Chapter 44: Schemes

Wei Zixing continued, "As for that traitorous deputy general, Chen Ping, dispatch men to arrest him secretly at once."

"As for the Chen family, how dare they conspire with the Prince of Chang, betray their brothers, and climb upward by stepping upon the bones of so many comrades! Since the Prince wishes to secure a marquisate through such unmentionable merits, we shall spare none of them—execute the whole lot!"

"Furthermore, the Liu family of Yecheng belongs to the faction of the Prince of Chang as well; deal with them thoroughly and clean them out completely."

"Now that I have broken free, I shall first sweep away these black sheep. We must not let these pestilent rats escape."

The two sat directly on the ground, plotting their revenge in secret.

A Black Cloud Guard stepped forward to report, "Reporting to Your Highness, Xu Feng and the other three have returned!"

"Let them come over," Huo Yuchen said indifferently.

Four men strode in swiftly, their eyes exceptionally sharp, revealing at a glance that they were no ordinary soldiers.

They knelt down in unison, and several resounding voices rang out, "Your subordinates Xu Feng, Yun Yongfu, Zhu Lianrong, and Feng Chaoxiong pay respects to Your Highness!"

"Rise, all of you! There is no need for such formality among us!"

Looking at them, though they appeared emaciated and still bore untreated external wounds, it was clear they had suffered greatly.

Huo Yuchen said nothing, but he silently logged this debt in his heart, vowing to seek justice for them when the opportunity arose.

"Go fetch a few more sets of Black Cloud Guard attire and have them change into them immediately!"

At this moment, Baili Qingyun also led twenty Black Cloud Guards over.

Upon catching sight of Wei Zixing, he hurriedly knelt down in respectful salute, "General, we have finally found you! Had we not found you, my father and eldest brother would have gone mad. They are still searching for your whereabouts in Yecheng, leaving not a single inch of land unturned."

"Never did I imagine you would be brought here. Now that we know who the chief culprits are, we must deal them a fatal blow. We must not let them off lightly..."

Wei Zixing stepped forward and helped Baili Qingyun to his feet. "You may send a secret message to your father and brother to set their minds at ease! Tell them also to call off the search so as not to waste any more manpower and resources. The counterattack can now begin."

"Those fallen brothers must be properly buried, and their families treated with utmost generosity, lest we chill the hearts of our men."

"Xu Feng reported that several other brothers might still be alive and locked in the Liu family's basement. Have them rescued immediately, lest night brings many dreams and further complications arise."

"Understood, this subordinate obeys! I shall dispatch a letter to my father and brother at once and shall not fail your expectations!"

***

Having settled the arrangements, Baili Qingyun led this squad of Black Cloud Guards to halt at several spots deep within the dense forest, casually foraging for some common medicinal herbs.

A play must be acted out in full to avoid arousing suspicion from various parties.

Having gathered the herbs, he led the men forward at breakneck speed, acting with utmost urgency.

***

Upon hearing the scout's report that Baili Qingyun had led a squad of Black Cloud Guards into the forest, the Prince of Chang hurried to the Prince of Duan's palace, where the two dismissed their attendants.

The Prince of Duan spoke first, "I hear the Crown Prince has fallen unconscious and his health is deteriorating by the day. Normally, the poison he ingested is a chronic one and shouldn't have taken such a severe toll. Could someone else have made a move against him as well?"

"It seems this Crown Prince's seat is truly a difficult one to occupy. Like a fixed target, everyone wants to shoot a few arrows at it. How truly pitiful!"

Neither his tone nor his expression concealed his gloating amusement in the slightest.

The Prince of Chang merely let out a cold snort, his face full of disdain.

"The Crown Prince likely hasn't much longer to live. Under the encirclement of various factions, what use is it even if he has the Black Cloud Guards? Without Wei Zixing, he is nothing more than a tiger with its teeth pulled—can he still thrash about? Let us brothers simply sit back and wait for his downfall!"

"Wei Zixing is no longer a threat, whereas we have brought the Li family over to our side. Although the Li family is not as fiercely courageous in battle or as brilliant in military strategy as the Wei family, they are nevertheless an old general's household with immense prestige in the military, which will surely lend us a great helping hand."

"This time, we shall have Wei Zixing's deputy general, Chen Ping, buy off more men from within the Wei Family Army. Sooner or later, we will find a way to swallow up the Wei Family Army entirely."

"Once we gather more military power, we will no longer need to regard the Crown Prince's faction with any respect. Even if we do not deal Huo Yuchen a fatal blow, he is already finished; the position of Crown Prince will inevitably be handed over to another."

"By then, it shall belong to none other than my brother!"

With that, he made a pretense of cupping his hands in salute to his imperial elder brother as a gesture of congratulation.

The Prince of Duan picked up his teacup, took a light sip, and burst into hearty, unrestrained laughter.

He wore the triumphant look of one who already had supreme power within his grasp.

When his laughter subsided, the Prince of Duan cautioned, "Whatever we brothers do, we must exercise the utmost caution. We must not allow His Majesty to catch us in any wrongdoing, or else when our imperial father turns hostile, he recognizes neither kith nor kin."

"Our greatest advantage right now is the boundless imperial favor we enjoy. Should we displease His Majesty and lose his favor, that is a consequence we could never bear."

The Prince of Chang nodded in complete agreement.

"Rest assured, Imperial Brother! Your brother has always been meticulous in his affairs; no one will ever catch me leaving behind any evidence."

"Even though Imperial Father and the other factions are turning Yecheng upside down searching for Wei Zixing, how could they possibly find him?"

"I fortified that place into an impenetrable iron bucket long ago, which is why I chose to strike at Wei Zixing there. Even if they racked their brains, they would never imagine that I had already transferred the prisoner out."

"What's more, he is kept right under Imperial Father's very nose. No matter how they search, they would never guess that Wei Zixing has long been locked away in the imperial hunting grounds."

With that, he chuckled with smug self-satisfaction.

The Prince of Duan raised his teacup, and the two brothers clinked them together happily.

"This move of yours was truly brilliant."

"It keeps Imperial Father's men tightly occupied in Yecheng, preventing them from easily leaking any useful intelligence or finding anyone."

"At the same time, you transferred Wei Zixing right by your side, keeping him under your nose so you can firmly control him, as well as the direction in which this matter unfolds."

"This has indeed been executed wonderfully, spinning Imperial Father's men around in circles."

"As for the Crown Prince, even if he were to catch wind of the slightest rumor, the reach of his influence is too short. Furthermore, his shattered, failing health deprives him of the energy to manage such affairs."

"Besides, Imperial Father and the other imperial princes are also holding him in check and monitoring his every move, leaving him unable to take a single step."

"At present, the entire situation is developing in our favor. Truly something to celebrate!"

The Prince of Chang glanced at his elder brother and chuckled, "Over the years, I have specialized in military strategy and tactics. Although I have never personally gone to the battlefield to slay enemies, my strategic acumen is certainly no less than Wei Zixing's."

"And as for Bai Wuji, who has recently emerged and made a name for himself throughout the realm, his attainments in military strategy may not necessarily compare to mine!"