17: The Unparalleled Emperor (XI)

One year later.

The wedding of Wu Yun and Princess Taiping was filled with honor and favor. Emperor Shenwu personally bestowed the title of "Grand General Who Stabilizes the South" and ordered him to set out immediately to guard the peaceful territories at the southernmost tip of the Empire, far from the Imperial Capital.

In the Golden Chime Hall, the First Prince's faction showed expressions of joy.

Although Wu Yun had not shown any intention of vying for the throne, he was exceptionally talented, had outstanding military achievements, and was backed by Prince Taiping.

He had to guard against such strength.

Locking a fierce tiger in a golden cage—this overt maneuver was truly brilliant.

Clad in a red robe, Wu Yun exchanged a glance with Prince Taiping beside him; neither of their eyes showed any ripples of emotion.

He kowtowed to express his gratitude and accepted this poisoned honor.

No war in the Southern Border meant no more military merit. A comfortable life would slowly wear down the sharpest blade.

Wu Yun knew this, and Prince Taiping knew it too.

Biding their time was their only choice.

Life in the Southern Border was indeed as calm as water. Wu Yun trained his troops and handled military affairs daily, as if he had truly become a frontier official content with a life of leisure.

However, the storm in the Imperial Capital escalated abruptly after he departed.

The First Prince's wings had fully matured.

He was no longer satisfied with mere suppression; he needed an opportunity to crush the Second Prince once and for all.

A year later, the opportunity arrived.

The First Prince forged ironclad evidence of the Second Prince colluding with the remnants of their old enemy, the "Langxu Kingdom," and bribed a general under the Second Prince's command to orchestrate a "treasonous" defeat at the border.

Both human and physical evidence were complete.

The Second Prince was forced into a corner, unable to defend himself. To retreat was death; to move forward might offer a slim chance of survival.

He rebelled.

Under the banner of "cleansing the Emperor's side and executing treacherous officials," he boldly raised his army.

History would call it the "Scorched Earth Rebellion."

Beacons of war rose across the Empire as the flames of battle spread from the border all the way to the interior.

In the Grand General's Mansion of the Southern Border, Wu Yun submitted three consecutive petitions to join the war to the Imperial Capital, all of which were sternly rejected by the First Prince on the grounds that "the stability of the Southern Border is vital to the nation's foundation."

He was pinned firmly to the south.

Inside the study, Wu Yun looked at the prefectures and counties marked in red on the sand table, his face expressionless.

The Second Prince was no mediocre talent; the army under his command possessed formidable combat strength.

To win, the First Prince adopted the cruelest scorched earth strategy. He didn't care how many commoners were sacrificed or how many cities were destroyed; he only wanted the Second Prince dead.

The Origin Qi of the Empire was being consumed at an alarming rate.

"General."

A personal guard approached silently.

"How are the contacts going?" Wu Yun asked without looking up.

"As per your instructions, through His Highness Prince Taiping's channels, secret contact has been established with over fifteen generals who are dissatisfied with the First Prince."

"Very good."

"Additionally, we have obtained evidence that the First Prince deliberately leaked military intelligence to the remnants of the Langxu Kingdom to eliminate his rivals."

Wu Yun finally looked up, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

"Continue biding our time and wait for the opportunity."

"Yes!"

Three more years passed.

The Scorched Earth Rebellion ended with the Second Prince's defeat and death. His faction was uprooted, and blood flowed like rivers.

As the "primary hero of the rebellion's suppression," the First Prince took complete control of the Empire's military and political power, his prestige reaching its peak.

Meanwhile, Emperor Shenwu, whose Lifespan was dwindling due to hidden ailments, began year-round secluded cultivation and had long since stopped involving himself in court affairs.

That same year, Wu Yun's cultivation quietly reached a Breakthrough, attaining the Spirit King Realm Fourth Level.

Now, looking across the entire Empire, as long as he didn't proactively provoke those reclusive old monsters, he had more than enough power to protect himself.

With the internal strife settled, the butcher's knife was raised once more.

This time, the blade was aimed at the only remaining Third Prince.

