Chapter 69: Farewell

  On the pitch-black grassland, withered wild grasses stretched out desolately. A lone woman in a thin dress galloped across the barren wasteland on horseback, and soon vanished from sight. In the distance, vultures circled in the sky, their shrill cries filling the air with an eerie chill.

  Qin's flames wore a cyan-colored large cloak, his face was pale, but his eyes were very calm. He kept staring in that direction, sadly discovering that the woman who had left really didn't turn her head back once. A chill emotion rose slowly from the bottom of his heart, a huge hole opened there, and cold wind howled in, cooling his heart and lungs.

  "Your Highness," Zhong Bo walked up from behind, looked at Qin Zhiyan's eyes, and suddenly lowered his head, saying in a low voice: "Yan Pingxi's subordinates have all been caught. According to your instructions, the northern vassals and military leaders jointly petitioned to abolish the crown prince. Your Highness is currently busy with various matters, but it seems that the Emperor has already begun to hesitate."

  "It's not that simple." Qin Zhiyan's voice was low and solemn, with a thick, cold air of a knife's edge. He was no longer the man in the green robe who was as gentle as the tide in the Qingmu Hall. In a deep voice, he said: "It is precisely because Big Brother has been running around everywhere but to no avail that Father will continue to let him stay in the position of Crown Prince."

  "Huh?" Zhong Bo was taken aback, and asked: "Why is this? He privately mobilized troops, plotted against his own brother, exposed the northern border to danger, gave the Xiongnu people an opportunity to take advantage of it, and almost caused a great disaster. With such guilt, how can he continue to hold the position of Crown Prince?"

  Qin's flames coldly smiled and said: "It is indeed because of this that he can continue to wait in the position of Crown Prince. Zhong Taifu, have you forgotten how my father ascended to the throne?"

  Although it is a court secret, there is no wall that does not leak in the world. The current emperor's actions have long been no secret within the Qin imperial family. The current emperor Qin Zheng had poisoned his predecessor and his own brothers to ascend to the throne, and afterwards, he used various excuses to kill off all the branches of the Qin clan. His methods are ruthless and can be called the most outstanding in the world.

  The emperor had always been extremely suspicious, having killed his own father to obtain the throne and now fearing that one of his sons would do the same to him. As a result, he had never been close to any of them over the years. Qin Zhiyan continued, "This time, it's not about overthrowing my older brother, but rather self-preservation. After our recent victory at Yanmen Pass, I revealed too much of my strength, and upon returning to the capital, I will certainly be stripped of power by the emperor. A letter from Minzhi said that the Imperial Academy has already begun drafting a new military system, aiming to take away the Northern Frontier Camp and the Flame Camp under my command. This time, the crown prince took it upon himself to deploy troops, provoking the Xiongnu to invade and secretly kill me, causing the ancestral temple to shake and triggering an avalanche. It's truly a heaven-sent opportunity; after returning to the capital, I will take a step back, and in return, the emperor will also give up on his plan to take over the Flame Camp."

  Zhong Bo was taken aback for a moment, and after a while, he nodded and said, "Your Highness is wise."

  "Zhong Taifu, I know you and the Crown Prince are sworn enemies, but the Crown Prince is incompetent and muddle-headed. His being in power actually serves to balance out the powers. If he were to step down and be replaced by either Eldest or Fourth Brother, our days would not be as good as they are now."

  "I understand." Zhong Taifu's expression changed slightly.

  "How's the situation in Southern Xinjiang being handled?" Qin Zhiyan asked in a low voice.

  "Everything is as Your Highness wishes, the southern border and Chu State have already clashed, the Lu Dan people have brought some of their tribesmen to surrender to our Great Qin. General Yun has followed your orders and remains stationed at the border pass, the thirteen routes of the great army are guarding the southern frontier, even if they have magical powers that can reach the heavens and penetrate the earth, they cannot advance a single step."

  "That's good, Chu Li has just ascended to the throne and is still young, but this person's character is resolute. Being able to endure humiliation and survive in Dong Qi for so many years, and then return to Southern Chu to ascend to a high position, is indeed someone worth being cautious about. Let them stir up more trouble first, then capture the Lu Dan people, and use their leader's head as a gift to congratulate the great emperor of Chu on his ascension."

  "Yes," Zhong Taifu nodded and said: "After the internal chaos in Southern Chu, its vitality was severely damaged. The diplomatic relations between Qi and Chu have deteriorated even further. It's a plan that kills two birds with one stone. Unfortunately, Xichuan didn't get involved, wasting our arrangement."

  "Do you think Yan Hui is such a good person to get along with? However, after all, this play is directed by me. He wants to sit on the mountain and watch the tiger fight, looking at Nan Chu's joke, I won't let him have his way. Isn't he transporting grain for Nan Chu? Tonight, I will tell Lu Dan people about the route, thinking of staying out of it, it's not that easy."

  "Yes," Zhong Taifu hastily said, thinking for a moment, then said in a low voice: "Your Highness, Tang's identity has been investigated."

  "Oh? Is that so?" Qin Zhiyan's voice was calm and expressionless.

