Chapter 248: Chapter 248. Deep Into The Enemy’s Den
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Ji Shuisheng followed Saiya to Tartan. Along the way, Saiya chirped non-stop like a cheerful bird, and Ji Shuisheng encouraged her to talk.
“Princess, why have the Tartan soldiers attacked Mo City these past few days?”
“Attack Mo City? That’s impossible. My Imperial Father has ordered that as long as the Xiao Family’s army is around, they are not allowed to attack the Great Xia Kingdom.”
Saiya looked at Ji Shuisheng with big amber eyes and tilted her head in confusion.
“The Tartan soldiers attacked Mo City for two days in a row.”
Ji Shuisheng did not believe Saiya’s words. How could the ruler of a country not know about the mobilization of so many troops?
Military horses were not something that anyone could casually mobilize! Without the emperor’s order, they would not rashly attack other countries.
“My Imperial Father is seriously ill, and the one taking over the state affairs is my Eldest Imperial Brother.”
When Saiya mentioned her father’s illness, her bright eyes were filled with sadness. Her father doted on her the most, but he was always sleeping when she went to see him.
“I see.”
Ji Shuisheng finally understood. It turned out that the old emperor was sick, and the First Prince was in charge of the government—no wonder the Tartan soldiers had suddenly invaded.
“Why did your eldest royal brother hit us?”
Ji Shuisheng wanted to understand the Eldest Prince’s personality. The Great Xia Kingdom would be a disaster if the Tartan Kingdom had a new emperor.
“Eldest Imperial Brother loves to fight.”
Saiya pouted and said about her eldest brother. He had been provoking wars everywhere for several years. When his father was not sick, he often proposed to attack the Great Xia Kingdom. Without his father’s approval, he would attack other small countries.
He was indeed a warmonger!
Ji Shuisheng confirmed his guess.
He could not let this warlike First Prince live if he wanted to gain a foothold in the borders.
He spent the rest of the journey thinking about how to get rid of the First Prince. The first thing he thought of was an assassination, which was unrealistic.
This was the Tartan Kingdom, and there were Tartan soldiers everywhere. The First Prince was a person who made enemies around, so his defenses were tight. It would be difficult even to approach him, let alone assassinate him.
Therefore, he still had to work on Saiya. As long as she could lure the First Prince out, it would be easy to assassinate him.
However, assassination was the worst option. The best option was to use the internal conflicts of their country to get rid of the First Prince.
Since ancient times, the princes had always fought for the throne ruthlessly. Since they were born into the royal family, they wanted to sit in the highest position.
The current dog Emperor of the Great Xia Kingdom had used extreme methods to usurp the throne. He had placed the Crown Prince under house arrest in the Great Brightness Palace and became the Emperor himself. As long as any ministers in the court objected, they would all be killed by him.
Including his father. Because he was loyal to the king, patriotic, and had outstanding military achievements, the dog Emperor feared his father would support the Crown Prince. He tricked him back to the capital and persecuted him to death.
He believed that Tartan was the same. As long as the old emperor had other sons and the heir to the throne was not confirmed, the other princes would be restless and want to replace him.
What he needed to do was to find this person and sow discord between them. Only then would Mo City and Jingshi Dao develop peacefully in the next two years. If they fought among themselves, they would not have the time to invade the Great Xia Kingdom.
As long as he had two years, he could revive the Xiao Family Army and let the people of Jingshi Dao and Mo City live and work peacefully.
With such thoughts in mind, Ji Shuisheng casually chatted about the other princes on the way. Saiya answered whatever he asked and was not on guard against Ji Shuisheng.
Ji Shuisheng figured out the situation of these princes of Tartar and realized that the one with the most ability to snatch the throne was the Second Prince, Saiya’s biological brother.
Because their mother was the current Empress, and the Great Prince’s mother was the Empress of the old emperor.
Although the First Prince and the Second Prince were both legitimate children, the First Prince was still the son of the former Empress. According to the seniority, he should inherit the throne.
However, the Second Prince had strong backing. His mother was the current Empress and the old Emperor’s beloved. As long as the current Empress kept talking to him, the Emperor’s heart would be biased toward the Second Prince.
Furthermore, the Queen’s mother’s clan’s power was not underestimated in Tartan. Naturally, they wanted to support the Second Prince, who was related to them by blood. With such a strong background, they naturally believed that only they were qualified to ascend to the highest position and were a strong competitor for the First Prince.
Since he was confident that the Second Prince was a strong opponent for the First Prince, Ji Shuisheng wanted to understand the Second Prince better. He asked Saiya,
“Does your second brother like to fight?”
“My second brother also likes to fight.”
Saiya pouted her little red lips. The men of Tartan were all courageous, and so was her second brother.
“Oh!”
Ji Shuisheng frowned slightly, but this did not stop him from making enemies for the First Prince. If two warmongers fought to the death for the throne, their national strength would be significantly weakened, and he could benefit from it and catch his breath.
“Princess!”
Saiya’s horse had been scared away by the wolves, and they could only walk back to the City. After walking for a few hours, they saw a girl from Tartar riding over with a team of guards.
“My men are here.”
Saiya smiled at Ji Shuisheng when she saw them. The wind blew her hair, and the white fox fur on her collar made her face look even more beautiful and delicate. Her smile was bright and sunny, and her amber eyes shone like gemstones. She was a woman as passionate as the sun.
“Yes.”
Ji Shuisheng nodded. He had been looking for Su Qing along the way but had not seen her. It seemed that he could only go deep into Tartan to find Su Qing. Since Saiya was a princess, he could openly enter Tartan.
“Princess, where did you go?”
The servant girl Du Juan jumped off the horse and ran to Saiya’s side with tears in her eyes.
If something happened to the princess, her entire family would be buried with her.
“Why are you crying?”
Saiya furrowed her beautiful eyebrows, not wanting Du Juan to cry anymore.
“You two, give me the horses.”
Saiya arrogantly ordered the guards, and they did not dare to disobey. If they did not listen to the princess, they would be whipped, and if they did, they would be killed.
“Let’s ride.”
Saiya glared at the guard coldly. When she turned to look at Ji Shuisheng, her face was as bright as a flower, and her voice unconsciously became gentle.
“Can you ride a horse? If not, 1 can carry you.”
Saiya jumped onto the horse with the stirrups and smiled at Ji Shuisheng. She even patted the seat in front of her.
“Yes.”
Ji Shuisheng was expressionless as he pulled the reins and flew onto the horse. The horse on the grassland was indeed strong. Its four hooves kept kicking and neighing. The reddish-brown fur on the back of the horse was shiny. It was a good horse at a glance.
“Then let’s go!”
Seeing Ji Shuisheng’s unrestrained posture, Saiya’s beautiful big eyes flashed with admiration. It was rare for her to reveal a shy expression. She clamped her legs on the horse’s back, and the whip sounded crisp. Hearing the whip, the date-red horse instinctively galloped. Saiya’s red cloak was blown up by the wind and looked wild.
Ji Shuisheng rode his horse and followed Saiya to Tartan.
As he entered Tartan, Ji Shuisheng couldn’t help but look around. He hoped to see Su Qing in the crowd, but unfortunately, he didn’t see any Central Plainsmen.
Ji Shuisheng’s heart was burning with anxiety, and his eyes were filled with fear.. Where did Su Qing go? Did she encounter danger?
