Arrival at the Barracks, Xue Qinghe's Request-Please Bookmark, Keep Reading, and Subscribe

"It's not impossible. He is the First Prince, after all."

Some still harbored suspicions toward Xue Qinghe and instinctively argued back.

Hong Zhen nearly laughed in anger. He had never imagined he had such remarkable talents among his subordinates.

"The First Prince is only ten this year. No matter how good he is at socializing and winning people over, tell me, what could he possibly offer to bring those people under his command?

"And how many people would it take to influence the atmosphere of an entire city? Even if that many people entered in batches, could they really go completely unnoticed? Is our army a sieve, or did they dig a tunnel straight into the city?"

"Could the Imperial Guard be working for the First Prince?"

Someone thought he had spotted the key.

"They could enter Ironwall City openly, without disguising themselves or hiding anything. The Imperial Guard certainly has enough men, too. Wouldn't that explain everything?"

Hong Zhen suddenly calmed down, profound disappointment showing in his eyes. "Before, I thought you were stupid. Now I think you're outright idiots. The Imperial Guard? That's His Majesty's army. Their sole duty is to protect the First Prince. You think the First Prince can order them around? If they actually obeyed, it would be no different from rebelling against His Majesty.

"If you're going to invent an excuse, at least make it plausible. Why not say the First Prince has joined Spirit Hall? Spirit Hall has considerable influence in Ironwall City, too. Why not say he ordered them to do this?"

By the end, anyone could hear the heavy sarcasm in his voice.

Knock, knock!

A knock sounded at the door. Hong Zhen composed himself, stood up, and opened it.

"General, the First Prince has arrived."

His trusted aide reported to