31: Your Highness... has finally agreed to let us draw our swords.

Huang Jianzhong looked up, chuckled, and said, "By the grace of God, by the grace of God. May I ask what brings you young generals to my small Jing Province?"

He was feigning ignorance.

Qin Huaiyu didn't beat around the bush. He took out a purple sandalwood box, carved with a Dragon and a Phoenix, from his Pregnant, and held it high.

"Huang Jianzhong, the four of us, by the imperial decree of the heir apparent, have come to Jing Province on official business! Prefect Huang, accept the decree!"

His voice was resonant and powerful, every word striking the hearts of the crowd like a hammer.

As the words "imperial decree of the heir apparent" left his lips, the atmosphere instantly solidified.

The smile on Huang Jianzhong's face froze for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.

He glanced at the wooden box, but there was no awe in his eyes; instead, a hint of playfulness flickered within them.

He did not kneel as one would for an imperial edict, nor did he even bend his waist. He simply stroked his goatee and slowly said, "Oh? imperial decree of the heir apparent? This is truly rare. I have been an official in the Great Tang for decades, and I have only heard of Your Majesty's imperial edicts, never anything called an 'imperial decree of the heir apparent.'"

He paused, then looked at Qin Huaiyu with feigned surprise: "General Qin, you must not deceive this official. Forging an imperial decree of the heir apparent is a grave crime of treason!"

At these words, Cheng Chumo and Yuchi Baolin exploded on the spot.

"Old scoundrel! What nonsense are you spouting!"

Cheng Chumo roared, suddenly drawing his waist-saber, its blade pointing directly at Huang Jianzhong's throat.

"Dare to slander His Highness the Crown Prince! You're courting death!"

Yuchi Baolin also drew his twin whips, his body radiating Killing Intent.

The Jing Province soldiers behind Huang Jianzhong simultaneously drew their weapons with a "swish," confronting the three thousand Iron Cavalry.

The air instantly filled with the metallic rasp of swords being drawn, the atmosphere tense to the extreme, and a bloody battle seemed imminent.

"Stop!"

Qin Huaiyu sternly stopped Cheng Chumo and Yuchi Baolin.

He remained seated on his horse, coldly staring at the feigning-panic Huang Jianzhong, his gaze like one looking at a dead man.

"Prefect Huang,"

Qin Huaiyu's voice was frighteningly calm, "The imperial decree of the heir apparent represents the Eastern Palace, it represents the Crown Prince of the Great Tang. You... don't acknowledge it?"

Huang Jianzhong felt a chill in his heart from his gaze, but relying on the backing he had, he still forced himself to say, "It's not that this official doesn't acknowledge it, it's just... I dare not acknowledge it. For such a major matter, without an imperial edict from Your Majesty, this official absolutely dares not act on his own. How about this, young generals, you can rest in the city first, and I will write a letter, send it by 800-li urgent dispatch to Chang'an, and after seeking Your Majesty's instruction, we can then make a decision, how does that sound?"

These words were watertight, yet they kicked the ball back to Chang'an, back to the Emperor.

Not only did he refuse to accept the decree, but he also wanted to bring this matter before His Majesty—how sinister his intentions!

Luo Tong had been silent all this time. At this moment, the long spear in his hand trembled slightly, its tip pointing directly at Huang Jianzhong's brow, and he said chillingly, "I only ask you one question: this imperial decree of the heir apparent, do you accept it, or not?"

The young man's voice carried an air of reckless determination.

Huang Jianzhong, pointed at by the icy spear tip, was so scared his legs felt weak, but he still forced a calm expression: "Young general, let's talk this out, why resort to blades and spears?"

Qin Huaiyu looked at the comical scene before him, Killing Intent already rising in his heart, but he knew he couldn't act here.

He slowly put away the wooden box containing the imperial decree of the heir apparent, his tone becoming unusually calm: "Very well. Since Prefect Huang dares not acknowledge it, we will not force the issue."

He turned his horse around and gave an order to the three thousand Iron Cavalry behind him.

"All troops, listen to my command! Retreat ten li, set up camp!"

After speaking, he no longer looked at Huang Jianzhong, and leading his men, spurred his horse away.

Although Cheng Chumo and Yuchi Baolin were unwilling, they dared not disobey Qin Huaiyu's command, so they could only glare fiercely at Huang Jianzhong and follow on horseback.

