It was after dark that courtiers left the palace, hurrying towards their respective abodes.

In a residential compound.

"Your Lordship, the garrison of Yanzhou has now been dispatched. Youzhou and Jingzhou are the closest to the capital city, but Youzhou is an important border city, and almost all troops stationed there are under Yuwen Tong's command. Just to the north of Jingzhou is the Luohai Kingdom. There's no telling whether we'll be able to rope in the commander of the military presence in Jingzhou. Even if we manage to convince him, it'd be very inadvisable for us to draft his men here, given the threat from the Luohai Kingdom. As a result, our only option is to try our luck in the south. The garrison in Tanyang is at He Xiao's command, and He Xiao is on bad terms with Yuwen Tong, so I think maybe He Xiao is our guy. What do you say?"

"... Tanyang is where Yuwen Tong's father-in-law lives, and the Ling family has a very solid foundation there. On top of that, Yuwen Tong stayed in Tanyang for a very long time. I did once considered the military presence in Tanyang, but my conclusion is that it's not reliable enough."

"How about Jiangzhou?"

"Jiangzhou is behind Cangzhou and Yanzhou. If the garrison of Jiangzhou is to come, the shortest route would be the one through Cangzhou, but currently we don't even have the faintest idea what the situation is like in Cangzhou."

"No matter what, we must select someone and make a decision as soon as possible, Your Lordship. Yuwen Tong almost has all courtiers on his side now. You saw what the Right Prime Minister and the Minister of War did. Those people have stooped to becoming Yuwen Tong's complete stooges. If we don't take action right away, we might never have another chance."

"Then let's contact them both!"

"Both Tanyang and Jiangzhou? But what if it causes too much noise and Yuwen Tong finds out?"

"That's a risk we must take. We are having this talk right under Yuwen Tong's nose anyway."

...

Cangzhou.

"People of Cangzhou were still living in peace the last time I came here, but now it has been reduced to a city of rubble and refugees," sighed Ji Yin.

After departing from Tanyang, Ji Yin, Ling Zhaowu and the other two had been galloping all along, heading for the capital city. At this moment, they had just entered Cangzhou.

"No wonder people of Tanyang haven't been getting up-to-date messages from the capital city. Cangzhou is now swarming with refugees and rebels, and the main road with robbers taking advantage of the chaos. The thoroughfare leading south is barely passable. It surprises me the situation in Cangzhou is so dire," said Ling Zhaowu.

Except for Mr. Mu and Ling Zhaowu, all of them were kung fu experts, and they had killed almost all those who had tried to rob them. The smell of blood and the murderous air about them had deterred a lot of others who had intended to approach them. If they kept going deeper into Cangzhou, they would encounter more and more robbers and might even run into members of the rebel army.

They had no fear, though. After all, with the two guards and Ji Yin who possessed miraculous powers of laying all kinds of formations, they would definitely be able to make it to the capital city safe and sound, but the sight of the disarray in Cangzhou made them begin to worry about the situation in the capital city.

"I wonder how things are going in the capital city. People there should be the most anxious about the insurrection in Cangzhou. Why are they letting the rebel forces in Cangzhou get stronger? I'm afraid something serious might have happened in the capital city, Father-in-law."

Ji Yin gazed in the direction of the capital city, a rare frown on his face.

They traveled for another day and reached the central region of Cangzhou, only a short distance away from Wu City.

They had encountered an army of rebels approximately 10,000 strong midway. Having no intention of fighting the rebels head-on, Ji Yin had concealed their traces with a formation and they'd rounded the encampment of the insurrectionary army.

After detouring around the rebel army entrenched near the main road, they finally heard some news about the capital city and came to know that so many things had happened during the past few weeks: the King Duan's attempted usurpation, the King Yu's and the King Duan's perishing together...

"Cangzhou refugees are all heading for the capital city. If officials of the capital city are not competent enough to make arrangements for this matter to be handled properly, large numbers of refugees would put the city under heavy pressure," observed Ji Yin.

Ling Zhaowu stared in the direction of the capital city, urgently hoping to get to the destination straight away.

