Chapter 59 (1/2)

Chapter 59 Abysmal: Kidnapped Again!

Two days before the Autumnal Hunt, Situ sent an attendant with a set of carefully prepared saddling equipment to Feng Luodi when Covert Guard Two appeared.

“General, this is big news! The 7th Prince has ama.s.sed a troop of sis.h.i.+ into his residence today morning, and they are now heading out of the residence with Zero tailing behind them.”

Situ’s knew something was up when he saw Two’s anxious expression. His voice was steady. “Where did they head off to?”

“The Guan Mountains.” Two’s voice quivered. This is horrible! The entire royal family and almost all the officials of the court are in the mountains, with only a small number of personal household defenders and less than a thousand of the Imperial Army! With such a large amount of sis.h.i.+…

“If he's only sending in his sis.h.i.+, his target isn't going to be the Emperor.” Situ realised the gravity of the situation. “And the person only less important than the Emperor is…”

“The Heir.” Two answered.

At the same time, Covert Guard Duo1 entered the room and immediately sounded off.

“General, this is big news! Once Zhao Wu had returned to the emporium, he sent his aides home, closing down the shop. He sat in the yard with all his possessions, sighing to himself. I overheard him saying to himself that the 7th Prince is going to plan something huge – something that will make or break them all. I think there's something terrible brewing for this year's Autumnal Hunt!”

He looked up to see Situ and Two looking at him as if he had just said something dumb. He rubbed his head. “Isn’t this big news?”

“Yes it is, but it is essentially the same as my report.” Two sighed. “It’s a pity that they are so careful with their actions. That's the extent of what we're able to find so far.”

“Duo, go back and keep your eyes on Zhao Wu.” Situ quickly commanded.

“Yes, General.” Duo vanished again.

“General, may I ask what this is for?” Two was perplexed.

“Don’t fret. Someone will deliver more concrete news to us.” Situ calmed down and pointed at a chair for Two to sit in.”

They had barely sat comfortably in the chair when the head steward escorted Jiang Moyin into the room. “Situ! I have something important to discuss with you.” Jiang Moyin blurted out urgently the moment he entered the room. He glanced around, saw Two in the corner and quickly turned back to Situ. “I see you've already been informed?”

“I wasn’t sure at first. But seeing your urgency, I can confirm my suspicions.” Situ poured a cup of tea for Jiang Moyin.

Jiang Moyin took a few deep breaths. “Something is up with Emerald of Dream Mirrors and the owner.”

“Didn’t you already know about that? I thought you had set someone on them already.”

“You’re right, I had my suspicions for a while now. However, they have been extremely careful with their actions, and I just found out that they are responsible for gathering information on the officials and n.o.bles of the kingdom.”

“Of course. I bet it's pretty easy to obtain information in a busy place such as a zither parlour.”

Jiang Moyin sighed, and looked at Situ who was visibly unmoved. “Situ, I know that you have a practice of maintaining a neutral position in court. But I really do wish that you can join forces with the Heir this time round.”

He added on. “We intercepted a letter to Dream Mirrors today. You might not know about this yet, but the 7th Prince and his men are planning to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Heir during the Hunt. The letter was for Dream Mirrors to prepare the information on the underhanded dealings of the officials on the Heir’s side, to be used to blackmail the officials into submission after his death.”

“The Emperor himself would be there at the Autumnal Hunt. It is nigh impossible for them to a.s.sa.s.sinate the Heir in front of the Emperor.” Situ knew of the abilities of the 7th Prince’s men, but he placed his trust in the decisions of the Emperor.

“But they seem extremely confident that they will succeed this time!” Jiang Moyin looked extremely worried. “The Heir does not wish to expose the fact that he too has ama.s.sed followers and men under his wing. I know that the defence perimeters of the Autumnal Hunt is managed jointly by the Chief of the Imperial Army and you; if you will let a portion of the Imperial Army mobilise with our men, the 7th Prince and his men will not succeed.”

“The Emperor has been on the throne for a long time, Moyin. Even if he doesn’t point certain things out, it doesn’t mean that he's completely ignorant.” Situ sighed.

“Are you saying that the Emperor already knows about the Heir’s underhanded dealings?” Jiang Moyin widened his eyes.

Situ dodged the question, and instead looked at Jiang Moyin. “Moyin, is the Heir today the same man that you had started following those years ago?”

Jiang Moyin hesitated, and Situ continued. “Let’s not talk about them. The safety of the Emperor and all the other officials during the Hunt is my duty, and so is the Heir’s. As for the deployment of the Army, that will be managed by the Chief.”

Jiang Moyin sighed. “I thought that you'd wanted to get rid of the 7th Prince as well.”

Situ did not deny the allegation. “But I have no intention of teaming up with the Heir to do that.”

Jiang Moyin knew that he was not going to get any further with Situ. “I shall take my leave then.”

“Please do.” Situ did not move from his seat.

It was a while before Two spoke up, looking at the emotionless Situ. “General, it might be much easier to get rid of the 7th Prince if we join forces with the Heir as well. Moreover, the Grand Tutor and you are on such good terms…” His voice trailed off. All of the Covert Guard stuck with Situ out of their own free will, choosing to follow Situ’s charisma and personality. Courageous, ruthless, and moral – these qualities that even his foes have used to describe Situ are what makes the Covert Guard determined to be his followers. It wasn’t that Situ refused to help Jiang Moyin, but that he was afraid that Jiang Moyin is already too obsessed with his interactions with the Heir.”