Chapter 119
That night, Lu Hanzhi quietly left the capital, personally escorted by the Empress Dowager, passing through the western city gate.
Lu Hanzhi was deeply moved. Standing under the carriage, he bowed with clasped fists to show his gratitude.
The Empress Dowager shook her head and said, “This journey is dangerous. Take care of yourself.”
Lu Hanzhi did not leave immediately. Instead, he asked, “Your Majesty, I’m curious—why… are you helping me?”
Not only helping him, but personally escorting him out of the city.
The Empress Dowager looked at him silently for a long moment. Just as Lu Hanzhi thought she would not answer, she finally said, “I feel… you may be able to continue the destiny of the Great Zhao.”
Lu Hanzhi frowned. The Empress Dowager had already lowered the carriage curtains and returned to the palace.
He looked down, pondering. What did her words mean just now? Was the fate of Great Zhao running out? Or had the Empress Dowager consulted the Imperial Astronomical Bureau again?
He Ming emerged from hiding and saluted Lu Hanzhi, accompanied by a team of attendants.
The carriage was already waiting, prepared by Yuwen Jue for him.
He Ming said, “Young master, shall we depart?”
Lu Hanzhi nodded and climbed into the carriage.
Inside the carriage was Shadow Guard No. 1, holding his sword. Rarely did he go without his night-traveling attire, yet he still wore a mask.
Lu Hanzhi asked, “Why aren’t you invisible today?”
Shadow Guard No. 1 exuded a heroic aura, looking every bit the gallant young man.
He replied, “Prince Chu ordered me to be your close escort.”
Lu Hanzhi responded, “Oh, alright! Then let’s go.”
He Ming drove the carriage, and the attendants followed on horseback.
Once inside, Lu Hanzhi used the sourwood slices Sacred-Handed Lin had given him to relieve some of his morning sickness.
His route was confidential. The only item he carried was a token given by Imperial Concubine Rong.
Fortunately, He Ming had a team of attendants following, and Shadow Guard No. 1 was there for close protection, so the journey’s safety was reasonably assured.
Shadow Guard No. 1 was already famous in the original story. This was no boasting—when it came to solo combat, aside from Yuwen Min, no one was his match.
However, with him gone, the capital would be left in the hands of his second sister-in-law alone.
Even with fast horses, the journey would take at least seven days.
Unless they traveled day and night, they could arrive two days earlier.
But neither people nor horses could withstand such a pace.
In any case, with the Empress Dowager supporting him, he had a half-month to use freely.
The Empress Dowager had promised to cover him for twenty days, but within those twenty days, he had to return.
After all, even for the Empress Dowager, if he went without seeing the emperor for more than a month, it would be unreasonable.
Lu Hanzhi reported his safe progress at every stage of the journey.
Yuwen Jue’s carrier pigeons traveled with them the whole way, just in case anything went wrong.
He also reported back on happenings in the capital. Before leaving, he handed the design diagrams for oil lamps and torches to Yu Ye, unsure if the first task of the fifth-stage mission could be completed within the half-month.
He also gave Yuwen Jue the production process for Yan Chuan stone ink. His second sister-in-law was quite cultured and had even made ink himself before; he hoped he could produce oil-based ink.
Currently, in the Great Zhao, soot ink was popular, and its production process was largely the same as that of oil ink.
The carriage, like a lone leaf on water, traveled westward from the capital, heading toward the Western Frontier.
Behind the carriage, a row of blazing oil cabinets, escorted by Han Ji Escort Agency, followed at a distance.
News that Lu Hanzhi had been kept in the palace to manage the temple also spread throughout the capital.
When this reached Su Wan’ning, even she couldn’t figure out what Lu Hanzhi was really up to.
She frowned and asked her personal maid, “Was this an order directly from the Empress Dowager?”
The maid replied, “Yes. According to palace news, that is indeed the case.”
Su Wan’ning thought for a moment and said, “Then that’s strange… he didn’t refuse to be kept here at this time?”
The maid analyzed, “What is the Empress Dowager’s status? Even if he were a crown prince’s consort—or the empress herself—he could not refuse her order to manage the temple.”
Su Wan’ning said, “That’s true… Hah, it’s as if heaven is helping me.”
Lu Hanzhi being kept in the palace was the perfect opportunity for her next move.
It seemed she would have to make a personal trip to Prince An’s residence.
She wondered whether Prince An’s residence, without Lu Hanzhi, would remain as impenetrable and fortified as before.
As for his precious Ah Chan, he had not been left behind by the Empress Dowager.
And Yuwen Jue, who was already seven or eight months along—could he really take care of anyone else?
In fact, Su Wan’ning did not know that His Highness Prince Chu was not merely seven or eight months along—he was nearly nine months.
By calculation, the pregnancy was full-term.
He had been kept in the womb, with Sacred-Handed Lin monitoring, and as long as the child remained healthy, the birth could be delayed.
Given the current situation, waiting until Lu Hanzhi returned posed no problem.
Su Wan’ning asked again, “What’s going on with Zhaoyun?”
The maid replied, “His Highness the Crown Prince has been staying in Yunqi Hall. After all, Princess Zhaoyun just gave birth to the little heir, and the Grand Princess is also present. The Crown Prince needs to put on a show for her.”
Hearing this, Su Wan’ning felt her temper flare.
Her own status was still far too lowly.
With Princess Zhaoyun as the Crown Princess, Su Wan’ning was still only a side consort.
There were too many variables, and now she couldn’t understand how Zhaoyun had suddenly appeared in her main storyline.
She had befriended Zhaoyun to set a trap for Lu Hanzhi—how had it ended up backfiring on her?
