"Dead? How could this be?" Lu Yuanfeng's face grew terribly grim.
"Cough, cough!" Heizi coughed twice, a mouthful of blood spewing from his lips. "Ten days ago... General Hua received an imperial decree from the capital, stating that His Majesty wished to summon General Hua back to Jincheng.
At first... General Hua sensed something amiss and did not set off... but there was an old subordinate from the Chen family by General Hua's side... he informed General Hua that it was His Highness you who sought to marry Hua Yao... and the reason His Majesty summoned him back to the palace was likely... related to Miss Hua family...
Upon hearing this, General Hua was naturally delighted... He packed his belongings overnight... overnight, and prepared to rush to Jincheng... *gag*..."
He coughed up more blood mid-sentence.
Zhong Li watched, fearing that another cough would be his last.
Heizi gasped for several deep breaths. When he regained a little strength, he continued, "Who would have thought... as soon as we left Linzhou and prepared to... to enter Jincheng territory... the news came, the news... of the Northern Di invasion."
"What?" Lu Yuanfeng's eyes widened. He stood up in anger. He knew that Nan Yue Kingdom was currently in internal strife. If the Northern Di were to interfere at this time...
Zhong Li narrowed her eyes upon hearing this. She and Lu Wu Xie had not predicted incorrectly. The matter of beef and mutton was the Northern Di's preparation for this invasion. Fortunately, Emperor Jing had made prior preparations; otherwise, they would have struck directly at the heart of the empire.
"And then?" she asked.
Heizi closed his eyes, shaking his head. "After General Hua knew... he prepared to rally his subordinates, leading our party, and charge back to provide support... Who would have thought that at this moment... poison was administered to his food... By the time we discovered it, he was already gone!"
"Then what about your injuries?" Zhong Li asked again.
"There were traitors in the army... as we were investigating the cause of General Hua's death, they launched a massacre against us... I am... the only survivor!" Heizi said, slamming the ground in anger.
"Traitors? Who could it be?" Nangong Xiaodie, also hearing this, stood up in extreme indignation and inquired.
Zhong Li closed her eyes and said, "Who else could it be? The one surnamed Chen, correct?"
Heizi nodded.
"Surnamed Chen? I don't understand," Nangong Xiaodie said, her face full of confusion.
Lu Yuanfeng explained, "Surnamed Chen, and the only ones in the Hua family are from the Chen family army."
Zhong Li nodded and continued his words, "Fu Chong had an accident, Princess Min was forced to divorce, the Chen family army rebelled. It seems someone was instigating all of this."
After she spoke, everyone looked towards the mansion outside the tent.
Shen Nong had indeed made a brilliant move.
"Now, the Northern Di are wreaking havoc in Linzhou, and Minister Tian is bravely resisting. I... I request reinforcements... cough cough." After Heizi finished speaking, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Zhong Li stepped forward to examine his body.
After a while, she shook her head. "His meridians are severed. It is a miracle he held on this long. He cannot live much longer. Even if Physician Wu came, it would be futile."
With that, Zhong Li turned away, concealing her inner sadness.
She thought that Emperor Jing’s sacrifice was for the sake of allowing the soldiers to live a few more days. However, some people, content with peace and comfort, insisted on causing trouble.
"Your Highness!" Ling Wei knelt on the ground, cupping his hands. "Linzhou is on the brink of collapse. I request to lead troops to provide support."
Lu Yuanfeng looked at the righteous man before him. The matters he had previously agreed to with Lu Wu Xie regarding Lu Yuanhong seizing the throne had always been due to his pent-up resentment and desire for a comeback. Now that his father had been harmed and the border was in crisis, he finally understood what an emperor should be like. A slight misstep could lead to the loss of cities and the lives of the entire populace.
Ling Wei was the newly appointed Minister of War. He had previously served as deputy general under Ge Meng. He was naturally skilled in warfare and leading troops, but his merits were not as numerous as those of the Shen or Hua families.
"Your Majesty!" Ling Wei urged anxiously. He worried that the new ruler's hesitation would lead to the loss of the final battle opportunity. If the Northern Di invaded then, it would be irreparable.
