Southern Frontier Military Camp.
General Zhang You hesitated briefly at the door, took a deep breath, then pushed it open and respectfully addressed the person casually flipping through a book at the desk, "General, everyone has assembled in the training ground, awaiting your inspection. Regarding the recent military matters..."
"Not urgent," Chu Mingyun interrupted him, still looking down at the book, "I have something to ask you."
"Yes."
"How much do you know about the situation in Huainan Shou Chun?" Chu Mingyun inquired.
Zhang You lowered his gaze and replied, "I don't know much about it."
"Oh?" Chu Mingyun glanced up at him, "You're so close, why don't you know?"
"My duty with the Southern Frontier Army is to guard the borders of our Great Xia territory. The rebellion in Huainan is the internal strife of the Western Ridge Kingdom. Moreover, during times of internal turmoil, there's a risk of external enemies taking advantage. My sole focus has been on defense, without delving into matters over there," Zhang You explained.
"When reinforcements were dispatched from the court, the Ministry of War also ordered the Southern Frontier Army to rush for support. Didn't you see the orders?" Chu Mingyun questioned.
"I saw them. But just as our troops were mobilized and set off, news arrived of the rebels and the reinforcements disappearing. Unsure of what to do, we eventually withdrew," Zhang You responded.
"So that's how it is," Chu Mingyun propped his chin leisurely with one hand, nodding slowly. "Zhang You, it's been years since we last met, and you've truly made great progress."
"General, you flatter me."
"No flattery here," Chu Mingyun chuckled lightly, pulling out a letter from the pages of a book. "You've become quite skilled at spinning lies seamlessly, and your courage has grown substantially."
The composed demeanor of Zhang You crumbled the moment he saw the letter. He hurriedly knelt down, pleading, "General, please listen to me..."
"Shut up," Chu Mingyun commanded.
Zhang You immediately fell silent, lowering his head in fear, unable to meet his gaze.
"I casually picked up a book to read, and happened to come across this letter. Quite a coincidence, wouldn't you say?" Chu Mingyun slowly examined the thin letter. "What does it say?"
He hesitated for a moment, then muttered softly, "General, now that you already know, I..."
"I don't know," Chu Mingyun interrupted. "Look at me and tell me."
Stiffening, Zhang You struggled inwardly for a moment before slowly raising his face, meeting Chu Mingyun's gaze with anxiety before lowering his eyes again. "In the letter... Governor Han of Jiujian Prefecture sent a thousand taels of gold, but as you can see, he only mentioned it as a gesture of appreciation without any requests. General, please understand, although I did receive it, I haven't abused my authority or done anything for him. I haven't done anything for him at all!"
"You turning a blind eye to Huainan is exactly what he wanted, what more is there to do?" Chu Mingyun raised his hand, lightly tapping his forehead with his finger, speaking slowly, "You both benefit from each other, but what about my affairs?" His ivory-white fingers slid down gradually with his words, finally stopping at Zhang You's throat, fingertips cold as blades. Chu Mingyun furrowed his brow, looking at him. "Well?"
Zhang You was already pale, not daring to move, trembling as he spoke, "General, actually, I do have some knowledge about Shouchun."
Chu Mingyun raised an eyebrow slightly, "Didn't you just claim ignorance?"
"...I was too flustered just now, it didn't come to mind at the moment," Zhang You said with a forced calmness, "I admit I was confused about this matter, but I haven't completely been blinded by wealth. General, Han, the prefect, wanted me to stay out of everything, but I found it suspicious. So, I secretly sent scouts near Shouchun to see what was going on. They camped there for several days without witnessing anything unusual. I initially thought it was just my paranoia, but on the night they were called back, something happened."
Chu Mingyun withdrew his hand. "Go on."
Zhang You breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "That night was particularly strange. After midnight, when the city gates were closed, many soldiers appeared, sealing the gates tightly. Then," his expression couldn't help but change slightly, "screams echoed from the city. At first, they were faint, but they grew increasingly desperate and chaotic, as if the walls were hell itself. After that, a group of soldiers clashed with those guarding the gates, leading to chaos. The scouts hurried back without investigating further, still shaken, describing the scene as horrific."
Chu Mingyun furrowed his brow tighter, lost in thought.
Zhan Jiyu cautiously scrutinized his expression, "General, I have disclosed everything I know and dare not conceal anything. I admit my grave mistake, but... I haven't touched a single coin of that gold. I'm willing to offer it all to you, General, to prove my absolute loyalty to you! Please, General, give me another chance..."
"Give you another chance?" Chu Mingyun lifted his gaze, smiling as he looked at him, "Alright, but I want one thing in return."
"General, please command as you wish!" Zhang You's face lit up with joy.
"I want the letter written to you by Han Zhongwen."
"...The letter?" Zhang You was suddenly puzzled, "Isn't that letter already in your hands, General?"
Chu Mingyun chuckled softly, leisurely opening the envelope in his hand, then pulling out a blank sheet of paper and placing it in front of Zhang You, "Bring it."
