Amidst the hurrying figures, Vice General Qiu’s sharp eyes spotted Deputy General Dou.
Deputy General Dou kept his head down as if hiding from something, not daring to look at anyone the entire time.
He cautiously made his way back to his tent.
There was no one else inside, so he finally dared to relax. He raised his hands; his fingers were covered in blood.
Thankfully, the night was dark, and no one had noticed anything unusual about him. Otherwise, he would have been exposed.
Just then, Vice General Qiu suddenly lifted the tent flap and walked in.
He immediately saw the bloodstains on Deputy General Dou’s hands.
Deputy General Dou jumped in fright and hurriedly hid his hands behind his back, blustering.
"Why didn’t you announce yourself before coming in? Don’t you know how rude that is?!"
But Vice General Qiu just smiled. "I saw."
Deputy General Dou froze. "Saw what?"
Vice General Qiu pointed at the hands hidden behind his back.
"Your hands are covered in blood."
In truth, Vice General Qiu hadn’t wanted to reveal his identity as a mole so soon. But he desperately wanted to know what had happened in the commander’s tent tonight and whether Prince Zhao was truly injured.
The only person who knew was Deputy General Dou.
There was only one way to get Deputy General Dou to willingly tell the truth: let him know that Vice General Qiu was on his side.
As expected, once Deputy General Dou confirmed the other’s identity, he immediately lowered his guard and recounted the entire incident from beginning to end.
It turned out that when Deputy General Dou was serving Prince Zhao tea earlier in the evening, he had drugged the teapot beforehand.
That was why Prince Zhao had slept so soundly tonight.
So soundly that when Deputy General Dou snuck into the commander’s tent in the middle of the night, Prince Zhao didn’t react at all, remaining fast asleep.
Deputy General Dou stabbed Prince Zhao without hesitation.
A sharp pain jolted Prince Zhao awake, and he let out a blood-curdling scream.
Deputy General Dou immediately pulled out his knife and fled the scene.
The blood on his hands was from when he had accidentally stained them during the assassination.
Vice General Qiu asked eagerly.
"Did your strike hit a vital spot?"
Deputy General Dou recalled what had just happened, his heart still pounding with fear. "I think I hit something vital."
A look of delight crossed Vice General Qiu’s face.
’If Prince Zhao is really dead, we’ll have accomplished something great!’
But he quickly calmed down.
’I haven’t seen Prince Zhao’s body yet. I can’t celebrate too soon.’
Vice General Qiu said, "Clean the blood off yourself first. I’ll go and find out what’s happening, see how Prince Zhao is doing. We can talk about the rest later."
Deputy General Dou was extremely anxious. He pleaded with him.
"You promised me that if I killed Prince Zhao, you would spare my family. You can’t go back on your word."
"Don’t worry. As soon as I confirm Prince Zhao is truly dead, I will report it to Duzhu Wu as quickly as possible.
Duzhu Wu will not only release your entire family, but he will also promote you and grant you a title, ensuring your family enjoys endless glory and wealth!"
Deputy General Dou said quickly, "I don’t want any glory or wealth. I just want my family to return safely."
"They will definitely return safely."
Vice General Qiu left in a hurry.
He ran to the commander’s tent to gather information, but just as he stepped inside, he saw the army physician announce grimly.
"The Prince’s injuries were too severe. He is no longer breathing."
Vice General Qiu froze on the spot.
’Prince Zhao is actually dead?’
Bian Ziming dropped to his knees with a THUD and began to wail.
"Prince, how could you just leave like this? What are we supposed to do now that you’re gone?!"
The others in the tent also began to cry mournfully.
Suppressing the ecstasy in his heart, Vice General Qiu forced tears from his eyes as he moved closer to the bed.
He observed Prince Zhao up close and saw that his face was deathly pale, his lips were blue, and the wound on his chest, though covered with gauze, was still bleeding profusely, staining his clothes and the sheets red.
Looking closely at Prince Zhao’s chest and nostrils, he could see no signs of movement.
Vice General Qiu pretended he couldn’t accept this cruel reality, crying out.
"I don’t believe Prince Zhao has left us just like that! I don’t believe it!"
With that, he lunged forward and pressed his fingers against Prince Zhao’s wrist.
He found that Prince Zhao’s pulse was gone.
He then checked for breath from his nose.
There was no breath either.
Now, Vice General Qiu had to believe it—Prince Zhao was really dead!
’This is great! I can report back to the Supervisor!’
Bian Ziming roared furiously, "What are you doing? How dare you touch Prince Zhao’s body? Get the hell out of here!"
Vice General Qiu quickly withdrew his hand and retreated resentfully.
After leaving the commander’s tent, he went straight back to his own.
He lifted a black cloth, revealing a hidden cage containing two carrier pigeons.
Vice General Qiu grabbed one of the pigeons.
He rolled up the written note, tied it to the pigeon’s leg, and then released it.
The pigeon flapped its wings, soaring into the night sky, and soon disappeared into the vast darkness.
The pigeon flew over the city walls, entered the Imperial Palace, and landed on Wu Wang’s shoulder.
Wu Wang untied the thin string on its leg and took the note.
The note contained only four words—
"Prince Zhao is dead!"
Even Wu Wang, who rarely showed his emotions, couldn’t help but look surprised.
He hadn’t expected Vice General Qiu and Deputy General Dou to kill Prince Zhao so quickly.
Everything had gone far too smoothly.
A sliver of doubt crept into Wu Wang’s mind.
He feared it was a trap.
He handed the note to Li Ying.
After reading it, Li Ying shared his sentiment.
"Prince Zhao is a man of many tricks. This is likely a trap. We should wait and see."
Wu Wang nodded. "That’s what I was thinking."
News of Prince Zhao’s death spread quickly through the army, causing widespread panic.
Deliberately instigated by Vice General Qiu and Deputy General Dou, infighting began to break out within the ranks.
The once orderly army of 80,000 men gradually began to fall apart.
Vice General Qiu seized the opportunity to gather a group of men, planning to join forces with Deputy General Dou to kill Bian Ziming. Once Bian Ziming was dead, the 80,000-strong army would be theirs for the taking.
But Deputy General Dou was unwilling to act.
"You promised that if I killed Prince Zhao, you would return my family to me. But I still haven’t seen them. You’ve gone back on your word."
Vice General Qiu sent another message to Wu Wang, urging him to send the Dou Family out of the city.
He argued that since Deputy General Dou had already killed Prince Zhao, he had no path of retreat. Returning his family now would be a good way to win his loyalty and make him serve Duzhu Wu willingly.
Wu Wang agreed to the proposal.
He dispatched the Night Owl Guard to escort the Dou Family out of the city, which would also give them a chance to investigate the situation outside the walls and see if Prince Zhao’s death was real or fake.
Meanwhile, news that Prince Zhao had been assassinated had already spread throughout the Imperial Palace.
When Mu Qing went to deliver food to Princess Consort Zhao, her expression was awful, as if she had suffered a terrible blow, and she was completely distracted.
Hua Manman couldn’t help but ask, "Did something happen outside?"
Mu Qing shook her head. "Nothing happened."
’The Princess Consort is pregnant and must not be agitated. It’s best not to tell her about Prince Zhao for now.’
After Mu Qing left, Hua Manman instructed Qing Huan.
"Go and find out what’s happening outside."