Chapter 54

Chapter 54

That same night, the Minister of Justice and others were smuggled out of the palace, their bodies disguised as corpses. The imperial guards dispatched to search for the Ninth Prince outside the city returned empty-handed, having found no trace of him.

The following morning at court, Zhao Yun orchestrated the announcement of an imperial decree. It declared that the Emperor had long ago adopted Zhao He as his foster son and was now appointing him Regent, entrusting him with the governance of all officials.

This proclamation sent a ripple of shock and disbelief through the court. Everyone knew Zhao He was Zhao Yun's grandson, a mere twelve years old. Bestowing a royal title upon such a young child was preposterous enough, but to then task him with leading all officials? That was utterly absurd! Who would possibly obey him?!

The officials were incensed, their faces flushed and necks bulging with anger. Yet, mindful that a group of their peers had been carried out of the palace as corpses just the day before, a chilling silence descended upon the hall. All eyes darted around, each official waiting for another to make the first move, to gauge the consequences before committing themselves.

Zhao Yun, however, clearly held their reactions in contempt. Without waiting for any response, he immediately ordered an additional chair to be placed beside the dragon throne and personally helped his grandson onto it.

Zhao He had been sternly coached by his father all night, instructed to perform one specific task in court today. Having barely slept, he began to doze off the moment he settled into the chair. His grandfather sharply pinched him, eliciting a cry of pain. His mind momentarily blank, he blurted out the exact phrase he had been forcibly drilled on overnight: "The Southern Garrison Army has abandoned its post and mobilized troops to besiege the palace. I now command Zhao Yun to lead troops as Marshal to suppress them."

Zhao Yun immediately raised his military tally high, shouting with fervent passion, "Soldiers are maintained for a thousand days to be used in a single moment! Now, with rebels pressing upon the palace and troops at the city gates, all generals must unite with one heart to resist the enemy, protect the capital's citizens, and defend the Great Zhou empire!"

He alone thundered with impassioned cries, while the hundreds of officials below remained utterly silent.

Some secretly breathed a sigh of relief, grateful they hadn't spoken out earlier. They had never imagined the Emperor would hand over the military tally to Zhao Yun—the sole token capable of mobilizing the nation's entire armed forces.

Several generals in the hall wore expressions of profound displeasure. They all had some degree of acquaintance with Hua Xun and understood perfectly well the true nature of this farce. The real traitor, they knew, bore the surname Zhao, yet they were now being ordered to fight Hua Xun on behalf of the Zhao family?! It was an outrageous proposition.

One general stepped forward, claiming advanced age and failing health, and requested permission to retire to his hometown.

A cascade of generals followed, each citing their own age and infirmity, also requesting to retire.

Zhao Yun’s face instantly darkened. He roared in fury, "With the nation facing such peril, how dare you shirk your duties?! You—"

Alas, before he could finish his sentence, they unfastened their official seals, placed them on the hall floor, and turned to leave.

Zhao Yun: "..."

His eyes wide with rage, he seethed, truly wanting to bellow, "Guards, seize these ungrateful scoundrels and behead them!" Yet, this was precisely the moment he needed men to fight for him. If he acted on his impulse, the officials might not voice their dissent openly, but after court adjourned, they would likely all abandon him.

Zhao Yun swallowed his anger. Fortunately, he had cultivated numerous factions within the court over the years, so he wasn't entirely without loyalists. After all, where there are great rewards, there will be brave men. Zhao Yun declared, "The battle begins tomorrow. Those who volunteer as vanguard will be granted the highest official rank, ennobled as marquises and generals, with hereditary titles."

Immediately, a throng of men vied for the honor of leading the vanguard.

Only then did Zhao Yun appear satisfied.

He appointed Xiong Lu as the Grand General of the Vanguard, entrusting him with twenty thousand cavalrymen to march out of the city the next day and engage the Southern Garrison Army in a decisive battle.

