Chapter 954 – Am I Being Sinister? So What? (Part 4)
The world is in a state of turmoil, winds and clouds swirling unpredictably.
Jiang Pengji had no time to meddle in others’ affairs, focusing instead on her own little territory.
To fend off the powerful troops from the Northern Border, she ordered Fu Wang to hang the Second Prince at the city gate for four hours each day.
A wooden plaque was hung around the Second Prince’s neck, inscribed with the four characters—Northern Border Prince.
Anyone passing by the city gate could easily see the plaque.
The humiliation dealt by the Northern Border to Dongqing and Jiang Pengji was repaid in this manner.
To prevent the Second Prince from freezing to death or falling ill, Jiang Pengji arranged for excellent doctors and enough warm clothing for him.
“Rest assured, this house will ensure you live well until the day we rally the flag for battle!”
She felt she had a great flair for being a wicked antagonist.
The Second Prince struggled, cursing her with a hoarse voice.
“Liu Xi, treating this prince like this—when the Northern Border army arrives, you’ll surely meet your end!”
“Well, whether I meet my end or not is uncertain, but you will certainly face a grim fate. If you have the guts, just bite your tongue and die.”
Seeing the Second Prince’s fearful and terrified little eyes, he looked just like a poor male lead being bullied by the wicked female antagonist.
Jiang Pengji felt a twinge of malice.
Pfft!
She absolutely must not let the idle folks in the live chat twist her thinking.
Out of nowhere, these idle chatters seemed to enjoy pairing up her scribes and military generals, even penning numerous suggestive little stories. Out of boredom, she passed time reading them, and the more she read, the more it felt like an addiction.
Every time she saw Fu Wang, Li Yun, Qi Guanrang, or Feng Zhen getting too close, snippets from the audience’s donations would automatically pop into her mind, addictively so.
Even the elders weren’t exempt from these thoughts, not even the little brats Feng Yi and Changsheng far away in Wanzhou.
However—
Streamer V: Don’t target Zixiao, everything else is fine.
See, that’s how much she cares for her subordinates (Wei Ci).
Jiang Pengji couldn’t help but applaud herself.
The live chat was all lively and carefree, while reality didn’t seem as optimistic.
Once Northern Border heard of the Second Prince’s capture and humiliation, the King flew into a rage, the royal court shook.
“I have no son as disgraceful as you—get lost! Each of you covets my throne, do you really think I don’t know?”
Receiving the news, the Northern Border King fainted from anger, and when he awoke, he looked years older.
Watching his sons gathered around his sickbed, so furious that his fingers trembled.
He thought the Second Prince voluntarily requested to guard the three cities was out of filial piety but was unaware this unfilial son had ulterior motives.
“You all want me to die, don’t you!!!”
Never did he expect his second son would silently amass an army of twenty thousand before his very eyes!
If it weren’t for the Second Prince’s greed for Liu Xi’s grain stores, turning around to pressure him, would he have already been dead?
The thought surfaced in his mind, and he couldn’t help but concoct a series of conspiracy theories.
At this moment, he didn’t mourn the fact that his son fell into enemy hands and suffered inhumane treatment; instead, he relished it secretly—
A second son wielding command over twenty thousand troops was a thorn in his side.
Now that he was removed, he felt quite relieved.
The Northern Border King took the opportunity to give a harsh scolding to the remaining eight sons.
A series of furious bouts had worsened his health.
The Second Prince’s actions had crossed the line, leaving the Northern Border King fearful and suspicious of his other sons as if they were thieves.
“Father, son dares not. Please, do not be angry, take care of yourself.”
Several princes hurried to express their loyalty, their faces filled with fear.
Their performances were stellar, each one better than the last, deserving an Oscar for their efforts.
Facing the Northern Border King’s harrowing words, what the other princes thought inside didn’t matter; they had to maintain a façade of filial piety.
The Fourth Prince bore the brunt of harsh words, but privately, he was thrilled.
The Second Prince’s downfall was entirely due to his behind-the-scenes manipulation.
He knew that the Second Prince had many personal troops but hadn’t anticipated it was to such an extent.
A full twenty thousand elite soldiers! If they had directly pressured the throne, it would have been his alone—there wouldn’t even be a turn for himself!
“Mr. Sun predicts accurately, a true strategist, just like Prime Minister Huangfu of the Xia Dynasty.”
The Prime Minister of Xia had thwarted the ancient Northern Border ancestors’ dream of dominating the Central Plains, making him the most astute strategist to them. The Fourth Prince compared Sun Wen to him, indicating his deep admiration.
“Fourth Prince, you flatter me.”
While he spoke humbly, Sun Wen truly felt honored by the Fourth Prince’s respect.
The Fourth Prince said, “Sir, though the second son has been removed, there are still others eyeing me hungrily. I need your help!”
“Fourth Prince, don’t worry. I have a plan here to deal with the Eldest Prince.”
The Fourth Prince suddenly recalled the instructions Sun Wen had given him.
He had the people aligned with the Eldest Prince take out the Second Prince’s patrolling soldiers, leading to the Second Prince’s aggressive raid on the grain stores.
If it were to be framed as a conspiracy—
“Are you suggesting—”
Sun Wen smiled and said, “Though they are the Second Prince’s personal troops, they ultimately belong to the Northern Border elite. Now they have been swallowed silently by Liu Xi, not only humiliating the Northern Border but also causing a significant blow to their morale, weakening their armed forces. Once the King’s fury subsides, he’ll certainly feel the weight of these twenty thousand losses. I privately think that if the King finds out the Eldest Prince was in on the act, continually using self-deprecating methods to harm the other princes, he wouldn’t know how to cope with the pain of disappointment.”
The Fourth Prince’s heart skipped a beat, and a glint of cunning flashed in his eyes.
“You speak correctly.”
Without the Second Prince, there was still the high-born Eldest Prince.
Only by eliminating the Eldest Prince could he easily deal with the other brothers.
Under Sun Wen’s encouragement, several princes of the Northern Border began to fight incessantly.
A month later, the Northern Border King fainted in rage again.
An unexpected blow knocked the Eldest Prince dumb, and even at his wit’s end, he couldn’t defend himself.
The Northern Border King’s wariness toward his sons had reached an alarmingly high level; he chose this opportunity to abolish the Eldest Prince.
In just two short months, the Eldest Prince was stripped of his position, and the Second Prince was tortured to ruin by Jiang Pengji.
With no time for a breather, he appointed Wu Libai, the sage of Northern Border, as the envoy to Dongqing.
It seemed a request for explanation but was truly for “alliance and reconciliation.”
The Northern Border could not withstand a large-scale war now; he needed a way to intimidate Jiang Pengji so she wouldn’t dare act against the Northern Border.
As long as he could survive these two years and the Northern Border regained some strength, he would settle this bloody debt with Jiang Pengji.
One son disposed of, two thousand elite soldiers killed—Liu Xi must pay for this debt with blood!
Bearing a heavy mission, Wu Libai planned to persuade Jiang Pengji with his silver tongue.
“Oh? A gift from Liu Xi?”
In an effort to regain the Northern Border King’s trust, Wu Libai took on the important mission voluntarily.
Along the way, he made various assumptions and countermeasures.
Before he even arrived, Jiang Pengji presented him with a “huge gift” that dealt a stinging slap to his face.
