Chapter 66

As the soldiers patrolling the camp in the distance announced the time during their night watch, the sound of the wooden clappers echoed through the darkness. In the silence of the military tent, the noise seemed especially distinct. The candle burning atop the tall table suddenly flickered.

Under Xie Zheng’s cold, piercing gaze, He Jingyuan spoke with difficulty.

“Marquis, you may consider He Jingyuan a coward if you wish. Once the siege of Luzhou is lifted, if I am still alive, I will tell Your Lordship everything without reservation.”

Gongsun Yin could not help glancing at Xie Zheng upon hearing this.

Neither of them expressed any opinion.

He Jingyuan had already handed over the Jizhou Tiger Tally, demonstrating considerable sincerity and loyalty. Yet he still refused to reveal the identities of the Fan couple, hoping to preserve his own life. He feared that once Xie Zheng gained military authority, he might eliminate him outright.

Such a small calculation was hardly worth making an issue of.

After a brief silence settled over the tent, Xie Zheng finally curled his lips into a faint smile.

“Lord He can set his mind at ease. I came from the military ranks. I cannot guarantee many things, but I never break my word.

“Besides, Lord He has governed Jizhou for more than ten years. You enjoy great support among the people and are deeply respected by the soldiers of Jizhou.

“Even I would not dare move against you lightly.”

Cold sweat slid down He Jingyuan’s temple.

Lowering his head, he hurriedly replied, “Your Lordship jokes. When it comes to prestige in the military, who could possibly surpass the Marquis?”

Xie Zheng tapped the armrest of his chair twice with his fingers.

His dark eyes scrutinized the respectful scholar-general before him, as though weighing something carefully.

At last, he relented.

“Very well. Then I shall wait until the siege of Luzhou is broken for Lord He’s answer.”

The pressure of that gaze instantly lifted.

He Jingyuan felt his breathing become easier.

Bowing even lower, he clasped his fists and said, “Thank you for Your Lordship’s understanding.”

Xie Zheng rose to his feet.

The cloud-patterned hem of his robe hung elegantly, the fine fabric even reflecting the candlelight.

He spoke calmly.

“Tomorrow, assign me twenty thousand newly recruited soldiers. Include the craftsmen within the city who are skilled in waterworks and dam construction.

“Spring rains will soon arrive. If the dam on the Wu River is not completed before the spring floods begin, this plan will be useless.”

He Jingyuan immediately replied, “I will summon the commanders tonight and make the arrangements.”

After leaving the tent, Gongsun Yin lowered his voice and said to Xie Zheng,

“You actually agreed to his bargaining.”

Xie Zheng tossed the Jizhou Tiger Tally to him and asked sideways,

“What else would I do?”

Gongsun Yin had to catch it with both hands.

“He has managed Jizhou for many years. Since we’re using the Jizhou army to form the trap that will swallow the Prince of Changxin’s fifty thousand troops, he truly can’t be touched lightly.

“If the commanding general dies before a major battle, morale will inevitably suffer.

“Still… handing over the Tiger Tally shows he really dared to gamble that you’d spare his life for the Fan family’s sake.”

Xie Zheng replied,

“If he hadn’t surrendered the tally, how could I have dared head north?”

Gongsun Yin laughed.

“This Lord He really does see things clearly. His concerns aren’t entirely unreasonable.

“You won’t kill him before the battle, but whether you’d let him die gloriously during the battle is another matter entirely.”

Xie Zheng said nothing, which amounted to agreement.

As they continued walking, he added,

“Write a reply to Chongzhou in my name. Tell that old fox Sui Tuo we’re willing to discuss other conditions.”

Gongsun Yin immediately understood.

Trading Yanzhou for the Fan family’s younger daughter was out of the question.

By asking the Prince of Changxin to propose other terms, they could make him believe they genuinely cared about the child’s life.

That would make borrowing troops from Jizhou and returning to Yanzhou appear perfectly reasonable.

More importantly, once the Prince of Changxin knew the child was important to them, he would be even less willing to let any harm come to her.

