Chapter 1017 – Why Not Surrender? (4)
“Is that the confidant of the Right Prime Minister from the Northern Border?”
Jiang Pengji’s mind whirled as she said, “Sneaking out of the castle wall in the dead of night… Looks like this Right Prime Minister is quite perceptive.”
“A wise person acts according to the times,” Wei Ci chimed in.
“Whether he’s wise or not, that’s for me to decide,” Jiang Pengji’s gaze flickered coldly as she smiled, “I’ll go take a look at this person.”
Seated at the head of the tent, the candlelight barely illuminated most of the space.
A figure knelt below, nearly pressing his upper body to the ground, trembling so visibly that Jiang Pengji couldn’t help but sneer.
“I don’t want to know your name; you just need to state your intention,” Jiang Pengji lazily leaned on a nearby table, showing a posture of lazy fatigue. “It’s getting late, and sleeping too late isn’t good for your health.”
The person stammered, his expression twisting slightly.
“I am a confidant of the Right Prime Minister Su Hasa; today, I was sent by him to pledge allegiance to you.”
“Pledge allegiance?” Jiang Pengji let out a cold laugh and said, “Though I don’t know who Su Hasa is, under the title of Right Prime Minister, he must be among the elite in the Northern Border. I have one question; your Right Prime Minister has eaten from the Northern Border Royal Court’s salary for so many years. Now, when disaster strikes the Northern Border, he says he will betray on a whim and surrender on a whim—this is hard to trust, isn’t it?”
The person replied, “The Right Prime Minister once said a well-known saying from Central Plains—’Good birds choose the tree they perch on; wise ministers choose the rulers they serve.’ The Dai Wang of the Northern Border is a tyrant, making the common people suffer; it’s clear he is not a wise ruler. The Right Prime Minister couldn’t bear to assist such tyranny.”
Jiang Pengji chuckled, complimenting, “Your Right Prime Minister seems to have quite an understanding of Han culture. Well said.”
The person’s face lit up with joy, and he quickly replied, “Liu Xi has given praise.”
Jiang Pengji shifted her position, trying to make herself more comfortable.
“Now, this pledge of allegiance may not be impossible. But how do I know that your Right Prime Minister is sincere?” Jiang Pengji coldly said, showing no mercy, “Not long ago, the Northern Border ordered a tribe to feign surrender. If it weren’t for my strategist’s keen insight, uncovering the Northern Border’s scheme, I might have returned defeated myself. If you want to pledge, you must show some sincerity.”
Without sincerity, can it still be called a “pledge of allegiance?”
The person’s heart leaped with joy, and he hurriedly took out a well-wrapped piece of sheepskin paper from his robes.
“This is a topographic map of the king’s city, presented to Liu Xi,” his face shone with delight as he stated, “The Right Prime Minister is fully prepared; as long as you accept the allegiance, he will work with you to open the king’s city gate and welcome the army in.”
Jiang Pengji raised an eyebrow, looking at the person. “Is that true?”
“Absolutely!”
Meanwhile, the Right Prime Minister was anxiously waiting at home, like a cat on hot bricks.
It had been two hours since his confidant left, and there was still no news!
“Right Prime Minister, who are you waiting for?”
Outside the tent, footsteps echoed, the flickering torches brightened the area, and a familiar voice pierced his ears.
The Right Prime Minister Su Hasa’s heart sank, and he quickly turned to look. It was the visibly worn-out Third Prince, accompanied by many people.
Recalling the question the Third Prince had asked, Su Hasa’s heart trembled, and he hurriedly replied, “Your Highness, this old minister is waiting for no one.”
The Third Prince sat confidently at the head spot, a sinister smile creeping at the corners of his mouth as he gazed at the Right Prime Minister like a corpse.
“Waiting for no one?” The Third Prince said pointedly, “I just patrolled the streets and captured someone claiming to be the Right Prime Minister’s confidant, who had the king’s city topographic map hidden on him. I was shocked—how could the Right Prime Minister, loyal to the Northern Border, possibly betray it? Out of anger, I ordered him to be interrogated severely, but he was useless and died— To protect your reputation, I specially came to ask. If he was slandering you, I would help clear your name, so no one could attack you through this.”
As the Third Prince said this, the Right Prime Minister’s corpulent body could not help but tremble slightly, sweat sticking to him front and back.
He decisively said, “A servant is born a citizen of the Northern Border, and dies as a ghost of the Northern Border. My loyalty is evident to the heavens. That confidant with the king’s city map must have been envied by others, deliberately slandering me. Your Highness is wise and discerning, so of course you won’t be deceived by a petty person.”
The corner of the Third Prince’s mouth curled slightly. “The Right Prime Minister has served two emperors; you are indeed the left arm and right arm of my father, allowing me to trust you.”
The Right Prime Minister nodded repeatedly, fully embodying “servile flattery,” which made the Third Prince internally sneer.
This old rascal—
The Third Prince thought, continuing, “Though the Right Prime Minister has been slandered, you should not be entirely innocent. From now on, you must manage your subordinates well so that no one can take advantage again. I have already killed that confidant and sent someone else with the topographic map to see Liu Thief.”
The Right Prime Minister was stunned, his eyes widening in disbelief at what the Third Prince had just said.
“The situation is dire—” the Third Prince whispered just loud enough for the two of them to hear, “Today will determine success or failure.”
As long as Jiang Pengji dies—no, just seriously injured, the Northern Border could recover in time.
Sweat dripped down the Right Prime Minister’s back, and he looked at the Third Prince with awe and fear.
After leaving the Right Prime Minister’s residence, the Third Prince’s expression remained tense, even dripping with water.
The Sixth Prince was the Dai Wang, but he was a useless person without the ability to suppress the officials.
With the hearts of the people swaying, many had begun to entertain thoughts of surrender; actions would follow in a day or two.
The Third Prince simply lay in wait, managing to catch quite a few.
“Master—has the Northern Border truly met its end?” The Third Prince’s heart surged with refusal, “I refuse to believe it—”
Because of his stubbornness, he used a cunning plan, sending his own confidant to impersonate the Right Prime Minister’s, seeking to assassinate Liu Xi.
If successful, with the Liu Thief dead, the enemy army would certainly retreat, giving the Northern Border a chance to counterattack.
If it fails—haha, Liu Thief, having learned a lesson, will think twice before accepting the allegiance of Northern Border’s aristocrats.
Maybe when the messenger states their intent, they will be slaughtered right there.
Hahaha—
These noble ministers enjoyed the benefits granted by the royal family; now, facing disaster, do they think they can fly solo?
What a beautiful thought—
If the Northern Border is truly at its end, the royal court is destined to fall; all these people must accompany the royal family to their graves!
Mad thoughts took over his mind; while the Third Prince appeared calm, internally he was spiraling into madness.
Outside the royal city, in Jiang Pengji’s camp.
“You present the items, and if they are genuine, the Right Prime Minister shall be richly rewarded,”
Jiang Pengji gestured to the table before her, and the person bowed forward, presenting the topographic map of the king’s city with both hands.
The man was less than five steps from Jiang Pengji when she suddenly asked, “By the way, since your Right Prime Minister is so knowledgeable, has he heard a term from Han culture…”
“What term?”
“Map! Exhausted! Reveal the dagger!”
