The Second Prince lightly tapped his fingers on the table. "What worries me most now is the Crane Control Order falling into the Crown Prince's hands."
"Your Highness need not be concerned about this matter," Chu Dingjiang said.
The Second Prince raised an eyebrow slightly, thinking to himself, Could it be that you've even managed to subdue the Crane Control Army?
Chu Dingjiang couldn't be bothered to guess the Second Prince's thoughts and went straight to the point. "The Crane Control Army is no longer the formidable force it once was. The moment news of the Emperor's passing spread, over a hundred defected, another portion followed me in pledging allegiance to Your Highness, and the rest split into several factions. Not all of them are willing to follow the Crown Prince. So even if he obtains the Crane Control Order, the forces he can mobilize will be well within Your Highness's ability to handle."
The Second Prince froze, his face filled with astonishment. He had considered many possibilities, but never had he expected the reality to be like this!
For the Great Song, the Crane Control Army was undoubtedly a powerful force that protected the imperial court. The dynasty's rise and fall since its founding could be summed up as "success by the Crane Control, failure by the Crane Control." After the Second Prince conceived the idea of usurping the throne, what he feared most was the influence of the Crane Control Army. He had invested much effort in trying to obtain the Crane Control Order, yet to this day, he hadn't even seen what it looked like.
This was good news, but he couldn't immediately accept it as reality.
When the Second Prince was seven or eight years old, he had always believed the Great Song was immensely wealthy. But as he grew older, he learned that the national treasury was often empty. It was as if he had thought himself the heir to a fortune, only to discover upon nearing succession that his family had been living off borrowed money all along.
And the matter Chu Dingjiang spoke of so casually shook the Second Prince even more than the revelation of the empty treasury back then!
"Why?" the Second Prince murmured.
Chu Dingjiang was silent for a moment before replying, "The Crane Control Army has become a scattered mess because it long ago lost its sense of honor."
During the Chenqiao Incident, the Crane Control Army appeared to be loyal only to Emperor Taizu, but in truth, they fought for the establishment of a nation. In Emperor Taizu's time, the Crane Control Army was a divine weapon—unstoppable and invincible. Every assassin in the organization, though they lived in darkness and left behind only a Soul Bell after death, experienced unparalleled glory and exhilaration in life.
Later, the Crane Control Army internally rebelled to support Emperor Taizong, secretly plotting to assassinate Emperor Taizu and successfully placing him on the throne.
The kind of person you are determines how you see the world. Emperor Taizong, having ascended the throne due to the Crane Control Army's betrayal, lived in constant fear of becoming the next Emperor Taizu. Thus, he began to control and suppress the Crane Control Army. Fearing that acting too hastily might provoke a rebellion, he proceeded cautiously, step by step, taming this iron-blooded legion and keeping it under his thumb. And after his death, this will was passed down to the next emperor.
From that moment on, the Crane Control Army's fate was sealed.
These were secrets the imperial family never spoke of to outsiders.
The Second Prince could roughly guess the general reasons, but knowing this wasn't the time for lamentation, he could only sigh deeply.
When the birds are gone, the bow is put away; when the rabbits are dead, the hounds are boiled. This cycle would forever repeat.
The Second Prince collected his thoughts and summoned all his advisors to discuss the details of entering the palace to mourn before dawn.
Once the discussions concluded, Chu Dingjiang led An Jiu away to make arrangements.
There was one thing about the Second Prince that Chu Dingjiang greatly admired: though he hadn't served him for long, at this critical moment, the Second Prince had the courage to entrust him with many crucial tasks.Chu Dingjiang raced through the night with An Jiu in tow, both maintaining silence throughout their journey.
They paused outside the imperial city to rest and prepare.
"Second Prince is indeed different," An Jiu remarked while checking her equipment.
Chu Dingjiang responded casually, "Just based on this boldness alone, I know I didn't misjudge him."
"Are all you people who deal in grand schemes so indifferent to trivial matters?" An Jiu found it hard to comprehend how a man could so easily accept a woman he'd never met—no attraction, just a transaction.
Chu Dingjiang paused, then chuckled. "I do have some standards for trivialities. A Jiu, that throne is the most exalted position in the world. To sit upon it, one must endure what ordinary people cannot. Compared to other sacrifices, accepting a woman is the simplest. Since I don’t need power or status, I can afford to be more particular about emotions."
An Jiu nodded in satisfaction. "Do you know the difference between prostitution and a one-night stand?"
Chu Dingjiang sighed helplessly. "No."
"Most prostitution is purely about satisfying desire, while most one-night stands arise from desire for a specific person. Both are animal instincts, but the difference is that the former is low-level animal behavior, while the latter leans toward higher-level animal behavior," An Jiu summarized.
"And your point is?" Chu Dingjiang pushed back his hood, eyeing her with interest.
"The higher the intelligence, the more selective one becomes in choosing a partner, and the greater the loyalty to that partner—this is behavior exclusive to higher-level animals." She gave him a meaningful glance.
Chu Dingjiang let out a low laugh, wrapping an arm around her as they vaulted onto the palace wall.
An Jiu tilted her head to study his stubbled chin, frowning. Had the brainwashing worked or not?
Speaking in such roundabout ways was no fun at all. Hints and implications really weren’t her style. (To be continued...)
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