Chapter 85: Worrying Pointlessly Is Not As Good As Drinking

It had been days now, and given He Chunhua’s dedication to his career, how could he possibly miss such a prime opportunity to submit a memorial and claim credit?

"If Father's memorial arrived first, it might be suppressed after being read. But once rumors started spreading, his re-submission would confirm everything, and the royal court's denial would be useless."

"Why would it be suppressed?" He Lingchuan's thoughts raced, and he suddenly understood. "Hiss—are you saying the royal court is wary of the situation and wants to keep it a secret? That's not good; wouldn't our merits be swallowed up then?"

The royal court was currently sending troops to attack the Grand Marshal, and the battle at Woling Pass had only recently concluded. The vast empire was leaking from all sides, and the royal court was exhausted from patching things up. At this moment, it likely didn't want to force the Governor of Xunzhou into rebellion, thus creating another powerful enemy for itself.

So, it was highly likely that the court would suppress what happened in the Coiling Dragon Desert and keep it secret. This way, both the capital and the Governor of Xunzhou could breathe a sigh of relief.

But in that case, the military merits He Chunhua had been longing for would likely vanish.

After taking such a great risk and paying such a high price, how could he be content?

Therefore, He Chunhua's strategy was to send people into the capital to stir up public opinion about the matter first. Once the rumors spread, even if the Governor of Xunzhou didn't want to rebel, he would be forced to!

The mutual suspicion between him and the royal court was already like a thin pane of paper. It seemed He Chunhua had decided to be the one to break it himself.

Having figured this out, He Lingchuan couldn't help but clap his hands. "Father is amazing, still sharp as ever!"

He Yue lowered his head. "Once the rumors spread, our merits will be confirmed. However, if war reignites in the Yuanbei region, who knows how many lives it will consume. Or if Nian Zanli directly defects to the Northern Demon Kingdom, the Great Yuan's territory will immediately lose a prefecture. None of this is good for Great Yuan."

"So, the royal court suppressing our merits would be a good thing?"

"Perhaps the royal court plans to deal with the Grand Marshal first, and then consider the issue of Xunzhou, defeating them one by one."

He Lingchuan laughed. "Nian Zanli isn't some wooden dummy, foolishly standing there waiting for an attack. Since he intends to rebel, he's like a powder keg. Better it explodes sooner than later, which might even hurt fewer people." As he spoke, he patted his younger brother's back of the head. "Sometimes, good intentions can lead to bad outcomes."

He Yue sighed. "Let me tell you something else, but don't spread it."

He Lingchuan made a zipping-lips gesture. "Don't worry, there's no pillow talk that can make me reveal secrets yet."

He was also a bit curious. This younger brother was usually reserved and independent, not very compatible with him. How come after returning from the Coiling Dragon Desert trip, He Yue seemed to be closer to him?

Could it be because he had helped He Yue deal with Nian Songyu?

He Yue subconsciously glanced left and right. "A few days ago at dinner, Father asked me what I thought about the Grand Marshal's rebellion, and I said it was an act of treason."

He Lingchuan slurped a large mouthful of almond tofu. "What's wrong with that?"

"That was just to humor Father," He Yue whispered. "Actually, putting myself in his shoes, I find the Grand Marshal's actions somewhat excusable. The King treats state affairs rather playfully. Regarding the Northern Demon Kingdom, I lean more towards the Grand Marshal's view."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan was a little surprised. "You don't advocate defending our territory?"

"Who wouldn't?" He Yue replied. "But national policy should be based on reality, not just brute courage. Look at Coiling Dragon City; it was quite remarkable, holding out for thirty-two years after becoming an enclave. But its motherland was weak. No matter how much Zhong Shengguang resisted, the Xiluo Kingdom only lost the Coiling Dragon Wasteland once again, and then, a few years later, it ceased to exist itself."

"The strong can be filled with righteous indignation, declaring that those who offend us, however far away, will be punished. But the weak must know how to weigh their options and make trade-offs," He Yue said earnestly. "Our motherland is no longer the Great Yuan of prosperous times. Only by the Grand Marshal striving to appease the Northern Kingdom can Great Yuan free its hands to quell internal unrest."

He Lingchuan smiled. "You mean, 'first secure internal stability, then resist external threats'?"

He Yue nodded.

"So, what if the internal chaos can't be resolved for a long time?" He Lingchuan continued. "Separatism, floods, famine, rebels, border unrest—in the past decade, it seems we've only managed disaster relief, and not always successfully. Qianchuan Prefecture is peaceful due to Father's presence, but it wasn't like this seven or eight years ago."

He Lingchuan continued, "The Grand Marshal didn't just gain power today; he's been assisting the King with these troubles for a long time, and yet they haven't been properly resolved."

He Yue hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping himself. Finally, he sighed.

He Lingchuan patted his shoulder. "It's fine to worry idly, but you can't speak carelessly. Not a single word of what you said today must leave this room, lest you implicate Father and me!"

He Yue retorted irritably, "Of course, I'm not stupid."

"Liu Baobao is hosting drinks at the Acacia Tower tonight. Are you going?"

"I can't drink."

Right, Madam Ying was very strict with her youngest son. He was fourteen, old enough for marriage talks, but couldn't touch alcohol. Pfft!

He Lingchuan wanted to say something else, but his eyes darted. He grabbed a piece of red date cake and said, "I'm going to bathe. We'll talk later."

Without waiting for He Yue to reply, he jumped out the window and left.

"Hey?" He slipped away so quickly that He Yue felt something was amiss.

Just a few breaths later, several figures entered through the doorway, led by Madam Ying.

She froze as soon as she saw the table. "These are the refreshments for the tea ceremony guests, to be sent out now! Yue'er, why didn't you say if you wanted something to eat? I would have had someone prepare it and send it over."

There were hardly any pastries left, enough for ten people. When did her son become such a big eater!

He Yue: "..."

He Lingchuan, who had slipped back to his own courtyard, patted his belly, feeling six-tenths full, and happy!

He had someone prepare fresh water, then comfortably took a bath and drank a cup of hot milk. Just as he was about to lie down for a short nap, his gaze suddenly fell upon the broken saber on the table.

Usually this saber was kept in the study, but today he had unconsciously brought it with him.

He casually drew the broken saber and gently stroked it. Since leaving the illusion, the saber no longer seemed to emit such a chilling glare; its keen edge, which felt like it could cut one's eyes, had no effect on him.

Of course, this was only true for him. He Yue had merely touched the blade, not even the edge, and had cut his finger.

He Lingchuan raised a finger, touched the edge, and immediately recoiled.

He cherished his skin.

His finger was fine, perfectly intact.

He Lingchuan grew bolder and gently pressed his finger onto it.

Still, no blood.

He pressed harder; his fingertip even formed an indentation, yet the skin remained unbroken.

It was sharp, yet it felt as if it had no edge.

He Lingchuan was suddenly overjoyed. He raised the saber and swung it several times.

*Crack!* A few feet away, a sandalwood table snapped in half.

This saber was uniquely different for him!

He Lingchuan couldn't bear to put it down.

His lone soul had come to this foreign world. Although he lived a life of luxury and was surrounded by attendants, everything he had was inherited from the original body, giving him a constant sense of unreality.

Only this saber truly belonged to him alone; others couldn't even touch it.

What a pity, he didn't know its name. A treasure saber should have a name; why didn't Zhong Shengguang engrave its true name on the scabbard?