Lin Qingge flicked his sleeve. After the last wisp of white smoke completely dissipated, he said with annoyance,
"Too slow!
I've decided to dock your salary for half a year!"
"Oh, my lord, as long as you can stay safe and sound.
Let alone half a year's salary, you can even deduct all my salary for the next few years, and I wouldn't care~
After all, I've never received any salary~"
King Wucheng stared at Hua Jinrong, who had suddenly appeared, for a long time. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.
"I remember you. Are you that wolf cub from back then?"
A dangerous, fleeting glint flashed in Hua Jinrong's eyes. He then fanned himself, smiling and saying,
"Perhaps Uncle Emperor is getting old and forgetful. Your nephew is naturally placid and detached from worldly affairs~
How can Uncle Emperor associate your nephew with a man-eating wolf~"
"Indeed, a wolf that eats people at least spits out bones. But if it fell into your hands, not even a single bone fragment would be left."
"Uncle Emperor, you flatter me so much, I'm almost embarrassed~"
"Xia Cheng Ye, after you turned the Imperial Guards' camp upside down, you disappeared.
Everyone thought you were dead. Who knew you'd just changed your identity and gone elsewhere to stir up trouble."
"Imperial Guards' camp?"
Seeing Lin Qingge's surprised look, as if he had never heard of it, King Wucheng swallowed the antidote pill handed to him by a guard and sneered.
"What, Lord Lin, you don't even know whether you're keeping a wolf or a dog by your side, do you?
Back then, my royal brother, who only wanted to preserve the royal family's honor, was forced by my sister-in-law to acknowledge his illegitimate son who was living outside the palace and enfeoffed him as the Tenth Prince.
But my exceedingly suspicious royal brother felt that this son who had lived outside the palace since childhood might not truly be his offspring. So, under the guise of tempering him, he threw him into the Imperial Guards' camp to fend for himself.
Who would have thought that the beggar, skinny as a monkey, would turn out to be a wolf cub?
Not only did he achieve great success in just two years, but he also disregarded the instructors' orders during the final exam, unleashing a massacre and wiping out the entire Imperial Guards' camp.
His methods were so brutal, it was simply outrageous!"
Facing King Wucheng's accusation, Hua Jinrong maintained his smiling demeanor.
"Uncle Emperor, you're mistaken~
The instructors ordered my fellow guards and me to kill each other, saying that only the last survivor could successfully graduate and become a true imperial guard.
But your nephew and his friends had lived and eaten together for two years, and our bonds were deep. We really couldn't bring ourselves to do it~
So, your nephew could only deal with the instructor who made such an unreasonable request~
However, the instructor wasn't easy to deal with.
Because others also self-righteously rushed to stop me.
Although it was a bit troublesome, they were all dealt with by your nephew in the end.
That feeling was truly exhilarating~
Unfortunately, the late Emperor was furious upon hearing about this and banished your nephew from the capital in anger.
So, your nephew had to lead his friends out to work independently.
Later, we met you, my lord~"
"Heh heh."
Lin Qingge gave two dry laughs and raised his hand to touch his scalp, which had a chill running down it.
After swallowing an antidote pill, King Wucheng, feeling much better, ordered the guards to administer the pill to Zhou Zeli, and then he looked up again at the crimson figure that was now approaching.
"Enough with the pleasantries. You didn't come here just to catch up, did you?"
"Uncle Emperor is joking. Your nephew is grateful for the care you've shown my lord and Captain Cheng. I've come personally to escort them back~"
Upon hearing this, King Wucheng narrowed his eyes slightly.
"What if I say no?"
"Then it must be that your nephew's sincerity is not enough~"
As Hua Jinrong spoke, he took out a token from his怀.
"Uncle Emperor, this is something that Lord Yan entrusted to your nephew to deliver to you, the other half of the command of the Northeastern Army~
Although the Northeastern Army was built up by Uncle Emperor, the soldiers obey orders.
Without this, I imagine Uncle Emperor would also be quite troubled~"
"Yan Xiuping, the coward, didn't come himself. How can we talk about 'sincerity'?"
"Lord Yan needs to stay in his manor to take care of Madam Yan, so he naturally doesn't have time to see other irrelevant people~
If Uncle Emperor still feels the 'sincerity' is insufficient, then let's add the command of the Zhennan Prince's manor. What does Uncle Emperor think~"
King Wucheng was tempted for a moment.
The Zhennan Prince's manor, though not as large in military strength, had been tempered over generations and was absolutely an elite force.
And the spies in the Zhennan Prince's manor, taking advantage of Yan Xiuping's absence, had controlled the entire manor. However, without the token to dispatch troops, they had been unable to make any moves.
After a brief silence, King Wucheng uttered two words:
"Conditions?"
"As expected of Uncle Emperor, it's always easier to talk to a wise person~
Lord Yan's conditions are very simple.
Seven rounds of a gamble for victory. If Uncle Emperor wins, I will personally hand over half of the Northeastern Army's command and the Zhennan Prince's manor's command.
If Uncle Emperor loses, not only will you release my lord and Captain Yan, but you must also disband the Northeastern Army and guard the imperial mausoleum for eternity, never to step away half a step."
King Wucheng's eyes flashed with a chilling light as he spoke coldly,
"Is this Yan Xiuping's intention, or Xia Cheng Lin's?"
"It should be the intention of both of them~
Uncle Emperor, let's be frank.
Uncle Emperor has been scheming for so many years, mining gold to amass wealth, and poaching from others to gather considerable influence.
And His Majesty, as the legitimate heir of the Great Xia imperial family, commands the three armies.
As long as Uncle Emperor does not give up that position, sooner or later, there will be a fierce struggle between you and His Majesty~
But if the two sides were to engage in open warfare, only the people of Great Xia would suffer.
Lord Yan couldn't bear to see this, so he advised His Majesty and proposed this compromise~
The so-called gamble of seven rounds for victory means, as the name suggests, there will be a total of seven matches.
Whichever side first wins four rounds will be declared the victor.
Of course, words are not enough~
Your nephew has here a document bearing His Majesty's seal, in duplicate.
After Uncle Emperor signs and seals it, one copy will be given to Uncle Emperor, and the other will be swiftly delivered by my men back to the capital, to be kept by His Majesty personally~"
Amazing!
After Hua Jinrong's speech, not only King Wucheng but even Lin Qingge couldn't help but give a thumbs-up.
Of course, she was admiring the idea of this bloodless method proposed by Master Yan.
"But my lord, will King Wucheng agree to Master Hua's proposal?"
"Perhaps not before, but the current King Wucheng has lost the initiative."
Seeing Yan Tinghao scratching his head again, Lin Qingge asked before he could speak,
"Do you know where the signal flare I just sent came from?"
"I don't know."
"It was secretly given to me by Lian Cheng Yi in the prison just now."
"General Lian?"
"Precisely."
Lin Qingge nodded affirmatively. The signal flare was identical to the one Master Hua had given her before.
Fearing she might be blind and unable to recognize it, a conspicuous character 'Hua' was even carved on the tail end of the signal flare.