Chapter 1010: [Plans and Changes] (Part 1)

Although Hu Xiaotian was somewhat disappointed by Xue Lingjun's departure, he had never placed great expectations on this princess; even if Xue Lingjun refused to admit it, he could determine that her trip to Xichuan this time was far more than a simple tour. As the Grand Princess of the Da Yong Dynasty who enjoyed the Emperor's deep trust, her journey surely had a political purpose. He, representing Dakang, had come; under the present circumstances the interests of Dakang and Da Yong clashed, and perhaps that was the true reason Xue Lingjun refused to extend him help.

Yan Nujiao said, "Do you think they'll come back?"

Hu Xiaotian looked at this strong-willed, independent maiden, and a sudden, inexplicable pity welled up in his heart—not only because of the relationship that had developed between him and Yan Nujiao, but because this daughter of the Xichuan bandits possessed many shining points. Hu Xiaotian smiled at Yan Nujiao and said, "Rest assured, I have killed Du Tianhuo and his wife; no one will come to trouble you again." After speaking, he paused and added, "Even if someone dares to cause you trouble again, I will protect you just the same." This offhand remark made Hu Xiaotian feel manly and responsible.

Yan Nujiao felt a warm surge in her heart, yet she turned away and said indifferently, "Not needed!"

A sudden neighing of horses came from outside, then a thunderous shout: "Third Uncle! Are you there?"

Hu Xiaotian heard clearly that it was Xiong Tianba's voice; he laughed loudly, "I'm here! Bear kid! I'm inside!"

The bear kid rode a large black horse, wearing the phosphorus fire armor Hu Xiaotian had given him, wielding double hammers, and charged first through the broken courtyard wall of Gu Shan Temple; behind him were Liang Yinghao and Tang Tiexin. Seeing Hu Xiaotian unharmed, the three all breathed a sigh of relief.

Hu Xiaotian had wondered how they managed to find him, thinking the princess had sent someone back with news; but seeing the little grey horse beneath Tang Tiexin, he immediately understood: Little Grey must have sensed something amiss, fled back to the city, and led them here.

Tang Tiexin's words confirmed Hu Xiaotian's guess: "Prefect, it was Little Grey who led us here."

Xiong Tianba said: "We arrived at Qingyun Mountain Villa, where the fire still raged. We originally thought you were trapped inside, Uncle, but after searching a long time we found no trace of you. Then we noticed a fire here too, so we came to try our luck. Heh heh, I never expected we'd actually find you, Uncle—I said you'd be fine."

Hu Xiaotian asked: "Is anyone else coming?"

Liang Yinghao said: "We also brought a carriage, waiting not far outside."

Hu Xiaotian nodded; Liang Yinghao always handled things steadily and thoroughly, so he asked because there was still an injured person inside. Yan Boguang's condition currently prevented him from moving freely.

Hu Xiaotian returned to the meditation room and saw Yan Nujiao carefully removing the golden needles from her brother's body. Judging by her performance tonight, she seemed quite skilled in detoxification; I wonder if she learned these arts from someone in Mengzi?

Yan Nujiao sensed Hu Xiaotian's arrival but did not turn around. She whispered, "You may go; I can take care of him."

Hu Xiaotian said: "It would be better if you came back with me first; the situation at Qingyun Mountain Villa will soon alert the local authorities, and there may well be assassins lying in wait nearby."

Yan Nujiao said nothing.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Rest assured, I won't harm your second brother; in his current state he's not suited for a long journey. Let's all return to the city together, wait until his body fully recovers, and then you can take him away—no rush. What do you think, Miss Yan?"

Yan Nujiao thought for a moment and finally nodded.

The party lifted Yan Boguang onto the carriage. By the time they reached Xizhou, it was already light; the city gates stood open, and after Hu Xiaotian revealed his identity he faced no inspection, smoothly returning to the relay station.

Hu Xiaotian took a hot shower and changed into fresh clothes. At that moment, Yang Lingqi, hearing he had returned, hurried over to meet him. Today was Li Tianheng's birthday; starting in the morning, envoys from all sides would gradually arrive to pay their respects, but last night Hu Xiaotian had gone missing all night, worrying his subordinates as well.

Yang Lingqi said: "Yesterday, after the Prefect and the Grand Princess went out, they never returned; the Da Yong side had sent someone to inquire."

Hu Xiaotian asked: "When?"

Yang Lingqi replied: "In the evening; after that, no one came."

Hu Xiaotian nodded; it seemed Xue Lingjun was indeed only looking out for her own escape, having forgotten him completely—this woman truly lacked loyalty.

Yang Lingqi whispered: "The crackdown in Xizhou is still ongoing; reportedly led by Xizhou commanders Lin Zefeng and Zhao Yanjian, they've been charged with plotting rebellion, with nearly thirty people implicated."

"Rebellion? Who knows whether it's against Li Tianheng or the Dakang court?" Hu Xiaotian's lips curled with a hint of mocking smile; he vaguely guessed the plot of the old emperor, Long Xuan'en.

Yang Lingqi said: "Prefect, I think our situation looks grim."

