Chapter 55 Falling short of success

The inner courtyard of the Fourth Prince's residence.

Lou Shang was angrily smashing the porcelain in the room. He had lost all his power, and his once bustling mansion was now deserted. This disparity was driving him almost crazy.

“Useless! All of you are useless!” His eyes were bloodshot, and his chest heaved violently.

Not only did he fail to completely kill Lou Jin, but he also got himself involved. How could he not hate him!

Just then, a trusted aide rushed in, his face ashen and his voice trembling: "Your Highness... no, Master! Something terrible has happened! News has come from the palace... Prince Jin, Prince Jin..."

Lou Shang whirled around, grabbed his confidant by the collar, and said viciously, "What happened to that sickly man? Did he finally die?"

His eyes held a twisted sense of pleasure.

"No, no..." The confidant was terrified.

"He's fully recovered! The Imperial Advisor used a miraculous medicine from the Southern Frontier, and His Highness Prince Jin... has completely recovered! His Majesty was overjoyed and personally visited the Prince's residence to confirm it! Moreover... His Majesty appointed him as the Grand General Who Conquers the West, and he will soon be setting out to conquer the Northwest!"

"What?!" Lou Shang was struck dumb. He suddenly let go of the collar he was holding, staggered back a few steps, knocked over the flower stand behind him, and shattered the porcelain on the ground.

His facial muscles twitched violently, as if he had heard a fairy tale, before finally turning into a deathly ashes of despair and fear.

“Recovered…going to war…” he muttered to himself, his voice hoarse. “How could this be…how could he possibly get better! He should die! He should rot in bed!”

He slammed his fist on the table, making the teacups bounce around, and his hand instantly swelled up, but he felt no pain.

He could almost see his third brother, who had once suffocated him, donning his armor once more and returning to the court with unparalleled glory, while he himself would be reduced to dust and a laughingstock, completely ignored by everyone!

This fear was worse than death!

“It’s over…it’s all over…” Lou Shang slumped to the ground, his eyes glazed over. All his anger and arrogance were shattered in that moment, leaving only endless regret and icy despair.

Prince Yi's Mansion, Study.

Lou Yi was listening to his subordinates' progress reports, his demeanor calm and composed, as if everything was under control.

He even secretly planned that if the situation in the Northwest worsened further, he might be able to mobilize his own people to clean up the mess and earn another wave of military merits and prestige.

Suddenly, there was a rapid knocking on the study door, and his chief strategist strode in with a grim expression. He didn't even have time to bow before saying urgently in a low voice, "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! King Jin... he has recovered!"

Lou Yi's hand holding the brush suddenly paused, and a drop of thick ink suddenly fell onto the snow-white Xuan paper, quickly spreading into a smudge.

He slowly raised his head, and his usual gentle demeanor froze instantly.

"What did you say?" His voice remained steady, but upon closer listening, his intonation had become disordered.

The strategist swallowed hard and repeated with difficulty, "It's absolutely true! The Imperial Preceptor used a miraculous medicine from the southern border, and His Majesty personally confirmed that he is out of danger! Moreover... His Majesty has issued an edict appointing him as the General Who Conquers the West, and he will lead troops to conquer the northwest immediately!"

Lou Yi remained silent and slowly put down his pen.

He stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to his advisor, seemingly admiring the scenery outside. However, his hands behind his back clenched tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the force.

Healed... Departing for battle...

These two words swirled wildly in his mind.

He had been planning for three years, and it seemed he was about to completely eliminate the biggest obstacle, and even seize the opportunity to bring military power in the Northwest into his own hands. How could... how could he fail at this crucial moment?!

Lou Jin's recovery completely disrupted his entire plan!

A healthy Lou Jin, commanding a large army, is ten or even a hundred times more threatening than that sickly prince!

Could it be that Lou Jin had already... No, impossible, his previous illness could not have been faked.

A chill ran up my spine and up my head.

He realized that he might have seriously underestimated his third brother's resilience and luck.

"knew."

After a long silence, Lou Yi finally spoke, his voice returning to calm, yet deeper and colder than usual.

"Since he wants to go to the Northwest, let him go. The Rong people are fierce, and swords and spears have no eyes on the battlefield... Whether he can come back alive is still unknown."

He turned around, his face no longer showing any emotion, only the calculating glint in the depths of his eyes became even more unfathomable.

"Have our people been arranged?"

The strategist quickly bowed and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, everything has been arranged. As soon as King Jin arrives at the front lines, our men will act accordingly."

Lou Yi nodded, then turned his gaze back to the window.

"Third brother..." he murmured to himself, "Let the Northwest be your burial ground."

He would not allow anyone to stand in his way to that supreme position.

The news that Lou Jin had been appointed as the General Who Conquers the West spread quickly, like a boulder thrown into the oppressive capital.

The people were immediately excited, and the government and the public were paying close attention.

However, leading an army into battle is not something that can be accomplished with just an imperial edict. It involves a great deal of work, such as allocating provisions, reorganizing military equipment, and inspecting soldiers.

Lou Jin demonstrated remarkable efficiency and decisiveness, swiftly taking over the Ministry of War's affairs with a forceful approach and pushing forward various preparatory work with lightning speed.

Ye Xunjin, leveraging his prestige and connections within the military, assisted Lou Jin in quickly integrating available troops and selecting elites. Ye Xunqin, on the other hand, utilized his meticulousness and experience in the Southwest to assist in verifying provisions and weaponry, ensuring uninterrupted logistics.

Ye Xunyang was not idle either. The secret guards trained by Lou Jin were extremely efficient at investigation. In just two days, they thoroughly investigated the Liu residence and unearthed some long-buried past events, which were then presented to him.

As Ye Xunyang read the secret report handed to him by his bodyguard, his expression grew increasingly grim.

He never imagined that his mother's years of indulgence and support for his aunt's family concealed such an unspeakable past.

He took the secret report and returned to the general's mansion, intending to ask his mother for clarification.