Chapter 269: How to Catch a Tiger Cub

"That Chen Ping, has he still not dispatched his troops?"

"Outrageous, simply outrageous! To actually keep this Mandarin waiting outside the city this whole time! Do these people of Liangzhou disregard the majesty of the imperial court so completely? Hmm?"

The Crown Prince was in his own command tent, nearly dying of rage.

He was the Crown Prince of the current dynasty; wherever he went, was he not met with thunderous cheers and thousands of followers? Who would have thought he would be given the cold shoulder outside the city of Changzhou!

It had been several days, and Chen Ping still would not dispatch his troops!

The people in this place, Liangzhou... they really are barbaric!

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Crown Prince Xie Fang held back a great surge of resentment in his heart, wishing the Liangzhou troops would arrive soon so he could hack Qin Zhangfeng and Jiang Xuan into ten thousand pieces!

"Your Highness, Your Highness, the gates of Changzhou have opened! It is that Prefect Liu, Prefect Liu has come!"

Just at this moment, a Scout came to report.

Xie Fang stood up abruptly, his gaze cold and grim: "Who? Prefect Liu? What is he coming out for?"

The Scout said: "He wishes to have an audience with the Crown Prince."

Xie Fang was stunned for a moment, then burst into loud laughter: "See me? What does he want to see me for? After leaving this Mandarin to bake outside the city for several days, he comes to see me? Tell him to get lost!"

A group of advisors, however, grew anxious.

"Your Highness, calm your temper, calm your temper!"

"Your Highness, this is a golden opportunity; how can we let him go back so easily?"

Xie Fang was overjoyed to hear this: "A golden opportunity... you mean to say, let this Mandarin..."

He made a beheading gesture.

The advisors nodded.

One person chuckled and said: "Your Highness, this Prefect Liu comes with only two men and two horses to see you; does this not show a complete lack of respect for Your Highness? Why not strike first to gain the advantage and keep him here permanently? Would that not be removing a great future threat?"

The others also chimed in with their agreement.

Crown Prince Xie Fang burst into loud laughter: "Correct! This Liangzhou is currently a foul mess all because of this Liu Zheng. If he were gone, his cowardly father would be nothing but fish on the chopping block!"

Ever since the resistance against the Xiongnu, he had found this Liu Zheng an eyesore. Time and again, he had defied him, humiliated him, and stolen his thunder... and he was the Crown Prince!

He didn't come to curry favor, yet he kept stealing the spotlight—who could tolerate that? And then, time after time, this Prefect Liu's Longyan Dynasty grew more prominent. To say the Crown Prince had no grudge in his heart would be impossible—if he had been the one to claim that glory, what business would Xie Ling have with the throne?

Thus.

This groundless anger of his had been piling up on Liu Zheng all along.

If he could kill him...

As Xie Fang thought of this, he felt immensely gratified and shouted: "Let's go! This Mandarin would like to see what this Prefect Liu intends by daring to enter the military camp alone!"

With the order given, the entire army surged with excitement.

Liu Zheng and Pei Qianyun had only just walked five miles when they were startled by the sudden, thunderous roar of the Crown Prince Army.

"Kill!"

"Ha!"

"Kill!"

Thirty thousand troops, seen at close range, were no small matter. Everyone was in full battle gear, weapons in hand, glaring with fury. Anyone with a weaker heart would likely have forgotten how to even ride a horse.

Liu Zheng gave a bitter smile.

This show of force from the Crown Prince was truly quite fierce. Every step he took forward, the menacing Crown Prince Army would let out a fierce shout; the mountain-toppling, sea-draining roar was deafening and shook the very earth.

Pei Qianyun also let out an angry shout and glared back.

In ancient warfare, both sides cared deeply about momentum. Whether in battle or negotiation, it was the same. This was the intent of the Crown Prince Army: if you want to fight, we will fight; we are absolutely a force capable of battle! They used this to gain some leverage in the negotiations.

Along this entire three-mile stretch, Liu Zheng's eardrums were buzzing; he hadn't heard a single other sound.

Sure enough.

The majestic Crown Prince was waiting for him outside the command tent with a smug smile on his face.

