"The morning bell tolls."
With a resounding command from the Master of Ceremonies, Liu Xiao, the commander of the Imperial Guards, wielded a bell pestle that had been polished to a gleaming shine, and struck the bronze bell hanging high on the wall of the Wanren Palace.
Accompanied by the deep sound of the morning bell, a dull "creak" rang out, like the last breath of an old man on his deathbed.
This is the first line of defense protecting the capital, the majestic and solemn Chongwu Gate.
After the palace coup of the previous dynasty, the red paint on it was mottled and patterned by the battering rams used in the siege.
The city gate was slowly pulled open by two imperial guards, and the first rays of morning light poured into the magnificent capital of the Great Liang Kingdom.
In the distance, a fast horse gallops by.
The soldier on horseback had two white feathers stuck in his helmet, raising a cloud of dust ten feet high, and he was shouting loudly.
"Get out of the way immediately! Urgent battle report from 800 li ahead!"
"Get out of the way immediately!"
Xuanzheng Hall.
The young soldier's face was covered in mud, and he looked disheveled, which must have been due to traveling day and night without stopping.
He knelt in the center of the officials at the branch station, his voice as dry as sand in the desert, "Your Majesty, we were escorting the Second Prince when we were ambushed by scattered Turkic soldiers in the southern part of the desert. All three thousand shi of grain were stolen. Please send a general to our aid immediately!"
Three thousand shi of grain is no small amount, and Xiao Ziyan's accompanying troops were also quite numerous. How could they all be intercepted by guerrilla stragglers!
The Emperor of Liang's face revealed a chilling murderous intent. He was furious and slammed his fist on the table, roaring, "A few insignificant villains have rendered you helpless? All three thousand shi of grain have been robbed. What will become of the soldiers on the border? Where is your Second Prince?"
When the emperor is angry, all the officials will be mobilized.
They all knelt down, their faces filled with fear, and said, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
The young soldier bowed low: "They were well-equipped with warhorses and weapons, and did not appear to be unclaimed troops. Moreover, after intercepting the supplies, they did not linger, indicating a clear objective. They must have come prepared! The Second Prince was stabbed in the abdomen while protecting the supplies, but fortunately, he was treated by a military doctor and is now out of danger."
The soldier was a follower of Consort Lin, so naturally he would embellish Xiao Ziyan's actions to some extent.
Moreover, with three thousand shi of grain disappearing in an instant, it is impossible for the emperor not to hold Xiao Ziyan accountable. We can only ask that Your Majesty, considering his selflessness in protecting the grain, will be lenient in your punishment.
In reality, after encountering the fleeing soldiers, Xiao Ziyan was so scared that he wanted to hide. Unfortunately, the desert in the southern part of the desert was so vast that any cover was too conspicuous and could not provide him with any refuge.
Xiao Ziyan had no choice but to face the challenge head-on, but he was not skilled in martial arts, and in the chaos of battle, swords and spears were indiscriminate.
As he dodged, a soldier's cleaver slashed his abdomen, leaving a bloody gash. The wound wasn't deep, and he only bled a little. After being bandaged, the bleeding stopped, and there was no danger to his life.
However, in front of His Majesty, the soldiers had to exaggerate and portray the Second Prince as brave and fearless.
Otherwise, if the Second Prince's reputation for being cowardly and fleeing from battle were to spread back to the capital, he would lose the support of the people, and Consort Lin might take action against her entire family!
They had warhorses and weapons, their target was clear: intercept and leave.
That's not something nomadic soldiers could do.
Despite the emperor's furious expression, Mu Chengye calmly spoke in the silent hall: "Your Majesty, the most urgent matter is to bring the Second Prince back to the capital for treatment! We can make other plans regarding provisions later."
Liao, the councilor, was the first to agree: "What Prime Minister Mu said is absolutely right."
He truly is the most loyal dog by Mu Xiang's side.
The Emperor of Liang's eyes darkened slightly as he looked at Wang Yu, the chief eunuch beside him, and whispered, "Let's put aside the matter of the Second Prince's injury for now. Consort Lin is currently pregnant, so don't let her worry."
"Dispatch Gu Yi and a thousand men to set off immediately for Mo Nan to bring the Second Prince back to the palace."
Wang Yu slightly raised his eyelids and flicked his whisk at the crook of his hand: "Yes!"
※※※※
The Left Chancellor's residence, study.
Mu Chengye's brows relaxed, and his usually solemn first-rank official robes were now wide open, revealing a beautiful woman in an elegant floral dress kneeling at his feet to serve him.
The woman's belly was swollen, indicating she was pregnant. She was swallowing something, but her beautiful eyes were dull and lifeless.
When Liao Canzheng pushed open the door, he happened to witness this erotic scene. He looked at the beautiful woman at Mu Chengye's feet and swallowed hard without making a sound.
He withdrew his lewd gaze and respectfully bowed, saying, "This humble official greets the Left Prime Minister and... Princess Xinhui."
The Prince of Qi adopted a son and a daughter. The son was named Xiao Ziran and the daughter was named Xiao Xueling. The title bestowed by His Majesty was Princess Xinhui.
The woman kneeling at Mu Chengye's feet was none other than Princess Xinhui!
Liao Ming dared not look any further and could only turn his gaze to the ground, staring intently at the patterns on the rock.
"Since the Left Prime Minister is busy, then this humble official... shall excuse himself for a moment?"
Mu Chengye grunted, then pushed the woman away without hesitation: "No need, you sit down." His cloudy eyes then turned to Xin Hui, "You sit next to Councilor Liao and serve him tea."
Liao, the councilor, was flattered and repeatedly bowed, saying, "Thank you, sir!"
Xin Hui felt utterly devastated, tears welling in her eyes. She desperately wanted to beg him to stop, as she was pregnant...
But deep down, he knew perfectly well that he wouldn't care about any of that.
"Lord Liao, please have some tea."
The beauty's fair hands rested on the celadon teacup, making them appear even whiter and more like jade. Liao Ming was so excited that he didn't even bother to accept the tea.
He reached out and pulled her into his arms, his waistline bulging even more than a pregnant woman's!
Unable to hold back her tears, she sat resignedly in Liao Ming's arms, her face deathly pale.
Mu Chengye's throat was dry. He took a sip of tea and asked, "Have you found out who the assassin was?"
"She's just a lowly maid from the Burning Gold Cave, with no one to rely on and no idea where she's run off to. She's nothing to be afraid of."
Liao Ming, with the beauty in his arms, smiled so broadly his eyes were almost closed, completely disregarding the woman he had assassinated that day.
There are too many people who want to kill him. Some should be guarded against, some should be eliminated, and some are like ants, not worth his time at all. He can just let them go.
"Let's not talk about that, sir. The intercepted grain shipment is quite large. What should we do with it?"
"Xiao Ziyan has clashed with our people. Are we really going to let him return to the capital safely? I'm afraid the matter of Miss Mu requesting a marriage decree will have to be postponed again."
Xiao Ziyan's escort mission failed, so he was naturally not qualified to claim credit or marry the Left Prime Minister's eldest daughter as his concubine.
Unfortunately, the young master's daughter is hopelessly infatuated with the Second Prince, and who knows what kind of trouble she'll cause this time.
"Xiao Ziyan is a good-for-nothing with no strategy. So what if we've fought? He won't notice anything, so you don't need to worry about that. As for Yao'er, she's definitely giving me a headache."
When the two mentioned Mu Yao, no one noticed the hint of envy flashing in Xin Hui's eyes.
Mu Chengye never intended to marry his daughter to Xiao Ziyan.
Xiao Ziyan is just a puppet in name only; he will not sit on the throne!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
