Ling Zhang was thrilled by these words of his. "How do you plan to have them pay the price?"

"No matter what kind of support they offer Wang Xiangxin, it will no doubt have something to do with money, material resources or manpower. Now that we've seized the initiative already, we're the hunters, and they're our prey. Given how much effort we've put into this, it'll only be fair if we entice them to pour large amounts of money and material resources into it," replied Yuwen Tong.

Ling Zhang's eyes brightened further. Shan Congyi and Mu Rongfeng were indeed quite hateful. Were it not for all the trouble the two of them had stirred up, the issue of Jiangzhou wouldn't have become so urgent. The two bastards really believed they were invincible when they worked hand in glove with each other.

The very thought of this made Ling Zhang's temper fray. "You're right. I've been angry and worried all day, so it's only fair to beat them out of all they've got in their pockets."

Yuwen Tong gave it some thought and then bobbed his head, feeling that Ling Zhang had a point. Actually it struck him that Ling Zhang had made an excellent point. That was indeed the case.

As he thought of this, a variety of mischievous plans began to present themselves one by one in his imperial mind. With great efficiency, he churned out a myriad of methods for hurting the Wan Kingdom's and the Luohai Kingdom's wallets really bad.

Thinking about this, he exchanged a smile with Ling Zhang and with that, finding a hint of cunningness in each other's smile, the two of them smiled more broadly.

Yuwen Tong crooked his finger at Ling Zhang. "Come forward," he said.

Ling Zhang confusedly walked over and was abruptly drawn into Yuwen Tong's embrace and given a hard kiss on the cheek, which immediately started aching. Ling Zhang twisted his head aside to look emptily at him, then incredulously massaged his cheek and huffed, "Why did you kiss me so hard?! Is my cheek red?!"

Affecting an air of concern, Yuwen Tong said, "Let me take a look at it."

With a serious look on his face, he considered Ling Zhang's cheek for a while and then planted another kiss on it.

Consumed with anger, Ling Zhang hammered Yuwen Tong's chest. "Stop kissing me!" he flared.

If it went red, everybody would be able to see the hickey on his cheek after he walked outside. He would be too ashamed to show his face again if that happened!

Yuwen Tong burst into laughter, and it seemed as if he wouldn't be able to stop any time soon. The corners of Ling Zhang's mouth twitched and with that he pushed Yuwen Tong a few steps backwards, feeling that Yuwen Tong had probably lost his mind.

Hearing the married couple having a romantic moment inside, Yao Yi and the others who were on guard duty outside exchanged glances, feeling that life was so fucking lonely. The two masters of theirs were clinging together like glue and lacquer, and they, a bunch of unloved bachelors, were silently suffering the agony caused by their masters' display of affection. It felt as though their hearts had been cut in half, and they were torn between the need to comforting themselves and the urge to inwardly curse their two heartless masters in there.

"I've been doing some careful thinking lately, and I think maybe it's really about time I got myself a wife," said Miao Shiba, gazing up into the sky.

Yao Yi looked at him. "You're still young, Shiba. There's no hurry."

"In my hometown, everybody that's my age has kids the same height as my waist, and you're telling me there's no hurry?" Miao Shiba gave him a dirty look.

Yao Yi said, "Well, maybe you should think about my situation. Even I haven't got a wife yet. Why are you in such a hurry?"

"No, we're different, bro. You know, in terms of appearance, I kind of have an advantage," said Miao Shiba tactfully.

Yao Yi, "..."

With a cold look on his face, Yao Yi gave Miao Shiba a kick on the butt to vent his anger.

That kick almost sent Miao Shiba flying off the stairs. Having regained his balance just in time, he patted his chest and asked, "Why are you so mad, bro? Wasn't I just telling the truth?"

Yao Yi actually felt an urge to kill him at these words. "Get the fuck out of my sight," he huffed.

Miao Shiba glanced over his shoulder into the hall. Did Yao Yi seriously think he was willing to stay here enduring the love scene going on inside? He would never have come here were his name not on this day's duty roster!

...

A solution to the issue of Jiangzhou found, Yuwen Tong, after informing Qi San of Wang Xiangxin's and his subordinates' weaknesses, started making arrangements to entice the Wan Kingdom and the Luohai Kingdom to take the bait and pour money, manpower and material resources into Jiangzhou which was like a bottomless hole.

