Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 496: Both soft and hard tactics
"What?" Ang was so excited he almost jumped up, his face full of anger.

"They even dare to touch my great-aunt? This is outrageous!"

The wolf guard continued, "The royal court has already spread rumors that the princess colluded with a foreign power, trespassed into the forbidden area of ​​the sacred mountain, and attempted to steal the wolf god's token to overthrow the royal court. They also... intend to use this as a pretext to send someone to Daliang to coerce the Daliang emperor into ceding three border cities as an apology, or else they will... kill the princess and go to war with Daliang."

Xue Sui sneered.

Turgutai was trying to use the lives of her mother and Ruyi Jinshu to blackmail her, thereby forcing Li Zhao to submit.

He had calculated that Li Zhao cared about her, and that the Great Liang had just experienced war and was exhausted, so it would not start another war.

But one thing was miscalculated—

Xue Sui was never one to sit idly by and wait for death, nor to be manipulated by others.

"You'll pay the price for messing with the wrong person."

Xue Sui clenched his fists, but his face remained eerily calm.

She turned to Angge and asked softly, "Young Master, now that things have come to this, are you still willing to believe your aunt?"

Ang frowned slightly. "Auntie, please speak your mind. I'm listening."

Xue Sui's eyes slowly turned cold.

"Today, knowing that we were traveling together to the Holy Mountain, they didn't stop us beforehand, but instead secretly followed us... What they wanted to seize wasn't just my weakness, but also yours, young master—"

She paused, then said, "If I told you that Turgutai fears your father and has long harbored the intention to eliminate him, but simply lacks the opportunity, would you believe me?"

Ang gripped his scimitar tightly, his eyes flashing fiercely.

“Aunt, I believe you. The King has long wanted to weaken my father’s military power, but the High Priest refused to budge, so he didn’t dare to act rashly. This time, he deliberately sent my father to the north and then targeted you, Aunt. He is clearly afraid that my father will befriend you and gain the support of the Great Liang…”

This kid sees things so clearly.

That's incredible!

Xue Sui asked, "Do you have absolutely trustworthy and readily available personnel in Chishui City?"

Ang nodded, "Yes! My father is away most of the year, leaving several loyal old generals for me, who are stationed on the grasslands outside the city. I can send someone to request reinforcements and then try to notify my father to return to the royal court as soon as possible..."

"Okay." Xue Sui leaned close to Angge's ear and whispered a few words of advice.

As Ang listened, his eyes grew brighter and brighter, and he nodded vigorously.

"Auntie, you can leave it to me. I know what I'm doing."

"Be very careful." Xue Sui patted his shoulder forcefully.

Ang immediately perked up and led a group of wolf guards, escorting Balu away in a howling motion.

The sound of horses' hooves faded into the night...

Xue Sui composed himself and turned to look at Yao Guang, Yu Heng, and the others.

"Senior brothers and sisters, I entrust the care of our eldest brother and fellow disciples to you. Although the villa is secluded, we cannot let our guard down. Turgutai's people may come looking for us."

Yao Guang hurriedly asked, "Where are you going?"

Xue Sui said, "My mother is in Turgutai's hands, and I must return to Chishui City immediately."

"Thirteen, have you gone mad!" Yao Guang exclaimed urgently, "Since Turgutai has captured people, he must have already set up an ambush. Going back now is just walking into a trap..."

“Forcing our way in won’t work. Don’t worry, I have a plan.” Xue Sui’s gaze was calm as he unhurriedly instructed, “Remember, if anything happens in the city, immediately take our eldest brother and leave Xiz, returning to Daliang…”

Yao Guang was taken aback.

He exchanged a glance with Yuheng.

Yuheng turned his face away and said stiffly, "The traitor of the Old Mausoleum Swamp, even if we want to clean house, it's not up to these barbarians to do it... If she dies at the hands of outsiders, I will be the first to object."

Yao Guang looked at her and sighed helplessly.

Then he took out a specially made whistling arrow from his pocket and handed it to Xue Sui.

"The Old Mausoleum Swamp gathers intelligence from all over the world, with spies everywhere. We also have many people in Chishui City. Be careful in everything you do. If you need anything, just fire a signal arrow, and we will come to your aid."

Xue Sui's eyes welled up with tears. He took the signal arrow, glanced at the unconscious Tian Shu, and solemnly handed the black iron token to Yao Guang.

"Senior brothers and sisters, the future of the Old Mausoleum is in your hands. From now on, lead everyone away from this place of trouble, and don't get involved in court disputes anymore. Just live well."

Yao Guang accepted the token with a complicated expression.

Yuheng snorted and pouted in dissatisfaction, "Senior Brother is too biased, he actually gave the Xuanzhao Token to her..."

She wanted to say something more, but Yaoguang stopped her with a look.

Thirteen, take good care of yourself.

Xue Sui nodded, said no more, and led two elite wolf guards, taking advantage of the night, bypassing the main road, and quietly sneaking back to Chishui City.

The atmosphere inside the city was indeed tense, and the number of patrolling soldiers increased significantly.

It was already late at night, and torches were moving everywhere on the streets.

Xue Sui led his wolf guards, concealed in the shadows, moving like ghosts, straight towards the residence of High Priest Amonlah.

From a distance, the priest's residence appeared heavily guarded, with a large number of soldiers who looked extremely vigilant, unlike usual.

"Princess, the situation is dire," a wolf guard whispered.

The wolf guards around Xue Sui were all personally trained by Amonlah and brought to the capital, so they were quite familiar with the Priest's residence. Xue Sui asked, "Is there a way to contact the High Priest?"

"Princess, please wait a moment." The wolf guard pursed his lips and made a lifelike bird call.

