Preparing to Return to the Capital

In the latter half of the night, rain suddenly came pouring down.

The river swelled, its muddy floodwaters roaring downstream, carrying broken stones and snapped trees in a terrifying torrent.

The commander of the Black Armor Guard rode through the curtain of rain to Zongzheng Heng's horse. He dismounted and dropped to one knee in the muddy water.

"Your Majesty, the rain is pouring down and the river is rising. If you continue searching downstream, something may happen. Miss Qiao... please allow me to take men to look for her. Your person is worth ten thousand gold pieces. If anything were to happen to you in these desolate mountains, I could not escape blame even if I died ten thousand deaths."

Having risen to the position of commander, he could see that the convicted woman Qiao Shuyi was likely connected to His Majesty somehow, and he had changed the way he addressed her to "Miss Qiao."

"Besides... Your Majesty has been searching here for nearly a day and a night without a drop of water. Your health must come first. Please take care of yourself, Your Majesty."

Zongzheng Heng sat on his horse, rainwater sliding from the corners of his tightly pressed lips. He stared motionlessly at the dark silhouettes of the mountains in the distance.

His health must come first.

His lips curved ever so slightly, though it was unclear whether he was mocking himself or something else.

Just then, a rapid drumming of hooves broke through the curtain of rain.

It was Gu Huai'an riding toward them.

He spotted Zongzheng Heng from a distance and abruptly reined in his horse:

"Your Majesty, an urgent report from the north. Word of Qiao Nanyu's execution has reached beyond the pass. Several tribes have joined forces to invade while our northern frontier has no leader. Their vanguard has already reached Yanmen Pass. The border is in peril. Please return to the city at once and take charge, Your Majesty."

Zongzheng Heng closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, all the turbulence in his gaze had faded:

"Back to the city."

He turned his horse around and did not look back.

By the time Zongzheng Heng rode back to the Jinzhou prefectural offices, dawn was beginning to break.

"Bring me the reports from the northern front."

Zongzheng Heng unfastened his drenched cloak and tossed it onto a chair. Not a trace of weariness could be heard in his voice.

Gu Huai'an hurriedly presented the urgent report.

Zongzheng Heng unfolded it and read it carefully.

The allied forces of those tribes claimed to number fifty thousand, but in truth there were only a little over twenty thousand. They were taking advantage of the opening left by Qiao Nanyu's execution, when the northern frontier was a host of dragons without a head.

They believed that with Qiao Nanyu dead, Jinzhou's troops would scatter and the northern defenses would collapse.

They had certainly worked out a fine scheme.

"Where are the troops Qiao Nanyu trained in the valley now?"

Zongzheng Heng put down the report and looked up at Gu Huai'an.

Gu Huai'an was taken aback, but promptly answered:

"Your Majesty, those men have been disarmed and are being held for the time being at the camp outside the city, under the Black Armor Guard's watch. There are a little over eight thousand of them, all elite soldiers handpicked by Qiao Nanyu. He kept them in the valley all these years, and they have never shown themselves."

Zongzheng Heng nodded.

He rose and walked to the map of the northern frontier hanging on the wall. His gaze traveled from Yanmen Pass to the area beyond it, where the encampments of several tribes were marked.

"Convey my oral decree. Return weapons and armor to each of the eight thousand surrendered soldiers. Tell them I am giving them a chance to atone for their crimes through meritorious service. After this battle, their merits and offenses will cancel each other out, and the past will be forgotten."

Gu Huai'an paused, wanting to speak but holding back.

Those men were utterly loyal to Qiao Nanyu. What if they switched sides on the battlefield-

As though seeing through his thoughts, Zongzheng Heng added mildly:

"Tell them that the general leading them in this battle will be Zhao Huchen."

Gu Huai'an's eyes lit up at once.

Zhao Huchen was the foremost general under Qiao Nanyu. He had guarded the northern frontier for more than ten years, striking terror into the tribes beyond the pass at the mere mention of his name.

When Qiao Nanyu rebelled, Zhao Huchen claimed illness and stayed out of sight. He had been under house arrest by the Black Armor Guard for many days.

The man was loyal to the people of the northern frontier, not to Qiao Nanyu.

If he led the troops-

"Your Majesty is wise."