Meanwhile, a serious event happened in the capital city.

The emperor was at the gate of death, his breathing feeble, not even having enough strength to keep his eyes open.

All court physicians had been watching over him in the imperial bedchamber day and night. Courtiers were standing outside, their faces grave.

Would the Great Yue continue to exist after the emperor died?

Would the two underage princes be able to shoulder the heavy responsibilities?

Presently, almost the whole capital city was under Yuwen Tong's control, and he could replace this dynasty with a new one at any moment, but he had been keeping quiet all along and even ordered the court physicians to do whatever they could to treat the emperor. What was he thinking exactly?

Courtiers had their own conjectures, but all their eyes without exception were on Yuwen Tong.

Yuwen Tong was standing in front of all courtiers with his back to them. The imperial bedchamber was heavily guarded. The two concubines and the two young princes were the only ones inside the imperial bedchamber apart from the court physicians, trembling, fear clouding over their faces.

It was at the sight of this scene that all the courtiers came to realize that they were not capable of helping the Great Yue get through this crisis, or deterring enemy states from invading the Great Yue, or making the garrisons in various cities toe the line.

Unless someone offered them enough assistance... Yuwen Tong could make the best helper, but the thought of this made the courtiers feel they'd come full circle –Yuwen Tong's take on this matter was inscrutable, while the Right Prime Minister and some others had clearly taken Yuwen Tong's side...

In a word, the courtiers had vaguely guessed something, but none of them dared draw a conclusion.

After quite a long time, a court physician walked out of the imperial bedchamber, up to Yuwen Tong, made a bow and said, "Whether or not His Majesty would last through the night depends solely on his force of will."

...

In the Ling Mansion.

On seeing Yuwen Tong come back, Ling Zhang hurriedly asked, "Why are you back? Didn't you say that the emperor was on his deathbed?"

"It seemed that he would linger on for a little while longer, so I decided to come back to grab a bite and then return to the palace," explained Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang, "..."

Why was this guy so leisurely and carefree?

"The emperor wouldn't make it through this evening. Tomorrow morning you'll see what I mean."

"Marshal!"

Yao Yi hurried into the room, an anxious look on his face.

"The Wan Kingdom has broken the agreement and joined hands with the Luohai Kingdom as expected. A secret intelligence report suggests that the allied forces of them would soon finish mustering and advance towards the border. From the time the report was delivered here, it could be deduced that the allied forces have already departed. Jiang Ke and Jiang Xi have received the intelligence and are deploying troops, and so is the commander in the Changsheng Pass."

After hearing Yao Yi's words, Yuwen Tong took the secret intelligence report from his hand and carefully read it.

Ling Zhang gave a gasp of astonishment. "Well, this is definitely Murphy's Law at work."

After reading it, Yuwen Tong said, "I've anticipated that this would happen in the north-west, but it never crossed my mind that it would happen so soon. The dispatch from the border should arrive here in two days. Before that, Jiang Ke and his men will be able to hold the enemy back, but I have to pay a visit to the encampment in the north-west."

"If you leave, the Right Prime Minister and the others would be left helpless and vulnerable in this city after the emperor dies, and I'm afraid sooner or later the situation would change in an unforeseen way," said Ling Zhang anxiously.

Yuwen Tong, however, was quite collected. "Mr. Ji and Uncle Ling would soon arrive. With them protecting you, I won't have to worry about your safety. As regards the capital city, the whole Northern City Garrison Battalion are at my command. Barring interference from another army, they'll be able to handle everything. The combination of them and Mr. Ji's abilities would be enough to ensure the security of the capital city.

"I've already made some arrangements in the south. The only force we have to keep a weather eye on is the garrison of Jiangzhou. The military presence in that city is not under my command. It's very likely that they'd be deluded into coming to the capital city. What you'll have to do is hold them back. When I return from the border, everything will be settled."

Ling Zhang looked at him. "How do we hold them back?"

"Previously I've already taken some precautions by secretly dispatching the garrison of Shengzhou to an encampment near the capital city, so holding them back should be no problem. The key is to stall them. Apart from the garrison of Jiangzhou, we also need to prevent Dai Cheng from catching on to the situation and leading his army back here."

