OL CH15

Bai Su received intelligence that the frontier tribes had recently made significant moves. Among them, the Take Tribe had risen abruptly as a formidable force; after annexing the surrounding smaller tribes, their strength had grown exceptionally formidable. Whispers and rumors also circulated, speculating that Great Yan might consider partnering with the Take Tribe to invade Xiling together.

Naturally, he knew such an alliance would not be easily forged, yet this might present an opportunity.

Thus, Bai Su penned a letter suggesting they first beat the grass to startle the snake—deliberately escalating the conflict and staging signs of defeat.

Then, have General Shang submit a memorial reporting with solemn gravity that Great Yan had surely joined forces with Take, that the soldiers were locked in bitter combat with dwindling provisions, and that they feared their forces would soon be exhausted.

He refused to believe the Emperor could sleep soundly at night once that happened!

If Situ Hongshen could still hear such news and allow his subordinates to withhold military funding and grain provisions without fearing the enemy’s army breaching the gates, then Bai Su would truly have nothing left to say.

General Shang was an old subordinate of Old Marquis Bai, fiercely loyal to him. Though advanced in years, he still firmly guarded the frontier. He had worked alongside Bai Su for a long time in the past; possessing both strategy and sharp execution, he was someone Bai Su trusted implicitly.

Sure enough, with merely a few brief hints in the letter, General Shang immediately understood what needed to be done. After a simple arrangement, dispatching his trusted elite troops to stage a few sham skirmishes, he drafted a memorial and submitted it to the imperial court via urgent courier.

When Situ Hongshen read in General Shang’s memorial of the Take Tribe’s ferocity, their surprise raids on the frontier forces, and their suspected collusion with Great Yan, his expression shifted immediately. In court, before all his ministers, he flew into a thunderous rage.

Yet, although the Emperor berated the frontier commanders for their incompetence just as he always did, he could not truly stand by with indifference and watch his doorstep get breached by enemy forces.

Just like past memorials, this one requisitioned supplies and provisions, but this time the Emperor finally ceased equivocating and stalling. He even appointed dedicated officials to oversee the matter and expedite delivery to the front lines.

Prime Minister Yan’s faction behaved themselves as well, keeping quiet without unnecessary objections. Prime Minister Yan was not disloyal to Xiling; it was merely that no man was perfect, and he was overly greedy for power—as were the sycophants surrounding him.

Those civil officials typically loved jockeying for power and influence, yet they still understood priorities. At a critical juncture like this, they knew that if they recklessly stirred up discord and the country fell, they would inevitably end up prisoners as well.

However, once the matters regarding troops, horses, and provisions were settled, Count Anhe suddenly stepped forward, proposing that the Emperor dispatch an imperial princess for a political marriage with Great Yan.

After pondering for a moment, Situ Hongshen agreed, declaring the Second Princess as the peace-alliance princess, to be wed off to Great Yan in the coming days. The court ministers chorused praise for his divine wisdom; after all, in their eyes, exchanging a single woman for peace was a bargain beyond compare.

Standing before the hall, the Fifth Prince watched all this in silence, yet grief welled up from the depths of his heart.

Although he was not close with his imperial sisters in the inner palace, they shared blood ties nonetheless. For his Imperial Father to discard her so casually chilled him to the bone.

Moreover, if one truly desired peace, how could sacrificing an imperial sister ever buy it?

Could Imperial Father still fail to see, even now, that the root of all this lay in Xiling’s systematic suppression of military commanders over so many years?

Yet with a formidable foe looming, he held no standing to dissuade his Imperial Father. Understanding Situ Hongshen, he knew he could only bide his time for now.

Or perhaps, there was something even deeper…

His veiled gaze drifted toward Prime Minister Yan’s faction. A true son of the imperial clan, however young, could never truly be naive.

Lowering his head, Situ Chen’s brow furrowed tightly. In terms of lineage, Prime Minister Yan was his maternal uncle, bound by ties of kinship. Yet Prime Minister Yan monopolized power and eliminated dissidents; if this continued in the long run, he feared the imperial court would only become more hollow and riddled with decay…

Chen Tian, who was also merely making up the numbers in the court assembly, raised an eyebrow as he caught the Fifth Prince’s glance. Was this truly worthy of the minor world’s canonical male protagonist? So remarkably astute at such a tender age.

Yet what drew his attention even more was Count Anhe, the one who had proposed the terrible idea of a peace-marriage.

The man usually kept a low profile, yet had leaped out so abruptly now. Although he was ostensibly from Prime Minister Yan’s camp, Chen Tian, having reviewed the plot, did not recall anyone ever suggesting a peace-marriage in court.

Furthermore, while Great Yan did ally with the frontier tribes in the later stages, they certainly shouldn’t be making moves this early. What was the story behind General Shang’s memorial, then?

“Boss, it’s because of the Heir and the Iron Xuan Guards!” Hearing Chen Tian’s internal query, 009 hurriedly piped up to explain.

Although this was a minor world, it was also a real living realm; relying solely on the world plot was naturally incomplete, as hidden backstories could exist behind anyone.

Recently, with Chen Tian drawing closer to Bai Su and Bai Su making his own moves, the plotlines regarding the Iron Xuan Guards had been unlocked.

009 transmitted the relevant details into Chen Tian’s sea of consciousness. Learning that his lover held such a formidable backing in his hands, Chen Tian couldn’t help marveling: his darling truly was extraordinary!

Even knowing Bai Su commanded the Iron Xuan Guards, Chen Tian did not let his guard down. Instead, because of this series of plot deviations, he instructed 009 to monitor Bai Feizhang and Prime Minister Yan’s faction even more cautiously, paying special attention to Count Anhe, the one who proposed the marriage alliance.

