CHAPTER 688: CHAPTER 668: DREAMLAND

No matter how these princes of Beiman engage in internal strife, it cannot affect the frontline affairs, so Xie Jue cannot touch the interests of the frontline. Otherwise, the Second Prince will not spare him.

In just seven days, Xie Jue cleverly set the Great Prince and Sixth Prince against each other. General Meng died in the Sixth Prince Manor, and he had drawn a border defense map, intending to surrender to Beiman. His mysterious death in the manor spread quickly, with Xie Jue disseminating the news that the Great Prince’s spy, to prevent the Second Prince from receiving merit, killed General Meng, thus harming the frontline warfare. Moreover, the dying man admitted that he was a spy planted by the Great Prince.

The Great Prince Manor naturally could not accept this accusation, claiming that the Second Prince regarded human life as grass, deliberately framing them. They argued that the Great Prince had deep brotherly ties with the Sixth Prince, and it was absurd to claim that he would plant a spy in his manor.

Thus, a contentious dispute began. The Second Prince also could not admit to this. However, instead of just bickering, Xie Jue sent people to deliberately clash with the Great Prince Manor’s people, claiming that the Great Prince Manor disregarded the soldiers fighting at the front. If General Meng were to reveal the border map, the Beiman Army could break through Yanyang’s defenses at once, and Beiman would be able to reach Ningzhou. Now, the Great Prince Manor, driven by selfish desires, was disregarding Beiman’s interests, and this was unforgivable! The people from the Great Prince Manor and the Second Prince Manor got into street brawls.

With the Beiman King absent, the priest held the highest authority, and this matter soon alarmed the High Priest Jin Tu. Jin Tu sent people to investigate. At Xie Jue’s suggestion, the Second Prince suddenly became silent and no longer impulsively accused the Great Prince Manor, switching his approach dramatically. As General Meng died in the Sixth Prince Manor, the Sixth Prince had to come forward with evidence.

Under the priest’s questioning, the Sixth Prince could only relay the truth: the murderer accused the Great Prince Manor before dying. Naturally, the counselors of the Great Prince Manor wouldn’t admit to this, accusing the Sixth Prince of slander, claiming he and the Second Prince were in cahoots, attempting to smear the Great Prince’s name. The Great Prince was currently bravely fighting on the battlefield and could not tolerate such slander.

The Second Prince, seeming invisible, watched as the advisers of the Great Prince and the Sixth Prince argued. The advisers, provoked by Xie Jue, also complained about how the Sixth Prince played both sides between the Great Prince and the Second Prince. Now, he seemed to choose the Second Prince, joining forces against their Prince, soon devolving into mutual accusations.

With Xie Jue stoking the fire in the midst, the Beiman, known for their simplicity and quick tempers, had their conflicts easily inflamed by a few casual provocations. Especially when, before the priest, the Sixth Prince confirmed that the murderer accused the Great Prince. This drove a wedge between the Great Prince and Sixth Prince.

The Second Prince applauded the situation. The Beiman revered the Heavenly God, and so were extremely sincere. As for General Meng’s death, the Second Prince’s handling was to set it aside temporarily, allowing the Sixth Prince to interrogate and find the culprit.

Once the killer was found, the matter would be concluded; one must pay for a life taken with a life.

Unexpectedly, there was an unforeseen pleasure in this.

"Blame it on the fact that my brother’s man took it upon themselves to kill General Meng; they deserved what they got!" The Second Prince was elated. At least through the affair of General Meng, the Sixth Prince had to choose a side.

Xie Jue said, "Prince, the Sixth Prince is meticulous and calm, not the kind of person willing to assist. Moreover, he won’t willingly accept you as king."

Xie Jue’s intention in stirring things up was to incite struggles among the princes, not to genuinely assist the Second Prince in ascending power.

"He’s a sickly one. If he doesn’t support me, what else can he do? How many winters can he survive?" the Second Prince sneered.

