Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

Tang Ling planted flowers in the small courtyard of Bashan and spent many days carving two seals. She was killing time, waiting for the rain to come, and missing someone who was traveling far away.

The person Tang Ling missed had quietly passed Huaiyan Pass and arrived in Quzhou, southwest of Huaiyan Pass. He was very close to Shuoliang, the capital of Qi State, so close that he seemed to be able to see the imperial city of Shuoliang just by looking up.

The refugees fleeing from Xingtian Pass, Jialin Pass and other places were not as fast as Qi Xiao, so there were not many refugees arriving in Quzhou, and several major cities in Quzhou had not yet been sealed off.

Qi Xiao was sitting on a cart, swaying along the way. Only Zong Sheng, Chi Yue and a few personal guards were with him. They were dressed as ordinary laborers. There were three carts in total. The first two carts had several boxes filled with unknown contents. The third cart was carrying a man who looked sick and dying, with his breath hanging on.

The people from Xuanjiying were far away, mixed in with the refugees, following slowly and leisurely. They would come as long as Qi Xiao waved.

"Your Highness, we are almost at Lu'an Mansion. Let's find a place to rest while I finish dressing up that man."

Qi Xiao nodded, responded to Chi Yue, and raised his hand to let everyone stop the car and rest.

Chi Yue's disguise skills were so impressive that Qi Xiao was curious, so Chi Yue didn't hide it and let Qi Xiao watch. He had a bundle of bottles and jars filled with thick pastes, powders, mud pastes, brushes, bamboo strips, silk threads, hooks, pens and other tools that were dazzling to look at.

The dying man was picked up by them on the way. He was breathing out more than breathing in. Not only was he hungry, he was also injured. The sickle had entered his waist and pierced his spleen. Chi Yue's medical skills were limited, but he knew that he could not be saved.

The man's coat and shoes had been stripped, and his lining was stained with blood. There was no point in stripping him, so he left it alone. The material was excellent, and his hands were slender and white. He looked wealthy and must have been robbed on the road. His build and height were similar to what Qi Xiao was looking for, so he just picked him up, saving Qi Xiao the trouble of searching again.

Chi Yue pasted some thin, fish-skin-like material onto the man's face, then glued it on, gradually altering his features and bone structure. Chi Yue mixed some liquid medicine into the glue, which had a pungent smell and looked milky white. When he smeared it on the man's face, it actually turned his complexion into a pale grayish-blue hue, completely oblivious to the glue.

In less than half an incense stick of time, the man had been transformed by Chi Yue.

"Resemble, really resemble! It's truly amazing." Qi Xiao couldn't help but sigh, "It's been over a month since we left Xingtian Pass, and you can still remember Meng Jing's appearance exactly."

Meng Jing was a lieutenant commander at Xingtian Pass, no more than twenty years old. He was unremarkable under Chen He's command, and hadn't even had a chance to struggle when he was killed at Xingtian Pass. It wasn't until they were cleaning up the bodies that the Xuanji Camp told Qi Xiao that this Meng Jing was the second son of the Meng family in Lu'an Mansion.

The State of Qi was mountainous and its territory was not as vast as that of the States of Chen and Zhou. There originally were many indigenous ethnic groups, such as the Huyan tribe who had lived in Bashan hundreds of years ago and were later destroyed by the Sui Dynasty. After the Rebellion of the Eight Kingdoms, these indigenous ethnic groups were almost gone, and they were all recruited by the court of Qi to become the five major clans of Qi today. The Meng family of Lu Anfu was one of them. The five major clans each occupied a corner. The royal family of Qi had a tradition of choosing concubines for the princes from the five major clans, so they had lived in peace for the past hundred years.

However, this peace was only on the surface. Every time the imperial power changed, the five major clans would inevitably help the prince they were marrying, and the secret struggle never stopped.

Tang Ling had long since taken a fancy to the Meng family of Lu An Mansion, for no other reason than that the daughter of the Meng family was to marry the second prince of Qi, who was at odds with the eldest prince supported by Xu Zheng.

Meng Jing can just be Qi Xiao's stepping stone.

The original plan was to pick a suitable identity from the information of Xuanjiying to enter the Meng family, but who would have thought that the second son of the Meng family would be killed at Xingtian Pass. This good thing that came to the door must be used well.

After all, Meng Jing is the second son of the Meng family, and Chi Yue has never had any contact with Meng Jing, nor has he even heard him speak. It is easy to disguise himself, but it is impossible to deceive the Meng family. So they simply picked up a dying man, and they pretended to have saved the second son from escaping from Xingtian Pass in the chaos. Unfortunately, Meng Jing was seriously injured, and saving him turned into a funeral.

Chi Yue smiled and said, "It is a blessing for Chi Yue that his ability can be used by His Highness."

Qi Xiao laughed dryly: "You don't have to pretend to be so obedient in front of me."

Chi Yue nodded with a smile: "Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness."

"Is it done?" Qi Xiao waved his hand, too lazy to argue with Chi Yue. He was probably worried about the people in Xuanji Camp. "If he dies, can we still keep this face?"

