A sparring session came to an end, and Lord Chongwu turned his cold gaze toward Director Liu and the others:
"What are you still doing here? Are you waiting for me to invite you to a meal?"
With Lord Chongwu's dismissal, Liu and the others seemed to wake up from a dream. Liu immediately cupped his hands toward Lord Chongwu:
"Then, my lord, we will take our leave."
"One last thing," Liu continued, "Please head to the northern border as soon as possible. The situation there is precarious, and this is no joke..."
Lord Chongwu remained silent.
When words don't align, a few extra words become a burden. The royal guards had come in great procession, but now they left in disgrace.
Aside from delivering the imperial decree, they hadn't gained anything from Lord Chongwu in any other matter.
"It is my fault..." Director Liu sighed aboard the ship.
"Director Liu, there's no need to blame yourself. This is mostly my responsibility," Ji Congyun said with a serious expression:
"If Father Emperor is upset, I will take the blame."
After all, it was Ji Congyun who had initially agreed to the sparring between Ye Chuan and Fang Yuan, and he couldn't avoid responsibility.
But as he said this, thinking of his unpredictable father, Ji Congyun couldn't help but feel nervous:
"By the way, Director Liu, the Ye Chuan that Father Emperor needed... he's dead, right? There's no problem with that, is there?"
Ji Congyun knew that this senior eunuch was his father's trusted confidant. As the Emperor's closest companion, Director Liu had been by the Emperor's side for centuries.
He surely knew more of the secrets of the Yan kingdom than Ji Congyun, the prince, ever could.
"No problem at all..." Director Liu smiled.
Once the Son of Destiny dies, the national fortune residing within him will return, and that's not a bad outcome.
Hearing this, Ji Congyun felt a bit relieved. He then asked:
"Director Liu, what about Fang Yuan? Should we handle him?"
"He's so young and yet so powerful... But he's so stubborn and refuses to submit to my royal family. I worry he could become the second Lord Chongwu in the future!"
Director Liu replied with a smile that wasn't quite a smile:
"Isn't it good to have a second Lord Chongwu? Although Lord Chongwu can be unruly, he has always served the court faithfully."
"Now, with demons rising all over Yan Kingdom and enemy nations eyeing our borders, it's hardly a time of peace. We need more strong men like Lord Chongwu..."
"But..."
"Your Highness need not say more." Director Liu directly interrupted him:
"You are still young, and there are many things you don't yet understand. In the future, you must speak less and act more decisively..."
With that, Director Liu stood, cupping his hands toward Ji Congyun:
"This incident need not be shouldered by Your Highness. I will bear it alone. The hour is late, Your Highness should rest..."
Before Ji Congyun could reply, Director Liu exited the room.
Looking out the window at the clear sky, Ji Congyun fell into silence.
"It's not late at all. He just doesn't want to deal with me!"
He was still a prince! Couldn't the old eunuch show him some respect?
Sighing, Ji Congyun couldn't do anything about it. After all, in the Yan Kingdom, there were over a hundred princes like him...
The emperors of Yan Kingdom lived long lives, and due to cultivation, their bodies were strong. They didn't lack women, and having children was an easy task.
With so many, even the emperors had been quite restrained.
It was incredibly hard to stand out from this vast sea of princes and ultimately become the next emperor...
"Director Liu, that old eunuch, always speaking in riddles. Someone like Lord Chongwu, so hard to control, one is hard enough. Yet he says the more the better."
"He must have lived too long, his eyes are blurry now..."
Ji Congyun believed his thoughts were completely correct. He was thinking for the Yan Kingdom, for the court.
Someone like Fang Yuan, such a terrifying genius, had to either be killed early or controlled tightly. They couldn't just let him roam free.
With that, Ji Congyun gave orders to his subordinates: "Send for Zuo Cang..."
...
Watching the ship disappear into the horizon, the people in Jianghai Palace appeared somewhat downcast.
The royal family of Yan Kingdom clearly didn't get along with Lord Chongwu. With a decree, they sent him to the northern border. When leaving, they even tried to kill Ye Chuan, whom they had nurtured for many years.
The good news was that this plan had ultimately failed, and the royal family couldn't take Ye Chuan away.
The bad news was... Ye Chuan had been torn in half. The factions were fighting, so now they could just take one half each.
"Someone, clean up Ye Chuan's body... find a place to bury him."
Lord Chongwu waved his hand, speaking somewhat feebly. As for his former disciple, he still decided to bury him properly.
Then, Lord Chongwu turned his gaze to Fang Yuan: "Fang Yuan, come with me to the hall."
With that, his shadowy figure vanished.
Fang Yuan also turned and left.
Inside the hall, Lord Chongwu sat cross-legged on a cushion. This once powerful figure in the Yan Kingdom now seemed to have aged decades, looking listless.
"Teacher, I hope you won't blame me. It was Ye Chuan who harbored murderous intent first," Fang Yuan immediately said.
"I know. He must have been thinking of killing you to please the prince..." Lord Chongwu nodded and self-deprecatingly smiled:
"It's all my fault. I've lived for hundreds of years and yet couldn't see the character of my own disciple clearly."
"Didn't you see it quite clearly? You even guessed Ye Chuan's thoughts at the time..."
Fang Yuan muttered inwardly. He thought it was quite normal. After all, Lord Chongwu had been controlled by the royal family for most of his life. He didn't know how long he had searched before finally finding Ye Chuan as an antidote.
From that moment on, Lord Chongwu's heart was in turmoil. He had seen Ye Chuan as his future self, trusting him infinitely, even indulging him.
Betrayal is something that happens throughout humanity, no matter the world. Even gods and Buddhas can't escape it.
However, Fang Yuan could avoid it, because he had the Eye of Calamity.
"Alright, since Ye Chuan is dead, let's not talk about it..." Lord Chongwu said again. "Today, I will prepare to leave for the northern border."
"Today? You're leaving so soon?" Fang Yuan was somewhat surprised.
"Yes." Lord Chongwu nodded:
"I've been kept in cold storage by the royal family for over a hundred years, and now they've suddenly unlocked my cultivation and hurriedly sent me to the northern border."
"This hurried action clearly shows that the masters defending the northern border can't hold on anymore..."
Lord Chongwu was a loyal man. Even if he didn't want to serve the royal family, he was loyal to the people and to the country.
When the country was in danger, he had to step forward.