CHAPTER 685: CHAPTER 665: MURDER

The one who betrayed was General Meng, aged twenty-six, who had been imprisoned for three months. He was a commander in the Left Wing Army. Two months before his capture, his father, Old General Meng, violated military orders, leading Xie Zhang into an ambush where he was gravely injured. Nearly five hundred Ningzhou Iron Cavalry troops were lost. Marquis Zhenbei hesitated in dealing with the matter of Old General Meng. Firstly, the old general was his loyal subordinate who had followed him for many years, and Marquis Zhenbei’s brothers-in-arms under his command were already dwindling in number. Secondly, the old general had unparalleled military merits, and the marquis had considered balancing merits against faults.

However, rumors ran rampant in the military. The Ningzhou Iron Cavalry maintained strict discipline, and this happened to coincide with the discovery of Beiman spies. Although Marquis Zhenbei certainly trusted his brothers were not Beiman spies, if he did not handle the situation strictly, what would stop others from violating military orders in the future? Thus, Xie Jue had said, "The merciful do not command soldiers, and the righteous do not manage wealth; one must act according to the orders."

The Marquis executed the general at the frontlines to set an example.

Not long after this incident, the old general’s son, General Xiao Meng, was captured. Marquis Zhenbei discussed prisoner exchanges with the Beiman King multiple times, but all were refused.

Numerous Beiman prisoners of war were also being held in the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry camp. Traditionally, both sides would exchange prisoners, yet this time, the Beiman King was resolute and refused to negotiate.

If General Meng were to betray and hand over the frontline battle formations to the Beiman, the consequences would be unthinkable. Never before had a high-ranking general of the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry been captured. Typically, they would fight to the death and not allow themselves to be taken alive. If it were just General Xiao Meng, Xie Jue wouldn’t be overly concerned, as he likely wouldn’t have access to the complete border defense maps. However, Old General Meng did know them. If General Xiao Meng had seen those maps through his father, he could deliver a devastating blow to the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry.

General Meng must die!

The Sixth Prince was frail and sickly and, by rights, shouldn’t have been involved in these affairs. However, the Second Prince came to him primarily because, despite his frailty, the Sixth Prince was highly intelligent. The Beiman King did not favor physically weak sons as Beiman valued martial prowess. That the Sixth Prince held a position in Beiman despite his condition was proof of his unparalleled acumen, earning the Beiman King’s favor.

The Sixth Prince was also wary of General Meng staging a deception and deliberately stalling for time.

If they could secure the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry’s border defense maps, future battles could be fought much more efficiently. For the sake of Beiman, the Sixth Prince was also tempted, so he quickly ordered General Meng to be brought to the Sixth Prince Mansion.

Xie Jue served in the inner court, handling tasks like serving tea and water. When General Meng was brought in, he appeared gaunt, dressed in tattered clothing, his hands stained with blackened oil from the mines, filthy and grimy. Through the wind and snow, Xie Jue’s cold gaze settled on him, his brows furrowing slightly.

General Meng did not speak the Beiman language, so an interpreter fluent in Yanyang dialect was brought over. Xie Jue stood beneath the corridor, unable to make out the voices coming from the study.

Soon after, the Second Prince’s curses could be heard, scolding how Yanyang men were pretentious and hypocritical, caring about their appearance even when facing death. The Sixth Prince, on the other hand, remained mild-tempered, treating General Meng as a guest, ordering hot water for his bath and arranging a sumptuous dinner. The Second Prince grew restless in the study and stepped outside for air, holding the border defense map that General Meng had drawn to demonstrate his sincerity. Xie Jue shot a quick glance at the map before lowering his gaze—it was the Left Wing’s array formation map. It was a recent design he had developed, specifically to counter the Beiman, and had proven effective in reducing casualties. The Beiman had yet to crack it. Alarm surged through Xie Jue’s mind.

It was indeed the city defense map.

Beiman spies in Ningzhou had never managed to break through Sha Ling Tian Mountain. Because of this, the Beiman stationed in Fox City were supremely confident, never believing Yanyang operatives could breach their defenses and infiltrate Fox City.

