Plotting Against Me Again

Li Zinian had not expected the supposedly dull-witted, reckless heir of Prince Heng to be so difficult to handle. This time, Zhao Qirui had sent word back, asking him to dispatch fifty thousand soldiers to Trading City to help defend it. He pondered for a long while, unable to make up his mind.

By rights, Zhao Qirui's military order was easy enough to fulfill. He only needed to send any two of the Wuning Army, Wuwei Army, and Wusheng Army that had come to Ulan City this time. All three were Imperial Guards, fully equipped, drilled for years, and ready for battle. Yet two of the three Imperial Guard armies had more or less some connection to the Li Family... and he wanted to send another army to Trading City instead. That was why today's scene had come about.

"Commander He, why not apologize to His Highness the Heir?" Li Zinian casually tossed out a remark that caught everyone off guard.

"This subordinate would sooner die than submit! I, He Jin, have fought dozens of great battles and risked life and death for the country time and again. How could I suffer such humiliation?" He Jin shouted. In just a few sentences, he stirred the sympathy and indignation of the noble families present. Though they were nobles, those great aristocratic clans had never looked them in the eye. He Jin being oppressed by Qin Mo's status today struck at the deepest wound in their hearts.

"Commander Chen, what do you think should be done about this matter?" Li Zinian kicked the ball to Chen Xuanji.

Chen Xuanji had been sitting with his eyes narrowed in repose. Hearing that Li Zinian still intended to drag him into the water, he could not help sighing. He straightened up, swept his gaze over Qin Mo, and asked him in a soft voice.

"Your Highness the Heir, the Grand General has already gone to Trading City. For Your Highness to demand a military order from the Northern Expedition General's Office is naturally improper. Though I am the Vice Commander of the Central Military Office, I am merely acting as the General Director of Marches on this occasion and had no wish to interfere excessively in the northern expedition." As he said this, he glanced at Qin Mo again, making Qin Mo's heart turn faintly uneasy.

"However, this battle presents Great Xia with a heaven-sent opportunity. I will make the decision: transfer seven thousand men from your contingent to reinforce Trading City. What do you say?"

Qin Mo looked at Chen Xuanji, and blazing fury ignited in his eyes, which had always been deep and still. Chen Xuanji appeared to be considering things for him, allowing Qin Mo to send merely seven thousand Fusang warriors to Trading City. But... if that happened, then his confrontation with Li Zinian would no longer be seen as his reasoned defense that he was not under Li Zinian's command. Instead, it would become Qin Mo making an unreasonable fuss, only to be subdued in the end, forced to abandon the cart to save the horse and split off troops as a perfunctory gesture.

The moment he agreed to Chen Xuanji's proposal, he would surely become the laughingstock of the great aristocratic clans. A prince's heir, holding a first-rank title, had actually been "forced" to bow to these upstart nouveau riche, abandoning his own contingent to save himself. The prestige of Prince Heng's Dayuan branch would inevitably plummet.

But if he refused to obey an order from the Central Military Office, how would the Emperor treat him? The Emperor's attitude toward elevating him to a prince had already been unclear. Would he use this opportunity to strip Qin Mo of his title and banish him? After a brief consideration, Qin Mo decided on his response.

"Commander Chen, though this is my first time leading troops, I know that once military morale scatters, an army becomes impossible to lead. If I send seven thousand of my men to Trading City while I, their commanding general, remain here in Ulan City enjoying myself, how could my contingent still have the will to fight to the death?"

"Since Commander Chen is willing to interfere in this matter, then please issue me an order from the Central Military Office. My ten thousand Dayuan men will immediately head north to Trading City, without a word of objection." After saying this, Qin Mo sat firmly in his seat and closed his eyes. Others thought he was resisting helplessly, but only he knew what he was preparing to do next.

Chen Xuanji looked at the silent Qin Mo and felt thoroughly sickened. He had not wanted to wade into these muddy waters in the first place. Great aristocratic clans were not so easily provoked. After discussing it with Li Zinian, he had chosen the seemingly weakest branch, Prince Heng's Dayuan line, as the target of their scheme, yet the young Qin Mo had still "forced" him into a corner.

After all, Chen Xuanji was only a Vice Commander. The Commander-in-Chief, Prince Yan Qin Mu, was royalty and had some friendship with Qin Lan back in the day. If he "forced" Qin Mo to go to Trading City, it would be fine if Qin Mo returned safely. But if anything happened to him, heh... never mind whether Prince Yan would fly into a rage—Dayuan had Allen.

