Chapter 199: Bedside Secret Instructions

The residence of the military governor of Chan Prefecture, inner chamber.

The heavy medicinal smell almost coagulated in the air, oppressive enough to make one breathless.

Once brave and decisive, with the ambition to clear the world, the military governor of Chan Prefecture, Chai Rong,

Now he lay deep within thick brocade blankets, his complexion ashen, his eye sockets sunken.

Each breath came with extraordinary difficulty and length, as if it might cease at any moment.

Only in those eyes that occasionally opened did the remaining sharpness and depth remind people.

Within this body on the verge of collapse still dwelled an unwilling soul.

Wang Pu, Han Tong, and Zhang Yongde stood solemnly beside the couch, their expressions grief-stricken and solemn.

They had kept watch here the whole night.

The imperial physician quietly withdrew, silently shaking his head at Wang Pu, the meaning unmistakable.

The oil is exhausted, the wick burnt out—just a matter of moments.

The room was dead silent, save for the occasional faint crackle of the candle flame.

Suddenly, a rattling sound came from Chai Rong's throat, his eyelids twitched a few times, and he slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze was somewhat unfocused; he slowly swept it over the three before the couch, finally settling on Wang Pu's face.

His lips moved, his voice so faint it was almost inaudible.

"Chen... Wen Zhong... where are you?"

Wang Pu quickly bowed his head and spoke softly.

"My lord, Commissioner Chen Fangyu is still defending the northern front; after the great victory at Yingzui Cliff, he is now facing off with Liu Jiye to guard against a northern barbarian counterattack."

A flash of complex, hard-to-read light passed through Chai Rong's eyes—there was relief, regret, and a deeper worry.

With difficulty he raised his gaunt hand and pointed north.

"Sum... mon... him... back..."

Wang Pu's body trembled slightly as he exchanged a glance with Han Tong and Zhang Yongde.

At this moment, summoning Chen Wen back to Chan Prefecture meant something that needed no explanation.

"Yes, my lord; I will immediately send someone to deliver the order."

Chai Rong shook his head, as if gathering a bit of strength, and his voice became a little clearer.

"Not... send an order..."

"Yes... summon him... return quickly..."

He fixed his gaze firmly on Wang Pu, then glanced at Han Tong and Zhang Yongde.

"You... go out."

"Wang Pu... stay."

Han Tong and Zhang Yongde understood perfectly, knowing that Chai Rong had the most confidential words to entrust solely to Wang Pu.

The two bowed, silently withdrew from the inner chamber, and gently closed the door.

Only Chai Rong and Wang Pu remained in the room.

Chai Rong's gaze became unusually clear, even carrying a kind of last‑flare sharpness.

"Wen Bo (Wang Pu's courtesy name)..."

"My lord."

Wang Pu leaned in closer, his voice low.

"I... have little time left..."

Chai Rong actually used that self‑reference, shocking Wang Pu to the core, but he did not interrupt.

"The affairs behind me... are tangled and complex... the ruler is young, the state doubtful... strong enemies surround us..."

Chai Rong spoke haltingly, each word as if he had expended all his strength.

"Bian Liang... may not be a safe place... the Fu clan (referring to Empress Fu and the young emperor's ancestral instruction) — widows and orphans... cannot hold the great situation..."

"This Chan Prefecture... this Hebei... is the foundation..."

His gaze locked firmly on Wang Pu.

"Chen Wen Zhong... is a sharp sword... able to repel external threats and pacify internal troubles..."

"But... a sword can wound others... and also wound oneself..."

"He... is too sharp... so sharp that it makes everyone uneasy..."

"While I am here... I can still employ him... control him..."

"If I am gone..."

Chai Rong's voice grew ever weaker; Wang Pu had to bring his ear almost to his lips.

"... If he is loyal and trustworthy... then... I will devote all my strength to aid him... preserve my Zhou realm and mountains... continue my... unfulfilled ambition..."

"... If he... his motives are unfathomable... or... his power too great to restrain..."

Chai Rong's breathing suddenly grew rapid, the last gleam bursting in his eyes, he clutched Wang Pu's wrist tightly.

Those gaunt fingers actually burst forth with astonishing strength.

"Then... you all... must... find your own way out... or... choose another wise lord... absolutely do not let this Hebei foundation... fall into internal strife... merely allowing the northern barbarians... the Khitan... to reap the benefits!"

"Remember... remember!"

Having spoken these final words, Chai Rong seemed to have exhausted all his life.

His arm drooped down, his eyes slowly closed, his chest heaved violently, and he sank once more into stupor.

Only his tightly furrowed brow revealed the inner worries and struggles that remained unresolved until his death.

Wang Pu stood stiff as a statue before the couch, his whole body icy cold, his heart churning with tumultuous waves.

Chai Rong's words were less an entrustment and more a political prophecy filled with contradiction and helplessness.

He affirmed Chen Wen's ability and worth, an indispensable force for sustaining the Later Zhou and resisting foreign enemies.

But he did not hide his worries about Chen Wen's future.

He even hinted that Chen Wen might meet another fate—'his intentions unknowable' or 'his power too great to control'.

More importantly, Chai Rong's final words, 'You must find your own way out… or choose another lord'

It was almost a tacit approval, even a hint.

If Chen Wen really went that far, Wang Pu, Han Tong, and others could make a new choice for the sake of the greater good!

This is not a simple matter of loyalty versus treason, but a cold acknowledgment of reality in the face of survival in turbulent times.

Is it to defend the inevitably uncontrollable central Bian Liang, or to back a capable, strong figure who can stabilize Hebei?

Or perhaps an even more dominant figure who could go further?

Chai Rong left this exceedingly difficult choice to his most trusted advisor.

Wang Pu looked at the dying Chai Rong on his sickbed, then recalled the young general on the northern front, steadfast as a mountain and glorious in battle.

He also thought of the undercurrents surging in Bian Liang and the mysterious forces behind Zhao Kuangyin……

He drew a deep breath of cold, medicated air and slowly straightened up.

His gaze shifted from initial shock and grief to firm and deep.

He understood.

Chan Prefecture, and indeed all of Hebei, now stood at a great historical crossroads.

Yet Chai Rong's final secret instruction was not an answer, but gave him a footing in this chaotic age.

The ultimate measure for weighing and choosing—survival outweighs empty fame, the greater good outweighs personal loyalty.

"Prefect……"

Wang Pu bowed deeply toward the sickbed.

"Pu…… I understand."

He turned and stepped out of the inner chamber with steady steps.

Outside the door, Han Tong and Zhang Yongde immediately shot questioning glances.

Wang Pu said nothing more, merely speaking in a low voice.

"Immediately dispatch capable aides with eight-hundred-li urgency, secretly order Defense Commissioner Chen; upon receiving the order, transfer northern front military affairs to the Vice General, travel light and swiftly, and return by night to Chan Prefecture!"

"No mistake allowed!"

His tone carried an undeniable decisiveness.

Han Tong and Zhang Yongde felt a jolt and bowed simultaneously.

"Yes!"

Wang Pu gazed at the dark northern horizon, silently murmuring.

Chen Wenzhong, the Prefect's final gaze falls upon you.

That future tidal wave—will it be a disaster that overwhelms or an opportunity to become a dragon—depends on how you…… decide.