FBC – Chapter 356 At the City Gates

King Cheng offered an idea: “Why not let the Sixth Prince, Zhao Yuwen, assist the Crown Prince in disaster relief?”

The Empress frowned. “I only have two sons in total. If both leave the capital, what if something happens here?”

“Am I not still in the capital?” King Cheng snorted. “Have you forgotten? Yuwen and Mu Junyan have always been on good terms. If Mu Junyan tries anything against the Crown Prince, Yuwen can step in and mediate.”

The Empress sighed helplessly. “We’ll do as Father says.”

She suddenly remembered something. “Fourth Prince Zhao Yufeng has been missing for so long. Is he really dead?”

King Cheng gave a cold snort. “Even if he isn’t dead, he must die. Don’t worry, I’ve already ordered the commander of the city guards—if they find him, kill him on the spot.”

The Empress’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Father, Mu Junyan’s son is already two and a half years old. Why don’t I issue an imperial edict, summoning Gu Hua and her child back to Bianjing under the pretext of conferring a title upon the young heir? With her and her son in hand, we won’t need to fear Prince Yong rebelling.”

King Cheng shook his head. “Gu Hua may not be willing to enter the capital. She’s not stupid—she’ll know you want to use her and her son as hostages.”

The Empress’s brows arched sharply. “If she refuses to enter the capital, that is defiance of an imperial edict—she can be charged with treasonous intent. Then we have even more reason to seize Prince Yong.”

King Cheng still shook his head. “Prince Yong isn’t so easy to capture. It’s best to lure him into the capital. The northern war hasn’t stopped, the Yuan family has been fighting nonstop, and their forces are limited. The death warriors I’ve raised number only one or two thousand at most. They may not be able to defeat the Black Armored Guards. Alerting him prematurely would be unwise.”

The Empress frowned. “This won’t work, that won’t work… then why don’t we simply let His Majesty pass away? He will surely have to enter the capital to mourn.”

King Cheng glared at her. “You’re usually steady—why are you so impatient now? Do you want the world pointing at your son’s spine, saying he murdered his father to take the throne?”

“He can die of an illness.”

“You think those imperial physicians are fools? They surround him day and night like an iron fortress.”

The Empress choked with frustration.

“Enough. Let the Crown Prince earn some reputation first.”

King Cheng immediately summoned the cabinet ministers. After a round of discussion, they decided the Crown Prince would take five hundred thousand taels of disaster relief funds to several prefectures to aid the people.

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Meanwhile, Mu Junyan and his group arrived in Gongzhou. The flooding there had become extremely severe.

The river embankment had breached, drowning tens of thousands of acres of farmland and washing away over a thousand houses.

The hardest hit were the farming households along the river—they had no food, no clothing, and many had fallen sick.

As soon as the Mu family army arrived, they began rescue operations, saving more than ten thousand trapped civilians along the river.

But the prefect of Gongzhou, Jiang Qifu, was living comfortably at the highest point in the city. Not only did he refuse to help with disaster relief, he even ordered the city gates sealed, refusing entry to those fleeing the floods.

To pass through the city gates, each person had to pay a ten‑tael entry fee. As a result, only wealthy families could enter or leave.

Some officials of Gongzhou, upon hearing that Prince Yong had brought back Lord Du to assist with the disaster, hurried to gather what forces they could and rushed to help.

With Mu Junyan, Du Ming, a hundred Black Armored Guards, and two thousand Mu family soldiers—plus civilians who joined spontaneously—they worked tirelessly for eight days before finally sealing the breach in the embankment.

The Mu family army set up numerous tents in the mountains and properly settled all displaced farmers.

Du Yun, along with several newly trained female guards from the prince’s residence, worked inside the tents treating the injured and sick.

Some of the disaster victims had family inside Gongzhou City, and word quickly spread. Conscientious city guards, unable to bear it any longer, joined the citizens in protesting—demanding that the prefect open the gates and let the victims in.

Conditions inside the city weren’t good either. With the floods and the gates closed, business had nearly stopped—no one could trade vegetables or grain.

