Chapter 70

Chapter 70

"What did you prepare at the foot of the mountain?" Qi Hanzhou asked.

Ying Fusheng gazed at the distant moonlight. Qi Hanzhou's falcon perched high above, still as if waiting for something. He knew, Qi Hanzhou and his personal guards constantly communicated via the falcon, a method that remained flexible even in the complex terrain of the Northern Mountains.

"You send the message." Ying Fusheng looked at Qi Hanzhou. "Have Ye Xuanjiu escort the Eighth Prince down the mountain in two hours."

Qi Hanzhou frowned. "Are you sure? You said yourself that descending the mountain is a trap."

Ying Fusheng faced his question. "But I said in two hours."

Outside, faint rustling sounds approached—killers seemed to be closing in on them.

Danger was imminent. Ying Fusheng said, "It all depends on whether the Junior General trusts me."

...

In the camp at the foot of the mountain, as the two princes' disappearance stretched on, the emperor ordered increasing numbers of imperial guards to search the mountains. Though it was the dead of night, the mountains blazed with torchlight as everyone searched.

Those associated with the two princes were summoned before the emperor. Shen Yunfei was led in and recounted the chain of events: "The Eighth Prince's guard sought help from the Sixth Prince. His Highness ordered me to return first and call for backup, while he and the guard would follow later. But they encountered a beast attack on the way and the horses bolted, scattering them."

All attendants of the two princes were examined. Shen Yunfei had an excellent memory—he recalled all the guards who had returned at the time, making the missing ones stand out.

"Your Majesty, each prince's retinue is missing people," Eunuch Rong reported. "Three individuals are unaccounted for."

One was a hunting guide from the Sixth Prince's hunting party. Another was the guard who initially sought help from the Sixth Prince, along with a different guide.

Two princes who were supposed to be hunting on the periphery had suddenly vanished, both incidents caused by horses being spooked.

"Investigation into the hunting guides found a corpse on the outskirts of the hunting grounds. Someone had impersonated the guide of the Sixth Prince's hunting party."

The Sixth Prince's disappearance was no accident—someone had used the Eighth Prince as bait to lure him into a trap.

The emperor's expression darkened as he received this succession of news. His gaze swept over the officials in the tent. Their faces turned pale—this was no trivial matter. If this was such an intricate assassination, who among them dared to defy the emperor?

Among the ministers, two officials from the Xu family stirred slightly. This clue inevitably cast suspicion on the powerful princes. Everyone knew that the Eighth Prince's maternal Zhao family was of modest status, and had previously relied on the Xu family.

Now, with only the Eighth Prince left by the empress, the Xu family had no reason to target him. So who had orchestrated this?

Seeing the emperor's inscrutable expression, the Xu officials thought to themselves, *Let him suspect. The more suspicion, the better. Without direct evidence, no one—even the officials searching the entire mountain—could clear the prince caught in the emperor's doubts.*

The other princes present exchanged glances with their officials. More officials were dispatched into the mountains. At this point, no one wanted the taint to fall on themselves; they would only try to shift the blame. Besides, the Xu officials looked toward the Ministry of War. Although the ministry was the Third Prince's training post, if trouble arose, the Minister and Vice Minister would be implicated as well.

Shen Yunfei stood behind his father Shen Changcun, head bowed, saying nothing.

Just then, news arrived from outside the camp—

"Your Majesty! Chaotic hoofprints found on the southern side of North Mountain!"

The search teams pushed deeper into the mountains, following the horse tracks. On the southern side, where fog was thicker and the ground damp at night, hoofprints stood out clearly.

Since the day's hunt had occurred, tracking through the mountain was easy. Soon, they discovered a corpse. The face was unrecognizable, and beside it lay a banner from the Eighth Prince's column—an identifier exclusive to the Eighth Prince's retinue. It was likely the missing guard.

The death was gruesome, almost impossible to identify.

"Dead! Don't come close! He's been poisoned! Report to the commander now!"

The coroner soon arrived and examined the body.

But more importantly, not far from the corpse, they found hoofprints! They had been carefully concealed, but upon closer inspection, faint traces remained. When Hu Buyu saw these traces, he immediately ordered them to be preserved, and the news traveled back to the camp.

