Marquis Piyuan and Jin Chunzhong came with hope but left with confusion.

    In the study, Prince Donghai was even more puzzled. He walked to the desk and said, “I think I understand your meaning – letting the Xiongnu envoys spread word of the northern threat to force the Empress Dowager to resume her duties. But what good would that do? Once she takes power, the Shang-guan family will only become more powerful.”

    “Indeed, so why won’t the Empress Dowager agree to resume her duties?”

    “Because... because she needs a good excuse, and the Xiongnu envoys just provided that excuse.”

    “Is there no other reason?” Han Ruzi unconsciously adopted Yang Feng’s tone – that questioning and probing manner, like a learned teacher guiding a new student, or an experienced hunter training a first-time apprentice.

    Prince Donghai was displeased but still pondered it. “Well... of course, in these past months, not a single memorial sent to the palace has been approved, leaving countless problems unresolved. The Empress Dowager can’t just suddenly recover – that would tell the world she was faking illness, meaning she had disregarded the suffering people. So she must have planned her perfect return, and your interference might disrupt those plans.”

    Han Ruzi smiled, “Actually, my thoughts weren’t so complicated. I just wanted to test the Empress Dowager, to see how much she could endure.”

    “Be careful not to get burned.”

    “The fire has already reached us.”

    Prince Donghai stared at Han Ruzi. He had despised, plotted against, admired, and feared this elder brother, and had unconsciously come to understand him very well. “If the Empress Dowager refuses to return, and the Xiongnu really attack, what will you do?”

    Han Ruzi didn’t answer.

    Prince Donghai stepped back, shocked. “You plan to leave the Capital and lead the Northern Army back to the frontier, don’t you?”

    “Someone must protect Great Chu and its people.”

    “Leaving the Capital is like telling the world you no longer wish to be Emperor. While the emperor selection may be a farce to us, it’s a real competition to the court officials and common people. Once you leave, the Champion Marquis will have no rivals...”

    “I’m sorry, but if we’re competing to see who cares least about Great Chu, I concede.”

    Prince Donghai’s eyes widened further. “But doing this plays right into the Empress Dowager’s hands. She won’t need to return early and can wait for the perfect moment. The empire you protect might end up in the Shang-guan family’s hands.”@@@@

    Han Ruzi thought for a moment. “The best outcome would be for me to win the throne, then either negotiate peace with the Xiongnu or face them in battle. If I can’t achieve that, I’d rather stay at the frontier forever.”

    “There’s another possibility,” Prince Donghai said quickly, his eyes bright. “You could take control of the Northern Army and frontier cities, ally with the Xiongnu, and march south...”

    Han Ruzi shook his head with a smile. “That’s impossible. I might negotiate with the Xiongnu, but I’ll never use their power to seize the throne. The Northern Army soldiers wouldn’t agree either.”

    “If you leave, the throne will be the Champion Marquis’s.”

    “Not necessarily. The Empress Dowager needs a puppet. If I leave the Capital, she and the Champion Marquis will have quite a battle.” Han Ruzi paused. “What do you plan to do?”

    “Me?”

    “You could leave with me. We could try to take control of Grand Tutor Cui’s Southern Army and jointly guard the frontier, east and west, supporting each other, ready to attack or defend as needed.”

    Prince Donghai forced a smile. “As you saw at Shattered Iron City, I have no talent for defending the frontier.”

    “You could also stay in the Capital. When the Empress Dowager and Champion Marquis weaken each other, you might have a chance at the throne, though your situation would be dangerous.” ra?No?βЕS

    The young men were dissatisfied and arranged to return the next day for a bigger game. Du Chuanyun and Hu San prepared accordingly, but after waiting several days, the youths never appeared. Inquiries at other gambling houses revealed no one had seen customers matching their description.

    Du Chuanyun was greatly disappointed and complained to Hu San several times, feeling they’d missed a chance at winning big money. He was also puzzled – usually people became more addicted the more they lost, but these youths managed to resist returning, suggesting either strong willpower or strict family supervision.

    Du Chuanyun had arranged with Hu San, who frequented the gambling house, to notify him whenever the youths reappeared, determined to win big from them.

    Hu San recalled this because Yang Feng mentioned suspicious youths at the assassination scene. He clearly remembered the gambling youths had southern accents and moved with light steps, suggesting martial arts training. Based on his experience, Hu San suspected they might be from a bandit group.

    Generally, solo thieves acted cautiously in new places, either staying hidden or seeking protection from local pugilist leaders before moving freely. However, bandit groups were used to being domineering and maintained their attitude even in the Capital, daring to go anywhere.

    This was all Hu San knew, but he was glad to hear Du Chuanyun was alive and promised to help look for the gambling youths.

    Yang Feng had also asked others to help search, but by the time he returned home, no news had arrived.

    Han Ruzi was puzzled, “Bandits from the south? Why would they come to the capital to assassinate Prince Ying? How could the Empress Dowager connect with such people?”

    Yang Feng said, “It’s possible. After the palace coup, the Empress Dowager became wary of pugilists. The ‘Guanghua Tigers’ arrested many, so they naturally needed many pugilists as informants.”

    “But southern bandits...” Han Ruzi still found it hard to believe.

    “There’s another possibility – Meng Che might have brought the assassins into the capital.”

    “Meng Che?”

    “The Meng siblings came from an overseas island, and the Meng family has connections with many powerful bandits.”

    Han Ruzi fell silent. He found it difficult to accept that Meng E would betray him. Suddenly remembering something, he said, “The fate seer beside the Champion Marquis was an impostor, and the one he sent to Grand General Han Xing must have been too. But Meng E killed the fake fate seer, and Lu Congxin threatened to take revenge on her...”

    “By this reasoning, Meng E must have offended the Empress Dowager, and her pursuer might be Meng Che.”

    “They’re siblings!”

    “For someone willing to become a palace servant to fulfill their ambitions, what does sibling affection matter?” Yang Feng didn’t know the Meng siblings’ true identity but keenly sensed their great ambitions.

    Han Ruzi felt both shocked and relieved – at least Meng E hadn’t betrayed him. Then, thoughts of sibling affection led him to consider brotherly bonds.

    “I told Prince Donghai that if necessary, I might leave the Capital to defend the northern frontier, then support his claim to the throne.”

    Faced with such a momentous decision, Yang Feng didn’t even pause to think before asking, “Did Prince Donghai believe you?”

    Han Ruzi sighed softly, “He believes me, though his wife might not. I suspect they’ll send someone to test me.”

    “Mm.” Yang Feng didn’t pursue the matter further. The Weary Marquis had matured and didn’t need his guidance on minor details. “Even if we find the assassins, it might not change anything. We still need to deal with Shang-guan Sheng and the Eight Palace Guard Camps.”

    Han Ruzi nodded, wondering if, at the final moment, he could be as resolute as Meng Che.

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