Chapter 1: The Imperial Succession EdictThe Imperial Succession Edict

In the eighth year of Hongxi, in the mountains of the Southern Wilderness, the camp of the Southern Expeditionary Army.

The heat of August was intense, and after a brief afternoon rain, the camp was damp and muddy, the air hot and suffocating. Soldiers and warhorses alike were suffering greatly.

The commander's tent had its flap open, and at the main seat in the north sat a young man with a handsome face, wearing a golden crown and his hair tied up. On his right sat a group of military generals in armor, while on his left were several wizards in robes of various colors. The loud arguing inside the tent made it clear that the meeting was not going well.

A tall general on the west side of the tent suddenly jumped up, furiously shouting, "Bullshit! Who the hell delayed the battle? What about the supplies? How can we fight without provisions? We're out here bleeding and risking our lives, and you're holding the grain and strangling us from behind— is this the work of human beings?"

A blue-robed wizard on the east side tilted his head and sneered, "Yao Beilin, explain yourself. Who is strangling your neck?"

"You guys!" Yao Beilin glared, "Jingzhou clearly had plenty of supplies, but you only sent us a seven-day supply. The Nine Curves Mountain stretches for hundreds of miles to the south. We're already deep behind enemy lines, and with only seven days of provisions, who would dare to send troops?"

The blue-robed wizard immediately retorted, "What's the problem? Precisely because the army is deep behind enemy lines, you should be moving light and fast to finish the battle quickly. Don't worry about supplies; we can deliver them in time."

A young female general on the west side of the tent snorted in disdain, "What Master Jiang said is right. We don't need to worry about supplies. If worst comes to worst, we can just slaughter a hundred warhorses."

The blue-robed wizard looked embarrassed at this, and one of the red-robed wizards at his side quickly responded, "The grain convoy was ambushed by the barbarians last month on Mang Mountain, and we can't be blamed for that. Who knew you'd leave so many of the barbarian remnants alive?"

"We were suppressing the rebellion, not indiscriminately killing innocents," Yao Beilin retorted angrily. "And it wasn't the old, weak, and women we spared who burned the grain, but the elite barbarian warriors who bypassed us from the East Mountain."

"Enough with the excuses!" one of the wizards spoke up, "There are already rumors in the capital that the reason the southern campaign is dragging on is that the prince is trying to cultivate the bandits and hold onto military power. To avoid fueling these rumors, the prince should send troops to fight the main barbarian force quickly to prove his loyalty and silence the gossip."

After this, the young man sitting at the main seat in the north raised his eyebrows slightly but did not speak. The purple-robed wizard at the east end of the tent remained silent, his face dark.

Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that the conflict between the two sides had been going on for a long time, and this wasn't the first time such arguments had occurred. The reason neither side's leader intervened to stop their subordinates was that, in such arguments, whoever took a step back or tried to ease the situation would be seen as the one in the wrong and with something to hide.

As the argument grew louder and the situation seemed ready to erupt into violence, a sharp and panicked birdcall suddenly echoed above the camp.

In the Southern Wilderness, there were many birds, so the call itself didn't cause much attention, but the young man in the north seat suddenly changed his expression. He quickly stood up and hurried out of the tent.

Everyone was puzzled, but seeing the seriousness on his face, they stopped arguing and quickly followed him out.

It was still lightly raining, making it difficult to see clearly. Everyone looked up, and vaguely, they could make out a white-headed owl flying high above, heading west.

White-headed owls were common in the Southern Wilderness, with wingspans of over five feet. Though large, they couldn't carry anything, so when everyone saw just one flying by, they relaxed.

However, the young female general, who had earlier mocked Jiang Zhao, keenly noticed that the owl seemed to be clutching something in its right claw. As she focused on it, the young man at the head of the group began to gesture for them to return to the command tent.

Still curious, the young general kept looking back as she walked, but before she could enter the tent, the young man reached out to grab her and, turning his back to the group, pointed to the receding owl. He then made a fist and gestured for her to intercept the owl and retrieve whatever it was carrying.

Over time, they had developed a silent understanding, and the young general nodded slightly, then quickly turned and rushed out.

The young man, named Xia Mu, was the younger brother of the current emperor and the commander of this southern expedition. Once the others returned to the command tent, Xia Mu immediately began to reprimand his generals and offer comfort to the wizards.

Half an hour later, the wizards left in high spirits, gathering around their leader, the purple-robed wizard, while the generals were left behind, their faces filled with frustration and anger.

"Your Highness, how long will you tolerate this?" Yao Beilin sighed heavily.

Xia Mu said nothing in reply. He raised his hand to stop a young female general, "Zi Xu, come in."

Earlier, Zi Xu had hesitated to enter the tent because she wasn't sure if Xia Mu wanted the generals to know about what had just happened. Now, hearing his command, she no longer had any reservations. She quickly entered and took out something wrapped in black cloth from her chest.

"Is it the Sea Eastern Eagle from the northern frontier?" Xia Mu asked in a low voice.

