Chapter 40: Tit for Tat

Putting away his long bow, Sun Ye slowly appeared before the crowd.

His blue satin royal robe, in particular, was extremely eye-catching.

For a moment, the surrounding commoners, not yet fully recovered from the sudden upheaval just moments before, knelt to the ground with deep bows.

"It's the Prince of Western Pacification! It's the Prince of Western Pacification!"

Commoners knelt across the street as far as the eye could see. The cavalryman on horseback had long heard of the legendary renown of the Prince of Western Pacification.

Sun Ye, the Prince of Western Pacification, was the God of War of the Great Qian court, the ultimate dream of countless men of humble origins who wished to rise to power and court prominence through military exploits.

Who wouldn't want to become the next Prince of a different surname in Great Qian?

Yet, under the current circumstances, the captain on horseback cupped his fists toward the Prince of Western Pacification and said, "Your subordinate pays respects to the Prince of Western Pacification! However, this man blocked our path and delayed urgent military intelligence. I do not understand why the Prince has chosen to stop us from executing him!"

Bitterness filled Sun Ye's mouth.

As a veteran of the battlefield, he naturally knew how grave such a crime was, and he knew all too well how many eyes within the Imperial City Security Bureau were watching the moment military dispatches were obstructed from entering the imperial capital.

From the very moment this troop of soldiers entered the capital, the Imperial City Security Bureau had likely already reported the matter to Emperor Baoqing.

"My unworthy son is holding his wedding today and had no intention of offending you all. It is this old man... it is this old man who failed to discipline him properly, causing him to clash with you. This old man apologizes to you and hopes for your magnanimity!"

With that, the dignified Prince of Western Pacification lifted the hem of his striking royal robe, knelt on one knee, and cupped his fists toward the men before him.

"I implore you to spare his life. For more than twenty years, this old man searched in vain for his son, and now that I have finally found him, whatever faults he may have, the guilt rests entirely upon this old man alone..."

Watching the revered God of War of Great Qian kneel on the ground to offer apologies and kowtow, the captain on horseback found it difficult to bear the sight of the white-haired elder facing the agony of losing his only son.

Therefore, his voice was cold and rigid as he spoke, "This subordinate asks the Prince to clear a path so that I may proceed to the imperial capital. As for today's events, I saw nothing, nor did I encounter any heir's wedding!"

Hearing these words, Sun Ye felt a sudden surge of relief in his heart.

In the next second, he stood up quickly, rushed forward, and grabbed Sun Feng by the collar.

With a sharp crack, he delivered a fierce slap across his face.

"You wretch! Why don't you hurry back with me? Just how long do you intend to go on making a scene!"

Sun Feng was completely stunned by the slap.

Ever since the day he arrived at the Prince of Western Pacification's estate three years ago, Sun Ye had never laid a single finger on him.

Yet today, of all days...

"Father! What are you afraid of them for?! You are the Prince of Western Pacification! Who else in Great Qian commands higher prestige than you?"

"If you hadn't constantly protected this Emperor of Great Qian, our Sun family's fortunes would have already changed the world long ago!"

"Today I am determined to..."

Before Sun Feng could finish his sentence, another crisp sound echoed.

Using almost every ounce of his strength, Sun Ye struck Sun Feng across the face with another vicious slap!

There was no other reason: since the majestic Emperor had already set his sights on him and on Sun Feng, he would certainly not let them off easily.

Furthermore, Sun Feng had committed a treasonous crime; no one could possibly grant him pardon!

"Shut your mouth, you wretch! Shut your mouth and come back with me right now!"

Yet the more Sun Ye urged him, the more violently Sun Feng reacted, his heart filled with deep resentment as though he were suffering from boundless grievances.

"Father, I did nothing wrong! They are the ones who disrupted my wedding, and even made us miss the auspicious hour!"

At this moment, regardless of how Sun Ye reasoned with him, Sun Feng had completely plunged into a state of madness.

Today was his wedding day—the magnificent wedding of the Heir to the Prince of Western Pacification!

