High-class Spring Joy

"Your Majesty, according to our original plan, in order not to attract the attention of the enemy, we must use the young prince as bait. Only when someone escorts the young prince out of the city will they believe that we have really been beaten to a pulp."

"We followed the original plan and arrangements. But who knew that among the pursuers we were trying to hold off, a few still managed to catch up with the young prince and his entourage. Those protecting the young prince were assassinated. Because we were too far away and unfamiliar with the climate and terrain, we searched for a long time without finding the young prince. Now this place is freezing cold, not to mention the abundance of wild animals, we don't know if the young prince has encountered any misfortune!"

"Please excuse us. Our men have searched every inch of the surrounding area, within dozens of miles of the Devil City, but there is no trace of the young prince!"

"If you can't find them, keep looking! What are you standing there for? Do you expect me to go with you to search? Do I have to explain things to you like this? Such a meticulously planned scheme, how could you possibly lose them?!"

The emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom was dressed in ordinary clothes, but his powerful and oppressive aura was not diminished by his attire.

On the contrary, his intense anger made him seem even more pressured.

The emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom looked to be only in his thirties, with an extremely strong and handsome appearance, as if he had honed his tough features on horseback and through swords and spears.

The scar on his chin looked as if it had been etched from a bloody battle. His sharp eyes were extremely fierce when he stared at people, like being stared at by a wolf king. Just looking at people made people feel unpredictable pressure and gave them goosebumps all over their bodies.

He was so angry that he put his hands on his hips and looked at the kneeling servants in front of him, his face full of uncontrollable rage.

When Chu Jingxian, His Highness the Crown Prince, and a group of princes arrived at the Devil City, this was the scene they saw, with the Emperor standing beside them.

After Chu Jingxian, the Crown Prince, and the other princes finished paying their respects to the Emperor, they heard angry roars and howls coming from next door.

At this moment, the emperor's expression became extremely solemn, as did everyone present.

The eunuch who served the emperor spoke up at the right moment: "The scheme we set up before was working very well and was executed very well, and the results were also very good. But we didn't expect that there would still be a loophole despite all the planning. Someone still took advantage of the situation, and the little prince went missing. It's been a whole night and he still hasn't been found."

Chu Jingxian and His Highness the Crown Prince exchanged a glance, realizing the gravity of the situation. This was because, although he was a young prince, he was the only prince of the Northern Frontier Emperor.

This emperor of the Northern Frontier was a legendary figure, having conquered his kingdom on horseback. His throne wasn't inherited, but rather seized through rebellion, as the previous emperor had been far too weak. The Northern Frontier had done everything possible—ceding territory, paying reparations, avoiding war, and forming marriage alliances—but its land dwindled, its people grew weaker, and its national strength weakened. This weakening national strength further diminished its opportunities to compete and negotiate, making it more vulnerable to bullying. This emperor of the Northern Frontier was originally a vassal king, the uncle of the previous emperor.

When internal strife broke out in the Northern Frontier Kingdom, they simply raised an army and rebelled against the former emperor.

Since this emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom ascended the throne, he has been fighting wars in the south and north. Three out of the five years since his ascension were spent at war. Only in the last two years, when the borders have gradually stabilized, has he been able to begin to recuperate and rebuild.

The emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom was originally the war god general of the Northern Frontier Kingdom. However, after the previous emperor ascended the throne, he was afraid that his throne would be seized by this uncle. Also, because this war god general was too popular and his achievements overshadowed the emperor, the emperor stripped the general of his military power.

In the short span of three years that followed, the Northern Frontier Kingdom lost countless tracts of land.

This war god general conquered his kingdom on horseback and seized the throne on horseback. He fought and won back every inch of the land in the Northern Frontier Kingdom, one battle after another.

His imposing presence and ferocity were forged in the crucible of countless deaths and bloodshed; they were genuine.

But perhaps it's because he's fought too many battles, killed too many people, and has too much blood on his hands—even though it was the blood he shed to protect his home and country from the enemy—that it might still have some impact.

