Chapter 590: The Home Base Was Stolen
Chapter 590: Chapter 590: The Home Base Was Stolen
Shen Yanchuan nodded. "Yes. I’m told that while those men of Master Wa looked disheveled, the weapons they carried were extremely effective. They caught the Northern Border’s soldiers completely off guard. However, by the second encounter, our men were prepared and managed to win."
Ugle was taken aback. "How could this be?"
Ever since Mu Mu Zhen’er fell ill, orders had been given that no one was to act rashly, much less initiate any conflict.
The ones who burned, killed, and plundered on the border were usually not regular army troops. But if those men were really just bandits, where would they have gotten such effective weapons?
Shen Yanchuan turned his head to meet Ugle’s gaze, raising an eyebrow slightly. "Is the Crown Prince truly unaware of this matter?"
Ugle’s expression immediately darkened.
Because he genuinely hadn’t heard a thing about it!
This was proof that he had long since lost control of Wazhen!
"May I ask the Princely Heir, what were the casualties in those two clashes?"
Shen Yanchuan paused. "Over a hundred soldiers were killed or wounded."
Ugle’s fists clenched, his muscles tensing. A fire seemed to rage in his chest.
It would be one thing if he was unaware of ordinary, small-scale skirmishes, but an incident with over a hundred casualties should have been reported to him according to protocol!
Yet he was completely in the dark!
Either someone was concealing military intelligence and failing to report it, or someone had intercepted the news!
Neither scenario was one Ugle was willing to accept.
He now began to wonder just when Zhuola had started to infiltrate his and his father’s inner circle, silently accomplishing all this behind their backs.
But it was useless to say anything now. The only thing he could do was return to Wazhen and find the answers himself.
At this thought, Ugle could not bear to stay any longer. He cupped his hands in a brief salute and led his men away.
He, of course, took the Peace Negotiation Book with him.
Emperor Muwu did not try to stop him.
Some matters were best left for Wazhen to handle on its own.
Outsiders only needed to watch and see how things unfolded.
...
And so, a lively palace banquet came to an abrupt end.
Night fell, and the north wind howled.
Ye Chutang was poking at the charcoal in the brazier when she heard a noise and walked over to the window.
She pushed the window open a crack. The courtyard was silent, the moonlight casting faint shadows from the withered trees.
Inside the room, Xiao Wu had already burrowed under her covers. She glanced over, her large, dark eyes filled with curiosity.
’Who’s coming to see Big Sis so late at night?’
But the thought was fleeting and quickly forgotten. She obediently took out a new purse, placed it by her bedside, and earnestly pressed her hands together.
’A new year means lots of new silver will grow in my new purse!’
After she had repeated this silently in her mind three times, Ye Chutang finally closed the window and came back inside.
Xiao Wu looked up. She hadn’t planned on asking anything, but seeing the rather peculiar expression on her big sister’s face, her curiosity was piqued. She made a few gestures.
’Big Sis, what happened?’
Ye Chutang’s expression grew even stranger, a mix of absurdity and what looked like a hint of sympathy.
"Prince Wazhen, Ugle—the one you saw before—had his home robbed."
Xiao Wu: ...???
She was utterly bewildered.
Ye Chutang met her wide, round eyes, nodded affirmatively, then shook her head and let out a soft sigh.
"To be away on a business trip and get cleaned out completely... how pitiful."
Xiao Wu didn’t quite understand.
’Didn’t that Crown Prince seem so powerful before? It’s only been a few days, how could something like this happen?’
Ye Chutang felt a pang of regret.
"If I’d known it was going to be this exciting today, I would’ve gone to see it for myself."
A thought occurred to her, and she let out a soft laugh, gently pinching Xiao Wu’s cheek.
"Looks like someone beat you to it and took their business to Wazhen."