In such an environment, Liu Zheng and Pei Qianyun finally arrived before the Crown Prince, dismounted, and Liu Zheng cupped his hands: "Prefect Liu greets the Crown Prince!"

Crown Prince Xie Fang laughed loudly, feigning great enthusiasm: "Prefect Liu, why be so formal with this Mandarin? Quickly, quickly, rise and follow me into the tent to drink a toast!"

Liu Zheng smiled and followed behind him.

Inside the tent stood many generals of the Crown Prince Army. As Liu Zheng entered, pair after pair of murderous eyes instantly locked onto him.

Oppressive!

Killing intent!

The atmosphere shifted entirely.

Pei Qianyun followed closely behind Liu Zheng.

Crown Prince Xie Fang chuckled: "Prefect Liu, it has been a long time. Our time resisting the Xiongnu together at Rongshan is still vivid in my memory. Come to think of it, you and I are comrades-in-arms!"

As he spoke, he had someone pour wine for Liu Zheng.

Liu Zheng knew this Crown Prince was temperamental; the more enthusiastic he appeared on the surface, the more tricks he had up his sleeve. Thus, he dared not drink the wine and smiled, saying: "Since the Crown Prince says so, then Liu Zheng will get straight to the point."

Xie Fang's gaze sharpened; he stopped speaking and sipped his wine with a faint smile.

But the atmosphere in the entire tent grew tense once again.

Liu Zheng certainly believed that the moment the Crown Prince threw his wine cup, he would likely lose his head. Therefore, he did not give the Crown Prince any chance to overthink and delivered a fatal blow with his opening words: "Your Highness, if you wish to sit securely on the throne, Liangzhou cannot be lost! And if you do not wish to lose Liangzhou, you must not enter Changzhou!"

"What?"

The Crown Prince's expression changed drastically, and the wine cup in his hand shook violently.

The advisors and generals present also looked at one another in dismay.

No one had expected that Liu Zheng's first sentence would be so direct—so direct, in fact, that it was hard for people to accept.

Everyone knew that Chen Ping was the Crown Prince's man.

Zheng Yuxing was the Third Prince's man.

The struggle over the situation in Liangzhou is merely a microcosm of the struggle between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince.

However...

Knowing is one thing, but there are very few who would openly bring it up.

After all, Chen Ping was appointed by the imperial court, and Zheng Yuxing was also appointed by the imperial court; strictly speaking, they are both civil and military officials of the Longyan Dynasty, all part of the same family.

Struggles are always carried out behind the scenes.

Today, however, Liu Zheng has laid his cards on the table.

This sudden move caused the group of people present who wanted to kill Liu Zheng to lose much of their murderous intent in an instant.

Xie Fang was stunned for a moment, then chuckled and said, "What does the Prefect Liu mean by this? This Prince does not quite understand."

Liu Zheng smiled and said, "Your Highness, you just said that you and I should be comrades-in-arms. Since we are comrades, how could I not remind you that Chen Ping is as good as dead, and Liangzhou is now a muddy pool; if you step into it now, you will only end up covered in filth!"

The Crown Prince Xie Fang's expression changed drastically.

Liu Zheng took out the letter from Ma Yong and handed it to the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince looked down, and his entire being was plunged into shock.

"This, this, this—is this true?"

He was somewhat panicked.

No wonder Chen Ping had never come to provide reinforcements; it turned out he was already unable to protect himself!

Liu Zheng nodded and smiled: "Your Highness, Liu Zheng believes that as of today, it would be best for you to distance yourself from Chen Ping and watch from the sidelines to prove your innocence. Regarding the plague, the Emperor is furious; Chen Ping and Wen Yang have acted with such audacity that I fear they will not escape the punishment of having their nine generations executed. Your Highness, why insist on entering Changzhou and provoking the Emperor's wrath?"

The composure on the Crown Prince's face could no longer be maintained.

In an instant.

He became flustered and agitated.

Chen Ping is finished?

Does that mean... his foundation in Liangzhou is just going to disappear like this?

No!

If that happens, wouldn't Liangzhou become the domain of the Third Prince and Zheng Yuxing? No... there is still one more person...

He suddenly looked at the smiling Liu Zheng.

He immediately gasped.

"Prefect Liu, what should this Prince do?"