If initially he was suspicious, now he was certain. These people were not close to him in their daily lives, some not even acquaintances. Their only motive was to have him pursue them. And what insidious plans would they hatch after he did?
The Third Prince decided to play along. Soon, he was slumped over the table, drunk, his face flushed red, mumbling, "Drink, let's drink more."
"The Third Prince is drunk. This servant will escort him back to the bridal chamber," a young eunuch serving him quickly apologized to everyone present.
"Go, go, take good care of the Third Prince," everyone urged, and then continued drinking.
The Third Prince, leaning heavily on the eunuch, transferred almost all his weight onto the young attendant, whose forehead began to bead with sweat.
He stealthily opened his eyes a few times and realized the path they were taking was not back to his own courtyard.
Soon, he was placed on the bed and covered with a quilt. The eunuch opened the door, glanced outside the courtyard, and softly called out, "Zhiyuan girl, Zhiyuan girl, where are you?"
"Coming." A woman, neatly dressed and smiling, but with cold eyes, appeared before him. She said calmly, "You may leave."
"Yes." The eunuch breathed a sigh of relief and quickly departed, as if pursued by a horde of beasts.
The woman sneered, then pushed the door open and entered. Upon seeing the Third Prince, her face instantly lit up with a seductive expression. "Third Prince, Third Prince..."
Gao Zimu opened his groggy eyes and was inwardly startled, though his expression remained calm. Fortunately, his mind was still clear. Seeing the woman's identical attire to Wu Caiwei, and her facial resemblance, he knew he would have made a mistake, which would be unbearable the next day.
"Nian'er, I've finally married you. You have no idea how happy I am today." The Third Prince looked at her with doting eyes, a smile of happiness on his face.
"You're drunk. Close your eyes and rest well." She soothed him as if he were a child.
The Third Prince nodded. The woman held his hand tightly and patted his shoulder, coaxing him like a child. He obediently closed his eyes. After an unknown period, certain he was asleep, the woman took out a dagger coated with poison, closed her eyes, and with all her might, plunged it towards his heart.
She expected blood to splatter her face, but instead, it was intercepted halfway. Opening her eyes, she looked at the smiling eyes of the person before her and knew she had failed. Unwillingly, she tried to wrench her hand free to strike again. The Third Prince, however, kicked her away.
He picked up the dagger from the ground, approached her, and pressed the blade against her throat, moving it back and forth. "Speak. Who sent you?"
The woman snorted and turned her head away. The Third Prince smiled indifferently. "Let me guess. It must be the Emperor, right? Besides him, I can't imagine anyone else going to such lengths to kill me."
The woman's body stiffened for a moment, but she gritted her teeth and remained silent.
"It doesn't matter if you don't speak. I want another answer. What is your relationship with Zeng Jia? Why do you look so much like my Prince Consort?" The Third Prince watched her with interest. He didn't believe two people could be so similar for no reason; there had to be a connection.
"What does that have to do with you? I have no regrets about being defeated by you today. Kill me or skin me, as you please." The woman closed her eyes, tilting her head back, indifferent to life and death.
"Matters concerning the Prince Consort are my matters. Anything related to her concerns me." Seeing a flicker of jealousy and hatred in her eyes, the Third Prince knew the matter was not simple. He grabbed her and quickly brought her to his courtyard.
Seeing everyone looking at him with surprise, he shoved her towards his trusted subordinate. "Interrogate her severely and find out her identity. Remember not to cripple her."
On the second day after the wedding, the Prince Consort learned of this incident. When she asked the Third Prince, his reason was that he didn't want anyone to disrupt their wedding.
Later, the Emperor waited there, anticipating a family drama involving the three of them. Instead, he saw a harmonious family. The Third Prince and his Prince Consort looked at each other with the clear recognition of a long acquaintance. The Emperor felt deceived. He had wondered why the Third Prince would pursue a woman, only to realize he was afraid of the Emperor's interference.
He trembled with anger and immense regret. If only he could slap himself. His stalled plans were now being subtly revived.
"Report, Your Majesty! An urgent dispatch from the frontier! The Xiongnu are once again engaging in brutal raids. Our border populace has suffered greatly. This time, their preparations were long and their force formidable. General Chen is struggling to hold them back. We implore Your Majesty to send reinforcements."
That evening, he received the report from Da Tai Jin's hand. He then slammed the table in anger. "The Xiongnu are simply too outrageous! They were driven back only a few months ago, and now they've attacked again, amassing 200,000 troops at the border. What do they intend? To wage war against us? Our empire is filled with talented individuals. Who is willing to volunteer?" He scanned the faces of his ministers, hoping someone would step forward.
The ministers exchanged glances, none daring to be the first to speak. After all, to be prominent was to be in danger. If one were to speak up now, and the Third Prince was not present, they could engage in a deadly competition. They could seize credit for victory, but now that he had returned victorious, what was left for them?
Thus, everyone's gazes suddenly fell upon the Third Prince. The Emperor's face briefly stiffened, and he almost lost composure. Smiling, he said, "Why are you looking at the Emperor? He has only just returned to the capital and hasn't had a moment's peace. Now you want to send him to the frontier? My sister-in-law will surely find fault with me. They are newlyweds."
Only then did some dare to step forward and suggest suitable candidates, or some even asked for an opportunity. The Emperor watched them argue indifferently. If he hadn't had informants at the border, he might have believed their feigned concern for the Xiongnu.
If his guess was correct, within a few days, whoever was sent to fight would return defeated. And then, the commander's position would inevitably fall upon him again. After all, leading an army was not a simple matter. Weapons, provisions, and food were all indispensable.
By the time he reached the border, they would have likely already been lured in by the Xiongnu. Then, by manipulating these crucial supplies, they could cause his forces to be annihilated. Killing him would be ideal. If he survived, his power would be greatly diminished. Why not?
Indeed, things unfolded as he had imagined. A few days later, someone reported that the Xiongnu had already captured the first border city, Minzhou.
Originally, the Third Prince had no intention of getting involved. However, as far as he knew, the Xiongnu had massacred the innocent civilians of Minzhou with extreme brutality. He could not tolerate such an event recurring and decided to change his entire strategy, even if it meant facing hardships.