Zhang Fang paid no attention to Uncle Xing’s words; they went in one ear and out the other. In the past, his character was overly pampered, causing him to be indifferent to serious matters, only interested in indulging in pleasures at the expense of his father, the Chancellor. Now, with a great enemy before him, Zhang Fang had to muster all his focus and stay vigilant against Qi Wang; how could he afford to enjoy comfort?
After resting through the night, at noon the next day, Qi Wang’s group passed through the mountains and forests. Only a dozen or so appeared, and they first entered the woods to investigate, without getting too close to where Zhang Fang and his group were hiding. After confirming that there were no dangers in the grasses nearby, they reported back to Qi Wang. A quarter of an hour later, Qi Wang’s troops finally arrived at this location.
Seeing that a group of people had indeed appeared, each carrying weapons, everyone’s nerves became taut with tension. Fortunately, they were well hidden; otherwise, they would have been discovered long ago.
Once past the mountains and forests, Qi Wang’s group visibly relaxed. After all, in front of them lay open fields, and any potential threats could be seen at a glance. Just before reaching Qinglan Mountain, Qi Wang called for a halt and instructed his men to rest there.
The carts loaded with goods stopped in the official road, and the private soldiers could only rest in the fields. Several people noticed that there were gold-bearing ores in the field and bent down to start picking them up. Their actions attracted the attention of others, who came over to take a look; upon discovering the gold-bearing ores in their hands, they displayed expressions of shock before eagerly joining in to snatch up the ores.
Qi Wang was resting in the cart and was unaware of the situation outside. It was Yang, the clerk, who noticed the odd behavior of that group and immediately went over to chastise them, shouting, “What are you stealing!”
Seeing Yang approach, the people grew anxious and uneasy. When Yang got closer, he put on a serious face and ordered them to show him what they were holding. Upon seeing that they were actually clutching gold-bearing ores, Yang’s face displayed shock; it was unbelievable that there could be gold in this field. If there were gold, the local farmers would have dug it up long ago; how could it be left for them to collect? Realizing something was off, Yang’s expression changed drastically as he shouted loudly, “It’s a trap! Protect our lord!”
Yang yelled as he fled, and others began to take action as well. But it was too late; ropes suddenly emerged from the ground and tripped them up. After this group fell, Mu Qing and Yuan Chuan took this opportunity to shake off the dirt from their bodies and charge at the group.
Hearing the commotion outside, Qi Wang poked his head out to look, and upon seeing the situation, quickly commanded the drivers to hurry forward. “Quick, move!”
However, before they could rush to the fork ahead, they saw dozens of people blocking the way, clearly well-prepared for this encounter. Qi Wang had no choice but to signal for a retreat while leaving some men to deal with these roadblocks.
Zhang Fang had already led his men out of the mountains and was standing openly on the official road to intercept Qi Wang. There were only about thirty to forty men escorting Qi Wang and the cargo, while Zhang Fang had over a hundred.
Seeing this scene, Qi Wang’s expression darkened. He had not expected to be schemed against! Their escape route was completely cut off! He wanted to say a few words to the opposing group, but Zhang Fang didn’t give him that chance. With a single command, everyone charged toward Qi Wang.
At first, this group of fighters didn’t plan to kill anyone, but Qi Wang’s men were ruthless and struck to kill. Angered, they had no choice but to retaliate with deadly force. In the end, they fought until their eyes turned red from the bloodshed.
After a bloody confrontation with many casualties around him, only Qi Wang remained standing. Qi Wang quickly realized that the young man before him was the one in charge. His curiosity about this figure grew; the events in Meixian and the young man’s secretive movements had been unexpectedly discovered. Who exactly was this youth? Who had sent him?
As he was dragged toward Zhang Fang, Qi Wang moved awkwardly, limping as he walked. “Who are you?” Although he had fallen into someone else’s hands, Qi Wang remained composed, certain that Zhang Fang would not kill him at that moment.
“Zhang Fang.” Zhang Fang’s gaze was icy as he focused on Qi Wang. So many had died here, all because of this person, yet Qi Wang seemed utterly indifferent.
Qi Wang felt the name was familiar and quickly recalled Zhang Fang’s identity, regarding him with surprise. Calmly, he said, “So it is the son of the Zhang family. Why does Young Master Zhang make things difficult for me?”
That Qi Wang could remain calm under such circumstances spoke to his character. Zhang Fang had no interest in prolonging the conversation; he needed to take Qi Wang away now.
After all, he had merely captured Qi Wang; there were still other private soldiers of his scattered elsewhere, set to return to Meixian shortly. If they didn’t leave soon, they’d find it much harder to escape!
Zhang Fang assigned some men to stay behind and tidy up the scene while taking the rest to escort Qi Wang back to the city.
Lin Zheng had not expected Zhang Fang to return so quickly! Regardless of the outcome, Zhang Fang’s success meant that they were currently safe.
“Young Master Zhang, as long as you let me go, everything can be discussed.” Qi Wang could not gauge Zhang Fang’s temperament. He had heard this young man was a spoiled rich kid, but the youth in front of him displayed both courage and cunning.
Zhang Fang gestured for Uncle Xing to leave and shut the door behind him, leaving only himself and Qi Wang in the room.
Observing Qi Wang, Zhang Fang casually asked, “Why don’t you consider what value you have to me? What secrets do you possess that I might find intriguing?”
Maintaining his composure, Qi Wang calmly replied, “Now my forces are gathering in the capital, and a change is coming soon. If Young Master Zhang releases me, I will certainly reward you with titles and noble ranks once I ascend to the throne.”
With a slight smile, Zhang Fang picked up a pen nonchalantly and told Qi Wang, “The one instigating the coup is far from Meixian. You can’t be certain of your own success, can you? That’s why you hid in Meixian, in hopes of a future resurgence. If there is a successful coup in the capital, you will rush to the capital and ascend the throne immediately. Your calculations are sharp.”
Having his plans exposed by Zhang Fang, Qi Wang’s expression turned serious as his gaze became inscrutable, whispering, “Does Young Master Zhang truly not have faith in me?”
“You finding yourself in my hands means your defeat is certain. We really are fated to cross paths; if not for your schemes against me, I would not have been exiled and passed through Meixian. Qi Wang, you have severed your own path,” Zhang Fang replied. The reason he didn’t kill Qi Wang now was that no decisive outcome had emerged from the capital yet. Additionally, there were still over nine hundred of Qi Wang’s private soldiers outside. Once the capital successfully suppressed Qi Wang’s rebels, those soldiers would also surrender, and Qi Wang would have no reason to live.