Firmament Sword

With the corroborating evidence sent earlier by Yuwen Shentong, coupled with the extremely complete and detailed battle report, the Emperor could now be certain: this monumental feat, which was like pulling the rug out from under the Yan Army, was done by Xu Luo and his team, Martial Soul!

To enter the war from the sidelines with a mere dozen or so people and rewrite the situation in the entire Southern War Zone—this achievement was nothing short of a miracle!

It was in no way inferior to the heroic deed of Dean Zhou Liang, who once ventured thousands of miles deep into enemy territory, fought countless battles, rescued a Prince, and exposed a spy!

”This... this is a classic battle that could be written into the Empire’s textbooks!” Huangfu Haoran couldn’t help but sigh. ”The Sui family’s boy... the Eldest Prince, Xu Jie...”

...

”Your Majesty, I believe Xu Luo’s secret report is suspect. He may have falsified the report, misrepresented the military situation, and is trying to claim credit he doesn’t deserve.” Wei Feng’s face was calm and his tone resolute. Although he only said ”suspect,” his conviction was a clear accusation that Xu Luo had fabricated the whole thing.

”Prime Minister Wei, when you say Xu Luo falsified the report, misrepresented the situation, and is trying to steal credit, are you also saying that the Eldest Prince, the Champion Marquis’s son Xu Jie, General Sui Wanli’s son Sui Yan, and all those other young men participated in this deception with him?”

Sun Yunpeng seemed to have gotten up on the wrong side of the bed today, as if he was determined to pick a fight with Wei Feng. Seeing the Prime Minister’s face darken, he continued, ”A team that includes the descendants of so many famous figures, even Your Majesty’s own son... Heh, and yet you paint them in such a sordid light. Has Prime Minister Wei forgotten the blundering mess your own son made not long ago?”

”You...” Wei Feng hadn’t expected Sun Yunpeng to publicly challenge him in court today. His face turned ashen, a flash of anger in his eyes.

”What about me?” Sun Yunpeng sneered. ”If I said something wrong, then refute it!”

A group of ministers exchanged glances, looking at Lord Sun as if he were a completely different person. They could hardly believe those words had come from his mouth.

”Enough.” The Emperor on the Dragon Throne waved his hand. He looked at Wei Feng. ”Prime Minister Wei, do you have any basis for these claims?” Then he turned to Sun Yunpeng. ”Sun Aiqing, be at ease. We will not show favoritism to any party. Even if it is Our own son, We... will not be biased!”

Sun Yunpeng nodded and stepped back, his face placid, giving no hint of his true thoughts.

Wei Feng coughed twice to calm himself before speaking. ”Your Majesty, although Xu Luo’s battle report arrived here early, it was vague and failed to clearly explain the course of events. In contrast, my son’s report is well-reasoned and quite detailed.”

As he spoke, Wei Feng swept his gaze across the assembly, his icy eyes landing on Sun Yunpeng. ”As for Lord Sun’s doubts, they are utterly laughable. It is not only you, Lord Sun, who has killed enemies on the battlefield; I, too, have served in war! For a matter of this magnitude, my son was in command. How could he possibly submit a careless report to deceive people before a thorough investigation was complete? Does being a few days late... prove the report is false?”

With that, Wei Feng bowed to the Emperor. ”On matters of right and wrong, I trust that Your Majesty has already reached a just conclusion!”

All eyes focused on the Emperor.

The Emperor’s face was impassive as he said lightly, ”Wei Ziting was devoted to serving the nation. He dispatched his subordinates to infiltrate the Cao Kingdom and paid a hefty price to buy intelligence on the Yan Army Grain Dao from a trusted aide of the Cao Kingdom’s General, Cao Tianyi. Therefore... in this matter, Wei Ziting has merit!”

A flash of disappointment crossed the eyes of ministers like Leng Mengde, Zhao Wenzhao, and Wang Moxuan. It wasn’t that they were particularly fond of Xu Luo, but their current dissatisfaction with Wei Feng had completely outweighed their wariness of the Military Merit Faction.

Sun Yunpeng snorted inwardly, his head bowed and a sneer gracing his lips.

The ministers close to Wei Feng, on the other hand, all wore looks of delight.

”However...” With that one word from the Emperor on the Dragon Throne, the entire court fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Even Wei Feng was dumbfounded. He had no idea what the Emperor was planning, and a strong sense of unease welled up from deep within him.

”This act of severing the Yan Army Grain Dao and influencing the Southern war effort does not necessarily prove it was Wei Ziting’s doing. Let’s do this: we will set this matter aside for now. When the army returns victorious, We will have Wei Ziting and Xu Luo confront each other in court. At that time, the truth of the matter will naturally come to light.”

A strange smile appeared on the Emperor’s face. ’You cunning little rascal,’ he thought. ’If I don’t throw a wrench in your plans, won’t you get too complacent?’

”Your Majesty is wise!” Leng Mengde stepped forward and led the cry.

”Your Majesty is wise!” The other court officials bowed to the Emperor in unison.

Wei Feng’s brow was tightly furrowed. He despised this feeling, but he was also helpless. He suddenly realized he could no longer see through the thoughts of the man on the Dragon Throne at all.

