Chapter 167 - 168: The Mantis Stalks the Cicada, Unaware of the Oriole Behind
The booming sound of the massive rock hitting the ground echoed out of the valley, catching Bian Ziming’s attention.
Worried for Prince Zhao’s safety, he immediately requested permission from the Crown Prince to lead his men to the rescue.
However, his request was denied by the Crown Prince.
Li Cheng spoke slowly.
"The situation in the valley is unclear.
If you rush in recklessly, not only will you fail to save anyone, but you might get yourselves killed as well.
I cannot disregard your lives just to save Prince Zhao.
Let’s just wait and see."
Bian Ziming grew anxious. "What if Prince Zhao is in danger?"
But Li Cheng just smiled and said nonchalantly.
"With Prince Zhao’s skills, I believe that even if he runs into trouble, he’ll find a way out of it.
Besides, he’s notoriously hard to kill.
Years ago, when Ghost Wind Castle was besieged by enemy forces, the Great Zhou’s army of 100,000 was wiped out.
He was the only one who survived.
A small skirmish like this is nothing to him."
Bian Ziming was speechless.
He could see it now. The Crown Prince had no intention of saving anyone.
On this trip south for disaster relief, the conflicts between the Crown Prince and Prince Zhao had been constant, and their relationship had grown increasingly hostile.
Now that Prince Zhao was in trouble, the Crown Prince just wanted to watch coldly from the sidelines. If Prince Zhao died, he would be rid of a formidable rival.
Li Cheng glanced at Bian Ziming, his tone laced with a subtle threat.
"You just need to do your job. There’s no need for you to meddle in other affairs.
If Father Emperor questions this in the future, I alone will bear the responsibility."
Hearing this, Bian Ziming knew the Crown Prince was determined to let Prince Zhao die here.
’Prince Zhao or the Crown Prince? Who should I choose?’
In the past, Bian Ziming would have definitely chosen to obey the Crown Prince.
After all, the Crown Prince was the future Emperor.
But the Crown Prince was impotent now, and who knew how long he could hold onto his title?
Bian Ziming pondered for a moment and made his decision.
Lin Qingzhi overheard their conversation.
After Bian Ziming left, Lin Qingzhi carefully reminded him.
"Your Highness, Prince Zhao is greatly favored by the Saint. If he dies here, the Saint will surely suspect you."
Li Cheng sneered. "So what?
I’m a cripple now anyway. Who knows how many more days I can even keep my title as Crown Prince?
Before that happens, I have to make sure Prince Zhao and Lady Hua die!"
He knew their return to the capital would take them through this valley, so he had bribed a group of vagrants to pose as bandits and set an ambush here.
The moment Prince Zhao entered the valley, the vagrants were to kill him.
Lin Qingzhi said, "I’ve already told the Imperial Physician to keep this a secret. No one will know about your injury."
Li Cheng scoffed mockingly.
"You think the Imperial Physician will really keep a secret for me?
Forget everyone else. Prince Zhao and Bian Ziming must already know that I’m impotent.
Maybe they’ve secretly told others.
You can’t wrap fire in paper. The truth will come out sooner or later."
Lin Qingzhi stared at him, stunned.
"Your Highness, have you given up?"
Li Cheng looked toward the valley ahead, remaining silent for a long time before finally replying.
"Do I have any other choice?"
A chill pierced Lin Qingzhi’s heart.
’She had been so glad she’d chosen the Crown Prince.
She thought that with the memories of her past life, she could help the Crown Prince turn things around and use his influence to rise to a position envied by countless others.
But she never expected the Crown Prince to suffer such an accident.
This was completely different from what she knew in her past life.
She was even beginning to wonder if this world was the same one she had been reborn from.’
...
After the giant rock landed, the path forward through the valley was blocked.
Prince Zhao and his party could only retreat.
The vagrants had anticipated their retreat. Soon, more boulders came tumbling down, blocking their escape route as well.
Just like that, they were trapped in the valley, with no way forward or back.
Now, the people above only needed to throw a few more boulders into the valley to bury them all alive.
However, after waiting for some time, they were met not with more boulders, but with three long ropes.
Hua Manman followed the ropes with her eyes and saw several heads pop up over the top of the valley.
They were all familiar faces.
One of them was Chen Wangbei, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Chen Wangbei was lying at the edge of the cliff. He waved at them, then pointed to the ropes, signaling for them to climb up.
Hua Manman was in a difficult position.
’I haven’t exactly mastered the skill of rock climbing yet.’
She could only look to Prince Zhao with a plea for help in her eyes.
Li Ji bent down and let her climb onto his back.
He grabbed a rope and began to climb, carrying Hua Manman on his back.
The others followed suit and climbed up.
They successfully reached the top of the cliff and found themselves in a forest.
The vagrants who had been lying in ambush had already been dealt with by Chen Wangbei and his men. The bodies of several vagrants lay scattered on the ground.
Li Ji asked, "Did you leave any alive?"
Chen Wangbei answered truthfully.
"We left three alive."
He pointed to three tightly bound vagrants not far away.
Li Ji nodded in satisfaction. "You’ve done well. You’ll be handsomely rewarded upon our return."
Chen Wangbei said humbly, "It was all due to the Prince’s godlike foresight. Your subordinate was merely following orders."
Hua Manman was incredibly curious and seized the opportunity to ask.
"When did you get in contact with Chen Guard, Your Highness? And how did you know there would be an ambush here?"
Li Ji gave her a brief explanation.
As it turned out, Li Ji had long anticipated that something unexpected might happen on their journey south, so he had made a plan with Chen Wangbei in advance.
If they encountered an accident and were separated, they were to find a way to send a letter to the posthouse in Chongma County.
After arriving in Fu’an County, Li Ji had hired a local traveling merchant to deliver a letter to the posthouse in Chongma County.
Chen Wangbei had kept Prince Zhao’s instructions in mind.
After failing to find Prince Zhao by following the river, he and his men took a detour to Chongma County.
At the posthouse, Chen Wangbei received the letter from Prince Zhao and learned that not only was he safe, but he had gone to Fu’an County.
However, Prince Zhao had mentioned in the letter that there might be trouble with the Crown Prince. To avoid any mishaps, Li Ji told Chen Wangbei not to reveal himself for the time being.
So, Chen Wangbei and his men could only trail the disaster relief procession secretly from behind.
Hua Manman recalled that during their time in Fu’an County, she often saw Prince Zhao secretly corresponding with someone. ’The person he was writing to must have been Chen Wangbei.’
As it turned out, Prince Zhao’s prediction had been correct.
The Crown Prince truly intended to make a move against him.
Chen Wangbei had secretly investigated the matter and informed Prince Zhao.
So, Prince Zhao decided to beat him at his own game.
The group of vagrants thought their ambush would surely succeed, never imagining that they themselves were already being watched.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it. In the end, this vicious band of vagrants became the oriole’s meal.