Rise of a Lonely City: From Exiled Prince to Ruler of the Nine Provinces

The capital city, the residence of the Fourth Prince.

The charcoal fire in the warm room was burning brightly, and the golden charcoal emitted no smoke, only a warm and cozy feeling.

Several plates of exquisite pastries and a pot of warm pear blossom wine were placed on the rosewood table.

Xiao Jing, however, had no appetite at all.

He gripped the wine glass, his fingers turning white from the force. The wine swirled gently in the glass, reflecting his somber face.

"Your Highness." A respectful voice came from outside the study.

"Come in."

The door opened, and a middle-aged man dressed in a dark blue brocade robe bowed as he entered.

This man had an ordinary face, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's—he was Chen Ji, the commander of the Seventh Battalion of the Capital Garrison, a confidant of the Fourth Prince, and also the husband of his sister.

"How is it?" Xiao Jing didn't look up, his voice as cold as ice.

Chen Ji knelt on one knee: "Black Pine Ridge has fallen."

"Clang—"

The wine glass smashed on the ground, shattering and spilling wine everywhere.

Xiao Jing abruptly stood up, his face ashen: "A failure? Thirty scouts against three hundred old, weak, and disabled soldiers, and you're telling me they failed?"

Chen Ji lowered his head and said, "According to Liu Wu, who escaped back, the Seventh Prince had a master assassin by his side. Five of them were killed, seven were captured, and only Liu Wu escaped back."

"An expert?"

Xiao Jing narrowed his eyes. "What kind of expert? That lame old soldier?"

"Liu Wu said that the Seventh Prince himself... is extremely skilled."

Chen Ji's voice was strained. "He saw with his own eyes that the Seventh Prince killed three skilled fighters by himself with a short dagger. His moves were ruthless, unlike... unlike the skills that an ordinary prince should have."

The study was deathly silent.

The only sound was the crackling of the burning charcoal.

After a long while, Xiao Jing suddenly laughed, his laughter chilling: "Good, very good."

My seventh brother is really good at hiding his true identity.

For sixteen years, he feigned weakness and incompetence, even fooling his own father.

He walked to the window and pushed it open a crack.

A cold wind blew in, causing his clothes to flutter.

"Where's Liu Wu?" he asked, his back to Chen Ji.

"Wait in the side room."

"Let him in."

Soon, a man in black was brought in; it was the one who had escaped from Black Pine Ridge.

His face was deathly pale, and he was trembling all over. As soon as he entered the door, he knelt down with a thud and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Your Highness, spare me! Your Highness, spare me! I really tried my best, but the Seventh Prince... he's too powerful..."

Xiao Jing turned around and looked down at the trembling scout.

"Tell me everything you see, down to the last detail. You know the consequences if you leave out even a single word."

Liu Wu dared not hide anything and recounted the entire process, from the ambush to the battle, and then to Xiao Chen letting him go.

When Xiao Chen recognized the wooden plaque, mentioned Chen Ji's name, and exposed the Fourth Prince, Chen Ji's expression changed.

Xiao Jing, however, showed no expression.

He listened very carefully, and after he finished, he paced around the room a few times.

"He said, 'I'll remember this kindness'?"

Xiao Jing repeated the sentence, then suddenly laughed, "My seventh brother has certainly made progress."

Knowing that letting you come back to deliver the message was a declaration of war against me.

He walked up to Liu Wu, squatted down, and looked at the scout whose face was full of fear.

"You failed your mission and deserve to die."

Xiao Jing's voice was very soft, "But since Seventh Brother let you come back, I can't kill you. Otherwise, it would seem like I'm afraid of him."

Liu Wu shuddered.

"Chen Ji,"

Xiao Jing stood up. "Give him one hundred taels of silver and let him return to his hometown to retire."

Remember, whatever happens today, once you leave this room, keep it to yourself.

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you for sparing my life!" Liu Wu kowtowed so many times that his forehead was bleeding.