At this moment Liang Yinghao also entered; after clasping his fists in salute to Hu Xiaotian, he said: "Prefect, I just noticed many suspicious figures near the relay station, seemingly monitoring our movements."

Hu Xiaotian chuckled: "Probably Li Tianheng's men; let them be."

Yang Lingqi said: "Prefect, you need to make timely preparations on both fronts."

Hu Xiaotian said: "The court sending me to Xichuan is nothing but a big pit!"

Yang Lingqi and Liang Yinghao exchanged a glance, both seeing deep worry in each other's eyes. Yang Lingqi said: "Prefect, I believe this large-scale crackdown in Xizhou is no coincidence; I've heard rumors that these two commanders, Lin Zefeng and Zhao Yanjian, had long enjoyed Li Tianheng's trust, served under him for years, and earned merit defending Xichuan; it is said they intend to overthrow Li Tianheng's rule and lead the Xichuan military and civilians back to Dakang."

Hu Xiaotian said: "The Emperor is far-sighted; he has long seen that the only way to save Dakang is to recover Xichuan."

Yang Lingqi said: "Prefect, don't you suspect that this internal turmoil in Xichuan is connected to the court?"

Hu Xiaotian nodded and said: "It must be related; the Emperor sent me to Xichuan to celebrate the birthday, to proclaim the edict of enfeoffment—do you think Li Tianheng would still bow and call himself a subject?"

Liang Yinghao shook his head: "Li Tianheng's wings are already full; Xichuan's land is fertile and its waters abundant, with a thousand miles of rich soil, already possessing the strength to rival the world's powers—how could he willingly give up the fat meat he's swallowed?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "We can see that, and the Emperor must have realized long ago that merely bestowing a fiefdom would not suffice to check Li Tianheng's ambition, nor would it be enough to return Xichuan to his rule—so…" He paused, his eyes shining brightly, and continued: "The Emperor's only remaining option is to eliminate Li Tianheng, for he knows that Xichuan's popular sentiment is unstable; most of the populace and soldiers still consider themselves Dakang's subjects, and the greatest obstacle to Xichuan's return is Li Tianheng. Once Li Tianheng is dead, Xichuan's reintegration will proceed naturally."

Yang Lingqi nodded; he fully agreed with Hu Xiaotian's idea.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Perhaps the court has long been secretly contacting Xichuan's commanders to sow discord among them."

Liang Yinghao, full of bewilderment, said: "But if the court has already prepared to eliminate Li Tianheng, why then let the Prefect come here at such great risk?"

Yang Lingqi sighed: "The court needs a noble pretext; if they killed Li Tianheng for no reason, it would instead arouse the hostility of Xichuan's military and populace, hindering Xichuan's return, since Li Tianheng never openly declared himself king. The Prefect is the future prince-consort and also a Dakang envoy; if something happened to him in Xizhou, Dakang would have a justifiable cause."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, looking at Yang Lingqi with appreciative eyes, and whispered: "I am merely a pawn; if I meet with trouble in Xizhou, the court will blame Li Tianheng for defying imperial orders and murdering the prince-consort, stripping him of moral standing before Xichuan's troops and populace, while those commanders who seek Xichuan's return to Dakang will gain the righteous cause of carrying out Heaven's will."

Liang Yinghao, hearing their analysis, finally realized how grave the situation had become; he inhaled sharply and said softly: "Prefect, since you've already seen through the court's intentions, why did you come?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "The Emperor has never trusted our Hu family; if I didn't come, he would surely move against my parents; by coming, I draw his fire onto myself. Weighing the two, it's better for me to take the risk personally—I will never let that old thing have his way."

Yang Lingqi said: "He certainly won't get his wish; he greatly underestimates Li Tianheng's strength—Li Tianheng's rule over Xichuan for so many years is hardly just luck; his influence has permeated every corner of Xichuan, and the exposure of those commanders' rebellious plots is no accident."

Hu Xiaotian said: "I don't think Li Tianheng has a motive to kill me; last night's assassination attempt must be linked to the court."

Liang Yinghao, furious, said: "This foolish emperor is utterly shameless, daring to plot against the Prefect; such a ridiculous court—why serve him? Better to rebel; if the Prefect raises the banner of righteousness, I, Liang Yinghao, will be the first to respond, ready to go through fire and water."

Upon hearing Liang Yinghao's words, Yang Lingqi's expression changed; as a scholar, his deep-seated loyalty to the court was firmly entrenched, although he had some criticisms of the Emperor's conduct, he attributed it to the Emperor's foolishness and had never contemplated overthrowing the Dakang court; Liang Yinghao, originally a horse bandit, speaking thus struck Yang Lingqi as utterly treasonous.

Noticing Yang Lingqi's expression, Hu Xiaotian smiled: "Yinghao, after all we are Dakang officials; the Emperor is old and muddled, but we cannot speak such extreme words." In fact, he had by now completely lost faith in the Dakang court, secretly thinking, "Long Xuan'en, Long Xuan'en, since you treat me without benevolence, do not blame me for acting without righteousness toward you; even if I were to completely change the color of your Dakang realm, what could you do to me?"

First Update! (To be continued~^~)