Chapter 316: Hello Chang'an
Chapter 316: All of This Was His Doing (Supplementary Chapter — 5,000 Words)
Deputy Commander Dong pressed his lips tightly together, his eyes locked on the young woman seated before him, as if trying to discern some clue from her calm expression.
“If you and your men truly served Xu Zhengye,” said Chang Suining lightly, “then as you said, since your master is already dead, why risk killing that man to silence him? What secrets could there still be to protect?”
Her gaze shifted briefly to the corpse lying on the floor.
Dong sneered. “I only feared he would expose me.”
“If it were only that,” she replied, “you could have escaped long before. Why come here to throw yourself into the net?”
Chang Suining shook her head. “No — the truth is, between the two of you, you were the superior and he the subordinate. If he spoke words that should not be spoken, the fault would fall on you. You would bear punishment. You might escape the army camp, but you cannot escape the hands of your true master. That is why you came, knowing the danger, because you had no choice.”
At her words, the restrained man struggled fiercely. “Let me go!”
To Chang Suining, this struggle was nothing more than the flailing of a man whose fear had been seen through.
She asked softly, “After all this, are you not curious how I learned you were a spy?”
Dong’s eyes flicked up to hers, and she smiled faintly. “Or perhaps you dare not be curious?”
Their gazes met, silent tension thickening between them.
She did not rush — simply waited, letting quiet and time gnaw away at his composure.
How had she come to suspect him?
It began back in the Shouzhou military camp.
When Xiao Min replaced Li Yi as commander, this man had been outwardly respectful, ever ready to serve. Gradually, he had managed to attach himself to Xiao Min’s side — treating him as if he were another Li Yi to manipulate.
He followed orders to the letter, but behind the scenes, whispered poisonous words, trying to sow discord between Xiao Min, her, and old Chang.
But the fool had misjudged everything. The ones he sought to divide were, in truth, of one mind.
And so, the more he whispered, the clearer his guilt became. Xiao Min, instead of being swayed, turned around and warned her and Chang Kuo to be on guard.
Later, when the army temporarily halted its advance, this man had repeatedly inquired about troop movements. Again, Xiao Min secretly reported his behavior.
So when the battle of Bian River began, she and Xiao Min deliberately left him behind in Shouzhou, ordering Chang Kuo to keep watch.
Yet somehow, another spy — Zhong Si — emerged instead.
After their victory, when matters finally calmed, she decided to investigate both cases thoroughly.
She sent men back to Xuanzhou to fetch Fan Ou, while also writing to Chang Kuo — thus, it was Chang Kuo who instructed this same Deputy Commander Dong to deliver a message to the Bianzhou camp.
This entire “mission,” in fact, had been her trap. She had privately informed Xiao Min, giving Dong the very chance to volunteer for the escort.
And as expected, he took the bait.
The result of that test was now before her eyes.
That was the truth — yet at this moment, truth was useless. What she needed was a lie convincing enough to break him.
“Someone had already told me your true identity long ago,” she said evenly.
Dong gave a low, disdainful laugh.
“You don’t believe me?” she asked, then turned to the doorway. “Bring him in.”
Moments later, Jian Tong entered, escorting another man — with Chang Sui'an following close behind.
The newcomer was forced to his knees beside Dong.
It was Fan Ou.
He knelt weakly, both hands on the ground, his hair and beard disheveled, his face haggard beyond recognition.
Dong turned his head briefly, glanced once, and looked away. His expression did not change. No shock, no panic — only cold contempt. “I don’t know this man.”
At Chang Suining’s signal, Jian Tong took a token from Fan Ou’s robe and tossed it to the ground before Dong.
“Careless of me,” she said lightly, “he’s become a bit unkempt — not easy to recognize. But surely, you recognize the token of the Prince of Rong’s residence?”
Dong stared straight ahead, jaw clenched. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Ah,” said Chang Suining softly, “so when I captured Fan Ou, Li Lu must have immediately sent word across the network — to warn every hidden agent that I might use Fan Ou’s name against you. No wonder you aren’t surprised to see him here.”
Fan Ou, after all, had been one of Li Lu’s most trusted aides in the Prince of Rong’s household. She remembered Li Lu saying that Fan Ou had once been responsible for liaising with the army’s internal agents during the late Prince of Huainan’s birthday celebrations.
Such a man’s capture would have shaken any cautious leader — and Li Lu was nothing if not cautious.
Dong said nothing. He only sneered, as though dismissing her words as fabrication.
But Chang Suining went on calmly, “So, Li Lu must have also told you that Fan Ou’s mouth is sealed — that he would never betray you. You were told not to panic, only to stay alert… am I right?”
At that, Dong’s expression flickered. Her words were too precise — as if she had overheard the conversation itself.
“The man is stubborn indeed,” she continued lazily, reclining in her chair, “but perseverance wins all things. And he did not merely name you—”
Fan Ou lifted his head with effort, glaring up at her — teeth gritted in mute fury at the lies she spoke.