Chen Ji waved his hand, and ordered someone to take Liu Wu away.

The two of them were left alone in the study again.

"Your Highness, what should we do next?"

Chen Ji asked in a low voice, "Now that the Seventh Prince knows we were the ones who did it, once he gains a foothold in Han Yuan, I'm afraid..."

"Will they retaliate?"

Xiao Jing sneered, "He'll have to survive to gain a foothold first."

He walked to his desk and spread out a map.

That was a map of the Northern Territory, much more detailed than Xiao Chen's, marked with mountains, rivers, passes, and cities.

"If Black Pine Ridge falls, he must have been on guard."

Sending someone to assassinate him is difficult.

Xiao Jing's finger moved across the map, finally stopping at a point: "Zhenbei Pass".

Chen Ji's eyes lit up: "Your Highness means..."

"Zhou Tong, the garrison commander of Zhenbei Pass, is one of your men, isn't he?" Xiao Jing asked, looking at him.

"Yes, Zhou Tong's son works under my command."

"That's good."

Xiao Jing tapped his finger on "Zhenbei Pass" and said, "Send a message to Zhou Tong that when the Seventh Prince passes through, 'treat him well.'"

"No need to kill him, just stall him, make things difficult for him, and ideally get him to stay outside the pass for a few more days."

"Stay a few more days outside the pass?" Chen Ji asked, puzzled.

"In the northern winter, every extra day you stay increases the danger."

A glint of ruthlessness flashed in Xiao Jing's eyes. "Frozen to death, starving to death, or encountering bandits are all 'accidents.' It's much cleaner than us taking action."

Chen Ji understood: "This subordinate will make the arrangements immediately."

"Wait a minute."

Xiao Jing called out to him, "That's not enough."

He walked to the bookshelf, pulled out a thick booklet, and flipped through a few pages. It was filled with names and relationships.

"Seventh Brother is going to the Cold Abyss, and he will have to pass through several places."

Xiao Jing's finger slid across the booklet. "The garrison commander of Yanmen Pass is my sixth brother's man."

The general guarding Juyong Pass, though neutral, had a younger brother in the Ministry of War who had embezzled a considerable amount of money…

He raised his head and looked at Chen Ji: "You go there yourself, make the necessary arrangements, and threaten those who need to be threatened."

I want Lao Qi to walk as slowly as possible along the way.

When he reaches the Cold Abyss, it would be best to do so in the dead of winter, when heavy snow has blocked the mountain passes.

Chen Ji gasped, "Your Highness, are you trying to... trap him and let him die on the road?"

"Not trapped to death."

Xiao Jing closed the booklet, his eyes sinister. "It's to let him know that this Great Xia is not a place he can leave or live as he pleases."

I want him to suffer a severe beating before he even reaches the Cold Abyss.

"I understand."

"besides,"

Xiao Jing walked to the window and looked at the deep night outside. "Say hello to the grasslands too."

The leader of the Canglang tribe wanted to buy ironware from us last year, didn't he?

Tell him the goods are available, but on one condition.

"What are the conditions?"

"After Seventh Brother arrives at Hanyuan, go and 'pay him a visit'."

Xiao Jing turned around, the candlelight casting flickering shadows on his face. "Winter is tough for the grassland tribes. It's normal for them to rob some food and kill some people, isn't it?"

Chen Jixin felt a chill.

This is a case of using someone else's knife to kill someone, and the knife used is from a foreign tribe.

Ruthless, too ruthless.

"Your subordinate... will take care of it immediately." He bowed and withdrew.

The study fell silent again.

Xiao Jing poured himself another glass of wine and sipped it slowly. The wine was warm, but it tasted cold when he tasted it.

He remembered his seventh brother, who always followed behind him with his head down, many years ago.

She was thin and small, spoke softly, and dared not utter a sound when bullied by the other princes; she would only hide in a corner and cry.

When did it change?

