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

Chapter 82 Prince Yong's Further Schemes

The capital city, the Yong Prince's Mansion.

Xiao Jing sat in his study, his face gloomy. On the table in front of him lay a secret report, sent back by his spies in Jiangnan—Yu Qian was reorganizing military affairs and training a new army, seemingly with the intention of heading north.

"Yu Qian..." Xiao Jing gritted his teeth.

That old scoundrel ruined his big plan.

If Yu Qian hadn't suddenly arrived in Jinling, Liu Jin would have been dealt with long ago, and Jiangnan would have been his for the taking long ago.

Now things are really messed up. Liu Jin is dead, and Yu Qian is in charge of Jiangnan, holding a large army, which has become his biggest threat.

To make matters worse, the emperor fell seriously ill, and the crown prince took over the reins of government.

Although the crown prince is weak, he is, after all, the rightful heir.

Moreover, Yu Qian was the Crown Prince's teacher, and with this relationship, Yu Qian was the Crown Prince's greatest support.

"Your Highness," the strategist Li An said cautiously, "Although Yu Qian is powerful, he is far away in Jiangnan, beyond our reach. Here in the capital, most of the Imperial Guards are under our control. As long as…"

"What do you want?"

Xiao Jing sneered, "As long as Father Emperor dies, the Crown Prince ascends the throne, and Yu Qian leads his army north to 'purge the court of corrupt officials'? At that time, I will be a traitor, and everyone will have the right to kill me!"

"Then...then let's strike first."

Li An lowered his voice, "Although the Crown Prince is overseeing the country, his power is not yet fully established. As long as we get rid of the Crown Prince, and then... let the Emperor 'die of illness,' the Prince can ascend the throne as regent, which will be perfectly legitimate. Even if Yu Qian wants to rebel, he will have no legitimate reason to do so."

Eliminate the crown prince and make the emperor "die of illness".

This is treason, patricide and fratricide; once exposed, it will lead to utter ruin.

But Xiao Jing was tempted.

If he doesn't act now, once the Crown Prince has secured his position and the Emperor's condition improves, he will never have another chance.

"The Crown Prince is heavily guarded; how can we eliminate him?"

"Poisoning."

Ang Lee said, "Every day at noon, the Crown Prince would take a walk in the Imperial Garden. We bribed the people in the Imperial Kitchen to poison the Crown Prince's snacks. It was a slow-acting poison that would take effect after three days, resembling an acute illness. The imperial physicians couldn't find the cause, and no one in the world could say anything."

"What about Father?"

"The Emperor's medicine has always been prepared by the head of the Imperial Medical Academy. Since the head of the academy is one of our people, it's not difficult for him to add something to the medicine and make the Emperor die 'naturally'."

Xiao Jing remained silent for a long time, a fierce glint flashing in his eyes.

"Go do it. Be clean, leave no trace."

"Yes."

Li An bowed, but hesitated for a moment, "Your Highness, there is one more thing..."

"explain."

"Xiao Chen in the Northern Territory... has been making quite a stir lately. He's rewarding military merits with land, winning over the hearts of his troops. In the battle on the grasslands, he decisively defeated Temujin and subdued the Canglang tribe. Now, Hanyuan has nearly ten thousand soldiers, land, food, and the grasslands as an alliance. If he takes advantage of the chaos to move south..."

Xiao Chen.

This seventh brother was a thorn in Xiao Jing's side.

He was exiled to the North to be left to fend for himself.

Unexpectedly, he not only didn't die, but thrived. Now he commands an army and has become quite influential.

"Does he dare to head south?"

Xiao Jing sneered, "The grasslands have just been pacified, and his foundation is not yet stable. Moreover, Murong Han of Northern Yan is no pushover. If he dares to make a move, Murong Han will not stand idly by."

"But……"

Li An hesitated and said, "Night Owl sent word that Xiao Chen and Murong Han seem to have reached some kind of tacit understanding."

