Together, Ling Zhang and his father walked to the side hall which Yuwen Tong, Ji Yin and the other four were already in.

They all took their seats at the dinner table and, after the welcome reception, transferred to the study.

"This time around, the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom joined hands to attack us and their massive armies are advancing towards the border as we speak. I have to pay a visit to the border encampment. There's no doubt that troublesome problems will arise in the capital city after I leave, and there's also the issue of the ongoing rebellion in Cangzhou. The other sides might try to stir up trouble as well."

Standing in front of a map, Yuwen Tong marked all the strategically important areas with big circles.

"I've already had Yue Qi bring some men to Cangzhou to aid the General Zhongwu (AKA the General of Loyalty and Valor). They will do their best to keep the fighting from spilling over into areas outside Cangzhou. Except for Cangzhou, Jiangzhou is the closest to the capital city and the garrison there is the most likely to take action. The garrison of Shengzhou have secretly moved southward on my orders and are ready to intercept them. They won't let them approach the capital city. As regards the south... our biggest problem in the south is the troops stationed in the south-west. The south-west garrison are the farthest away from this city, and it's the most inconvenient for them to come compared with armies in other cities, but if they do decide to come to the north, it will be a trouble. I've also taken some precautions against that possibility, making sure that they won't make it out of the south-west before I return if they make their move.

Of course, the best-case scenario would be for all these three forces to be overpowered by the time I return from the north-west."

"Whom will you send to the south?" Ling Zhang asked him.

Yuwen Tong gave a smile and looked at Ling Zhaowu, who answered for him, "He Xiao."

Ling Zhang's eyes widened with astonishment. "He Xiao?!"

Wasn't He Xiao on bad terms with Yuwen Tong? He had always been worried about what this person might do in Tanyang, but Yuwen Tong had mysteriously told him several times that such worries of his were unnecessary. He had thought that Yuwen Tong had made some other arrangements, but it'd never crossed his mind that He Xiao had been working for Yuwen Tong!

Ling Zhang was just as astounded as he'd been the day when it came to his knowledge that the Right Prime Minister was actually on Yuwen Tong's side as well.

"You..." Ling Zhang looked incredulously at Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong said, "That was not really an intentional arrangement. The relations between me and He Xiao are known to very few. The original reason why the two of us put on that act in the first place was to help He Xiao get an opportunity to pursue his talents. After all, he would never have been appointed to a position of responsibility had the emperor found out about his relations with me. The Right Prime Minister took my side because of the arrangements I made in the capital city a few years ago after the spate of postponements of the delivery of provisions for the army in the north-west which nearly caused them to be exterminated. My original intention was merely to make sure the North-western Army would never be short of provisions again. It was in that year that he, Zhao Zheng and Shi Zhong the current Assistant Minister of Revenue started climbing up the hierarchy. As for the General Zhongwu and other officials that are covertly or overtly in support of me, most of them had dealings with my grandfather in the past. The North-western Army is huge, and at least one third, if not half, of the imperial court are related to it. If I'm to guarantee that our military operations in the north-west wouldn't be hindered by our own people, I'll have to make sure that these officials on the home front do their jobs, so I put a lot of effort into it. I never thought that one day these resources would be used in this way. It counts as a great help to me."

In fact, recently Ling Zhang had come to understand what his grandfather had meant by saying "That Yuwen boy's got a lot of tricks up his sleeves'. He was indeed quite cunning, far more cunning than he'd expected. Humph.

Yuwen Tong unnoticeably stroked Ling Zhang's back in an effort to placate him.

Ling Zhaowu tossed them a glance and then looked away from them.

He recalled some things... In a sense, he knew Yuwen Tong better than any of these people present, and had guessed that Yuwen Tong had already had everything well planned out in advance.

At this time, Ji Yin said, "Then how to handle these people in the capital city is the only thing to be discussed."