Jiang Qifu, the richest man in Gongzhou, didn’t care about the suffering citizens or even the starving city guards. He had hoarded enough grain for his family to live comfortably for two months.

But the people in the city were living miserably.

Even the ten thousand city guards had nothing left to eat.

The officials who had gone out to assist the disaster relief escorted Lord Du to the city gates, demanding they be opened.

Jiang Qifu couldn’t sit still anymore. “You said that Du fellow is back?”

His adviser nodded. “Yes. It’s said Prince Yong personally brought him back. Right now, a group of officials who have betrayed you, along with the Black Armored Guards, are shouting at the gates.”

Jiang Qifu froze. “Prince Yong isn’t at the gate?”

The adviser was speechless. If Prince Yong himself were there, would they dare not open the gates?

“No sign of Prince Yong. He may have returned to Ju Prefecture.”

Seeing Jiang Qifu’s sleepy, sluggish appearance, the adviser felt hatred rise within him. Gongzhou had been flooded for half a month, yet this man continued to indulge in nightly pleasures.

Just last night, he had kept two of the most popular courtesans from the Music Bureau, playing until dawn.

“The other day, word came for you—Prince Yong rescued several officials in Yongzhou who had been framed by the Jiang clan. No one expected that he rescued the Du fellow as well.”

Jiang Qifu frowned. “Impossible. Wasn’t he exiled? I haven’t heard King Cheng say he was pardoned. Did Prince Yong take him out on his own? Even if he’s a prince, he has no right to release a convicted criminal.”

Jiang Qifu jumped up. “We cannot let him into the city! He’s a criminal—an escaped fugitive!”

The adviser spoke bitterly. “I just received news—the two concubines the Empress sent to Prince Yong include Du’s daughter, Du Yun.”

Jiang Qifu shrieked, “What? That little wench Du Yun? No wonder I couldn’t find her anywhere—she climbed into Mu Junyan’s bed! But how is that possible? Doesn’t Mu Junyan dislike women?”

“Yes, Prince Yong originally disdained them, but somehow the two were promoted to secondary consorts. And Du Yun’s status was restored—she is now a titled favored concubine. My lord, you must think carefully. They have Prince Yong as their backing.”

Jiang Qifu could no longer sit still.

“A favored concubine? You think that little slut will get Prince Yong to settle scores with me?”

The adviser was panicking too.

“Probably not to that extent… Prince Yong may hold military power, but when it comes to women… he’s always doted only on his princess.”

“Bah! Only one woman? Who’d believe that? Men—hmph!”

Jiang Qifu cursed as he summoned maids to help him dress.

“Once a man tastes such heavenly pleasure, how could he ever remain loyal to just one woman? Look at all those sanctimonious men who claim to have only one wife—don’t they all end up with rooms full of concubines? Whether you sleep with one or two makes no difference—soon it becomes three, four…”

The adviser silently agreed—indeed, that was how things usually went.

“Du Yun has just gained favor. At that fresh, exciting moment, men do go to extremes for beauty.”

Jiang Qifu stiffened. “Then what should we do?”

“Why not go take a look at the city gate first? If necessary, let them in for now. Treat them well. Once the chaos subsides, we can eliminate the father and daughter to prevent future trouble.”

With no better choice, Jiang Qifu nodded. “Then… let them in.”

The adviser went to handle it.

Jiang Qifu grabbed him again. “You said the Black Armored Guards are with him? How many Gongzhou officials?”

“Yes. Around a dozen Black Armored Guards.”

Jiang Qifu considered. “A dozen isn’t scary. We have ten thousand city guards. But we must not give that Du man a chance to turn over his case—otherwise, something big will happen.”

The adviser stiffened under his dark, chilling gaze.

Of course.

Jiang Qifu didn’t want just the man’s daughter—he coveted the prefect’s authority. As the richest man in Gongzhou, he still wasn’t satisfied—he wanted to make even more, such as siphoning public funds, grain, and salt.

If Du regained his position and investigated the accounts from the past few years, everything would be exposed.

“I will go personally.”

Once he personally opened the city gates and welcomed them in, he would be the one to decide whether they lived or died.