Sure enough, a moment later a person dressed as a priest's servant emerged from the shadows in the corner, hurriedly running over. Upon seeing them, he almost burst into tears.

"Why are there only three people? Let's go, it's too dangerous here... Young Master Harbala has betrayed the High Priest and colluded with the King to imprison the High Priest in the mansion..."

"What a filial son," Xue Sui sneered, a cold glint in his eyes.

Although Turgutai is the new King of Xiz, Amunlah has been the spiritual leader of Xiz since Ashina's downfall, and he enjoys extremely high prestige.

If Turgutai wants to truly seize power, he must overthrow Ammonlah, this formidable obstacle.

Amonlah probably never dreamed that he would be stabbed in the back by his own son...

She thought calmly for a moment and asked, "Where is the High Priest? How are the guards?"

The servant pointed the way and whispered, "It's in that side hall over there. There are quite a few guards, all sent by Young Master Harbala and the King, but... perhaps it's the Wolf God's protection, because Young Master Harbala was urgently summoned to the royal tent for a meeting just now, and the guards have become much lax..."

It is not too late.

Xue Sui gave a wink to the two wolf guards.

Taking advantage of the cover of night, they crouched low and moved close to the wall, avoiding several patrols, and silently made their way to the vicinity of the side hall.

Guards patrolling the corridor walked by carrying lanterns...

The light and shadow falling on the wall seemed to exude a sense of languor.

Xue Sui made a soft whistle with his fingers, like the chirping of a night insect.

The guard on the east side twitched his ears, about to peek out, when he saw a dark shadow slide down from the eaves—

Before he could even see the figure clearly, the dagger had already severed his throat.

Xue Sui made a light gesture, silently approaching another guard, and struck with lightning speed—covering his mouth and nose, and swiftly striking the back of his neck.

The guard groaned and collapsed to the ground.

In just a few breaths, all the guards outside the side hall had been taken down and dragged cleanly into the bushes.

She signaled to the two guards to stand watch outside, then with a "click," she pried open the lock and slipped inside...

There was only a dim oil lamp in the room.

Amon Rakh sat on the futon, his back hunched, his fingers repeatedly stroking the wolf bone pendant on his chest...

Hearing the noise, he slowly looked up and saw Xue Sui appear in front of him, without the slightest surprise.

"The princess has arrived," he said in a hoarse voice, "much faster than I expected."

“Since the High Priest knows why I’ve come, there’s no need for beating around the bush,” Xue Sui said, getting straight to the point.

“Turgutai and your son Harbala have colluded to kidnap my mother, frame me, and attempt to provoke war between our two countries… If Xiz falls into chaos, the people will surely suffer. You will not stand idly by, will you?”

Amonlah let out a long sigh, filled with exhaustion and heartache.

"I am old, blind and deaf, useless... I can't even manage my own household, how can I talk about national affairs?"

Xue Sui said softly, "I remember that back then, Ashina was warlike and disregarded the lives of the people. It was only after the High Priest united the tribes to rise up that Turgutai was able to take the throne. Now, can you bear to see Xiz fall into war again and repeat the same mistakes?"

Amonlah lowered his head, and suddenly burst into tears, clearly devastated by his son's betrayal.

"I have failed in my duty to educate my son and have raised a tiger that will bring disaster upon him. I have failed the late king's trust and the people of Xizi. My sins are grave..."

“It’s not too late to make amends now.” Xue Sui stared intently at him, his eyes bright. “What Xiz needs is a wise ruler who can stop the fighting, provide livelihoods, and allow his people to live in peace and prosperity, not a traitor like Turgutai.”

Amon Rakh remained silent for a long time, trying to look into her deep black eyes.

"What does the princess wish me to do?"

"Please have the High Priest appear and, in the name of the Wolf God, issue a divine decree... rebuking Turgutai for his perverse actions, for having lost the Wolf God's favor, and for being unworthy to be king. And proclaim to all tribes that Prince Morile should return to Chishui and enthrone a new king...Angge."

Amon Rakh paused slightly.

When he spoke again, his tone was a bit more subdued.

"Why Angge, and not Morel?"

"Can you trust Moril?" Xue Sui smiled slightly, having already seen through the old priest's thoughts. "Ang is young, sincere, and of the blood of the late king's eldest son, so his claim is legitimate. The high priest has served three generations of Xiz kings and knows better than anyone what kind of monarch is worthy of this land."

Amonlah then asked, "Why should I listen to the princess's arrangements?"

“Because the High Priest must listen.” Xue Sui’s tone was calm, and his words were clear. “If something happens to me in Xiz, the Emperor of Liang will not let it go. When the Emperor is angry, millions will die and blood will flow for thousands of miles… Once the Liang cavalry tramples through Chishui City, Xiz will never have peace again. High Priest, will you risk the lives of your entire clan to indulge Turgutai, or will you cooperate with me to protect Xiz…? It’s all up to you.”

She laid out the pros and cons in a calm and measured tone, using both soft and hard tactics.

Amon Rakh remained silent for a long time, the dejection in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a sharp edge.

"Princess, your return to Xiz this time is not just to escort your mother back home, but also to bring a backup plan from Daliang, isn't it?"

Xue Sui didn't want to deny it; instead, she pursed her lips and gave a faint smile.

“Since the High Priest has already seen through it all, why ask any more questions? I don’t like being a fish on someone else’s chopping board, and I don’t want Xiz to become a sacrifice for the lust for power… Turgutai is unjust, so I’ll change the world for him. What’s wrong with that?”

"What a spirit!" Amonrach nodded slowly. "I've lived for sixty years and have never been afraid of anything. For the people of Xiz, I'll risk these old bones today. Men, bring me my Wolf God Staff and my sacrificial robe..."

(End of this chapter)