Volume 1, Chapter 40: The Chain of Interlocking Stratagems

Life in the Eastern Palace continued amidst a subtle and delicate atmosphere.

Every morning without fail, Li Xuan would head to the Left Camp of the Jinwu Guards. Yet he neither seized power nor initiated massive purges; instead, he personally supervised the soldiers' drills according to a newly devised training regime. His methods were extraordinarily harsh yet remarkably effective. In just ten days, the morale and demeanor of the Left Camp soldiers had undergone a complete transformation, and the looks they directed at him gradually shifted from initial resistance to a hint of awe.

In the afternoons, he would return to the Eastern Palace to "spar in swordsmanship" with Xiao Ningsheng without fail.

Under the noble pretense of "deepening marital affection and refining the supreme principles of the sword," he actually spent every day finding ingenious ways to take advantage of her. From initially holding her wrist to teach her, to later wrapping his arm around her waist to "correct her posture," and eventually even embracing her entirely from behind on the pretext of "experiencing the resonance of our heartbeats."

From her initial shyness, annoyance, and resistance, Xiao Ningsheng progressed to helplessness, and finally... to actually growing somewhat accustomed to it.

She discovered that although Li Xuan's behavior was frivolous, his gaze always remained clear and free of any lustful intent. He was more like a mischievous child who had succeeded in playing a prank, thoroughly enjoying her flushed, heart-pounding embarrassment. Moreover, his understanding of the martial path was truly at the grandmaster level; every "sparring" session yielded immense benefits for her, and even her martial arts bottlenecks showed signs of loosening.

This made her feelings toward Li Xuan increasingly complex. In the imperial court, this man was the crown prince who plotted and strategized with effortless mastery; in the military camp, he was an unfathomably dignified commander; yet before her, he was frequently an unprincipled "rogue." Every single facet of him presented a novelty that unknowingly melted the ice around her heart, warming it bit by bit through his unique approach.

That day, Jing Yun and Tieniu brought back the results of their investigation.

"Your Highness, everything has been thoroughly investigated." Jing Yun handed over a thick roster. "Within the Left Camp, from the Commander Du Wei down to the eight senior captains, sixty percent have ties to the Third Prince. They pass messages and receive instructions through the 'Serene Heart Teahouse.' As for people like Deputy Commander Zhang Tao, most of them were planted by the First Prince. The Second Prince has the fewest people here, only two or three."

Tieniu added in his deep, rumbling voice, "I also found out that this Du Wei is greedy for wealth and lustful. He maintains three mistresses outside, as well as a precious son studying at the Imperial Academy who recently lost five thousand taels of silver gambling with others at the 'Four Seas Gambling House.' The backers of that gambling house are also people from the Third Prince."

Li Xuan flipped through the roster, listening to their report with a cold sneer on his face.

What a fine Left Camp of the Jinwu Guards; it was practically a miniature court, gathering all sorts of questionable characters and forming a tangled web of dragons and snakes.

"Well done." Li Xuan set the roster aside. "The bait has been prepared; it is time to cast the line."

Just then, Xiao Ningsheng walked in carrying a plate of freshly sliced fruit. Hearing this, she asked curiously, "What wicked scheme are you hatching again?"

After these days of interaction, she had gained a profound understanding of Li Xuan's "wicked schemes."

Li Xuan smiled mysteriously at her. "My wife has arrived just in time; His Highness is about to invite you to watch a fine show."

He turned to Jing Yun and Tieniu. "Proceed according to the plan."

"Understood!"

...

Three days later was the day for distributing military pay in the Left Camp of the Jinwu Guards.

Early in the morning, Li Xuan had people carry out a dozen heavy chests, escorted by the Eastern Palace guards, marching grandly toward the Left Camp.

This grand spectacle made all the soldiers in the camp stretch their necks to look. Gleaming silver—who did not love it? For a moment, the entire military camp was permeated with a festive atmosphere.

Li Xuan sat high in the main seat on the drill platform, with Commander Du Wei and Deputy Commander Zhang Tao standing on either side, both wearing professional, forced smiles.

"Brothers!" Li Xuan stood up, his voice resounding and powerful. "As Your Highness has just arrived at the Left Camp and has yet to render any service, I feel a sense of guilt. Today, upon distributing the military pay, Your Highness will personally foot the bill to grant every single brother an extra half-month's stipend! Consider it my treat for everyone to share a drink!"

"Long live Your Highness!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the thousands of soldiers below the platform instantly boiled over! They cheered in unison, their voices shaking the heavens. Looking at those unruly military ruffians who were now gazing at Li Xuan with looks of worship and fanaticism, both Du Wei and Zhang Tao felt their hearts sink.

Buying people's hearts—this Crown Prince truly possessed remarkable methods!