The moment the corpse was reported, the people in the tent showed varied expressions. The Empress Dowager even stood up, only calming down when she learned it was not a prince.

"The corpse is severely damaged. The medical officer says it's poison, but the exact type is unknown."

At the mention of an unknown toxin, the emperor's gaze swept toward the other factions in the court.

No need to explain—he had seen such methods once before, during the attack on the Crown Prince.

Back then, it was the Xu family. Now, who was stirring trouble?

"You've truly brought me many surprises," the emperor said, looking at the assembly.

The Xu officials bowed their heads, feigning fear, but inwardly remained calm. They knew the emperor's suspicion would not fall on the Xu family. Yet the appearance of a corpse meant the people in the mountains had failed? No matter—the more complex the situation, the more avenues the emperor's suspicion would take. That served their purpose.

Suddenly, Hu Buyu changed his tone: "But beside the corpse, we found hoofprints."

At the news of the hoofprints, the Xu officials' expressions shifted slightly.

Hu Buyu had already presented a rubbing traced by Ministry of War personnel. "Your Majesty, please see."

Many military officers had come to the Spring Hunt, each leading their personal troops back, along with their warhorses. The Ministry of War and Ministry of Works supplied different provisions and equipment to various garrisons. For instance, the Northern Qi Family Army used heavier horseshoes due to environmental conditions, unlike those of the Jiangnan or Western Shu garrisons.

The hoofprint rubbing presented to the emperor matched the Western Shu style.

But it differed from current Western Shu horseshoes, appearing to be an older model.

"The surroundings had been deliberately treated, so it might be intentionally left," Hu Buyu said.

The emperor watched coldly, his gaze heavy.

It seemed like Western Shu, but could also be Jiangnan.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had reported the whereabouts of the military funds, likely heading to these two regions. The emperor had convened the Spring Hunt and recalled military officers from both places. The disappearance of a prince now entangled all the princes, and then the hoofprints surfaced. The investigation into the military funds had been kept secret—only the Embroidered Uniform Guard and a few others knew. Now, an old-model horseshoe suddenly appeared.

Was it the arrows or the horseshoes?

Who was framing whom?

The Xu officials grew uneasy. Their original plan had been to stir chaos in the court. Only in chaos could they insert their people and divert the emperor's attention from local affairs. From the military funds case and this Spring Hunt, they sensed the emperor was paying attention to lingering issues from the Ministry of Works case, prompting them to act.

But how could old-style horseshoes appear in the wilderness? And such an old model!

The Xu officials suddenly realized something. They shot a glance toward the Ministry of War officials. Shen Changcun stood there, seemingly letting Hu Buyu take the lead, but only the Ministry of Works (responsible for forging) and the Ministry of War (for allocation) could handle and understand garrison horseshoes.

"After uncovering this clue, I immediately verified with all commanders. The horseshoes used by the generals attending the Spring Hunt indeed match their respective garrisons. However, this old-style horseshoe is from years ago. Currently, it should exist only in Ministry of Works records, not in active military use," Shen Changcun reported. "May I ask the Ministry of Works: have you forged such horseshoes in recent years?"

The newly appointed Minister of Works immediately denied: "Weapons and horse gear, after the reforms, would definitely not be reused!"

The only place such horseshoes could appear, the emperor thought, pointed to that batch of military funds.

The military funds case involved former Ministry of Works officials, the Xu family, and the Eastern Palace...

Hu Buyu glanced at Shen Changcun. If this were merely a prince disappearance case involving court spies, the emperor would suspect factional infighting, leading to doubts about his earlier judgment on the Xu family—perhaps the spies weren't in the Xu family, causing court chaos. But if the prince disappearance was bait to muddle the court and divert attention, the only place eager to shift focus would be the two regions tied to the military funds' whereabouts.

Whether this horseshoe is real or fake doesn't matter at all; the purpose is to firmly lock the emperor's attention on the matter of local military funds.

When did that person set all this up?

Hu Buyu turned around and saw a palace attendant trailing behind Shen Yunfei.

That was the personal attendant of the Sixth Prince, Ying Fusheng.

Just then, someone suddenly arrived outside the tent—

"Your Majesty! Lord Ye of the Brocade Guard brings news!" The person outside the tent reported, "The Brocade Guard has located the Eighth Prince and has him under protection. Lord Ye said that when they found the Eighth Prince, he was being pursued by masked men with deadly skills, who were clearly assassins."

