Chapter 105: Taking the Place

Weishao Qianyu had figured it out as well. Huangfu Chen could never possibly attack the city. When two armies faced one another, the attacking force needed to be at least three times the size of the defending force to have any chance of victory.

That was assuming the two armies were evenly matched. If there was a vast difference in strength, the attacking side would need five, ten, or even dozens of times as many troops to stand a chance.

By Weishao Qianyu’s reckoning, Feng Jinye’s three thousand elite cavalry were absolutely comparable to the ten thousand soldiers outside Guanlin City.

That was why Huangfu Chen intended to negotiate.

Yet the imperial decree from the young Emperor Yunshuo seemed determined to send the Lu family and the War King to their deaths.

The negotiations were very likely part of Huangfu Chen’s schemes. He might even use her to set a trap.

The more Weishao Qianyu thought about it, the more terrified she became. Feng Jinye did not know that she was among the army outside Guanlin City. He would be caught completely off guard and thrown into chaos.

But he might also suspect that she was an impostor. Even so, he would never risk her life.

Weishao Qianyu thought that if Huangfu Chen truly resorted to some despicable means tomorrow to threaten Feng Jinye, it might be better for Feng Jinye to believe that she was a fake.

She could not help recalling how she had felt on the day of the upheaval in the eastern part of Yuedu City, when she saw Banqiu being held hostage.

Weishao Qianyu had also suspected that it was not the real Banqiu. Yet even with that suspicion, she had been unable to risk Banqiu’s life.

She had never expected Dongnuan to insist that the hostage was an impostor. To this day, Weishao Qianyu still remembered Dongnuan’s words at the time: “Even if Banqiu were to die, she would never let anyone seize her and use her to threaten her mistress.”

That was probably the mission of every hidden guard in the Shadow Guard Tower.

And what about Weishao Qianyu? She had once told Feng Jinye that she would become his hidden guard.

The night grew deeper, and by the end of March, there was already a faint chill in the air.

Weishao Qianyu suddenly remembered the Mid-Autumn Festival in the year Feng Jinye had gone to war in Xiyan. She had thought of sharing the moon with him across a thousand miles, of sharing that very moment with him even at opposite ends of the earth.

But today, she and Feng Jinye were separated by only a single city. Would he be thinking of her as well?

“The night has never seemed so long before.
The bed is desolate, stretching beyond all borders.
Longing wanders endlessly above the pillow,
and dawn will never come.”

A passage from a song suddenly came to Weishao Qianyu’s mind. It suited her mood perfectly. She wished the sky would never brighten, and that Feng Jinye would not risk himself for her.

On that sleepless night, Weishao Qianyu kept scraping her fingernails against the cool mat beside the bed. It was an unconscious little habit of hers.

No matter how long the night, dawn would eventually come.

Huangfu Chen carefully selected three thousand elite soldiers and prepared to set out for Guanlin City.

Weishao Qianyu delayed again and again. She changed into dark-colored men’s clothing, tied her hair into a bun, and even found a pair of scissors to cut herself blunt bangs. She hoped Feng Jinye would decide that she was an impostor.

Though it was partly an act of self-deception, she was deceiving herself all the same.

By the end of March, the sun outside Guanlin City blazed fiercely, and the soldiers were drenched in sweat.

Weishao Qianyu wiped the beads of perspiration from her brow as she was brought to the military drill ground.

Huangfu Chen had already assembled the troops and was ready to depart. It was Weishao Qianyu who had made the three thousand soldiers beneath the scorching sun wait for her for half an hour.

Huangfu Chen, however, was not the least bit impatient. As soon as he saw Weishao Qianyu approaching, he seized her and pulled her onto the horse.

“I didn’t finish speaking with you yesterday.” Huangfu Chen leaned close to her ear, paused, and continued, “I sent a letter to Guanlin City yesterday. The meeting was arranged for the hour of the Dragon.”

“I am three hours late. I should thank you for helping me delay another half hour.”

Weishao Qianyu was sullen and bewildered at the same time. Huangfu Chen was far too childish—he had deliberately arrived late just to make Feng Jinye wait for him.

Then she began to wonder whether Huangfu Chen had told Feng Jinye in his letter that she was there. If so, Feng Jinye had probably been waiting for her atop the city wall long before the appointed hour.

Weishao Qianyu sighed and could not resist asking angrily, “What exactly are you planning to do today?”

Huangfu Chen burst into wild laughter.

“Didn’t you say that you were superficial? I want you to be superficial once more and fall for me.” Huangfu Chen’s voice was calm.

Weishao Qianyu abruptly froze.

At the War King’s residence, she had indeed told Huangfu Chen that she was superficial. She had fallen for Feng Jinye at first sight because he was the War King, the finest man in all of Liyue.

Was Huangfu Chen implying that he truly intended to replace Feng Jinye?

When Weishao Qianyu gave no response, Huangfu Chen continued indifferently, “You are indeed hypocritical and licentious—a thoroughly wicked woman.”

Weishao Qianyu did not want to answer him, but Huangfu Chen had her pinned against the saddle and deliberately kept whispering into her ear. It was impossible to pretend she could not hear him.

“Otherwise, when I embraced you at the General Weishao residence that day, why would you have responded?”

There was a trace of contempt in Huangfu Chen’s voice.

Though Weishao Qianyu was furious, she endured it in silence.

That day, he had plainly dressed himself up as a pitiful, helpless man who had suffered terribly in the Twilight Pavilion. She had responded only out of friendship.

Looking back, Weishao Qianyu blamed herself for being too softhearted and for failing to see the beast beneath Huangfu Chen’s human face.

Seeing how sullen she was, Huangfu Chen chuckled twice more.

“You are not a good person either. Your heart is full of schemes. You deliberately draw people in only to push them away.”