"Commander Chen, since His Highness the Heir is so utterly loyal to His Majesty, you should give him a written order, thereby fulfilling His Highness's desire to fight."

Li Zinian began putting pressure on Chen Xuanji again. The Qingzhou Chen Family and the Jinyang Li Family were both upstart clans, and the two families had always watched out for and aided each other. But recently, the Li Family had been growing close to the Wang Family and was already faintly showing signs of surpassing the Chen Family. If Chen Xuanji did not help Li Zinian this time, a rift would inevitably appear in their alliance.

"Very well. I shall sign a written order for His Highness the Heir." Chen Xuanji finally took out his Commander seal, swiftly drafted a transfer order, stamped it in red, and handed it to Qin Mo.

"I hereby wish His Highness the Heir victory at the first stroke of the banner and the establishment of extraordinary merit." Chen Xuanji forced a sliver of a smile onto his face, one that made Qin Mo feel disgusted no matter how he looked at it.

"My father, Prince Heng Qin Lan, fought the Orcs in dozens of great battles. Of the enemies he slew and the merits he established, which of those present could compare?" Qin Mo demanded loudly as he tucked the transfer order into his robes.

Without waiting for anyone around him to answer, Qin Mo continued in a loud cry, "I, Qin Mo, have been frail since childhood, but I still know loyalty to my sovereign and service to my country. Heading north this time was originally my duty, yet I have suffered humiliation for no reason. It is truly hateful."

"Humiliating me is one thing, but you even humiliated my late father... He Jin, what virtue or ability do you possess? Is Qin Lan's honored name something a flatterer like you can call?"

"Today, I challenge you, battlefield butcher that you are. I only wonder... are you, He Jin, a man or not... Do you dare accept?"

After Qin Mo finished in one breath, everyone was dumbstruck. He had first declared that heading north was voluntary, then clearly displayed his father Qin Lan's achievements, and now found a powerful reason to challenge He Jin. Even Qin Yuanze, unmatched in adaptability, took half a day to understand what Qin Mo was up to.

"Your Highness... do not push people too far." He Jin's face had turned the color of pig liver. He had indeed stepped forward to provoke Qin Mo in order to curry favor with Li Zinian, but Qin Mo had called him a flatterer. How could such words be brought into the open? Once he was stained with the word "flatterer," his opponents would surely use it against him whenever he sought promotion in the future.

"This Heir has never bullied anyone. Here is a life-and-death writ. Once you sign it, you can resolve this great nuisance—me—for your master."

Qin Mo directly tossed over a prepared life-and-death contract. He Jin could scarcely believe his eyes, and an uproar broke out around them.

Qin Mo knew that after today, no matter how low-profile he remained, the Chen Family and Li Family would no longer treat him kindly. Since that was the case, he might as well shout the matter out in the open and make them wary. Otherwise, if they quietly dug a pit and buried him in it, others might not even think to blame them.

Now, he would lay their enmity bare and tell them that he had marked them down. If they had the ability, they could smash this heir to death with a single hammer. Otherwise... heh heh... Unfortunately, neither family had the ability to kill him without a trace. With Allen around, it was utterly impossible unless a Realm cultivator took action.

By contrast, He Jin now had a perfect opportunity to deal with Qin Mo openly and honorably. He looked toward his master, Li Zinian, and received a subtle glance. Gritting his teeth, he signed his name on the life-and-death contract.

Seeing He Jin sign the contract, Qin Mo removed his ceremonial robes and tossed them to Qin Yumu, who stood anxiously to the side. From beginning to end, his two close friends had been helplessly worried, unable to lend any aid. Now Qin Mo was going to fight He Jin, a veteran hardened by countless battles, and the two of them felt unbearably guilty. Why had they not directly confronted that old bastard Li Zinian earlier and taken some of the pressure off Qin Mo?

"He Jin... you'd better think this through... Heh heh heh..." A bear circled around He Jin, opening his blood-filled maw and roaring.

"Earl Mengshan... where is Mengshan? How many people are there in your He Jin household?" Qin Yumu pulled out his folding fan and waved it furiously.

With two genuine "heirs" glaring at him, He Jin truly wanted to weep but had no tears. He was riding a tiger and could not get off! Fine, fine. He would just severely wound Qin Mo later. He absolutely could not kill him.

Unfortunately, Qin Mo did not think the same way. He was gritting his teeth in secret.

"Today, this Heir heads north and will surely establish merit, leaving those who wish to see me make a fool of myself speechless. At this moment, I shall use your head, He Jin, to consecrate the banner."