At 100 years old, he joined the army in place of his granddaughter, and became a national war god.

On the street outside the residence of the Minister of War in the capital of the Great Qian Dynasty.

The Second Prince Xiao Yunshan reined in his horse, slowing it down, and his gaze fell on the sedan chair that was turning out of the alleyway at the corner ahead.

The sedan chair was not large, but it was made of exquisite materials. The fabric of the sedan curtain had a fine texture and was a material used exclusively in the palace. The four corners of the sedan chair roof were adorned with tassels of the same color.

Two attendants followed on either side of the sedan chair, each with a sword at their waist, their steps equally synchronized.

Xiao Yunshan's lips curled up slightly, because he recognized that this was the Crown Prince's sedan chair.

He whispered to Ji Siyuan, the strategist who was half a step behind him, "Just as you predicted, the Crown Prince has indeed arrived."

Ji Siyuan nodded slightly, his gaze also falling on the sedan chair, and asked, "How does Your Highness intend to deal with this?"

The second prince straightened up, turned his gaze back to the sedan chair, and his tone became more relaxed.

"What should I do? I'm not here to steal anything, why should I act like a thief?"

"Besides..." He straightened his clothes, "Isn't it perfectly normal for the second brother to run into the eldest brother and greet him?"

As he spoke, he gently squeezed the horse's flanks with his legs, and the chestnut horse strode toward the sedan chair.

He reined in the sedan chair from the side, bowed respectfully, and spoke in a clear voice.

"Xiao Yunshan greets the Crown Prince."

There was a moment of silence inside the sedan chair.

Then a corner of the sedan curtain was lifted, and the prince's face appeared through the gap, a smile on his face.

He looked at Xiao Yunshan and said in a calm tone, "Who do we have here? Oh, it's my second brother. What are you doing here?"

The second prince did not dismount, but continued to ride side by side, speaking in a natural tone as if brothers were meeting and chatting casually.

"I've come to see off Minister Wang of the Ministry of War."

"Lord Wang is carrying out the Emperor's decree to escort hundreds of thousands of taels of gold and military supplies to the East China Sea. The mission is arduous and of great importance."

"If I hadn't come, I'm afraid my father would have said that I, as a prince, only know how to frequent brothels and don't know how to share the burdens of the court."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Brother, I presume you've also come to see Lord Wang off?"

The crown prince nodded in response.

"That's natural."

"As the Crown Prince, it is my duty to share the Emperor's burdens."

"I was just hesitating about whether to make this trip, but now that I see my second brother is here too, I feel like I made the right decision."

"If Father finds out that even my second brother came to see me off, but I, as the eldest brother, didn't, I'm afraid people will gossip behind my back."

"Who knows, some people might take this opportunity to spread rumors in front of the Emperor, saying that I, the Crown Prince, do not care about the ministers, do not care about national affairs, and am not suitable to be the heir apparent."

The second prince's smile remained unchanged, but his gaze was a little more somber than before.

"Brother, you jest. How can the position of Crown Prince be shaken by just a few words?"

"Of course," the Crown Prince replied quickly, as if the words had been on his lips all along. "I was just saying it casually, but second brother, please don't take offense."

The two stared at each other for a moment, their gazes meeting briefly in mid-air, like two blades clashing on a whetstone. There was no real confrontation, but each left a shallow scratch.

"Brother, have you heard? Sixth Brother has killed a general of the Eastern Barbarians in the East Sea and made a great contribution."

Xiao Yunshan immediately changed the subject.

"It is said that after the Emperor read the report, he personally praised him, saying that this is what a son of the Xiao family should be like."

"I never expected that my sixth brother, who always clamored to travel the world, would actually be so capable on the battlefield."

The Crown Prince's smile froze slightly, but he still replied, "As the eldest brother, I am naturally happy for my sixth brother's achievements."

"Although he is young, with a master like General Su as his teacher and his third uncle advising him, it would be difficult for him not to make contributions."

"Once my sixth brother returns to the capital, I will definitely have a good get-together with him. Would my second brother like to join us?"

