Post the announcement, notify the entire city, and ensure that the message is well received.
This was the first step they needed to take; to avoid potential uncontrollable consequences due to a leak of information. Gongsun Jun would have to write the announcement himself, while Yexiao and Li Gongming were not without tasks to do.
Guided by Huo Ling in writing the announcement(?), Yexiao and Li Gongming worked together to arrange everything meticulously, preventing any unexpected occurrences, and planning how to deal with the consequences of any unforeseen events.
Yexiao was busy making arrangements, Li Gongming was busy doing things, Gongsun Jun was busy writing, and Huo Ling was busy... being their guiding light.
With the crown prince present, hearts were settled.
Everyone agreed on this point without any disagreement, indeed.
Gongsun Jun took an entire afternoon to modify the article according to Huo Ling's requirements, and every draft was different from the last.
Despite not showing any unusual reactions, when he handed the fifth revised article to Huo Ling, he subtly indicated his respect and admiration for the crown prince— the fact that even Councilor Li and Commander Yexiao agreed with this article showed his deep reverence for the crown prince, much like the surging Yellow River flowing into the sea, never to return.
Sitting back in his chair, Huo Ling glanced down at the article in his hand, then looked up at Gongsun Jun, who still appeared calm, and unconsciously finished reading the article.
Huo Ling's requirements were not high— to write in a way that common people could understand and also diminish his excessive presence. Having at least five out of ten words not involve him was enough.
However—
This approach didn't explicitly praise him throughout, but reading the words made him feel irresistibly proud, as if it were describing "Your Highness, you're amazing" in every way... Huo Ling thought of a certain person still in his studies at the Imperial Library.
Even though they were different people, with different attitudes, thoughts, and writing styles, the underlying principle remained the same.
—Did Gongsun Jun want to suck up to him?
Wasn't Gongsun Jun always disapproving of his idleness? How could he possibly want to flatter him? Had pride been swallowed by "General" Gongsun? No, no, no, there was a conspiracy here. Definitely a conspiracy.
Quietly sizing up Gongsun Jun in front of him, Huo Ling, without noticing anything out of the ordinary, pursed his lips and decisively crumpled the article in his hand and threw it at Gongsun Jun. "Re-write it!"
After catching the crumpled paper thrown at him, Gongsun Jun calmly expressed his leave.
In the end, Huo Ling never figured out whether Gong Sunxun wanted to flatter him or the reason for always writing about him as the core, whether there was a hidden conspiracy in it... As for Gong Sunxun, he went to write the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth drafts requested by Huo Ling.
It wasn't until the tenth time that Huo Ling expressed satisfaction.
At that time, Gong Sunxun could not even maintain a smile, and when speaking to Huo Ling, he would remain silent, fearing that opening his mouth would reveal his resentment and cause Huo Ling to continue making changes.
Finally, after getting Huo Ling's nod and after Ye Xiao and Li Gongming made the necessary arrangements, Gong Sunxun's notice was finally posted. The people of Yanchi County learned that the sacred dragon would appear in five days, and the prince had ordered a temporary withdrawal from Yanchi.
Had the flood receded only to bring another dire sign? The people, too anxious to pay attention, were instructed to pack up and leave the city under the looming presence of embroidered spring knives and white bronze knives, unable to voice their doubts and speculations.
The embroidered spring knives belonged to the Jin Yi Wei, while the white bronze knives belonged to the army that Huo Ling borrowed from Ye Xiao. Under strong intimidation, no one dared to oppose, and no one dared to complain openly. Those who were reluctant to give up their land, houses, and various belongings and were not prepared to leave, were swiftly knocked unconscious by the Jin Yi Wei and soldiers and carried out of the city by their families - causing trouble and letting them carry the burdens? What a beautiful thought.
All the people of Yanchi County retreated to a place seventy li outside the city, where they anxiously waited for five days.
On the fifth day, the sky did not fall, the earth did not crack, but instead it was clear and sunny, the breeze gentle and refreshing.
There were no strange signs, let alone natural disasters.
Most people fell into doubt, feeling deceived and completely baffled as to why they were put through all of this. Many could not help but secretly curse the prince as a fool, and rumors even began circulating among the people, suggesting that the current prince could not compare to the previous one.
When these rumors reached Huo Ling's ears, he was busy reassuring the suddenly restless "General." He did not care about such trivial matters.
The "General" was acting strangely recently and became particularly restless. Only when Huo Ling was present could he be contained; even Ye Xiao was of no use.
Patting the rare moment of the quiet "General," Huo Ling absentmindedly smoothed the shiny fur, indicating to Ye Xiao who had come to report, "Let them go. It's as if they think that if they say so, I won't be the prince anymore." If the people could really do this, he should be grateful to them.