—

Several days later, Chongzhou.

Prince of Changxin’s Residence.

A pale hand, thin as dried bone, tossed a letter into the brazier beside the desk.

The paper quickly curled and blackened among the glowing coals before turning to ash.

Though the chill of spring still lingered, the man wore a cloak even indoors.

His bloodless lips curled slightly.

Like a child who had just won a game, his smile was both malicious and delighted.

“He actually borrowed twenty thousand troops from Jizhou.”

The man who had delivered the message looked puzzled.

“The child captured by the Young Master isn’t actually the Marquis of Wu’an’s daughter. Your Highness, could this be a trap?”

Sui Yuanhuai lifted a pair of dark eyes so chilling they sent shivers down one’s spine.

“Isn’t she the younger sister of his woman?

“When Qingping County was massacred, he rushed back without regard for anything else just to save her.

“If he refuses to save this child, what do you think his woman will do when she finds out?”

The man standing below in embroidered robes was none other than Zhao Xun.

He had originally wanted to argue that a man of the Marquis of Wu’an’s status could have any woman he desired.

But remembering the woman before him who had tried to escape several times only to be dragged back each time, he swallowed the words.

Instead, he said,

“Your Highness speaks wisely.”

Sui Yuanhuai smiled meaningfully.

“Even if it is a trap, what does it matter to us?”

Zhao Xun’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

He immediately understood.

Sui Yuanhuai intended to sit back and watch both sides fight while he reaped the benefits.

Bowing, Zhao Xun said,

“Your Highness is truly brilliant.”

Sui Yuanhuai looked at him and smiled faintly.

The smile carried an indescribable meaning.

Under that gaze, Zhao Xun felt as though needles were pricking his back.

His voice trembled slightly.

“Why does Your Highness look at this subordinate in such a manner?”

Sui Yuanhuai smiled.

“I heard you’ve been teaching that little bastard how to write.”

Zhao Xun’s knees immediately gave way.

He dropped to the floor.

“Your Highness, please forgive me! This subordinate is hardly qualified to teach the Young Master.

“The Young Master kept crying to see… Concubine Yu.

“I merely told him that if he studied diligently and learned his characters well, perhaps Your Highness would allow him to see her.”

Sui Yuanhuai smiled but not quite.

“You’re quite capable of making decisions on my behalf.”

The moment those words fell, Zhao Xun’s face turned deathly pale.

Pressing his forehead against the cold floor, he said,

“This subordinate deserves death. Please punish me, Your Highness.”

Just then, a middle-aged woman entered carrying refreshments.

Seeing Zhao Xun kneeling, surprise flashed across her face.

Resting his chin on one hand, Sui Yuanhuai said lazily,

“Get up. Aunt Lan is watching.”

Zhao Xun did not dare move.

The middle-aged woman’s expression also changed.

After setting the refreshments on the desk, she stepped back and knelt.

“Your Highness, if Xun’er has done something wrong, then punish him as you see fit. Please do not trouble yourself because of this servant.”

Smiling, Sui Yuanhuai personally helped her to her feet.

“Aunt Lan, what are you doing?

“If not for you, would I even have survived to this day?

“Please get up.”

Years of illness had left his hands icy cold.

When the woman inadvertently touched the back of his hand as he helped her rise, she felt a chill that startled her.

Sui Yuanhuai noticed the brief flash of panic on her face.

The smile at his lips deepened.

Turning toward Zhao Xun, he said,

“Xun’er, get up as well.

“You and Aunt Lan are the people closest to me.

“Don’t kneel at every opportunity.”

Zhao Xun glanced toward the woman.

Only after seeing her subtle nod did he rise, his back soaked with cold sweat.

“Serving Your Highness loyally is this subordinate’s duty.”

Sui Yuanhuai merely smiled without replying.

Glancing at the books on the desk with obvious boredom, he said,

“Bring that little bastard to me later.

“I’d like to see how his studies are progressing.”

Zhao Xun lowered his head.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

After Zhao Xun and the middle-aged woman left, Sui Yuanhuai suddenly asked into the empty room,

“Are they still loyal to me?”