In the battle on the grasslands, they joined forces to defeat Temujin and afterwards divided the spoils of war equally.

Murong Han gained 30,000 warhorses, while Xiao Chen gained the submission of the grasslands. The relationship between the two is likely more than a simple alliance.

Xiao Jing's eyes narrowed.

Did Xiao Chen collude with Murong Han?

If that's the case, then we're in big trouble. Han Yuan is troublesome enough, but adding Bei Yan on top of that...

"Send someone to Northern Yan," Xiao Jing said. "Tell Murong Han that as long as he holds back and waits for me to ascend the throne, I will grant him the three prefectures of Hebei, which will pay tribute annually. If he dares to help Xiao Chen, I will unite with the grasslands and Jiangnan to destroy Northern Yan."

"Yes."

"Furthermore," Xiao Jing thought for a moment, "send assassins to Hanyuan to kill Xiao Chen. Once Xiao Chen is dead, Hanyuan will be leaderless and will collapse without a fight."

"An assassin? Who should we send?"

"Let 'Shadow' go," Xiao Jing said. "Haven't they always wanted to prove their worth? This time, give them a chance. Tell Shadow One to bring Xiao Chen's head to us, and we'll reward them with ten thousand taels of gold and bestow upon them the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households."

Shadow is a secret organization of assassins trained by Xiao Jing. It consists of only twelve members, but each one is a master, skilled in infiltration, assassination, and poisoning. Over the years, they have eliminated many of Xiao Jing's political enemies.

"Yes, I will arrange it immediately."

After Li An withdrew, Xiao Jing sat alone in the study, looking at the "Map of the Great Xia Territory" hanging on the wall.

On the map, Jiangnan is red, representing Liu Jin's power, but it has now been pacified by Yu Qian. The northern border is blue, representing Xiao Chen's Hanyuan. The capital is yellow, representing the imperial court. The grasslands are green, representing the Canglang tribe. Northern Yan is purple, representing Murong Han.

Five forces, intertwined and interlocking.

He must fight his way through this chaos and ascend to that supreme position.

"Father, don't blame me for being heartless," Xiao Jing murmured. "This empire should have been mine. You're old; it's time for you to abdicate."

That night, twelve dark figures silently left the capital and headed north to Hanyuan.

Their only goal is Prince Jingbei, Xiao Chen.

Xiao Chen was completely unaware of this.

He is currently in Hanyuan City, busy handling government affairs.

After being awarded land for their military merits, the soldiers were highly motivated, trained even harder, and worked even more diligently. Construction in Hanyuan also entered a fast track.

The city wall has been reinforced; it is four zhang high and three zhang thick, and the moat is three zhang wide and two zhang deep, making it a veritable impregnable fortress.

The salt field's output has doubled, producing 20,000 jin of refined salt per day, which can be used for its own consumption and sold in large quantities to other regions.

The output of coal and iron ore also increased significantly. In addition to meeting their own needs, they could also sell to the grasslands and the Northern Yan in exchange for warhorses, furs, and medicinal herbs.

The Industrial Works has produced 300 new crossbows, which have been deployed throughout the army. The gunpowder workshop has also improved its formula for "bombs," making them more powerful and stable.

The cavalry battalion has been expanded to three thousand men, personally trained by Zhang Meng, and is now capable of carrying out complex tactics such as long-distance raids and flanking maneuvers.

Everything is moving in a positive direction.

"Your Highness, this is the income and expenditure account for this month." Han Lie handed over a thick ledger.

Xiao Chen took it and quickly flipped through it.

Revenue: Salt tax 10,000 taels, coal tax 8,000 taels, iron tax 5,000 taels, commercial tax 12,000 taels, and profits from trade with the grasslands and Northern Yan 30,000 taels. Total: 65,000 taels.

