The so-called "comforting the troops" meant that after a military campaign, those in command would order such measures to boost troop morale.
Once this order was given, the soldiers occupying a city would carry out plundering in waves.
They would loot everything in sight—gold, silver, and valuables. Worse still, with the army starved of female companionship, many soldiers would resort to raping the women and young children within the city walls...
Such "comfort" acts were far from just, and every city they passed through became a scene of human suffering and unimaginable cruelty. Consequently, successive dynasties throughout history had strictly forbidden such practices.
"So... the Chu people in Ying City..." Emperor Wu asked.
"The Chu people first deployed troops to seal off all exits from Ying City, then 'comforted' the troops for three days. After that, the cavalry entered the city and slaughtered everyone through the night. By daybreak, there was not a living soul left in the city," Ning Yuanzhou stated, word by word.
It was said that such "comfort" missions were shameful deeds, bound to draw condemnation from all under heaven. Thus, by slaughtering everyone in the city, there would be no witnesses left to speak of it...
Liudao Hall had expended great effort to uncover this intelligence, but it was already too late, and no concrete proof remained. By then, Ying City had long since been reduced to ashes in a roaring fire.
"According to intelligence from the Liudao Hall division in the Chu Kingdom, Prince Danyang has already reached an alliance with the eldest prince of Chu. If Chu helps him seize the throne, half of Wu's territories will be given to them."
Emperor Wu slammed a hand down fiercely on the desk, grinding his teeth as he let out a low cry:
"Dan... yang!"
No one would believe that Prince Danyang, who had been commanding the frontline operations right in front of the Chu forces, knew nothing of the troop-comforting atrocities. It was simply that his ambition was too vast, far outweighing any concern for the lives of the Wu people.
If half of Wu's cities were reduced to dust just like Ying City, how could he possibly keep his seat on the throne as Emperor of Wu?
Prince Danyang had gone mad—truly, utterly mad...
A few days later, Emperor Wu still had not issued any statement regarding his abdication. Finally, the Chu side lost patience and issued an ultimatum: if Emperor Wu failed to respond within three days...
Having already borne so many accusations, Emperor Wu Yang Xingyuan ultimately had to give an accounting to the Wu Kingdom and to the world at large. Thus, he issued an imperial decree stating that he would set out for the northern battlefield starting that very day to negotiate with Prince Danyang.
Whether this was truly a negotiation or a submission to Prince Danyang's demands to abdicate and commit suicide before the battle lines, no one knew.
The war between Wu and Chu was primed and ready, like an arrow drawn on a taut bow.
Meanwhile, deep within the imperial palace of the An Kingdom, the Emperor of An was reviewing memorials in the main hall. Seen from a distance, he sat upright and looked entirely composed.
Yet only upon drawing closer could one see that, hidden behind the desk, a petite figure dressed as a eunuch knelt by his feet, slowly kneading his thighs with both hands.
Growling weary from writing, the Emperor of An set down his brush, reached out to pluck a grape from a fruit platter, and popped it into his mouth. He then casually used his other hand to cup the chin of the person beside him, feeding a grape directly into her mouth.
"Thank you, Your Majesty~" came a soft, sweet voice, instantly revealing her to be a woman.
Hearing that tender voice, the Emperor of An felt his heart melting. In his view, ever since he acquired this little plaything, life had brought an endless wave of comfort.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Prince Li of Dawu requests an audience," a eunuch shouted from the threshold of the hall. Frowning at the interruption, the Emperor of An lowered his voice and told the person beside him, "You go wait outside first."
Who would have thought she would act spoiled? "This humble servant doesn't want to leave. I just want to stay right by Your Majesty's side." With this spoiled plea, she pressed her entire body against the Emperor of An.
Left with little choice, the Emperor of An gave tacit permission, letting her remain hidden beneath the desk. By this time, Yang Ying had already entered the hall.