Lu Yuanfeng's sword-like brows furrowed. With a command, he said, "Minister of War Ling Wei."
"Your subject is here!"
"I, this imperial prince, order you to lead fifty thousand troops to Linzhou and resolutely defend the citizens within the city!"
"Yes!" Ling Wei received the order and turned to exit the tent.
Zhong Li sat on the soft couch, watching Ling Wei's receding back with a somewhat vacant gaze.
Nangong Xiaodie sat beside her, thinking it was Lu Wu Xie's matters that were bothering her. She whispered comfortingly, "Li'er, I know a little about your affairs. You split and reunited, reunited and split. In this matter, the Heir is truly helpless."
Lu Yuanfeng also sat down and glanced at Nangong Xiaodie, casually remarking, "Minister Zhong, Mo Cang went to find you earlier, but you were not at the Dali Temple at the time. He waited for you all afternoon and even visited your villa, but you didn't return. The situation in Jinzhou was urgent, so after much deliberation, he made the decision to leave without saying goodbye."
"..."
Zhong Li remained silent.
Nangong Xiaodie and Lu Yuanfeng grew somewhat anxious.
Nangong Xiaodie pursed her lips, poured a cup of warm tea, and prepared to offer it to her to warm her up.
Zhong Li suddenly stood up with a 'whoosh,' startling Nangong Xiaodie, who nearly dropped the cup in her hand.
"I know!" Her expression turned cold.
"Know what?" Nangong Xiaodie placed the cup in Lu Yuanfeng's hand and walked to Zhong Li's side to inquire.
Zhong Li then knelt on the ground and said to Lu Yuanfeng, "Sixth Prince, Zhong Li has something to ask you."
"Minister Zhong, please speak." Lu Yuanfeng was somewhat bewildered by her actions.
"Did Mo Cang give the Emperor a token for the Flying Kite Pavilion earlier? Is it now in your hands?" she asked.
"My father did indeed give me this token before the Crown Prince had his accident..." Lu Yuanfeng narrowed his eyes, wondering why Zhong Li was asking about this. Suddenly, he understood. "Minister Zhong's meaning..."
"Now Mo Cang is defending against the enemy in Jinzhou, and Shen Nong is meticulous. Beside her is Bian Yuncheng, who is cunning and skilled in using underhanded tactics. Before, I thought that if Xie Yunxi was Shen Nong's mole planted by the Prince of Xian's side, and after we had removed the internal rebels from the Prince of Xian's mansion and Mo Cang had replaced them, she should have been safe. Now it seems... Xie Yunxi was merely a catalyst. Shen Nong's ultimate goal was to erode the Prince of Xian's fighting spirit, to make him a puppet of cha te cao, and to become the greatest trump card threatening Lu Wu Xie."
As Zhong Li spoke, she felt her heart begin to race.
Due to the butterfly effect, all the pieces on the chessboard were changing. However, some things were not necessarily so. For instance, Lu Fengyang's death or Lu Wu Xie being threatened and captured. After all, when the initial pieces had not yet been moved, the outcome brought by this piece was bound to happen. If she had initially believed that Lu Wu Xie handing over the Flying Kite Pavilion was to allay the Emperor's suspicions towards the Prince of Xian's mansion, then later, when the Emperor and his plan, and the Emperor secretly handed the Flying Kite Pavilion token to Lu Yuanfeng, everything told her that Lu Wu Xie had other intentions.
Combining this with her visit to the Prince of Xian's mansion, the decadent appearance of the Prince of Xian, and his final question to her. The news Bian Yuncheng was waiting for was none other than the Prince of Xian's mansion, the news of the Prince of Xian's capture. If something happened to the Prince of Xian, Shen Nong and her cohorts would have a card to threaten Lu Wu Xie, and it was highly likely that Lu Wu Xie would repeat the same mistakes.
What she had to do was to lead the Flying Kite Pavilion's hidden operatives in Jincheng to defend the Prince of Xian's mansion to the death.