"Marshal, don't you think the General Zhongwu (AKA the General of Loyalty and Valor) would be able to stop Dai Cheng?" said Yao Yi.

Yuwen Tong softly tapped the table and replied, "I'll write a letter to him, and I want you to have it delivered to him as soon as possible."

"Yes, Marshal!"

After Yuwen Tong finishing the letter, Yao Yi immediately made arrangements for it to be delivered to Cangzhou.

Dai Cheng must die.

This was the most important sentence in that letter.

That very night, the Right Prime Minister and some others covertly came to the Ling Mansion and gathered in the study. They secretly consulted with Yuwen Tong for a whole night and left shortly before dawn.

Word got out from the imperial palace before daybreak that the emperor had passed away.

The emperor hadn't managed to open his eyes or utter a single word until his last breath.

The death knell tolled in the imperial palace. The whole capital city was cloaked in a weird shroud of hush.

The Ministry of Rites had made preparations some time ago. The emperor's funeral was quickly held as scheduled. Strips of white cloth could be seen in every street and alley.

Two days later, a dispatch from the border was delivered to the capital city. On hearing that the coalition forces of the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom had been massed along the border, all citizens were driven into panic.

"People of the Wan Kingdom are so shameless. It's barely been half a year since they signed the peace accord, and now they're breaking it!"

"The Luohai Kingdom seemed fairly peaceable previously and has been acting like a friend of the Great Yue, but at this crucial juncture, they turn out to be back-stabbers. This is outrageous!"

"Complaining about it won't help. We need to figure out a countermeasure immediately!"

...

"The Ministry of Revenue have no money at their disposal!"

"Whom should we send to the border?"

"It has to be Marshal Yuwen. He is the only one capable of keeping the Great Yue safe."

"But there are still some matters requiring his presence in the capital city. Who's going to handle those matters if he leaves?"

...

"As a matter of urgency, we need to give the Marshal the other half of his previous military power back."

All courtiers present lapsed into silence at this remark.

The Right Prime Minister was the one who had just made this proposal. More than half of the courtiers were in favor of it. Half of the rest kept silent with a wait-and-see attitude, the other half against it. All those against the proposal were on one of the two underage princes' side, and it didn't take a genius to guess the reason why they'd raised objections.

However, eventually, the other half of the military power was still returned to Yuwen Tong, and it was one of the young princes who made the decision.

This came as a surprise to everybody.

Yuwen Tong had always been determined to retrieve the other half of his previous military power, and he would definitely get it even if the young prince hadn't given the order, but this order from a prince did serve to temporarily prevent some courtiers from making unpleasant comments on this matter.

"I've some time ago anticipated there'd be another war in the north-west. What with the civil strife and social turbulence in this country, the outbreak of another war is unavoidable. Also, I had everything planned out and was positive that the other half of my original military power would return to my hand," Yuwen Tong told Ling Zhang after going back to the Ling Mansion.

Yuwen Tong had re-assumed command of the other half of the armies. In the meantime officials of the capital city were doing everything they could to prepare provisions for troops stationed in the north-west.

"When do you plan to set off?" Ling Zhang asked him.

Yuwen Tong replied, "I'll wait until Mr. Ji and Uncle Ling arrive to set out for the north-west. I don't like the idea of you staying here alone."

"I told you I'm going with you!" remonstrated Ling Zhang.

"No, you're not. It's too dangerous." Yuwen Tong disagreed.

Ling Zhang glared at him. "I can protect myself, and I'll take Wang Dashan and the others with me, who are now more than powerful enough to keep me safe."