"He may be frail, but he has a young and valiant brother, Dugu Jing, who is reportedly emerging on the battlefield. The King is focusing on nurturing him," Xie Jue said blandly. "We uphold martial prowess; whoever can command the three armies can become king. The Prince should be cautious."

Upon hearing this, the Second Prince also felt it quite reasonable.

"What should we do then?"

"I think General Meng’s death is not that simple. What the Prince needs to do is to put pressure on the Sixth Prince, forcing him to investigate deeper into this matter," Xie Jue said calmly. "Think about it. After the murderer’s death, didn’t the Sixth Prince Manor escape a crisis as well? What if no one confessed to the crime?"

"Better to wrongly kill than miss; the murderer must not escape. Except for the family, all would be killed!" The Second Prince was ferociously relentless.

Xie Jue suddenly understood why someone would confess to the crime.

If no one confessed, this mad Second Prince might have exterminated hundreds of people in the Sixth Prince Manor. The Sixth Prince was not a brutal person and didn’t want others implicated.

"Yes, so is it possible that the Sixth Prince deliberately pushed someone out, saying the person was a spy the Great Prince planted in his manor? This way, your attention is on the Great Prince Manor and not on the Sixth Prince Manor. Moreover, this would deepen your conflict with the Great Prince. The Sixth Prince never wanted to support either you or the Great Prince. You both want his influence because his maternal family is powerful. If he supported either of you, why wouldn’t he support his own younger brother, Dugu Jing? The King is in his prime, and Dugu Jing is now a young wolf. In a few years, he will be a leading wolf!" Xie Jue analyzed the current situation and the Sixth Prince’s mindset, leaving the Second Prince listening with a darkened expression.

He had never thought the Sixth Prince had such intentions!

"So, the real killer is still in the Sixth Prince Manor!" The Second Prince was enraged, "This matter must be thoroughly investigated. I must find out who really killed General Meng!"

Boiling with anger, he led people to the Sixth Prince Manor, and Xie Jue did not follow but stayed to recuperate. Before leaving, the Second Prince instructed others to take good care of Xie Jue, as he was somewhat weakened from blood loss. Luckily, with his skin dyed darker, it wasn’t very noticeable.

The wounds around his waist and abdomen gradually healed. Afraid of arousing suspicion, Xie Jue deliberately cut himself while peeling fruit to ask for medicine. However, the medicine was limited, so the recovery was relatively slow.

Xie Jue knew that this time the Second Prince took people to the Sixth Prince Manor, there would undoubtedly be a commotion, hopefully even a fight. The bigger, the better. He was not afraid of a thorough investigation; he had done things cleanly, leaving no traces, not afraid of them finding out. Thus, Xie Jue, whose expression had been taut for days, slowly drifted off to sleep.

For some reason, he dreamt of Fang Chuning.

Since the beginning of the year, the Marquis had instructed Xie Jue to reduce his appearances at the frontline. The battlefield did not lack generals commanding troops or soldiers bravely killing the enemy, but the military camp could not do without Xie Jue. Therefore, he spent more time in the military camp than on the battlefield, discussing battle plans with the Marquis and developing mechanisms, arrays, and various tactics.

Fang Chuning hadn’t yet made his way into the military camp, so Xie Jue always waited for him at the camp tents early when he returned. They shared a tent, eating and sleeping together.

In Ningzhou, fine snow drifted down in winter. Fang Chuning, along with several soldiers, returned gallantly on horseback, the snow beneath their steeds stomping underfoot. Silver armor and long spears, brows full of spirit, he was the most radiant young general on the battlefield.

As hooves galloped, spraying up countless fine snowflakes, he waved his hand, a red headband fluttered in the breeze, brows filled with joy, "Ting Feng, I’m back!"

Xie Jue smiled, indeed, he was back!

He had once again returned unharmed from the battlefield!

Upon awakening from his dream, Xie Jue was still somewhat dazed.