The moon hung high in the sky, its cool glow bathing the earth and gilding the military tents stretching out outside the capital with a layer of silver frost.
This is the Jingji Grand Camp, the last iron gate protecting the capital of the Great Liang Dynasty. One hundred thousand elite troops are on high alert, their military might is awe-inspiring, and even ordinary birds cannot cross it.
Inside the central command tent, the lights were on.
Shen Ce, the commander of the capital's military camp, was deep in thought, staring at a huge sand table. Nearly forty years old, his face was resolute, and a scar running from his brow to the corner of his mouth added to his fierce and valiant air. As a trusted and beloved general personally promoted by Regent Xiao Yuan, he enjoyed deep respect, and the army under his command was Xiao Yuan's greatest source of confidence in daring to challenge the emperor in court.
Outside the tent, guards stood watch every three steps and sentries every five, making the tent impregnable. Shen Ce had absolute confidence in the defenses here; he believed that not even a fly could get in without his permission.
He gazed at the layout of the imperial city on the sand table, his fingers lightly tapping the surface, his eyes gleaming with excitement and ambition. The prince's grand plan was about to begin. On the emperor's birthday, his iron cavalry would storm the palace gates and personally drag the young, sickly emperor off the throne. Afterward, he would be a loyal subject who had brought the emperor to power, and the Shen family would enjoy endless wealth and glory for three generations.
Just as he was immersed in this grand plan, a chill suddenly rose from behind him without warning.
It was the feeling of being targeted by a top predator—cold, deadly, making the hairs on his body stand on end instantly!
"who!"
Shen Ce whirled around, his right hand already gripping the hilt of the sword at his waist with lightning speed. With a clang, the long sword was half-drawn from its sheath, and a murderous aura instantly filled the entire tent.
However, what he saw made his pupils shrink suddenly.
Less than five steps behind him, in the shadows, a figure in black had silently appeared. The man seemed to blend into the darkness; were it not for his eyes, which glowed eerily in the candlelight, he would have been almost undetectable. He was like a ghost crawling out of the deepest hell, carrying an aura of death so thick it was almost palpable.
Shen Ce's heart pounded wildly. He hadn't heard a sound at all, and the guards outside the tent hadn't raised any alarm! The fact that this person could sneak into his central command tent so undetected meant that his martial arts skills were far beyond his imagination.
"Who are you?" Shen Ce's voice became extremely solemn, and his grip on the knife tightened even more.
The man in black was none other than Xuan Ying. He didn't answer, but instead took out a black envelope from his pocket and flicked it with his finger.
The envelope transformed into a black lightning bolt, silently piercing through the air and precisely planting itself on the sand table in front of Shen Ce, just a hair's breadth away from the model representing the imperial palace.
This move once again made Shen Ce's heart skip a beat.
He didn't immediately reach for it, but instead stared warily at Xuan Ying, and said in a deep voice, "Playing tricks! You think you can scare this general with this?"
Xuan Ying finally spoke, his voice hoarse as if two rusty iron pieces were rubbing together: "My master said that General Shen should decide whether this is a charade or not after he has read it."
Shen Ce snorted coldly, slowly reached out, and pulled up the letter. As soon as he touched the envelope, he felt that besides the letter, there seemed to be a piece of stiff paper inside.
He tore off the sealing wax and took out the first piece of paper that had been copied.
With just one glance, Shen Ce's composure and disdain froze instantly, replaced by an incredulous shock! His eyes were fixed on the small piece of paper, and beads of cold sweat began to seep from his forehead.
There's no mistake! This rubbing is a part of the weapon map in the Prince's secret vault! The specially made crossbow with three consecutive shots on the map, and the special markings made with cinnabar next to it, are something that no one else in the world, except for him and the Prince and a handful of others, could possibly know!
The emperor... how could he...?
A terrifying thought exploded in his mind like a thunderclap. He felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and his hands and feet became icy cold.
