Chapter 310 - 94: Challenge to Battle

Chapter 310: Chapter 94: Challenge to Battle

"Xie Yanfang has reached the front lines with the Xiao Emperor."

The King of Zhongshan held a letter and looked at Chu Zhao.

Chu Zhao wasn’t holding a letter, but a narrow strip of paper lay tossed on a nearby desk.

The King of Zhongshan knew that she was already aware—and had been a step ahead of him.

This wasn’t the first time. At first, the King of Zhongshan had ordered strict searches and precautions everywhere. Now, he couldn’t even be bothered. Chu Zhao had come fully prepared; guarding against her was impossible, so it was better not to try at all.

"The Emperor is leading the campaign himself, hailed by the people, and his army’s morale is soaring," the King of Zhongshan said, tossing the letter onto the table. "They are unstoppable. How could Mr. Xie possibly back down?"

He looked at Chu Zhao.

"Empress Chu, you’ve said before that the imperial court doesn’t care whether you live or die, and neither does Mr. Xie. That means whatever you say counts for even less."

He shook his head as he spoke.

"That’s why I find it such a shame. Empress Chu, your choice was truly unwise. If you had chosen me, at least we would be allies."

Chu Zhao smiled. "Even without choosing you, Prince, I am not alone. In the world as it is today, I still have some say in matters."

She pointed to the desk.

"Give the order. Right now. Immediately. Otherwise, neither you, Prince, nor the Princely Heir will live to see His Majesty’s glorious, people-hailed campaign with your own eyes."

’Is she going to kill him and his son before His Majesty’s triumphant charge?’ The King of Zhongshan sneered. "Empress Chu, you’d best worry about yourself. You will die long before we do."

Chu Zhao was completely unfazed by the threat. She placed a writing brush in the King of Zhongshan’s hand. "Let’s both try to stay alive. It’s not easy to live in this world. And for you, Prince, it has been even harder. You’ve suffered so much, had your leg broken at such a young age, and were abandoned by your own imperial father. If you were to die at the hands of a mere woman like me, could you truly rest in peace?"

The King of Zhongshan laughed in exasperation. Staring at this young woman, he thought, ’Is this what they mean when they say someone with nothing to lose has no fear?’

"Fine," he said, taking the brush. "I will wait and see if you, Empress, can rest in peace when your time comes."

....

....

The county under Xiao Xun’s control was even more heavily fortified than before.

Soldiers and horses galloped through the streets day and night without pause.

"General—Xie Yanfang has broken through the vanguard—he’s heading this way!"

A personal soldier rushed onto the city wall, only to be kicked to the ground by the main general in charge of the city’s defense.

"Shut your mouth," the main general hissed. "Tell them to hold their ground."

The personal soldier grabbed his leg. "General, the Princely Heir must make an appearance! Otherwise, morale will collapse. There have already been rumors these past few days—"

The main general’s eyes blazed with fury. "Anyone who spreads dissent will be executed!"

The personal soldier lowered his head, not daring to speak another word.

The main general took a deep breath, suppressing his rising anger. He turned, descended from the city wall, and galloped toward the government office.

The government office where the Princely Heir was staying was surrounded by soldiers, a perimeter as tight as an iron drum. Even the occasional bird that flew overhead was shot down.

But the generals guarding the courtyard were as restless as caged birds, pacing back and forth. After hearing the main general’s whispered report, one of them kicked a chair over in frustration.

The commotion startled the members of the Aristocratic Families huddled under the eaves. ’Are they going to start fighting?’ they wondered.

But when they looked, they saw the general had only rushed to the sealed doors of the main hall, just as before, and was roaring, "If you have the guts, then bring the Princely Heir out to face that little whelp! If we don’t see the Princely Heir, we will never stop fighting!"

The hall remained silent. After a moment, a voice drifted out. "Send in some tea. And make it the good stuff."

It was as if they hadn’t heard the general’s shouting at all. Or perhaps, they heard but didn’t understand.

The general’s face flushed red. ’These scoundrels... they won’t listen to reason or threats. Utterly stubborn. It seems they’re determined to keep the Princely Heir cooped up in here with them for the rest of their lives.’

They demanded food and drink, and even warned against poison or knockout drugs.

"I grew up playing with poisons and knockout drugs."

"Besides, whatever you send in, we’ll let your Princely Heir enjoy it first."

The general swallowed his rage, shut his eyes for a moment, and then barked at the personal soldiers behind him, "Send in the good tea."

The personal soldiers immediately went to prepare the tea—they had become quite practiced at it over the last few days.

"General, are we really just going to keep waiting?" a Deputy General asked in a low voice.

The general’s face was grim. "The Prince’s orders were to remain calm and not act rashly."

As soon as this happened, they had sent word to Zhongshan County. The King of Zhongshan had replied quickly, saying it was all a ploy by Empress Chu, who was now trapped in the Prince Zhongshan Mansion. He ordered everyone to remain calm, hold their defensive positions, and not to attack.

"Holding our position was fine before," the Deputy General said urgently, "but now the Xiao Emperor is here in person!"

The general gritted his teeth, anger flaring within him once more. ’The situation was perfect, and now it’s been thrown into chaos by a bunch of riffraff. Damn it all!’

"So what if the Xiao Emperor is here? Our forces are evenly matched—"

Before he could finish, another Xin Bing came sprinting toward them. "Report—"

The Xin Bing practically collapsed to his knees, his body covered in bloodstains. He had clearly fought a difficult battle to get here.