Offering a plan

"Why do you want to help me?"

After hearing Zhang Qingyuan's words, Zhu Qizhao was somewhat confused.

Earlier, he had been so sentimental, his words revealing his distaste for imperial power. Why had he suddenly offered to help him?

Zhang Qingyuan looked at him with contempt. "You think I want to help you?

If this damned mess in your family isn't settled, who's going to look after Kaifeng's disaster victims? Are we supposed to watch them all starve to death?

I'm not helping you. I'm helping the disaster victims, helping the common people find a halfway decent emperor to run things, that's all.

Only once your family settles down will you have your hands free to provide disaster relief."

This was why he had no choice but to help. Those brothers in that family were far too much of a mess, Zhang Qingyuan grumbled inwardly.

After hearing Long Qi explain the divisions within the imperial family, Zhang Qingyuan had little regard for the other princes competing for the throne.

Whatever else might be said about Zhu Qizhao, at least he was helping in the disaster area. Besides, he and Zhang Qingyuan had some friendship, so helping him ascend the throne was simply pushing the boat along with the current.

Zhu Qizhao relaxed his guard slightly. A moment ago, he had thought Zhang Qingyuan intended to kill him, giving him quite a fright.

"Wait, then why the hell did you hit me?" He rubbed his lower abdomen. The pain still hadn't faded.

Zhang Qingyuan stood up and declared with righteous conviction, "This humble Daoist struck you on behalf of those disaster victims who died. If your family had reacted sooner and actively provided relief, would so many people have died?"

One punch was letting him off lightly!

The two glared at each other. In the end, Zhu Qizhao was the first to concede, his bluster fading. "Fine. I won't hold it against you."

Zhu Qizhao didn't think he could beat him, and he was afraid that if he angered Zhang Qingyuan, he would get punched again.

"Hmph."

Zhang Qingyuan gave a haughty snort, though inwardly he felt uneasy too.

Once this guy becomes emperor, he won't take revenge on me, will he? Surely he isn't that petty.

Even if he is, it doesn't matter. At worst, I'll hole up deep in the mountains and forests and refuse to come out until I'm the strongest under heaven.

For the sake of millions of disaster victims, I punched him!

Zhang Qingyuan did have something of an angry young idealist in him, from the Black Lotus Sect affair back then to the disaster relief now.

Though he usually spoke without a filter, was rather oblivious, and never acted seriously.

When something truly important came along, he could still distinguish right from wrong.

The two sat in the courtyard, and Li Qiuran brought over two cups of tea.

Zhu Zizhao accepted his tea and looked at Li Qiuran. "Thank you, sister-in-law."

Li Qiuran merely glared at him and said nothing more.

Zhang Qingyuan silently gave him a thumbs-up. He certainly deserved his help. He really knew what to say!

Still, his heart fluttered with alarm, afraid Qiuran might draw her sword.

Once Li Qiuran had left, Zhang Qingyuan told him quietly, "Don't say things like that to her."

"What, isn't she my sister-in-law?"

"She is... halfway, I suppose."

Zhu Qizhao gave him a mocking look. Though he couldn't beat him, he could still scorn him with his eyes.

"I thought a Daoist who dared punch a prince would be some astonishing talent. Turns out you're nothing special."

"Keep your voice down. She's the Bamboo Green Fairy, whose very name strikes terror throughout the martial world. If you anger her and she cuts you down, your great undertaking really will collapse halfway through, before it's even half accomplished."

With Li Qiuran's temper, if the teasing angered her enough, she wouldn't care whether he was a prince or the crown prince.

Zhu Qizhao curled his lip. "I thought she was quite happy to hear me call her sister-in-law."

"Really?"

"Mm."

Zhang Qingyuan secretly turned to look inside the house. Hopefully, that was true.

After taking a sip of tea, Zhang Qingyuan put aside his flippancy and said seriously, "Tell me your plan first. If there are any holes, I'll help you fill them."

Zhu Zizhao took a deep breath and began explaining his plan.

"Actually, I knew long ago that the Prince of Yu harbored disloyal ambitions. Before the Heavenly Principle Sect contacted him, Xiahou Jue approached me first."

So that was it. Zhang Qingyuan understood at once. No wonder he had come to Kaifeng first.

"But I felt that Xiahou Jue's Heavenly Principle Sect wasn't upright, so I turned him down."

"So he came to Kaifeng and approached the Prince of Yu. And since you often move through the martial world, you have forces there too."

On the surface, Zhu Qizhao acted wild and unrestrained, as though he had no designs on the throne. The emperor had five sons born to his empress, and the others were fighting tooth and nail. He was also a legitimate son, with the same opportunity. How could he have no designs on the throne?

Zhu Qizhao neither confirmed nor denied it, merely nodding slightly. The two understood each other without speaking.

Zhang Qingyuan didn't spell it out. Knowing was enough; saying it aloud would only make things awkward.

"I have an organization in the martial world called the Listening Tide Pavilion. Old Three manages it for me. Its main purpose is gathering information from various places.

When I learned Xiahou Jue had come to Kaifeng, I knew he'd approached the Prince of Yu."

"So you came to Kaifeng intending to deal the Prince of Yu a heavy blow when he rebelled?"