Expenditure: 20,000 taels for military pay, 5,000 taels for officials' salaries, 8,000 taels for artisans' wages, 10,000 taels for resettlement of displaced people, and 12,000 taels for infrastructure construction. Total: 55,000 taels.

Balance: 10,000 taels.

"Not bad." Xiao Chen nodded. "We're breaking even, with a surplus. At this rate, in another six months, we'll have saved 100,000 taels of silver, enough to fight a major war."

"Yes," Han Lie said. "However, grain prices have risen a bit recently. Due to the war in Jiangnan, the supply lines are blocked, and the price of the grain we buy from Jiangnan has increased by 30%. If this continues, our grain reserves may not last until next autumn harvest."

Rising grain prices are a big problem.

Hanyuan currently has 30,000 people, consuming 300 shi of grain per day. They have 50,000 shi of grain in reserves, enough for six months. However, if grain prices continue to rise, the cost of buying grain will become too high.

"Send people to the grasslands to buy grain," Xiao Chen said. "The grasslands have had favorable weather this year, the cattle and sheep are plump, and there is a surplus of grain. By exchanging it for salt, iron, and cloth, the price should be cheaper than in Jiangnan."

"Yes."

"Furthermore," Xiao Chen thought for a moment, "we should promote the 'alternating field method' in Hanyuan. This means planting wheat on a piece of land this year, beans next year, and leaving it fallow the year after. This will maintain soil fertility and increase yields. Although it will reduce the harvest in the short term, it is a good thing in the long run."

"I've heard of the Daida method, but it's too cold in our northern border region to grow beans."

"Then let's plant rapeseed," Xiao Chen said. "Rapeseed is cold-resistant, easy to grow, and can be pressed for oil. The oil residue can be used to feed livestock or fertilize the fields. It's a win-win situation."

"Your Highness is very learned; I admire you greatly."

Just then, Zhao Tie hurriedly entered.

"Your Highness, Night Owl has sent an urgent report from the capital."

"explain."

"Prince Yong... is about to make a move against the Crown Prince and the Emperor."

Xiao Chen's eyes turned cold.

"What specific plan?"

"Poisoning. Slowly poison the Crown Prince's snacks, which will take effect in three days. Add something to the Emperor's medicine to make him die 'naturally.' Then Prince Yong will ascend the throne as regent."

He murdered his father and brother.

Xiao Jing, you really dare to do that.

"Can the night owl stop it?"

"Yes, but it requires Your Highness's decision," Zhao Tie said. "If you stop it, Prince Yong will know we have connections in the capital and will be more careful in the future. If you don't stop it, the Crown Prince and the Emperor..."

Xiao Chen remained silent.

To stop them would mean exposing the Night Owl's power in the capital, and might also alert the Prince of Yong, allowing him to act prematurely.

If we don't stop it, the Crown Prince and the Emperor will die.

Although he had no affection for his father or any connection with the Crown Prince, he couldn't bear to see them die at the hands of Prince Yong.

Moreover, with the Crown Prince and the Emperor dead, the Prince of Yong's ascension to the throne would be legitimate. At that time, any attempt by him to attack the Prince of Yong would be considered treason.

"Stop it," Xiao Chen said, "but don't expose Night Owl. Find a way to let the Crown Prince and the Emperor discover it themselves, or let someone else discover it. In short, we can't let Prince Yong succeed, nor can we let Prince Yong suspect us."

"yes!"

Zhao Tie accepted the order and left.

Xiao Chen sat alone in the courtroom, his heart heavy.

What was bound to happen has finally happened.

Prince Yong's move signifies that the struggle in the capital has reached a fever pitch. The next step will be armed conflict.

Is he ready?

"Your Highness," Uncle Fu said, bringing in tea, "it's late, you should rest."

"Um."

Xiao Chen stood up and walked out of the courtroom.

The night sky was as dark as ink, dotted with countless stars.

Cold Abyss City is peaceful and serene.

But Xiao Chen knew that beneath this calm surface, turbulent undercurrents were brewing.