  "Tang's original surname was Zhuang, her maiden name was Qing Xia, and she was the daughter of Zhu Dianru of Southern Chu. She was also the concubine of Emperor Chu Li of Southern Chu. She entered the palace a year ago, but about two months ago, she was banished to the Cold Palace by the emperor and given the name Tang. It is rumored that she had an affair with Crown Prince Qi An of Eastern Qi, but it's unknown why she ended up here. Our spies have tried several times to sneak into the palace, but were all caught and killed, resulting in over a dozen losses."

  "Two months ago, the Chu State's Zhuang Qing Xia, who caused a standoff between Qi and Chu?" Qin Zhiyan was shocked, his usually calm face revealing a rare look of surprise.

  "Yes," said Zhong Taifu, "and when we investigated, we found that several groups of people were looking for her whereabouts, including the Black Guards of the Chu Emperor and the White Guards of the Zhu family of Southern Chu, and even the Poisoners of the Holy Church of Southern Border, which is very strange."

  Qin's eyes were deep and profound, gazing far away at the desolate grassland. After a while, he said faintly, "Then let's go take care of the people behind us. There are always people following her, she won't be happy about it."

  Zhang Tai Fu looked at Qin Zhi Yan's profile, thought for a moment, and then carefully spoke up: "Then shouldn't we also send someone to secretly protect her?"

  "Never mind," Qin Zhiyan shook his head, "She won't like being monitored, just clear the way for her and that's it. The rest is up to her."

  "But..."

  Qin's flames slowly waved his hand and smiled: "Teacher, do you still remember a sentence we heard in the south border?"

  Zhong Tai Fu was taken aback, although he was the Grand Tutor of Qin Zhiyan, it had been a long time since he heard that term "teacher". A strange emotion stirred in his heart, and he smiled faintly, without saying a word.

  "Remove the golden shackles from the white bird's wings, and it can fly freely. Remove the shackles of fame and wealth, and people can live as they wish. I have no chance to do so in this life, why bother blocking others' freedom."

  Qin's flames suddenly turned his head, smiled lightly at Zhong Taifu, and walked slowly towards the distant camp, his faint voice echoing in the bleak north wind. The man in green clothes stood upright, but his footsteps seemed unusually heavy.

  "I have nothing to offer her, so let her go freely then."

  In the midst of a withered and sparse wild grass thicket, Qin Zhiyan's figure seemed slightly desolate. Zhong Taifu watched as his back gradually disappeared into the distance, and suddenly felt a tinge of sorrow in his heart. He suddenly realized that the body which had stood up and seemed to be able to hold up the sky was actually tired and weak. The heart that had encompassed all things under heaven had only just passed its 20s, but why did he always feel that this person was already so old?

  On the desolate grassland, Qing Xia rode on his warhorse, wearing a black cloak, galloping swiftly like lightning.

  The dark night was like a ferocious beast, opening its huge mouth to swallow Qing Xia whole. The wind at night was cold and sharp as a knife, fiercely sweeping across Qing Xia's cheek, she bit her lip tightly, as if forcing herself to remember this feeling.

  Such wind is reality, such coldness is truth. It's not the chill that seeps into your heart and lungs in the grand ice palace, nor is it the despair that pierces your heart in the grand earth palace.

  "Charge!" Qing Xia shouted loudly, whipping the horse's flank and galloping into the dark night.

  After about half a cup of tea, Qing Xia suddenly became vigilant and tightened his horse's belly. Looking ahead, he saw a large team of people and horses moving forward. He had thought of bypassing them, but suddenly caught sight of their earth-yellow shirts with leopard-like spots, and Qing Xia immediately tensed up.

  This group of people, had once frantically chased her in the forest deep within Southern Xinjiang, with ruthless means and a fondness for using poisonous insects, several times pushing her to the brink of life and death. It's said that enemies will meet on a narrow road, but she never thought she'd run into them here.

  Not one to let bygones be bygones, Qing Xia tied her horse to a small tree and hid herself in the tall grass, creeping up silently.

  This is a relatively open grassland, with slightly higher wild grasses all pulled out, and the surrounding trees have just been cut off, with good visibility, but also bringing some trouble to hidden enemies.

  There were more than two thousand people in the camp, with simple watchtowers built around it. Someone was on guard 24 hours a day, and the defense was indeed watertight.

  But despite this, it was not difficult for Qing Xia, who was a special agent, to infiltrate and sneak in. After a few ups and downs, she carefully approached the camp, quickly climbed up the pillar of the corner tower, and crossed over the high fence.

  The corner tower, as a surveillance area, has always been the most heavily guarded place, but it is precisely this psychology that makes the guards not pay attention to the direction of the corner tower. Qing Xia hid under the guard's eyelids, climbed over the fence, and had just taken a few steps when a soft and charming woman's voice suddenly came from behind.

  "I thought you'd never want to see me again for the rest of your life."

  The woman's voice was soft and lazy, with a hint of honey-like smoothness. The fragrance wafted through the air, carrying an enticing aroma.

  Qing Xia hid in the dark shadow of the lamplight, holding her breath. Just as she was about to leave for the main account to check, a cold voice suddenly sounded in her ear, like a thunderclap, exploding on Qing Xia's head.

  "So you're inviting me like this?"

  The man's voice was low and cold, with a hint of intimidating authority. Qing Xia's eyes widened instantly, and a name thundered in her mind.

  Chu Li!