"I have no hidden agenda; what you see is what you mean," Zhao Changhe couldn’t be bothered with idle chatter, as he suddenly gripped Dragon Sparrow and swung it down fiercely.
"Swish!" Zhai Muzhi’s sword gleamed coldly, and in the blink of an eye, it pierced towards the chest and ribs, breaking Zhao Changhe’s tentative strike completely.
The Personal Guard encircled the scene, with several longswords pointed toward Zhao Changhe.
It should not be taken lightly that Li Shentong, with a casual punch, sent both Zhai Muzhi and his aides en masse into retreat. That was Li Shentong’s strength. Had it been Zhao Changhe fighting, one would realize that these opponents were indeed tough.
Zhai Muzhi said angrily, "Not too long ago, you were in Jiangnan eradicating cults, and now how could you consort with rebels! Head of the Tang family has not treated you poorly!"
Zhao Changhe found it almost laughable to retort such a statement; he truly found it a mix of both tears and laughter: "I am curious, Prefectural Magistrate Zhai, do you not have the concept of loyal officials eliminating traitors in your mind?"
"What nonsense are you spouting!" Zhai Muzhi shouted furiously, "With the imperial envoy present, why couldn’t any misunderstandings be clarified directly? Even if you don’t trust Governor Lu, you and I could go to the Imperial court to speak, and ask Your Majesty to judge! How could there be any sense in colluding with rebels and confronting your colleague with swords!"
Zhao Changhe truly couldn’t be bothered with such absurd talk, and replied lazily, "You don’t know I am a bandit? As for your so-called covenant within the system, I neither understand it nor care to. You, a scourge to the people, would bring peace to the world with a single cut."
Zhao Changhe raised his sword to strike.
"Master Zhao..." suddenly, Lu Shouyi spoke from behind, "With Master Zhao’s identity, if he truly wished to kill someone, there might indeed be a reason for it."
Zhai Muzhi was stupefied, "Brother Lu..."
Lu Shouyi sighed, "Brother Zhai, have you really not heard the rumors?"
Zhai Muzhi was caught off guard for a moment, then suddenly recalled something, and his expression became extremely colorful.
Zhao Changhe is... the Crown Prince... Not everyone was privy to this information; it was originally only known to a very select few, and then gradually, more people became aware of it through various hints from the Cui and Tang families. Zhai Muzhi was also among those who were hinted at. However, it was after all only at the level of insinuation, and no concrete conclusions could be made.
Furthermore, Xia Longyuan had an incredibly tough life; everyone said he was in trouble, yet there he hung on for so many years without any change. Discussions regarding the Crown Prince had naturally faded away after a long silence, and more people began to dismiss it.
Now reminded by Lu Shouyi, Zhai Muzhi recalled the rumor. Judging by Lu Shouyi’s tone, it seemed exceedingly reliable... Considering the attitudes of the Cui, Yang, and Tang families toward him... it appeared Zhao Changhe truly was the Crown Prince!
If he was the Crown Prince, then killing him would not be considered rebellion but rather an undercover inspection, executing traitors and rooting out evil.
However, upon realizing this, Zhai Muzhi felt even more assured, "So it turns out, I confess my errors to the Crown Prince... Shouldn’t the Crown Prince consider the greater good and prioritize purging traitors? Even if your subordinate is at fault in countless ways, he remains loyal to Great Xia."
Zhao Changhe said, "Is loyalty enough?"
Before Zhai Muzhi could reply, Lu Shouyi had already spoken from behind, "Indeed, in today’s Great Xia, nothing surpasses loyalty."
Zhao Changhe asked coolly, "Who does this opinion represent?"
"Your Majesty," replied Lu Shouyi calmly, "His Majesty is aware of the various issues in Shu County, as made clear in Li Si’an’s report... but His Majesty sent me here this time under the guise of an investigation, while in reality, it was a clear indication to protect." ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novｅlfire.net
"Because compared to the current widespread disloyalty, loyalty, or rather, identification with Great Xia, is the most precious quality?"
Zhai Muzhi showed a smile and raised his hands to the sky, "His Majesty is wise."
"There’s another practical issue," Lu Shouyi said, "The Miao Region is already in chaos – that is a fact, and the Imperial court is currently powerless to pacify it. Rather than allowing Shu to be disrupted by the Divine Brilliance Sect and other bandits, it would be better for Prefectural Magistrate Zhai to atone for your crimes and take charge of the Southwest. Otherwise, once the Miao people leave the region and Shu becomes chaotic, even if the Divine Brilliance Sect were to join forces with the Black Miao, I fear that the thousand-mile Heavenly Mansion will no longer belong to Great Xia..."
Zhao Changhe’s wrist flicked, and Dragon Sparrow whistled, "Enough with this talk about considering the greater good. The big picture is something you create, not something you endure. After chopping this blunderer, even if the Miao people cross the border, I will cut down Lei Zhentang next!"
"Clang!" Zhai Muzhi crossed his sword in defense.
"This will ultimately be Your Highness’s Jiangshan; please think thrice!" Lu Shouyi stamped his foot anxiously, still trying to persuade, when suddenly a streak of golden light flashed across the sky.
When Zhao Changhe was observing Zhai Muzhi’s camp in the vanguard, up on Dali Cang Mountain, a second grand alliance meeting of the Miao Region was being organized.
Lei Zhentang could be said to have fallen on hard times.
During the first alliance, using the raging popular resentment and the pretext of his son’s death at the hands of Xia people, he had easily convened various tribes to unite against Xia. Even if the White Clan and the Yao clan did not agree, they were swept along by the tide and had no choice but to join. Once they truly killed Xia people, they would have no turning back.
But then, out of nowhere, a strategist like Si’an saw through Lei Ao’s feigned death, and with his manipulation of words, along with Dao Qingfeng and Pan Wan, they managed to form some sort of "hammer" of a five-tribe council.
He thought that if it was going to be a council, controlling three seats would be the end of it, but then Si’an stirred up a competition, and just like that, a small clan of a few hundred was wedged into the five-tribe council.
That might have still been acceptable, but as long as their strength was sufficient, any council would be a joke. However, just when the discussion at a small meeting failed, and Lei Zhentang was preparing his next move, Wuding turned against him, Wang Daozhong threw a wrench into the works, and without even starting his bold endeavor, Lei Zhentang found himself wounded and languishing in bed for a month.
Black Miao came to an abrupt halt, watching helplessly as the Spirit Clan gathered the Xia people, rallied in Taoyuan, and formed a colossal force.