Chapter 236: Chapter 235 GossipRong Ye was a brave and skilled warrior, and his soldiers were filled with fiery blood.


    The thin man kneeling at the front grinned, showing his white teeth, "Marshal Rong, on the battlefield, there are no fathers and sons—fathers and sons can draw swords against each other. Do you still care if we have parents or wives and children?"


    As soon as he said this, others immediately chimed in,


    "Exactly. If Marshal Rong really cares about us, he would lead us to invade Bei Qi sooner so we can return earlier to our warm homes and families."


    "Absolutely, just give us Marshal Rong’s command!"


    "A great man dedicates his life to his country; what is there that he would not dare to do?"


    ...


    They were all men of iron and steel, each more fiery than the last.


    The tent instantly became lively.


    Li Xiangyi had long been accustomed to such scenes, and only smiled quietly without speaking.


    But Rong Ye was so bothered by the noise that he developed a headache.


    "You, you, you—"


    He pointed at five men and ordered, "You are to go to Mongka immediately and gather detailed information about the military engagements between Bei Qi and Mongka over the past twenty years: the timings, the processes, and the outcomes. The more detailed, the better."


    "Yes."


    After receiving their orders, the five men withdrew.


    Rong Ye then pointed at another five men and instructed, "Tonight at midnight, sneak into Bei Qi territory and secretly protect the safety of the other princes of Bei Qi. They are the stumbling blocks in Ninth Prince Qi Wuya’s path to the throne; the Emperor has commanded that there be no mistakes!"


    "Yes."


    Those five men also took their orders and left.


    Ten people remained.


    Rong Ye pointed at another five.


    Among these five was the thin man who had been kneeling in the front earlier.


    "Yang Che!"


    Rong Ye pointed at him and ordered, "Before you joined the army, you lived among beggars and understand their behaviors best. Take these four men and infiltrate the beggar dens of Bei Qi to secretly spread the news of Ninth Prince Qi Wuya’s patricide and fratricide." Sear?h the N?velFire(.)net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Upon hearing this, Yang Che and the others became excited: to go to Bei Qi and curse Qi Wuya—that bastard—what could be better?


    "Yes! We will surely fulfill this mission."


    The five men left the tent in understanding.


    Rong Ye looked at the last five men and instructed, "Go to Jizhou, meet with the State Official Xie Sui, and tell him to find famous doctors and send them to the military camp."


    "Yes."


    These five also took their orders and left.


    The tent returned to quietness.


    Only Lu Zijin’s sounds of chewing and swallowing food and drink could be heard.


    In the quiet tent, the sounds seemed more prominent.


    Lu Zijin, having thick skin, only after eating and drinking his fill, complimented, "Marshal Rong handles affairs with great efficiency."


    After finishing his instructions, Rong Ye also relaxed and replied with a smile, "The specific results will depend on them."


    The night grew deeper.


    Midnight had just passed.


    Twenty war horses charged out of the Jizhou military camp and scattered in different directions.


    They had different missions and thus headed in different trajectories.


    Among them, Yang Che led five men silently to a location ten miles outside Yongzhou City in Bei Qi.


    After dismounting their horses, which knew the way back to the camp themselves,


    Yang Che led his four men to sneak into the moat and silently infiltrated Yongzhou City.


    Within three days,


    in Yongzhou City,


    the street vendors and the little children with yellow tufts of hair were all singing a nursery rhyme, "The moon will rise, the sun will set. With a mulberry bow and a Qi bag, Qi Country will soon be gone."


    The rhyme had existed for a while, and no one had taken it seriously.


    Yet, that changed when the news from the beggars’ dens about "the Ninth Prince committing patricide and fratricide to seize the imperial power" began to spread.


    Initially, it spread within a small area of Yongzhou City.


    People generally considered it idle gossip over tea and dinner.


    But there had long been secrets within the imperial family: the Ninth Prince was of low birth, the late Emperor disapproved, his brothers were not friendly, and his younger siblings disrespectful.


    It seemed not surprising that he would do such a thing.


    Especially since Crown Prince Qi Guanglie had not shown himself for a long time.


    It was said that he had fallen from his horse and was unconscious.


    Could he still be unconscious?


    Or had he died from the fall?


    Or perhaps he had been murdered?


