Chapter 282: News of Death

Chapter 282: News of Death

"Hahaha." Meng Wan seemed to hear something amusing. "I never expected the Prime Minister of Annam to be so naive."

He didn't look like a good guy at all right now. He yanked his smile back, his face flipping like a mask as he said coldly, "Annam's a goddamn speck of land. You really think you can go toe-to-toe with Yu? If we were dead set on wiping you out, why the hell would we wait a year?"

"You..." The old Prime Minister was fuming, but he had to admit Meng Wan had a point. Their country was small and their power weak. Putting on a tough front might get the big countries to look their way, but talking about taking them down was pure pipe dream.

Meng Wan ragged on him good, then switched to a softer tone in a heartbeat. "But Your Excellency don't gotta worry too much. If you agree to one little favor, I can naturally guarantee Annam three years of peace."

He pulled a number out of thin air, casually slapping on a timeframe. After all, nobody was there to call him out on it—spinning bullshit was Meng Wan's specialty.

"You? A coward who won't even show his face?" The old Prime Minister looked him up and down, his voice just dripping with contempt.

Meng Wan chuckled lightly, his tone arrogant and unrestrained. "That's where you got it wrong, old man. Not showing my face is exactly what proves I'm the real deal—the one who actually calls the shots."

The old Prime Minister wasn't stupid. Without hard proof, he wasn't buying a single word out of Meng Wan's mouth.

Good thing Meng Wan came ready.

"If Your Excellency don't believe me, why not head to the border and take a look? See for yourself if our Yu army's been sitting there, ready to roll into Annam the second we give the word?"

The old Prime Minister's heart lurched. His saggy old skin suddenly pulled tight—not because he'd gotten his youth back, but because Meng Wan's words made his blood run cold.

Because he knew that shit was entirely possible. As the PM of an enemy nation, he knew damn well about the ties between the Qin family and the Crown Prince. And now that Meng Wan had the balls to let him check it out, this was getting serious.

The old Prime Minister fought to keep his swaying ass upright. "First, tell me what you want."

Once he gave an inch, that meant there was room to deal. Meng Wan's lips curled into a handsome smirk under his veil—too bad nobody was around to see it. "I want the King of Annam to hand me that guy's letter, and then write one to Prince Lian of Yu himself."

The old Prime Minister stared at him long and hard, then said, "I gotta run this by our King."

"Of course." Meng Wan waved him off, then quietly slipped behind Ge Quan.

Ge Quan never let go of his sword. He casually plucked a dead blade of grass and held it between his fingers. With some invisible burst of inner force, the next second that blade of grass was stuck in the Annam PM's hair, scaring the old man half to death.

"Oh man, my bad—my big bro here slipped. You okay there, Your Excellency?" Meng Wan said, all fake concern.

After getting spooked a few times in one day, the old PM was just about numb to it. "Cut the crap. Annam's got top-tier masters too. For the sake of peace, we won't make the first move!"

Bull-fucking-shit.

Meng Wan thought, yeah right—that just means they can't win. If they could, would the old man have put up with this shit until now?

One, the country was weak. Two, the people were nobody.

A chill of dread crept up his spine. If Yu ever fell behind another nation, wouldn't he get stomped on too? Would people push him around the way he just pushed that old PM around?

No way. He'd never let a piece of shit like Prince Lian take the throne!

—Qinzhou Army Camp.

Ever since he got Meng Wan's letter, the recovered Qin Jiao had been taking his men to the front lines every couple days, right up to the border between the two armies. They didn't do jack shit—just walked around.

And not just that—even Song Tingzhou, who ran the admin side of Qinzhou City, had brought a bunch of garrison troops, all dressed up in regular soldier gear to train with them.

"What's Commander Qin up to? Getting ready to storm the Annam camp and get payback?"

"Pfft, what a dumbass question. We're about even with the Annam army right now. Charge in and get everyone killed?"

"Then what the hell are we doing out here every day? Putting on a circus for the Annam guys across the line?"

"Who gives a shit why? Orders are orders—just do what you're told!"

"Can't a guy be curious?"

"Curious? Go ask those garrison boys. I hear Lord Song dragged damn near all of Lingnan's garrison forces over here."

Inside the tent, Qin Jiao was grilling Song Tingzhou. "Lord Song, did Meng Fulang's letter say anything about where the Crown Prince is?"

After days on the road, Song Tingzhou's skin had darkened a couple shades and he'd lost weight. His jaw was sharper now, and standing next to Qin Jiao, his tall frame made him look even more like a soldier—but the second he opened his mouth, the scholar in him came right out.

