Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The wife of the second prince, An Yina, was the princess of the three tribes of the North borderline. Her marriage to the royal family of Dongqing was for the sake of the harmony between the two countries. Now that she had died a sudden death and that her body was hurriedly buried, it was a stark contrast to the scenes when she had married into the royal family.

The news was originally tightly shielded by the royal family of Dongqing. However, Prince Changshou had planted a spy in Chenzhou so he found out about it almost instantly. He had initially still been worried that he would not be able to conquer Chenzhou and ascend the throne. An Yina’s sudden death was simply a miracle!

Prince Changshou could barely hold in the ecstasy surging in his heart. He could not stop rubbing his hands and he was beaming from ear to ear.

“Is it true? Is An Yina really dead?” he asked anxiously, though he secretly regretted it.

Why had he not thought of using An Yina as a breach?

Had he known that this would happen, he would have disclosed the filthy things that An Yina did with the fourth prince, Wuma Jun, as well as other ministers.

It was a royal scandal. It was fine if she just had an affair with her brother-in-law but she also seduced many important ministers. She should have been secretly executed long ago. Prince Changshou had some business with the North borderline. The three tribes provided him with benefits and convenience, so he had utilized his connections to cover up An Yina’s actions in Dongqing. He had agreed reluctantly. Everything which An Yina did would be transparent and open in front of him.

Anyway, the emperor of Dongqing was the one who would be victimized, not him. Prince Changshou was happy to sit back and watch the show.

The coward, Liu She, had not responded about the death of his daughter, Liu Huan, so far. He did not even express any dissatisfaction with the royal family of Dongqing.

If Liu She showed some dissatisfaction and had been on Prince Changshou’s side to stand up against the royal family of Dongqing, Prince Changshou would have ascended the throne long ago!

It was fine if Liu She did not want to help him out. Prince Changshou was already in an advantageous situation anyway. He just had to wait patiently for a few months and Chenzhou would collapse by itself. However, a major mistake occurred in the battle at that moment, resulting in their initial advantage being levelled by Chenzhou. The war was at a stalemate.

During that period of time, several battles and conflicts happened between the army in Chenzhou and Prince Changshou’s army. However, both sides were in a deadlock and they could do nothing to each other. Prince Changshou could only covet the throne in Chenzhou and feel his heart itch. He was so anxious that he kept scratching his head.

He originally thought that the situation would continue. Who knew that the news of An Yina’s sudden death would come out of Chenzhou at that moment!

An Yina was the gem of the royal family of the three tribes in the North borderline and she was dead all of a sudden for no reason. Whether she had really died due to a serious illness or there was another cause to her death, the royal family of the North borderline would not leave the matter at that. This would also be a good opportunity for Prince Changshou to strive for the support of the North borderline.

Prince Changshou had wild ambitions. In the past few years, he had developed a close relationship with the three tribes of the North borderline. If they were to cooperate now, it would definitely be a success.

Hearing his idea, his strategists and general looked livid. They looked extremely disgusted.

An old strategist got up and said while making a bow with his hands folded in front, “Lord, you mustn’t do this. The three tribes of the North borderline have coveted Dongqing for a long time. In recent years, they have become even more powerful. If you choose to work with them at this time, it’s tantamount to bringing disaster upon yourself. It’s too dangerous.”

The general who sat in the front seat chimed in with a deep voice, “Yes, Lord. You mustn’t agree to it. The royal family of the North borderline had evil intentions when they married off An Yina to the royal family of Dongqing. In the past few years, I’ve heard that the princess has had affairs with many men. She’s indeed a loose woman who has turned the palace into a horrible mess and ruined the family of the Count of Zhenbei. Please think twice!”

“I agree, Lord. Please reconsider your decision. Once the wolfish North borderline is brought in, it’ll be difficult to send them away. Many people died without justice redressed when the three tribes of the North borderline launched a sneak attack on Chongzhou in Shangyu County that year… That intense and deep-seated hatred has yet to be avenged…”

Most of the strategists and general had an extremely bad impression of the three tribes of the North borderline.

This was just second in importance. It was easier to call up an evil spirit than to allay it, not to mention that the three tribes of the North borderline had coveted Dongqing for years. However, their opinions were unimportant in this matter. What mattered was what Prince Changshou thought.

Seeing that Prince Changshou looked irked, some of the officials who liked to toady for personal gain hurriedly stepped forward.

“Don’t worry, everyone. This may not be entirely bad,” a middle-aged man dressed in a scholar’s costume said. Everyone glared at him angrily, but Prince Changshou’s eyes brightened up a little. He stopped those who wanted to snap at the man.

“Keep going,” Prince Changshou said.

The middle-aged man became even more confident upon obtaining permission to continue.

Prince Changshou liked to act arbitrarily. His gestures of treating worthy men with courtesy and carefully listening to the opinions of others were just an act. He was just a step away from the throne now, but he had been stuck there for nearly a year. He was already so irritable that he could no longer pretend.

The middle-aged man was not highly capable, but he was extremely good at watching a person’s every mood. He could accurately know what Prince Changshou was thinking.

Everyone looked grave, but the middle-aged man looked joyful. He said, “The North borderline is an untamed wilderness where its people live the life of a savage. Dongqing is a nation of propriety, so it has the responsibility of educating them. They’re just barbarians. When the lord has accomplished his mission, they can be sent away with some rewards. If they can’t be sent away, some verbal promises can be made.”

It was a load of nonsense!

Everyone looked livid. A radical middle-aged man got up and slammed him, reproaching him for being some vermin who would bring calamity to the country.

The middle-aged man laughed and said, “The lord is the real emperor appointed by the heavens and he’s destined to be the emperor. Getting help from the North borderline is just in line with God’s will. Promising the three tribes of the North borderline some benefits is for the sake of seeking a greater benefit. Kings have long arms. The lands can be recovered sooner or later. If we don’t do this, do you have any good ideas as to how to successfully conquer Chenzhou?”

Prince Changshou looked calm, but his heart had already started to fluctuate. He grew more and more satisfied with the middle-aged man and valued him even more. He wanted to promote him to become the chief strategist and the head of the scholars.

The middle-aged man added, “What’s more, we can make the barbarians in the North borderline take the lead and deplete their military force…”

“What a bunch of nonsense! This childish buffoon isn’t qualified to participate in strategic planning!”

Many of them still wanted to persuade Prince Changshou. However, upon seeing his facial expression, their great ambitions sunk to rock bottom in an instant. Some hot-tempered men immediately got up and reproached him. Not only did Prince Changshou not quell the dispute, but he sided with the middle-aged man instead.

This made everyone feel bitterly disappointed. The hot-tempered and bold general got up, flourished his sleeves and left the tent.

What a joke!

Seeing that many people had left one after another, Prince Changshou’s face had turned charcoal black. He pretended to treat worthy men with courtesy and encouraged the free airing of views, but it did not mean that they could disregard him and act wildly. However, he was still somewhat rational and did not agree to cooperate with the North borderline immediately. Instead he asked the spy in Chenzhou to continue probing.

An Yina was fine. How did she die all of a sudden?

What was the inside story?