Li Ji glanced at Bian Ziming.
Bian Ziming guessed that Prince Zhao had something to say to him, so he immediately waved a hand, dismissing his men.
Once everyone had left, Bian Ziming sidled up to him and asked fawningly,
"Do you have any orders for me, Prince?"
Li Ji’s gaze swept over the two deputy generals in the distance as he lowered his voice and gave a few instructions.
After listening, Bian Ziming’s expression changed drastically.
He subconsciously started to turn and look at the two deputy generals, but Li Ji stopped him.
"Don’t look around. You’ll alert the enemy."
Bian Ziming forced down the urge to look back and said through gritted teeth,
"I never imagined those two would be traitors. I treated them with utmost sincerity, and this is how they repay me! They’re nothing but a pair of ungrateful dogs!"
He hated betrayal more than anything, and now he had discovered two traitors right beside him.
If Prince Zhao hadn’t told him not to act rashly, he would have charged over and killed those two traitors on the spot!
Li Ji said, "This isn’t the time for angry words. Do as I say and see how they react."
Bian Ziming clasped his fist and replied, "Yes, sir!"
Under the pretext of discussing matters, he called the two deputy generals over for separate talks.
He did as Prince Zhao instructed, not directly revealing their status as spies, but probing them with veiled words.
One of them, Vice General Qiu, remained extremely calm. No matter how Bian Ziming probed, he responded with composure, showing no sign of weakness.
The other, Deputy General Dou, performed much worse.
He didn’t want to be a traitor, but he had no choice but to submit for the safety of his family.
He was torn, his heart in constant turmoil.
The moment he realized General Bian might suspect him, Deputy General Dou panicked.
And when a man panics, he easily slips up.
Soon enough, Bian Ziming seized on one of his mistakes and barraged him with several questions, leaving him dizzy and giving nonsensical answers.
In the end, even he—Deputy General Dou—felt he could no longer hide it and, in a fit of despair, confessed everything.
As it turned out, he never truly wanted to betray Bian Ziming. His family had been captured by the Night Owl Guard, and Wu Wang was using them to threaten him. He was ordered to find a way to kill Prince Zhao, and if he failed, his entire family would be brutally killed, their bodies left dismembered.
Deputy General Dou knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Spare my life, General! My parents, wife, and children are all in the hands of the Night Owl Guard. I can’t abandon them! That’s why I had to obey Wu Wang’s orders."
Seeing him like this, most of Bian Ziming’s anger dissipated.
"If you were in this kind of trouble, you should have told me! I would have helped you!"
Deputy General Dou choked out, "Wu Wang said he had someone watching me in secret. If I dared to expose him, they would kill my family immediately."
"Do you know who’s watching you?"
Deputy General Dou shook his head. "I don’t know."
Bian Ziming recalled what Prince Zhao had said and instantly understood. The one secretly watching Deputy General Dou must be Vice General Qiu.
Unlike Deputy General Dou, Vice General Qiu must have been one of Wu Wang’s men from the very beginning. That was why he could remain so composed when tested and even be tasked with monitoring Deputy General Dou.
Bian Ziming pulled the man up from the ground, patted him on the shoulder, and said earnestly,
"Don’t you realize, even if you do as Wu Wang says, he won’t spare your family? He’ll slaughter all of them to ensure no one ever finds out he was behind it."
Deputy General Dou’s face turned deathly pale. He asked, terrified,
"Th-then what should I do?"
Bian Ziming said, "It’s simple. You cooperate with us. We’ll put on a show, and when it’s all over, you and your family will be safe and sound."
Deputy General Dou asked apprehensively, "What do you want me to do?"
Bian Ziming lowered his voice and laid out the plan.
After he finished, Deputy General Dou hesitated for a long while before steeling himself and making a decision.
"Alright, I’ll do as you say!"
Compared to the unscrupulous Wu Wang, who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals, General Bian—a man with whom he had faced life and death—was clearly more trustworthy.
Bian Ziming smiled. "It’s all up to you now."
All the gates of Shangjing City were sealed shut. No matter how the people outside clamored and provoked, those inside refused to open them.
Prince Zhao’s men couldn’t enter the city and could only wait outside the gates.
Li Ji summoned Bian Ziming and his two deputy generals to the main command tent to discuss their strategy.
Bian Ziming’s idea was to simply storm the city.
After all, they had superior numbers and extensive battle experience. A head-on clash would play to their strengths.
But Li Ji, concerned for Manman’s safety, did not agree to the proposal.
Time flew by, and before they could reach a decision, the sun had already set.
Li Ji had everyone stay in his tent for dinner.
During the meal, Deputy General Dou stood up, holding a teacup in one hand and a teapot in the other, and walked over to Prince Zhao.
"Ever since the Saint fell into a coma, the court has been thrown into chaos by Prince Wu Zhang.
My brothers and I have had to endure endless grief from the Night Owl Guard.
Now that you have returned, Prince Zhao, we finally have a pillar to lean on.
From now on, we brothers will follow you, Prince Zhao. Your word is our command!
Alcohol is forbidden in the army, so I can only offer tea in its place. A toast to you, Prince Zhao!"
With that, he raised his teacup and drained it in one gulp.
Then he picked up the teapot and poured a cup for Prince Zhao.
Li Ji picked up his cup. "Rest assured. As long as I am here, you will never be humiliated again."
The others quickly raised their teacups as well, lightly tapping them against Prince Zhao’s in a gesture of a toast.
Everyone drained their cups.
Vice General Qiu took a deliberate look at Prince Zhao, confirming that he had indeed drunk all the tea in his cup.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, everyone returned to their own tents.
Li Ji had intended to ponder their strategy further, but for some reason, he felt unusually tired tonight. Yawning repeatedly, he couldn’t help but fall onto his bed and into a deep sleep.
「In the dead of night.」
Suddenly, a piercing scream echoed through the camp.
"Assassins! Someone, protect Prince Zhao!"
The instant the voice rang out, the entire camp erupted into chaos.
Bian Ziming threw off his blanket and leaped out of bed. He hastily pulled on his pants and shoes, grabbed a robe to throw over his shoulders without even tying the sash, and rushed outside.
He charged all the way to Prince Zhao’s tent and shouted,
"Prince Zhao is injured! Get a physician, quick!"
By now, Vice General Qiu had also woken up.
He dressed quickly, lifted the tent flap, and stepped outside to see figures running everywhere in the camp.
Everyone was frantically searching for the assassin who had wounded Prince Zhao.