CMWKSD -Chapter 254 It’s Just a Pretext

Listening to what Ying Ba said, Jiu Yue, and the Fengyuan Emperor sitting high on his throne, even the crown prince, who had been thoroughly vexed by Jiu Yue’s five-in-a-row game, couldn’t help but smile.

“Did she really say that?”

Ying Ba nodded. “Yes.”

Jiu Yue blinked, then placed another black piece: “Hehe, I’ve connected five black pieces again. You lost.”

The crown prince reluctantly put down his white piece. “What kind of move is that?”

Jiu Yue picked up the pieces with delight: “Don’t worry about what kind of move it is. Anyway, you can’t beat me.”

The crown prince wanted to roll up his sleeves, but didn’t dare near her posture. “Then let’s play Go instead of this silly five-in-a-row.”

Jiu Yue pouted shamelessly: “No, you’re cheating!”

The Fengyuan Emperor laughed heartily. “Alright, Crown Prince, you can’t beat Jiu Yue and now you’re making excuses—aren’t you ashamed?”

Then he looked at Ying Yi: “Since Zhuo Ya believes her brother would go to extremes to prove his resolve, let’s follow her suggestion and find someone to keep Zhuo Mu under watch.”

Ying Yi nodded. “Understood.”

Yes, when Zhuo Ya left the small courtyard where Zhuo Mu was held, she felt both delight at having successfully sown discord and fear that Zhuo Mu might actually do as she predicted—really commit suicide to leave a blood-written testament for the world to see.

But everyone in the room knew:

Zhuo Mu would never do that. Not only would he not, he surely already had other plans in mind.

Having operated in Northern Barbarians for years, his intellect and strategy rivaled anyone’s.

How could he possibly hand over the throne willingly?

If it weren’t for underestimating Jiu Yue, how would the Fengyuan Emperor have stumbled upon such an opportunity?

Just then, Li Feng entered: “Your Majesty, the Northern Barbarians’s eldest prince requests an audience.”

The Fengyuan Emperor and the crown prince exchanged a glance.

As they had expected.

Only Jiu Yue remained oblivious.

“What does he want to see His Majesty for? Instead of thinking about how to resolve this issue, he still has time to meet the emperor?”

The crown prince rose from the couch and had someone move the chessboard to the side hall.

“Let’s play chess in the side hall. That way we’ll see why Zhuo Mu has come to see Father.”

Jiu Yue responded with a small “oh” and put her little hands behind her back, stepping out.

Her prideful little demeanor made the crown prince chuckle.

He could only instruct someone to bring a few of Jiu Yue’s favorite snacks and tea to the side hall.

Truly, she enjoyed life even more than he did.

Ever since Jiu Yue had been frequenting the palace, everything she commonly used had been prepared for her: soft cushions, snacks, tea cups…

Everything so meticulously arranged it surpassed even the Fengyuan Emperor’s attention to detail.

…

Listening to Zhuo Mu speak, Jiu Yue blinked at the crown prince across from her, who was pondering his next move.

“Is this… how you all fight for the throne?”

The crown prince glanced at her.

“I’m an only child. No need.”

Jiu Yue clicked her tongue: “As expected, you’ve never faced the harshness of society. Without any struggle, how will you ever handle real crises?”

The Fengyuan Emperor raised an eyebrow, finding her point reasonable.

He recalled how the crown prince had wished him a long life that day, which had made his teeth itch with irritation.

This new year, sending him to the frontier for experience and merit would prevent anyone from saying the crown prince lacked talent.

Yes, that’s what he would do.

The crown prince felt a sudden chill along his back in the hot weather.

For no reason, he shook his head, thinking he might have imagined it.

While playing chess with Jiu Yue, he listened to the conversation in the main hall between Zhuo Mu and the Fengyuan Emperor.

To survive, Zhuo Mu had sold Northern Barbarians—not in the literal sense of selling, but revealing a fraction while hiding the rest.

“Your Majesty, everything I said is true. The Daqi palace indeed has corruption, which has affected generations of emperors…”

The Fengyuan Emperor gazed coldly at Zhuo Mu, naturally understanding his intentions.

Looking down from his lofty throne, his commanding presence made Zhuo Mu break into a cold sweat.

“Zhuo Mu, eldest prince, what do you mean by corruption?”

Zhuo Mu furrowed his brow slightly, then looked up, trying to appear composed: “As long as Your Majesty aids me, I can eliminate all the palace’s corruption.”

The Fengyuan Emperor asked with interest: “Aid? How?”

Zhuo Mu spoke slowly: “I will become the emperor of Northern Barbarians. Once I am emperor there, I can sign a pact with Your Majesty, promising no invasion for a hundred years.”

The Fengyuan Emperor snorted coldly: “No invasion?”

He slammed the table: “Zhuo Mu! Do you really think Daqi fears you?”

“Corruption? What corruption? Are you talking about the ‘Jue Ning Zi’?”

Zhuo Mu’s pupils constricted sharply.

The Fengyuan Emperor continued: “Or the use of soil sorcery against Daqi? Replacing low-ranking military officers?”

His voice deepened: “Or someone controlling insects in Daqi territory, attempting to assassinate me?”

At this, Zhuo Mu’s remaining strength collapsed.

He dropped to his knees, forehead hitting the ground with a bang.

Even hearing it made one wince: “Y-Your… Majesty…”

The Fengyuan Emperor remained calm, sitting leisurely, not raising his voice or striking anything, yet Zhuo Mu’s cold sweat continued pouring down.

“This battle is inevitable. You Northern Barbarians have used so many dirty tricks behind the scenes, thinking Daqi is meat on your chopping block?”

Zhuo Mu wanted to shake his head in denial, but the Jue Ning Zi incident, the insect assassination, and even controlling high-ranking generals like General Shen—were all true.

And that wasn’t all.

But so what?

Even these few points alone were enough.

Only now did Zhuo Mu confront the truth.

He…

He was nothing but an excuse the Fengyuan Emperor was looking for.

Perhaps more than that.

Even if they did nothing this time, the Fengyuan Emperor would still find a reason to attack Northern Barbarians.

You cannot let someone sleep beside your bed while you snore.

Northern Barbarians understood this—why would Daqi not?

Daqi’s army was strong, wealth abundant, citizens prosperous, and the land fertile.

It bred not just people, but the ambitions of those in high positions.

If the Fengyuan Emperor knew of such hidden matters, it proved that even if poison was gone, their only advantage—that the Fengyuan Emperor would die—was gone.

The Fengyuan Emperor looked at the kneeling Zhuo Mu: “Right now, your life serves me no purpose. Your true use has already occurred. But I am not unreasonable; if you wish to live, that is not forbidden.”

Zhuo Mu abruptly raised his head: “Your Majesty…”

“Northern Barbarians’s troop strength, deployment plans, weapon distribution, mines…”

Zhuo Mu’s eyes widened—Fengyuan Emperor… really has grand ambitions.

At this point, Zhuo Mu had nothing to lose: “Daqi is strong, but Northern Barbarians is not weak. Your Majesty, do you want Daqi and Northern Barbarians’s borderlands to suffer?”

“This battle, if it starts, will drain immense manpower and resources—three to five years at minimum, decades at most. Your Majesty…”

Before he could finish, the Fengyuan Emperor scoffed: “Three to five years?”

“Zhuo Mu, are all Northern Barbarians people as arrogant as you? Three to five years? You underestimate Daqi too much.”