Chapter 609: Foolproof

Chapter 609: Chapter 609: Foolproof

"Really!?"

Princess Qingyang was both shocked and overjoyed. She stared at the note, reading it over and over, wishing she could burn every word into her memory.

She was almost incoherent.

"My royal father is still safe! That’s wonderful, just wonderful!"

By the end, her voice was choked with sobs.

Ever since she’d heard about King Yan Nan’s trouble, her heart had been in her throat. For days, she had tossed and turned, unable to sleep at night, and had grown visibly thinner.

Now, learning that King Yan Nan was still alive, the string that had been pulled taut for so long finally snapped.

The emotions she had suppressed for so long rushed forth, overwhelming her like a tidal wave.

Tears welled in her eyes, blurring the words on the note.

She quickly lifted her head and turned away, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.

When she turned back, the corners of her eyes were still red, but it was clear she had tried her best to compose herself.

She took a deep breath.

"Chutang, thank you... thank you so much! And your friend! This news is too important to me. I really don’t know how I can ever repay you—"

"There’s no need for such formalities, Commandery Princess." Ye Chutang shook her head. "King Yan Nan has guarded the Southwest for many years, working tirelessly and achieving great merit. His safety concerns the entire Southwest. Even if you hadn’t come to me, I would have done my best to help if I could."

Princess Qingyang let out a long sigh of relief.

Ye Chutang seemed to possess an invisible strength; being with her always put one at ease.

It was as if no danger was too great, no difficulty too immense, that it couldn’t eventually be solved.

She looked down at the note again, unwilling to miss a single word.

The note was brief, but it stated clearly that King Yan Nan was indeed alive and currently being held within Long City.

"The message says that a rebellion broke out in Long City. After King Yan Nan arrived with five hundred of his personal guards, they achieved victory against greater odds, eliminating all the Nanhu people. But because the former Magistrate had already been killed, Long City was left without a leader, so King Yan Nan temporarily took command. To outsiders, it merely looks like enemy spies appeared in Long City and King Yan Nan led his troops to quell the insurgency. But no one knows that this is all a facade. The real situation is—King Yan Nan has long been captured and controlled by them."

Ye Chutang’s brows knitted together.

"They wouldn’t go to such great lengths just to put on this show."

Princess Qingyang was even more confused.

"Exactly! What are they after by doing all this?"

Ye Chutang fell into deep thought.

"On the surface, Long City has returned to normal, but undercurrents are still surging. They’ve even issued orders in King Yan Nan’s name, claiming that Nanhu spies are still at large within the city. For safety, they’ve sealed Long City—people can get in, but no one can get out. What good does this do them?"

Princess Qingyang couldn’t figure it out either. She stood up and began to pace anxiously. "Your friend went into Long City to gather information for us, and now he’s trapped inside! What if he gets implicated? Then, then—"

Ye Chutang gave her a reassuring smile.

"Don’t worry. He’s careful; he won’t expose himself. It’s actually good for him to remain in Long City. He might be able to gather more information, which would be more advantageous for us."

Princess Qingyang felt a mix of anxiety and hope. "Really?"

Ye Chutang nodded.

In her heart, Princess Qingyang didn’t want him to be in danger, but she knew Ye Chutang was right.

The Capital City and Longchang were thousands of miles apart. They knew nothing about what was happening there. To have a pair of eyes and ears there, working silently, was indeed a huge help.

"So, what should we do now, in this situation?" Princess Qingyang racked her brain. "They’re using my royal father as a figurehead, so they definitely won’t harm him in the short term. But we can’t let this stalemate drag on forever..."

CLICK.

Ye Chutang took out a flint and burned the note to ashes, leaving only a wisp of blue smoke.

Then, she shook her head.

"We do nothing."

Princess Qingyang froze.

Ye Chutang looked at her and smiled. "Let’s not even mention that you don’t have elite troops or powerful generals at your command, Commandery Princess. Even if you did, could you really charge over there from the Capital City?"

"I—" Princess Qingyang was at a loss for words.

She was right.

Ye Chutang was completely correct. Even knowing all this, she was still powerless to do anything.

On the surface, she was the feared and respected Princess Qingyang, who could do as she pleased in the Capital City. But in reality, she was all alone, with little power. When true crisis struck, she was utterly helpless.

Princess Qingyang pressed her red lips together tightly.

’Have I been in the Capital City for so long that I’ve become this useless? To think I’ve only just realized it today!’

BANG!

Princess Qingyang couldn’t stop herself from slamming her fist on the table.

"If only I had paid more attention on a normal day, I wouldn’t be so helpless now! I’m so useless!"

Wine sloshed from her cup, splashing onto the table and her sleeve.

Ye Chutang shook her head.

"Commandery Princess, you needn’t be so hard on yourself. For King Yan Nan, the most important thing is that you are safe and sound in the Capital City. Perhaps he is even glad he sent you back early. Otherwise, you might have been caught up in this turmoil as well."

"So what if I was!?" Princess Qingyang showed no fear. Her almond-shaped eyes stared straight at Ye Chutang, filled with determination. "When I was little, I traveled all over the Southwest with my father. I’ve seen more than my share of storms. Why would I be afraid now?!"

Usually, everyone saw her as just a spoiled and willful Commandery Princess. But in reality, her spirit was tough, and her courage was second to none.

"There’s nothing wrong with thinking that way, Commandery Princess, but there’s certainly no need to call yourself useless. If not for your quick reaction, we probably still wouldn’t even know something had happened in Long City."

Hearing her gentle and calm words, Princess Qingyang finally calmed down. Only then did she realize her loss of composure. She took a deep breath. "I’m sorry... I was just so worried about my royal father..."

Of course, Ye Chutang didn’t mind. She took a handkerchief and wiped the wine from the table before speaking slowly, "You don’t need to be so anxious, Commandery Princess. Firstly, it seems those people still want to use King Yan Nan’s name to get things done, so they won’t dare harm him in the short term. Secondly, His Majesty has already issued an order, summoning King Yan Nan back to the Capital City ahead of schedule to report on his duties. Those people will receive His Majesty’s decree soon. When they do, it will be their turn to have a headache about how to respond."

Hearing this, Princess Qingyang finally felt a little more at ease.

But—

"Besides that, is there really nothing else we should do? What if they fly into a rage from embarrassment and decide to kill my royal father? Then—"

Although the possibility was small, no one could guarantee that those people wouldn’t suddenly go mad.

Ye Chutang’s eyelids lowered slightly as she fell into thought.

"Once we figure out what they really want, we can find the right solution. However, my friend has only just arrived in Long City. Investigating all this will certainly take some time, so we must be patient. Still, your worries are not unfounded, Commandery Princess. We need a backup plan to be completely safe..."