Furthermore, Zhao Yun began to leverage the military tally and the Emperor's Jade Seal to mobilize national forces, directing them to converge on the capital. The capital's garrison comprised one hundred thousand troops from the Western Mountain and Northern Office camps, fifty thousand Imperial Guards, and three thousand Imperial Front Guards. However, after the incident with the ministers' corpse carts yesterday, only one thousand Imperial Front Guards reported for duty today. If this trend continued, even with the military tally in hand, he would lose popular support due to his illegitimate authority.

The Emperor was currently "ill" and unable to appear, but he couldn't remain unseen indefinitely. To ensure the Emperor never reappeared without jeopardizing his own standing in court, Zhao Yun pondered every angle. Only by ascending the throne himself could he eliminate all future threats. And Hua Xun was the greatest obstacle on his path to ascension. Therefore, he resolved to eliminate him at any cost!

...

For over two hundred years since the founding of Great Zhou, the area south of the city had been exclusively farmland, never housing military garrisons. However, recent court turmoil had altered this. First, the Southern Garrison Army encircled the capital, and now, they had established their camp here.

Several days prior, fifty thousand Southern Garrison troops seemed to materialize out of thin air, setting up their encampment on a plain five li outside the capital's Vermilion Bird Gate. The general commanding this army wore a silver mask and silver armor. Exceptionally tall, with piercingly sharp eyes, the silver armor seemed to radiate a chilling gleam around him, inspiring awe and deterring any who dared approach.

Under his command were four generals who had been deliberating battle plans in the main tent from dawn until dusk, finally dispersing at戌时 (7-9 PM). After the generals departed, a young man dressed as a soldier, carrying a meal box, arrived at the entrance of the main tent.

He called out softly, "Your Highness?"

A hand suddenly shot out between the tent flaps, pulling him inside without a moment's hesitation.

A dull thud followed as the meal box fell to the ground.

After an indeterminate amount of time, a soft complaint emerged from within the tent: "What took you so long?"

"The generals wouldn't leave, how could I come? You first... let go..."

"..."

Another unknown period passed before an exasperated voice declared, "My legs are like jelly, I can't move. Carry me over!"

"Heh."

A light, joyful chuckle dispelled the fatigue accumulated from days of military strategizing.

Carried to the desk by the Ninth Prince and gently placed in a chair, Gao Zhen felt a mix of irritation and amusement. Though he initially intended to ignore the mischievous person, he couldn't help but ask, "When does the battle begin?"

"Scouts report that Xiong Lu is already rallying troops at the Western Capital cavalry camp. If all goes as expected, the battle will commence tonight." The Ninth Prince picked up the meal box from the ground, retrieved the dishes, and meticulously arranged them on the desk.

Gao Zhen nodded silently, his mind already calculating what provisions to purchase from the Shennong Mall.

Recently, the Ninth Prince had been frequently showering him with Favor Points. Just from that last interaction, Gao Zhen's data panel had registered several million, pushing his total Favor Points past twenty million.

The White Silkworm Vanishing Ointment had been acquired before their arrival in the capital. After several days of use, the scars on the Ninth Prince's face had shed a layer, much like a snake molting its skin. They appeared somewhat lighter than before, though the change wasn't dramatically obvious.

Observing Gao Zhen's furrowed brow, which suggested disappointment with the ointment's progress, the Ninth Prince offered reassurance: "A twenty-year-old injury can't possibly heal overnight. This is already good progress; it takes time."

Gao Zhen tenderly touched his face and asked, "Did it hurt when the skin peeled?"

The Ninth Prince took his hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed it, smiling, "If I said it hurt, would A Zhen help me?"

Gao Zhen swiftly withdrew his hand: "No."

The Ninth Prince simply gazed at him and smiled.

After they finished their meal in the main tent, Gao Zhen took out the White Silkworm Vanishing Ointment and applied it for the Ninth Prince, saying, "Your Highness, I've prepared some medicinal pills. Each soldier going into battle tonight should take a bottle. If injured, one pill will quickly stop bleeding and relieve pain, offering them a better chance of survival."

"Ten thousand soldiers are deploying tonight. Is that enough?" Since granting Gao Zhen his freedom, the Ninth Prince had never again questioned the source of Gao Zhen's medicines, choosing simply to trust him implicitly.

