Gate of God

"Yan Ya?!"

When the soldiers heard the name, their expressions changed drastically. They knew that the Settlement Chiefs took on the names of the settlements they led.

This was a Southern Region tradition.

However, Yan Ya was not just a name, it was a legacy.

The names Yan Ya, Shi Zun, and Thunderous Lion all represented a mysterious force and power. The ones who took on the name were also ambassadors of this power.

"I had no idea you were Settlement Chief Yan Ya. It is my mistake for not recognizing you. Please have a seat!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong felt beads of sweat roll down his forehead.

However, he maintained a smile on his face.

His life was now in Yan Ya’s hands. At that distance, he wouldn’t even have the chance to run.

However, he had never expected that a Settlement Chief would come to deliver a letter personally.

What was he after?

"No need, I am just here to deliver the letter. Once you give me your reply, I will take my leave." Yan Ya presented the leather parchment once again.

Crown Prince Lin Tianrong smiled.

He did not speak as he shot a look towards the two soldiers.

The two soldiers reacted instantly, taking the leather parchment from Yan Ya’s hands and presenting it to the Crown Prince.

The other soldier exited the tent hastily.

Before long, there was a commotion outside the tent. The sunlight revealed that there were many people standing outside.

Yan Ya continued to stand motionlessly at the same spot, almost as if he had not seen anything. His expression was calm.

Crown Prince Lin Tianrong heaved a sigh of relief and took the parchment in his hand.

However...

As he read it, his expression froze and his eyes began to glimmer icily.

"Call Official Su, and get those outside to fall out." Lin Tianrong looked at Yan Ya, hesitated, then gave the order to the soldier beside him.

"Your highness... if you’re alone..."

"What are you nagging about? Did you not understand the order?"

"I’m sorry, your highness!" The soldier sprinted out of the tent.

Just moments after the soldier exited the tent, the flaps were opened and Su Qing walked in, dressed in black.

"Greetings your highness, greetings Settlement Chief Yan Ya. I am the Head of the Imperial Academy, Su Qing!" Su Qing bowed to Crown Prince Lin Tianrong and introduced himself to Yan Ya, placing his fist on his chest as he bowed.

Yan Ya was slightly stunned. He could see that Su Qing was greeting him using the Southern Region traditions, specifically, those used in the Yan Ya Settlement.

"Official Su is too kind. Even though I am a Settlement Chief, the Southern Region is a vassal of the Great Xia and you do not have to greet me as a higher official." Yan Ya returned the bow.

"Settlement Chief Yan Ya, you are too humble. Even though the Southern Region is a vassal state, everyone knows that we are more like brothers. We go through thick and thin together. As such, it is only right for me to accord you such respect."

"Haha... Official Su is too polite!" Yan Ya nodded, standing still, not wanting to continue engaging in these pleasantries.

"Official Su, please take a look at this letter." Crown Prince Lin Tianrong glanced at Su Qing and pointed to the letter on the table.

"Yes, your highness!" Su Qing nodded and walked up to the table. He took the letter in his hand and read it twice before returning to his position.

"What do you think?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong asked.

"The Southern Region and the Great Xia are like fish and water. The fish cannot leave the water and the water cannot be without fish. As such, we should try and fulfill their requests." Su Qing replied.

"Mm." Lin Tianrong nodded and looked at Yan Ya, "I agree to your terms."

"Thank you, your highness, the 50,000 Great Xia soldiers in Yan Ya and Shi Zun will be returned to you by noon tomorrow." Yan Ya had expected such an outcome.

"No need for that. I will issue an order right now for you to pass to the deputy general. He will meet me at the Icy Monkey Settlement!"

"Thank you for your assistance, your highness!" Yan Ya bowed when he heard this.

...

After a brief moment.

Yan Ya exited the tent with orders in hand, but Su Qing did not. The Crown Prince also had no intention of letting Su Qing leave.

"What do you think?" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong asked Su Qing.

"From the letter, the Crown Prince of the Southern Region, together with Princess Shan Yu, is already on the way to meet Xing Hou and Nangong Hao. They should be arriving at the Iron Hill Settlement soon, which means that whatever was mentioned in the letter should be true. This means that... this negotiation... is Fang Zhengzhi’s effort, and he deserves the credit." Su Qing nodded.

"You are right. But I don’t understand something. Since they are only negotiating with us because of something Fang Zhengzhi did, why does he want Fang Zhengzhi to be punished by them?" The Crown Prince was confused.

"To be honest, it isn’t necessarily bad for us." Su Qing continued without directly answering the question.

"What do you mean?"

"Your Highness, have you forgot about the messenger you sent to the Icy Monkey Settlement?"

"Mm, I have prepared myself for that."

"Exactly, you did actually make preparations for that. Even when we get back, no one will dare to pin it on you, but Fang Zhengzhi is not just anybody."