Yuwen Tong inclined his head, secretly withdrew his hand and said, "There will definitely be unforeseen events as soon as I leave. There are two underage princes. Zhou Ming'an the Eighth Prince is ten years old. His mother is the Concubine Jin whose father is Fang Quan. The reason why Fang Quan has never exhibited his abilities in the imperial court is because he didn't have the chance owing to the previous domination of the five adult princes: the Crown Prince, the King Duan, the King Hui, the King Yu and the Sixth Prince, but now all his obstacles have been removed. Although my intention is pretty obvious, he won't give up without putting up a fight, which is why I hope you will offer me some help after I leave this city, Mr. Ji."

Ji Yin gave a nod. "Just tell me what you need me to do."

Yuwen Tong briefed them on his plan. Both Ji Yin's and Ling Zhaowu's face went grave, and at the same time they were secretly taken aback by Yuwen Tong's watertight design. From the vantage point of the present, Fang Quan didn't have a snowball's chance in hell of winning, no matter what he did. Instead, if he took action, he would be doing Yuwen Tong a big favor, eliminating all Yuwen Tong's hidden enemies.

"And I also have to ask you to keep Brother Zhang and my granduncle's family safe," said Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang said, "I can protect myself, and I'll take care of your granduncle's family."

Yuwen Tong gave a smile. Although he'd been oozing confidence when he was telling them his plan, there was worry in his eyes when he looked at Ling Zhang. If he had a choice, he definitely wouldn't part from Ling Zhang, especially in these circumstances.

"What about your uncle's family? Do you want us to keep an eye on them?" asked Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong gave it some thought and then replied, "If they're sensible enough to lay low and stay out of trouble, help them survive; if they're not, they'd have only themselves to blame for their doom."

Ling Zhang said, "I see. I'll play it by ear."

Holding his hand, Yuwen Tong kept silent for a few moments and then exhorted, "Please be really, really cautious. Everything I did was to build a future for us, so you must stay safe. Otherwise all my previous efforts would be for nothing."

Ling Zhang gripped his hand and gazed earnestly at him, "You must stay safe as well."

"Ahem, ahem," Ji Yin softly coughed, reminding the two of them about the presence of their elders.

Ling Zhang came back to his senses and released his grip, embarrassed.

Yuwen Tong, however, appeared quite collected and continued confiding his arrangements to them.

...

The supplies to be transported to the north-west weren't ready yet, but Yuwen Tong had to set out on the journey first.

The next day, Yuwen Tong would exit the city and depart for the north-west. This was his last night in the capital city, and during the day he had gone to the imperial palace and then the Right Prime Minister's residence, and it'd been after dusk that he returned.

The atmosphere in the city was still tense and subdued. News of the allied forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom massing at the border had spread through the whole city; the deceased former emperor's coffin was still in the imperial palace, waiting to be transferred to the imperial mausoleum; meanwhile, the rebellion in Cangzhou was still ongoing... Not only were officials having apprehensive faces in court meetings, common citizens were also in panic and fear. Soldiers on patrol could be seen on the streets from time to time, but there were very few ordinary residents walking outdoors.

"Have you got everything arranged?" Ling Zhang, who had been waiting in the corridor, hurried up to Yuwen Tong at the sight of him coming back.

Yuwen Tong bobbed his head. "All arrangements have been made. You'll have to handle the rest of it."

Yuwen Tong would put Ling Zhang in charge of his whole intelligence network in the capital city, and Ling Zhang would be the only one with the authority to mobilize the resources. Yue Qi had secretly led a group of men to Cangzhou, and staying in the capital city were Zhang Liu, Miao Shisan and Miao Shiba. All the others would go to the north-west with Yuwen Tong, including Yao Yi and Xie Shi.

"Miao Shisan has taken over the intelligence network in this city for some time. He should be able to answer all your questions."

Ling Zhang inclined his head and said, "I'll be careful. I've had Wang Qing prepare a batch of precious vulneraries and life-saving drugs. The most important ones have been put into several boxes. You may carry them with you. As for those less important ones, I'll have them delivered there."

Yuwen Tong said, "Okay."

"And..." Ling Zhang suddenly fished out a pamphlet and handed it to Yuwen Tong. "These are the diagrams of the formations that I recalled afterwards as well as the formations that my grandfather taught me in the Millennium Pavilion after I consulted him. I've checked them all, and I think a couple of them should be useful to you."