Of course, the latter part of that statement was just Huo Ling thinking and was not actually said out loud.
Struggling to suppress the urge to tidy up Huo Ling's clothes, Ye Xiao insisted on the matter at hand. "Your Highness, have you forgotten that day?"
"Huh?" Huo Ling subconsciously turned to Ye Xiao and blinked. "That day? What day?"
With an expressionless face, Ye Xiao stared into Huo Ling's eyes and nodded lightly.
Blinking a couple of times, Huo Ling suddenly realized, "You mean...?" He had simply said it casually without thinking that there would actually be someone hiding among the people.
Ye Xiao nodded again.
"Impossible, right?" Huo Ling was skeptical. "I'm not that sharp... no, I'm not that accurate." His father and Ye Xiao might believe him when he said something without evidence, but why would this actually happen?
Since becoming the prince, Huo Ling found that he could no longer speak casually and it troubled him.
Ye Xiao calmly asked, "What do you think?"
Unable to come up with a response, Huo Ling was the first to look away. He stood up, brushed off the dust and dog hair from his hands, and boldly delegated power to Ye Xiao, "In that case, do as you wish. It's fine if you can't find anything, and it's okay even if you make a mistake."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Apart from dealing with the rumors, Ye Xiao also needed to ensure that there were no consequences of the "Earth Dragon" turning over and causing trouble. He was busier than anyone else. However, before leaving, Ye Xiao did not forget his "insistence."
Under Huo Ling's puzzled gaze, Ye Xiao approached and not only tidied up his clothing but also removed the dog hair from his head.
Huo Ling: "..." Speechless, he could only smile.
Facing Ye Xiao's indifferent but patient and meticulous gestures, Huo Ling subconsciously stood up straight, maintaining his posture until the other party busied themselves with other matters and completely disappeared from his sight, only then did Huo Ling finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Huo Ling let out a breath of relief that was too obvious, catching the attention of Li Gongming who was standing nearby. But instead of being curious about the relationship between Huo Ling and Ye Xiao, he was more curious about the "that day" that they discussed, feeling that something uncontrollable had occurred. Considering the recent events surrounding the former prince Huo Li, and looking at Huo Ling's current situation, the old fox who had been in the officialdom for many years began to suspect why he had recommended the current prince to Yanchi County in the first place.
Before he could make sense of this, Huo Ling turned around and confronted Li Gongming, who had not had a chance to conceal his suspicion. "Why do you have such a strange look in your eyes?"
"Are you suspecting that there's something hidden between me and Ye Xiao? Let me tell you, although I used to be a troublemaker and indulged in causing mischief, you cannot doubt my loyalty to my wife Anyue, nor can you doubt Ye Xiao's character!"
Li Gongming looked completely lost and had no idea what Huo Ling was talking about. "...Your Highness?"
His performance only further misled Huo Ling, who was so frustrated that he stomped his foot. "Ye Xiao and I don't have the kind of relationship that 'shares a bed and cuts a peach'!"
Li Gongming was even more puzzled, "Cuts a peach?" He had said nothing during the whole interaction, and now the prince was saying all these strange things.
"My relationship with Ye Xiao is pure!"
Huo Ling became even angrier and marched towards Li Gongming, intending to set the record straight with facts and logic. However, before he could lift his foot, a "woof" suddenly sounded, and he was tackled to the ground by the "General."
Before Huo Ling could push away the "General" pinning him down, a thunderclap suddenly resounded in the clear sky. This sight shocked Huo Ling: at a distance of less than a foot from him, the ground cracked, creating a gap just big enough for him to step into.
Sentence by sentence translation is as follows:
One sentence followed by another, one voice followed by another, the common people were in a state of excitement, as if Huo Ling had done something worthy of death.
Raising his hand to stop the deputy's report, Ye Xiao carried the embroidery knife on his shoulder, expressionless, and walked around the crowd who were spreading rumors, and suddenly it became quiet where his gaze passed.
As his gaze swept to a certain man, Ye Xiao's wrist turned, and the embroidery knife chopped off the man's head.
Ye Xiao was quick with his knife and quick to retreat, not a drop of blood splattered on him, but several idle men nearby who took the opportunity to stir up trouble were splashed with blood, and one of them, too excited to close his mouth, accidentally swallowed a mouthful of blood.
"Ah!!"
"Ugh!"
The crowd either screamed, vomited, looked frightened and uneasy, and the scene suddenly became chaotic, but Ye Xiao's cold snort...calmed the chaotic scene again in an instant.
