HBBMAWH Chapter 113

“Xierli has rebelled! I want him punished severely!” the King of Beirong angrily declared.

Although Qi Lan was secretly happy in his heart, if the King despised Xierli, it would be of great benefit and no harm to him. He hoped the King would punish Xierli severely.

However, being the one favored by the King, he naturally had some tricks up his sleeve. Human thoughts are sometimes so strange; even if you have such thoughts, if others point them out, you will suspect their motives.

So, at this moment, Qi Lan not only refrained from adding fuel to the fire but also persuaded the King of Beirong.

“Your Majesty, there may be some misunderstanding. General Xierli, although somewhat arrogant and difficult to approach, has no ulterior motives towards Beirong. Your Majesty, please reconsider, lest you misunderstand General Xierli.”

Sure enough, upon hearing this, the King of Beirong became even angrier. He thought to himself, Xierli is loyal to Beirong, but only to Beirong.

Xierli is not loyal to him; to Xierli, it doesn’t matter who sits on the throne; sooner or later, he will want someone else sitting there.

Before this, Xierli had already challenged his own authority in this way. In the past, when he took the lead in attacking the Chen Dynasty,Xierli became angry with him.

He actually got angry at the head of a country in front of so many maids and eunuchs, Where does that leave the ruler’s dignity? To prevent the incident of him being scolded by Xierli from spreading and damaging the ruler’s authority, all the maids present that day had their tongues cut out.

Xierli challenged his authority. If it weren’t for the fact that there were no better Generals in the country, he would never have used Xierli.

However, if this General had ulterior motives, was disloyal, and lining his own pockets, no matter how excellent he was, the King of Beirong would never tolerate him.

Moreover, victory was in sight now. The Chen Dynasty’s granary was burned down and the Chen Army wouldn’t last much longer. Even without Xierli, there was nothing to fear.

Xierli was too arrogant, and he didn’t like it. Even yesterday, when he tried to be friendly with Xierli and wanted to give him some leeway, he was met with coldness. He was about to reward him for the imminent victory, but what attitude did he have?

With the military situation undetermined and victory or defeat not yet decided, one cannot be arrogant or complacent, which made Prince Beirong’s face turn green.

The grand banquet to wash away the dust was completely disrupted by Xierli. Xierli acted as if he could come and go as he pleased, claiming there were urgent matters in the military, and leaving the monarch standing there.

It was simply outrageous.

However, as Qi Lan had said, he couldn’t act rashly. If there was a misunderstanding, he would lose face.

“Let’s see what happens. I won’t wrong him.” Although the sounded like Xierli’s, but it was uncertain if it was because they were too far away and there was interference, and the figures of a man and a woman in the distance, although somewhat familiar, couldn’t be confirmed.

Because Yan Cai was smaller than Jiang Manyue, he reluctantly changed into women’s clothing and tied up the trailing skirt. However, as he moved, he followed Jiang Manyue, who was disguised as Xierli, and hid in the artificial mountain cave by the flowing water. They watched as the King of Beirong and Qi Lan’s figures made their way to Xierli’s master bedroom.

The woman’s voice was emitted by Yan Cai, while Xierli’s voice was imitated by Jiang Manyue, although not very convincingly. However, due to the unclear sound through the flowing water and the King of Beirong’s preconceptions, it seemed somewhat believable.

As for the woman’s voice, Yan Cai had already imitated it quite well. He was adept at it. If it weren’t for being somewhat inarticulate about Beirong’s matters and being unfamiliar with Xierli’s voice, he could have played both roles.

He only needed to hum a few simple phrases and throw in a few improvised words.

When the two of them saw the King of Beirong swiftly enter Xierli’s room, they felt relieved. After some time, they saw the King of Beirong emerge with a face ashen with rage.

Behind him, Qi Lan carried the evidence he had found in Xierli’s room, all bearing the same mark as the jade bowl found in Luzhu’s room last time.

Qi Lan thought to himself, had Xierli already found the treasure? If he found it, why didn’t he say anything? Did he want to keep it for himself?

Qi Lan felt the opportunity had come.

“Your Majesty… these… I think there must be some misunderstanding in this. General Xierli is upright and loved by the people, and he will not do such a thing.”

Beloved by the people?

Qi Lan’s words struck a nerve with the King of Beirong. Xierli was beloved by the people? What right did he have to be beloved by the people?

Anyone could be beloved by the people, but not Xierli. While the King of Beirong might reward others for being beloved by the people, Xierli was an exception.

The more the people loved Xierli, the more the King of Beirong feared him. the King of Beirong was a man of pride and insecurity. Since ascending to the throne, he had heard countless people say how great it would be if Xierli were King.

Those people never said it to his face. But the King of Beirong quietly sent people to inquire to the homes of officials and among the common people. Few ever mentioned him, they only knew Xierli, not the King of Beirong.

If things continue like this, was this still his Kingdom or Xierli’s? Was this throne meant for him or for Xierli?

Qi Lan continued to add fuel to the fire: “General Xierli is deeply insightful, meticulous in planning, and steady. If it were anyone else, in our current situation, with victory within reach, the arrows would already be on the string. Only General Xierli can remain idle, refusing to attack…”

Qi Lan went on and on, directing the blame at Xierli for not seizing the opportunity to attack while the Chen army’s army was vulnerable due to lack of food.

By the way, this matter was also something that the King of Beirong was unhappy about. In his view, the situation  at the moment is excellent. It’s clear that he could press the advantage and pursue the enemy, but Xierli insists on continuing to wait and see.

This deepened the King of Beirong’s suspicions even further.

Now, Xierli had found the treasure but hadn’t reported it to the court. Did this mean he had turned against them?

Wealth could be tempting, but Xierli wasn’t that kind of person. Even if the King of Beirong disliked him, he had to admit that Xierli wasn’t motivated by wealth. So, why did he accumulate wealth?

And what else required a large amount of money to sustain?

The answer was clear. the King of Beirong felt cold sweat dripping down his forehead — was Xierli planning a rebellion?

If Xierli were to rebel, he would undoubtedly have countless soldiers in his army supporting him. The phrase “one call, a hundred responses” couldn’t be more applicable.

In their imaginations, Jiang Manyue and Yan Cai never imagined that the King of Beirong would delve so deeply into suspicion, leading himself into a dead end.

However, the King of Beirong’s thoughts weren’t far off from what they had wanted him to imagine. He would increasingly fear Xierli and take action to restrict him. But Xierli’s proud nature would never stand for it, only intensifying their conflict.

The instability of the military’s morale naturally presents an opportunity for the Chen Dynasty.

However, neither of them expected the opportunity to come so quickly. The next day, they heard urgent reports from the front.

After listening to the report, Jiang Manyue and Yan Cai looked at each other. They felt that it was both expected and unexpected.

Fortunately, for them, it was a favorable outcome. They heard that Xierli had killed the minister sent by the King of Beirong to deliver a decree, which was an act of rebellion.

The decree was nothing else but an order to remove Xierli and replace him with another General whose fame and ability were far inferior to Xierli’s.

They weren’t sure of the specifics of what had happened, but they were certain that Beirong was stirring up trouble for itself.

The author has something to say:

[Note] The incident where Xierli was suspected by the King of Beirong and the subsequent decree being sent to remove him is inspired by the story of Li Mu, a famous General from the State of Zhao.

The Records of the Grand Historian documented that Li Mu hesitated to attack, and King Zhao suspected him, leading to Li Mu’s execution and the removal of his subordinate, Sima Shang, from his position.

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