Zhu Qizhao shook his head. "Though I knew he and the Prince of Yu were colluding, I didn't know their plans. Kaifeng happened to be suffering a severe drought. I spent three days looking around Kaifeng, hoping to sound him out. Even then, I still didn't know exactly how they intended to raise troops.

It wasn't until the trip to Listening Wind Stronghold, after you helped me break it, that we worked out his intentions together."

"Then what was your backup plan?"

"My original plan was to pass through Kaifeng and head straight for Shanhai Pass. General Huang is stationed there, and Shanhai Pass has a hundred thousand elite troops. Once the Prince of Yu raised his army and marched straight for the capital, I would bring General Huang to strike from behind-the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it."

Zhu Qizhao sighed and said gloomily, "But the Prince of Yu has set his sights on the disaster victims. I have to guard against that.

If he recruited soldiers and bought horses normally, rallying mountain bandits and commoners to rise up, I'd have plenty of time.

Unfortunately, he's targeting the disaster victims. If he wants to raise troops, with the grain he has, he could easily assemble an army of a hundred thousand in an instant."

Zhang Qingyuan thoroughly agreed. Speed was paramount in war for the Prince of Yu. If he really rebelled, even the imperial court might not have time to react.

"So you stayed in Kaifeng and sent Old Five and Old Seven to Shanhai Pass to request troops."

"Yes. I need to stay in Kaifeng and keep track of the Prince of Yu's next move at all times."

"You've been leaving early and coming back late these past few days because you've been gathering intelligence, haven't you?"

"Mm. The Prince of Yu can't wait any longer. He's already recruiting troops and buying horses. He's moved all his grain to his residence, and large numbers of disaster victims are gathering there too," Zhu Qizhao said with some urgency.

Zhang Qingyuan frowned slightly, then asked, "Do you have any ideas?"

Zhu Qizhao sighed again and gave a bleak smile. "The truth is, apart from the Listening Tide Pavilion's people, I have no one else left in Kaifeng."

Zhu Qizhao had never had many men to begin with. To maintain his image as a carefree prince, over all these years, apart from the Twelve Guards, he had only established the Listening Tide Pavilion's intelligence network.

Now the Twelve Guards had all been sent out, leaving him with no one to use.

Zhang Qingyuan looked at him. He really had committed everything, sending out all of the Twelve Guards without leaving anyone at his side to protect him.

The two fell silent. After thinking for a while, Zhang Qingyuan suddenly raised his head.

"I have a suggestion."

"What suggestion?" Zhu Qizhao asked.

He smiled. "You could follow the Prince of Yu's example and raise a force from the disaster victims too.

The disaster victims are scattered now, and more and more are starving to death. As long as you say you have grain, large numbers of them will surely come running to us."

"But... I don't have any provisions. How can I get the disaster victims to come?"

Zhang Qingyuan pointed beneath their feet and smiled. "He does."

Zhu Qizhao froze. "You mean the Tang Household?"

Tang Jie was now Kaifeng's largest grain merchant. The grain in his hands was enough to equip a force of tens of thousands.

"Go persuade him. Reveal your identity and let him become an investor in your military undertaking. At the very least, you won't be completely powerless in Kaifeng."

"But I don't have any weapons..." Zhu Qizhao added.

The Prince of Yu had more than grain. He had been preparing for a long time, and besides provisions, they had also stockpiled weapons in advance.

"What's so difficult about that? There are plenty of mountain strongholds of all sizes nearby. Put all their bandits together, and there must be at least two thousand of them. With one weapon each, those two thousand men would give you thousands of weapons. Then have Tang Jie rush to forge some more for you. It might not be much, but these people aren't your main force anyway.

As long as they can hold out until General Huang arrives, every problem can be solved as easily as a blade splitting bamboo."

At this point, Zhang Qingyuan paused.

"All of this depends on you making sure General Huang will come."

Zhang Qingyuan didn't know exactly what kind of backdoor deal he had with General Huang. If the man didn't come, this would all be nonsense. After all, they lacked weapons. Were they really supposed to rely on disaster victims fighting barehanded?

After hearing Zhang Qingyuan out, Zhu Qizhao said confidently, "Don't worry. General Huang will definitely come."

"Mm."

Zhang Qingyuan was certain now. There was definitely a backdoor deal, but since he wasn't saying what it was, Zhang Qingyuan wouldn't ask.

Zhang Qingyuan stood up and swept his sleeves.

"There's still one thing missing before you can raise troops."

"What?"

Zhang Qingyuan said, "A righteous cause!"

Without a righteous cause, he wouldn't have a leg to stand on. Even if he later won the struggle for succession, both among the people and at court, he would still be someone who had seized the throne through that struggle.

In ancient times, even rebels raising troops had to cry out that they were carrying out Heaven's will.

"Can your Listening Tide Pavilion spread information?"

Zhu Zizhao said, "Yes!"

Zhang Qingyuan nodded, an idea already forming in his mind. Looking at Zhu Qizhao, he asked, "If you become emperor, can you treat the common people of the realm a little better?"

Zhu Qizhao didn't answer him directly, but looked into his eyes and said:

"Do you know why I want to become emperor?

It's because I think they treat the common people badly."