Or perhaps it was because this emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom was too perfect, possessing both literary and military talents, and excelling in everything.

Therefore, Heaven dislikes such people the most and insists on adding imperfections to them, such as Chu Jingxian, and also this emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom. The most obvious flaw of this emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom is that he has few offspring.

I heard that countless famous doctors have taken his pulse and diagnosed his illness, but the conclusion they all came to was that he was healthy and strong and that such a phenomenon should not exist.

However, the children born to the emperor and his concubines of the Northern Frontier Kingdom always died before the age of three.

After much pleading, he sought help from a living Buddha. The living Buddha said that it was because he had too much malevolent energy and his hands were stained with too many lives and blood, which would inevitably damage his karmic virtue. He had already greatly damaged his karmic virtue, so he would definitely have trouble having children.

They eventually sought help from the Living Buddha, who reportedly performed a ritual for the emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom, enabling his empress to give birth to the current prince of the Northern Frontier Kingdom.

Because all previous offspring had died before the age of three, without exception, this little prince was immediately favored by everyone in the Northern Frontier Kingdom's royal family at birth. They treated him with utmost care and affection, as if he were afraid of losing him or melting him in their mouths.

Even the people of the Northern Frontier Kingdom hold this prince in high regard, and it is said that many families spontaneously pray for the young prince.

The Living Buddha made a prediction, saying that the young prince would face a life-or-death crisis before the age of ten. If the young prince survived the crisis before the age of ten, he would surely live a long and healthy life.

If he cannot overcome this obstacle, then the emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom will likely never have a healthy child again in his lifetime.

Therefore, the emperor and empress of the Northern Frontier Kingdom doted on this little prince, treating him like the apple of their eye, and he was the darling of the entire royal family of the Northern Frontier Kingdom.

He has been groomed to be the crown prince since childhood, and he excels in both literary and military arts. As long as this young prince can grow up safely, he will surely be the next emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom.

The young prince, who was highly anticipated and loved by everyone, disappeared on the land of his Song Kingdom. If something really happened on the land of his Song Kingdom, not to mention whether the peace talks could be successful, war would probably break out at any moment!

All the previous efforts were wasted, and the situation was led to the worst possible outcome.

If the Northern Frontier Kingdom makes a move, then the neighboring Tibet will surely seize the opportunity to strike, or perhaps the two tigers will fight each other, and he can sit back and reap the benefits. In short, no matter which possibility it is, it will be the worst and most terrible outcome for his Song Kingdom, even worse than not having this peace talk at all, or the peace talk failing.

Not only Chu Jingxian realized this, but His Highness the Crown Prince also realized it, and the Emperor was naturally the most aware of it. This is why none of the people present had a relaxed expression.

At this point, the eunuch continued, "His Majesty has already dispatched all available manpower to search, but there is still no news. He knows where the young prince went missing, and he has no trace of him. In this snow-covered ice field, finding someone is extremely difficult, but for a child in this ice field... even if he is extremely lucky and doesn't encounter any wild animals, it is very rare for him not to freeze to death, starve to death, or die of thirst."

Everyone knows about these situations, but few people can come up with a better solution.

The Emperor's face darkened: "Hmm? What are you all standing here for? Do you think standing here will help resolve this matter? Hurry up and get to your assigned tasks. Although we have won, we cannot rule out the possibility that the other side might still have unpredictable changes. Since we have won this round, we must not allow any further risks or changes. All of you, leave now. If any of you make the slightest mistake in your assigned tasks, affecting this peace negotiation, don't blame me for disregarding our father-son relationship."

After saying this, the emperor flicked his sleeves and walked towards the emperor of the Northern Frontier Kingdom.

His Highness the Crown Prince and several other princes stood there with varying expressions. The first to speak was the Third Prince, who waved his hand and spoke in a booming voice:

"This is so simple, it's just finding a child, what's so difficult about it? Brothers, let's all rely on our own abilities this time."

After saying this, the Third Prince swung his robe and left. His figure swayed as he walked, and his back looked incredibly determined, as if he was certain that finding the young prince of the Northern Frontier Kingdom would be a piece of cake for him.