Su Wan’ning took a deep breath. These consecutive setbacks had made her anxious.
Yet she also knew that the more impatient she became, the more she would ruin the greater plan.
Yuwen Mingji had already deployed forces in the Western Frontier. She could not afford distractions.
Everything could wait until Yuwen Jue was dead. As long as he died, or Lu Hanzhi died, or their child died, her main plotline would remain on track.
In the Western Frontier, Yuwen Min felt that things had been unusually quiet recently.
The Six Kingdom Alliance had suddenly gone dormant—they neither attacked nor drilled troops, and no spies had been detected.
Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzi gazed across the border, unable to make sense of it.
Lu Xuzi had grown anxious. “Is this war or surrender? Someone needs to give a clear answer! At this rate, are we supposed to fight this battle for a whole year?”
By then, his son would be calling him “father”!
Yuwen Min looked at the smoke rising from the enemy camp and said, “Don’t rush. Let’s scout first.”
Lu Xuzi glanced at him and said, “Scout? That isn’t like your usual style.”
Lately, Yuwen Min had been in a surprisingly good mood. Holding the letter his wife sent, thinking of his wife and child far away in the capital, he felt unusually calm.
He looked at Lu Xuzi and added, “This also isn’t like your usual style.”
Normally, Lu Xuzi would suggest further scouting, while Yuwen Min would advocate for immediate battle.
Yuwen Min patted Lu Xuzi on the shoulder. “With Chongyun there, my elder brother will be fine. Second brother, don’t be impatient.”
Lu Xuzi knew he could not rush, but considering Yuwen Min’s wife was about to give birth, he could not stay away.
If not for the law punishing generals for leaving without orders, he would have returned briefly, waited for the birth, and then come back.
Fortunately, Yuwen Jue’s letters had been arriving regularly, and the carrier pigeons flew back and forth.
Recently, he had also discovered new news in the capital—that Yin Pingwu’s tomb was empty.
Was this the emperor’s doing, or had it been looted?
There were too many secrets to uncover, and Yuwen Jue continued his investigation.
Checking on this matter while eight months pregnant was no small feat.
While Lu Xuzi and Yuwen Min were puzzled by the Six Kingdom Alliance’s dormancy, a messenger suddenly arrived from the enemy camp, approaching the Great Zhao army.
Lu Xuzi and Yuwen Min exchanged glances. Yuwen Min said, “Let’s go! Let’s hear what they have to say.”
The envoy was a short, stout middle-aged man, but extremely polite. Upon seeing Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzi, he performed the full Great Zhao salute.
Yuwen Min remained silent. Lu Xuzi asked, “Is he here to negotiate peace?”
The envoy smiled. “Exactly.”
Lu Xuzi asked, “Oh? I don’t understand. If war or peace is determined by you, why treat the Great Zhao soldiers this way?”
The envoy quickly replied, “Not at all! General Lu, you jest. If it weren’t for our repeated defeats recently, we would not even be considering peace.”
What he said was true: in the last few clashes, the Six Kingdom Alliance had gained no advantage.
Yuwen Min finally spoke, saying, “Since you wish for peace, then state the terms of your request.”
In truth, he did not want peace, but if the other side showed sincerity, it would not be impossible to consider.
The envoy took a folded letter from his bosom and handed it to a nearby soldier, who then passed it to Yuwen Min.
Yuwen Min glanced at it and immediately furrowed his brows, then handed the letter to Lu Xuzi.
After reading it, Lu Xuzi also looked puzzled and asked, “Your terms are to annex the Western Fan Kingdom to Great Zhao? Are you joking? Can you even represent the Western Fan Kingdom?”
The Western Fan Kingdom was the small state closest to Great Zhao. Compared to other regions, its climate was slightly better.
The envoy smiled. “I know the two generals may not believe this, but… think about it. Our Six Kingdom Alliance cannot defeat Great Zhao—can we really not even defeat one small Western Fan Kingdom?”
Yuwen Min raised an eyebrow, thinking: Oh? This is betrayal of your own allies?
He clearly felt that Lu Hanzhi’s mischievous suggestion had been very pointed.
Yuwen Min and Lu Xuzi exchanged glances, and finally Lu Xuzi said, “We understand your intentions. But peace is a matter of great importance; we must consult the emperor before giving a final answer.”
The envoy nodded in understanding and said they could wait.
It was a rule that envoys were not to be harmed during wartime. Lu Xuzi sent a squad of soldiers to escort the envoy back beyond the border.
Yuwen Min asked Lu Xuzi, “Do you think this is feasible?”
Lu Xuzi replied, “If it’s genuine, yes—but…”
Yuwen Min added, “But we must be wary of deceit.”
Such good fortune could hardly be so easily achieved. Both Lu Xuzi and Yuwen Min knew better than to trust it blindly.
At that moment, a messenger came running to report, “Your Highness, General, Wang Fei has sent supplies again.”
Both Lu Xuzi and Yuwen Min smiled. The Eight-Ox Ballista Lu Hanzhi sent previously had been extremely useful.
In both recent victories, the Eight-Ox Ballista had played a decisive role.
They were eager to see what Lu Hanzhi had sent this time. To their surprise, the delivery included an entire row of items, plus several wagons filled with iron barrels—what could be inside?
Yuwen Min was curious—what treasure had his Han’er sent him this time?
He asked, “Who is in charge of the escort? Come forward and tell me—what has my Wang Fei sent?”
Immediately, a tall, slender messenger stepped forward, head bowed low, his voice hoarse: “Your Highness, Wang Fei said that to know what was sent, you must first kowtow three times.”
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