Stripping him of power, removing his retainers, and fabricating a series of charges to suppress him... The Third Prince was like a lamb driven to the edge of a cliff, living in terror every day as he smelled the scent of death upon himself.

He knew that his only way out lay with Wu Yun, the Grand General Who Stabilizes the South, who had been recalled to the capital and was nominally idle at home.

Wu Yun was also waiting for him.

Having been forcibly recalled to the King's Capital this time, he also understood that it seemed the First Prince was preparing to deal with him, a hidden threat, as well.

He had bided his time for so long; it was time to put this chessboard into motion.

Late at night, the Mansion of the Grand General Who Stabilizes the South.

The Third Prince shook off all spies and, through his connection with Princess Taiping, risked his life to visit.

He had shed all his princely dignity, his face as pale as paper. The moment he saw Wu Yun, his legs gave way, and he actually knelt straight down.

"Thirteenth Brother! Save me!"

His voice was shrill, carrying a sob.

Wu Yun did not move to help him up, merely watching him quietly.

"Please rise, Third Brother. To visit so late at night, what is the matter?"

How could the Third Prince possibly get up? He moved forward on his knees for two steps, clutching the hem of Wu Yun's robe, weeping uncontrollably.

"Thirteenth Brother! The eldest wants to kill me! He killed the second, and I'm next! Imperial Father is in seclusion, and the entire court is filled with his people. I have nowhere left to turn!"

"You and your father-in-law hold heavy military power; you are the Empire's last hope! As long as you are willing to send troops to aid me, after I ascend the throne, I will enfeoff you as 'King Yunwu,' to endure with the state and share this vast land!"

The heavy promise fell to the floor with a resounding thud.

The study fell into a deathly silence.

Wu Yun remained silent for a long time, so long that the hope in the Third Prince's eyes was almost extinguished.

He finally spoke, but his voice was as cold as a piece of iron.

"Your Highness, I'm afraid I cannot comply."

The Third Prince snapped his head up, looking at him in disbelief.

"Why?"

"First, the disparity in strength," Wu Yun said slowly. "The First Prince holds seventy percent of the Empire's troops, and the court is filled with his cronies. My father-in-law and I hold less than thirty percent of the forces. Raising an army now would be like striking a stone with an egg."

"Second, there is no legitimate cause for war."

Wu Yun's gaze pierced through the Third Prince.

"The Second Prince's banner of 'cleansing the Emperor's side' still rings in our ears, and his bones are not yet cold. If we raise an army without ironclad evidence, we will be the second 'Second Prince'—rebels."

The Third Prince trembled all over as his last bit of strength was drained, and he slumped to the floor.

He was led away by servants, his eyes vacant, like a walking corpse.

The door closed.

Princess Taiping stepped out from behind the screen, her face full of confusion.

"Husband, are we really... going to stand by and watch him die?"

Wu Yun turned and walked to the massive sand table by the wall.

He picked up a black chess piece and placed it on the location representing the Imperial Capital.

"The Third Prince is not an ally."

His voice was very soft, yet it carried a chilling coldness.

"He is merely a pawn, a pawn sufficient to make the First Prince reveal a fatal flaw."

Princess Taiping froze.

Wu Yun's finger tapped lightly on the location of the Imperial Capital on the sand table.

"They can vie for the throne; as the Thirteenth Prince, why can't I?"

These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in the silent study.

Princess Taiping snapped her head up, her eyes filled with shock.

Wu Yun turned around, his face devoid of any expression.

"The Eldest Brother killed the Second, and is pressuring the Third. I am next. Rather than waiting for death, I might as well take a gamble."

"But you just refused the Third Prince..."

"Because he is certain to die," Wu Yun interrupted her. "But I want his death to have value."

He picked up the piece representing the Third Prince on the sand table and gave it a light squeeze.

"When the Eldest Brother kills the Third, that will be the moment he loses the people's hearts. Raising an army then will be the true 'cleansing of the Emperor's side'."

Princess Taiping gasped.

She finally understood that Wu Yun was not avoiding the conflict.

He was waiting for the perfect opportunity.

An opportunity that would allow him to ascend to that position with full legitimacy.