"If he were alive, this layer of skin would last three to five days at most. If he's dead, in this warm spring weather, it'll probably last a dozen days. I guarantee he'll still look like this when he's buried. But to be on the safe side, if he's truly dead, I'll have to make his face a little paler and more withered. There's always a difference between the living and the dead."

"It couldn't be better."

"Meng Jing practiced martial arts and still has some old injuries on his body. The skin on his hands and feet is tender, so he needs more practice and more precision."

"Can you treat old injuries?"

"Yes, you can. You don't need any special cleaning solutions. You can't rub it off even if you rub it hard. It can be hidden unless you examine it carefully."

"Your disguise skills are truly amazing." Qi Xiao sneered, then suddenly asked in a low voice, "Since you have such a skill, why do you still want to stay in the Tiance Camp?"

Chi Yue blinked at Qi Xiao, a little surprised. After a while, he softly replied, "Your Highness, don't you think this question is a bit stupid?"

If everyone in Tiance Camp was like Chi Yue, fatherless and motherless, yet possessing top-notch kung fu and cunning tactics, why would they still live on the edge of a knife? Why not escape?

It can only be because there is no escape.

"Does the Tian Ce Camp have any methods to control people?" Qi Xiao raised his eyes and quickly glanced at Zong Sheng who was sitting not far away.

"When Your Highness ascends to the supreme throne, you will naturally understand."

Qi Xiao shrugged, stopped asking questions, and said nothing more. This was Chi Yue's own business, and it was not his turn to point fingers. Since he couldn't help, he shouldn't cause trouble.

"Your Highness, that's enough. Let's continue on our journey."

Qi Xiao nodded and waved: "Let's go."

The group continued on their journey and finally arrived at Lu An Mansion at dusk.

The Meng family of Lu'an Prefecture was the most powerful of the five major clans. The five major clans didn't have regular armies, but they did have garrison troops, local soldiers and conscripts who normally managed their own plots of land. They would only be drafted into service in times of war, serving as support forces for building cities, manufacturing weapons, and constructing roads and transporting food.

Now Xu Zheng has led an army of 100,000 to besiege Bashan. He has transferred all the regular troops of the three states near Bashan, and also transferred the food of the three states. Tang Ling will hold on to Bashan. Xu Zheng will fight a protracted war, and sooner or later he will have to transfer troops and borrow food from other places. The Meng family of Lu'an Mansion is not far away, and they have 30,000 troops at their disposal, which is very rich.

Qi Xiao dispersed two thousand elite troops deep into Qi's heartland, precisely to add fuel to the internal turmoil during this period of external threat. Qi Xiao took only a few men to Lu'an Mansion and infiltrated the Meng family, ensuring that the Meng family would hinder Xu Zheng, cut off his supplies, and even stab him in the back, ideally in the heart.

Qi Xiao only brought Chi Yue, Zong Sheng and Yu Ran from Xuanjiying with him, while the others provided support outside the Meng Mansion.

They dragged their men and knocked on the red door of the Meng Mansion. Before they could shed a few false tears, the Meng Mansion was already in chaos. All the doctors in the city were invited to the house, and they lined up to take the pulse and treat the injuries of the fake Meng Jing.

Qi Xiao and others were arranged in a small courtyard, and were not taken to meet the head of the Meng family, Meng Boquan, and the eldest son Meng Tao until nightfall.

"What's going on? What's going on?!"

Qi Xiao hung his head and huddled in the back. It was Yu Ran from the Xuanji Camp who answered, "The Chen army marched south, and Xingtian Pass was breached. My brothers and I were originally soldiers from the government office. We took advantage of the chaos to escape. On the way, we met the Second Young Master. He was seriously injured and could no longer walk. He gave us some silver and asked us to escort him back to Lu'an Mansion."

Yu Ran had been lurking in Qi for many years and was very familiar with Xingtian Pass, so he had no difficulty answering the Meng family's inquiries.

"Who? Who hurt my son?! That wound isn't an ordinary sword wound. What kind of weapon did Chen Jun use?"

"This... this little one really doesn't know. We were so busy running for our lives that when we met the Second Young Master, he was already injured. We wanted to treat his injuries, but his injuries..."

Meng Boquan was filled with anger and grief. When news of the breach of Xingtian Pass reached Lu An's residence, Meng Boquan knew something was wrong and hurriedly sent people to find out about Meng Jing. However, Qi Xiao was killing people at Xingtian Pass, and the entire place was in chaos, with the people fleeing. How could there be any news? But when the fake Meng Jing was sent back, lying dying before him, Meng Boquan, as a father, could not bear it.

"Dad..." The eldest son, Meng Tao, supported Meng Boquan, stroking his back again and again to calm him down, "You two go down first."

After returning to the courtyard, Qi Xiao and his friends were finally able to take a shower after running around for over a month. Although four of them had to squeeze into one room, at least they had a bed to sleep on.

"Your Highness... Ah Jiu," Yu Ran made a mistake the moment he opened his mouth, but luckily he corrected it quickly. "The servants in the inner courtyard of the Meng family are still busy. I heard that the second young master is not feeling well, and the doctors are helpless."