His appearance subdued the scene, Ye Xiao's presence disrupted the plans of some people. Occasionally, an inadvertent eye contact or a slight shake of the head, and they changed their original plans because of Ye Xiao's presence.
It seemed that Ye Xiao had done nothing just now, his expression unchanged, and with a slight movement of his gaze, he casually picked up the head on the ground with the embroidery knife, lazily looking at the suddenly quiet crowd, "Anything else?" It's fine if these brainless people followed others blindly, but did they think that the reputation of the Brocade Guards was just a result of hearsay?
No one answered Ye Xiao, some even smelled a stench of urine that couldn't cover the smell of blood, and didn't know if it was their own or someone else's.
Casually holding the head, Ye Xiao didn't care if anyone answered, he directly turned to his subordinate and ordered, "Those who disturb the people and disrupt the order, execute without mercy."
"Yes."
At Ye Xiao's command, the Brocade Guards and Lu army, who could have used the back of their swords, unsheathed their swords.
In the sunlight, the gleaming blades shone brightly, dazzling enough to hurt the eyes of onlookers.
Now, no one dared to speak out of turn.
The effect of killing the chicken to warn the monkey was significant, even after Ye Xiao had left, no one dared to act rashly.
Carrying the head, Ye Xiao entered his own tent, and as soon as he entered, he threw the head in his hand into the arms of his deputy, Du Yu, and said coldly, "Accept the punishment."
"My lord?"
Catching the head thrown by Ye Xiao, Du Yu was somewhat puzzled, completely unaware of what he had done wrong.
Lifting the curtain, Ye Xiao sat down in a chair, and without changing his expression, motioning to Du Yu, "Take a closer look."
Subconsciously lowering his head to look at the head in his hands, Du Yu furrowed his brows at first, then his expression changed from puzzlement to realization and then back to puzzlement...the change in his expression was so fast that his body couldn't keep up with his mind.
Ignoring the sudden twitch of his eye, Du Yu hastily followed his own discovery to tear off the thin mask on the face of the head, and remove the thing on its forehead and nose that felt like dough.
After wiping the blood off his face with a handkerchief, a face belonging to a different ethnic group appeared before his eyes.
"The people from the Northern Border?!"
Du Yu thought it was a person from the Great Zhou dynasty hiding his identity, but he hadn't expected to find someone from the Northern Border. Instantly realizing his mistake and understanding that there was a bigger conspiracy behind it, he quickly knelt down and begged for forgiveness from Ye Xiao, "My lord, I have committed a mistake."
The person that Ye Xiao had killed had a public identity as a foreign merchant, and Du Yu had occasionally come into contact with him, but he had not found anything unusual, and had even bought things from him, who would have known there was a hidden plot.
He was extremely regretful, but what he feared more was that Ye Xiao would give up on him. While willingly accepting punishment, Du Yu also did not forget to express his loyalty to Ye Xiao, "Please give me another chance, my lord."
"Mm." Ye Xiao hadn't made up his mind to give up on Du Yu, "Go and find out what's going on." Hopefully it wouldn't be as he thought, that if the Prince Zhao's illegitimate child was really mixed up with the people from the Northern Border...then that guy would deserve to die a thousand deaths.
If that was true, he would have to carefully consider whether to follow the Emperor's advice and train Huo Ling. If the people from the Northern Border were really involved, there would be too many variables.
Thinking this, Ye Xiao waved to Du Yu, "Go and take your punishment."
"Yes, my lord."
Du Yu respectfully agreed, but did not move a step.
"Hmm?" Ye Xiao raised his head to look at Du Yu, "Anything else?"
"My lord, may I ask you a question?"
Ye Xiao nonchalantly responded, "Go ahead."
"How did you know this person had a problem?" Du Yu shook the head in his hand.
The other party hid so perfectly, not even their disguise was so subtle that it couldn't be discovered without meticulous observation, how did Ye Xiao find out? Wasn't he afraid of making a mistake?
Unable to figure it out after much thought, Du Yu ultimately had to give up thinking, and chose to ask Ye Xiao directly.
Seeing Du Yu's genuine and sincere curiosity, feeling that the other party still needed more experience, Ye Xiao sighed inwardly, but calmly gave him the answer, "The ear piercings."
Why would a man have ear piercings?
Why would a merchant have calluses on his hands, characteristic of someone skilled in archery?
Why would a person from the Great Zhou dynasty have a smell of sheep?
The moment he found something amiss, Ye Xiao raised his hand to strike, not giving the other party any time to react. This was to test those who hadn't shown their tails yet, and also to deter the ignorant people who wanted to seek justice from the prince.