Gao Zhen nodded and replied, "No problem. Your Highness, please send someone to my tent to collect them."

...

Before nightfall, every soldier preparing for battle received a bottle of medicine. They curiously pressed the army medic distributing them: "What is this?"

"Blood-stopping medicine," the medic replied, then lowered his voice conspiratorially, "I heard Young Master Gao specially prepared it for you, just in case you die and can't return."

"Ah?" The soldiers were momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter, exclaiming, "It's rare for someone to care about us! This time, we can't shame ourselves. We must survive to thank the young master! Right, everyone?"

"Right! That's the truth!"

"I don't want to die either; I still want to see the young master a few more times!"

"With that thought, you're not far from death! Don't play dumb; you really don't know who the young master is?"

"I know, isn't he our Highness's man?"

"And you still dare to look?"

"What's wrong with a few glances? The Prince isn’t that petty, is he?"

"Heh. If it were you, would you want others looking at your wife a few more times?"

The soldier fell silent.

After a moment, he burst into laughter again, cursing, "To hell with it! I'm heading to the battlefield anyway—might as well get my fill of looking while I still can!"

Ever since Gao Zhen returned to the military camp with the Ninth Prince, countless people yearned to catch a glimpse of him each day. Gao Zhen, however, remained quite easygoing, interacting with everyone as usual without taking offense at being stared at.

In fact, the entire camp had known from the day he arrived that he was the Ninth Prince's man. But because they heard he was merely the Prince's "Tutor Geer," they didn't treat him with the reverence or distance reserved for a royal consort. Instead, they couldn't help but steal extra glances at him.

Later, after several days of observation, the soldiers gradually discovered that the Ninth Prince's affection for this "Tutor Geer" was no less than what he would show a wife—in fact, it seemed as though he was spoiling him to an almost heavenly degree. And Gao Zhen, in turn, was nothing like an ordinary "Tutor Geer" in his obedience; when displeased, he wouldn't hesitate to kick the Ninth Prince.

Someone had witnessed it firsthand: during a martial arts competition on the training grounds, the Ninth Prince, though fighting bare-handed, allowed his opponent to wield a blade. While he ultimately won, the moment he stepped off the platform, Gao Zhen delivered a kick. Crucially, Gao Zhen immediately fled, leaving the Ninth Prince no chance to catch him.

At the time, every soldier who witnessed this scene couldn't help but let out a muffled chuckle.

As for the Ninth Prince, he simply watched Gao Zhen's retreating figure, a slow smile spreading across his lips.

No one knew what price Gao Zhen paid for that kick that night.

Nevertheless, from that day forward, the soldiers' idle gossip began to revolve around the likelihood of "Tutor Geer's" rise in status. For it was clear to everyone that the Ninth Prince doted on this "Tutor Geer" excessively, almost indulging his every whim and disregarding all propriety.

While military discipline was naturally strict, private interactions among the soldiers were far less formal. Gao Zhen's easygoing and natural demeanor unexpectedly earned him considerable popularity among the troops.

So, when everyone heard today that the medicine had been prepared by Gao Zhen, they immediately grew excited, as if they had received some priceless treasure.

Suddenly, morale surged so high that it seemed even the pre-battle pep talk could be skipped. Zhou Yunning couldn't help but sigh in admiration, realizing that A Zhen was truly a lucky star for the army.

As soon as darkness fell, twenty thousand cavalry from the Western Capital Cavalry Camp surged out in full force, riding under the stars and moon toward the Southern Garrison Army’s camp stationed in the southern suburbs.

The southwestern region was entirely flat plains, with no suitable places for an ambush along the way. The only semblance of cover was a poplar grove, which stretched no more than thirty zhang. The cavalry paid it little mind, whipping their horses and charging into it like the wind—

When the first horse stumbled, those behind had no time to slow down.

As a large number of horses were brought down by steel-wire traps, a volley of flaming arrows rained down from all directions.

In an instant, flames leaped toward the sky, marking the beginning of this life-or-death battle.