Wang Fugui took the roster and began calling out names one by one to distribute the money. The soldiers who received their money beamed with joy, feeling deeply grateful to the Crown Prince.

However, just as the queue reached the halfway point, an accident occurred.

An Eastern Palace guard responsible for carrying the chests suddenly slipped, let out a cry of "Ai-yo," and watched as the chest in his hand slipped from his grasp, crashing heavily onto the ground.

The clasp of the chest burst open on the spot, and the lid flipped up—inside, it was actually empty! There were only a few stones used as weights!

The entire venue instantly fell silent, and everyone's gaze converged on that empty chest.

The guard's face turned ashen. With a thud, he dropped to his knees before Li Xuan, kowtowing incessantly. "Your Highness, spare my life! Your Highness, spare my life! This humble servant... this humble servant has no idea how this happened!"

Li Xuan's expression instantly turned ashen, dark enough to drip water. He slammed his hand heavily onto the table and stood up.

"What is the meaning of this?!" he roared. "Where is the military pay for My guards and men?! Over one hundred thousand taels of silver have just vanished into thin air?!"

Du Wei and Zhang Tao also turned pale with fright and quickly dropped to their knees. "May Your Highness calm your wrath!"

"Calm my wrath?!" Li Xuan pointed at the empty chest, trembling with rage. "How do you expect My Highness to calm my wrath! This is the imperial court's military pay! It is the blood, sweat, and toil of our brothers! Right under My Highness's nose, upon the territory of the Left Camp of the Jinwu Guards, it has simply vanished! Tell Me—both of you—what is the meaning of this?!"

The soldiers below the platform also erupted into an uproar.

"The military pay has been stolen?"

"Who has such audacity!"

"This happened right inside our own camp!"

The soldiers who had yet to receive their money were extremely anxious, while those who had already received it lingeringly feared the worst. For a time, panic and murmurs rippled through the ranks.

Cold sweat streamed down Du Wei's face. He knew the Crown Prince was deliberately making things difficult for them! Yet he could not fathom how something could go wrong when the Eastern Palace guards had escorted the convoy all the way. Could it be...

He dared not think any further and could only kowtow and say, "Your Highness, there must be some hidden mystery behind this! This subordinate... this subordinate will immediately seal the camp and conduct a thorough search!"

"A search?" Li Xuan sneered. "Du Wei, Zhang Tao! Your Highness now gives you three days! Within three days, if you cannot find the silver and catch the thieves, the two of you shall bring your own heads to see Me!"

"I care not whether the thief is a heavenly warrior or a netherworld ghost! All I know is that the silver was lost right here in your Left Camp! You shall be the ones responsible for finding it and returning it to Me!"

"Otherwise, Your Highness will personally submit a memorial to His Imperial Majesty, stating that the Left Camp of the Jinwu Guards entrusted directly to my hands is nothing more than a den of filth and thieves! From the Commander down to the soldiers, you are all a pack of good-for-nothings who know only how to steal what is guarded!"

These words were extraordinarily harsh, practically stripping away the dignity of the entire Left Camp and casting it upon the ground to be trampled ruthlessly.

The faces of Du Wei and Zhang Tao turned alternately green and white, yet they dared not utter even a peep.

Meanwhile, the gazes directed at them by the soldiers below the platform had also changed. The former awe had transformed into suspicion and fury. Losing military pay on their own turf rendered the commanders inexcusable!

Seeing that the timing was ripe, Li Xuan flicked his sleeve and departed, leaving behind only a chilling sentence.

"Three days hence, Your Highness shall return. I hope that by then, Commander Du will be able to provide a satisfactory explanation to Me and to all the brothers in the camp."

Watching Li Xuan's receding figure, Du Wei felt a chill run through his hands and feet.

He knew this was no simple theft case; it was a trap set by the Crown Prince! A trap that forced him to make a choice!

Three days, over one hundred thousand taels of silver—where on earth were they to find it? Even if it were somehow found, the stigma of "stealing what one is meant to guard" would forever be pinned to his back!

The only way out was to seek help from his master behind the scenes!

As night fell, Du Wei sat restlessly in his command tent, feeling like an ant on a hot pan.

He knew the Crown Prince's men must be watching him in the shadows, leaving no room for reckless actions.

After turning it over in his mind repeatedly, he wrote a small slip of paper briefly explaining the sequence of events, tucked it into a wax pellet, and summoned a trusted personal guard.

"You shall immediately leave the city, head to the 'Yuelai Inn' thirty miles west of the city, and hand this to the innkeeper. Remember, you must deliver it into his hands personally!" he lowered his voice and instructed solemnly.

The guard acknowledged the order, swiftly changed into civilian attire, and slipped quietly out of the military camp under the cover of night.

Believing his actions to be completely imperceptible, he remained utterly unaware that a dark shadow, clinging to him like marrow to a bone, was silently trailing right behind him.