Wang Yue put the Third Prince of Northern Liang in a secret chamber at his training camp, then returned to the diplomatic delegation. He summoned its members one by one, brought them to his secret chamber for questioning, and placed a Life and Death Talisman on each of them.
Having experienced the terror of the Life and Death Talisman, the delegation members were easy for Wang Yue to control. Even the most stubborn ones were replaced with lookalikes using his disguise techniques. All that remained was finding the right time to return to Northern Liang.
Sometimes, things came just when you were thinking about them. Wang Yue was still wondering how to find an opportunity to go to Northern Liang when a message arrived from there.
The Emperor of Northern Liang had suddenly fallen gravely ill. The Eldest Prince and Second Prince had already begun fighting for power, and as the Third Prince, he had to hurry back and join the struggle.
So he told the rest of the delegation to stay and continue the negotiations, then rode alone toward Northern Liang.
Before leaving, he found an excuse to arrange a transfer for Mu Zhuohua. He secured her a position ahead of schedule, moving her from the Hanlin Academy to a post as County Magistrate in a place near Northern Liang.
The real Prince Ding had approved all of this. He wanted to see whether the border-reclamation strategy could truly be used against Northern Liang.
Wang Yue also transferred Lian Yun out of Kyoto, assigning her to a secret base by the sea. Many craftsmen had gathered there and were busily building seagoing ships. In the future, the workshops' goods would be transported to various regions by sea, which would also help keep the people safe.
Mu Zhuohua's county happened