    For a moment, various speculations flew.


    By the time the rumors reached the Beiqi Capital City, five full days had passed.


    Crown Prince Mansion


    Chengguang Garden


    Night approached midnight.


    "Bang!"


    The sound of a teacup shattering echoed.


    Then, a chilling female voice followed, "It was indeed him! I have long suspected that Qi Wuya harbored wild ambitions! All these years of his seeming submissiveness, it was all a deceit to the Father Emperor and Guanglie—"


    Eldest Princess Qi Bingshuang sat in front of the sickbed of her younger brother, the Crown Prince, her eyes red, recklessly gazing toward the Imperial Palace, and exclaimed, "Now he has poisoned the Father Emperor and caused Guanglie to remain unconscious, and all of you from the Four Great Families, the pillars of Beiqi, are just watching as Qi Wuya, that beast, claims the throne and exterminates our royal bloodline?"


    Her hairpin was in disarray, her delicate face contorted with fear and anger.


    These days, she had been taking diligent care of Qi Guanglie, personally administering his medication without entrusting others and ignoring whatever Qi Wuya was up to, focusing solely on protecting Qi Guanglie and waiting for him to wake up.


    But she had waited too long.


    Fear.


    Endless fear.


    She dared not think about the consequences of Qi Guanglie remaining unconscious long term, while Qi Wuya claimed the throne.


    She and Qi Wuya shared a hatred as deep as murdering her mother!


    Anyone could claim the throne, but not him!


    Upon hearing the rumors, she could not remain seated, and stood up, consumed with resentment, "What are you waiting for? He has killed his father and brother, why have you not killed him yet?"


    Compared to Qi Bingshuang’s anger, the leaders of the Four Great Families, all old foxes, remained outwardly calm.


    "Eldest Princess, watch your words."


    The speaker was Beiqi Prime Minister Xue Wen Zhan.


    Dressed in a purple robe, his hair graying, his expression was composed and calm, "The Emperor is old, and has long been resting in Langyue Palace during his illness. In those critical days, we were by his side attending to his sickness, and the Ninth Prince had not yet returned from Puluo Country—"


    "It was his men who did it!"


    Qi Bingshuang looked at Xue Wen Zhan, thinking him senile, "Who would be so foolish as to commit the act in person?"


    "Shuangshuang, do not be disrespectful to Prime Minister Xue!"


    After National Guardian General Huo Dingyuan scolded her, he added, "Currently, there is indeed no evidence that the Ninth Prince harmed his siblings. You should not believe in mere rumors."


    "Rumors?"


    Qi Bingshuang scoffed coldly, pointing outside, "Right now, the entire perimeter of the Crown Prince Mansion is filled with Qi Wuya’s men. Father, Prime Minister, Qi Wuya has already put the knife to my and the Crown Prince’s necks!"


    Hearing this, Xue Wen Zhan’s graying beard trembled.


    He recalled that upon his arrival, he had indeed seen some people hiding in the shadows, rendering him speechless for a moment.


    "Prime Minister—"


    Qi Bingshuang glanced at Xue Wen Zhan, then shifted her gaze to Huo Dingyuan.


    Changing her previously forceful and fierce demeanor to one of sorrow, she said, "Father, I was married to Ah Yue for three years—our connection was brief, but our love deep. Though he passed away early, Shuangshuang has never forgotten him and has always regarded you as a father..."


    As she spoke, tears fell, and she sobbed weakly and pitifully, "Father, Shuangshuang always wanted to perform filial duties in your stead, but now Qi Wuya has killed his father and brother... If he can act against the Crown Prince today, he could do the same to me and the other brothers tomorrow... The Four Great Families have never treated Qi Wuya kindly in the past, and with his vindictive nature, he will definitely not let us off easily..."


    She choked up, and while wiping away her tears, she sneakily gauged Huo Dingyuan’s expression.


    Huo Dingyuan, a lifelong soldier with two sons and a daughter, loved only his youngest, Huo Yu.


    Huo Yu was a young genius but frail, passing away early, which was an eternal sorrow in his heart.


    How could Qi Bingshuang’s mention not stir his grief?


    His eyes filled with tears, he closed them briefly, his face overcome with sadness, making the normally formidable man appear suddenly aged and frail.