The King of Chu was unaware that they had discovered his secret, so he was waiting for time, while they were in a hurry.

The Duke of Qi wanted to take the tiger tally to mobilize the troops stationed in Lingnan. Before the King of Chu could react, he would take action first. The opportunity to take action would ultimately come from Qi Chengjun.

Duke Qi looked at his eldest son with pity, then patted him on the shoulder: "Although the King of Chu may not dare to touch you openly, there will definitely be assassinations in secret. You still have to be careful."

The reason he incited all the people of Huizhou to participate in this incident was to let them know that Qi Chengjun's life was now threatened.

He didn't ask these people to confront the ruthless killers; he only asked that they pay more attention to Qi Chengjun.

That's all it takes to prevent the King of Chu's men from making any moves easily.

His goal is to transform Huizhou into an impregnable fortress.

Qi Chengjun clearly understood the arrangements that the Duke of Qi had made today. He turned around, knelt down, and solemnly kowtowed to the Duke of Qi: "Your son is dull-witted and only now has he realized Father's intentions."

Duke Qi laughed and patted Qi Chengjun on the shoulder, gesturing for him to get up.

Qi Chengjun continued, "The Prince of Chu has been trying to assassinate me for some time now, but he hasn't succeeded because he didn't expect that the Emperor had left me with secret guards."

However, he himself did not expect that the King of Chu had also cultivated secret guards.

Qi Chengjun told him everything about the Chu King's secret guards, and whispered, "Father, I have already informed the Emperor that the Chu King has revealed his last trump card."

The two sides have been at odds for so long. Ever since Prince Wen went to the northern desert, it seems that all the luck in the heavens has been on the Emperor's side.

He finally understood why the emperor believed the monk's words.

Now that the King of Chu had revealed all his cards, it was time to gradually show his true colors.

The Duke of Qi said in a low voice, "I heard from the King that Mr. Huo predicted that if the King of Chu's men persuade the Northern Di people, then the Northern Di are very likely to move south in early winter or early spring next year."

It's already May, and there are less than six months left until early winter.

No wonder the Emperor sent my father to Lingnan.

"Father……"

Qi Chengjun sat up abruptly and said in a low voice, "Is His Majesty ordering you to mobilize troops in Lingnan to eliminate internal troubles first?"

He had originally thought that the mobilization of troops stationed in Lingnan was more to guard against the Jiangnan navy, but now that his father had mentioned early winter, it meant that the emperor's plan was to take the initiative.

No matter what the King of Chu was planning, as long as his forces were wiped out and he himself was captured and brought to justice, his plans would naturally fall through.

Duke Qi remained silent, but his gaze held a profound meaning. Qi Chengjun let out a long sigh: "Then who is in charge of the defense of the capital now?"

Once the war begins, the King of Chu will never allow the capital to remain peaceful.

The defense of the capital consisted of two main units: the Divine Might Battalion, primarily responsible for the safety of the emperor and the concubines in the palace, and the City Patrol Corps.

The Duke of Qi was the commander-in-chief of the city patrol troops. Although his official position was not high, he held real military power.

Even though he was chosen early on as the Crown Prince's study companion, and the Duke of Qi's mansion was "forced" to side with the Crown Prince, the King of Chu did not forget to send people to persuade his father to abandon the Crown Prince and join his ranks.

The position of the Patrol and Garrison Commander can be said to be the first line of defense for the capital. It is a very important position, but the emperor transferred my father away at this time, which is quite audacious.

"Are you stupid?" Duke Qi rolled his eyes at Qi Chengjun, then widened his eyes and said, "Do you think I can leave the capital in such a grand manner? If I leave the capital in a grand manner, wouldn't that be telling the Prince of Chu that the Emperor sent me to deal with you, and you should prepare to resist?"

Qi Chengjun...

He shook his head with a wry smile, his voice tinged with a hint of flattery: "I know I was wrong. I hope Father will forgive my foolishness and enlighten me."

The Duke of Qi then gave a satisfied hum.

With neither of his children by his side, the Duke of Qi was quite lonely.

Most importantly, he had to deal with the constant weeping and wailing of the women in his household, making each day feel like an eternity for the Duke of Qi.

Of course, you should seize any opportunity that comes your way.

He said in a low voice, "A while ago, thieves broke into the capital. I happened to be leading a patrol of the military corps when they committed the crime. I fought with the thieves and was seriously injured. The current Duke of Qi is still recuperating at home."

"I'm just recuperating from an injury. How could the important task of defending the capital fall into the hands of others?"

When news reached the mansion, it ultimately went to the palace and was decided by the emperor.

Upon learning that the affairs in the capital had been arranged properly, Qi Chengjun hadn't even had time to breathe a sigh of relief when he thought that when his father returned from Lingnan with troops, the Jiangnan region would likely descend into chaos, and his heart leaped into his throat again.

The Duke of Qi could only use the excuse of recuperating from his injuries to escape from the capital. Otherwise, even if the King of Chu's influence in the capital was almost completely eliminated, as long as one or two people remained, the Emperor's plan would fall through.

Qi Chengjun understood the reason behind this and nodded secretly.

This is indeed a good way to mobilize the troops stationed in Lingnan.

As for why they chose the Duke of Qi instead of someone inconspicuous, one reason was the Duke of Qi's ability to lead troops into battle, and the other was the Duke of Qi's connection with the Lingnan Army.

The Duke of Qi's family originally came from Lingnan.

His mind raced, and suddenly he thought of something: "Father, when you were in Jiangzhou, did you hear anything about the true cause of death of the King of Chu's chief secretary?"

He tapped the table lightly with his index finger: "I always felt that the reason why the King of Chu framed me for the death of Chief Secretary Ling was not simply to take me down openly, but also to cover up the real cause of Chief Secretary Ling's death."

When the Duke of Qi arrived in Jiangzhou, Chief Clerk Ling was not only dead, but his body had already been buried.

He said, "I did a little investigation. The Chu King's mansion and his advisors all kept silent about the death of Chief Secretary Ling. Chief Secretary Ling's family made a scene with the Chu King a few times, but it all came to nothing in the end."

Qi Chengjun said, "It certainly won't just end like this, otherwise the King of Chu wouldn't have suddenly pinned this blame on me after so long. The King of Chu and the Ling family must have a deeper connection."

The Prince's Chief Secretary has passed away, and the King of Chu has given a reasonable explanation. What right do the Chief Secretary's family members have to make a fuss?

They've caused trouble a few times!

This shows that the Ling family must have some leverage over the King of Chu, which is why they are so fearless, and why the King of Chu is trying every means to push himself out as a scapegoat!

This Jiangnan region is truly amazing; the waters are so deep that even after he's been here for over a year, he still can't fathom just how many fish and shrimp are in there.

The father and son talked almost all night. Just as dawn was breaking, the Duke of Qi took Qi Chengjun's letter and left Huizhou through the west gate, heading towards Lingnan at breakneck speed...