Zongzheng Heng paid no attention to his praise, keeping his eyes on the map:

"Summon Zhao Huchen to see me. Also convey my decree: select five thousand elite soldiers from the Jinzhou garrison and add them to the eight thousand surrendered troops, making thirteen thousand in all. Zhao Huchen will command them and set out for Yanmen Pass at once. I do not need him to wipe out the enemy. He only needs to hurt those tribes badly enough that they will not dare set foot in Great Zhang again for ten years."

"Qiao Nanyu spent so many years training those troops. We cannot let that training go to waste. Letting his men guard the frontier he was supposed to guard will at least mean he did not draw the court's pay for all those years in vain."

Gu Huai'an withdrew from the study and passed down His Majesty's orders.

When he returned after attending to these matters, he opened the door a little more quietly.

Zongzheng Heng sat at the desk reviewing memorials.

Gu Huai'an looked at His Majesty's profile. Although His Majesty was clearly reading the memorials, his gaze always seemed empty, and Gu Huai'an did not know what he was thinking.

He had already heard that His Majesty had led the Black Armor Guard in a search for the Qiao Family's daughter beneath the cliff today.

Such behavior was highly unusual.

He suddenly began to speculate.

His Majesty had arrived in Jinzhou a month ago, and no one knew where he had gone.

By the time word came from His Majesty, all the evidence of Qiao Nanyu's rebellion was already in his hands.

What exactly had His Majesty done during that month?

And where had he obtained that evidence?

He dared not dwell on it, yet a thought rose up beyond his control. The Prince of Jin'an's legitimate daughter Qiao Shuyi, that extravagant and dissolute Second Miss Qiao whose name was known throughout Jinzhou... what connection could she have to His Majesty?

Gu Huai'an drew a deep breath and pushed those stray thoughts back down. He stepped forward and lowered his head.

"Your Majesty, those tribes in the north are nothing to fear. With Zhao Huchen going, victory is certain from the first clash. However-"

"Your Majesty is in the northern frontier, so it is inevitable that people at court are anxious. The Empress Dowager has already sent three decrees in succession, pressing to know when Your Majesty will return to the capital. Now that the Qiao Family has been eliminated and the northern frontier will soon be settled, this is the time for Your Majesty to return to court and deter those with ill intentions. Only with Your Majesty in the capital can the hearts of all under heaven be set at ease."

Zongzheng Heng came back to himself, though not the slightest sign of anything unusual showed on his face.

"I will set out for the capital tomorrow."

Gu Huai'an acknowledged the order but did not withdraw. After hesitating for a moment, he spoke again:

"Your Majesty, there is one more matter. The Empress Dowager is preparing for the consort selection. As for First Miss Su, I used the selection rules to eliminate her in the second round. This time, however, the Empress Dowager seems determined to select a group of legitimate daughters for the palace. Second Miss Su is a daughter of a concubine, so I fear she will be eliminated in the third round before she can reach the palace selection."

When Zongzheng Heng heard the words "consort selection," his brow furrowed slightly.

The consort selection, entering the palace, the three palaces and six courtyards, crowds of consorts and concubines-all these things he had once taken for granted now sounded inexplicably irritating.

Even Su Yunyan, when he thought of her now, seemed hazy, as though separated from him by some kind of veil.

"How long until the third round?" he asked.

"The third round is in five days."

Zongzheng Heng was silent for a moment:

"I will set out for the capital tomorrow. Riding hard, I can arrive in three days."

"As for the consort selection, I will deal with it myself after I return to the capital."

Gu Huai'an felt slightly relieved. He lowered his head and accepted the order. "Yes, Your Majesty. I take my leave."

He withdrew from the study and gently closed the door.

As the door shut, he could not resist another glance at the figure sitting upright inside.

His Majesty seemed a little different.

He had deliberately mentioned Second Miss Su just now, hoping to lift His Majesty's spirits.

Back when His Majesty was still Prince Xuan, whenever Second Miss Su, the Su Family's daughter by a concubine, was mentioned, his stern features would always soften a little without his realizing it.

Gu Huai'an had followed His Majesty for many years, and he could see at least that much.

His Majesty had not slept a wink last night and had spent so long searching beneath the cliff in the rain. His spirits were weighed down.

Gu Huai'an had thought that mentioning Second Miss Su might remind His Majesty of something happy and loosen the string that had been pulled too taut.

But after he spoke, His Majesty had only... furrowed his brow.

He dared not think any further.

He turned and hurried away.