Was it from the time his mother was banished to the cold palace? Or from the time he was banished to the Jing Si Yuan?

No, neither.

It's these three months.

In these three months, Lao Qi is like a completely different person.

No longer bowing his head, no longer silent, something appeared in his eyes—ambition, murderous intent, something he had never seen in his seventh brother before.

"Seventh brother, oh seventh brother..."

Xiao Jing raised his cup to the void, "If you had obediently stayed in the capital and been a good-for-nothing, I might have spared your life. But you insisted on going to the Northern Border, insisted on..."

He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp.

The wine glass slammed heavily onto the table.

"Then don't blame Fourth Brother for being ruthless."

Outside the window, the night grew deeper.

The capital city is asleep, but in the study of the Fourth Prince's residence, the conspiracy has only just begun.

At the same time, in another corner of the capital city.

The Sixth Prince's Residence, Study.

By candlelight, Xiao Yun was writing.

He was writing Buddhist scriptures, each stroke neat and elegant.

The incense burner was filled with sandalwood incense, and the wisps of smoke made his gentle features appear like those of a devout lay Buddhist.

"Your Highness."

An aide entered quietly, "There's been some movement from the Fourth Prince's side."

Xiao Yun continued writing, pen in hand: "Speak."

"The assassination attempt at Black Pine Ridge failed. The Seventh Prince killed five of his men and sent one back to deliver the message."

The advisor paused for a moment, then said, "The Fourth Prince is very angry and has already sent Chen Ji to contact Zhou Tong at Zhenbei Pass and the Canglang tribe on the grasslands."

It seems they don't intend to let the Seventh Prince reach the Cold Abyss alive.

Xiao Yun finished writing the last stroke, put down his pen, picked up the paper, and gently blew the ink away.

"The fourth brother is still so impatient."

He said calmly, "Does killing the seventh brother require such a grand show?"

"The Seventh Prince seems to be more than he appears this time."

The aide said, "According to those who escaped, he is extremely skilled and shrewd. Sending people back to report is a challenge to the Fourth Prince."

Xiao Yun smiled, rolled up the Buddhist scripture he had written, and put it into a brocade box.

"Challenge?"

He shook his head. "Seventh Brother is courting death. Fourth Brother is the most concerned about his reputation. If Seventh Brother dares to slap him in the face like this, he'll only become more ruthless."

"Then let's..."

"Let's watch."

Xiao Yun walked to the window and looked in the direction of the Fourth Prince's residence. "If the Fourth Prince wants to make a move, let him."

The more he moves, the more openings he reveals.

"Father's health hasn't been good lately, and he's not the only one eyeing that position."

The advisor understood: "When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits."

"more than."

Xiao Yun turned around, the candlelight flickering on his face. "If Seventh Brother can really survive Fourth Brother's attacks, he might be of some use once we get to Hanyuan."

"What does Your Highness mean?"

"The north is harsh and cold, but its location is crucial."

Xiao Yun walked to the map. "If Fourth Brother really pushes Seventh Brother too far, do you think Seventh Brother might...?"

He didn't finish speaking, but his staff understood.

A cornered dog will jump over the wall; a cornered rabbit will bite.

If the Seventh Prince is truly driven to a dead end, he might rebel.

When that happens, the fourth prince will have to clean up the mess.

If handled well, it will result in losses; if handled poorly, it will be a serious crime.

Either way, it's a good thing for the Sixth Prince.

"Have someone keep an eye on the North."

Xiao Yun said, "I need to know everything that Seventh Brother does. Especially... if he really manages to get to Hanyuan, let's see what he does."

"Yes."

The staff withdrew.

The study fell silent again.

Xiao Yun sat back down at his desk, but did not write any more Buddhist scriptures.

He picked up a book, a history book, and turned to a certain page.

That page tells a story from the previous dynasty: an unfavored prince was banished to a harsh and desolate border region.

Everyone thought he would die there, but three years later, he led an iron cavalry back to the capital and seized the throne.