It turned out that for once, his acting on instinct, like Huo Ling, had worked quite well.
Ye Xiao stood up, took a step ahead of Du Yu to the tent's entrance, then turned to look at Du Yu, and recognizing that his actions were to his liking, Ye Xiao unusually added, "There's no perfect disguise, only eyes not sharp enough."
If Huo Ling had been there, he would have patted Du Yu on the shoulder, and with a mischievous smile, he would have explained to Ye Xiao the reason behind his words—that was because Ye Xiao is the Commander, without him, you are nothing.
Fortunately, Huo Ling wasn't there, so Du Yu wasn't subjected to the taunt, and now he felt even more respectful towards Ye Xiao, "Thank you for your guidance." He would strive, at least not being inferior to that guy who flaunted every time he pried open Li Yuemue's mouth once.
"Mm."
Ye Xiao lightly nodded, then lifted the curtain and walked out directly.
Suddenly staggering, before Ye Xiao could doubt his own skills, a bolt from the blue interrupted him.
The heavens and the earth tore apart, but it was only a moment.
Yexiao's pupils contracted slightly. After quickly instructing Du Yu to help maintain order with the Lu army, he hurried in the direction of Huo Ling and Li Gongming.
"Anyone can die, but the Crown Prince cannot."
Even though Yexiao knew that Huo Ling was accompanied by enough guards, he still wanted to see for himself that Huo Ling was safe.
When Yexiao set off, a group of people also followed in the direction of Huo Ling. They had originally come to Yanchi County to fish in troubled waters, but who knew that because of the disordered Crown Prince, their plans were disrupted. However, this unexpected "opportunity" compensated for their disappointment.
As for what to do after finding the Crown Prince in the chaos?
They didn't know because their leader had already been taken down by Yexiao. Before they could even spot Yexiao, he had already noticed them. After considering for only three seconds, he emerged with his embroidered spring knife, blocking their path.
"Want to harm His Highness?" Yexiao sneered, pushing an assailant into a sudden crack in the ground. He rarely raised a shallow smile and said, "You'll have to step over my dead body."
Despite being delayed by these people, Yexiao's actions became even more ruthless.
In the end, aside from him, no one was left standing.
Gripping the embroidered spring knife, Yexiao looked at the bodies on the ground and couldn't help but sigh, "What a pity."
Without any survivors, he hoped that the trail wouldn't disappear with him.
...
Amidst the chaos on Yexiao's side, things were not much better elsewhere.
At the moment of the earth shaking, screams and noise erupted together.
Some people cried because they had lost their homes.
Some rejoiced because they were still alive.
Some were grief-stricken because they had been unlucky enough to be swallowed by the "earth dragon."
Joy and sorrow unfolded in this fleeting moment.
Elderly people, on their knees, begged for divine mercy. Those who had once doubted the Crown Prince repeatedly kowtowed in the direction of His Highness, expressing their gratitude. Women held their children, crying and yet relieved. A scholarly man, who had spent his life studying noble principles, raised his hands high, exclaiming "a miracle"... The myriad expressions of life.
They all had one thing in common: at the moment when the world changed color, they all unconsciously thought of the Crown Prince, Huo Ling.
Seventy miles from Yanchi County, this place had already become so dreadful. No one dared to imagine what the situation was like at the center, Yanchi County.
So, in this moment of chaos, what about Huo Ling, who was on the minds of numerous common people?
Protected by the "Grand General," Huo Ling struggled to free one hand, but the "Grand General" firmly pressed it back down. After several fruitless attempts, Huo Ling ultimately had to give up and let it be.
"You wait and see." Daring to challenge the "Grand Brother" despite being well-built? Not bad!
"Woof!"
The "Grand General" not only remained unmoved but also shifted position, further shielding Huo Ling.
When the sensation subsided, the "Grand General" shook its ear and only then did it dismount from Huo Ling.
Before Huo Ling could show a joyful expression, the collar of his clothes was caught by the "Grand General." Leaping over the cracks on the ground, the mastiff let Huo Ling experience the sensation of flying, and also led him to join Li Gongming and others.
Later, although they encountered a few minor mishaps, the fact that their location was open meant that they only encountered some flying debris and stones, allowing them the rare opportunity to witness the spectacle of the "earth dragon's" upheaval.
As Yexiao, covered in blood, approached with the embroidered spring knife, Huo Ling was lost in thought while cradling the "Grand General."
The feeling of watching a crack one foot wide open and then close within the time it takes for a joss stick to burn—what was it like?
Regret, nothing but regret remained.
Why hadn't they retreated seventy miles instead of a hundred, or even farther?
End of