"Your Highness is not mistaken. It is indeed a Sea Eastern Eagle," Zi Xu nodded seriously, "And it still has an imperial signal tube bound to its leg."

Without waiting for Xia Mu's orders, a general sitting at the farthest side of the room stood up and closed the tent's entrance.

Xia Mu quickly unwrapped the black cloth and removed the signal tube from the dead Sea Eastern Eagle, opening the letter inside to read it urgently.

As Xia Mu read the letter, Zi Xu spoke quietly, "Your Highness, it's a stroke of luck that you received this letter. The eagle's left wing is severely injured by an arrow, and it flew here while wounded."

Even if Zi Xu hadn't mentioned it, Xia Mu had already noticed the arrow wound on the eagle's wing. The Sea Eastern Eagle, a member of the hawk family, flew at incredible speeds, and if it hadn't been injured, the white-headed owl wouldn't have been able to catch up with it.

The letter was written on imperial yellow silk, no more than half a foot long and less than five inches wide. Its small size meant it couldn't carry much writing. However, when Xia Mu unfolded the letter, he didn't immediately put it down.

The others, though curious, refrained from asking questions.

Seeing that Xia Mu remained silent for a long time, Yao Beilin couldn't help but speak up, "Your Highness, is something wrong?"

Finally snapping out of his thoughts, Xia Mu raised his hand and passed the letter to the others, then leaned back in his chair, sighing deeply.

Everyone gathered around to read the letter. The first thing they noticed was a bright red imperial seal, which was unexpected. What shocked them even more was the content of the letter: "Brother Mu, I am gravely ill, my condition worsening, and I can no longer rise. However, my virtue has been lacking, and all my sons have passed away. Fortunately, you, my brother, are of extraordinary talent, proficient in both civil and military matters, and have always been loyal to me. I write to urge you to return quickly. The throne will pass from brother to brother, and you, as the successor, must act accordingly."

After reading the letter, the generals' expressions grew serious, and they exchanged glances.

After a long silence, Zi Xu spoke softly, "Your Highness, life and death are in fate's hands. Please don't be too heartbroken."

Hearing her words, Xia Mu slowly opened his eyes and sat up straight.

Ren Qianyang turned to leave, "Your Highness, your mount hasn't been fed today. I'll slaughter a sheep to feed it."

"No rush," a short general reached out to stop him, "There's something suspicious here. Stay calm."

Ren Qianyang frowned in confusion, "What's suspicious? Is the edict a fake?"

The short general, Ji Youde, replied, "The edict is definitely real. The imperial seal can't be faked, and you know the emperor's handwriting well."

Before Ren Qianyang could respond, Ji Youde pointed at the Sea Eastern Eagle on the table, "Who shot the arrow that injured this bird? It flies fast and high, and no ordinary hunter could have done it."

"You're suggesting that someone in the court is trying to block the news and doesn't want the prince to return?" Ren Qianyang asked.

"That's a possibility," Ji Youde nodded. "We've been at war for years, and the situation in the court is unclear."

"If it's as you say, the prince must return as soon as possible," Ren Qianyang said. "The emperor is gravely ill. If we wait too long, there could be trouble."

Ji Youde shook his head repeatedly, "I still feel uneasy. The situation in the court is uncertain. For safety's sake, the prince should return with his troops."

"You're coming up with bad ideas again. The prince is going back to take up the throne, not to seize power," Ren Qianyang said helplessly. "Besides, the army is moving slowly. It might take three months to reach Yuzhou."

"Three months is fine. At least we'll be secure," Ji Youde said. "The letter has the imperial seal, so it's essentially the succession edict. With this, no matter when we return, we'll be fine..."

Before Ji Youde could finish, Xia Mu waved his hand, interrupting him, and turned to Ren Qianyang, "Help me feed the white tiger. I'll pack and we'll leave soon."

"Your Highness, we're coming with you," Yao Beilin said eagerly.

Xia Mu suppressed his sadness, calmed himself, and after a brief moment of thought, nodded. "Feng Mo, Mi Zheng, Ji Qianxun, you three stay behind to lead the troops. The rest of you come with me back to the capital."

The others quietly agreed.

Xia Mu put away the yellow silk letter and spoke again, "This matter must not be leaked. If the military supervisors ask, just say we went out to investigate enemy movements."

Once again, everyone nodded.

Xia Mu waved them out.

After they left, Ji Youde leaned forward, "Your Highness, I still have three hundred dragon steeds in my camp. Shall we take them too?"

Seeing Xia Mu frown, Ji Youde persisted, "The mixed-blood dragon steeds can travel a thousand miles a day and won't slow us down."

"Fine, you handle it," Xia Mu turned and walked toward the rear tent to quickly prepare for the journey.

At the start of the evening, the group finished packing. Xia Mu's mount was a massive white tiger from the Western Wilderness, weighing a thousand pounds, with sharp eyes and a fierce look.

Xia Mu rode the tiger ahead, followed closely by Yao Beilin and the others, and behind them came Ji Youde's three hundred dragon steeds in full armor.

Not long after they left the camp, two messenger birds quietly took off, soaring high into the sky and flying north...