Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Fang Wenshi had arranged everything regarding the meeting between the Dragon King and the Khan and had also brought back some information about the hostage prince.
The prince’s name was Duodun, and wasn’t as old as he looked. He was twenty-six years old and was one of the youngest sons of the Khan. The last batch of the Khan’s sons and daughters were all born one after another in the last half month, and even the Khan himself couldn’t remember who was the youngest.
Prince Duodun, who had been favored and living with his father, had fallen out of favor at the age of seventeen because of a reckless act. After nearly ten years, the insiders still had to hold back their smiles and keep their voices down when mentioning the incident.
Duodun was said to be very bold, even at a young age of three or four years old he would catch snakes with his bare hands and put them into his mouth. As soon as he learned to ride and shoot, he wanted to hunt wolves. He finally realized his wish by the time he was nine years old. But his boldest act was the crazy bet of the summer when he was seventeen years old.
He was drunk and reckless back then, but that couldn’t be used as an excuse. Because for ordinary Norland people, even if they were dead drunk, deep at heart, they would still have a bit of respect for the Khan, and would never dare to act like Prince Duodun had. They would not dare to even think about it.
When nobody was looking, Duodun had replaced a full wine pot with urine, just to prove that a bunch of drunkards, including his father, the old Khan, could not tell the difference between alcohol and urine when they were drunk.
He had lost the bet. Although several nobles noticed the prank after a second sip, the old Khan immediately knew it wasn’t right after sniffing it.
Of course, this was the story told by the Norland people. By convention, the Khan always found the problems beforehand and solved them through his intelligence.
The details were unimportant here. Either way, the Khan was furious. Not since he had slaughtered those five tribes against him at the age of forty-three had he been so angry.
The one who proposed the bet was dismembered, and the prince himself was sent to the southern frontier as an ordinary cavalryman, and was only allowed to return to the Dragon Court after five years, though he could no longer live with his father, and could not even meet the Khan.
“He was said to have become obedient and remained obscure from then on. So when the Dragon King needed a hostage, he was chosen. Everyone said that it was a punishment from the old Khan, who hadn’t forgotten the incident of the urine prank.”
The situation immediately changed when news that the Dragon King was to be summoned tomorrow came. Fang Wenshi found that the officials of the Norland became friendly again, that they were doubly as friendly, and all of them warmly offered information without even asking for a bribe.
“It is also possible that the Khan hasn’t forgotten this son and has placed great expectations on him. But Duodun has a large disadvantage. He has no background and no supporters. His mother is a slave, unlike the other kings whose mothers are all from important tribes. This prince Duodun, however, has a rabble of friends, but none of them are really powerful and not many of them are even ordinary nobles.”
Fang Wenshi finished talking and looked at the Dragon King. Seeing that the other side still didn’t say anything, he gave his judgment first. “It would be difficult for the Khan to hand over the throne to Duodun. But the Norland is a country where only real power matters. It’s not enough to just have the bloodline of the Khan. I’m not looking down on the Dragon King, but to be honest, with our present strength, it is far from enough to support a foundationless prince.”
Gu Shenwei asked him, “How about the Second Consort? How’s their relationship?”
“There are few rumors about them. Just going by age, Duodun was only one or two years old when the Second Consort married the Khan. Since he grew up with his father, he should have been very familiar with the Second Consort.”
“The Second Consort said that she would marry the new Khan.”
“Huh, then it will be more unlikely for this Duodun to…” Fang Wenshi found that he had made a mistake so he corrected himself in time. “It is possible for the royal family. Such things have happened in many countries before, but the key is whether the old Khan is willing to allow it to happen or not. If Duodun is really his chosen heir, why would he leave the new Khan to be controlled by the Second Consort?”
“I may know the answer after meeting with the Khan tomorrow.”
Fang Wenshi’s face turned pale with fear. “Dragon King, you are not going to ask the Khan about this directly, are you? It is as dangerous as… stroking a tiger’s whiskers.”
“I’ll act accordingly.”
“Well, if the Dragon King is right, all the kings’ efforts will be in vain. What else can I do for the Dragon King?”
“Now that the people of the Norland are willing to talk, go ask if there are any messengers of the Dragon Army that were intercepted.”
“Yes, there has been no news from the Western Regions for too long.”
“And—” Gu Shenwei thought for a moment before saying, “Duodun has a rabble of friends. I want to know where they are.”
“The Dragon King suspects that they’ve been sent to the Western Regions too?”
“Hmm, the Shule Kingdom is ruined, and the Dragon Army is too weak. The Norland seems to have no need to deploy such a large army there. In short, try to figure out all these things as soon as possible.”
It was already dark outside when Fang Wenshi took his leave. Gu Shenwei then spent some time directing his internal Qi. After the cold Qi was subdued and channeled back to his Dantian, he practiced the newly created Frostpalm Power for several times. He found that there was still much room for improvement; specifically, he needed a complete set of palm techniques to exert the frosty Qi.
Old Man Mu was the most appropriate one to help remedy this issue.
But Gu Shenwei temporarily put the idea of creating a set palm technique aside. Something big was going to happen in the Royal Court, and he had to get ready at once.
Liman brought in the news of King Rizhu. Beside him was Wild Horse, who looked quite cold. He was very reluctant to protect the one he hated, especially after seeing the Dragon King’s kung fu skills in the competition, which made him jealous and even broke his killer’s composure.