Watching the cavalry troop disappear into the distance, Huang Jianzhong let out a long sigh of relief, his back already drenched in cold sweat.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and spat disdainfully at Qin Huaiyu's retreating back.

"Hmph, a bunch of brats, still want to fight with this old man?"

He turned triumphantly, preparing to return to the city.

However, he didn't notice that Qin Huaiyu, at the very end of the troop, turned back and looked at him.

That gaze, cold and profound, was like looking at a dead thing about to be buried in the yellow earth.

The wind seemed even colder.

Under the night sky of Chang'an, inside the Eastern Palace study, candles burned quietly, casting Li Chengqian's long shadow on the wall, like a silent deity.

A faint scent of sandalwood permeated the air, but it could not suppress the invisible Killing Intent.

A man in dark Xuan-colored tight-fitting clothes knelt on one knee, his head bowed low; he was an operative of the "Net."

He reported everything that had happened at the Jing Province city gate to the Crown Prince before him, in an emotionless tone.

...Huang Jianzhong said that forging an imperial decree of the heir apparent is a crime of treason. In his words, there was much disrespect towards Your Highness, and he has already reported this matter to Chang'an."

"Behind him are the shadows of the Five Surnames and Seven Clans."

The operative added, his voice even lower, "According to reports from our internal sources in Jing Province, the Cui Clan and the Wang Clan of Taiyuan have both promised to support him, instructing him to disregard Your Highness's imperial decree of the heir apparent."

A deathly silence fell upon the study.

Li Chengqian sat expressionless behind his desk, his fingers unconsciously tapping the purple sandalwood tabletop, producing soft "thump, thump, thump" sounds, each one striking the listener's heart.

He did not get angry, he did not roar, he did not even twitch an eyebrow.

However, the experienced Net operative felt a bone-chilling coldness rush from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

He knew that the calmer His Highness the Crown Prince was, the more terrifying the coming storm would be.

After a long while, Li Chengqian's tapping stopped.

He slowly raised his eyelids, and in his deep eyes, there was no anger, only an expanse of icy indifference, as if a thousand li had been frozen over.

"He refuses a toast... only to drink a forfeit."

He murmured softly, his voice not loud, yet it made the operative's body tremble involuntarily.

"I originally thought he was just stupid, but I didn't expect him to also be greedy."

"Since he's in such a hurry to meet the King of Hell, I... will fulfill his wish."

He extended his hand, and the attendant standing by immediately understood, stepping forward to grind ink and spread paper.

Li Chengqian picked up a wolf-hair brush, dipped it in rich ink, held his wrist suspended, and wrote with flowing strokes, like a Dragon and a snake.

This time, the calligraphy was no longer his usual free and elegant style, but was filled with sharp edges and a chilling Killing Intent, each stroke a drawn sword.

A line of bloody characters leaped onto the paper.

"By the imperial decree of the heir apparent, all who disrespect the imperial decree of the heir apparent shall be executed without mercy!"

There were no superfluous words, only the most direct, most brutal command.

He picked up his Crown Prince's personal seal and pressed it down heavily, the crimson ink pad like congealed blood.

"800-li urgent dispatch."

He handed the thin, yet heavy-as-Mount-Tai decree to the operative, "Deliver it personally to Qin Huaiyu. Tell him, I... want to see heads."

"Understood!"

The operative took the decree, feeling a burning sensation in his palm. He dared not say more, and with a flash of his body, disappeared into the night...

Outside Jing Province city, in the hastily erected military camp, the atmosphere was so oppressive it was suffocating.

Cheng Chumo paced back and forth agitatedly, muttering curses: "Damn it! That old scoundrel, how dare he be so arrogant! Huaiyu, are we just going to let this go? I can't swallow this!"

Yuchi Baolin polished his twin whips until they gleamed, and hearing this, grunted: "If you hadn't stopped me, I would have twisted his head off and kicked it like a ball right then and there!"

Only Qin Huaiyu remained calmly seated by the campfire, meticulously wiping his long spear, oblivious to everything else.

Just then, a hurried sound of horse hooves approached from a distance. A Net operative, covered in dust, rushed into the camp, dismounted, and headed straight for Qin Huaiyu.

"General Qin, an urgent order from His Highness!"

Qin Huaiyu's gaze sharpened. He took the warm decree and quickly unfolded it.

When he saw the line of characters filled with Killing Intent, a smile finally appeared on his previously taut face.

It was a cold, bloodthirsty smile.

"Your Highness... finally allows us to draw our blades."