smile, he paid no mind at all to the others still present and directly reached out to draw him tightly into his arms.
“Ah-Yuan, thank you.”
He understood deeply how difficult this matter must have been. Chu Yuan’s clansmen had lived in seclusion upon the sea for generations and bore an extremely strong vigilance toward people from the shore. To persuade them to step forward and help, Chu Yuan and Jiang Ni must certainly have spent no small amount of effort.
Meanwhile, he himself had been busy these days dealing with Liu Kingdom’s army and had not known a single thing about it.
Thinking on it, he knew as well that Chu Yuan had not wanted him distracted, and so had worked privately, spending his own heart and strength to settle the matter properly.
He could not describe what feeling rose in his heart. It was only as though a sun had moved inside it, warming him until his heart was on the verge of melting away.
By the time everyone in the study tactfully withdrew, the two of them were still holding one another.
Chu Yuan curved his lips and said softly by his ear, “Your Highness, in truth, I also have selfish motives.”
“I hope my clansmen can live normal lives. No more wandering from place to place, always hiding, always running.”
Lu Ronghuai promised, “Set your mind at ease on that point. With me here, I absolutely will not let anyone bully them again.”
Chu Yuan was naturally at ease. Otherwise, he would not have taken the initiative to contact his clansmen and ask them for help.
“There is one other thing...”
Lu Ronghuai: “What is it?”
Chu Yuan lowered his eyes, his lips drawing straight. “Mother Empress’s death anniversary is near. This time, we will use his blood to offer sacrifice to Mother Empress.”
“Good. I will accompany you.”
✧ A Word from the Author ✧
This year has truly been too busy, and the updates have been unstable. Thank you all for your support all this time.
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