“At the War King’s residence that day, you must have known Feng Jinye was standing outside the moon gate. That was why you spoke to me in such lofty and righteous terms.”

Weishao Qianyu stared at him in astonishment, then nodded. She had to admire the startling leaps of his imagination. How had she never thought of that?

When she nodded, Huangfu Chen naturally assumed she was agreeing with him.

“Do you remember? You also said that I was merely the Marquis of Qinbo’s legitimate son, not even the heir apparent, and that the Marquis of Qinbo’s household could never compare with the War King’s residence. Naturally, you had chosen Feng Jinye, not me.”

Huangfu Chen spoke without the slightest ripple of emotion, as though the matter meant nothing to him. Yet Weishao Qianyu could hear that he had taken those words to heart.

Did he want to become the War King in Feng Jinye’s place? Could he truly make the Marquis of Qinbo’s household surpass the War King’s residence?

Even if Huangfu Chen had a chance of being granted a royal title, it would still be impossible. Take Guanlin City, for example. The Abyss Prince and the imperial family were one family. How could the Emperor grant fiefdoms, armies, and tax revenues to a prince of another surname?

Guanlin City had been the fief of Feng Jinye’s father. The title of Abyss Prince had been personally bestowed upon Feng Jinye’s grandfather by the Emperor. The former Abyss Prince had been the Emperor’s own son, one of only two sons, and therefore a true imperial prince.

Otherwise, how could he have received such treatment?

Huangfu Chen had probably gone mad. If he wanted the Marquis of Qinbo’s household to surpass the War King’s residence, there was only one way—

Weishao Qianyu suddenly trembled.

Unless Huangfu Chen became Emperor himself.

The thought left Weishao Qianyu feeling as though her mind had gone numb. Yet once she considered it, everything seemed to fit.

Huangfu Chen’s approach toward her was very likely because he had identified her as the Heavenly Maiden of Weishao. Did he intend to use the Heavenly Maiden’s prophecy to seize the throne?

“Have you figured it out?”

Weishao Qianyu was still thinking when Huangfu Chen’s words interrupted her train of thought.

“You want Feng Jinye’s title, his fiefdom, his army—everything,” she said.

Huangfu Chen laughed wildly. “You really are quite clever.”

“Do you think everything Feng Jinye has was made possible by you?” Weishao Qianyu asked, pretending to be puzzled.

“Heh.” Huangfu Chen chuckled twice. “Wasn’t everything I did for you?”

Weishao Qianyu would never believe that. It would make sense only if he meant the Heavenly Maiden of Weishao.

There were still many things she did not understand, but they were not questions she could ask Huangfu Chen. She returned instead to the matter at hand.

“What exactly are you planning to do today?”

High above the gates of Guanlin City, Feng Jinye had stood rigidly for half the day without moving.

Dongnuan stood behind him, recalling how Feng Jinye had received Huangfu Chen’s letter the previous night. It contained a single striking sentence:

“Please meet the War King and his consort beneath the walls of Guanlin City.”

Feng Jinye had frowned deeply. Weishao Qianyu had been taken away by Huangfu Chen that day. Would Huangfu Chen bring her with him tomorrow?

Though he had not slept all night, Feng Jinye felt no fatigue. He stared only toward the army outside Guanlin City, afraid that he might miss even the slightest movement.

His thoughts churned endlessly.

Would she come back?

Feng Jinye was not wearing armor today. He was dressed in his usual black martial attire, the cloud patterns outlined in golden thread gleaming brilliantly beneath the blazing sun.

His heart in turmoil, Feng Jinye was wondering whether Weishao Qianyu would hate him when he saw a mass of figures surging in the distance.

Unable to wait any longer, he hurried down from the city tower.

Dongnuan quickly followed.

The letter had said that the War King and his consort were to meet Huangfu Chen. Huangfu Chen knew that Dongnuan was an impostor, so he must have some ulterior motive in demanding that she come along. She could not refuse to go.

As the army slowly approached Guanlin City, Weishao Qianyu grew increasingly uneasy in Huangfu Chen’s arms.

Huangfu Chen continued whispering in her ear.

Again and again, his words made her face turn pale, then flush, then pale once more.

Weishao Qianyu was lost in a daze. When she raised her eyes again, the army had already reached the foot of Guanlin City.

One figure before the other—a perfectly matched pair.

That was the scene that met Weishao Qianyu’s eyes.

Feng Jinye’s gaze fixed upon the petite figure dressed in dark clothing within Huangfu Chen’s arms.

A sudden stab of pain pierced Feng Jinye’s heart.

Weishao Qianyu merely lifted her eyes and met Feng Jinye’s gaze for a single instant before looking away and burying her face against Huangfu Chen’s chest.

The curve of Huangfu Chen’s lips widened. He brushed the loose strands of Weishao Qianyu’s hair behind her ear and said indulgently, “Good girl.”

Feng Jinye’s eyes were bloodshot. Watching the scene before him, he wished he could rush forward and hack off Huangfu Chen’s arm at once.

Dongnuan stared at the spectacle with wide eyes, unable to utter a single word.

Weishao Qianyu wanted to turn back and look at Feng Jinye once more, but she could not. She was afraid that if she did, the tears she had fought so hard to restrain would come pouring out.

Huangfu Chen whispered in her ear again, creating the illusion of intimate murmurs between lovers.

“Are you satisfied with today’s reunion?”

Weishao Qianyu almost lost control and slapped him hard across the face. Instead, she could only clutch Huangfu Chen’s robe tightly and nod blankly.

An indulgent smile remained upon Huangfu Chen’s lips, and even his eyes were filled with tender amusement. He was deeply pleased by Weishao Qianyu’s reaction.