Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 271 Urgent Imperial Edict

Corruption in military supplies is a parasite on the nation, causing countless soldiers on the border to lack food and clothing and die suddenly in the snow.

At this moment, Li Zhao must be filled with hatred for the officials involved in the case.

“Using the Crown Prince is the best option,” Jinshu said, frowning, then added with some worry, “However, the Crown Prince is stubborn and headstrong. If he finds out that you’ve used him as a tool, he might hold all his old and new grudges against you… He might even tear us apart alive…”

Xue Sui picked up her teacup, the rising steam blurring her overly calm face.

"He won't. Li Zhao is well-versed in court politics and adept at making choices. Besides, he survived the Battle of Chishui Pass by the skin of his teeth, fighting his way back to the capital from a mountain of corpses. He's become even more shrewd and sharper, and he's probably already seen the light... If there's an opportunity to uproot the Duke of Zheng's mansion, he'll definitely seize it and would be happy to see it happen."

A faint, cold smile curved her lips.

"Besides, whatever he needs, I'll give it to him. Even if he's not happy about it, he'll have to accept my kindness..."

Jinshu's throat moved slightly; she felt something was amiss.

"If they understood this plan, they would surely feel utterly heartless. After all, the Crown Prince had once been so infatuated with the girl..."

"That was then. From now on, he will only be ashamed to mention the days when he was controlled by the Gu and manipulated by the Love Silk Gu..."

Jinshu's eyelids twitched, and she couldn't help but shiver. Looking at the hideous old scar on Xue Sui's wrist, she suddenly felt that the chill in the meditation room was even stronger than the north wind outside.

"The air in the mountains is very humid, young lady, you must take good care of yourself."

"It's alright." Xue Sui gently blew away the foam on the surface of the tea, his voice so low it was almost inaudible.

The tea is warm and slightly astringent as it goes down the throat.

She suppressed a familiar itch in her throat.

The illness he suffered in the Ministry of Justice prison had ultimately taken a toll on his health, and the chill in the mountains made it difficult for him to withstand.

"Keep a close eye on Guo Zhaohuai." She pushed the teacup to the center of the table and coughed lightly, suppressing her anger. "Even a cornered beast will fight back. If he finds out, he will definitely do something desperate. We must be careful and not let anything slip by."

"This servant understands."

"There's one more thing..."

"Please give your instructions, young lady," Jinshu asked.

"I want to keep Guo Zhaohuai. I want to handle this myself."

Jinshu responded, then frowned. "Given His Highness the Crown Prince's temperament, he will act swiftly and decisively, eliminating all traces of the threat. Miss... why dirty your hands?"

"For the sake of pleasure." Xue Sui's eyes reflected the flickering candlelight, his calmness bordering on cruelty.

She will personally avenge the blood debts of ten years ago, one by one.

A glint flashed in Jinshu's eyes, her pale yet resolute face.

"I understand. The date will be arranged, and a generous gift will be sent to Young Master Guo. I guarantee that he will think that his luck has turned around and that he will be able to turn his life around from now on."

Guo Zhaoxuan abused his family background and acted arrogantly, but he was also brainless and insignificant compared to Guo Zhaohuai, so he had an awkward position in the Duke of Zheng's mansion.

With just a few simple tricks, this good-for-nothing young master will probably walk right into the trap.

Xue Sui slowly turned his head and looked at the brocade purple kasaya placed on the incense table.

"This title of Miaozhen is both a shackle and a talisman. From now on, when noble ladies from the capital come to worship Buddha, they need not be refused a visit. Especially... those noble ladies who were close to Princess Ping Le in the past."

Jinshu understood immediately, "This servant obeys."

Xue Sui paused, then tapped his fingertips lightly on the table.

The sound of the wooden fish came from the main hall, overlapping with her tapping, creating an exceptionally ethereal effect.

"Old debts and new debts all need to be settled."
-
In June, the land of western Xinjiang was scorched reddish-yellow by the midday sun.

The wind and sand, carrying the scorching heat, swept past the tent curtains, making a corner of the map rustle.

Li Zhao sat on a tiger-skin chair, his black armor still on.

Bloodstains and dust were faintly visible on the shoulder armor. A face honed by months of fierce fighting had become increasingly sharp and defined, the brow bone and jawline appearing as if carved by a knife and axe, the lines becoming ever more rugged.

Compared to his dashing and spirited youth when he rushed from the capital to Chishui Pass, His Highness the Crown Prince now has a deep, cold look in his eyes, and he appears more composed and sharp. Every gesture he makes exudes the aura of someone who has been through many battles.

Laifu brought in a bowl of hot porridge. Looking at his prince's thinner profile, he couldn't help but say, "Your Highness, you haven't had a proper meal for three days. Please eat something first. This old servant has prepared hot water so you can wash up afterward and lie down to relax..."

"With the remnants of the enemy not yet eliminated, how dare I lay down my armor?"

Li Zhao didn't even raise his head. He traced the location of Heifengkou on the map with his fingertips, his gaze deep. Then he looked up and asked Yu Qianshan beside him.

"General Yu, where did Ashina's remaining troops retreat to?"

"Your Highness, our scouts report that Ashina has led his remaining troops westward, along with some defeated soldiers and supplies, and is likely in the Liusha Marsh area. General Lu has already led the vanguard light cavalry to pursue them, and a fierce battle is expected within ten days."

