Chapter 290: Chapter 148: Delegation of Authority, Withdrawal of Troops_1
“Where is Ao Ding?”
“Has he just disappeared?”
In the resplendent and magnificent palace,
there Feng Wuyi sat upon the throne,
his face overshadowed with solemnity as he gazed at Qu Heng, his most trusted minister, and asked with an icy undertone in his voice.
“Since our defeat at the Luo Family’s hands in Luo Mountain Prefecture, General Ao Ding has vanished without a trace…”
Qu Heng slightly bowed his head, speaking softly.
“Vanished?”
Feng Wuyi’s fists couldn’t help but tighten a bit, then he continued, “On the frontiers of Luo Mountain Prefecture, of our million-strong army, how many remain now?”
After pondering for a moment, Qu Heng answered, “Of the million armored soldiers, two hundred thousand were annihilated by the Luo Family, over a hundred thousand captured, and over two hundred thousand are missing. Less than five hundred thousand have returned…”
…
As Qu Heng’s words left his lips,
the atmosphere within the palace turned even more deathly silent.
On the side of Qingcheng Prefecture, a million elite soldiers in armor.
Now, less than five hundred thousand have returned.
The commanding general, Ao Ding, who was at the Organ Refinement Late Stage, has also disappeared without a trace.
And now, with the Luo Family of Luo Mountain Prefecture pushing their victorious advance into Qingcheng Prefecture,
a breach had been made in Qingcheng Prefecture’s defenses.
Half of a province near the Qingcheng Prefecture borderlands has already fallen into the Luo Family’s hands.
This situation nearly drove Feng Wuyi to madness.
Yet, confronted by the Luo Family’s momentum,
he seemed rather helpless.
What should he do?
“Your Highness…”
Just as Feng Wuyi, sitting upon the throne, was feeling somewhat panicked and confused,
Qu Heng, dressed in a dignified and stately robe, suddenly stepped forward in the palace.
Hearing the sound, Feng Wuyi slightly lifted his head,
looking at the minister, Qu Heng, before him.
“Your Highness, we can temporarily ignore other matters. The most important thing now is to stop the Luo Family’s assault,” Qu Heng spoke earnestly.
Feng Wuyi opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, then asked in a low voice, “Can we still hold them off?”
Qu Heng silently nodded and said, “We can hold them.”
Above the throne, Feng Wuyi looked at the man before him who was not particularly sturdy,
quite ordinary in appearance,
who, even standing amid a crowd,
couldn’t be readily picked out,
Qu Heng.
Feng Wuyi couldn’t help but narrow his eyes slightly.
After another long silence, Feng Wuyi inquired again, “What should I do?”
Beyond what he asked out loud,
there was another question in his heart he had not voiced.
That was… “Should I trust you?”
Qu Heng stepped forward again, knelt on one knee, and with a look of utmost respect, he sincerely said to Feng Wuyi, “If Your Highness is willing to trust this minister, just entrust the authority to me, and I will drive the Luo Family from Qingcheng Prefecture. I will not disappoint Your Highness!!!”
Feng Wuyi involuntarily furrowed his brow.
As time passed, he grew increasingly more troubled.
The atmosphere in the palace became heavy and oppressive.
Qu Heng remained kneeling, his head slightly lowered,
his face showing nothing but earnest respect.
And Feng Wuyi, sitting on the throne,
after a long silence, sighed with a hint of reluctance and ultimately chose to trust Qu Heng by handing over all authority to him.
If it were before, Feng Wuyi certainly wouldn’t do this.
Indeed, he might even have made an example out of Qu Heng’s head
to demonstrate his absolute authority.
He could see Qu Heng’s ambition,
but as war failures mounted,
and the situation in Qingcheng Prefecture deteriorated, even verging on the brink of an abyss,
Feng Wuyi suddenly realized something.
He discovered that he no longer had such a strong desire for power over the world.
Let those who are skilled do what they are skilled at.
Perhaps this was for the best for Qingcheng Prefecture as it was now.
As the Third Prince of the Da Feng Dynasty, as the true ruler of Qingcheng Prefecture,
Feng Wuyi sat upon the high platform, silently watching the changing clouds within the Da Feng Dynasty.
Wasn’t this beautiful?
…
After receiving Feng Wuyi’s agreement,
and obtaining absolute authority,
Qu Heng swiftly left the palace.
It seemed he was planning to begin suppressing the Luo Family’s forces within Qingcheng Prefecture and undertake a series of maneuvers.
As for Feng Wuyi, the true lord of Qingcheng Prefecture,
he stood up quietly,
and walked towards a secluded courtyard hidden among the complex of palatial buildings.
“You’ve come?”
Before Feng Wuyi stepped into the enigmatic courtyard,
his ears caught the traces of a voice as if it had endured through great vicissitudes.
“Old Ancestor…”
Upon entering the secluded courtyard within the palace,
he saw an elder clad in white,
with a frail silhouette, white hair, and a white beard,
standing with his back to him, silent and rooted beside an ancient, massive tree.
“Have you given up?”
The elder glanced at Feng Wuyi behind him before saying in a low voice, “I told you long ago that you weren’t suited to rule Qingcheng Prefecture, but you wouldn’t listen. Well, have you realized it now?”
Feng Wuyi smiled awkwardly and rubbed his head.
Then, he spoke softly to Feng Tingdu, his ancestor and head of his faction, “I’ve delegated power, entrusted it to someone named Qu Heng. What do you think of him, Old Ancestor?”