The fact that Yang Ying was a woman was already an open secret inside and outside the An Kingdom's imperial palace. Yet because Emperor Wu had never made an official statement, and everyone was still unsure of Emperor Wu's temperament, they continued to address her as before.
"Yang Ying pays respects to Your Majesty."
Yang Ying had changed into a light blue court dress, her hair styled in the fashion commonly worn by unmarried noblewomen of the An Kingdom. Her face was lightly powdered, accented by a single red dot between her brows, giving her a rather striking appearance in the eyes of the Emperor of An.
Originally, upon reading the state letter sent by Yang Xingyuan, he had indeed considered how to properly settle Yang Ying. But just then, news broke of the power struggle between Emperor Wu and Prince Danyang, forcing him to reconsider all over again.
Over the past few days, he had been feeling somewhat rejuvenated, and looking at Yang Ying stirred up various impulses. A sudden thought blossomed in his mind: perhaps he could simply take this girl first and worry about titles and status later?
At the thought, an ugly smile crept onto the corners of his lips.
"What brings you here today?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, now that the war between Wu and Chu has broken out, Your Highness has naturally come to request that you dispatch troops to reinforce the Wu Kingdom."
"Hahaha, do you even know what you are saying?" The Emperor of An laughed aloud, assuming Yang Ying was simply being naive and ignorant. Given the current situation, sitting back and playing the role of the snipe and the clam while the fisherman reaped the benefit was clearly the superior choice.
"Does Your Majesty know the idiom about the snipe and the clam locked in battle, while the fisherman profits?" Yang Ying spoke every word with such clarity that it actually startled the Emperor of An.
"Now that Prince Danyang and Emperor Wu have gone to war, Your Majesty should swiftly dispatch a large army to the borders of the three nations. Once the war between Wu and Chu is fully underway, wouldn't this be the prime opportunity for the An Kingdom to reap the rewards?"
Yang Ying's words struck right at what the Emperor of An had been thinking, and since she had genuinely argued the point from the perspective of the An Kingdom, he felt quite gratified.
Yet, when all was said and done, the Emperor of An still believed that marching out immediately would compromise his dignity; he was still waiting for the war between Wu and Chu to escalate further before finding a suitable pretext to send his troops.
"Your Majesty, the war is truly a matter of Emperor Wu and Prince Danyang carving up the Wu Kingdom. Since Your Highness shares the same imperial bloodline with them, why shouldn't Your Highness claim a share?" Yang Ying finished speaking and looked up, meeting the gaze of the Emperor of An.
"I implore Your Majesty to dispatch troops. Your Highness intends to go personally and claim what belongs to her as her dowry." When Yang Ying uttered the word "dowry," she deliberately emphasized it, her eyes flashing with the coy shyness of a young maiden.
The Emperor of An had already been harboring other thoughts. The pair of hands hidden beneath the desk continued massaging his legs, creeping steadily upward with a teasing, provocative air that thoroughly ignited his desires.
With a wave of his large hand, he readily granted Yang Ying's request.
Yang Ying bowed and backed away. As the Emperor of An watched that slowly retreating figure, dark desires stirred in his mind; he would definitely deal with the little thing under his feet first, and then return to handle this "Prince Li of Dawu."
The moment Yang Ying turned and stepped through the door, her expression instantly darkened, her eyes filled with an unspeakable disgust.
Only upon spotting the maid waiting outside—who was actually Ren Ruyi in disguise—did she finally catch her breath. She loathed the Emperor of An—detested him utterly—yet for the sake of the greater picture, she had no choice but to keep humoring him.
"Safe journey, Your Highness." The head eunuch saw Yang Ying out, silently nodding and greeting Ruyi as they passed.
Watching the distant figures of Yang Ying and Ren Ruyi fade into the distance, the eunuch drew a deep breath and resumed his original demeanor.
Taking advantage of a quiet moment, he fished a candied fruit from his sleeve and popped it into his mouth.