The Frontier Prince: Starting From Scratch - Chapter 31 - The Night Before

In the study of Prince Yan’s Mansion, Liu Fu stood by Zhao Xu’s side.

“Your Highness, Zhang Kang has agreed.”

Returning from the government office, he hadn’t even had a sip of water before coming to report.

“Oh?” Zhao Xu was slightly surprised.

Overnight, the Zhang Family transformed from a fierce tiger into a docile kitten, which was truly unexpected.

Yet, this made him even more uneasy.

After all, it’s not the loud threats that are frightening, but the hidden dangers wrapped in softness.

“I have thought it over, and the Zhang Family’s sudden compliance is either out of fear of the Prince’s Mansion or a delaying tactic. Between the two, I am more inclined to believe the latter. Yan Prefecture is a coveted prize for the Zhang Family; they wouldn’t just hand it over to me,” Zhao Xu said solemnly.

In such a treacherous world, he had to consider the worst intentions behind his enemies’ actions.

“This is also my concern,” Liu Fu frowned. “Regardless of the Zhang Family’s intentions, the Prince’s Mansion’s plan to control Yan Prefecture must not waver. Since this probe has failed, why not take this opportunity to cut off the wings of the Zhang Family, namely the Huang and Du families, and see how they react?”

Zhao Xu nodded; Liu Fu’s strategy was indeed ruthless.

After issuing decrees, this move would further squeeze the Zhang Family’s space, forcing them to reveal their true intentions.

“I have already started on this. In the next two days, the Huang Family will meet their end,” Zhao Xu squinted, revealing to Liu Fu his plan involving the Huang Family’s spy.

“Your Highness is wise, but I believe this should be a two-pronged strategy,” Liu Fu’s eyes shifted. “When eliminating the Huang Family, Your Highness might as well gather the private soldiers of the Dong, Yang, and Lv families to take down the Huang Family’s fortress together. This way, not only can we reduce the casualties of the Prince’s personal guard, but also firmly bind these three families to the Prince’s cause.”

Zhao Xu glanced sideways at Liu Fu.

This young man had shown his boldness and strategic mind by choosing to side with him upon waking.

The ideas he had proposed recently were all to Zhao Xu’s liking, making him worth nurturing further.

He said, “That aligns with my intentions. Summon the three families to the Prince’s Mansion, and also dispatch officials from the private administrative office and guards to take over the Armory Office.”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Liu Fu bowed and left.

Soon after.

Dong An and his father Dong Yuan, Yang He with his father Yang Cheng, and Lv Chang accompanied by his father Lv Ran arrived at the Prince’s Mansion.

The death of Zhang Qian had already caused quite a stir in Yan City.

They had also received news of Zhang Kang’s goodwill towards the Prince’s Mansion.

This news made them uneasy, as the Prince’s Mansion accepting the Zhang Family was not in their interest.

Thus, they were contemplating whether to visit the Prince’s Mansion to gauge Prince Yan’s stance.

Unexpectedly, the Prince’s Mansion had summoned them.

“Your Highness.”

The three family heads and their eldest sons bowed to Zhao Xu.

“You must have heard about Zhang Qian’s situation,” Zhao Xu inquired.

Dong Yuan nodded, “Zhang Qian’s death is quite peculiar. From what I know of him, he had no hidden ailments; the sudden death theory is truly absurd.”

“Most likely Zhang Kang’s doing,” Lv Ran stated bluntly.

Yang Cheng agreed, “Indeed, Your Highness. Zhang Qian was merely a brute; Zhang Kang’s strategy and cunning surpass him tenfold. We must not trust him lightly.”

“There’s no need for concern, everyone. The destruction of the Zhang Family is my ambition, and I won’t be swayed by mere sweet talk. Whether Zhang Qian or Zhang Kang is in charge makes no difference. Today, I’ve gathered you here to discuss the eradication of the Zhang Family’s influence…” Zhao Xu revealed his plan to borrow troops from the three families to annihilate the Huang Family.

Upon hearing Zhao Xu’s intention to deploy their private soldiers to seize the Huang Family’s fortress in the countryside, the three were momentarily stunned.

They understood that not deploying troops meant they could continue to muddle through in Yan Prefecture. But once they did, it would mean a complete break with the Zhang Family faction, leaving them no choice but to rely on the Prince’s Mansion.

However, if they chose not to deploy troops, they feared the Prince’s Mansion might truly collude with Zhang Kang and turn against them. Weighing their options, they realized the latter scenario was most disadvantageous.

