Chapter 2 Tianyuan War God

Chapter 2: Tianyuan's God of War

After a late autumn rain, a clear day dawned with the sun hanging high.

By early afternoon, the sun was blazing, its bright light fragmented by the intricate diamond-patterned window lattices, casting scattered patches like fallen stars on the blue stone floor.

"Is the person inside still not awake?"

"Not yet."

Hearing the maid's reply, Luo Bei hung his head with a frown. It was already the second day, and Prime Minister Lin's fiancé had yet to wake.

"Keep a close eye on him. Report to me immediately if he awakens."

"Yes." Luo Bei turned and left, while the maid entered to check on Qin Jiao's condition.

Earlier, the physician had examined him and said the young master mostly had superficial wounds, with no internal injuries, so the maid was puzzled as to why he still hadn't woken up.

Carrying a tea tray, the maid entered the room, rounded the rosewood screen inlaid with gold lacquer and ivory, and turned to look at the bed. But the bed was empty!

Where had the young master gone?

Her first instinct was to rush out and inform Luo Bei, but as she turned, the pointed end of a candlestick holder pressed against her neck.

The candle had burned out the night before, and the maid hadn't yet removed the holder, whose sharp tip gleamed menacingly in the sunlight. Qin Jiao's voice was icy, his gaze dark.

"Don't move! Tell me, where is this?"

In fact, Qin Jiao had woken up before Luo Bei arrived, but since he didn't know where he was, he had cautiously remained silent.

The maid trembled in fear under Qin Jiao's threat. "This... this is the residence of Governor Xiao Nianzhang of Nanzhou. I am a maid here, specially assigned to care for you, young master!"

"Why am I here? Who brought me?"

Qin Jiao had lived in Nanzhou City for three years and knew Governor Xiao Nianzhang, but why was he in his residence after waking from his coma?

The maid looked distressed, her voice choked with tears. "Young master, spare me. I don't know. I was just sent to look after you..."

Seeing that the maid seemed genuinely ignorant, Qin Jiao didn't press further and said directly, "Take me to see your governor."

"This... young master, you've just woken. Perhaps you should eat something first. Let me announce your presence before taking you to see the governor, how about that?"

Recently, a murder had occurred in Nanzhou City, and Xiao Nianzhang was overwhelmed with work, so the maid didn't dare bring a strange young man directly to her governor.

Seeing her hesitation, Qin Jiao's patience ran out. "No more nonsense. Move!"

The tip of the candlestick holder shifted slightly, startling the maid. "Alright, young master, don't get upset. I'll take you there now..."

Nanzhou was a border city, vast in territory, so although the governor's residence wasn't lavish, it occupied more land than typical prefectural mansions. Passing through pavilions and terraces, and rounding several rockeries, Qin Jiao spotted three people in a pavilion not far away.

Two were familiar: one was Luo Bei, and the other was the man he had sprayed with blood. The third must be Governor Xiao Nianzhang of Nanzhou.

Luo Bei noticed Qin Jiao in the distance. "Your Highness..."

"It's fine." A breeze stirred, ruffling strands of Xie Nai's jet-black hair.

In truth, Xie Nai had noticed Qin Jiao the moment he appeared. The young man was slender, pale-faced, his tired and sickly appearance barely concealed by the indigo-blue satin robe.

"Your Highness, with such a horrific case in Nanzhou City, the townsfolk are terrified. I had no choice but to presume upon Your Highness to oversee this case..."

Xiao Nianzhang hadn't noticed Qin Jiao's approach. He was focused on reporting the recent case details to Xie Nai. From a distance, Qin Jiao caught fragments like "Your Highness" and "case."

Suddenly, Qin Jiao remembered that before he had lost consciousness that night, Luo Bei had also called him "Your Highness"...

Everything became clear.

No wonder he had said, "The Prince of Lingnan may not be able to support or speak for you." So he was the Prince of Lingnan.

The Prince of Lingnan was the late emperor's sixth and youngest son. Three years ago, after Emperor Chengyuan's death, the crown prince, who was already in poor health, didn't hold out long and followed Emperor Chengyuan within a month.

With both the late emperor and the crown prince dead, the throne sat empty, and the princes fought tooth and nail for it. But the second prince was disabled, the third born foolish, and the fourth and fifth princes were normal enough, but their mothers were of low birth. When all was said and done, only the sixth prince, Xie Nai, remained—a man of virtue and talent, head and shoulders above the rest.

That year was the fourteenth year of the Tianyuan era. The court was in turmoil, foreign powers were wreaking havoc. Just as all ministers expected Xie Nai to claim the throne himself, he single-handedly put down the other princes and, joined by the leading aristocratic family, the Lin family, backed the deceased crown prince's eldest son, Xie Xuanran, to become the new emperor.

At that time, Xie Xuanran was only fourteen. The ministers thought he'd be a puppet emperor, but a month after he took the throne, Xie Nai voluntarily went to Jing Pass to crush foreign rebellions, and he was away for three years.

For three years, at court, the young emperor, with the help of Lin Wen, Chancellor Lin, head of the leading aristocratic family, and Wu Xianyi, the former emperor's tutor, worked hard to govern the country. In the field, Xie Nai guarded Jing Pass, repelling foreign invasions with brilliant tactics and bloody combat.

Xie Nai's military campaigns were like divine strategies, invincible. The people in the capital called him the God of War. Now, after three years of war, peace had been restored, and Xie Nai, the Prince of Lingnan, was returning in triumph to the capital.

When his life was in danger, Qin Jiao had tried to use a bluff to save himself, only to end up faced with the "culprit" himself. And he had mentioned Lin Wen, Xie Nai's nemesis. Watching the three figures in the distance, Qin Jiao appeared calm on the surface, but inside, his mind was in turmoil, churning like a storm.

"The big thief He Zhao, who we caught two days ago, has been interrogated. At the time of the incident, He Zhao was stealing something from you, so he shouldn't be the murderer. How do you want to handle it..."

Xiao Nianzhang was reporting earnestly, but after a long silence with no response from Xie Nai, he looked up. "Your Highness?" Perplexed, he saw that Xie Nai's gaze had drifted to his left rear. The young master had woken.

Seeing that Xie Nai was clearly distracted, Xiao Nianzhang, a seasoned official who knew when to make himself scarce, immediately said, "Ah, the young master is awake. I'll take my leave now. Your Highness, please attend to your matters."

"Report immediately if anything unusual occurs in the city."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Xiao Nianzhang bowed and withdrew, casting a sidelong glance at Qin Jiao. What a refined young gentleman, he thought, no wonder he could distract the prince.

Unaware of Xiao Nianzhang's thoughts, Qin Jiao was lost in thought when Luo Bei approached. "Young Master Qin, the prince requests your presence."

Qin Jiao didn't reply. He handed the candlestick holder to the maid and, with a dark look, followed Luo Bei to the pavilion.

The autumn wind stirred, making the withered reeds by the water swayed elegantly. Near the shore, a few small red fish gently darted after each other, then vanished beneath the water without a trace.

Qin Jiao stopped three steps away from Xie Nai. "Your Highness, please return my jade pendant to me."

He held out his hand, palm facing up. The young man's hand was long and slender, with well-defined knuckles. There was a white crescent-shaped scar on the second knuckle of his left ring finger.

"You know who I am now?" Xie Nai asked.

Qin Jiao answered flatly, "Yes."

"Now that you know my identity, you still have the nerve to ask for the jade pendant back?"

Xie Nai's words left Qin Jiao stunned.

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