Chapter 19: The Emperor Orders the Suppression of Bandits

This matter quickly reached the ears of the Emperor.

Li Xuantian received the report and was furious beyond measure.

“How dare these barbarians be so arrogant! They must be courting death!”

“Notify the Prefect of Jingzhao immediately to conduct a thorough investigation and root out all remaining conspirators.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

“But this matter is very strange. His Highness the Sixth Prince dealt with all the assassins without making a fuss. He simply ordered the guards to throw the assassins’ bodies out into the wilderness and bury them. And he only informed Qin Qingxue,” the chief eunuch reported.

Li Xuantian furrowed his brows upon hearing this.

“What do you think Li Ye’s plan is?”

“The servant believes there are only two possibilities. One, the Sixth Prince intends to handle this matter on his own. Two, he does not regard the enemy as worthy of concern and might even be using himself as bait to lure out all the assassins.”

Li Xuantian raised an eyebrow. “I never expected this son of mine to be so deeply concealed, with such resilient resolve. I always thought he was obsessed with wealth, but it seems I have not understood him thoroughly enough.”

“The Sixth Prince faced the assassination attempt without panic—such composure is indeed rare.”

“I am thinking of putting him to the test. What do you think?”

“Ah, Your Majesty wishes to test the Sixth Prince?”

“Why, do you have any opinions?”

“If the test reveals that the Sixth Prince is truly outstanding, how will Your Majesty deal with him?”

Li Xuantian took a deep breath but did not answer.

“We shall see when the time comes.”

“And how does Your Majesty plan to test him?”

“The bandit troubles on Vulture Mountain have persisted for years. Let him lead troops to suppress them. If he truly has military talent, it will become clear.”

“Your Majesty’s plan is sound, but the servant wonders: if the Sixth Prince performs too well, might that not make the Crown Prince feel threatened? The rivalry between the princes is already intense. Adding the Sixth Prince into the fray would only complicate matters further.”

“Hmph, that is precisely the effect I wish to achieve! Among all my sons, they are only fierce within the home but lack real ability. Even the Crown Prince fawns over Yunlu Pavilion in every way. What use is a Crown Prince like that?”

“Your Majesty is wise! Instilling a sense of crisis in the Crown Prince is indeed a good choice. But will the Sixth Prince agree?”

“Hmph, if I send him, he must go!”

“By the way, lift the Crown Prince’s confinement and release him.”

Li Ye never expected that what he had done would attract the Emperor’s attention.

Sitting peacefully at home, disaster falls from the sky.

The Emperor issued an edict commanding him to go to Vulture Mountain to suppress bandits.

“What? This must be a joke, right?” Li Ye looked at the edict in confusion.

“I am just an unacknowledged prince. There are so many generals in the court. Why send me?”

The chief eunuch delivering the edict smiled broadly: “That, we do not know. It is the Emperor’s decree.”

Li Ye accepted the edict, still puzzled.

“No way! I don’t know how to lead troops in battle. I will go ask Father clearly.”

The eunuch quickly stopped him. “Your Highness, please wait. His Majesty commands that you are not to see him until the bandits are suppressed. You must go to the Ministry of Revenue to muster troops and depart immediately.”

“Ha, what kind of play is Father staging?”

Li Ye wore a troubled expression.

After the eunuch left, Mr. Xiao appeared from nowhere.

“Who told you to deal with the assassins privately without reporting? It seems the Emperor has taken a strong interest in you and wants to test whether you harbor ambitions for the throne.”

“No, I swear I don’t! If the future Emperor deliberately provokes me, I just want to live as a carefree prince,” Li Ye said without hesitation.

“I believe your words, but the Emperor does not! You went to great lengths for Qin Qingxue, even ensuring ample supplies. Now, with few guards in your mansion, you easily dealt with all the assassins. Such strength cannot escape the Emperor’s notice! Not to mention, supplying an army’s provisions is harder than commanding thousands of troops.”

Mr. Xiao directly pointed out the crucial issue.

“Alas! I wanted to keep a low profile but ended up exposing myself instead!”

Li Ye slapped his thigh in regret.

Mr. Xiao half-smiled, as if enjoying the show. “The Emperor has decreed that you shall not return until the bandits are wiped out. But if you succeed brilliantly, it proves you have military talent. Outwardly, you are a merchant obsessed with wealth, but secretly you study military strategy. Who would believe you have no designs on the throne?”

Li Ye felt as if awakened from a dream.

He hadn’t expected to trap himself and reveal such a glaring weakness.

Though he had no intention of seizing the throne, he had been quietly building his strength all along.

This was to guard against the day when the Crown Prince ascends and seeks to eliminate him.

If that day came, he would surely rise in resistance.

But he had gone too far and inadvertently revealed his true capabilities.

This had, unexpectedly, drawn the Emperor’s attention.

Li Ye stroked his chin, pondering a strategy.

“Then I’ll just lose the battle, preferably with total annihilation! Let Father know I’m incompetent.”

Mr. Xiao nodded. “That is indeed a good idea! But knowing you as I do, you won’t be able to do such a thing!”

“Why not?”

“Heh! Losing means deaths. Do you plan to send all those innocent soldiers to their deaths? You can’t even bear to see disaster victims suffer. Would you really do that?”

Li Ye was silent. Mr. Xiao was right.

He was a modern man who had transmigrated, mastering advanced knowledge.

Since childhood, he had been plotting carefully.

He only sought to make money and enjoy life, avoiding power struggles or threatening other princes’ status.

He could not be as cold-blooded as others who sacrificed innocents for power.

“Take it one step at a time. Indeed, I can’t bring myself to do such a ruthless thing.”

“Your Highness, I have a solution!” Lin Yue said.

“What’s the plan? Tell me!”

“Suppressing the bandits is actually simple. I’ll infiltrate the mountain stronghold, capture their leader, and force them to surrender. Problem solved.”

“Heh! You really are clever!”

Lin Yue thought she was being praised and was delighted. “Your Highness agrees?”

“I do not.”

Lin Yue’s smile froze instantly. “Why not?”

“First, it’s extremely dangerous for you to go alone! The bandits on Vulture Mountain have existed since the founding of the Dayuan Dynasty. Many attacks have failed. That means they have many experts. You’d be going to your death for nothing. Second, if you succeed in capturing their leader, what do you think the Emperor will think of me? And how will the other princes view me? Won’t it prove that I have the ability to eliminate them at will? How could I ever have peace afterward?”

“Ah! I hadn’t thought of that!” Lin Yue was stunned, realizing how complicated matters were.