Volume 1, Chapter 62: Making an Example of the Chicken to Scare the Monkeys

The wind sweeping through the canyon carried a rich, heavy scent of blood, whipping up the dust from the ground and causing the garments of those present to snap loudly in the gale.

The surviving Black Water Alliance chieftain, trembling like a leaf in a sieve, had spilled everything he knew about the existence of the "oriole" lying in wait. Now, he collapsed onto the earth like a heap of rotting mud, utterly drained of even the strength to beg for mercy.

Father and son, Xiao Yuan and Xiao Teng, exchanged glances, both seeing billowing waves of shock mirrored in each other's eyes.

If a Third Prince could already be this frantic and devoid of reason, with the addition of a Second Prince long reputed for his "benevolence" and even deeper unfathomable scheming... the political waters of the imperial capital were far deeper and murkier than they had ever imagined.

Every gaze finally converged upon Li Xuan.

Upon hearing this astonishing and earth-shattering secret, the Crown Prince's face bore not a trace of alarm or fury. Instead, a playful, enigmatic smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He looked precisely like a master chess player who had just discovered another hidden, lethal trap set by his opponent beneath the board. Far from instilling fear, this realization only ignited his competitive spirit all the more intensely.

"Your Highness, these people..." Xiao Ningshuang stepped to Li Xuan's side, her cool, clear gaze sweeping over the assassins currently subdued by the Northern Frontier iron cavalry. A barely perceptible trace of lingering concern laced her tone.

She was not asking how to dispose of them, but rather what Li Xuan intended to do next.

Li Xuan grasped her slightly chilled hand, squeezing it gently to offer reassurance. He turned around, his gaze sweeping slowly over the few remaining captives. His eyes were as calm as if he were merely observing a few lambs waiting for the slaughter.

"Jing Yun."

"This subordinate is here." Jing Yun stepped forward, dried blood still staining his attire.

"Break all their tongues. I want to know what role my second brother's men played in this, and what their original plan was." Li Xuan's voice was not loud, yet it carried an unquestionable, towering authority.

"Understood!"

Jing Yun acknowledged the order and turned to lead his men away when Li Xuan added a final instruction: "Keep it quiet. Don't frighten our... 'friend'."

His gaze landed on the chieftain who had spoken first.

The chieftain gave a start, instantly grasping the Crown Prince's intent. He was to be segregated from the rest for interrogation precisely because his prompt "surrender" had bought him preferential treatment. A spark of desperate hope flared in his chest, and he began kowtowing like pounding garlic on a slab. "Thank Your Highness for sparing my life! Thank Your Highness for sparing my life!"

Li Xuan smiled faintly and paid him no further heed.

He walked over to Xiao Yuan. The veteran general, who had spent his entire life campaigning across battlefields, now wore a deeply furrowed brow.

"Father-in-law, it appears this game of chess is far livelier than we anticipated."

Xiao Yuan said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, the Second Prince, Li Zhan—his cruelty of heart and stealth of methods far exceed those of the Third Prince. Now that he has made his move, he undoubtedly has backup plans in reserve. We must be on our guard."

"Guard?" Li Xuan shook his head, a cold, sharp arc forming at the corner of his lips. "Father-in-law, the best defense is offense. If someone strikes me with a punch and I merely block it, he will perceive me as weak and easy to bully, prompting him to throw a second punch, and then a third. What I intend to do is shatter his arm directly, making him feel the pain, making him feel fear, so that whenever he looks at me in the future, he will recall the excruciating agony of a broken limb."

His words dripped with murderous intent, yet they caused father and son Xiao to feel an invigorating surge of spirit.

This was the sovereign they were willing to follow: a ruler who repaid every grievance and settled every debt in full!

"What does Your Highness plan to do?" Xiao Teng could not help asking.

Li Xuan did not answer directly. Instead, he looked toward Tieniu, who was standing idly to the side, casually kicking a pebble with the toe of his boot.

"Tieniu."

"Here!" Hearing the summons, Tieniu immediately straightened his posture, standing tall and sturdy like an iron tower.

"I have a task for you."

"Name it, Your Highness! Even if it means climbing a mountain of blades or plunging into a sea of fire, this subordinate will not blink an eye!" Tieniu beat his chest, causing his heavy armor to clang rhythmically.

Li Xuan chuckled. "You won't need to climb a mountain of blades, nor plunge into a sea of fire. I need you to... play the part of a messenger for once."

"A messenger?" Tieniu froze, sheer bewilderment written across his saucer-like eyes. "Can't someone else handle something as simple as delivering a letter? I still need to protect Your Highness!"

"No, this task can only be entrusted to you." Li Xuan's smile took on a profound, inscrutable depth. "Because what you are going to deliver is not a letter; it is human heads."

At these words, everyone present was struck dumb with astonishment.

Unfazed by their shock, Li Xuan continued, "After Jing Yun finishes the interrogations, execute all the rest on the spot, save for our 'friend' here. You, Tieniu, will personally lead a detachment, select three hundred heads, preserve them with quicklime, pack them into three hundred wooden boxes, and deliver them back to the imperial capital for me."

Blood rushing to his head, Tieniu shouted loudly, "Understood! And to whom shall I deliver them? Should I toss them straight onto the doorstep of the Third Prince's mansion?"

In his straightforward view, that was precisely the most satisfying way to handle it.

"Throw them at his doorstep?" Li Xuan burst into laughter. "That's far too petty. I want you to return in grand, uninhibited style."