"Something that sensitive—how would Wan'er put it in writing? Young Master, just be patient. Word on His Highness should come in a few days." His voice was as steady as always, and it just naturally put people at ease.

Qin Jiao let out a breath. "Yeah, you're right. I'm getting ahead of myself. Where are A Yan and Tong'er? I'll go teach them some boxing."

Song Tingzhou's dark eyes glanced toward the door. "They're outside."

Qin Jiao shoved his heavy thoughts down deep and headed out to find the two little brats.

Once the room was quiet, Song Tingzhou started tidying his books. He held Meng Wan's latest letter in his hands, fingers rubbing over it, holding on way longer than he should.

When Qin Jiao stepped outside, he saw the two little boys huddled around a good-looking young guy, whining and begging him to play.

The camp was all soldiers. Huang Ye, who Song Tingzhou brought along, spent every waking second washing clothes and cooking for the picky little shits A Yan and Tong'er—no time to play with them.

Fang Jinrong, who'd come to see his kid, did like taking the two boys out to play, but Song Tingzhou put the kibosh on that.

He was scared that by the time Meng Wan got back, Fang Jinrong would've lost his kids. How the hell would he explain that to Wan'er?

So the two boys were terribly bored and had turned their attention to the young son of the military physician.

"A Yan, Tong'er—what are you doing? Are you causing trouble for Brother Anyuan?" Qin Jiao walked over and scooped up both children, offering a gentle smile to Physician Pei's son.

Qin Jiao was young, handsome, dashing, from an impeccable family, and completely without airs. From the moment he approached, the red on Pei Anyuan's face deepened until it burned and made him dizzy. "They wanted to play with me."

"Brother Anyuan has many important things to do. You two come practice boxing with me." Qin Jiao dragged the two children away, glancing back at Pei Anyuan before he left.

Two lovers who spent every day together exchanged a look, their eyes filled with lingering affection. But more important than romance was news of the Crown Prince.

"Impossible... impossible! Lord Xia, you truly saw this with your own eyes?" Qin Jiao grabbed Xia Yuan's collar with bloodshot eyes, his voice hoarse beyond recognition, his expression on the verge of collapse, as if the heavens themselves had crumbled. Had he not been physically strong, he would have already fainted.

Xia Yuan could not bear to see him like this and turned his head away. "This official saw His Highness's body lying in that coffin with my own eyes. There were no signs of disguise on his face. His body was covered in maggots—there was no possibility of survival. I beg the Young Master to restrain his grief."

Qin Xiaoyun was more cautious than Qin Jiao. He asked, "Since the corpse had already decomposed, how did Lord Xia confirm his identity?"

Xia Yuan explained, "Annam possesses a mask woven from jade and golden thread. The King of Annam had placed it over His Highness's face. When I saw the body that day, though the face had some decomposition, his features were still discernible."

He fabricated the story with convincing detail. The royalty of any nation was exceedingly extravagant—jade burial suits were commonplace—so no one could find a flaw in his words.

Qin Xiaoyun clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked. He growled, "I'll lead the troops right now and seize His Highness's body back!"

Qin Jiao wiped his eyes. "Uncle, I'll muster the troops immediately."

"Would the two of you truly act so rashly? To start a war without His Majesty's orders—do you know what consequences you would bear?"

Xia Yuan advised earnestly, "What's done is done. Would it not be better for the two of you to quietly drill your troops and await His Majesty's decree before acting?"

Qin Jiao had reached his limit. The veins on the backs of his hands and forehead were bulging. He wished he could charge straight into Annam's territory and slaughter them all, avenging his brother-in-law the Crown Prince.

But he was only throwing a tantrum; defying the imperial decree would implicate the entire Qin family. Qin Jiao felt utterly powerless for the first time.

He ran out of the tent, as if futilely venting his anger. From where Song Tingzhou stood, he could see a young man in white robes chasing after Qin Jiao.

Song Tingzhou half-closed his eyes, his voice devoid of any emotion, "Lord Xia, you and my husband went to Annam together. How is it that only you returned, and my husband's whereabouts are unknown?"

"Meng Fulang still hasn't returned?" Xia Yuan said in surprise.

He recounted what happened when they parted, saying to Song Tingzhou with profound guilt, "At that time, with no one else available, I had to ask the exceptionally quick-witted Meng Fulang to come along. I never expected him to have an accident..."

"Lord Xia!" Song Tingzhou's voice was low and deep, as if he was barely holding something back, "My husband may have been delayed on the road. It's too early to talk about accidents."

Xia Yuan thought to himself: I didn't realize Song Tingzhou and his husband were so deeply in love.