"Seventh Brother," Xiao Yun murmured to himself, "could you be that person?"

The candlelight flickered, casting deep shadows in his eyes.

The night deepens in the palace.

Emperor Wu of Xia, Xiao Yan, was still awake.

He sat in the warm pavilion of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, with memorials spread out in front of him, but he couldn't concentrate on reading a single word.

The old eunuch Li Dequan served him at the side, not daring to utter a sound.

"Li Dequan," the emperor suddenly spoke.

"This old servant is here."

"Seventh Brother... how many days have you been out of Beijing?"

"Your Majesty, it has been three days."

"Three days."

The emperor murmured, "Where have we gotten?"

"We should be almost at Black Pine Ridge."

Li Dequan said cautiously, "Based on our pace, we should be able to reach Zhenbeiguan tomorrow."

The emperor remained silent for a long time.

"Black Pine Ridge..."

He repeated the name, "That place...it's not peaceful, is it?"

Li Dequan felt a tightness in his chest and dared not reply.

The emperor, however, didn't need him to respond and continued speaking to himself: "Fourth Prince, have you been visiting the capital garrison quite frequently lately?"

"The Fourth Prince...does indeed visit often."

"Is Chen Ji one of his men?"

The emperor's voice was devoid of emotion. "Have the scouts of the Seventh Battalion been mobilized recently?"

Li Dequan's forehead was covered in sweat: "This old servant...this old servant doesn't know."

"I don't know?"

The emperor glanced at him, his eyes unfathomable. "You are the Grand Eunuch; what is there inside and outside the palace that you don't know?"

Li Dequan knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! This old servant..."

Get up.

The emperor waved his hand, "I'm not blaming you."

Li Dequan stood up tremblingly.

The emperor gazed at the night outside the window for a long time, then suddenly sighed, "None of my sons are easy for me to worry about."

He stood up and walked to the window. A chilly night wind blew in.

"What kind of car did Lao Qi take when he left?" he suddenly asked.

Li Dequan was taken aback and hurriedly said, "It's...it's an old carriage. It was allocated by the Imperial Household Department according to regulations, but...but it is indeed a bit old."

"According to the system?"

The emperor sneered, "My princes, upon assuming their fiefdoms, should, according to regulations, have a retinue of three hundred, guards of five hundred, and twenty carriages and horses."

What did they give to the seventh brother?

Li Dequan dared not speak.

"They thought I didn't know."

The emperor's voice turned cold. "They think I'm old and senile, and can be easily fooled."

He turned around and looked at Li Dequan: "Pass on the imperial decree."

"Your Majesty, please speak."

"Let the Imperial Household Department supplement the seventh prince's enfeoffment ceremonial regalia according to the regulations for princes of the second rank."

Carriages, horses, utensils, and silver—nothing can be missing.

Deliver it to Zhenbeiguan within three days.

Li Dequan was startled: "Your Majesty, this..."

"What? My words no longer carry weight?"

"This old servant wouldn't dare! This old servant will take care of it immediately!"

Li Dequan hurriedly withdrew.

The emperor was left alone in the warm pavilion once again.

He walked to his desk, opened a drawer, and inside was a painting.

The painting depicts a woman with gentle features, who is embroidering flowers with her head down.

The paper has yellowed, but it is well preserved.

The emperor gazed at the painting for a long time, his fingers gently tracing the face of the person in the painting.

"Wan'er,"

He whispered, "I'm sorry to you, and I'm sorry to... our son."

The person in the painting will not answer.

Only the night wind howled through the palace, like a sigh.

The emperor put away the painting, sat back down in his chair, and closed his eyes.

"Seventh brother," he murmured, "you must... make it to the Cold Abyss alive."

The night was deep, and the capital city was asleep.

Meanwhile, a thousand miles away, a dilapidated carriage was carrying a young boy, slowly making its way towards the northern border, towards the cold abyss, towards an unknown destiny.