Yu Qianshan clasped his hands in response, and upon noticing the dark circles under Li Zhao's eyes, he couldn't help but add, "Since our army escaped the snow disaster, we have won a series of great victories and our morale is high. We have killed more than 50,000 enemies in a month. The Ashina tribe is doomed, so Your Highness need not worry."

Li Zhao nodded slightly.

"You shall order Lu You'an not to pursue the fleeing enemy too far, and to be wary of enemy traps. He shall immediately gather all his troops, take stock of the losses, and report back to me as soon as possible."

Yu Qianshan clasped his hands in a fist salute, "This humble general obeys the order."

Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from outside the tent, accompanied by the clanging of armor plates. A scout rushed in, lifting the curtain. "Reporting to Your Highness—"

He knelt on one knee, raised both hands above his head, and presented a copper tube sealed with wax.

"The imperial messengers in the capital region are on horseback, delivering urgent messages over 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers), by imperial decree..."

The air inside the tent seemed to freeze instantly.

Li Zhao unfastened the sword from his waist and casually placed it on the table. As he stood up, the black armor made a cold, hard, soft sound.

"Your subject Li Zhao obeys the decree."

He took the copper tube, removed the seal, and unfolded the bright yellow imperial edict.

When his gaze fell on the sentence, "The Crown Prince is the heir apparent of the country, and his health should be of utmost importance," a barely perceptible cold smile appeared on his lips.

"The Crown Prince Zhao is hereby ordered to immediately relinquish military affairs in the Western Frontier, to be jointly managed by General Lu You'an, the General Who Conquers the West, and the Military Governor of Longxi. He shall depart as soon as possible to return to the capital to report on his duties and recuperate from his injuries. This is the imperial decree."

Li Zhao threw the scroll onto the table.

Tiny pieces of sealing wax were scattered around the edges of the map.

No one spoke inside the large tent.

This is already the third imperial decree from the court.

Without exception, it was an imperial edict ordering the Crown Prince to return to the capital.

The war had not yet ended, but the predicament had been resolved and the military power of the Great Liang was at its peak, so they were eager to reclaim military power.

To put it bluntly, isn't this just a case of discarding a useful tool after it has served its purpose?

Lai Fu and Yu Qianshan were both Li Zhao's confidants.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing resentment and worry in each other's eyes.

Li Zhao remained silent.

He walked to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain, and stood there for a long time gazing at the distant Gobi Desert where the smoke of war was gradually fading.

The setting sun cast a long shadow of him, and his black armor gleamed coldly in the afterglow...

"Your Highness, the Emperor has ordered us to return. What do you think we should do?" Yu Qianshan cautiously followed out and asked in a low voice.

The mountain wind whipped up sand and gravel, which lashed against my face.

After a long pause, Li Zhao finally spoke, “Your Majesty is worried that I will become too powerful by amassing an army.”

His tone was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger.

If he were still in the capital, he would probably have already slammed his fist on the table and angrily denounced the emperor and his father for being cold-hearted and ungrateful.

Looking at the icy glint in his eyes, Yu Qianshan felt a mix of emotions: delighted by the prince's growth, yet also saddened by his suffering through the trials of blood and fire, and the need to contend with his own father's suspicions.

"General Lu is upright, loyal, brave, and disciplined in his army; he is reliable. The military governor of Longxi is Xiao Yan, the son of Xiao Song, and a protégé of Guo Pi, the Duke of Zheng—if he gets involved, it will surely cause trouble. Your Highness can easily relinquish this responsibility. However, it is truly unfair and frustrating to let others easily take away the credit that our brothers have fought so hard for."

Before Yu Qianshan finished speaking, Li Zhao had already turned around abruptly.

His eyes stared calmly, yet with a sharpness as intense as a hawk's.

"Issue my orders: Each camp shall rest in place for three days, prepare meals, examine the wounded, and replenish rations as soon as possible. The cavalry shall be divided into three teams and deployed along the West River. Three days later, I shall personally lead the central army to lead the expedition and wipe out the remnants of Ashina's forces within a month, and then return to the capital by imperial decree."

"The last general takes command!"

Yu Qianshan clasped his hands in a gesture of retreat, but then heard Li Zhao say again:
"Wait a minute."

He walked to the weapon rack, took down the black iron spear, and with a flourish, swung it back and flicked it upwards...

The tip of the spear drew a red streak under the scorching sun.

He paused, then his voice suddenly turned stern.

"Furthermore, I hereby order Xiao Yan, the military governor of Longxi, to guard the Xihe ferry crossing at all costs. If he fails to do so, do not blame me for impeaching him before the emperor upon my return to the capital."

Yu Qianshan's spirits lifted: "Your subordinate obeys!"

After saying that, he strode away.

Lai Fu stood behind the tent, watching Li Zhao's tired but upright back, and sighed silently.

He knew that His Highness's return to the capital would likely be fraught with trouble again.

Fighting on the front lines, they don't eat or sleep well, and their bodies suffer from the exhaustion.

But once back in the capital, the mental and physical strain will be immense.

Outside the tent, the wind and sand continued to blow, and a few unknown lone birds swept across the sky.

The bugle calls echoed through the camp, somber and desolate, mingling with the lingering smoke of distant beacon fires, adding to the solemn atmosphere of an impending storm...

　Sisters, get some rest early, after all, the holiday is almost over...

　　(End of this chapter)