Since Song Tingzhou refused to believe Meng Wan had met with misfortune, Xia Yuan changed the subject, glad to avoid further explanation.

The Crown Prince's death was a matter of great importance; compared to that, his own husband's situation had to be put aside. Song Tingzhou was silent for a moment, then discussed with Qin Xiaoyun and Xia Yuan, "The epidemic in Qinzhou has stabilized for now, but we still lack supplies and need aid from the court. The news of the Crown Prince's death is equally urgent and must be reported to the Emperor immediately."

His words struck a chord with Xia Yuan, whose admiration for Song Tingzhou was genuine. He chimed in, "Lord Song makes a good point. The most urgent matter is for me to return to the capital and report to His Majesty without any further delay."

Xia Yuan then looked at Qin Xiaoyun, "General Qin, will you return to the capital with me, or stay in Qinzhou?"

Qin Xiaoyun rubbed his face and pointed outside to where his nephew had disappeared, "Qinzhou needs someone to hold things down, and with Jiao'er like this, I can't leave with peace of mind. I'll stay here. I'll trouble Lord Xia to make the trip."

"We all serve His Majesty; General, you're being too polite." Xia Yuan's face was grave and serious, "In that case, I won't delay any longer and will set out for the capital immediately. General Qin, Lord Song, I'll leave Qinzhou in your hands."

General Qin and Song Tingzhou bowed at the same time, "Lord Xia, rest assured. Take care on the road."

After Xia Yuan left with Feng Chu, neither Song Tingzhou nor Qin Xiaoyun spoke for a while, both silent in their own thoughts.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Xue Sheng reported from outside the window, "My lord, the master and servant have left the military camp."

General Qin suddenly knelt on one knee before Song Tingzhou without a word. He said nothing, but Song Tingzhou knew why he was kneeling. Song Tingzhou helped him up, "General, there's no need for this. It was all this subordinate's duty."

"If not for Lord Song and Meng Fulang's help, this wouldn't have gone so smoothly. The Qin family owes you both a debt of gratitude."

General Qin and Song Tingzhou exchanged a glance; neither said it directly, but both knew what the other meant.

"Is everything all right with Meng Fulang?" Having a young man out on such a journey made the usually decisive General Qin feel a bit ashamed.

At the mention of Meng Wan, a trace of warmth crept into Song Tingzhou's cold eyes, "Thank you for your concern, General. All is going well. Wan'er should be back soon."

----Anding County in Annam.

Anding County was the county nearest to the former Annam military camp battlefield. A group of gathered experts, after scouting the front lines, found the old prime minister who had arrived in the county two days earlier. "Lord Prime Minister, we have gone for three days straight, and the Yu army is indeed stirring, even..."

"Even what?" The old prime minister's voice was authoritative without being angry, though a hint of fear could be detected upon closer listening.

One of the men reported carefully, "Even today, they marched to the border between the two armies. They only retreated when our army prepared to fight."

The old prime minister plopped down into his chair. Though he had been prepared, he hadn't expected that what that young man said would indeed prove true.

Half a month later, Meng Wan, carrying a letter whose ink had long dried, returned safely to Qinzhou.

At that time, A Yan and Tong'er were playing cuju on the open ground outside the camp. They were among the most experienced children, having climbed mountains, crossed rivers, survived floods, and even visited the border camp!

"Good, good, Tong'er scores another one! That's five now. A Yan, you need to work harder!" Fang Jinrong served as referee for the two children, fair and impartial. The loser had to eat his cooking for dinner, so A Yan and Tong'er were very serious.

But Tong'er was gifted; at just four years old, his talent was already evident. He quickly scored five goals, leaving A Yan with no chance to retaliate. After a long time, A Yan had only managed one point, and even that was suspected to be Tong'er going easy on him.

Uncle Rong's cooking!

Just as A Yan was in despair, a voice as sweet as an angel's rang out, "A Yan!"

Meng Wan, Ge Quan, Chu Ci, and Chi Yu approached, leading their horses, with General Qin, having received the news, leading the way ahead.

"Daddy!!!!" A Yan abandoned the ball rolling on the ground and ran toward Meng Wan, throwing himself onto him.

His son was a chubby little boy, and Meng Wan was almost knocked breathless. "Alright, alright, you're a big boy now. Get off quickly. Dad needs to go freshen up."

Song Tingzhou had gone back to Qinzhou two days earlier to handle some matters and wasn't at the camp at the moment. He would surely rush back soon once he heard the news of Meng Wan's return.

Everyone was delighted by Meng Wan's return, and naturally, the "bet" between A Yan and Tong'er was canceled.