The Fifth Prince, standing nearby, remained silent, while the Fourth Prince, with a smile on his face, waved his fan, displaying an attitude of indifference and detachment.

"Second Brother... no, Your Highness, what happened today was truly unexpected. No one expected the young prince of the Northern Frontier Kingdom to disappear. With him missing, let alone whether the peace talks can be concluded, it's already an impossible task to prevent the Northern Frontier Kingdom from attacking us. Speaking of which, if we really can't find the young prince, we should consider the worst-case scenario: who will the Emperor blame? Third Brother went to look for the young prince, but I don't have time to go myself. There are quite a few soldiers I need to check on, and the city walls are indeed not very sturdy; reinforcing them is of paramount importance. I'll take my leave now. Your Highness and Fifth Brother, please go ahead. I just wish Your Highness good luck, and hope that one day I really have to call my Second Brother back."

As he spoke, the Fourth Prince waved his fan and left, looking relaxed, as if the matter had no effect on him whatsoever. His solemn and serious expression just now was merely a facade put on in front of the Emperor.

The Fifth Prince bowed respectfully to the Crown Prince before him: "Your Highness need not worry too much. I will send all my men to help search for the young prince of the Northern Frontier Kingdom. Finding him should only be a matter of time. However, the people in this city still need to be appeased. I will take my leave now."

After the Fifth Prince turned and left, only His Highness the Crown Prince and Chu Jingxian remained.

His Highness the Crown Prince and Chu Jingxian walked out of their residence, both with solemn expressions and agitated moods.

If this were true, if we consider the worst-case scenario, if they exhausted all their manpower and resources and still couldn't find the young prince of the Northern Frontier Kingdom while he was alive and well, or if all they found was a corpse, then who would the emperor blame for all the crimes?

If it weren't for this elaborate scheme, the young prince probably wouldn't have gone missing.

The problem now is that it is His Highness the Crown Prince and Chu Jingxian behind him who are proposing this scheme within a scheme and planning every step.

If the truth comes out, all the blame will fall on His Highness the Crown Prince alone.

At that time, let alone the position of crown prince, whether he can keep it or not, his life may even be in question.

If a fight breaks out over this matter, His Highness the Crown Prince will definitely be pushed out and made to bear all the blame.

If someone is pushed out to take the blame during a war between two countries, no one can save their life.

There was no need for His Highness the Crown Prince and Chu Jingxian to say anything about this result. After the two returned to their residence, Xie Ming'an came out from the side.

Jie Ming, observing the two men's bitter and resentful expressions, remained completely oblivious, instead displaying a nonchalant smile: "Perhaps we shouldn't always think of the worst-case scenario. Let's consider another angle. If we can safely return the young prince, wouldn't the peace talks with the Northern Frontier Kingdom be a natural and certain outcome? That would mean we single-handedly facilitated the peace negotiations with the Northern Frontier Kingdom. Your position as Crown Prince would be as secure as Mount Tai, far surpassing the other princes. Your Highness's prestige in court and reputation among the people would naturally experience a tremendous leap forward."

It was truly a high-stakes gamble.

If he wins the gamble, he will secure his position as crown prince, gain the approval of the people and ministers, and also win the emperor's favor.

If you lose, you lose everything, and you won't even be able to save your life.

The stakes are too high; it's impossible not to be nervous.

Chu Jingxian said:

"The only thing we can do now is to lead everyone to search with all our might. Your Highness, there's no point in thinking about it anymore."

His Highness the Crown Prince made his decision: "Let's go!"

Without saying a word more or explaining a single point, Crown Prince Chu Jingxian reconciled with Ming'an and Chen Sha, each leading a team to conduct a thorough search in the four directions of east, west, south, and north.

However, after a year and a whole day and night of searching, there was still no news or trace of them. The people of Song Kingdom were filled with fear and unease throughout the entire Devil City.

The Crown Prince's men were under constant threat, searching day and night. They barely ate anything, and couldn't sleep even with their eyes closed.