The emperor stood up abruptly. "Where is he now?"

"The imperial physician is already examining the Eighth Prince; he has multiple wounds, some of which were nearly fatal."

Upon hearing this, Empress Xu immediately went out, and the Eighth Prince was already surrounded by imperial physicians.

"What about the Sixth Prince?" the Empress Dowager asked.

"Your Highness, when we found them, both princes were being pursued. While trying to protect them, the Sixth Prince fell down a hillside. Lord Qi went to rescue him, but his whereabouts are currently unknown," Ye Xuanjiu calmly reported. "The Eighth Prince's injuries couldn't wait, so we had to return first."

The Empress Dowager swayed slightly and was supported by Lady Yu. "Your Highness!"

Empress Xu, hearing that both princes were being pursued, turned pale. She looked back at the Xu Family officials. The two officials' expressions shifted slightly when they saw the Brocade Guard, as if they hadn't expected the Brocade Guard to bring back the Eighth Prince.

Both princes had been separated from their horses, so why were they being pursued together?

This doubt made the expressions of those around them shift subtly.

The group walked outside the tent and saw the Brocade Guard standing there, having brought back several bodies, which looked similar to the body found earlier. When Ye Xuanjiu pulled up the cloth at the waist of one of the bodies, a corrupt totem pattern appeared before the emperor.

The pattern was blurred and decayed, but the emperor still recognized it at first glance.

The emperor looked away, finally settling on the two Xu Family officials. The Eighth Prince's escort, aside from his usual guards, were typically arranged by trusted aides.

The Sixth Prince's guards had no issues; only the Eighth Prince's missing guard could have known the whereabouts of both princes.

"Continue searching, and make sure we find the Sixth Prince," the emperor said in a cold voice. "Additionally, investigate everyone who had contact with the Eighth Prince today, one by one, without fail!"

"This includes the Xu Family."

Hearing this, the two Xu Family officials' faces twitched. Why would the emperor suspect them!

They were complete victims in this matter. If the Eighth Prince died, the Xu Family would take a huge hit—how could they be the ones behind it!

"Search along this direction! Find Lord Qi and the Sixth Prince!"

"Urgent report! Your Majesty! Suspicious people spotted in the mountains, still chasing the Sixth Prince!"

The emperor's expression changed drastically.

…

In the forest, Qi Hanzhou carried Ying Fusheng on his back, the two of them tied together with just a rope. As arrows rained down into the bushes, the pursuers no longer seemed cautious, as if they were bent on assassination by any means necessary.

"They're desperate," Ying Fusheng said softly. "When Ye Xuanjiu went down the mountain, they knew the person protecting me was from the Brocade Guard. If they don’t kill me now, they'll never get another chance."

Qi Hanzhou carried Ying Fusheng into a ditch to take cover. "So you deliberately waited until Ye Xuanjiu went down before leaving."

The mountain was full of ditches and ravines, and Qi Hanzhou was familiar with the terrain, having evaded several waves of pursuit. But he had very few arrows left. If the plan at the foot of the mountain succeeded, the mastermind could only escape by killing him and faking the scene—all before the Brocade Guard arrived.

"Word travels fast, which means they have people planted among the searchers. The fastest method is to send a signal," Ying Fusheng leaned on Qi Hanzhou's shoulder, reasoning. "If they weren't desperate, how would they reveal their flaws?"

The more desperate they were, the more visible they became to those down the mountain.

Qi Hanzhou suddenly asked, "Your Highness never considered the risk of putting yourself in such deep danger?"

Ying Fusheng paused briefly, a dark glint flickering in his eyes, then he laughed lightly. "Qi Hanzhou, you and I are here, and you ask me if I know the risks?"

At the sound of his full name, Qi Hanzhou froze.

Just then, a shout came from above: "Junior General!"

"It seems your people arrived quickly," Ying Fusheng said.

Once the Brocade Guard went down the mountain, Ye Xuanjiu immediately followed the Brocade Guard's deployment upward, meeting up with the military personnel who were also searching the mountain. As more people gathered in the mountains, Qi Hanzhou, hiding deep in the ditch, looked up when he heard the search party approaching and saw it was Ye Xuanjiu.

