Chapter 50 The Crown Prince's Close Friendship, Two Jewels of Chaoge

Within the Chen residence, the air seemed to have frozen.

The old eunuch holding the royal decree had a sharp voice, yet it carried a trace of imperceptible respect.

Princess Yin Rong's face turned deathly pale; thirteen years of peace had, after all, been nothing but a mirage.

She shielded her son tightly, like a mother beast driven into a corner.

However, the young man who had sat leaning by the window for thirteen years finally stirred.

Chen Yuan slowly set down the chess manual in his hand, his movements unhurried, as if he were merely turning a page.

He stood up; his white robes made his complexion appear even paler, yet his posture seemed all the more upright.

He stepped past his terrified mother, walked calmly to the old eunuch, and gave a slight nod.

"Your subject, Chen Yuan, accepts the decree."

There was no panic, no questioning, only profound stillness.

A strange glint flashed through the old eunuch's cloudy eyes as he unfurled the bright yellow royal decree.

"The royal decree states: The Guardian Qilin, Chen Yuan, is quick-witted and possesses wisdom unrivaled in Zhaoge. However, due to lingering illness and frailty, he remains shut away all day, which is not to the benefit of the nation."

"Three days from now, the royal hunt will be held at Mount Qi. I am greatly pleased and specially summon Chen Yuan to accompany the imperial party, to behold the grandeur of the mountains and rivers, and to cultivate his righteous Qi. Furthermore, the Guardian female teacher Yunxiao, having taught him well, shall also accompany us. That is all!"

Once the decree was read, the entire courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

It was not to charge him with a crime, nor to punish him, but... to accompany the imperial party on a trip?

Princess Yin Rong was stunned; she had anticipated countless possibilities, but this was the only one she had not imagined.

The old eunuch put away the royal decree, his face wrinkling into a smile like a chrysanthemum as he bowed to Chen Yuan.

"Qilin child, this is a tremendous grace. His Majesty said that since your constitution is weak, you need not participate in the hunt. You only need to rest quietly in the camp, chat with His Majesty and Your Highness the Crown Prince, and play a few games of chess. The royal carriage is already waiting outside the residence; please prepare yourselves, you and the female teacher."

This statement contained a massive amount of information.

The new king, Emperor Yi, was completely different from his father, King Wending of Shang, who had been pathologically suspicious.

He had chosen neither to forget nor to destroy.

Instead, he had taken back into his own hands this sword that had been hanging over the head of the Yin Shang royal power for thirteen years, wishing to examine it closely.

Chen Yuan's eyes flickered slightly, understanding dawning in his heart.

He smiled slightly, a smile like a spring breeze melting snow, causing the tension in the courtyard to instantly dissipate.

"Thank you for your trouble, Eunuch."

...

Three days later, Mount Qi.

The royal hunting grounds stretched for a hundred miles, with flags blocking out the sun and golden spears resembling a forest.

Emperor Yi sat high upon the observation platform, dressed in royal robes, his face dignified and imposing even without anger.

His gaze would occasionally sweep over a corner of the camp.

There, outside a secluded tent, the eighteen-year-old Chen Yuan and the magnificent Yunxiao were sitting opposite each other at a small table.

On the chessboard, the black and white pieces were locked in a complex struggle.

Chen Yuan did not look at the monarch on the high platform; he knew that his every move was under the scrutiny of those falcon-like eyes.

This was a grander game of chess, and his opponent was the most powerful man in the world today.

"Roar—!"

From the distant forests came the roars of beasts and the shouts of soldiers; the hunt had already begun.

A youth clad in crimson armor, riding a horse and wielding a bow, was like a burning fire, galloping across the hunting grounds.

His form was agile, and his arrows never missed; whether it was a running elk or a pouncing tiger, all perished under his single arrow.

He was the current Crown Prince, Zi Shou. The future King of Shang, Di Xin.

"Bravo! Your Highness the Crown Prince is valiant!"

"He truly possesses the bearing of our Great Shang's God of War!"

The nobles on the observation platform cheered one after another, and a satisfied smile appeared on Emperor Yi's face.

However, at that very moment, a white shadow flashed through the depths of the forest.

It was a giant ape with fur as white as snow, its eyes crimson and full of spirit.

It leaped through the forest, its speed as fast as a ghost, repeatedly dodging Crown Prince Zi Shou's arrows, and even turned back to let out a provocative screech.

Zi Shou was young and hot-blooded; how could he endure such provocation?

"Wretched beast, don't you run!"

He let out a loud shout, kicked his horse's flanks, and broke away from the main force, riding off alone in hot pursuit of the direction where the white ape had vanished.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

The accompanying guards were terrified and hurriedly followed, but how could they catch up to Zi Shou's prized steed?

On the observation platform, Emperor Yi frowned.

Chen Lie was not there; he was currently ordered to patrol the northern border. He glanced at the commander of the Imperial Guard, Zhao Kuo, beside him.

Zhao Kuo immediately understood, signaled a squad of elites, and rode off to follow.

Before the chessboard, Chen Yuan placed a piece, making a crisp sound.

He looked up toward the mountains where Zi Shou had disappeared; the terrain there was steep, and the forests were deep and dark.

Yunxiao followed his gaze, her dark brows slightly furrowed: "That valley is shaped like a lock for a trapped Dragon; it is easy to enter but difficult to leave."

Chen Yuan smiled faintly: "Youthful spirit always requires a few setbacks to grow up."

Yunxiao teased: "Aren't you only 18 yourself?"

The words had barely faded, and not even the time it takes to burn an incense stick had passed.

An Imperial Guard came scrambling back to the camp, his face full of terror.

