509: Chapter 509 Doubting Life

The grand scene outside Qi Province City not only caused a sensation throughout the various commanderies of Qi Province, but also reached Prince Zhao's Mansion in Donghai City within a single day.

When the Prince of Donghai saw the intelligence, he momentarily wondered if he was hallucinating.

"Mr. Cen... tell this Prince, exactly what is going on here?"

The Prince of Donghai stared coldly at Cen Hai. Cen Hai, who had devised the plan, now had a face that screamed "questioning life."

"Your Highness, I... I didn't tell Ye Jiantaro to mobilize everyone!"

Cen Hai hurriedly defended himself, "I swear, in the letter I sent, I only told him to send two teams just to go through the motions."

"It's not the first time Ye Jiantaro has cooperated with us, and he has women from the Qinhuai Pavilion watching him. How could something go wrong!?"

The Prince of Donghai laughed out of sheer anger. "If I knew that, would I need to ask you!?"

Cold sweat broke out on Cen Hai's forehead. "Your Highness, there must have been a mistake somewhere in the process. Perhaps the spy who previously sent false information to the Wokou secretly sent the wrong contact letter."

"In my humble opinion, the Qinhuai Pavilion should be thoroughly investigated. Perhaps that person has already infiltrated the pavilion!"

The Prince of Donghai continued to smile coldly. "When I wanted to investigate before, didn't you say that spy was insignificant? Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Things were different then," Cen Hai frowned. "I didn't expect that even General Zhang Yufu would suddenly defect."

"Oh? You think General Zhang Yufu betrayed me?"

"The facts are right before us, Your Highness. It can only be said that the Prince of Zhenbei's infiltration of our ranks far exceeds our imagination!"

Cen Hai said earnestly, "His Northern Trade Alliance earns a fortune every day. It's entirely possible he used vast amounts of silver to buy people's hearts!"

"After all that talk, you're still saying you're not at fault..."

The Prince of Donghai had lost his patience. He turned his head away in disgust. "Feed him to the dogs."

Before Cen Hai could react, a sudden black shadow appeared and crushed his skull with a single palm strike!

Bleeding from his seven orifices, Cen Hai was dragged away by two guards to be fed to the vicious hounds in the backyard.

Before long, a scantily clad woman with a graceful figure came up behind the Prince of Donghai and massaged his shoulders.

"Your Highness, don't let your anger harm your health. It's not worth getting worked up over such a person."

The Prince of Donghai sighed. "Cen Hai followed me for many years, devising strategies, and never made a mistake."

"But this time, he has truly disappointed me... To make such a huge blunder and then push the responsibility onto General Zhang Yufu?"

"I personally promoted General Zhang Yufu. Do I not know what kind of man he is?"

"Besides, his entire family is in my hands. If he wasn't coerced, why would he betray me and tip off the Yan Army?"

A hint of confusion also appeared on the woman's face. "Speaking of which, the one responsible for contact on Haihua Island is that girl, Feixu."

"A carrier pigeon was sent, but there has been no reply. Could it be that the Wokou on Haihua Island are truly all dead?"

The Prince of Donghai's brow furrowed. "Feng Yue, you're saying Feixu hasn't replied?"

This woman named Feng Yue was the master of the Qinhuai Pavilion and also the Prince of Donghai's favorite concubine.

"Yes. But what I understand even less is that if Ye Jiantaro and his band of Wokou died on Haihua Island, how did their bodies get to Qi Province?"

"Even if the other side had enough manpower to transport them onto ships, bring them to the shore, and then transport them to Qi Province..."

"With such a massive operation, how could our Qinhuai Pavilion not have noticed anything beforehand?"

Feng Yue looked perplexed. Even she began to suspect if something had gone wrong within the Qinhuai Pavilion.

How could their intelligence-gathering capabilities have deteriorated to such an extent?

The Prince of Donghai pondered for a moment, then looked up at the mysterious black-robed figure who had just killed Cen Hai.

The black-robed figure was shrouded in darkness; only a bit of a white beard was faintly visible, indicating he was an elderly man.

"The two recent failures are very likely the work of a spy who infiltrated the mansion."

"Over the years, to help you with your cultivation, I have had Feng Yue send you hundreds of women..."

The black-robed man nodded. "Your Highness, I have already found that female rat who infiltrated Donghai City for you."

"A female rat?"

The Prince of Donghai was stunned. "It's a woman?"

"Indeed. This woman's martial arts are extremely high, and she is skilled at hiding her cultivation level and aura. Furthermore, she is a master of disguise..."

"An ordinary Martial Arts Grandmaster would truly find it difficult to detect her presence."

"If it weren't for the technique I practice, which is exceptionally sensitive to a woman's Yuan Yin essence, I might not have found her for quite some time."

A strange glint flashed in the Prince of Donghai's eyes. "Yuan Yin essence? So, she's an unmarried little female rat."

"Hehe..." Feng Yue giggled. "Master, in that case, why don't you capture her and present her to His Highness to soothe his anger?"

"If His Highness is interested, I shall certainly do my best," the black-robed man said.

A cold chill appeared on the Prince of Donghai's face. "I have been patient, but that man named Lin has gone too far. In that case... I will make him understand that I, the Prince of Donghai, simply couldn't be bothered with him, not that I'm afraid of him!"

The black-robed man nodded. "Your Highness, just wait for the good news..."

After the black-robed man left, Feng Yue's expression became solemn.

"Your Highness, this time the Yan Army displayed over two thousand Wokou corpses in front of the people of Qi Province. It has already caused many unpleasant rumors to emerge in the various commanderies."

"What are they saying?"

"..." Feng Yue didn't quite dare to speak.

"Are they saying my Eastern Sea Army is incompetent and that they want the Yan Army and the Zhenbei Army to wipe out the Wokou?" the Prince of Donghai sneered.

Feng Yue nodded helplessly.

"Talk about the commoners at the bottom being a bunch of ungrateful, fickle-minded rabble!"

The Prince of Donghai said dismissively, "If it weren't for my ancestors pacifying the southeast and submitting the territory to the central government, how could they have enjoyed over a hundred years of peace!?"

"It's only in the last decade or so that the Wokou have become a bit more rampant, and even then, only along the coast. And they can't handle it already?"

The Prince of Donghai pulled Feng Yue into his arms and said proudly, "Feng Yue, do you know why I could have wiped out the Wokou long ago but chose not to?"

The woman's beautiful eyes flickered as she smiled and shook her head. "I am just a mere woman. How could I possibly guess Your Highness's thoughts?"

"Haha..." The Prince of Donghai doted on her by tapping her nose. "I'll tell you. Once people are free from external threats, they start thinking about internal strife."

"There are three major barbarian tribes in the north, so those princes in the north don't have to worry about their subordinates causing trouble. If anyone is dissatisfied, they can go fight the Barbarians!"

"But our Eastern Border doesn't border any Mandi Barbarians, and it's a land of plenty with a developed economy. Thus, people's hearts are uncontrollable, making it much harder to manage than the north."

"Since the Wokou appeared, those wealthy merchants and the powerful elites of each province have remembered the benefits of my Prince Zhao's Mansion. Only then do they obediently pay taxes and provide funds for my Eastern Sea Army."

"Ultimately, by keeping the Wokou around, the Imperial Court will rely on me, and those below will live in fear. Only then will they realize that having food, drink, and a place to live is precious!"

"Once the Wokou are gone, they will feel that their current life is only natural. They might even think I should reward them even more!"

"In the end, a person's greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant. These lowly commoners will never be satisfied!"