"Still, the answer is no. The reason why the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom are joining forces this time is because they know the civil strife of the Great Yue is a great opportunity for them, and there's no doubt they'll stop at nothing to annex this country. Even I cannot predict what kind of dangers might be involved in this situation. You'll be put in their crosshairs the moment you show your face. There will be countless attacks aimed at you, covert ones and overt ones. What am I supposed to do if by any chance you got hurt? With you at the front, I might not be able to stay focused on directing military operations. It's too dangerous," observed Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang's lips clamped together. He knew that Yuwen Tong had got a point, but how could he not be worried in these circumstances? Yuwen Tong hadn't gone to the north-west yet, but he was already having trouble sleeping at night owing to his deep concern. If Yuwen Tong went to the battleground, how was he supposed to survive the worry?

"Be a peach and stay here. Think about it this way –I need you to keep watch on the situation in the capital city for me. Things here must not get out of control until I return. I'll handle the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom as soon as possible. If the capital city is thrown into chaos, our arrangements will be upset. In that case, we'll really be in danger," added Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang kept silent for a long time. "Promise me you'll come back to me in one piece."

Yuwen Tong swept him into his embrace. "I promise. Under no circumstances will I let anything happen to me knowing you're waiting for me. We have a wedding to hold."

Ling Zhang gripped the back of his robe, cuddling him close.

...

The capital city was heavily fortified, and everybody going in or out of the city had to undergo strict security check. Ling Zhaowu and the other four entered the city without alarming anybody or attracting anybody's attention.

Yuwen Tong had been informed the moment the five of them had approached the capital city, but in order not to rouse anybody's suspicions, he and Ling Zhang both stayed in the Ling Mansion waiting instead of exiting the city to welcome them.

All the five of them –Ji Yin, Ling Zhaowu, Mr. Mu, Ji Donglin and Ji Chaofang rode into the city. Ji Yin, who was in front, led them to the front gates of the Ling Mansion.

Ling Zhaowu involuntarily tightened his grip on the reins when the plaque of the Ling Mansion came into sight in the distance. The deep apprehension he'd been in throughout the journey ebbed considerably as he saw that the Ling Mansion seemed to be very quiet, though the security was quite tight. At the thought that he would soon meet his son, however, he felt somewhat scared. Although he had recalled Ling Zhang keeping him company in the Millennium Pavilion and bringing him home, this would be the first time the two of them met each other since his retrieval of memory.

"Mr. Ji." The guards on duty at the front gates were all familiar faces and they recognized Ji Yin. In the knowledge that they were Ling Zhang's father and grandfather, the guards hastened over to take care of their horses, making it easier for them to dismount. "Childe Ling and the Marshal will be here soon."

As if on cue, Ling Zhang and Yuwen Tong walked out at this moment. The former saw Ling Zhaowu at a glance. Ling Zhaowu, who had been looking forward to meeting him, naturally saw him immediately as well. Eyes instantly brightening, he called in a voice tinged with caution, "Zhang'er!"

Ling Zhang briefly paused and then walked up to him. Although he had prepared himself for this, he still had slightly mixed feelings at the sight of Ling Zhaowu who had recovered his memory and whose bearing was different from how it'd been when he was suffering from amnesia, and the look in whose eyes was different as well, but Ling Zhang hardly showed any signs of it, calmly walked to the front of Ling Zhaowu and greeted Ji Yin first. "Grandfather."

Then he shifted his gaze to Ling Zhaowu and called, "Father."

Although Ling Zhaowu was now different from the man he'd been when he had no memories of the past, the gleam in his eyes and his demeanor vaguely struck Ling Zhang as familiar, who faintly felt as if he were seeing the father existing in his childhood memories.

On hearing Ling Zhang call him father, Ling Zhaowu felt a minor sting in his nose. Standing in front of him was his son who was now as tall as him, poised and grown-up. Meeting his son face to face after regaining his memory was a different experience compared with being with him when he'd been amnesiac. Ling Zhaowu was proud and sad and also had a guilty conscience, transports of emotions flooding over him.

He moved two steps closer and considered Ling Zhang. After a few moments, he said concernedly, "Are you okay? I heard about the turbulence in this city on my way here."

Eyes on him, Ling Zhang answered, "I'm fine. This compound is very safe. The unrest in this city mostly has been contained, and the situation is fairly stable now. You recovered only a couple of weeks ago, but you took such a long journey to come here. Are you feeling all right?"