Su Mingyu paced back and forth, her hands clasped behind her back, until she stood before Murong Ke.
"On my way to the Northern Frontier, I heard everywhere that the current drought has hit Suzhou and Cangzhou particularly hard. How is it that, based on what you’re all saying, Liangzhou is suffering, too?"
"What business is that of yours?" Chiyan raised his sword. "Just resign yourself to death!"
Su Mingyu easily dodged the attack, still having enough breath to explain, "Can't I just ask? What if I happen to be able to help?"
Chiyan gave it everything he had, yet he couldn't even graze the hem of her clothes. Frustration boiled within him, and he could barely refrain from cursing.
"Chiyan, Han Bing, stand down." Murong Ke’s voice dropped a register.
He turned away coldly and gave Su Mingyu a piercing look. "The drought this year has indeed hit Suzhou and Cangzhou the hardest of the three northern prefectures. Liangzhou had actually arranged for the refugees to be settled quite early on. However, Suzhou and Cangzhou have been hoarding grain, refusing to release it to drive up prices. Naturally, refugees who could no longer survive soon began flooding into Liangzhou. To maintain order, Liangzhou closed its gates five days ago, barring any more refugees from entering. But even so, there has been no grain in the city for two days. Outside the walls, the dead lie everywhere."
Su Mingyu was horrified. If what they said was true, the situation in Liangzhou City was far more dire than she had imagined. What they didn't know was that as soon as her grain transport convoy had left the capital, they were ambushed by Xu Ke’s assassins. They had been forced to scatter and hide their tracks. Now, even she didn't know where the relief grain had ended up.
The large convoy was slow, the weather was brutal, and the roads were treacherous. With Liangzhou already in such a critical state, she feared many would starve to death before the relief grain could ever arrive. Even more terrifying was that Liangzhou bordered the Jin State. If the Jin State were to learn of Liangzhou’s plight first, the next step would be a full-scale, unhindered invasion of Daxia.
"Heaven is destroying us! Heaven is destroying us!" Manager Wang wailed, beating his chest and stomping his feet.
Caught off guard, Su Mingyu jumped in surprise, then said calmly, "What are you afraid of? If the sky falls, Prince Ning is there to hold it up for you."
Murong Ke frowned, his eyes flickering.
Su Mingyu curled her lips into a smile, her tone laced with seduction. "My lord, if I may speak frankly, this is a job only Prince Ning can do. Others can't, but he is a prince, and he has the Shenwu Army under his command. He could simply seize the grain by force!"
"That’s impossible! If we seize it, the nature of the act changes entirely!" Chiyan’s face flushed with agitation. "Shut your mouth if you don't know what you're talking about!"
Su Mingyu raised an eyebrow, more certain than ever of their identities. She reached out and poked the young guard on the forehead. "Is your head filled with paste? To Prince Ning, does it make a difference whether he steals it or seizes it? If Liangzhou falls, do you think he’ll be spared? Since you're headed for death either way, why not go out in a blaze of glory?"
The moment Su Mingyu finished speaking, Murong Ke looked at her with wariness, his sharp gaze sweeping over her unruffled face. After a long silence, he pressed his lips together and looked away.
"You seem to know a great deal about Prince Ning, miss," Murong Ke probed.
Su Mingyu smiled brilliantly. "Who doesn't know about Prince Ning? At his birth, omens of auspiciousness descended from the heavens, and the Imperial Observatory calculated that his destiny was of supreme nobility. And indeed, he displayed astonishing talent from a young age. When the late Emperor was alive, he pinned high hopes on him, raising and teaching him personally from the age of three. Many even speculated that after the late Emperor passed, he would skip over the next generation and pass the throne directly to this grandson."
Su Mingyu paused, as if realizing her words were somewhat improper. She glanced quietly at the man’s cold expression before continuing: "Seven years ago, the late Emperor suddenly passed away, and his father inherited the throne—the current Emperor Chen. Just when everyone thought he would be named Crown Prince, His Majesty showed an undisguised aversion to him. He even changed his name to Murong Ke. *Ke*—a reminder to him to keep to his duty and stop dreaming of unrealistic things."
"Audacious!" Han Bing drew his sword in a rage. "Are the affairs of the Imperial family something you can discuss?"
Su Mingyu spread her hands and looked at Murong Ke innocently. "What? Are we not allowed to speak the truth? Are you going to silence me again?"
"Three years ago, the Jin State army pressed toward our borders. The great generals of the court were exhausted, and for a time, no one could hold them back. That was when he, only eighteen years old, stepped forward. The young general dealt the Jin State a crushing defeat and made a name for himself in a single battle. On the day he returned to the capital in triumph, the entire city’s populace came out to greet him, and songs of his victory spread throughout the capital. It was then that he was named Prince Ning, the first of the Emperor's sons to be granted a title. But this prince-ship has been a bitter pill. Despite being at the height of his fame and deserving of heavy responsibility, he was sent to his fief within days, forbidden from returning to the capital without a decree. How is that any different from being exiled to the frontier?"
Murong Ke stood stunned for a moment before snapping back to reality. "You are very bold," he said, looking at Su Mingyu with profound meaning. "I assume you have already recognized who I am. If so, how do you dare to discuss such matters recklessly and sow discord?"
"Whether I am sowing discord, Your Highness knows in his heart," Su Mingyu said with a smile. "Are you truly not considering my suggestion? Once the Shenwu Army moves, you could have all the grain you need."
Murong Ke pressed his lips tight, studying Su Mingyu. "What is your true purpose?"
Su Mingyu blinked. "What purpose could I have? I’m a chivalrous heroine, naturally I’m here to uphold justice."
"I have never met a chivalrous heroine who tries to incite frontier troops to break military law," Murong Ke sneered, his eyes sharp. "The Shenwu Army stationed at the Northern Frontier is the core of our defensive force, vital to the very foundation of Daxia. They are not my private army!"
Su Mingyu feigned surprise. "Is that so? On my way here, the commoners all said that Prince Ning was building up his own power in the North to become a regional warlord. It seems the rumors aren't necessarily true."
"Absurd! My Prince has always performed his duties with the utmost diligence and has never once overstepped! How dare you repeat such groundless rumors? Are you trying to destroy him?"
Su Mingyu looked at the loyal young guard and a faint smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. According to the secret reports collected by the Brocade Guard, Prince Ning was not as simple as he appeared. Otherwise, His Majesty would not have sent her, his trusted agent, thousands of miles away to personally uncover evidence of Prince Ning’s treason. It seemed this fox was very good at hiding his tail.
While Su Mingyu was lost in thought, Murong Ke had already ordered Chiyan and Han Bing to return to Liangzhou to mobilize the garrison troops and secret agents. Su Mingyu swung her legs as she sat leisurely on the table. "Hey, do you really think that few men are enough to seize that grain?"
Murong Ke glanced at her and, without a word, headed toward the guest rooms upstairs. Seeing his cold demeanor, Su Mingyu hopped off the table and blocked his path with a flourish.
"Something this fun, and you're not bringing me along?"
Murong Ke stopped and looked at her. "You want to get involved in something that will get your head chopped off?"
"I’m a chivalrous heroine, aren't I? I have to do things a chivalrous heroine does," Su Mingyu said with a grin.
"Brains are a wonderful thing to have." Murong Ke dropped this comment and walked away without looking back.
It took Su Mingyu a long moment to process his words. She pointed at the floor above and shouted, "Who are you calling brainless?"
The post station remained silent. Su Mingyu stamped her feet in frustration.