Prime Minister 04

Hearing the words "imperial court," Wei Kaiyuan's heart trembled. Back when he had first mobilized his troops, they had tried to stop him, and later even claimed there was no military funding or logistical support. What were they up to now?

"Bring him in," he said after a moment of hesitation. After all, it was the Emperor's messenger.

The messenger, his face covered, handed over a letter sealed with wax.

Wei Kaiyuan glanced at the messenger before breaking the seal.

"By the Emperor's urgent decree, Wei Kaiyuan of the Liangguo Duke's residence is summoned back to the capital!" The letter contained only this brief line, stamped with the imperial seal at the bottom.

Wei Kaiyuan's heart sank. Just when he was on the verge of success, the Emperor was recalling him?

Wouldn't all his efforts go to waste?

He dismissed the messenger and sat in deep thought.

His subordinate cursed, "It must be those spineless officials at court poisoning the Emperor's ear again! General, you must not return!"

Wei Kaiyuan sighed. But at dawn, another soldier reported the arrival of yet another messenger.

Frowning, Wei Kaiyuan realized the court was determined to recall him.

However, when he saw the messenger pull out a thick stack of letters from his robe, he was stunned.

"What is this?"

The messenger replied, "Chancellor Fang Zhiyi thought sending them one by one would be too troublesome, so he had me deliver the remaining eleven letters to you all at once."

"Eleven? Plus last night's, that makes twelve. Is there some hidden meaning?" Wei Kaiyuan was utterly baffled.

Still, he patiently opened all eleven letters—each contained the same message.

His heart sank further.

"It seems I have no choice but to return to the capital," he sighed, stepping outside his tent and gazing northward, his eyes filled with resentment.

"Report! Another messenger has arrived!"

Wei Kaiyuan was numb by now. He had the messenger brought forward and reached out for the letter, but the messenger shook his head.

"Where is the letter?"

The messenger cleared his throat. "An oral message."

"Fine, speak."

"You little brat, you’ve got some nerve!" The moment the messenger spoke, Wei Kaiyuan's deputy drew his sword.

The messenger shuddered in fear, but his professional instincts drove him to continue, "You must have received the previous twelve letters..."

Wei Kaiyuan waved his hand. "I understand. You may report back that my troops will decamp and return tomorrow."

The messenger hesitated, then blurted out anxiously, "Reading them is one thing, but coming back will only bring trouble. If you’ve got the guts, push straight into the barbarians' homeland. If you’re short on supplies, just send this guy back to let me know, and I’ll find a way."

He pointed at himself.

Wei Kaiyuan was stunned. After a pause, he asked, "Whose message is this?"

The messenger answered truthfully, "Chancellor Fang Zhiyi."

Wei Kaiyuan frowned. "Impossible!"

The messenger nodded vigorously. "It really is Chancellor Fang. He said letters could be intercepted, so he ordered me to deliver the message directly." He paused. "Oh, and Chancellor Fang mentioned that a merchant convoy with apricot-yellow banners will pass through in a few days. If you reveal your identity, they’ll hand over all their supplies to you."

Wei Kaiyuan was momentarily speechless.

Fang Zhiyi? The image of Fang Zhiyi flashed in his mind. No way—he was the one who feared war the most.

Yet, a few days later, a merchant convoy did arrive. After verifying Wei Kaiyuan’s identity, they even left their wagons behind. When the covers were lifted, the wagons were filled with provisions.

Wei Kaiyuan couldn’t fathom what game Fang Zhiyi was playing.

"General, do we return now?" the deputy asked.

Wei Kaiyuan hesitated, glancing at the messenger who was fidgeting nearby and then at the soldiers counting the supplies. Finally, he made up his mind. "How can I disobey the Emperor’s decree?"

To him, Fang Zhiyi was nothing but a treacherous minister, utterly untrustworthy. Just as he was preparing to pack up, the messenger cautiously approached again.

"General, are you really returning?"

Wei Kaiyuan nodded. "You may leave."

The messenger shook his head, cleared his throat once more, and said, "If the general insists on returning to court, tell him his father is in my hands."

The moment those words left his mouth, Wei Kaiyuan exploded. He grabbed the messenger by the collar. "What did you say?"

All around them, swords were drawn.

The messenger, ever professional, swallowed hard and struggled to speak. "If he’s determined to come back and court death, I might as well send his father ahead to pave the way for him. Think carefully—keep fighting, and your father stays safe. Return, and your entire Liangguo Duke’s residence will be finished!"

"He wouldn’t dare!" Wei Kaiyuan roared.

The messenger continued, "If he says I wouldn’t dare, remind him of my reputation. I’ve killed ministers who served three reigns—what’s a duke to me?"

Wei Kaiyuan’s eyes widened, but after a moment, he released the messenger.

"General!" His subordinates rushed forward.

Wei Kaiyuan glared at the messenger. "Fine. So he’s colluded with the barbarians to set a trap for me? I’ll walk into it. But he’d better not harm a single person in my household!"

The messenger scratched his head and replied honestly, "Chancellor didn’t tell me how to respond to that."

Wei Kaiyuan took a deep breath. "Go back and tell him I need provisions and weapons. Didn’t he say to ask for whatever I lack? Poisoned rations and rusted blades—Wei Kaiyuan will dare to eat and wield them all!"

Far away in the capital, Fang Zhiyi was unaware of this exchange. He was busy with a new project—urban renewal. He had selected a group of craftsmen, personally drawn up architectural plans, and explained the techniques to them.

When the Emperor learned of this, he summoned Fang Zhiyi. After reviewing the designs, His Majesty was delighted and immediately decided to participate in the "urban renewal" project. As for the funding—Fang Zhiyi, of course, understood.

Soon, he introduced the project to the court. Eager to curry favor with the Emperor and Fang Zhiyi, the officials—already swimming in wealth—competed to contribute. Before long, construction sites sprang up all over the capital.

Only a few retired ministers cursed Fang Zhiyi in private. Even the commoners knew this was just another scheme to squeeze money out of them.

But their complaints were half-hearted. After all, for Fang Zhiyi, such maneuvers were nothing out of the ordinary.

Half a month passed, and the Wei army not only failed to return but had advanced to the northern border, confronting the barbarian forces near the old capital.

When news reached the court, the Emperor was shocked.

"Chancellor Fang, were the twelve secret letters delivered?"

Fang Zhiyi bowed. "...They were not."

"What?!"

"Your Majesty, forgive me. I only learned yesterday that the messengers were ambushed and killed by bandits on the road."

"What?!" The entire court erupted.

"Bandits daring to kill imperial envoys? Outrageous!"

"Your Majesty, I intended to report this today. Due to barbarian raids, many commoners have turned to banditry. The messengers couldn’t get through."

"Preposterous!" the Emperor thundered. "Are you telling me mere bandits have stumped you?"

Fang Zhiyi clasped his hands. "I request Your Majesty’s decree to suppress the bandits!"