Grain, provisions, and supplies were dispatched at top speed toward the frontier. Yet within the imperial court, dark undercurrents surged, and something that had long been dormant seemed to be slowly surfacing.

Sure enough, after having 009 surveil them for a while, there was soon a breakthrough.

What Chen Tian hadn’t anticipated was that Bai Feizhang had somehow hitched himself to Count Anhe. Considering that Bai Feizhang was now merely a powerless nobody, Chen Tian didn’t know whether to scoff at certain transmigrators—truly, as long as breath remained in their bodies, their stirring of trouble never ceased.

In the original plot, it wasn’t until Bai Feizhang secured a foothold in the imperial court that he colluded with Great Yan. But evidently, he lacked such standing now, so Great Yan had chosen another target this time around.

Because General Shang’s maneuvers had alerted the frontier tribes and Great Yan, their timeline for bribing court ministers was pushed forward—and serving as the key bridge in all this was Count Anhe.

Through 009’s reports, Chen Tian discovered that this Count Anhe actually harbored towering ambitions.

Because he was ostensibly of Prime Minister Yan’s faction and held considerable standing, thriving with great momentum, Count Anhe used Prime Minister Yan as a cover to carry out numerous covert deeds.

Bai Feizhang was also someone he had deliberately roped in. Count Anhe likely figured that Bai Su was already ruined and Bai Heguang had only two sons, so pulling Bai Feizhang into his orbit was advantageous. When the time came, even if something went down, Bai Heguang would have to yield to protect his son, forcing the Marquis of Zhongyong’s estate to submit.

Moreover, it was reported that Count Anhe was currently scheming something monumental.

Before long, the day would arrive for the Emperor to visit Huguo Temple to pray for Xiling’s blessings. Although the Emperor would be accompanied by large retinues of attendants, imperial guards, and court ministers, the security would still be far looser than inside the imperial city.

No matter how incompetent Bai Heguang was, he was still the Marquis of Zhongyong, and a major portion of the capital’s defense was under his command. For Bai Feizhang to slip men inside was all too easy. Their plan was to coordinate from within and without to assassinate the old Emperor, then pin the blame squarely on Prime Minister Yan.

Once the old Emperor died and Prime Minister Yan fell, regardless of who succeeded the throne, Xiling would be thrown into total turmoil—giving Great Yan the perfect opening to join forces with the frontier tribes and loot a burning house.

Once Xiling suffered a crushing defeat, Count Anhe could seize upon the troops he had secretly amassed alongside Great Yan’s forces to rebel and usurp the throne.

Upon learning of this, Chen Tian immediately went to the Marquis’s estate to find Bai Su, relaying everything he knew to him.

Having finished, Chen Tian furrowed his brow and said, “This matter is of grave importance. Having stumbled across it unexpectedly, I cannot produce tangible evidence just yet. But I was worried, and felt I had to ensure you prepared in advance.”

Bai Su did not disappoint him, stating with solemn certainty: “I believe you!”

Those three words outweighed thousands of phrases, stirring waves of emotion in Chen Tian’s chest. Gripping Bai Su’s hand tightly, he said, “Though the assassination is bound to fail, if it is discovered that Bai Feizhang is involved, I fear it will implicate you.”

Bai Su nodded and summoned Xuan Er right in front of Chen Tian.

“Xuan Er, order all Iron Xuan Guards stationed nearby to hurry back to the capital. Half a month from now, the Emperor will pray for blessings at Huguo Temple, where a major incident will take place. Keep a close, discreet watch on Bai Feizhang and Count Anhe. Furthermore, investigate every single person in the imperial escort team on the day of the prayer ritual. As for the court officials previously flagged as suspected spies, do not move against them yet—gather the evidence thoroughly.”

“Understood, Master!”

Xuan Er glanced up at King Ning seated beside Bai Su, respectfully received his orders, and exited the room.

Bai Su, however, noticed that the man beside him had merely been toying with the teacup in his hand the entire time, looking completely nonchalant.

Neither the exposure of the Iron Xuan Guards nor the commands issued to Xuan Er elicited the slightest surprise from him. It seemed the man had long known of the Iron Xuan Guards’ existence…

That King Ning knew his trump card aligned with a certain earlier suspicion of his, yet it still caused Bai Su’s heart to sink slightly.

Even though revealing it this time had been completely intentional on his part.

But no matter what, he had already surrendered his entire heart to King Ning. He knew that as long as he lived, he would never let go of this man!

Lowering his eyes, an eerie haze of crimson blood mist surged deep within Bai Su’s pupils, dark and gloomy enough to send a shiver down one’s spine.

When he raised his head to look at Chen Tian once more, he had reverted to his usual somewhat blunt, gentle demeanor, murmuring softly, “Chenye, thank you.”

Thank you for keeping me in your thoughts, for helping me steer clear of peril.

Chen Tian understood the unsaid words, instantly perking up with joy. Leaning in, he planted a kiss on his sweetheart’s shapely nose, grinning mischievously: “Then how does Zisu intend to thank me?”

Saying this, he deliberately licked his lips and lightly scratched Bai Su’s palm with a finger—only to be promptly pinned down onto the bed.

Looking at Bai Su, whose arms bracketed him on either side, cheeks flushed crimson—clearly shy, yet gazing down at him with sparkling, bright eyes—Chen Tian chuckled softly. Cupping the back of Bai Su’s head with his palm, he pulled him down.

Lips pressed against lips; he was going to thoroughly enjoy his thank-you gift…