Now, they had no choice but to align themselves with the Prince’s Mansion.

The Dong Family benefited the most from the Prince’s Mansion, and Dong Yuan declared loudly, “Your Highness’s concern is the Dong Family’s concern. The Huang and Du families have been causing trouble in Yan Prefecture for years; it’s time to deal with them.”

“My Lv Family has five thousand elite soldiers, ready to serve Your Highness,” Lv Ran added.

Seeing the Dong and Lv families both express their support, Yang Cheng quickly chimed in, “Your Highness, the Huang Family’s fortress is merely fifteen kilometers from my Yang Family’s fortress. Tonight, I’ll send people to scout it out in preparation for an attack.”

With all three families agreeing, Zhao Xu was delighted.

Currently, the strength of the Prince’s Mansion’s personal guard and prefectural troops couldn’t compare to the Zhang Family faction. But now, with the Dong, Yang, and Lv families’ soldiers willing to serve him, things were different.

Since awakening, Zhao Xu had felt a sense of powerlessness in Yan Prefecture. Now, for the first time, he felt he had the power to control Yan Prefecture.

The next step was to eliminate the Zhang Family faction’s regional magnates.

As for the Dong, Yang, and Lv families, he planned to offer them some benefits, allowing them to transition smoothly and relinquish their hold on land. Thus, enabling Prince Yan’s Mansion to fully control Yan Prefecture.

After settling this matter, Zhao Xu discussed some details with the three families, instructing them to prepare and await orders from the Prince’s Mansion.

After sending them off, Zhao Xu summoned Zhou Yi to inquire about the spies.

“All three have entered the brewery, and I estimate they’ll soon seek an opportunity to leave the Prince’s Mansion,” Zhou Yi reported.

Zhao Xu pondered, “Tonight, deliberately start a fire in the west courtyard to create chaos, allowing them to escape. If they do, have someone follow them.”

With a sly grin, Zhou Yi nodded mischievously.

These three spies were as annoying as flies, and he’d long wanted to get rid of them…

At midnight, the cold moonlight bathed the west courtyard of the Prince’s Mansion.

In the maid’s quarters, three maids lay together, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. They were the spies planted by the Huang Family in the Prince’s Mansion.

Since entering the Prince’s Mansion, they’d been closely watched by the guards, with no opportunity to approach the central courtyard’s workshops. Today, with three people in the central courtyard falling ill, they were temporarily assigned to work in the brewery.

By the end of the day, they’d managed to get a good look at the contents of the brewery. After finishing their tasks and returning, they pondered ways to escape the Prince’s Mansion.

However, the west courtyard was always tightly guarded, and despite racking their brains, they couldn’t come up with a plan.

As they fretted, suddenly, a commotion erupted outside. Many people were rushing around, shouting.

“Fire! Quick, put it out!”

The three sat up immediately, seeing the flickering flames in the courtyard. They exchanged a glance and quickly ran out of the quarters.

Sure enough, a section of the quarters was ablaze, and the courtyard was in chaos. Maids and guards were busy fighting the fire, leaving the entrance unguarded.

Exchanging another look, they took advantage of the confusion to slip out of the Prince’s Mansion, heading to the rendezvous point with the Huang Family.

After they left, Chang Wei appeared at the entrance. With a gesture, over a hundred guards from the Prince’s Mansion, clad in night cloaks, followed them.

Meanwhile, Wang Yanzhong and Xu Lie arrived at an inconspicuous courtyard in the west of Yan City.

After planting the three spies in the Prince’s Mansion, Huang Yu believed he had Wang Yanzhong under his thumb. Coupled with Wang Yanzhong’s compliance with Zhao Xu’s instructions, sharing what he saw and heard in the Prince’s Mansion and some arrangements in the central courtyard, Huang Yu was convinced Wang Yanzhong had submitted to him, relaxing his vigilance.

At Wang Yanzhong’s earnest request, Huang Yu even allowed him to see his wife and children. It was during this visit that Wang Yanzhong memorized the location where his family was held.

“Kill!”

With a kick, Wang Yanzhong burst through the courtyard door, brandishing a knife.

In the business of trading maids, it was always a life of licking blood off the blade. The Huang Family’s mistreatment of his wife and children had touched his reverse scale.

Tonight, he would completely break ties with the Huang Family. From now on, he would rather be a loyal dog to the Prince’s Mansion than suffer oppression from the regional magnates of Yan Prefecture!