He paced two steps forward, calculations flashing in his eyes. "You will escort these three hundred wooden boxes back to the capital, and without stopping anywhere else, head straight for the execution grounds at Vegetable Market Square."

"What are we going to the execution grounds for?" Tieniu looked even more perplexed.

"Build a high platform right there in the execution grounds. Arrange all three hundred wooden boxes neatly upon it for me, piling them up into a monumental trophy mound." Li Xuan's voice suddenly turned chillingly cold. "Then, you need say nothing at all. Just plant a massive banner beside it for me, bearing only eight characters."

"Which eight characters?" Xiao Ningshuang asked with rising curiosity.

Li Xuan pronounced each word distinctly: "Those who violate my Eastern Palace shall be hunted and slain to the ends of the earth!"

"Those who violate my Eastern Palace shall be hunted and slain to the ends of the earth..." Xiao Yuan muttered to himself, feeling a surge of heroic pride rush straight to his chest as an unprecedented, razor-sharp brilliance erupted in his eyes.

What a magnificent declaration: *Hunted and slain to the ends of the earth!*

This was no mere warning; it was a naked declaration of war! It was not directed at any single prince alone, but served as a gauntlet thrown down to everyone harboring malicious designs!

"Your Highness, this... isn't this perhaps too flamboyant?" Xiao Teng hesitated slightly. "As for His Majesty..."

"Flamboyant is precisely what I want!" Li Xuan said with absolute finality. "I want my Imperial Father, I want all the civil and military officials of the court, I want the entire world to see! I, Li Xuan, am no soft persimmon to be kneaded at will! Whoever dares to touch my people or my family, this shall be their fate!"

He paused, shifting his tone as he looked back at Tieniu, reverting to his earlier teasing demeanor. "Of course, merely raising a banner is not enough. You must also find someone with a booming voice to beat drums and clash gongs beside you, shouting at the top of his lungs: 'A great victory in the Northern Frontier! The Crown Prince has slain three thousand bandits and captured three hundred prisoners to offer tribute to His Majesty and celebrate the Great Zhou!' Have them shout this continuously for three full days until the entire capital knows."

"Pfft." Xiao Ningshuang could not help laughing out loud.

One moment brimming with murderous terror, the next adopting the manner of a street performer—this stark contrast largely dissipated the heavy gloom brought by the bloodshed in her heart.

Tieniu slapped his thigh in delight. "Your Highness, this is right up my alley! My voice is loud enough; I'll go and shout it myself! I guarantee I'll shout louder than anyone else!"

Li Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

To kill a man was to conquer his heart.

By doing this, he would achieve three distinct objectives with a single stroke.

First, intimidation. Using three hundred blood-soaked heads to pile a victory mound in the liveliest part of the capital was the most direct and brutal warning possible, enough to strike terror into the hearts of the Third Prince Li Yi and the shadowy forces operating behind him.

Second, alienation. On the surface, he would only claim to have "slain bandits" and avoid any mention of the Third Prince, yet everyone would understand the truth beneath the surface. Consequently, the Third Prince would inevitably suspect that the Second Prince had betrayed him behind his back. Meanwhile, upon witnessing this spectacle, the Second Prince would realize his identity as the "oriole" had been exposed, breeding deep resentment toward the Third Prince, the "mantis." The rift between the brothers would become utterly unbridgeable.

Third, establishing majesty. Through this display, he would demonstrate his iron-fisted methods and brilliant military achievements to his Imperial Father and the entire realm. An heir apparent required far more than mere benevolence—he needed thunderous methods as well!

An hour later, Jing Yun's interrogation concluded.

The results matched expectations: men planted by the Second Prince had indeed infiltrated the ranks. Their mission was to wait until the Third Prince's "Black Water Alliance" and the Crown Prince's guards had battered each other to exhaustion, at which point they would emerge to sweep the field, eradicating both the Crown Prince and the Black Water Alliance forces in one fell swoop, before finally framing the Third Prince, whose silence had already been permanently secured.

What a venomous scheme!

Hearing the report, Li Xuan merely offered a cold smile.

He walked over to the chieftain who was being detained separately, personally untied his bonds, brushed the dust from his shoulders, and said gently, "You are an intelligent man, and I prefer dealing with intelligent people. Whatever the Third Brother promised you, I will double it. However, you must perform a task for me."

Flattered and overawed, the chieftain hurriedly replied, "Please give your orders, Your Highness! This humble subordinate will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

"I want you to find a way to 'escape'." Li Xuan's voice was laden with temptation. "Return to the Second Brother, and tell him that the Third Brother's Black Water Alliance proved utterly fragile and has been completely annihilated by me. However, I too suffered heavy losses, with fewer than fifty survivors remaining out of the three hundred Eastern Palace guards. Tell him that I myself sustained a graze to my right arm from a poisoned arrow belonging to the Black Water Alliance during the melee, and am currently recuperating secretly within the camp without making my condition public."

The chieftain's eyes rolled as he rapidly processed the information, instantly grasping Li Xuan's intent.

He was being sent back to act as a double agent, feeding false intelligence to the Second Prince!

"This subordinate understands! I will certainly accomplish this!"

"Go." Li Xuan waved a hand. "Remember, act your part convincingly so the Second Brother detects no flaws."

That very night, a raging fire at Black Wind Pass burned away all traces of the carnage.

Meanwhile, Tieniu led a peculiar "honor guard" escorting three hundred heavy wooden boxes as they embarked on the journey back to the imperial capital.

A much larger tempest was quietly brewing in the skies above the capital.