Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

The man prostrated himself on the ground and said respectfully, "Your Highness, my name is Jiang Liu. I am a distant nephew of Consort Hui, and I serve Consort Hui in the capital!"

As he spoke, the man handed over another letter.

"Your Highness, this is a letter written by Consort Hui herself."

Xiao Ce accepted the letter: "Your Highness, King of the Northern Desert, Jiang Liu is the man of my destiny, and everything he said is exactly what I wanted to say!"

Looking at the contents of the letter, Xiao Ce gave a bitter smile.

"I don't know how to write Consort Hui's characters either, and this letter doesn't mean anything."

Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, Jiang Liu immediately wore an expression of utter disgust.

Seeing his reaction, Xiao Ce smiled.

"Alright, regardless of whether it's true or not, tell me first what happened to that kid Xiao Yang?"

Jiang Liu knelt on the ground and spoke succinctly to Xiao Ce.

Since Xiao Ce left, things have been as arranged by him.

He applied to the emperor to be stationed on the western border, and the emperor agreed and mobilized troops.

They set off right behind Xiao Ce, and initially there were no problems.

However, just seven days after their army left, their scouts suddenly reported back.

It is said that Xiao Yang suddenly disappeared, and not only that, Fan Gang Ashina, who had always been by Xiao Yang's side, also disappeared.

The military searched for a long time, but ultimately found nothing.

They seemed to have vanished into thin air, evaporated from the face of the earth.

After listening to Jiang Liu get to this point, he paused and didn't continue.

Xiao Ce then asked Jiang Liu, "Why did you stop there? And then? How did you determine that he was in danger?"

Jiang Liu said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, we would not dare to come to you rashly if we had no news! However, just a few days ago, our Consort Hui received a letter from a mysterious person. They said that Prince Xiao Yang is in their hands. Only if Consort Hui listens to their words can Prince Xiao Yang's safety be guaranteed."

"Your Highness, Consort Hui, we only agreed to their demands under duress! They gave us one condition: you must exchange for Xiao Yang! Our Consort Hui was truly desperate, so she came to you..."

Jiang Liu put it simply and concisely.

Hu Yidao, listening, cursed at Consort Hui, "Have you all lost your minds? Do you want our Prince to replace your Prince Xiao Yang?"

Xiao Ce did not interrupt Hu Yidao, but simply watched him quietly.

Jiang Liu prostrated himself on the ground, trembling: "Reporting...reporting to Your Highness the King of Mobei, we...we dare not...we did not mean that."

Xiao Ce looked at Jiang Liu with sharp eyes and said, "You didn't mean that? Then what else could it mean if you all echoed me?"

Jiang Liu remained prostrate on the ground and said to Xiao Ce, "Reporting to Your Highness, the Prince of Mobei, after Consort Hui learned of this news, she gathered people to come up with a plan. Everyone wanted to find a way to trick you into coming here. However, Consort Hui refused all of them. In the end, Consort Hui decided to tell Your Highness the whole story."

"What Consort Hui said was: 'The King of Mobei has extraordinary abilities, and no trick can escape his eyes. Yang'er is the person chosen by the King of Mobei. If he is still useful to the King of Mobei, the King of Mobei will definitely go to save him...' Therefore, Consort Hui's idea is to report this matter to the King of Mobei in its entirety and listen to the King of Mobei's wishes."

"If you are willing to spare his life and save him, then Consort Hui will do everything in her power to support you! However, if the King of Mobei does not wish to save him, then it means that His Highness Xiao Yang's fate is sealed... This is destiny, and no one can change it."

After Jiang Liu finished speaking, he prostrated himself on the ground: "Of course, Consort Hui also asked me to plead with you on her behalf. Consort Hui said that they were completely blind to your actions before. She said, Your Highness, the King of Mobei, you have extraordinary abilities; with just a flick of your finger, you can definitely save Prince Xiao Yang..."

After listening to Jiang Liu's words, Xiao Ce looked on with great interest: "Do you know anything about the other party?"

Jiang Liu shook his head: "We know nothing about it."

Xiao Ce snorted coldly and said to Jiang Liu, "You know nothing about this, sending me there... isn't that just sending me to my death?"

Jiang Liu said awkwardly, "King of Mobei, we didn't mean that... Consort Hui said that if you can't solve this, we'll accept our fate!"

Xiao Ce naturally understood what kind of trick Consort Hui was playing.

She was certain that Xiao Ce would still need to use Xiao Yang as a trump card for the time being.

She was a smart woman and knew that using confrontational methods would only backfire, so she simply threw all the problems to Xiao Ce.

Xiao Ce then asked Jiang Liu, "So, how do they intend to exchange me for Xiao Yang?"

Jiang Liu said, "They just said that they need us to take you to Nufeng City. Once you get there, they will know. Then they will come back to you to discuss the next steps."

