“My son has never heard of it,” said Luo Ming. “Please explain it to me, father.”

“After the Eight Princes’ Rebellion, the Emperor gave the Crown Prince the task of investigating it. The Third Prince, who wasn’t yet the Crown Prince, was greedy for credit and blamed Prince Huan. Later, the Emperor noticed something was wrong and sent Prince Qi to investigate, clearing Prince Huan’s name. But this became a taboo topic in the capital, and people rarely talked about it.”

King Huan almost lost everything because of this, and it caused a feud with the Eastern Palace.

“Could it be that King Huan was involved in this?” Luo Ming still didn’t understand.

Grand Master Luo asked: “Do you know who is most favored by the King of Chu now?”

“Of course, it’s Ji Zhuangyuan.”

“And who is Ji Yanming following now?”

Luo Ming understood. Although it was said that King Huan and Ji Yanming were on a diplomatic mission to the State of Ling, their return was delayed. If you calculate the time, they would have to return soon.

The only person the King of Chu can trust is Ji Yanming, so he will likely send him to deliver the letter first.

Ji Yanming supports the King of Chu. King Huan dislikes the Crown Prince. With 30,000 troops and the 30,000 from Zhili, they have strength.

Luo Ming nodded: “I’ll arrange it right away.”

_

Ji Yanming and Prince Huan went to the Governor-General of Zhili to discuss sending troops, while Tao Sheng returned to the camp.

Tao Sheng, who had been missing for days, surprised the King of Chu when he saw her.

The King had sent people to search for Tao Sheng, but she seemed to have disappeared. Now, the King said the original list had been wrong. Tao Sheng was never supposed to be with the King of Rui, so she wouldn’t be blamed for deserting.

Tao Sheng felt relieved. She no longer believed in coincidences, but now was the time to investigate. When the Emperor returns, all those causing trouble will be caught.

Tao Sheng asked the King of Chu about Prince Rui: “Do you have any news about Prince Rui?”

“I heard he was attacked by some bad people. He was strong, but news came that he is dying,” the King replied.

Princess Chu added: “I heard you were also attacked. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Tao Sheng replied.

The King of Chu said, “Let’s not stand outside. Let’s go inside and have tea.”

Just then, a man in disguise came over and whispered to the King, “There is already news in the capital that the King of Chu intends to kidnap Your Majesty and rebel. You should make plans.” He quickly left.

Though the man was disguised, Tao Sheng recognized him. He used to be a gardener at Luo Xin’s house. It seemed he was an assassin trained by the Luo family.

The King of Chu choked: “They actually say I’m plotting… plotting…”

Princess Chu said calmly: “You haven’t done anything yet, so why are you scared to even speak these words? How could you commit treason?”

_

The King of Chu accompanied the Emperor while he took medicine and rinsed his mouth.

“Father looks better today. Are you feeling better?”

The Emperor said, “Yes, much better. I heard Ji Yanming and others are back?”

“Yes.”

“Let him come quietly, without any noise.”

The King of Chu was excited. Did Ji Yanming’s position become so important? The Emperor called for him right away, eager to rely on him for next steps.

No matter what, Ji Yanming is his man!

The King of Chu felt honored.

The emperor was still worried about the alliance between Ling and Dai. Since Tao Sheng mentioned it last time, there had been no news, so the emperor called Ji Yanming today to ask about it.

“How is the situation in Lingguo? Is there any threat to the northwest border?”

“Your Majesty, although Ling and Dai have overstepped their bounds, it will likely take time before they form an alliance and send troops. I, the humble minister, and King Huan have taken some measures in the area, so we expect results in time. I have written about the details in the memorial, and Your Majesty can review it.”

After Ji Yanming finished speaking, he handed the memorial to the emperor. After reading it, the emperor suggested, “In my opinion, the border issue is important but not urgent. After Your Majesty handles the matters here, it will be time to deal with the border.”

“Yes, we must focus on the present.” Even after taking the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician, the emperor still couldn’t sleep well recently, and his voice sounded tired.

In the past, he would have dealt with the border issues as soon as possible, but now he lacked the confidence to do so.

“I heard you have already gone to Lord Yu to persuade him.”

“Yes.”

“How many troops can Fu An control now?”

Ji Yanming recalled his conversation with Fu An and answered, “There are still 70,000 soldiers and horses.”

At first, they were sent to Ling State to test its strength, but they didn’t expect it to play a stabilizing role now. The emperor finally felt relieved: “You should come up with a reason to enter the city. Once the Crown Prince takes action, prepare to enter.”

The emperor paused and added, “After the matter is accomplished, I won’t treat you unfairly.”

_ 

As soon as Ji Yanming left, the King of Chu pulled him into his tent. “Father can only rely on you now,” he said excitedly.

The King of Chu’s tent was lively today. King Huan and Tao Sheng were discussing plans for dealing with Ling State in the future.

Ji Yanming didn’t understand the King of Chu’s thoughts for a moment: “What?”

“As soon as the emperor heard that you were back, he specifically asked you to come over. Wasn’t it to discuss how to deal with the Crown Prince?”

Although they discussed it, the main issue was…

“Something happened in Ling State, and there was confusion with Dai State. They were planning to attack our northwest border, so Your Majesty asked me to ask about the situation.”

King of Chu: …

It’s hard not to feel discouraged if they keep making wrong judgments.

Ji Yanming looked at the dejected King of Chu and patted him on the shoulder: “Your Majesty, the emperor also gave instructions. Let’s think of a reason to enter the city soon.”

The prince could use the excuse that the King of Chu was plotting treason, gathering troops to “suppress the rebellion.” To enter the city legally, they needed a legitimate reason.

If the other side is under the banner of suppressing rebellion, they first need a King of Chu. If they cut off the source of trouble and suppress the King of Chu, accusing the Crown Prince of rebellion without grounds, it’s the first step in the counterattack.

Thinking of this, Ji Yanming asked, “The situation is critical. Your Highness, do you mind sacrificing yourself?”

“As long as we can enter the city smoothly and destroy the East Palace, it doesn’t matter if I sacrifice a little.” The King of Chu waved his hand confidently. “I just don’t know what you mean by sacrifice?”

“Sacrifice yourself,” Ji Yanming said clearly.

The King of Chu widened his eyes in shock: “Does it mean I can only enter the city after my people are gone?”

The meaning was similar. Ji Yanming nodded and said, “Almost the same.”

The King of Chu almost fainted as he leaned against his uncle.