"We're not sure yet whether this person is a friend or a foe. But from his words and deeds, I don't sense any threat. Instead, I feel a bit of familiarity," said Helan Yanting.
"My lord, since this person is so strange, why not summon him and question him in detail? We can then figure out his origin and background," suggested Yan Qi.
Helan Yanting shook his head. "If he wants to talk, he'll tell us on his own. Here's what you do. Draw his portrait and send it to the others in the organization. Have them find out everything about this person and report back to me in detail."
Yan Qi nodded. "Yes, my lord. I'll go and do it right away!"
...
The news of Dongfang Qi's injury quickly reached the palace of the Dan Kingdom. At the moment he heard it, Emperor Dongfang Chuan's face darkened. He angrily threw the memorial on his desk.
"What on earth happened?! Are you all good-for-nothings? You couldn't even protect the crown prince! If anything happens to the crown prince, I'll have all of you buried with him!"
The soldiers who came to deliver the news knelt on the ground, kowtowing and not daring to breathe loudly. "Your Majesty, it was our negligence. We didn't expect that a masked military advisor would suddenly appear in the Yuan Kingdom's military camp. Although the advisor seemed weak, he was actually highly skilled in martial arts and especially proficient in using hidden weapons..."
"Besides, there was an ordinary soldier with amazing martial arts skills. He looked thin, but his movements were extremely swift. He was so good that he easily defeated Lieutenant Lin. This was really unexpected!"
Dongfang Chuan frowned. He scanned the kneeling soldiers coldly and then said thoughtfully, "A masked military advisor? An ordinary soldier with amazing skills? Who are they?"
"Your Majesty, we haven't found out their backgrounds yet. We may need some time for the investigation," replied the soldiers.
"Need some time? I've been supporting a bunch of useless fools like you, and this is all you can say? Find out everything about these two immediately. I'd like to see what tricks that old Helan in the Yuan Kingdom is up to!"
"Yes, Your Majesty! I'll go and investigate right away!"
"How serious is the crown prince's injury? Immediately send several highly skilled imperial doctors in the palace to the military camp. They must cure the crown prince's injury!"
"Your Majesty, don't worry. The poison in the crown prince's body has been neutralized, and his wound has been stitched up. He just needs to wait for the wound to heal. He's out of danger."
"None of you can ever let me worry less. What is the Yuan Kingdom? How dare they provoke our powerful Dan Kingdom? They're just overestimating themselves!"
Dongfang Chuan was still angry and a bit excited. After saying a few words, he started coughing. "Cough, cough, cough..." His body trembled slightly while coughing.
The grand eunuch, Gonggong Fu, immediately stepped forward with a teacup. "Your Majesty, please don't get so angry that you hurt your body. Have a cup of ginseng tea to calm down..."
"What are you still kneeling here for? You could have done a lot of things with this time!"
The kneeling soldiers quickly got up, bowed respectfully, and backed away. When they reached the door, the guard outside came in to report. "Your Majesty, the Queen wishes to see you."
"The Queen?" Dongfang Chuan was still coughing. A sickly blueish-white tint appeared on his face. He frowned slightly and said, "Let the Queen in."
Soon, Queen Zheng rushed into the hall.
"Your Majesty, how is the crown prince? I heard that the crown prince was seriously injured on the front line. I'm so worried!"
Dongfang Chuan looked at Queen Zheng. "Don't worry, my dear. Qi'er is out of danger. His wound has been treated in time."
"Your Majesty, who is so bold as to openly attack the crown prince?"
"I heard that a masked military advisor and a highly skilled soldier suddenly appeared in the Yuan Kingdom's military camp. I'm really curious to know who they are."
After hearing this, Queen Zheng seemed to be lost in thought. A cold light flashed across her eyes.
"A masked military advisor? Your Majesty, could this person be... Prince Helan?!"
"Absolutely not! That ungrateful Helan Yanting died in the dungeon long ago. His body has already been disposed of by the national advisor. It can't be him."
"Then... could it be his followers? They might be taking revenge on the crown prince in his name?"
"I'm not sure..."
Queen Zheng immediately grabbed Dongfang Chuan's hand. There was a hint of coldness in her expression. "Your Majesty, please make sure they protect the crown prince well! The crown prince is my own flesh and blood. If anything happens to him, I don't think I'll have the will to live..."
"Queen, what are you saying? Cough, cough, cough..." Dongfang Chuan frowned tightly. He looked at her with a somewhat dazed look in his eyes and patted her hand. "I'll never let anything happen to the crown prince."
The queen leaned into the emperor's arms, but there was a look of disgust on her face. "Your Majesty, I'm relieved to hear you say that..."
...
At the National Advisor's Mansion.
The news of the crown prince's injury spread like wildfire. As the great national advisor of the Dan Kingdom, Kong Ze naturally learned about it immediately. While the messenger was speaking, Feng Yunshu was engrossed in a game of Gomoku with Qing Zhu.
"Hey, Qing Zhu, how can you do this? I thought you were only good at playing Go. Why didn't you tell me you're also good at Gomoku?" Feng Yunshu looked at the chessboard on the table and pouted, complaining dissatisfiedly.
Xiao Ling was squatting beside them, watching with great interest. She didn't know how many games her mistress had lost, but she was sure of one thing: her mistress hadn't won a single game so far.
Seeing her mistress looking so aggrieved, Xiao Ling quickly turned to Kong Ze and made a face. "That's right! My mistress has been so nice to you. You should at least let her win once... You're so stupid!"
Qing Zhu looked at the mistress and maid with an innocent look on his face. "It's... it's my fault. I'm really sorry!"
"Come on, Yunshu. Let's play another game. I'll definitely let you win this time. I promise!"
Feng Yunshu gave him a disdainful look. "If you're going to let me win, don't say it out loud. Do you think I don't have any pride?"
Just as they were arguing noisily, Feng Yunshu heard someone speaking behind the screen. "Great National Advisor, news from the front line says that the crown prince has been injured! A masked military advisor and a highly skilled soldier suddenly appeared in the Yuan Kingdom's military camp. The emperor has summoned you to the palace to do some divination and discuss countermeasures."
Kong Ze frowned upon hearing this. "A masked military advisor... But when the crown prince is injured, there are doctors in the army to treat him. Moreover, I'm not familiar with military affairs. Why did the emperor summon me to the palace?"
The messenger shook his head. "I don't know, Your Excellency. I'm just here to deliver the emperor's order. I know nothing else."
Kong Ze nodded. "I understand. You can go back now. Tell the emperor that I'll enter the palace immediately."
After the messenger left, Feng Yunshu jumped out from behind the screen and rushed in front of Kong Ze. She looked at him excitedly. "Senior brother, senior brother. I just heard that person say that a masked military advisor appeared in the Yuan Kingdom's military camp, right?"
Kong Ze nodded. "Yes, it's true."
When Feng Yunshu heard this, the image of Helan Yanting wearing a mask immediately popped into her mind. Considering that Helan Yanting was the second prince of the Yuan Kingdom, could it be possible...