"Of course," the Second Prince said, cupping his hands in greeting. "How could I, the Princess, be absent from this gathering of brothers?"

At this moment, Murong Yunqian stepped forward, cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, it's getting late. We must hurry and not delay Lord Wang's journey."

After that, neither of them continued their previous conversation.

The sedan curtain fell, and the Crown Prince's voice came from behind it: "Let's go, don't keep Lord Wang waiting."

The sedan bearers started walking again, carrying the sedan chair towards the gate of the Minister of War's residence.

The second prince rode alongside him, remaining silent as his gaze fell upon the vermilion gate ahead.

……

Inside the residence of the Minister of War, in the main hall.

Wang Ben stood in the center of the hall, still clutching a scroll of official documents that had not yet been fully unfolded.

At that moment, the butler brought news:

The Crown Prince and the Second Prince arrived at the gate of the mansion at the same time. The sedan chairs had already stopped, and the attendants had announced their arrival. They were just waiting for him to open the gate and welcome the guests.

He didn't speak immediately, but walked back to the desk, slowly rolled up the document, and put it into his sleeve.

He knew very well that the Crown Prince and the Second Prince's simultaneous visit was no coincidence.

Moreover, he knew all too well the relationship between the two of them.

The Crown Prince is the future heir apparent, while the Second Prince is the biggest potential challenger. The two have been openly and covertly vying for power in the court for a long time, but they still maintain a facade of civility.

They came to him at the same time, not to see him off, but most likely to ask him to make a statement, to take sides, and to place him as a pawn in their respective plans.

But Wang Ben didn't want to take sides.

He had spent decades navigating the complexities of officialdom, witnessing too many people fall because of taking sides, and also too many people being ostracized by both sides for not taking sides.

He knew that in this situation, any wrong step could lead to utter ruin.

All he can do is try to stay on the middle ground, making sure every step he takes is justifiable, so as not to appear indecisive or be used as a tool by either side.

He took a deep breath and summoned the butler.

"Go and inform the Crown Prince and the Second Prince that I have already set off to meet up with General Han You and am preparing to depart for the East Sea immediately. Tell them they don't need to wait for me."

The butler was visibly taken aback: "Sir, but you clearly still..."

"What else?"

"The Crown Prince and the Second Prince came at the same time. Do you think they're here to see you off? Hurry up and do as I say."

After saying that, he turned around and quickly walked out the back door.

Passing through the side corridor, around the yard piled with miscellaneous items, I walked out of the mansion through a small door that was not usually opened.

He walked much faster than usual.

As the butler stood at the entrance of the main hall and watched the master's figure quickly disappear around the corner of the doorway, he knew that the master was determined not to see those two today.

So he turned and walked toward the front door.

Before pushing open the vermilion door, I paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and adjusted my state.

When the door opened, the butler's face had already changed to a perfectly appropriate expression of apology and respect.

"Your Highnesses, it's unfortunate, but my master has already set off ahead of us."

"He just received an urgent report that General Han You had already mustered his troops and was waiting in front of the palace gate, so he rushed over to join them and was preparing to set off for the East Sea immediately."

"If Your Highnesses have come to see us off, I'm afraid they're... a step too late."

Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince didn't say anything more, but simply told the sedan bearers, "Return to the residence."

Then, the sedan chair turned around and slowly drove away along the route it had come from.

The second prince, mounted on his horse, watched the sedan chair turn into the street corner, then looked back at the gate of the Ministry of War's residence, which had been closed again, and smiled.

Then he withdrew his gaze, spurred his horse, and rode away.

……

Outside the palace gates, Wang Ben had changed into simple clothes and was standing next to a carriage full of boxes.

Han You rode his horse, leading three thousand soldiers who were arrayed in formation at the rear. Their armor was neat and their banners fluttered gently in the breeze.

Seeing Wang Ben approach, he didn't say anything more, simply nodded and asked, "Lord Wang, shall we depart immediately?"

Wang Ben mounted his horse, his gaze falling on the official road leading east, and said, "Yes, let's set off immediately!"

Then, Han You waved his hand, and the escorting army began its journey...