Chapter 121

Chapter 121: Turn the Enemy’s Stratagem Against Them Ling Jiayue and Mu Yuheng had temporarily repelled the soldiers of the Sheyu Kingdom, successfully resolving the crisis at the Northwest Fortress-City. At that moment, they were seated inside the fortress. Meanwhile, news of their victory had already reached the Crown Prince and Chu Chaoci. The Crown Prince was overjoyed when he heard the news. With this victory, the crisis facing Dayi could be eased. Chu Chaoci could forget about dividing Dayi between himself and the Sheyu Kingdom. Chu Chaoci, however, was furious when he received the news. He had never imagined that Ling Jiayue would break through such a situation. Suddenly, he felt that Ling Jiayue was none other than his former Empress, Ling Jiayue. She had returned for revenge. The more Chu Chaoci thought about it, the angrier he became. Chu Chaoci ordered his subordinate to issue an instruction to the black-clad agent monitoring Mu Yuyang. He wanted the agent to direct Mu Yuyang to do everything possible to slander Ling Jiayue and Mu Yuheng in the Dayi imperial court. At the same time, Mu Yuyang was to eliminate the people Mu Yuheng had planted in the court and seize control of the government. After receiving the message, the black-clad agent immediately conveyed Chu Chaoci’s intentions to Mu Yuyang and handed him a letter. It was not that the black-clad agent was foolish enough to leave evidence behind for others to seize. Recently, the Crown Prince had mobilized the entire Capital Patrol Camp in order to prevent Mu Yuyang from meeting secretly with anyone. After reading the letter delivered by the black-clad agent, Mu Yuyang was enraged that Ling Jiayue and Mu Yuheng had actually won. If the two of them continued winning, how could he ever ascend the throne in the future? In his fury, Mu Yuyang smashed his teacup, completely forgetting that he was himself a prince of Dayi and that defending the nation was precisely what he ought to do. Feng Yu stood silently at Mu Yuyang’s side without saying a word. Recently, in order to gather more evidence of Mu Yuyang’s collusion with the enemy and betrayal of the nation, he had acted with unmatched loyalty and devotion. Mu Yuyang had come to trust him more and more. Mu Yuyang crumpled the letter into a ball and tossed it to Feng Yu, ordering him to dispose of it. Feng Yu showed no reaction on his face and readily agreed. In private, however, he quietly tucked the letter against his person, waiting for the right opportunity to hand it over to the Crown Prince together with the other evidence. He had already seen through the Third Prince’s selfish and self-serving nature. If Dayi was to remain safe and prosperous for generations, the Third Prince had to be brought down. The Third Prince, meanwhile, had no idea what Feng Yu was thinking. He muttered, “Ling Jiayue, Mu Yuheng, you really are blessed with extraordinary luck. Just wait. Even if you did drive back the Sheyu Kingdom this time, this Prince will never let you return easily. You can stay obediently at the border frontier!” Feng Yu did not know what Mu Yuyang was plotting when he heard those words, but he could not help worrying for Ling Jiayue and Mu Yuheng. At the same time, Feng Yu knew that the news of Ling Jiayue’s victory would undoubtedly stir up a tempest in the imperial court. Before long, news of Ling Jiayue’s defeat of the Sheyu Kingdom’s army reached the capital. In court, Emperor Mu Yuye held the urgent dispatch sent from the northwestern border and ordered Eunuch Chen to read it aloud to the princes and the civil and military officials. Upon hearing the news, the princes and officials all praised the victory. Mu Yuye also lavished praise on Ling Jiayue. He said to Ling Taian, “Prime Minister Ling, you truly have raised an excellent daughter for Dayi. For this great victory, I will credit Ling Jiayue with the first merit, and your Ling Residence shall receive a substantial reward as well!” Ling Taian replied humbly, “Your Majesty is too kind. This was merely what Yue'er ought to have done. Since she went to war, she should naturally serve her country and lead from the front. Only then would she not fail Your Majesty’s and the honored officials’ expectations of