“My lord said that the siege in the forbidden zone was a plan made by the Khan and all the kings had to cooperate. No one dared to reveal anything in advance. He hoped the Dragon King would understand that.”
“I understand King Rizhu’s difficulty.”
“And the lord also said that the Dragon King is a risk-taker. Now that danger is right there, when will the Dragon King make a move?”
“After meeting the Khan.”
Liman stayed silent for a while before changing his tone. When he spoke again he was not representing the lord, but he himself. “King Kuari was thwarted several times and he may act at any time. Is the Dragon King prepared?”
“Now that the Khan has re-established his authority, King Kuari probably won’t have enough courage to do anything outrageous.”
Liman was a bit anxious. He winked at Wild Horse and the latter turned and left the tent.
Now that only the two of them were left in the tent, Liman bowed to the Dragon King to show his respect before saying, “Dragon King, you are a great hero. I sincerely wished that I could serve you if I weren’t bound by my family’s oath.”
As the son of a general of the Naihang Tribe, Liman had assumed allegiance to King Rizhu from the moment of his birth to his death.
Gu Shenwei was a bit surprised. He nodded gravely, and replied, “You and I can still be friends.”
Liman bowed once more. It was not a gesture of allegiance, nor an expression of friendship, but rather something in between.
“I’ve already passed the lord’s words to you. Since the Dragon King thinks highly of me and treats me as a friend, I’ll venture to say a few honest words as a friend.”
Liman paused a moment as if he were considering whether it was appropriate to say this. “I have a feeling that the Khan is deliberately stirring up fights between the kings and encouraging them to take risks.”
“Oh?” Gu Shenwei became a bit interested. If this really was Liman’s own idea, he had underestimated him up till now.
“Of course, the Khan has his own ideas such as his limited time left, so he hopes to choose the most powerful king to be his heir. The kings are also taking advantage of this, each one more ruthless than the last. No offense, but no matter which side Dragon King helps, you will be in danger.”
“Including King Rizhu?”
Liman nodded with hesitation, knowing clearly at heart that his behavior was skirting the lines of betrayal.
“I need the support of the Norland. And even if I stay out of it, there will be charges falling on me.”
Liman looked a bit excited as if he were younger and more impulsive than the Dragon King. “Why doesn’t the Dragon King go back to the Western Regions? Seal the passageways and proclaim yourself the king. The Norland will be in chaos soon and no one will be able to stop the Dragon King.”
Another man who was persuading him to leave the Norland. Gu Shenwei raised his vigilance and pretended to think for a moment. “The reason why I need the Norland’s support is because the Western Regions don’t belong to me. Golden Roc Castle has a deep foundation and the Norland Cavalry roam the Shule Kingdom. Neither of the two passageways are controlled by the Dragon Army.”
Liman almost couldn’t wait to say, “I want to recommend a person. If the Dragon King contacts him, the Norland Cavalry in the Western Regions will not be a problem and the eradication of Golden Roc Castle will also be a piece of cake.”
“Who has such great ability?”
“Actually he’s in the army of the Dragon King, it’s just that Dragon King has no knowledge of him.”
“Prince Duodun?”
“Exactly.”
Gu Shenwei looked at Liman. So this was one of Duodun’s ‘bad friends,’ and one of the few nobles.
He expressed proper surprise with his silence. Liman believed it and eagerly explained, “Please believe me, Dragon King. Duodun is by no means ordinary. If everything goes well, he has probably even secretly gained control of the horsemen stationed in the Western Regions, and even the Dragon King’s army might have willingly joined the prince.”
“In that case, what else do you need me to do?”
“The Dragon King misunderstood me. Duodun is aiming at the Prairie, and the Western Regions will still belong to the Dragon King. In fact, he didn’t ask me to tell the Dragon King this. I made the decision myself and thought that the two of you should join hands. I would like to write a letter for the Dragon King. Give it to Duodun and he’ll believe you.”
Gu Shenwei found that there were many things that Fang Wenshi didn’t have to inquire into now. “How many Norland Cavalry are stationed in the Western Regions now?”
“Initially, it was thirty thousand. But then the Central Plains sent a larger army so the Norland also increased the number of their troops. Now it’s probably about seventy thousand soldiers overall, and there may be more in the future.”
“Why are these horsemen willing to follow Duodun’s order?”
Liman became hesitated again. In the end, he felt that only by telling the truth could he gain the Dragon King’s trust. “This is a grand plan. The commander of the horsemen in the Western Regions has a group of bodyguards, but more than half of them are Duodun’s men. They are willing to do anything for the prince. According to the tradition of the Norland, once the army loses its leader, the nearest descendant of the Khan will automatically take over until the Khan appoints a new commander.”
If the old Khan was dead and the new Khan had not yet succeeded the title, and the new commander was delayed in taking office, Duodun would have enough time to firmly take control of the army until they were fully loyal to him. Then he would wait patiently and return from the Western Regions to the Norland as the new Khan after the kings had killed and wounded each other in the infighting.
This was the plan of a group of young people. What Gu Shenwei wanted to know was whether the Khan was aware of it and whether he supported it.
“I’m honored to be part of the plan.” Gu Shenwei stretched out his hand.
Very excitedly, Liman firmly grabbed the outstretched arm and took the Dragon King’s words as a sign of assent.
