"Raiding their home?"
Teacher Shang suddenly had an epiphany.
Without an imperial decree, mobilizing nearby troops could be considered treason—a grave crime.
The Emperor's thoughts were unfathomable. This move was far too risky. Unless absolutely necessary, no one would dare take such a gamble.
"But if the Rasha invaders attack, our brave soldiers, in their fearless pursuit, chase them all the way to Rasha territory—that wouldn’t count as mobilizing troops, would it?"
That sounded perfectly reasonable!
"Then who should lead this?"
Everyone turned their eyes to Lu Chao.
Xiao Youcheng shook his head.
"He can’t carry a load or wield a weapon—no good." Lu Chao was sharp-minded, but what if the fighting damaged his brain?
"There’s one person who’s perfect for this."
"Who?!"
"Xiao Huan!"
Xiao Huan couldn’t go to the northwest, but he could head to Hedong. Hedong’s advantage was its proximity to Rasha. The Hedong military governor was upright and detested evil. Though his forces were fewer than Yingzhou’s, they should be enough to deal with Rasha, which had already lost sixty thousand troops.
"And what about the provisions? Are we just handing them over like that?"
The old man felt a pang of reluctance. Doing good was one thing, but Prince Kang hadn’t even ascended the throne yet. Sending provisions now was like throwing money into the water.
"Master, you’re thinking too small."
Lu Chao raised an eyebrow and smirked, a playful glint in his eyes.
Murong Yun huffed and smacked Lu Chao’s back.
"You brat, I’m just worried about your silver!"
"Think of it this way—we’re temporarily storing our silver with these corrupt officials. Later, we’ll collect it back, one by one."
The group burst into laughter at his explanation, giving him thumbs-up.
"Besides, provisions spent on border-defending soldiers are worth every penny!"
With a solution in place, Xiao Youcheng’s gloomy expression eased slightly. Suddenly remembering the gift mentioned in his brother’s letter, he turned to Lu Chao.
"That gift the Crown Prince gave you last time—did you open it as he told you?"
Lu Chao smacked his forehead. The Crown Prince hadn’t let him open it then, and afterward, he’d rushed off to Yuxi, leaving it forgotten on a shelf in his treasure cabinet.
"I’d completely forgotten! Wait here, I’ll fetch it right away!"
Before the words fully left his mouth, he dashed out the door. Murong Yun shook his head with a chuckle.
Anyone else would’ve torn open a gift from the Crown Prince immediately—only Lu Chao would treat it so casually.
"The Crown Prince even mentioned it in his letter. He probably never imagined Lu Chao still hadn’t opened it."
"That brat!"
The heavy atmosphere lightened slightly with this distraction.
But before Lu Chao could return, Er Yao stumbled in, frantic.
"My lord! Your Highness!"
Usually steady, Er Yao tripped over his robes, falling to the ground with a whimper.
"The Crown Prince… the Crown Prince has passed!"
Murong Yun rushed forward, grabbing Er Yao.
"What did you say?!"
Er Yao sniffled.
"Black-character white lanterns hang outside Yingchuan’s city gates! According to our informants, the Crown Prince… the Crown Prince has passed!"
Xiao Youcheng’s head buzzed, drowning out all other sounds.
Murong Yun collapsed to the floor, drained of strength.
When Lu Chao ran back in with the brocade box, the room was filled with nothing but sighs.
Thinking of the gentle, jade-like young man, Lu Chao’s heart ached. After helping his master up, he handed the box to Xiao Youcheng.
Xiao Youmu numbly opened it, revealing two letters inside.
One was addressed to Lu Chao, the other to Yukang.
Lu Chao’s letter contained deeds and banknotes. Xiao Youcheng’s held a portrait—a young woman sitting on a wicker chair, her belly rounded, a smile on her lips as she wove something. Beside her, a four-year-old child kicked a ball. The inscription read: "Great Yuan, Year 34."
At the sight of the portrait, Murong Yun’s aged face streaked with tears as he whispered,
"Mingguang!"
Xiao Youcheng stared at his master in shock.
"Master, what is this?"
Murong Yun wiped his eyes and exchanged a glance with Teacher Shang before pulling a letter from his sleeve and handing it to Xiao Youcheng.
"Teachers, what is this?"
"Yukang, the Crown Prince is gone. We can’t keep this from you any longer."
"In Great Yuan Year 34, the Crown Prince was four. Empress Murong Mingguang, eight months pregnant, died from hemorrhaging—claiming two lives. Three days later, Noble Consort Xian gave birth to a boy named Youcheng."
Xiao Youcheng’s eyes burned with disbelief as he looked at Murong Yun.
"During Mingguang’s labor, the Crown Prince hid under the bed and overheard the Emperor’s plan to swap the babies. Yukang, you and the Crown Prince share the same blood—he was your elder brother."
Xiao Youcheng swayed, shaking his head.
"I don’t believe it. Why didn’t he acknowledge me?"
Murong Yun sighed deeply.
"He couldn’t. He didn’t dare. Every word and action in the palace was watched by the Emperor’s spies. How he must have longed to claim you."
"You must wonder how Teacher Shang and I know this. I, Murong Yun, am the 65th-generation direct descendant of the Murong family. Murong You is my nephew. Back then, after Mingguang was born, I was ambushed by my stepmother while traveling. By the time I returned to the capital, Mingguang had already entered the palace."
"I failed to protect Mingguang, and I failed to protect the Crown Prince. Once he learned he was poisoned, he made arrangements for you. That’s why, at seven, you met me and Teacher Shang. Though he never acknowledged you, he fulfilled his duty as an elder brother. Yukang, don’t blame him."
"This is your half of the jade pendant. You and your brother each had one. Now…"
Xiao Youcheng stared at the two identical jade pendants in his palm, fingers tightening around the tassel.
……
Lu Chao felt his brain might sprout weeds. What had the old Emperor gained by swapping sons? Tsk. And this old man—Prince Kang’s maternal grandfather? Add the war with the Tartars at the border, and Lu Chao could sum it up in four words: chaos within and without.
As Xiao Youcheng predicted, the Second Prince and the Chancellor’s faction, using the Emperor’s unconscious state as an excuse, refused to issue troop deployment orders. Even sending provisions took three or four days of court debate. Factoring in preparation and transit time, it would take at least twenty days for supplies to reach Shuozhou.
With tensions mounting, Xiao Youcheng donned mourning robes the next day and finalized plans.
Xiao Huan, bearing Prince Kang’s handwritten letter, set off for Hedong under imperial guard escort.
Lu Chao and Zhou Qingyuan transported provisions straight to Shuozhou, while Lu Yuanyi and Chen Ning'an coordinated logistics across regions.
Shuozhou.
"Ah-Zheng, your plan is sound, but the enemy has cut off all routes out of Shuozhou. We can’t send messages—only light signal fires. How do we link up with Hedong?"
Xiao Yan frowned at the map. Their only hope now was waiting for reinforcements.
Xiao Zheng bit his lip.
"What if I lead a squad to break through?"
The Northwest Marquis shook his head.
"The Tartar Fourth Prince sees you as a thorn in his side. You’d be walking into a trap."
Xiao Zheng clenched his fists in frustration.
"General! Our provisions are running dangerously low! That incompetent emperor is unlikely to send reinforcements. Rather than waiting here to perish, we should fight our way out—there's still a chance we might survive!"
