The coachman took Gu Yuzhi directly to the Qi residence. After carefully taking his pulse, Imperial Physician Qin breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression became much more relaxed: "Your Highness is fine, he's just exhausted."
Gu Yuzhi's outer garment had been removed, and there were many wounds on his undergarments. While directing the young apprentice to buy medicine, Qin Yuanpan first stopped the bleeding for Gu Yuzhi.
When Qi Chengjun returned to the Qi residence after dealing with matters outside, Imperial Physician Qin had already treated Gu Yuzhi's external injuries.
Qi Chengjun inquired carefully about the injuries of Judge Qin Gu Yuzhi. Upon learning that Gu Yuzhi was merely exhausted, he breathed a sigh of relief and turned to look at Chief Secretary Xie with a smile on his face: "Chief Secretary Xie, it's been several years since we last met. You've changed quite a bit."
Back when the two were both advisors to the Crown Prince, Qi Chengjun disliked dealing with Xie Changshi. After all, this guy stared at people and seemed rather gloomy when he wasn't smiling.
But now he gives off a completely different vibe; his entire aura seems to have softened considerably.
Chief Secretary Xie stroked his beard and smiled at Qi Chengjun: "Young Master Qi hasn't changed much; he's still as handsome as ever."
Qi Chengjun thought to himself, "Wow, even Chief Secretary Xie can flatter people now."
He thought that Chief Secretary Xie knew how to be sarcastic from the moment he opened his mouth.
Qi Chengjun glanced down and saw the way Xie Changshi looked at Gu Yuzhi. It seemed that the young prince was the one who made Xie Changshi change.
Thinking of his foolish younger brother, who had now become a member of the Northern Desert Army, Qi Chengjun became even more curious about Gu Yuzhi.
He led Chief Secretary Xie to the outer room to talk. As soon as they sat down, Chief Secretary Xie whispered, "What's going on with the Prince of Chu? What is he trying to do by surrounding Huizhou? Isn't he afraid that someone will leak the news?"
Qi Chengjun smiled slightly: "The King of Chu is extremely stubborn and self-willed. He believes that Jiangnan is his fiefdom and that he can control everything that happens here."
At this point, Qi Chengjun couldn't help but shake his head: "However, the King of Chu does indeed have the ability to be so arrogant."
Despite managing Huizhou for so long, there are still quite a few spies of the King of Chu within the city.
Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many people surrounding his residence last time, not to mention the assassination attempt that followed.
After a moment of silence, Xie Changshi asked, "What is the purpose of the King of Chu besieging Huizhou?"
We can't just make Qi Chengjun beg for mercy, can we?
If all of this is the case, it would be better to just lead the troops in and attack directly, since there are still Chu King's inside agents in Huizhou City.
Upon hearing this, Qi Chengjun's expression turned completely cold: "It's because of my father."
Chief Secretary Xie's pupils contracted slightly: "The Duke of Qi?"
He took a deep breath and said, "We're all on the same side now, so don't hide anything from me. Has the Duke of Qi gone to Lingnan?"
Qi Chengjun raised an eyebrow slightly, then chuckled softly, "Even you guessed it."
He took a sip of tea: "The King of Chu also guessed it, which is why he had people surround Huizhou. It was to use me and the people of Huizhou to restrain me."
The Duke of Qi could travel to Lingnan very quickly by himself, but once he arrived, the mobilization of troops and the speed of a large army's march could not compare to that of a single person traveling swiftly...
Qi Chengjun didn't actually know where his father was now.
Upon hearing this, Chief Secretary Xie's expression became much more serious: "Since the King of Chu knows that the Duke of Qi went to Lingnan, he definitely won't just be trying to surround Huizhou."
He suddenly stood up: "The King of Chu is very likely to ambush the Duke of Qi on the way!"
The reason for the ambush was practically handed to the King of Chu!
Although the Duke of Qi was ordered to mobilize troops, the Emperor could not issue an imperial edict for this matter, and the Duke of Qi could not show the Emperor's edict to the King of Chu.
The King of Chu could easily turn the tables and accuse the Duke of Qi of having ulterior motives, secretly mobilizing troops, and then claiming that he was worried about the Emperor's safety and was leading his troops north. Everything would then be perfectly legitimate!
Chief Secretary Xie closed his eyes briefly: "Huizhou is also a major transportation hub. Have you noticed the King of Chu mobilizing troops recently?"
What Xie Changshi had thought of, Qi Chengjun had obviously also thought of; it's just that when others are talking about it, the possibility of these speculations becoming reality is higher.
He shook his head slightly, his face pale: "Although Huizhou is also in the Jiangnan region, there is a mountain separating Huizhou from the Grand Canal. If the King of Chu wanted to bypass me to mobilize troops, I wouldn't be able to see it at all."
Perhaps this is the real reason why the King of Chu besieged Huizhou but did not attack it!
Qi Chengjun sighed deeply, beckoned Jia Yi to bring the things over, handed them to Xie Changshi, and whispered, "I have found out that the King of Chu's private army is being raised on the island in the center of Houhu Lake."
Since they were private soldiers, the King of Chu would not dare to let them appear in public easily. Whether they were soldiers besieging Huizhou or soldiers who were likely to ambush his father, they should all be from the navy.
He whispered, "If the King of Chu had sent his navy to ambush my father, there would be hardly any navy personnel left now. I think this is a very good time."
Xie Changshi's brow twitched, and his eyes were filled with disbelief as he looked at him.
What a wonderful time!
This is naturally the perfect time to wipe out the King of Chu's private army!
Chief Secretary Xie rebuked in a low voice, "Are you crazy! How many people are there in Huizhou? How many people did His Highness bring?"
He was utterly terrified by Qi Chengjun's insane idea: "How many people did we lose in the battle at Anning Gate this morning? Even if the Emperor's personal guards fought against a hundred men, they would be like a mantis trying to stop a chariot against those private soldiers!"
That's like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth—it's like courting death!
Qi Chengjun naturally knew that this was a difficult task, but he only had this one chance and didn't want to miss it.
He looked at Chief Secretary Xie and pointed to Mr. Huo, who was guarding inside: "Hasn't Mr. Huo arrived?"
Xie Changshi shook his head slightly and said, "You've really gone mad! Even if Mr. Huo were a war god, he couldn't possibly kill tens of thousands of people with just a few hundred!"
"Moreover, Mr. Huo is familiar with the northern desert battlefields and knows nothing about naval warfare. How do you expect Mr. Huo to fight?"
Otherwise, the Emperor would not have sent the Duke of Qi to Lingnan to mobilize troops.
After all, compared to the Jiangnan navy, the Lingnan navy had more experience in naval warfare.
The Lingnan navy has been to sea before!
Is the situation at sea no more complicated than that at a canal?
Qi Chengjun knew he was being delusional, but such an opportunity was once in a lifetime, and once missed, it was gone forever.
He clenched his right fist and slammed it down on the table, making the teacups on the table jump and make a crisp clinking sound.
Gu Yuzhi slowly woke up in the inner room. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw an unfamiliar bed curtain. He blinked and heard Shu Xiaohan say, "You're awake! You really scared me to death!"
During the battle outside Anning Gate, Shu Xiaohan trembled with fear and kept her eyes tightly closed the whole time, but even so, the sounds of fighting kept entering Shu Xiaohan's mind.
After the war ended, before she could even think about anything, Gu Yuzhi fell into a coma, which was absolutely terrifying!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