Yuwen Tong took it and his eyes brightened after he ran an eye over it. "This is pretty good stuff. It'll be a great help to me."

"It's just that your troops might not be able to master these formations in a hurry. It'll take some time," observed Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong gave a smile. "Don't worry. There are a lot of people adept at formations in the army, and there are also soldiers who have received special training. They'll get the hang of it soon enough."

"I'm glad to hear that," said Ling Zhang.

Yuwen Tong put an icy cold little thing into his hand and said under his breath, "This is half of the commander's seal for dispatching the Northern City Garrison Battalion. The Right Prime Minister has the other half of it. Although I have faith in them, you're the one I trust the most. If anything unforeseen happens – and that's a big if – this half of the commander's seal will prove useful. You've made the acquaintance of the commander and the deputy commander of the Northern City Garrison Battalion. Both of them knew about the relations between us. As long as you show this thing to them, they will help you."

Ling Zhang tightened his grip on the half of the commander's seal in his hand and said in a deep voice, "I see."

Having finished talking about this matter, the two of them cuddled in the corridor of their courtyard house.

This was Yuwen Tong's last night in this residence. All necessary arrangements made, this was the time he could spend alone with Ling Zhang, and nobody would disturb them.

"I really hope all this would end very quick, so that I would be able to return very soon. We're going to get married after I come back," said Yuwen Tong.

"Get married?" With his head rested on Yuwen Tong's shoulder, Ling Zhang smiled, "Shouldn't you put this country under your dominion as soon as possible, stabilize the situation and then get to the top of the hierarchy?"

"The highest position pales into insignificance compared to us getting married. Our wedding is of the utmost importance, and nothing takes precedence over it. I'll return to this city before the auspicious date we picked."

Ling Zhang held him tight. "You taking care of yourself is the most important thing, because you staying safe is the precondition of the well-being of the rest of us."

Yuwen Tong planted a kiss on his cheek and responded in a low and deep voice, "I know."

"There's so much I want to talk with you about," said Ling Zhang.

"Um," said Yuwen Tong, "I know that. I promise I'll come back in one piece."

In the past, the capital city had never struck Yuwen Tong as home when he'd returned from the borderlands. In his heart of hearts, the encampment of the North-western Army had been his home, the place where he'd belonged. However, now the situation had been reversed. Never had he ever felt so eager to stay in the capital city. This place where Ling Zhang was had replaced the encampment of the North-western Army as his home, so he would do everything within his power to come back here safe and sound.

Someone was waiting for him to come home – someone he was going to marry.

Yuwen Tong had set off for the north-west. It'd been before dawn and shortly after the city gates opened that he exited the city, followed by Yao Yi and some others, galloping straight towards the north-west.

Watching the end of the road in the distance where Yuwen Tong's receding back had disappeared, Ling Zhang stood on the spot, feeling as though he didn't have any insides, as though his heart had left with Yuwen Tong and probably wouldn't return to his chest until Yuwen Tong came back.

"Have faith in him. With you waiting here for him, he will come back safe and sound." Ji Yin reached out his hand and patted his shoulder.

Ling Zhang twisted his head around. "Grandfather."

"All we need to do is keep the situation in this city in check. This place will be your foundation, your headquarters. He's gone to the north-west, and you could contribute to your future by removing the obstacles in your way," Ji Yin continued.

Ling Zhang inclined his head. "I understand."

"Then cheer up. The moment that Yuwen boy left, I sensed that there were a lot more spies out there staking out this compound. They're already making their move," said Ji Yin.

Face darkening, Ling Zhang looked through the front gates of the residential compound.

...

In the Fang Mansion, the residence of Fang Quan, the Eighth Prince's grandfather.

"Your Lordship, Yuwen Tong has exited the city. Presently, Ling Zhang and some guards are the only ones left in the Ling Mansion."

"Humph, good! This is virtually a godsend. It is as though the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom had specially dispatched their armies here for our gain. I really should send them a long thank-you letter! Yuwen Tong's got a lot of balls. He actually believes the Northern City Garrison Battalion alone are enough to defend this city, and also dared leave Ling Zhang and those people of the Yuwen family here. He's indeed just an army guy with plenty of brawn but no brains."