A shadow emerged from the darkness.

“The Zhao mother and son harbor no disloyal intentions toward Your Highness.”

Sui Yuanhuai simply smiled.

“Keep watching them.”

The shadow retreated once more.

It was as though no one had ever been there.

Sui Yuanhuai seemed tired.

A trace of fatigue appeared in his handsome features.

Supporting his forehead with one hand, he stared absentmindedly out the study window.

His body was already in terrible condition.

For years he had survived only through medicine.

Sixteen years…

No, another year had passed.

It should be seventeen years ago.

The fire in the Eastern Palace had burned away most of his face and nearly half his body.

That was precisely how he had managed to exchange identities with the Prince of Changxin’s eldest son and survive.

The one who truly died in the Eastern Palace that year was the Prince of Changxin’s eldest son.

It had all been a carefully orchestrated escape.

The Crown Prince was dead.

His mother knew their turn would come next.

So she personally planned the fire that consumed the Eastern Palace.

Claiming she was overwhelmed with grief, she invited numerous noble ladies of the capital to visit her, bringing their children to keep her company.

The Prince of Changxin’s residence was the refuge she had chosen for him.

During tea service, a maid accidentally spilled tea on the Prince of Changxin’s eldest son’s clothes.

His mother ordered attendants to take the boy away to change.

Those discarded clothes eventually ended up on him.

Meanwhile, the Prince of Changxin’s wife and son both perished in the fire.

His face had been burned beyond recognition.

Since the Princess Consort of Changxin was already dead, none of the servants at the residence could identify him.

Judging only by his clothing and personal effects, they assumed he was the prince’s eldest son and brought him back to the residence.

From that day onward, he was no longer the Crown Prince’s grandson.

He became Sui Yuanhuai—the legitimate eldest son of the Prince of Changxin, horribly burned and left half-dead.

Aunt Lan had once been his mother’s trusted confidante.

She had also escaped the fire.

Later, she married a wealthy merchant and secretly assisted him all these years.

After giving birth to Zhao Xun, she poisoned the merchant and allowed Zhao Xun to inherit the family fortune.

Only after Zhao Xun was capable of standing on his own did she return to care for Sui Yuanhuai personally.

In order to show himself to others again, the dead skin from his burns had been gradually replaced over the years.

Back when his face was disfigured, none of the servants dared look directly at him.

After enduring the agony of replacing the burned skin, however, the servants only feared him more.

Thinking of this, Sui Yuanhuai laughed mockingly.

Still, there had been many reasons why his mother chose the Prince of Changxin’s residence as his refuge.

A disfigured cripple could never threaten anyone as heir to the residence.

No matter who the Prince of Changxin later married, that woman would surely treat such a harmless eldest son kindly in order to earn a reputation for virtue.

Even more fortunate was what happened afterward.

After the Princess Consort of Changxin died tragically, her family feared that his grotesque appearance would earn the prince’s disgust and that a future stepmother might secretly mistreat him.

Thus, they married the Princess Consort’s younger sister to the Prince of Changxin as his new wife.

That woman truly treated her sister’s child as her own.

Even after giving birth to Sui Yuanqing, she continued teaching him to remain close to his “elder brother.”

But could stolen affection ever truly be affection?

Once that mother and son learned the truth, they would probably wish to devour him alive.

Over the years, he had maintained only the appearance of familial harmony with them.

The fingers resting against his forehead suddenly pressed hard against his temple.

Back then, to deceive the world, he had burned most of his face.

Now that the damaged skin had been replaced, splitting headaches frequently tormented him.

One struck suddenly now.

The pain instantly intensified the malice lurking within his heart.

He almost wanted to torment someone just to ease his own suffering.

At that moment, however, the study door opened.

A tiny figure appeared in the doorway.

The child carried a stack of completed calligraphy practice sheets.

Fear lingered in his puppy-like eyes, yet he still raised those clear, bright eyes to look at him.

Pressing his lips together, he softly called out,

“Father.”