ChangNing’s Imperial Army

Could not catch up.

Shen Leng rode his horse over a distance of 30 miles but was unable to find Cen Zheng. He did not even know which route Cen Zheng took. After covering quite a distance and discovering nothing, naturally, his mood was ruined. Shen Leng was hoping that his speculations were wrong or that Bai Shangnian’s men could not figure out the route taken by Cen Zheng, just like him.

There was a crossroads in front. There was in fact no point in trying to pursue any further at this juncture.

At this moment, all of a sudden, the sound of hooves could be heard coming from behind him. Shen Leng turned around and saw Yang Qibao with his men.

“General, the commander is calling for you.”

Yang Qibao jumped off his horse. “I don’t know what happened, but it is urgent.”

Shen Leng frowned slightly.

Could it be that Zhuang Yong knows about Liu Yun Sect attacking Guan Tang Kou?

He looked at hei Yan. Hei Yan seemed to have guessed what he was thinking, so he nodded.

“Alright.”

Shen Leng started to ease up. “In that case, go back.”

Hei Yan grabbed Shen Leng’s arm. “You go back first. I will bring my men with him and split up to continue the pursuit.”

Shen Leng shook his head. “I’m afraid there’s no need to.”

Hei Yan’s heart sank abruptly.

They rode their horses in a row and rushed back to the Navy’s camp. Yang Qibao was absolutely clueless about why Zhuang Yong was looking for Shen Leng. He only knew it was urgent. After they returned to the Navy’s camp, Du Weiming was already waiting outside. When he saw Shen Leng, the first thing he said was, “The general said that there are things you must do today.”

So you should not do what you should not be doing. Hence, Shen Leng guessed that everything in Anyang was staged and controlled by Zhuang Yong.

Naturally, Shen Leng did not forget. Zhuang Yong invited him, Cha’er and Mr. Shen to his residence. Zhuang Yong’s residence was originally in Anyang city – it was only about three miles away from the Navy’s camp. However, after Zhuang Yong became the commander of the Navy, The emperor instructed Anyang’s yamen to pick a residence within the city. Zhuang Yong would go back to Anyang city almost once a month. But right now, it was almost nightfall after all, hence it was harder to make their way there at night.

“The commander’s squad leader, Zhang Gui, is waiting for you by the tent, general. It seems like he has prepared something. He got me to wait outside by the door, lest I miss you.”

Du Weiming pointed in the direction of the tent. “General, what happened today?”

Shen Leng shook his head slightly. “I will tell you later on. Everyone, go back and take a rest.”

Shen Leng arrived outside of the commander’s tent and heard people conversing with one another. Zhang Gui smiled at Shen Leng. “They are waiting for you, general.”

The curtains of the tent were pulled open. Mr. Shen and Cha’er walked out of it.

Shen Leng felt even more strongly that something was amiss. However, at this moment, all he could do was follow Zhuang Yong’s plan, step by step. Zhuang Yong was at a much higher position than him, and also had more foresight than him. He was also closer to Great Ning’s emperor. Hence, there were several things that Shen Leng could not comprehend, while Zhuang Yong knew them inside out.

Zhang Gui led them out of the military camp and headed towards the back. There was already a chariot waiting outside. It followed along a pathway before entering the woods. There were actually three exact same chariots waiting inside. However, Shen Leng and the rest followed Zhang Gui’s arrangement, and did not get into any of them. Instead, they waited for all four of them to leave the woods, before following the pathway in the woods and went straight ahead, till the sky darkened. That was when they entered Mount Tihu.

Mount Tihu was located behind the Navy’s camp, next to Nanping River. Also, the village where Shen Leng and the rest lived in was not far from it. They followed the stone steps on the pathway and walked up. There was a Daoist temple within the woods that was hidden from view.

The Daoist temple was not small; during the day, it also received Buddhist worshippers. Shen Leng knew that there was a Daoist temple on the mountain but he had never been there.