her.” When Mu Yuyang heard this, he nodded in satisfaction and said, “As expected of a tiger’s daughter—there can be no cur in the family. Prime Minister Ling is loyal to the sovereign and devoted to his country, which is why he was able to raise a daughter like Ling Jiayue. It is truly an honor for Dayi.” Ling Taian broke into a cold sweat at Mu Yuyang’s praise and repeatedly insisted that he dared not accept it. At that moment, the Third Prince, Mu Yuyang, spoke up. “Father, it is certainly gratifying that General Ling drove back the soldiers of the Sheyu Kingdom. However, General Ling’s act of flooding the area resulted in far too much slaughter. It has offended Heaven’s harmony and may even impede the national fortune of Dayi.” “Oh? What do you mean?” Mu Yuye was the sovereign, and sovereigns had always placed their faith in celestial omens. Hearing Mu Yuyang’s words, he could not help asking anxiously. “Father, these past few days, I have felt uneasy, so I consulted the Directorate of Astronomy. Who would have thought that they would say the constellations over the Northwest had been drowned in blood, and that a great calamity might soon occur? When I first heard this, I thought it meant that General Ling and the others would suffer defeat. Yet I later learned that they had achieved a complete victory.” Mu Yuyang paused before continuing, “However, General Ling’s actions resulted in such grave slaughter that they may have impeded Dayi’s national fortune. I fear that the Directorate of Astronomy’s warning may be true and that Dayi will soon face a great calamity.” Mu Yuye fell silent upon hearing this. Resolving the crisis in the Northwest was certainly a good thing, but if it had damaged Dayi’s national fortune in the process, then the gain would not make up for the loss. Ling Taian knew that Mu Yuyang’s words had struck directly at Mu Yuye’s weakness. Fearing that Mu Yuye might decide to punish Ling Jiayue, he hurriedly said, “Your Majesty, please judge wisely! Yue'er acted solely out of devotion to her country. How could she possibly impede Dayi’s national fortune?” Mu Yuye ignored Ling Taian and instead asked Mu Yuyang, “Did the Directorate of Astronomy say how this could be resolved?” Seeing that Mu Yuye had taken the matter seriously, Mu Yuyang’s lips curved into a faint smile. He said, “The Directorate of Astronomy told me that as long as two generals with heavy killing auras guarded the northwestern border, they would not impede Dayi’s national fortune. As things stand, General Ling and Seventh Brother are both ready-made candidates.” After Mu Yuyang finished speaking, a vague sense of foreboding arose in Ling Taian’s heart. He suspected that Mu Yuyang was plotting something and wanted to harm Ling Jiayue. Once the Crown Prince heard Mu Yuyang’s words, he had a faint idea of what was happening. However, he had no intention of acting rashly and decided to wait a little longer. “In that case, let General Ling and the Seventh Prince first remain stationed at the border frontier,” Mu Yuye finally declared after pondering for a long while. “The Sheyu Kingdom has only just been driven back, and there is no guarantee that it will not return. With the two of them guarding the border, I will be at ease.” The princes and the civil and military officials all kowtowed and replied, “Yes, Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long long live Your Majesty!” “That will be all. Court is dismissed,” Mu Yuye said before departing. He had originally been delighted by the great victory in the Northwest, but after hearing Mu Yuyang’s explanation concerning celestial omens, unease had crept into his heart. After returning to his residence, the Crown Prince wrote down everything that had happened in the imperial court in a letter. At the same time, Feng Yu found an opportunity to hand the letter proving the Third Prince’s collusion with the enemy and betrayal of the nation to the Crown Prince. After receiving the letter from Feng Yu, the Crown Prince thought for a moment. He then opened the letter he had written for Mu Yuheng and added four words at the end: “Turn the enemy’s stratagem against them.” Once he had finished writing, the Crown Prince instructed the messenger to send it out. Close