Qi San, who had been given information about the chink in the enemy's armor, was somewhat bewildered, wondering how his master, who had been fretting about this issue only a short while before, had so soon come to know about the background and vulnerable points of the killers working for Wang Xiangxin as well as the Achilles heel of Wang Xiangxin himself, and even how much money Zhu You kept in his house?!

The more Qi San thought about it, the more droplets of sweat welled up on his back. Was his master capable of being in multiple places at once, by any chance? Had he managed a round trip from this city to Jiangzhou within merely half a day? Or was his master not a human being, which he'd never found out until this day?

Qi San maintained a poker face, but questions had exploded in his head. A myriad of speculations were whirling in his mind, making him feel dizzy.

"What's the matter, Lao San?" asked Yao Yi. He saw Qi San walk out of the hall with a face as expressionless as usual, but the latter didn't seem to notice the column ahead of him and was about to walk right into it. Yao Yi broke out in a cold sweat and hastily grabbed Qi San's arm to stop him.

Qi San jerked out of his trance. Face still impassive, he said dreamily, "Nothing."

After that, he walked off without another word. He left in such a determined way as though he feared that Yao Yi would refuse to let him go if he didn't hurry. He didn't even turn his head to give Yao Yi a backward glance.

Yao Yi, "..."

It struck him that there was something wrong with Qi San, but after giving it some thought, he felt that there was nothing out of the ordinary. Was he imagining things?

...

A big problem solved, Ling Zhang felt quite at ease. He went to the kitchen and made a bowl of noodle for Yuwen Tong. After that, he had a cook prepare some dishes and thus his and Yuwen Tong's dinner was ready.

At night, Yuwen Tong returned from the consultation hall and the two of them had dinner together. Watching Ling Zhang slurping noisily from his bowl, Yuwen Tong suddenly said, "You may go there if you want. I'll have Yao Yi and some others go with you."

Ling Zhang was engaged in drinking his noodle soup when Yuwen Tong's remarks hit him like a thunderbolt. He nearly choked on the soup.

Yuwen Tong hastened to pat his back. "You're an adult now. How come you could still choke on noodle soup?"

Ling Zhang glared at him. So this was his own fault? Were it not for the sudden good news from Yuwen Tong, this would never have happened.

"You're really letting me go there? Don't you go back on your word!"

"How am I supposed to reply to you when you're asking me a question and giving me an order at the same time?"

Ling Zhang looked at him. Yuwen Tong gave it some thought and then inclined his head neatly. "Yeah, you can go, and I won't break my word," he added.

Ling Zhang's eyes instantly narrowed. He was so happy he almost rose to his feet to do a twirl. However, he still promised, "I'll stay in your men's sight and keep my cool at all times, and protecting myself will always be my first priority!"

Yuwen Tong lifted his eyebrows, feeling that Ling Zhang had really grown up, given that he'd made a promise on his own account. Thinking that Ling Zhang deserved a reward for this, he planted a kiss on Ling Zhang's forehead. "You may set out in two days."

Ling Zhang, whose brow was stained by the oily kiss, was just about to dress him down when he heard Yuwen Tong tell him to depart in two days. "So–So soon?"

"Yeah. The matter of Jiangzhou is urgent."

Ling Zhang's excitement ebbed somewhat. He was only too anxious to go to Jiangzhou, but surprisingly, after Yuwen Tong willingly gave his consent and even fixed up for him to depart, he felt a faint sense of loss. It struck him that there was probably something wrong with himself.

"Incidentally, remember to see Yuwen Jin off tomorrow. He's going to the Shadow Battalion with Qi San," Yuwen Tong added.

Ling Zhang's attention was distracted. If Yuwen Jin went to the Shadow Battalion, he would have to go through hell before he could get out of it. "Okay."

When they had finished dinner, the two of them went for an after-dinner walk as usual. Yuwen Tong still had some state affairs to attend to at night. Ling Zhang had a talk with Qi San who filled him in on the situation in Jiangzhou. At a late hour, the two of them burrowed beneath the quilt, did what they usually did in bed several times, and then slept until daybreak.Visit website our ReadNovelFull.com

Early the next morning, Ling Zhang went out of the palace. Only a limited few knew about Yuwen Jin's upcoming journey to the Shadow Battalion, and the couple of close friends of his were among them.