After entering the temple, a young Daoist led them to the backyard. The backyard was a lot brighter than the front yard. The moment they entered, they saw Zhuang Yong performing a sword-dance; even a scholar knew how to perform a sword-dance as such. There were two women, one older than the other, standing next to each other in the hallway, looking at Zhuang Yong in admiration without blinking.

The older woman looked like she was only in her thirties, or perhaps, she took care of herself really well, such that people were unable to tell what her real age was. She emitted a faint graceful aura. The young lady next to her looked like she was around sixteen years old. She stood there quietly, like an orchid. She was very elegant, creating a lasting impact in one’s memory.

Upon seeing people entering, Zhuang Yong put his sword back into its sheath. The older woman promptly made her way down the steps, with an amiable smile on her face. The young lady, who was wearing a light purple cheongsam, bowed slightly apologetically before bringing the servant girl with her into the main hall. She was a completely different kind of girl from Master Cha. Master Cha was overbearing and headstrong – she would not be bothered by the social customs that dictated that young unmarried ladies should not casually meet with guests.

Master Cha looked at the young lady and could not help but stare blankly. She smacked her lips and said, “So beautiful.”

She turned her head sideways and looked at Shen Leng, but she realized that Shen Leng’s attention was on her. “Who’s more beautiful?”

Master Cha asked, “You didn’t see the pretty lady earlier on?”

Shen Leng replied, “Earlier on, I was only focused on looking at the commander’s swordsmanship. It was extremely gentle…”

Master Cha responded, “Ahem, ahem…that was just a sword-dance.”

Shen Leng thought to himself: If swords are not used as a weapon, what’s the point of wielding it?

Master Cha turned around and bowed to Zhuang Yong. Shen Leng heaved a huge sigh of relief, thinking to himself about how his desire to live was still very strong. That young lady was indeed very beautiful…even though he only stole a glance.

Naturally, the older woman was Zhuang Yong’s wife. Back then, she was also working in Prince Liu’s residence. Hence, when she saw Mr. Shen, she quickly went over to salute to him. “Daoist priest.”

Mr. Shen quickly returned the salutation. “You are too polite.”

Zhuang Yong smiled, “You haven’t seen You Ya in ten years.”

Hearing Zhuang Yong referring to her as that in front of outsiders, his wife started blushing a little. After seeing that, Mr. Shen sighed again and again. “Seeing you act like that is making me suspect that the little girl, who was the best when it came to fighting, back in the prince’s residence was not real.”

At this moment, Zhuang Yong’s wife smiled more freely and at ease, vaguely resembling her old self.

Zhuang Yong invited him into the study to sit. His wife personally brewed some tea, but quickly after, she left the room.

“Very surprised?” Zhuang Yong looked at Shen Leng.

Shen Leng nodded. “Very surprised.”

Zhuang Yong walked to the window and looked into the darkness of the night. “Anyang, and even Jiangnan, is not as peaceful as you think. In fact, it’s the same for the whole of Great Ning. The flourishing and beautiful side of it was only on the surface. Recently, especially, it has become a lot less peaceful.”

He turned around and looked at Mr. Shen. “There’s a rumor going around that His Majesty is going to select the crown prince.”

Mr. Shen was taken aback. “It’s that one?!”

“It’s that one. If not, which one?”

Zhuang Yong could not help but let out a long sigh. “She won the bet.”

It seemed as though Mr. Shen lost all the strength in his body. As he sat there, his shoulders were trembling slightly.

“Why is His Majesty that impatient?”

“It’s not that His Majesty is impatient, bur rather, His Majesty does not have a choice.”

Zhuang Yong placed his hand on the window and said sorrowfully, “If he still had a choice, His Majesty would not choose him either…even though I don’t know much about what happened that year. But how is it possible for me not to hear anything about it? The empress incident was way too ruthless. It’s as though His Majesty placed her on house arrest – she was locked up for more than a decade. The empress has nothing more than an undeserved reputation. She could not do anything about it…until the year before last when Concubine Hui gave birth to a prince. Too young.”

Mr. Shen stood up. “His Majesty can absolutely wait a few years.”

“His Majesty does not want to wait.”