Impossible! That blueprint is hidden in the deepest secret room of the Prince's mansion, with many traps and heavy guards. How could that sickly emperor possibly get it?
With trembling hands, he unfolded the letter.
The handwriting on the letter was steady and powerful, exuding an irresistible authority, as if each word weighed a ton, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
The letter was simple, yet every word was piercing.
“Shen Ce, it is as if I am seeing you in person. I know that you are a descendant of loyal and virtuous people. The Shen family has served the Great Liang for generations, guarding the borders and making great contributions. However, I also know that you colluded with the traitor Xiao Yuan, privately manufactured weapons, and intended to rebel. The evidence is conclusive and cannot be denied.”
In just two short sentences, he was elevated to the heavens and then hurled into the depths of despair.
Shen Ce's face turned deathly pale, and cold sweat instantly soaked through the back of his inner robe. Ironclad evidence! The Emperor actually possessed irrefutable evidence! This was no longer speculation, no longer doubt, but a verdict!
He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and continued reading.
"I have considered that your Shen family has been loyal and virtuous for generations, and may have been deceived by a traitor. You have elderly parents with white hair and young children with hair in their hair. Why should you be buried with a traitor and suffer the fate of having your entire family executed and your ancestral hall destroyed?"
These words, like a red-hot iron clamp, were branded fiercely onto Shen Ce's heart. He seemed to see his elderly mother, his infant son still in swaddling clothes, and the ancestral tablets of the Shen family... If he continued to follow the Regent, all of this would turn to ashes!
What he considered a meritorious service in supporting the emperor was nothing more than a treasonous crime that could be crushed at any time in the emperor's eyes!
The final step in the letter is making a choice.
"I am giving you a chance. If you are willing to abandon the darkness and embrace the light, I will not only forgive your past misdeeds, but also grant your Shen family three generations of honor and a place in history. If you remain obstinate... after the Emperor's birthday celebration, I will personally build a mound of skulls from your head as a warning to others."
After reading the letter, Shen Ce dropped the paper in his hand with a "thud." He seemed to have all his strength drained away, staggered back two steps, and plopped down on the commander's chair, panting heavily.
It's over...it's all over...
He had always believed himself to be on the side of impending victory, among the future founding heroes. He knew the regent was going to rebel, and he was willing to join him, because he felt the ailing emperor had no chance of winning. But he never imagined that the emperor, whom he saw as powerless, had already placed a sword of death over his and the regent's heads!
He didn't even know how the other party had mastered all of this! This feeling of being manipulated filled him with unprecedented fear.
To continue following the Regent? That would be like knowingly jumping off a precipice with your eyes closed. He would face certain death, his entire family wiped out!
Betrayal? Betraying the regent who had shown him favor? His reputation would be completely ruined. But... what does reputation matter compared to the survival of his family?
A fierce internal struggle was raging within him. Loyalty versus life, gratitude versus future—the conflict tore him apart.
Time passed in a deathly silence.
In the corner of the tent, a stick of incense lit by Xuan Ying had slowly burned to its end, with the last wisp of smoke rising and then dissipating into the air.
“General, time’s up.” Xuan Ying’s emotionless voice struck Shen Ce’s heart like a heavy hammer. “Please make your choice.”
Shen Ce suddenly raised his head, a mad, resolute glint flashing in his bloodshot eyes.
He suddenly stood up and swiftly drew the sword from his waist!
Clang—!
The gleaming sword light flashed in the candlelight, reflecting his ferocious and pained face.
Xuan Ying stood still, motionless, as if the gleaming sword was nothing more than a toy in his eyes.
However, Shen Ce's sword did not strike him.
He turned and walked to the desk, staring intently at the black iron token on it, a token representing the Regent's status and power. It had been given to him personally by the Regent; seeing this token was like seeing the Prince himself.
The next moment, he raised the long sword in his hand and, with all his might, slashed down fiercely!
"Snap!"
A crisp snapping sound echoed throughout the tent.
That incredibly hard black iron token was actually cleaved in two by his sword!
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