’Could it be... that I’m about to lose the Emperor’s favor?’ The thought sent a chill down Wei Feng’s spine. At the same time, his gaze shifted toward the Sixth Prince, who had remained silent all this time.

Their eyes met for a brief moment before parting.

...

「In the Imperial Capital」

A carriage stopped at the entrance of a very secluded teahouse. An old man in simple clothes disembarked, entered the teahouse, went straight to the second floor, and pushed open the door to a small private room. Inside, a handsome young man was already waiting.

”Sir, please have a seat,” the young man said with a smile.

”Sixth—”

”Sir, you can just call me Xiaoliu.” The smile on the young man’s face sent the old man into a trance. He was suddenly transported back decades, to a time when another equally handsome and noble young man had seemed to... say similar things to him.

”Though our statuses prevent us from becoming sworn brothers, if I one day ascend to the throne, I will guarantee you a lifetime of glory and riches!”

”This is bad, Xiaowei, I’m in trouble! You have to help me. You’re the only one who can help me with this now!”

”Xiaowei, my father the Emperor has grounded me! You must help me accomplish this. I will definitely repay you in the future!”

”Hahaha, Xiaowei, from what I’ve heard from Father Emperor, he’s thinking of making me the Crown Prince! Let’s push a little harder and help spread the word about the disgraceful things my Brother Huang has done...”

”We are now Emperor. If we achieve greatness, we shall not forget each other. Wei Qing, rest assured. As long as We reign, your position, Wei Qing, will be unshakeable!”

”Wei Feng is a man of noble character and outstanding talent. He can slay enemies on the battlefield and bring stability to the nation with his statesmanship. The position of Prime Minister can belong to none other than Wei Feng!”

Recalling the events of all these years, Wei Feng was filled with sorrow. Then, he came back to his senses. Looking at the handsome, upright young man before him, Wei Feng smiled.

He said in a low voice, ”Your Highness, propriety must not be abandoned. No matter the circumstances, I am a subject.”

”Sir, why concern yourself with such trifles?” The handsome young man waved his hand casually. ”Here, I am not a Prince, and you are not the Prime Minister. Let’s be at ease.”

”Did Your Highness summon this old minister today to give an order?” Wei Feng asked respectfully, as if he hadn’t heard the Sixth Prince’s words.

A flash of satisfaction appeared in the Sixth Prince’s eyes. In his bones, he was far more arrogant than his father, the Emperor—perhaps due to his age. But regardless, for a powerful figure who held immense sway over the court to speak to a prince like himself with such reverence was extremely pleasing to the Sixth Prince.

”Sir, you saw it today as well. My father, the Emperor, intentionally provoked a quarrel between you and Lord Sun. The matter of those two battle reports, of who was right and who was wrong, could have been settled with a single word from him. And yet, he deliberately made it into this...” the handsome young man said with a hint of helplessness, looking at the old man opposite him.

”What is Your Highness trying to say?” Wei Feng was extremely cautious. After all, everything he had today was given to him by the Emperor. Now, a prince was openly expressing dissatisfaction with the Emperor in front of him, seemingly on his side. This instinctively made Wei Feng feel a sense of revulsion, and even more, unease.

If not for being forced into a corner, Wei Feng would never have chosen to meet with a highly ambitious prince at a time like this.

He was well aware of what happened back when the previous Emperor was still alive, when the current Emperor and several other princes vied for the throne. He knew the fate of the ministers who had backed the losing princes.

One must remember that back when the princes were fighting for the succession, there was no Crown Prince.

The current Emperor had learned his lesson and appointed a Crown Prince early on. Even if the Emperor was somewhat dissatisfied with the Crown Prince now, who could say for certain that the Sixth Prince would be the one to ascend?

What if...

”Heh, it’s just the two of us here, and this is your place, Sir. Surely you’re not afraid of eavesdroppers?” The Sixth Prince chuckled. ”Why be so cautious?”

Wei Feng was silent for a moment, then said softly, ”This old minister has been blessed with His Majesty’s favor for many years. How could I dare to speak ill of His Majesty? In this matter, perhaps His Majesty has his own considerations...”

”Hahaha!” The Sixth Prince suddenly let out a hearty laugh, which sounded particularly jarring in the quiet teahouse room.

Then he looked at Wei Feng and said, ”There’s something I’m afraid you don’t know yet, Sir...”

As he spoke, he leaned close to Wei Feng and whispered something in his ear.

Wei Feng’s expression changed drastically. He blurted out, ”Really?”

”Heh, the truth of this matter will likely come out soon enough. I might be able to fool you for a moment, Sir, but could I fool you for a lifetime?” the Sixth Prince said lightly, watching Wei Feng. ”Of course, I have no way of knowing what my father, the Emperor, is truly thinking. It’s just that this matter, no matter how you look at it... seems disadvantageous for you, Sir.”

Wei Feng’s face was pale, his eyes vacant. He was stunned for a long moment before he stood up and gave the Sixth Prince a deep bow. ”Your Highness, this old minister will never forget your great kindness! I accept this favor. In the future... I will surely repay it!”

After speaking, Wei Feng turned and left without looking back, his body stooped. It was as if he had aged several decades in an instant.

The Sixth Prince remained seated, a playful look on his face. He murmured to himself, ”Sir? Heh...”