Moreover, it was easy to distinguish Beiman men from Yanyang men, making covert operations challenging.

This confidence emboldened the Second Prince to inspect the map in the open corridor, drawn up as a sign of General Meng’s cooperation.

The Second Prince re-entered the study to discuss matters with the Sixth Prince. Meanwhile, Xie Jue told a nearby attendant he needed to use the restroom and quickly slipped along the corridor, making his way to the courtyard where General Meng was resting. Guards were posted at the courtyard.

Just as Xie Jue was about to leave, he caught sight of a kite fluttering in the wind and snow. It was the favorite kite of the Sixth Princess, the Sixth Prince’s younger sister, and this was the time of day she enjoyed playing.

Xie Jue’s brows arched slightly. A flying dagger concealed within his sleeve spun out, severing the string of the kite. The kite drifted downward and got caught in a tree. Seeing the kite stuck high up, the Sixth Princess, fearing it was dangerous for her maidservants to climb the tree, commanded the two guards in front of the courtyard to retrieve it for her.

Believing that General Meng would take some time to finish his bath and confident that this was the Prince Manor from which escape was impossible, the guards went to assist the princess. Xie Jue swiftly entered the courtyard and silently slipped into the bathing room.

After being stationed in the mines for months, General Meng’s body was coated in a thick layer of black grime. Thoroughly disgusted, he was frantically scrubbing himself clean. Hearing footsteps, assuming it was the attendants, he called for more water.

Xie Jue silently approached from behind. From within his sleeve, he drew out a fine silver wire and suddenly looped it around General Meng’s neck, pulling it tight. Startled, General Meng fought back, kicking furiously at the bath bucket, but the iron-threaded silver wire was razor-sharp. It quickly sliced through his arteries.

He turned his head slightly and caught sight of Xie Jue’s calm and indifferent eyes, his face filled with terror. "Second... Second..."

He struggled like a fish out of water, eventually succumbing to the panic in his eyes and closing them for the last time. Blood poured from his neck, coloring the entire bath bucket red.

The entire process was swift, reflecting Xie Jue’s style—efficient, silent, without a single wasted motion. He left no trace of his presence. Xie Jue retrieved the silver wire, rinsed it clean with water from a copper basin, and coiled it back into his sleeve.

The silver wire, being thin and sharp, left Xie Jue’s fingers barely bloodied. Exiting the courtyard, he passed along the corridor toward the study. Along the way, he squatted and scooped up fresh snow to clean the remaining blood off his fingers, returning to the study as if nothing had happened.

"Why did it take you so long?"

"Stomach trouble," Xie Jue replied, his gaze fixed on the distance, calm as still water, showing no sign of someone who had just committed murder.

About the time it takes to finish a cup of tea passed before the Second Prince, growing impatient, came out to urge the attendants. "Even noble Yanyang women aren’t as troublesome. How much longer will it take? Go hurry him up!"

"Yes!"

Another cup of tea’s time passed before an attendant who had gone to hurry General Meng returned, his face pale, reporting the news of General Meng’s death. The Second Prince erupted in fury, rushing to the scene without even bothering to don his robes. Even the typically composed Sixth Prince furrowed his brows, ordered his cloak, and slowly made his way out of the study.

Without explicit orders, Xie Jue and the other attendants remained at their positions, oblivious to the events over at the courtyard. Xie Jue remained serene as ever. After killing General Meng, he had arranged his body to appear as if seated in the bath. Unless someone entered and inspected closely, they would only see him sitting in the tub from the doorway. This delayed the discovery of General Meng’s death. As it stood, anyone passing through the courtyard during that window of time was now a suspect. Fortunately, Xie Jue had already returned to the study.

With General Meng murdered within the Sixth Prince Manor, the Second Prince was livid and demanded justice. Likewise, the Sixth Prince was intent on uncovering the identity and motive of the audacious killer who dared to commit murder within the manor walls.

The Prince Manor was quickly surrounded, and everyone was subjected to questioning.