Silence fell all around. The kneeling soldiers seemed to have lost their voices. Had their physical conditioning not been far superior to that of ordinary people, they probably would have wet themselves by now.
Chu Xuanzhen said, "I will ask you once more. Whose verbal orders are you relaying?"
This time, no one answered, terrified that their own head would be the next to fall.
Just then, a troop hurried over, apparently carrying something. Their leader shouted, "By His Majesty's command, arrest the traitor Xue Pingyuan on the spot!"
"The Crown Prince and all those accompanying him are to be confined."
The newcomer was Jia Zhengyuan, another general of equal rank to Xue Pingyuan.
Jia Zhengyuan held up the imperial edict for everyone to see, then arrogantly signaled his men with a glance. "Arrest Xue Pingyuan!"
His subordinates immediately raised their weapons and charged toward the city gates. Xue Pingyuan was not the only one bewildered by this sudden turn of events. Shen Yangge was just as confused.
In the original novel, the Fourth Prince had only used threats and inducements against Xue Pingyuan. He had never dared to issue an arrest order so openly, because he knew Xue Pingyuan commanded twice as many soldiers as Jia Zhengyuan. His military strength was formidable, and if it came to a fight, they had little chance of winning.
So the Fourth Prince had relied on cunning. Step by step, he lured Xue Pingyuan into a trap, then incited his subordinates to commit outrageous acts and used a mole to sow discord among several of his trusted men.
Later, Xue Pingyuan had nearly been killed by his own men. But... although Xue Pingyuan survived, his younger brother Xue Qian died.
At the time, Xue Pingyuan had been consumed by rage and the maddened