"Fang Zhengzhi... haha, would I be scared of a powerless rank four official?" Lin Tianrong smirked in disdain.

"If Fang Zhengzhi was to return to the capital, would he still be a powerless rank four official?" Su Qing queried.

"What do you mean?"

"The letter mentioned that Fang Zhengzhi had the Emperor’s token. If my guess is correct, the token should be real, but it was not meant to be used in the way he did. It should be linked to the Ministry of Rites. Now that the Minister is dead, and Fang Zhengzhi just did something great..."

"How can a rank four official jump four levels and become a minister?" Lin Tianrong couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

"Based on his current situation, it is unlikely that he will be the next minister. However, he could get a promotion. Then, a year later, the Emperor could find a reason to promote him to Minister."

"So what?"

"He won’t be much of a threat to you as a minister, but what if he aligns himself with King Duan?"

"Fang Zhengzhi has always had conflicts with King Duan. Why would he align himself with my sixth brother?"

"There is nothing impossible in this world. Situations are fluid and can change all the time. Fang Zhengzhi may be powerless now, but once he has power in his hands, who is to say what will happen? Furthermore, he is a mercenary person!"

"Smack!"

The jade cup was smashed into the ground with a crisp sound, shattering into smithereens.

"I will never let something like that happen! I can execute him for misrepresenting the wishes of the Emperor using an Emperor’s token!" The Crown Prince’s knuckles whitened.

"I doubt it..." Su Qing shook his head.

"Why not?"

"Even though Fang Zhengzhi did commit a crime, he did something great for the Great Xia. As such, his punishment will not be death!"

"Are you trying to say that I won’t be able to punish Fang Zhengzhi? Do I need to send people to kidnap Fang Zhengzhi and give him to the Southern Region?"

"No, you don’t have to. Few people know what happened in the throne room. In fact, we can’t be sure that what we know is the truth."

"The truth? What do you mean?"

"After reading the letter from the Crown Prince, what if our thoughts are... the Minister of Rites had actually negotiated a deal when Fang Zhengzhi barged in. In an attempt to steal credit, he used the Emperor’s Token falsely and had the Minister killed by the Southern Region Crown Prince. What do you think will happen then?"

"Hahaha... Su Qing, Su Qing, it is a good thing that you are not aligned with King Duan. Else, I will really have to guard against your glib tongue!" Crown Prince Lin Tianrong chuckled.

"Haha..." Su Qing shuddered, almost as if he thought about something. However, he calmed himself down quickly and smiled.

"Okay then, we will do as you suggest! I don’t know what Fang Zhengzhi did to offend the Southern Region’s Crown Prince. But we can pin this crime on him and hand him over to the Southern Region. I am sure that the Emperor will be happy with the result. He may even praise me for showing mercy and not executing Fang Zhengzhi on the spot!"

...

About a mile outside the Iron Hill Settlement...

Figures in black navigated through the forest, covering their tracks well despite their rapid speed.

At the front of the squad was a man in heavy leather and rattan armor. Behind him were soldiers dressed in shiny armor.

Shan Ling’s gaze was fixed on the black castle in the distance. He clenched his fists in anxiety.

Princess Shan Yu frowned, her mouth opening and closing constantly, but no words could be heard.

"Are you still thinking about the terms I offered the Great Xia?" Shan Ling motioned to the settlement chiefs around him before whispering.

When they saw his sign, they split up and exuded an aura that separated them from the surroundings, almost like a giant shield.

"Even though he was shameless, he is still an official of the Great Xia, and is the top candidate of the Imperial Exam and Court Theory Examination..."

"The choice is not theirs. 50,000 of their soldiers for one man. Do you think that they will say no to such an offer?"

"Well..."

"Rest assured, they will agree to it. I will hand Fang Zhengzhi over to you. Even though he slapped you, we can forgive him if he is willing to serve us. Else... you have to kill him and prevent him from returning to the Great Xia."

"I have to kill him?"

"Of course, Fang Zhengzhi is the youngest Supernatural State talent around. If he is with the Great Xia, we will never be able to build our empire... furthermore, I have spoken to Xing Yuanguo and he told me that they had no deal with Fang Zhengzhi. This means that Fang Zhengzhi guessed all of this himself. There is no one else with such intellect in our country!"

"Brother, have you not given up on your ambitions to be an Emperor?" Princess Shan Yu shuddered in shock.

"Sister, you don’t have to worry about that right now. Our first order of business is to get out of this sticky situation. We can’t be a vassal forever! I just gave the order for the release of 50,000 soldiers, but the gate is still under our control!" Shan Ling’s eyes glimmered with determination.

Princess Shan Yu didn’t reply. She clenched her fists tightly and frowned, visibly conflicted.