Qi Xiao was the youngest, so he asked everyone to call him "Ajiu" in front of others and behind their backs.

Qi Xiao nodded slightly and said nothing.

Chi Yue said, "When I changed his clothes, I took his pulse. He won't make it through the night."

Qi Xiao closed his eyes and went to sleep. Yu Ran didn't say anything more and just lay down to sleep.

***

In the middle of the night, the fake Meng Jing died as expected. The entire Meng Mansion did not sleep at all. The first half of the night was full of chaos, and the second half was full of anxiety.

Actually, Meng Jing is the second son of the Meng family. He originally entered the Ministry of War with the help of his elder sister and had a bright future in Shuoliang. Unfortunately, Meng Jing was a rich kid with mediocre martial arts skills and a lack of brains. He was relentlessly pursued by the eldest prince's men for any minor mistakes he made. The second prince was too lazy to care about his useless brother-in-law, so he threw him to Xingtian Pass, thinking of training him and planting one of his own in the northern border under Xu Zheng's nose.

Who could have expected that a war would break out as soon as it was announced, and on New Year's Eve, Qi Xiao braved the night and stormed into Xingtian Pass. No matter what the political situation in Qi was like, or what the eldest prince and the second prince were thinking, Qi Xiao seemed to have suddenly broken in and overturned the chessboard, scattering black and white pieces all over the ground, and really turning everything upside down.

The Meng Mansion had just lost a member, and Qi Xiao and the others had been completely forgotten. Yu Ran had a few words with the second steward in the backyard. His message was simple: the outside world was in chaos, and many prefectures had sealed off their cities, preventing entry. With the war, they had nowhere to go, and hoped to stay in the Meng Mansion. Yu Ran and the other four were all young and strong, capable of doing menial work, farming, and having previously served as soldiers in the government office, they were also good at martial arts and could do guarding the house. In short, they didn't want the Meng Mansion to have idle people, and keeping them would be a good investment.

The second steward had no say in whether to keep them or not. The seventh day after Meng Jing's death had not yet passed, and the mansion was busy, so he didn't want to bring it up. He just asked Yu Ran to wait, and they were happy to have some free time.

It rained heavily on the day of Meng Jing's funeral. The gloomy clouds made the entire Meng Mansion even more desolate. Everyone in the mansion cried. Even in the dilapidated courtyard where Qi Xiao lived, one could hear the miserable cries, which gave people goose bumps.

Qi Xiao and the other three sat in the room drinking tea.

Firstly, they were idle to begin with. They were not members of the Meng family. Even if they were guests, they did not have that status. No one really dared to ask them to help with chores. After all, they were protecting the second young master of the Meng family back to Lu An Mansion. He was still alive when he came back. At least they saw him for the last time, so they were indebted to the Meng family.

Secondly, by staying indoors and hiding from people, Yu Ran just happened to tell Qi Xiao the news he had learned in the Meng Mansion in the past few days, and they were going to carry out the next plan.

"Meng Boquan is now the head of the Meng family. He's nothing special, just mediocre. He makes no big mistakes, but he's constantly making small ones. He's a bit selfish and weak-willed, and easily influenced. Most of the decisions in the mansion are made by the First Madam. The eldest son, Meng Tao, the second son, Meng Jing, and the eldest daughter who married the second prince's concubine are all the First Madam's legitimate children. There are also three concubines in the mansion, all of whom have no children. The servants are very secretive about this, so I don't dare to ask too much, but I guess this First Madam is very powerful."

"Where's Meng Tao? What's his temperament like?"

"He's so ambitious." Yu Ran said succinctly, "Over the years, most of the Meng family's assets in Lu'an Prefecture have gradually been handed over to Meng Tao. During festivals, he would find a way to send them to Shuoliang City and build relationships with the court. He wanted to seek a title for the Meng family, and sending Meng Jing to the Ministry of War was also one of his plans."

"A title? Aren't all the five major clans hereditary? Why do you still need to ask for it?"

Isn’t the word hanging on the gate of Meng Mansion the Earl of Lu An’s Mansion?

"Ajiu is right. The five major clans have all been granted the title of earl since the founding of Qi. However, the power of the five major clans is not evenly balanced. The Hai and Mu families are the most respected. The Meng family has been gradually declining under Meng Boquan's rule. Otherwise, the eldest daughter of the Meng family would not have given away almost half of the Meng family in order to fight for the position of concubine. Moreover, last year, the Hai family was promoted to marquis for their contribution in supervising the renovation of the royal villa. Meng Tao was furious."

Qi Xiao chuckled. Wasn't the matter of supervising the construction of the villa exactly what was mentioned in the letter of permission, the matter of forcing the old Prime Minister Zhao to death? The old Prime Minister Zhao died to show his determination, and the Emperor of Qi turned around and rewarded the Hai family, which showed that the Hai family was quite favored by the emperor. The Emperor of Qi was also extremely extravagant and willful.

The situation in Qi's court seems to be no less turbulent than that in Dachen.