Fang Quan smiled smugly, "Did you have the letter delivered there?"

"Yes, I did. The couple of lords must be considering as we speak," answered his henchman.

"Considering? What do they think there is that needs to be considered? This is a heaven-sent opportunity. Once my grandson ascends the throne, they'll be the most meritorious helpers. The imperial court is currently understaffed and all the high-ranking vacant posts will be theirs in the future. Why are they still hesitating?" said Fang Quan with a cold snort.

His henchman immediately replied, "I was being short-sighted and I said the wrong thing. Right now the couple of lords are, without doubt, writing in reply. The Eighth Prince is predestined to rule, and nothing can stop that from happening."

It was only then that Fang Quan withdrew his frosty eyes and asked, "What's the situation in the palace like? How are the Eighth Prince and the Concubine Jin doing?"

"Everything's fine in there, Your Lordship. Her Highness and the Eighth Prince are still keeping vigil beside the bier, waiting for you to go to the palace."

"There's no hurry. Tell them to show more patience."

"Yes, Childe Ling."

...

In the residential compound of the Assistant Minister of Rites.

Yuwen Feng was still occupied with work in the imperial palace. Yuwen Zhi and Yuwen Qi were the only ones in the residence.

"Father, Yuwen Tong left the city?" Sitting in his wheelchair, Yuwen Qi moved to the doorway of Yuwen Zhi's study by giving the wheels one push after another.

Yuwen Zhi had a servant wheel his son inside, dismissed the servant with a motion of his hand and then said, "He exited the city this morning."

"What plans do you have? Surely we're not going to stand by and watch Yuwen Tong take the throne? Given what kind of person he is and the history between us, he would almost certainly make our lives hell!" said Yuwen Qi, an icy and resentful look in his eyes.

"It was because of him that my mother died; my loss of mobility was also his doing; and he even evicted us from the residential compound of the Yuwen family. Father, on no account should we let him accede to the throne. Otherwise I'm afraid all of us, except for my loving big brother, will suffer!"

Yuwen Zhi didn't move. He just tossed him a glance and then slowly said, "Seeing as how you've ended up, what could you possibly do about it?"

"Father!" Yuwen Qi erupted anxiously. "I may not be able to do anything to make a difference, but you can!"

Yuwen Zhi smiled wryly, "Me? He's disposed of all my pawns and ruined all my plans. What would you have me do?"

"You don't remember? The Eighth Prince and the Ninth Prince are still alive! It's them who are the former emperor's offspring and have claim to the throne. You forgot this?!" said Yuwen Qi.

Yuwen Zhi's eyebrows slightly twitched. "The Eighth Prince?"

"Yes. The Ninth Prince is only two years old, but the Eighth Prince is already ten. It's totally viable for him to ascend the throne first, designate a courtier to assist him in governing the country, and assume dominion when he reaches adulthood. If we put some effort into it, maybe you'll be the one bearing the title 'the Courtier Regent'!"

The look in Yuwen Zhi's eyes flickered. His original plan had been to control the emperor and command the nobles, but all his arrangements had been upset by Yuwen Tong. As things stood, if he really managed to get the Eighth Prince enthroned, maybe he would still achieve his goal.

Seeing he was swayed, Yuwen Qi continued, "The Eighth Prince's grandfather is Fang Quan. Father, do you think Fang Quan is going to willingly give Yuwen Tong the throne that is rightfully his grandson's? He's sure as hell been making plans. If you at this point in time offer him some help which he desperately needs, he would undoubtedly be very grateful to you."

Yuwen Zhi, who had already begun to mull over it, tapped the table.

"Since there are rightful successors to the throne, Yuwen Tong should step aside. Presently, the Wan Kingdom's and the Luohai Kingdom's armies are about to attack, so we cannot do anything to him, but once he wins the war and returns to this city, we can just pin the label of 'traitor' on him and have him executed, and then nobody would be a threat to us."

Yuwen Zhi stopped tapping the table at the last remark. Seeing the crazed enthusiasm on Yuwen Qi's face, he observed, "Yuwen Tong is family after all."