The Brocade Guard found each other quickly. As soon as Ye Xuanjiu went up, he was bound to find their location.

Seeing this, Ying Fusheng said, "Looks like things came to a head down there."

Qi Hanzhou didn't speak. His gaze darkened, and he grabbed the rope Ye Xuanjiu threw down, quickly climbing up.

"The ones who were chasing are now being chased," Ye Xuanjiu said. "How is His Highness?"

Ying Fusheng looked and saw that behind him was Shen Yunfei. He frowned slightly, as if something was bothering him. "I'm fine."

Seeing that the Sixth Prince was safe, everyone let out a sigh of relief.

But when they saw the Sixth Prince's injuries, their hearts sank again!

"Hurry down the mountain!"

"The imperial physicians are waiting at the camp!"

Qi Hanzhou, still carrying Ying Fusheng on his back, mounted the horse.

But first they had to get down the mountain. He noticed Ying Fusheng's silence. "What's wrong?"

"They retreated faster than I expected," Ying Fusheng said.

Before he could finish, a hand reached out in front of him. Qi Hanzhou's hand rested on his forehead. His palm was large, and when it rested on Ying Fusheng's forehead, Ying Fusheng's body went stiff. In this life, their relationship had rarely been so close. Ying Fusheng could smell the lingering smell of blood on Qi Hanzhou's hand, evoking a familiar feeling.

For a moment, his mind became confused, and he suddenly thought, "The Qi Hanzhou from before used to touch my head like this too."

After feeling his forehead, Qi Hanzhou said, "You're breaking out in cold sweat."

Ying Fusheng snapped back to reality. Was he?

His body couldn't endure such a long bumpy ride; it was normal. "Once we return, have Chen Xuqiu stick a few needles in me, and I'll be fine."

At Qi Hanzhou's touch, his limbs finally started to ache, and a wave of heat washed over him. He pressed closer against Qi Hanzhou's hand, as if the contact brought some comfort.

Qi Hanzhou was about to withdraw his hand but suddenly felt the heat at his fingertips. The person behind him leaned in instinctively, like a wounded animal, making Qi Hanzhou hesitate.

They descended quickly. As the horse galloped up to the camp, everyone came out.

Everyone saw a figure galloping down on horseback; it was none other than Qi Hanzhou of the Brocade Guard, with the Sixth Prince on his back. As he neared the camp, he abruptly reined in and halted.

Everyone immediately looked in his direction and saw him set down the Sixth Prince, whose face was pale as paper.

The mountain night air was cold. When the imperial physician touched Ying Fusheng, he felt a burning heat and was nearly scared out of his wits, and hastily said, "Take it easy, Lord Qi! Take it easy!"

Qi Hanzhou's hands were steady. Only when he set Ying Fusheng down did he untie the ropes binding them together. In the bright torchlight, he saw the wounds on Ying Fusheng's body: many abrasions, unavoidable cuts from branches and leaves even though Qi Hanzhou had shielded him during the fall, and some places already turning purple and blue.

The Sixth Prince was still fairly lucid; he gave faint responses when the physician asked questions. The Empress Dowager only felt relieved upon seeing this.

The atmosphere in the camp was tense. Not only the physicians but even the Emperor himself came over.

Qi Hanzhou stepped back, and seeing the Emperor's grave expression, he looked at Ye Xuanjiu.

"His Majesty is investigating the military officers in the hunting grounds," Ye Xuanjiu said.

Qi Hanzhou's expression grew slightly tense as he looked at Ying Fusheng, who was surrounded by the physicians.

The mastermind had struck suddenly, and Ying Fusheng truly could not plan the entire situation.

So from beginning to end, he had only prepared one backup plan: to frame the incident on the Western Shu and Jiangnan regions, which were also the places the mastermind urgently wanted to divert attention to. He had probably prepared this move long ago. Shen Yunfei could do a great many things by returning first. With his familiarity with the northern mountains and forests, and his knowledge of the Brocade Guard, plus the assistance of Shen Changcun, he could fully set the backup plan in motion.

It was a matter of sequence. If the prince had returned first, the matter would have been attributed to the former dynasty spies and ambiguous connections within the court.

