An Si rushed over from outside early in the morning.
"Your Highness, we have news. There are reports from three directions to the north. Based on the daily food supply, An Shi has estimated that there are no fewer than 30,000 troops."
"Thirty thousand...that's quite a lot."
Yue Xiyuan pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered something, “The daily rations for 30,000 to 40,000 troops cannot possibly rely solely on Xiaoyang; there must be other ways to transport the supplies to the moat.”
North of the moat lies the city moat, where cargo ships often pass by, but they are always thoroughly inspected before being allowed to pass. Some of these inspections are certainly overlooked.
Yue Xiyuan frowned, then suddenly remembered someone, "Xu Huai!"
"Is Your Highness referring to Xu Huai, the Governor-General of the Waterways? Isn't he known for his integrity, diligence, and dedication to the people—a truly exceptional official? The Secretariat investigated him before."
Ever since Yue Zhixiao began to harbor rebellious intentions, Yue Xiyuan had thoroughly investigated all the civil and military officials in the court. Some who could be dealt with had already been dealt with, while others with deeper roots were gradually eliminated.
I did investigate Xu Huai before, and he was indeed a rare and excellent official. But to be able to transport the grain to the moat without anyone noticing, the only options besides land transport were water transport.
For Yue Zhixiao, water transport is safer than land transport, so Yue Xiyuan has reason to suspect that Xu Huai is secretly plotting something.
"An Si, have An Er investigate Xu Huai, especially whether he has had close ties with the Southern Border and Yan State in recent years, whether he has property in the Southern Border and Yan State, and also check whether any ships that have been traveling in recent years have come from the Southern Border or Yan State, especially cargo ships."
"Yes, Your Highness, I will take care of it immediately."
After An Si left, Yue Xiyuan became increasingly convinced that Xu Huai was suspicious, so he got up and left the city through the north gate.
Yue Xiyuan walked eastward along the riverbank without finding anything. Just as he was about to leave the moat, he suddenly noticed faint cart tracks not far away.
Wol Seok-won stepped forward and brushed aside the fallen leaves with his hand. He measured the size of the somewhat blurred tire tracks with his hand.
"It seems that it was transported back from here. I really underestimated you, Yue Zhixiao."
Yue Xiyuan surveyed the surrounding area for a long time but found nothing else unusual, except for one spot where the traces had been covered up.
Before leaving, Wol Seok-won cleaned up the traces they had left.
...
"Zebin, go and inform the Right Commander of the Imperial Guards to replace as many of the guards inside and outside the city as possible with our men. Also, for the grand ceremony the day after tomorrow, I want to replace as many of them with my own men as possible. The day after tomorrow, this country will be mine!"
Yue Zhixiao was somewhat excited, unable to contain himself. He seemed to see the surging waves about to rise, crashing down like a tidal wave.
"How is the Empress Dowager doing? Why is there still no word from her?"
Seeing that Yue Xiyuan was still in the capital, Yue Zhixiao thought that to ensure everything went smoothly, his mother had said she would lure Yue Xiyuan out of the city. However, Yue Xiyuan was still in the capital.
"Empress Dowager Chen has already sent a letter saying that someone will be bringing news soon that Miss Yun Yao will lead a group of living dead from the Southern Border to persecute the surrounding villages, so Yue Xiyuan will have no choice but to go to the Southern Border."
It seems his mother was no ordinary person; perhaps he never truly understood her.
"Okay, you can go now."
"It is Your Highness."
At this moment, An Shi, who was actually Xiao Yang in disguise, brought over the food that had been prepared in advance.
"Xiaoyang? Is your cold better?"
Yue Zhixiao looked at the man and was puzzled. He had a bad cold yesterday, but today he was full of energy.
"It's Your Highness. My cold is much better now, thanks to the medicine Your Highness sent Zebin to deliver."
"That's good. Go and get ready. The day after tomorrow will be the day we turn the tables and take charge."
After speaking, Yue Zhixiao gently patted Xiaoyang's shoulder, but ever since An Shi learned yesterday that Xiaoyang liked this two-faced beast in front of him, An Shi felt disgusted when he looked at Yue Zhixiao.
Of course, Dark Ten had also undergone special training, so naturally he hadn't revealed anything.
He was just silently thinking about what Yue Zhixiao had just said. The day after tomorrow was the day of the emperor's wedding. Could it be that Yue Zhixiao was planning to seize the throne the day after tomorrow?
An Shi immediately sensed something was wrong and knew he had to report to the prince right away.
"What's wrong, Xiaoyang?"
Yue Zhixiao felt that Xiaoyang was acting a little strange today, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
"Your Highness, I am fine. I may just be catching a cold."
An Shi immediately sensed something was wrong. He had just committed a grave mistake. Fortunately, Yue Zhixiao did not suspect anything, otherwise he would not have been able to leave this moat today.
"In that case, go back and rest. Let the others prepare the meal. Just wait for the good news from the King later."
Hearing Xiao Yang say this, Yue Zhixiao did not suspect anything.
"Your Highness, I congratulate you. I shall take my leave."
After An Shi returned, he took advantage of a moment when no one was looking and wrote down what he had just heard on a piece of paper, then relayed it all to An Si.
"I hope Your Highness can make preparations as soon as possible."
Inside the Imperial Study, Yue Xiyuan returned to the Regent's Palace and was summoned to the Imperial Palace by Eunuch Wang.
"What's wrong, Your Majesty?"
The Emperor slammed the memorial onto the desk with a loud thud, his brows furrowed and his lips pressed tightly together.
Seeing the Emperor's anger, Eunuch Wang stepped forward to explain the situation to the Regent.
"Your Majesty, you may not know this, but these poisoners have begun to wreak havoc on villages in the southern border. Many people have already suffered, and His Majesty is deeply troubled by this matter."
After listening to Eunuch Wang's words, Yue Xiyuan's face darkened like the clouds before a storm. He had witnessed firsthand how brutal those undead were and how the surrounding villages had been destroyed.
"Why did Yun Yao summon the living dead today to wreak havoc on the surrounding people?"
"I've thought of this too. The day after tomorrow is my wedding day, and no one but you has ever seen or dealt with this living dead. So Yue Zhixiao wants to get rid of you."
"Hmm, it seems Yue Zhixiao is about to take action. If I'm not mistaken, the day after tomorrow, the day of his wedding, will be the day he plots his rebellion."
During the conversation, An Si had already rushed to the palace without stopping.
"Your Highness, there is news from the Southern Border."
"But the living dead have reappeared?"
"yes."
When An Si looked up and saw the Emperor's angry face, he knew that the Emperor already knew about this matter beforehand and had informed the Prince.
"Your Highness, there is one more thing. An Shi has sent a letter."
An Shi took out a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Yue Xiyuan.
Yue Xiyuan unfolded the letter, read it through briefly, and then handed it to the Emperor.
After reading it, the Emperor gripped the letter tightly, his brow furrowed, his eyes flashing with fury. His face was ashen, and veins bulged on his forehead, as if he were about to erupt in boundless rage.
"Good! Good! Yue Zhixiao, you're very good!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
