Chapter Ninety-Six: Standoff / Choosing the Captain

Second Young Master claims that this matter began because of me? Then he had best explain, in full detail and with perfect clarity, exactly what happened. Qi Mo gave Dongfang Ming a cold look.

At first, Dongfang Ming had been a little afraid. But when he thought of the power behind him, his fear vanished. He gathered his courage and began to speak.

“At the start, I simply came here because I wanted to see how the soldiers were training. Yet you blocked my way and would not let me go in to look.

“That alone would have been fine, since this is your territory and you are the one in charge of training. I could have just stood at a distance and watched. But instead, you kept pressing me, refused to let it go, and ordered me to get lost.

“My status may not be especially exalted, but it is not yours to tell me to get out of the way.”

The more Dongfang Ming spoke, the more indignant he became, as though everything he said had truly happened to him. If Shen Hezhi had not known what kind of person Dongfang Ming was, he might really have been deceived by those few words.

Qi Mo grew angrier the more he heard. Dongfang Ming was plainly lying through his teeth, and yet the liar now had the nerve to turn around and blame him, all while looking so outraged. Who was he trying to fool with that performance?

Fortunately, Qi Mo knew what Shen Hezhi intended to do, or he truly might have exploded with anger.

“I had not expected Second Young Master to have suffered such grievance. This is indeed this prince’s fault. After all, this camp captain was personally chosen by this prince. Since he has now done wrong, this prince naturally bears responsibility as well.

“Since the captain has treated Second Young Master so poorly, what sort of resolution would you like now? Or what compensation would you prefer?” Shen Hezhi deliberately put on an expression of great indignation.

Seeing the Ninth Prince take this attitude, Dongfang Ming was thoroughly satisfied. He even grew smug, thinking to himself: Even the Ninth Prince is afraid of me now. In this borderland, I am the greatest of them all. As for Dongfang Qing, one day I will drive him out of the Dongfang family!

He was already imagining a splendid future for himself when Shen Hezhi suddenly spoke again and shattered that fantasy.

“As long as it is something Second Young Master requests, if this prince is able, he will certainly do his utmost to satisfy you. So go on, speak freely. No need to be polite.”

Those words made Dongfang Ming sound as though he were deliberately trying to extort them, as if he meant to make an outrageous demand.

He did not catch the hidden meaning, but the person beside him was not as foolish. The moment he understood, he immediately grabbed Dongfang Ming, who was about to speak, and whispered in a low voice, “We should not pursue the matter of the captain. We did not come here today for compensation. Do not forget the real business we are here for.”

Dongfang Ming was becoming more and more carried away by his own confidence. He knew he could not afford to offend the person beside him casually, but at that moment he felt as though the man kept lecturing him, and it left him deeply unhappy. Still, for the sake of appearances, he had to bear it.

In his heart, he had already thought of a plan. He would find the right moment to dispose of him in secret. Then no one would interfere with his decisions, and no one would dare point fingers at him anymore.

“Ahem. There is really no need to trouble ourselves with such minor matters. What compensation is there to speak of? That would only spoil the mood. What I truly want is for the Ninth Prince to carefully reconsider the position of camp captain.

“After all, if the captain you chose dares to do this once, he will dare to do it a second time. If he did this to me once, I would not care, but if next time he behaved so rudely toward some important person, I fear the consequences would not be so simple.”

Dongfang Ming continued.

The person beside him heard this and only then nodded in satisfaction.

Out of the corner of his eye, Dongfang Ming caught the man’s reaction, and his dissatisfaction deepened.

“Oh? So that is what Second Young Master means. That is perfectly reasonable.” Shen Hezhi frowned, as though truly troubled by the matter. “Still, I cannot decide this alone. Whether the soldiers truly like the captain must be determined by them.”

After hearing this, Dongfang Ming nodded as though it made perfect sense. But the person beside him immediately reminded him again.

The man hurriedly tugged at his sleeve and whispered in his ear, “Second Young Master, do not let the Ninth Prince lead you by the nose in everything. We must seize the initiative in this matter, or there will be no way to put the captain back in place in the end.”

Dongfang Ming frowned in displeasure, but however angry he was at that moment, he did not dare go against the man’s words.

So he continued to say to Shen Hezhi, “Ninth Prince, what you say does make sense, but not entirely. Think about it carefully. These soldiers actually understand very little.

“How can they choose a good captain? If we leave it to personal preference, that would be far too hasty.

“So people like us should help them choose a suitable captain. Only then can this army be led steadily into the future, and only then can it defeat the State of Nanyang.”

Dongfang Ming’s words enraged Qi Mo, but when Qi Mo received Shen Hezhi’s glance, he still forced down the fury in his heart and stood quietly to one side, watching Dongfang Ming without speaking.