Before Xiao Ce could speak, Hu Yidao said, "Your Highness, you absolutely mustn't... According to what this guy is saying, isn't this clearly a trap set over there just for you to fall into? You can't fall for their trick!"

Nufeng City is an important city on one side of Nushan Mountain. Due to its geographical location, it is considered a vital and prosperous border town.

This city has always been controlled by the people of Xiao Kingdom.

Xiao Ce asked Jiang Liu, "Jiang Liu, who is the city lord of Nufeng City? Have you inquired about his situation?"

Jiang Liu nodded and said to Xiao Ce, "Reporting to Your Highness the King of Mobei, the city lord of Nufeng City is named Lian Zhan, who is also a veteran general who has been through many battles. Later, he was blinded in one eye by an arrow on the battlefield and was then appointed as the city lord."

"This Lord Lian Zhan is an old brother of King Xiao Dingshan, who has gone through thick and thin with him. His position was also arranged by Xiao Dingshan. Therefore, there shouldn't be any problems with the Nufeng City under his management."

"Our Consort Hui sent people to find this Lord Lian Zhan, but he swore that there wouldn't be any bandits or brigands under his nose! Moreover, he guaranteed that Xiao Yang wasn't in his city. He also said that he wouldn't let any villains kidnap anyone. So, his words are credible!"

Hu Yidao spat, "That sounds nice, but if it were really as solid as an iron barrel, why would anyone choose that spot for the trade? Don't try to fool us!"

Jiang Liu waved his hand with a bitter face and said he dared not.

At this moment, Xiao Ce said to Jiang Liu, "Do you know where Xiao Yang was kidnapped?"

Jiang Liu nodded: "It's about a day or two's journey before the army reaches the border."

Xiao Ce listened but did not reply, seemingly deep in thought.

He remained silent for a long time.

Jiang Liu stood to the side, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. After a moment, Xiao Ce's eyes hardened.

"Hu Yidao, take Jiang Liu to rest for a while."

Hu Yidao nodded.

Jiang Liu looked at Xiao Ce expectantly and asked, "Then, Your Highness, what is your decision?"

Hu Yidao was about to start cursing when Xiao Ce stopped him.

"Go and rest for a bit, it won't make a difference if you stay a little longer."

Jiang Liu nodded, not daring to say anything more, lest he displease Xiao Ce.

As Xiao Ce spoke, he waved his hand, signaling Hu Yidao to take the man to rest.

They had just reached the door when Xiao Ce asked, "So who is stationed on the frontier now?"

Jiang Liu said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, it is my elder brother, Jiang Nan. However, rest assured, the person truly in charge of the army is someone you arranged from the northern deserts. My elder brother is merely a puppet in name only; after all, Consort Hui cannot allow anyone else to take advantage of the situation. It's easy to invite a god, but hard to send him away..."

Xiao Ce nodded in agreement: "Okay! I understand."

After Hu Yidao took Jiang Liu to rest, Xiao Ce got up and paced back and forth in the room for a while.

A short while later, Hu Yidao returned after settling Jiang Liu in.

He returned and was about to greet Xiao Ce when he said, "Your Highness..."

Looking at Hu Yidao's expression, Xiao Ce knew what he wanted to say.

He raised his hand and stopped him, saying, "Go and get ready."

After hearing Xiao Ce's words, Hu Yidao's eyes widened as he looked at Xiao Ce and said, "Your Highness, you don't actually want to go there, do you? That's clearly a trap... and one they've meticulously designed... If we go there, won't we just be jumping straight in?"

Xiao Ce said to Hu Yidao, "I have to go on this trip. Xiao Yang is very important to my strategic needs..."

Hu Yidao spoke bluntly: "Your Highness, if you die, everything will be for nothing, won't it?"

Xiao Ce smiled slightly when he heard Hu Yidao say that: "When did you start thinking that I was someone who was looking for death?"

Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, Hu Yidao looked embarrassed: "Your Highness, I misspoke... I'll go and make the preparations right away."

Xiao Ce was struck by Hu Yidao's complete change in attitude.

He was both amused and exasperated: "Aren't you going to say another word of advice?"

Seeing Xiao Ce say this, Hu Yidao's expression became even more awkward: "Your Highness, please don't laugh at me... My thinking is on a completely different level from yours. Since you've decided to go... then naturally you've already made thorough preparations."

Seeing Hu Yidao's smile, Xiao Ce said, "Then guess why I dare to go?"

Hu Yidao pondered for a moment, then asked Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, could it be that you have already guessed who the mastermind behind Xiao Yang's kidnapping is?"

Xiao Ce's eyes visibly brightened: "You old rascal, you're something else!"

Hu Yidao looked astonished, and even he found it hard to believe, saying, "Your Highness, really? Who is it?"

Xiao Ce shook his head and said, "I'm just guessing... I'm not entirely sure."