Chapter Eighty-Seven: The Tangled Affairs of the East Family

On the following morning, Shen Hezhi left Yan Heru, taking with him the medicine Yan Heru had given him. He intended to remain in the military camp.

Apart from supervising their training, there was another important reason: only by living in the camp could he merge with them as swiftly as possible.

He had come here not merely to quell the unrest on the frontier, but also to win over this army and make it his own. For that, he had to subdue them at the fastest possible pace.

In the past, Shen Hezhi had believed his life had little time left, and so he had made many desperate preparations. He had planned to seek vengeance upon the emperor, to trade his own life for the emperor’s.

But now his life held promise, and he had the one he loved. Naturally, he could no longer follow those former intentions. Everything had to begin anew. The first step was to build his own power, and only then could he go after the emperor for revenge.

When Shen Hezhi arrived at the camp, he found that the soldiers were already training under Qi Mo’s lead, and in the pavilion by the practice grounds, Dongfang Qing was there as well, watching intently.

Seeing Shen Hezhi arrive, Dongfang Qing immediately rose and came forward. “Your Highness, why have you come so early? You could have come a little later and rested properly at the relay station.”

Shen Hezhi waved a hand. “Even if I stayed at the relay station, I would not be able to rest well. I have been worrying all along whether these soldiers can truly be restored to what they once were.”

“Your Highness is indeed as tender toward your troops as a father to his sons,” Dongfang Qing praised.

Yet his words made Shen Hezhi glance at him in mild puzzlement, and that look in turn left Dongfang Qing somewhat bewildered. Why was the prince looking at him like that? Had he said something wrong? Or had he already made some mistake this early in the morning?

Just as he was wondering, Shen Hezhi spoke. “I remember that Lord Dongfang was not like this at first. Why have you now become a little... well...”

Shen Hezhi thought for a long while and still could not settle on the right words to describe Dongfang Qing. Even so, Dongfang Qing understood what the prince meant, and the realization made him a little embarrassed.

“In truth, it is mainly because this official misunderstood Your Highness before, and thus committed so many acts of disrespect. I beg Your Highness to be magnanimous and not hold my former offenses against me.”

Shen Hezhi dismissed it with a casual wave and sat down in a chair by the pavilion. “The past is the past. What matters now is how to handle the affairs of the frontier well. I know that over all these years, you have devoted yourself here with all your heart.

“I will help you with the matters of the Dongfang family. You need not worry.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.” Satisfied, Dongfang Qing sat down in the chair on the other side.

The two of them remained at the practice grounds, observing the soldiers’ training. Whenever they felt something was amiss, they would call Qi Mo over to discuss it, and in the end they worked out a method of training that suited them best.

Near noon, Dongfang Qing had intended to go and prepare some food, but before he could leave the practice grounds, members of the Dongfang family arrived.

It was the family’s second young master, Dongfang Ming, who came with his attendants and strode directly up to the Ninth Prince.

“What a rare sight. To think I would find my elder brother here. I had assumed that at every waking moment, Brother only schemed over those little matters of the Dongfang family. Now even your hands have reached into the military camp. Truly admirable.”

The moment Dongfang Ming arrived, he began mocking Dongfang Qing, showing no regard at all for the fact that the person seated before him was the Ninth Prince of the realm.

The Ninth Prince paid him no mind, continuing instead to watch the soldiers training on the field.

Seeing Dongfang Ming’s arrival, Dongfang Qing was instantly infuriated. He had wanted to point at him and curse him out, but considering that the Ninth Prince was still beside him, he swallowed his anger.

Dongfang Ming, unlike Dongfang Qing, grew even more smug when he saw that Dongfang Qing, despite his anger, did not dare answer back.

“Does Big Brother think what I said is wrong? Why do you look so displeased? It must be Father’s fault. He spoiled you far too much in the past, and now you’re just a disgrace to the Dongfang clan.”

His words grew ever more insulting.

Even Shen Hezhi, who had been sitting to the side in peace, watching the drill, could no longer endure it. He lifted his eyes slightly toward Dongfang Ming and said coolly, “Have you forgotten that this prince is sitting here? Should you not mind your manner when you speak?”

When Dongfang Ming heard Shen Hezhi speak, he immediately forced a smile. “Ah, that is my fault too. I had thought that when it came to such matters, Your Highness would not interfere. I did not expect the Ninth Prince to still be willing to concern himself with another man’s family affairs. Could it be that Your Highness is blaming me for having once meddled in your own household matters?”

His words were full of provocation, and at the same time they were a threat to Shen Hezhi. He had already seized upon the matter of Shen Hezhi’s wife’s alleged infidelity before. If Shen Hezhi embarrassed him here, then he should not blame him for making the Ninth Prince lose face as well.

After all, that was his prince consort, not Dongfang Ming’s.

Shen Hezhi naturally understood the insinuation beneath Dongfang Ming’s words. Yet after hearing them, he rolled his eyes and immediately thought of a way to help Dongfang Qing take back the Dongfang family.

Within the Dongfang clan, many people held power, but the two who commanded the greatest influence were Dongfang Qing and Dongfang Ming.

Over the past few days, Shen Hezhi had also taken the time to learn about the Dongfang family’s affairs. He discovered that the old master of the family had died not long before his arrival at the frontier, and the death had been far too suspicious. Because of that, Dongfang Qing had long suspected that someone in the Dongfang family had harmed his father.

Then, after the old master’s death, Dongfang Ming somehow won the support of more than half the family almost overnight, which only deepened Dongfang Qing’s suspicions.

But because Dongfang Ming had secured the backing of so much of the family, Dongfang Qing lacked both standing and power to investigate him openly. He could only use the little influence he had to look into the matter in secret, though the results were far from satisfactory.

Bit by bit, Dongfang Ming had been squeezing Dongfang Qing’s power dry. At present, it was hardly an exaggeration to say that he held the Dongfang family in the palm of his hand.

If not for the fact that Dongfang Qing had succeeded the old master, and if the Ninth Prince had not happened to arrive at this very time, Dongfang Ming would surely have pressed him even harder.

“Second Young Master’s words are rather confusing to this prince,” Shen Hezhi said. “When has Second Young Master ever interfered in this prince’s family affairs? Naturally, this prince would not interfere in Second Young Master’s either.”

With that, he made his stance perfectly clear.