Masquerade in Bridal Attire and Marry the Prince

226. The Stage Is Ready

Translator: Bryan

Du Chuxuan was momentarily astonished. He had thought that Yuxing Tianrui was going to swear an oath involving severe punishment, and Du Chuxuan had been poised to interrupt Yuxing Tianrui by clapping his hand to Yuxing Tianrui’s mouth or something like that. Unexpectedly, the punishment that Yuxing Tianrui’s oath entailed was even harsher than he had expected. Smiling resignedly, he swept Yuxing Tianrui into his embrace and said, “What’s that about?

“You know I can’t bear to see you like that.” Running his fingers through Yuxing Tianrui’s soft hair, Du Chuxuan lowered his head and, to his surprise, smelled the scent of milk from Yuxing Tianrui’s clothes. It had never occurred to him that at the borderlands Yuxing Tianrui would still be able to keep as clean as he had been when in the capital city. Du Chuxuan felt proud of him. Yuxing Tianrui was a prince who would never neglect personal hygiene in any circumstances.

“So you must not transfer your affections to anybody else. I’ve taken an oath. If you stop loving me and I have to break my word, there will be consequences,” Yuxing Tianrui said thickly, his face buried in Du Chuxuan’s neck. His muffled voice had a titillating quality to it.

“Is it still Ashina Yi who’s in command of the Turkish army?” Du Chuxuan asked. On his way to this city he had heard that the Turkish army had been stationed near the north gate for quite some time, presumably preventing people from slipping out of the city to get food supplies through the north gate.

Of course, that was only one version of the rumor. Some believed that the Turkish soldiers were there to stop Yuxing Tianrui from advancing north. No matter what, in Du Chuxuan’s eyes, Turk had only one plan. They were stalling for time.

“Why would they stall for time? I mean, the Turks probably came to know about Yuxing Wei leading reinforcements towards this city when you left the capital. They have no reason to wait for him!” Yuxing Tianrui said, somewhat confused. He had posted guards on the gate tower above the north gate to keep a close eye on the Turkish army in the past two days, worrying that they might launch an attack without warning.

Yuxing Tianrui believed that Ashina Yi was only waiting for an opportunity to attack them when they were at their weakest. He was astonished to learn that Du Chuxuan saw it this way.

Du Chuxuan’s lips curved upwards in a dangerous smile. He slowly pulled the military map over and, pointing at a spot on it, said, “This is where Turk borders Shenlan country. The boundary is a mountain. This place is on the border as well, but the boundary is a river. Neither places are suitable for transportation.”

Yuxing Tianrui promptly caught on to what Du Chuxuan meant. Both places were too treacherous. If they attempted to deliver large amounts of food through either of the two places, the convoy would instantly become a moving target for the Turkish army. Therefore, if Shenglan country wanted to deliver food supplies to Yuxing Tianrui, the only way would be doing it step by step along the route that Yuxing Tianrui’s army had taken.

Du Chuxuan believed that it was the very opportunity that Ashina Yi was waiting for. It was very likely that Turk had another force. When their reinforcements arrived, they would join hands and attack Yuxing Tianrui’s army and backup from all sides. All those in Sanyuan City would be besieged, having no way to escape.

“But there is an upside.” This was what Du Chuxuan found delightful. Turk was a large country, though it couldn’t hold a candle to Shenglan country which had vast plains and fertile lands. The only problems that Turk had never been able to solve was the harsh climate and infertile lands.

The two problems alone made it an unchangeable fact that the living standards of Turkish people stood no comparison with those of Shenglan people. If the Turkish emperor wanted to besiege such a large army, he would have to mobilize ninety percent of his soldiers, if not all of them.

Having cottoned on to what Du Chuxuan meant, Yuxing Tianrui looked in the direction of the Turkish capital city. Surprisingly, there was a ghost of anticipation on his face. “This city is in such an enviable position. It’s only one city away from the Turkish capital. If we figure out a way to skip this place, we’ll be able to launch a frontal attack on their capital, and Turk will never be a threat to us again.”

Du Chuxuan nodded. That was exactly what he meant. He ran his finger across the edge of the map. However, apart from everything else, this city was the largest one in Turk except the capital. If they wanted to detour around it, they would have to figure out a way to get to the other side without marching right through it. If they couldn’t, it would remain a tricky problem.

In the capital city of Shenglan country. The entrance examination was scheduled to end tomorrow. Yuxing Wei had selected quite some men from the passers of the Imperial Martial Arts Test. He had an imperial fiat from the emperor, which was why almost all those he had selected had agreed to go with him. Every one of them was worth a hundred common soldiers. Having recruited so many helpers, Yuxing Wei felt much more confident.

“Your Highness, we’ve searched every inch of the city, but we haven’t found any traces of the one who scattered those flyers the other day.”

“Not a single clue?” Yuxing Wei was somewhat surprised. On that day the emperor had gone ballistic because of that matter and ordered that they catch the culprit at all costs. Yuxing Wei, in order to clear himself of suspicion, had eliminated all his aides from Manlou as quick as he could, but shortly after that, he had received a message from Ashina Fei that Manlou had no part of it.

Yuxing Wei had been furious about disposing of so many competent helpers by mistake, but at the same time Ashina Fei had informed him of the culprit’s identity.

“Your Highness, it’s been so many years, but no member of Sect Luo has ever shown their face in public. Although most rumors circulating in Jianghu are false, those about Sect Luo have never changed.”

Yuxing Wei lapsed into a thoughtful silence. Naturally, he had heard that rumor. It was said that all members of Sect Luo were heroes, that they were everywhere. Yuxing Wei used to feel that it was just a joke. It came as a great surprise to him that members of Sect Luo were really capable of that. He then thought of the man in red, feeling that man might be able to do it.

Yuxing Wei wrenched his mind from those conjectures back to the issue facing him. “The plan remains unchanged. Since you can’t find any links, you guys will have to create one. Soon I’ll achieve my final goal, and that kid will always be a hostage to fortune if he lives. Get the most value out of him.”

His words sent a chill down the spine of the one next to him. Having served Yuxing Wei for quite some time, he naturally knew whom Yuxing Wei was referring to. Who else could it be? It was Yuxing Wei’s mother’s unborn baby whose gender was still unknown, his biological brother or sister.

Though shocked by Yuxing Wei’s callousness, the man did not dare show anything on his face. “Yes, Your Highness,” he said, turning around to execute the order. He prayed that Yuxing Wei would fulfill his wish and accede to the throne by this time next year, otherwise the baby’s death would be for nothing.

Those in the capital city were preparing to stage a big show, but all the lead roles had left the city.