Zhuang Yong said, “Do you know why His Majesty wanted to form the Navy? On the surface, it seemed as though he wanted to purge the waters of misfortune and danger. But in reality, it was because he was making preparations to fight against the Heiwu people in the north. With a massive Navy force to provide assistance, it would prevent the Heiwu people from crossing the Kesu Lila river. We would also be able to send reinforcements and supplies to the north two times faster. You should know His Majesty’s intentions…it’s been almost twenty years since His Majesty ascended the throne.”

Mr. Shen had a sudden realization. “His Majesty wants to personally take part in the expedition?!”

Zhuang Yong nodded. “Yeah…that is something that has been haunting in His Majesty’s mind. That year, His Majesty led the troops and entered Heiwu. It was the biggest military success of Great Ning, till today. His Majesty has always been preoccupied with the northern affairs. However, if he were to take part in the expedition, there needs to be someone staying behind in Changan to oversee things. Hence…the crown prince is the only person who can do that.”

Zhuang Yong looked at Mr. Shen before continuing, “Once this piece of news gets disseminated, the people who intentionally kept a distance from the empress’ clan would appear again. The empress has been tolerating in pain for nearly twenty years. A mother shares her son’s honor and glory. In the future, His Majesty would have to treat her differently too.”

When he spoke, he noticed that Mr. Shen’s hands were tightly clenched; the veins on the back of his hand were bulging.

“We cannot change anything.”

Zhuang Yong went over and patted Mr. Shen on the shoulder. “We are only his subjects.”

Mr. Shen lifted his head abruptly. “Perhaps we can change things.”

Zhuang Yong shook his head. “Even if we can, it’s too late. Very soon, His Majesty’s decree will be sent out across the entire country. His Majesty wants to give the crown prince a few years to learn and accumulate experiences. If you think about it, at the very most it would only take three to five years before His Majesty’s punitive expedition to the north becomes more and more concrete…”

Mr. Shen puffed out some air in disappointment. It looked as though his entire being became weak.

“That matter hasn’t been fully investigated.” He muttered.

Zhuang Yong frowned slightly. “Why do you still not understand? Regardless of whether the person you’re looking for is His Majesty’s own flesh and blood, it cannot change the fact that the crown prince is His Majesty’s own flesh and blood.”

Mr. Shen slumped back in his chair; his face was pale.

Zhuang Yong said, “The crown prince and the great scholar, Mu Zhaotong, have close relations. This is something that the entire imperial court knows. Did you think that Mu Zhaotong sent his son to the Navy only because he wanted to make his background look better? If that was the case, Mu Zhaotong would be too superficial. Ultimately, he wants to have power over all levels of society.”

“Don’t tell me His Majesty doesn’t know?”

“What can we even hide from His Majesty? It’s just that His Majesty chose not to do anything for the time being.”

“Not that there’s no way around it.”

Mr. Shen looked at Zhuang Yong. “Hence, your residence in Anyang is fake. Even you’re not safe!”

Zhuang Yong nodded. “Yeah, even I’m not safe.”

Shen Leng, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly lifted his head. “What about General Cen?”

“I’m here.”

The folding screen in the study suddenly opened up. Cen Zheng walked out from behind it. “Since I know that I’m in danger, of course I will not let myself get killed that easily. This was staged because His Majesty wanted to see how many people wanted to get a share of the Navy. And how many people would reveal their true selves in advance.”

Cen Zheng said plainly, “The reason why we are not hiding from the three of you is because you are already in the picture. Up until now, His Majesty has always trusted you, as well as think highly of Shen Leng. And as for young lady Cha’er, naturally, she is no outsider either.”

Shen Leng heaved a long sigh of relief before lowering his head and keeping silent.

Cen Zheng looked at Zhuang Yong. “Can we reveal everything now?”

Zhuang Yong nodded. “Since we have already reached this stage, there is no need to hide anything from the three of them.”

Cen Zheng grunted. “His Majesty really wants to know that once the news about selecting the crown prince gets out, exactly how many people will rush to prove their allegiance. Ah the Navy…has always been at the heart of the struggle.”