"Your Majesty! Something is wrong! His Highness the Crown Prince pursued a strange beast and mistakenly entered a sheer-walled valley, and has been... been besieged by thousands of monkey demons!"

"What?!"

Emperor Yi stood up abruptly, his face instantly turning livid.

Soon, more news arrived.

The valley had only one narrow entrance; although Zi Shou was brave, the monkey horde was fearless of death, throwing stones and bullying the few with the many.

The space inside the valley was narrow, the main army could not deploy, and a forced attack would only put the Crown Prince in a more dangerous situation.

For a moment, the entire royal camp was in chaos.

The nobles were discussing it heatedly, but not one of them could come up with an effective solution.

"Shoot them with arrows!?"

"No! The monkey horde and the Crown Prince are locked in melee; it would accidentally injure Your Highness!"

"Send experts to sneak in?"

"The monkey horde occupies the high ground; even experts cannot get close!"

Emperor Yi listened to the clamor in his ears, his face growing darker and darker.

Just as everyone was at their wits' end, Chen Yuan slowly stood up.

He did not say a word; he simply walked to an open space, bent down, and picked up a withered branch.

Everyone's gaze instantly focused on him.

Chen Yuan used the ground as paper and the branch as a pen, sketching a simple map in a few strokes; it was exactly the terrain of that valley.

His movements were fluid, as if that mountain and river had already been simulated a thousand times in his mind.

After finishing the map, he gently tapped three locations on it with the branch.

Afterward, he threw away the branch and turned to walk back to the chessboard, as if he had done a trivial matter.

Everyone was left bewildered.

"What... what does this mean?"

"Is it finished just by drawing a few strokes?"

Emperor Yi also stared intently at the drawing on the ground, a brilliant light flashing in his eyes.

At this moment, the Imperial Guard commander Zhao Kuo, the general who had besieged the Chen residence thirteen years ago.

Suddenly shuddered; he remembered the twelve-character mantra that Chen Yuan had given his father, Chen Lie, back then.

He stepped forward, pondered the drawing on the ground for a moment, then suddenly looked up, his eyes full of fanatical worship!

"Your Majesty! Your subject understands!"

Zhao Kuo excitedly pointed to the first spot: "This place is located at the upwind side of the valley, and His Highness the Crown Prince is at the downwind side. If we ignite wet firewood here, thick smoke will pour into the valley, and the monkey horde will inevitably fall into chaos!"

He then pointed to the second spot: "This is another hilltop outside the valley, facing the valley from afar; it is an excellent place for echoes. If we send men to imitate tiger roars here, the sound will shake the forest. The monkey horde are merely ordinary wild beasts; how could they not fear the might of a tiger upon hearing it?"

Finally, he pointed to the third spot.

"This is the hillside in the opposite direction of the valley's only exit. If we throw a large amount of fruit and food here... it will disrupt their military morale, scatter their formation, and lure them out!"

Smoke to smoke them from above, tiger might from the side, and food to lure them from behind!

Three methods used simultaneously, each link interlocking!

Without wasting a single soldier, without harming the Crown Prince in the slightest, the monkey horde can be made to lose its footing and collapse!

What a vicious strategy! And yet, how simple!

Emperor Yi gasped after hearing this. He stared intently at the young man in white who had sat back down, acting as if it were none of his business, a massive storm raging in his heart.

King Wending of Shang's last decree echoed in his ears once more.

"Can prosper Shang... can also... destroy Shang..."

"Pass the order down!" Emperor Yi suppressed the shock in his heart, his voice regaining the dignity of a monarch.

"Proceed according to this plan!"

Half an hour later.

Crown Prince Zi Shou walked out of the valley safe and sound; behind him, that group of monkeys that had been so fierce before had long since scattered like birds and beasts.

He did not go to pay his respects to his father first, but walked straight to Chen Yuan.

This Crown Prince, who was brave enough to top the three armies and looked down on everyone, for the first time used a gaze that was almost one of looking up.

Looking at a peer who was even thinner and weaker than himself.

"My name is Zi Shou." He said solemnly, his voice loud and clear.

Chen Yuan looked up and smiled slightly: "Chen Yuan."

"Today, I finally know what strategy is." Zi Shou's face was full of sincere admiration.

"I possess martial valor, yet in the valley, I was like a trapped beast. And you, sitting peacefully here, have already achieved victory from a thousand miles away. Chen Yuan, I have decided to make you my friend!"

He reached out his hand, a hand covered in thick calluses from years of drawing a bow.

Chen Yuan looked at him and also reached out his hand.

Two completely different hands clasped together.

One peerless in martial valor, the other unparalleled in strategy.

That night, the lights in the Eastern Palace did not go out all night.

Crown Prince Zi Shou and Chen Yuan slept with their feet touching, talking about military strategy and governing the country, regretting not having met sooner.

From then on, a new legend began to circulate in Zhaoge City.

Great Shang had two jades: one was the heir apparent Zi Shou, brave enough to top the three armies, with the bearing of a God of War; the other was the Qilin Chen Yuan, unparalleled in wisdom, with strategies that could defy gods and ghosts.

Inside the Eastern Palace, Chen Yuan looked at the huge map of the territory on the wall, his gaze deep.

This Zi Shou, he is brave, yes, but he is headstrong and self-willed, easily angered and easily trusting.

He is a fine piece of unpolished jade, but he could also be a weapon that harms others and himself.

[The game of raising a Dragon is... much harder than the game of slaying one.]

He turned his head and looked toward the direction of the imperial palace, as if he could see the monarch on the Dragon throne, coldly watching all of this.

This game of chess had only just begun.