"You wretch, come back with me!"

Left with no other choice, Sun Ye let out a sudden, explosive roar. "Men! Take this wretch back by force!"

Soon, estate guards rushed forward, forcefully subduing Sun Feng and dragging him away.

The surrounding onlookers and the family retainers who had previously joined Sun Feng in his reckless behavior sensibly cleared a path.

The soldiers thundered past, pressing onward toward the imperial city.

The old steward asked with unconcealed anxiety, "Your Highness, the wedding has missed its auspicious hour, and as for the Heir... he has obstructed urgent military forces. What—what is to be done now?"

When Lin Qian departed from the Prince of Western Pacification's estate earlier, he had already made Sun Ye fully aware of his current predicament.

Sun Ye gnashed his teeth fiercely. "Bring my horse! I, too, shall enter the palace to have an audience with the Emperor!"

Under the circumstances, there was only one way left to leave room for a turn of events.

That was the court's imminent plan to have the Ministry of War devise strategies and select a commander to rush to Qianzhou and confront the Western Rong army.

The Western Rong people were historically known for their cruelty, bloodthirstiness, and utter lack of humanity.

Virtually without exception, any army defeated by the Western Rong would have the corpses of its fallen soldiers turned into their "dry rations."

Sun Ye was gambling—gambling that he could lead his troops to instantly crush these vicious intruders from Western Rong.

It would be best if he could secure an absolute military victory in hopes of thoroughly neutralizing this crisis.

At the very least, His Majesty the Emperor would have to pardon Sun Feng's crime of obstruction.

Sun Ye hurried into the palace without a moment's pause, but just as he reached the palace gates, he heard Emperor Baoqing's thunderous roar of fury.

"Audacious! Insolent! Shameless villains! How dare they slaughter my subjects and capture my young men..."

"These Western Rong bandits—I shall utterly exterminate them and ensure they never again raid Great Qian!"

Emperor Baoqing's voice echoed out from within the grand hall.

Just as Sun Ye heard it, a covert flash of joy crossed his heart.

Looking across the entire expanse of Great Qian today, who else could rapidly assemble troops and strike the battlefield with swift dispatch?

Only his Prince of Western Pacification's estate!

The veteran soldiers of the Fish Drum Camp at the parade grounds were already primed and ready; from the very moment Sun Ye stepped into the imperial palace, the horns of the Fish Drum Camp had been sounding in a continuous sequence, mustering all available forces.

With this thought, Sun Ye held his head high and strode proudly into the grand hall.

"Your subject, Sun Ye, requests to lead the campaign against Western Rong!"

Emperor Baoqing's gaze instantly turned complex and inscrutable.

"Prince of Western Pacification, the troops under your command are meant to guard against Northern Wu. How can you be sent to fight Western Rong?"

Sun Ye had anticipated this long ago and replied calmly, "The Sixth Prince of Northern Wu is on the verge of ascension and will not raid Great Qian in the short term. Compared to Northern Wu, Western Rong is merely a lingering scab and must be eradicated early!"

"Your subject, Sun Ye, requests the command!"

Yet at that very moment, another voice echoed from within the hall.

"If I may say, Prince of Western Pacification, Qianzhou is my territory. Surely you haven't forgotten that this Prince still holds the concurrent post of Pacification Commissioner of Qian and Qing. Governing Qianzhou and Qingzhou is my bounden duty, and confronting Western Rong naturally falls within the responsibilities of my Northern Border Army. There is no need for the Prince of Western Pacification to overstep his bounds!"

The accusation of overstepping instantly infuriated Sun Ye.

Lifting his head to look toward the source, he caught sight of the Prince of Northern Pacification wearing a deeply calculated and seasoned expression!

"You..."

What consensus had the Prince of Northern Pacification reached with the Emperor? Their families were already bound by a matrimonial alliance, and the wedding was set for this very day.

Why would the Prince of Northern Pacification lock horns with him right here in the imperial court?

Could it truly be this difficult to wipe away the crime Sun Feng had committed?