His friends paid their respects to Ling Zhang with due formality at the sight of him. "It's an honor to kneel before you, Your Highness."

Ling Zhang didn't like it when people addressed him as "the empress". Whoever dared call him that would have to face his anger, and all his friends knew about this.

Ling Zhang gave a slight cough and said, "You may rise."

"Thank you, Your Highness," the group of them chorused, stood up and then suddenly burst into laughter all at once, clustering around him. "Hey, how does it feel? It makes you feel pretty good, right?"

Ling Zhang sneered, "Would it kill you to pretend for a little while longer? Look at the stupid smile on your faces."

"Haha... We can't let you have that, and you know it," laughed Yuwen Jin, scampering over to Ling Zhang. "Eek, why do I get the feeling you're a little taller than the last time I've seen you, Brother Zhang?" he asked.

Ling Zhang's eyes instantly lit up. "Taller?"

The others peered closely at him and then all nodded. "You do seem to have grown a bit."

"What have you been eating lately?"

"I've been using every conceivable method to grow taller but nothing seems to work on me. How come you grew so much within merely a couple of days?"

His friends admiringly watched Ling Zhang's newly gained height, green with envy.

"Does being the empress help you grow, by any chance?" Yuwen Jin took a wild guess.

All the others lapsed into silence. If that was the case, there would be nothing they could do, however jealous they were.

Ling Zhang slowly looked from face to face and sniffed, "You guys seriously fell for Yuwen Jin's nonsense?"

"Well, what other explanation is there?" ventured Xie Qing, clearly looking forward to hearing Ling Zhang's answer.

Ji Feng, Zhao Turui, Zhao Jiusi and Tao Yi all looked at Ling Zhang with expectant eyes. Evidently, whatever the circumstances, growing taller was always a great temptation for them.

Ling Zhang thought back carefully for a while and then responded, "I think it might have something to do with the soup made with bones that I've been drinking on a frequent basis recently. The method of cultivating internal energy I've been following should be a contributing factor too."

The latter was not accessible to them, but the former was definitely on the table. Soup made with bones. Easy peasy!

"So we can grow taller by just drinking soup made with bones? I've been wasting time for so long!" wailed Yuwen Jin.

Ling Zhang looked at him and said bracingly, "It's okay. I believe you'll be a lot taller when you finish your training in that place."

Yuwen Jin's eyes twinkled. "Really?"

"Your cousin said so. I think it's true," replied Ling Zhang.

The main reason why Yuwen Tong had said that was because Yuwen Jin was still at puberty, and it wouldn't be a problem for Yuwen Jin to grow a little taller with the help of the high-intensity training and nutritious daily diet he would get in the Shadow Battalion.

Hearing this, the others were somewhat envious, but they all knew there was a line in the sand, so none of them asked where that place was. Given that both Ling Zhang and Yuwen Jin were keeping it back from them, information about that place must be top secret.

Zhao Jiusi, who was among the crowd, appeared faintly thoughtful. He was now Ling Zhang's adviser, but after the imperial wedding, Ling Zhang had shooed him home to let him focus on preparations for the imperial examination. As a result, recently he'd been preparing for the exam at home all along and hadn't visited the palace. The same went for Jiang Yu.

Zhao Jiusi, who knew that Jiang Yu was no inferior to him in terms of learning, had a sneaking urge to outshine Jiang Yu in the exam, so he'd been staying in his study preparing for the exam for quite a few days. He came here only because Yuwen Jin was leaving this afternoon. As a friend of Yuwen Jin's, he had to see him off. They wouldn't be able to see each other for a very long time – not until the imperial examination next year.

"But growing taller is not the only thing you'll be doing there. You need to psych yourself up for some serious hardships," Ling Zhang told Yuwen Jin.

Oozing confidence, Yuwen Jin patted his chest and said, "Rest assured, Brother Zhang, I got this."

Ling Zhang gave a smile. As long as Yuwen Jin toughed it out, his name would definitely be on the list of successful candidates the next year.

"What about you guys? Are you all preparing for the exam?" Ling Zhang inquired of Ji Feng and the others.