Zhang You froze for a moment, staring fixedly at the blank paper, his expression changing several times. Finally, he suppressed all emotions, stood up, and walked to a concealed corner of the bookshelf. Indeed, he extracted a letter from between the pages of a book. His hand trembled slightly as he held the letter due to the force he exerted. Reluctantly, he glanced at the genuine letter, paused, then put on a smile and handed it to Chu Mingyun with both hands, "General... Thank you."
Suddenly, a knocking sound echoed, and someone outside the door called out, "General, it's getting late. It's time to inspect the troops at the drill ground."
Chu Mingyun tucked away the letter and stood up. The door opened, and Vice Admiral Xu Sheng respectfully bowed his head outside, lowering his voice, "My lord."
"Hmm," Chu Mingyun responded, "Let's go."
The drill ground was vast, with tens of thousands of soldiers standing in neat formation, their weapons gleaming coldly, and the resounding drumbeats reverberating through the sky. Chu Mingyun stood on the platform, the wind picking up as he gazed into the fluttering banners. The crimson character "夏" waved atop them. After a while, Chu Mingyun chuckled coldly.
Han Zhongwen handed over the letter and returned to his seat. He glanced at Li Chenghua's dark expression and couldn't help but add, "We haven't seen the Crown Prince for several days in a row. He must have left long ago. When our men went to check, only this letter was left on the table, presumably for you, my lord."
Li Chenghua remained silent, reading the contents of the letter over and over again, each word piercing into his eyes. The atmosphere was so tense that it was almost suffocating. Suddenly, there was a loud bang as he swept his hand, knocking over the cups and inkstones on the table. His fist slammed onto the desk, his anger unrestrained, "Nonsense!"
The maidservants panicked and knelt down to clean up the mess. Han Zhongwen couldn't help but speak, "My lord, the Crown Prince, he..."
"This unfilial son is truly outrageous! He left without a word, and dares to say not to look for him! Just for a woman, he abandoned his duties, abandoned his own father!" Li Chenghua's eyes were bloodshot, his clenched fist trembling uncontrollably. "Go and collect her corpse? What corpse to collect? She's been dead for over a year! What does he want to do with her corpse?! Worthless scoundrel!"
At this point, Han Zhongwen understood clearly, and Li Chenghua himself wouldn't fail to grasp it either. Li Che had never been truly present here; enduring his father's hardships had finally reached its limit. With this parting, it seemed there would be no return.
"Rebellious son, after enduring all these years of my painstaking efforts, do you truly have no intentions?" He clenched the letter tightly, hating to tear it to shreds, yet at that moment, he forcibly restrained himself, slowly smoothing out the letter on the table. Li Chenghua leaned wearily against the back of the chair, closed his eyes, and sighed softly, "Silly child..."
From this angle, one could clearly see the white hairs sprouting from his temples, and Han Zhongwen, observing, suddenly felt as though Prince Xiling had aged a bit in the blink of an eye. He pondered for a moment and suggested, "It'll only be a few days. The Crown Prince still needs to maintain appearances; he shouldn't be going too far. My lord, why not order a blockade..."
"No need." Li Chenghua interrupted him with a wave of his hand. "What's the use of finding him? His heart isn't here. Even if we bring him back, he'll just run off again."
"Does that mean my lord intends to accompany the Crown Prince?" Han Zhongwen guessed.
After a moment's silence, Li Chenghua opened his eyes, his gaze returning to its usual coldness. Instead of answering, he inquired, "How are things with Chu Mingyun and Su Shiyu over on your end?"
Han Zhongwen caught on quickly and replied, "Chu Mingyun went to inspect the troops in the southern camp, but rest assured, my lord, I've already made arrangements there. Nothing will go wrong."
Li Chenghua nodded. "And what about Su Shiyu?"
"Su Shiyu has been investigating news about Luoxin in secret these days," Han Zhongwen smiled. "One could say he truly lives up to his title as the Grand Secretary. His methods are formidable. However, since Shouchun City is ultimately my territory, he's bound to be wasting his efforts."
"We still need to keep a close watch to prevent any mishaps."
"Of course." After a pause, Han Zhongwen hesitated slightly before continuing, "There's another matter I believe it's necessary to inform my lord about."
"What matter?" Li Chenghua asked.
Han Zhongwen's expression grew complicated. "It's about Chu Mingyun and Su Shiyu. Surprisingly, their relationship... it's of the intimate sort," he struggled to find the right words, "...it's like that of sworn brothers."
"...Sworn brothers?" Li Chenghua visibly paused. "Are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"Yes, I find it hard to believe as well. After all, how could two men..." Han Zhongwen's complexion turned unpleasant, finding it difficult to articulate the rest of his thoughts.
"It does sound like a joke. General Su's only son, the Grand Secretary Su Shiyu, actually has feelings for another man, and a cunning one at that," Li Chenghua laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "If General Su were still alive, I bet he'd have killed Su Shiyu right there in the ancestral hall to appease the ancestors." He looked at Han Zhongwen. "Are you certain about this information?"
"They admitted it themselves, and the people we sent to monitor them reported seeing them behaving intimately. It doesn't seem like a falsehood," Han Zhongwen said.
Li Chenghua fell silent suddenly, pondering something internally. The previous hint of aging vanished without a trace, replaced by the sight of an ambitious man deep in thought, with a fleeting sharpness in his eyes.