But now, with the horseshoe incident having occurred earlier, and the military pay case, and the fact that not only court officials but also local military officers appeared at the spring hunt, compared to the arrow with its flimsy evidence that stirred up discord, the Emperor would more easily think of the former dynasty spies being entangled with the military pay case.

The former was the court factions the Emperor could manipulate at any time; the latter was a shadowy enemy that might encroach on his power. Ying Fusheng had Shen Yunfei return precisely to create a timing gap, inserting into a situation that the mastermind expected to develop in a certain way another element that would make the Emperor more suspicious, thus shattering the mastermind's goal of throwing the court into chaos.

"Is the Sixth Brother all right?" the First Prince asked.

The Third Prince glanced at Ying Fusheng’s exposed skin, which had several bruises from bumps and knocks.

Ying Fusheng was still lucid; his eyes half-lidded, he swept his gaze across those present. He nodded feebly at the brothers who had gathered close.

The Emperor’s face turned ashen at the sight of Ying Fusheng’s injuries.

Meanwhile, the imperial physician was still reporting on the Eighth Prince’s wounds.

One spring hunt, and two princes attacked in a row—this had clearly crossed a line.

The tent was heavy with tension.

Then footsteps sounded, and someone outside the tent reported.

“Your Majesty, we found that the Eighth Prince’s guards had lingered on the outskirts, where the hunting boundary had been broken,” a man reported.

At these words, Ying Fusheng glanced slightly toward the Emperor, whose eyes already blazed with anger.

The princes were suspicious of each other—how could the Emperor fail to notice?

From the moment the order to search the mountains was given, all factions might have entered the hunt. The spring hunt was permitted by the Emperor himself, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard had the entire grounds covered. The Great Prince and the Third Prince, along with other princes, to clear their own names, were most afraid of the Emperor finding anything in the mountains. So they’d send people in—both to avoid being set up and to have a fallback.

Of course, these people would be under the Emperor’s watch... but there was one type of person who, fearing that more actions would lead to more mistakes, chose to wait and see. They would only enter the mountains to rescue, not to investigate. Such behavior was unremarkable and proved nothing, but once the Emperor’s attention shifted to the military funds affair, he would immediately order an investigation into anyone whose conduct seemed suspicious.

Ying Fusheng lowered his eyes, his expression unreadable.

The Xu family was closely linked to the mastermind’s network. In this scheme, the Xu family likely intended to do something, but had been used by the mastermind. However, that didn’t matter—as long as the blame fell back on the Xu family, the mastermind would be shooting himself in the foot.

Now that clues from Jiangnan and Western Shu had emerged, the mastermind’s haste to kill him indicated that their plan was already falling apart.

The two Xu family officials' expressions changed slightly, and one of them abruptly stood up: "Your Majesty! People were indeed planted in the hunting grounds. For this hunt, we intended for the Eighth Prince to shine, so he also wanted to hunt more, and the guards led him in. We never expected such a situation; at most, a few wolves were released."

Grand Secretary Xu had originally wanted the Eighth Prince to distinguish himself through this; they had never planned any assassination.

Seeing the Emperor's gaze, the other official quickly knelt and stuck to that story.

Empress Xu's face turned pale, and her body swayed slightly.

She looked at the Xu family officials.

"Your Majesty, among the guards accompanying the Eighth Prince today... one previously served in the Eastern Palace," the messenger went on.

Previously served in the Eastern Palace?! The Crown Prince has been deposed. Apart from a few assigned to protect him in another palace, the rest of the guards should have been reassigned through palace allocations. How could one suddenly appear beside the Eighth Prince?!

Ying Fusheng, seeing the still-unconscious Eighth Prince, struggled to his feet with the help of the imperial physician and said, "Your Majesty, there is indeed something suspicious about the incident in the mountains. At that time, the guards—"

But before he could finish, his vision suddenly darkened.

Qi Hanzhou's expression shifted slightly as he caught him, feeling the body in his arms go limp.

"Sixth Prince!" the imperial physician cried out in alarm.

The sudden turn of events startled everyone around. Qi Hanzhou seemed to suddenly realize something, his gaze sweeping to Fusheng's arm, and he pulled down the previously bandaged arrow wound.

At the site of the arrow wound, an unusual dark purple was now visible.

Poison.