All his friends nodded. "Yeah. All of us are going to be studying hard at home from tomorrow. I'm afraid we won't be able to get another chance to see each other until the day of the exam next year, but if there's anything you need our help with, please tell us. We'll do everything we can to help you out," said Ji Feng.

Ling Zhang said, "Okay. I congratulate you beforehand on passing the exam next year and shooting to fame."

"Today we don't drink wine. Let's drink tea instead."

"To the future."

Thus, they drank tea instead of wine to encourage each other. Zhao Turui, who was obsessed with the idea of becoming a businessman, had had a frank and straight talk with his family. His elders would allow him to go into business on one condition – that he took the imperial examination next year and passed it. Otherwise they wouldn't give their consent.

Zhao Turui was also working hard on his dream. Recently he'd been studying in his room from dawn until dark. He was putting more effort into study than his brother was. Infected by him, his brother had been working even harder than before.

Seeing his friends had all set their respective goals and their eyes were gleaming with dash and vigor, Ling Zhang felt greatly inspired, as though he were seeing how they would look like when they achieved their goals next year.

After a simple lunch, they saw Yuwen Jin off at the city gates in the afternoon. Then Ling Zhang turned around to return to the palace.

Before he left, Zhao Jiusi in the distance bowed to him with hands folded in front. Ling Zhang inclined his head, mounted Snowflake the horse and quickly went back to the palace.

In all likelihood, after this day, there wouldn't be another occasion when they could meet each other just as friends. No matter what his friends would become, civil officials or military officers, there was bound to be some kind of distance between them, because he was the empress, and they were his subjects. Still, deep down, they would always know that they used to be just friends, the kind who had no misgivings about laughing together or swearing together.

Ling Zhang returned to the palace, his mind racing feverishly. A lot of things had happened within just a few days: his uncle's going to Shengzhou, his maternal grandfather's and Ji Yanlai's departure, Yuwen Jin's leaving for the Shadow Battalion, his friends' decisions to focus on their preparation for the exam. It was as though all the action around him had suddenly abated.

Also, the weather was gradually getting cold. It was very likely that the air temperature would plummet in another few days, and there would be heavy snow.

Worried that the change of temperature might affect Fu Caiwei, Ling Zhang frequently had eunuchs go to the Ling Mansion to inquire after her and then return to inform him of the situation. Of course, he would have to depart for Jiangzhou in two days.

This afternoon, apart from Yuwen Jin, the diplomatic corps of the Wan Kingdom also officially took their leave.

The diplomatic corps of the Wan Kingdom were the first to leave, followed by that of the Luohai Kingdom. The Fangcun diplomatic corps were the last. The Fangcun Kingdom was in the south, and the other two countries in the north.

Both the Wan diplomatic corps and the Luohai diplomatic corps were tailed by some men. Yuwen Tong believed that Shan Congyi and Mu Rongfeng wouldn't leave the Great Wen just like this, so he had some men shadow them closely to see if his speculations were right.

...

The day after their departure, the Wan diplomatic corps and the Luohai diplomatic corps "chanced upon" each other. Shan Congyi and Mu Rongfeng had a long private talk and then the two diplomatic corps went their separate ways.

Those trailing the two diplomatic corps had an inkling that something was wrong, for Mu Rongfeng and Shan Congyi hadn't shown their faces after that talk. Taken aback, they figured out a way to put out feelers and discovered that Shan Congyi and Mu Rongfeng had secretly had two men impersonate them, that they themselves had traveled far away.

Yuwen Tong in the capital city was totally unsurprised to receive the message. Those men he'd assigned to tail the two diplomatic corps were neither his secret bodyguards nor members of his elite forces, just some common scouts who were amateur enough to be spotted by Shan Congyi and Mu Rongfeng but wouldn't arouse their suspicions.

...

Shan Congyi and Mu Rongfeng, after perceiving that they were shadowed, had consulted with each other and taken a countermeasure. They'd each disguised as a member of their respective diplomatic corps, having the ones they disguised as impersonate them. Then they'd hidden in the inn where they'd stayed the day before, and waited a long time before leaving.

"To the north of Taizhou is the Beihai Sea where a fleet is waiting for me. I've sent a letter to my father already. Barring accidents, the things we need will arrive by the time I get aboard," Mu Rongfeng said to Shan Congyi.