She met his gaze, smiling as though amused.
Then, in a clear voice, she began to list the “confessions” she had fabricated.
“You secretly passed messages to Li Yi,” she said, “warning him that His Majesty planned to replace General He Wei, thus allowing Li Yi to set an ambush and kill He Wei — that’s one crime.”
“You poisoned Prince of Huainan Li Tong, nearly causing Huainan Circuit to fall — that’s another.”
“You leaked the Imperial army’s grain-transport routes to Xu Zhengye, leading to the ambush and loss of provisions — a third.”
The more Dong listened, the darker his face grew. He turned sharply toward Fan Ou — and the man said nothing.
Not a single word of denial.
Fan Ou turned his head toward him, eyes wide and desperate — he wanted to refute her lies, but whatever drug had been forced upon him rendered him utterly mute.
He had said nothing!
He tried to convey this through his eyes, but Deputy Commander Dong could not understand.
Yet that clear, unhurried voice continued:
“Also—when the Military Governor of Hedong, Xiao Chuan, lured Grand General Cui Jing to Bingzhou under false pretenses, claiming to handle the case of Prefect Dai Cong, he was plotting to seize Taiyuan. When his plan failed, he blamed it all on Xu Zhengye, saying he had been Xu’s co-conspirator… Tell me, how many crimes has Xu Zhengye been made to bear for your Prince of Rong’s residence?”
Fan Ou’s eyes widened in shock — How could she even know of this?!
Chang Suining met his gaze, smiling faintly with a knowing arch of her brow.
Fan Ou’s expression collapsed.
This treacherous woman was baiting him — testing his reactions!
Deputy Commander Dong’s face, however, had already changed completely. He turned toward Fan Ou, rage blazing in his eyes — this man had betrayed the Prince!
Fan Ou glared back fiercely, nearly frantic. You fool—!
Chang Suining did not think Deputy Commander Dong was truly stupid. If he had been, she would not have needed to expend such effort.
After all, she had spoken so many secrets, and Fan Ou had not denied a single word —
and given Dong’s position as a Sixth-Rank officer within the army, while Fan Ou served mostly in Yizhou, the two had little direct contact. He would not know how firm Fan Ou’s loyalty truly ran.
If Li Lu had nine parts of trust in Fan Ou, then Dong would have had, at most, two.
Now that small measure of trust had wavered — just as she intended.
Sowing discord was an art in which she had always excelled.
And now, she decided to strike the final spark.
“Fan Ou also told me,” she said softly, “that your Prince of Rong doesn’t only covet Taiyuan — the cradle of the dragon’s pulse — but also Grand General Cui Jing’s life.”
Her fingertip tapped the scabbard beside her.
“Before the battle at Bian River, it was thanks to Fan Ou’s warning that I sent word to Cui Jing in time — otherwise, he would have fallen to your assassins.”
As she spoke, Ah Che dragged a nearly lifeless black-clad man from the inner room.
The man lay on the ground, his breath faint. Ah Che pulled up his sleeve, revealing the tattoo on his inner arm — the secret sigil used only by the Prince of Rong’s death guards.
Chang Suining herself might not have known what it meant. Cui Jing, too, was unaware.
But Deputy Commander Dong recognized it at a glance.
He had worked closely with these men for years — this tattoo was how they verified one another’s identity.
Hearing her claim that Fan Ou had exposed the assassination plot, seeing that mark before him — the evidence piled upon confusion — Dong could no longer restrain his reaction.
Her words made him move; his movement confirmed her words.
The answer in Chang Suining’s heart settled.
Fan Ou’s jaw clenched so tightly he nearly shattered his teeth.
This woman’s schemes nested one inside another — she had ensnared them all with nothing but air!
Her gaze swept slowly over the three men — Fan Ou, Dong, and the dying assassin.
Any one of them alone would have taken half a day of interrogation to extract even a sliver of uncertain truth.
Together, they had revealed it all within moments.
Finally, she looked to Deputy Commander Dong. “You serve the Prince of Rong,” she said. “Will you still deny it?”
Dong said nothing, his face set and dark.
“If you still refuse,” she said evenly, “then I’ll simply deliver all three of you — along with Fan Ou’s confession — to the Holy Emperor. That, too, would count as great merit.”
Her tone now held no hint of patience. “Men—”
“Wait!” Dong shouted, breaking her command.
She looked toward him.
He glanced around, confirming that those present were all her loyal aides, then said at last, “General Ningyuan, you are a clever woman. Why be so blind? Why cling to that dying demon-empress and stand against my Prince?”
Fan Ou shut his eyes in despair.
Chang Suining’s finger, still resting lightly upon her sword, went still.
Her doubts were gone.
So—it truly was him.
The unseen hand that stirred the chaos from the shadows.
The one who delighted in upheaval, who sought to tear the realm apart.
He was Li Yin—her uncle.
Her free-spirited, unambitious uncle, the one who had once taught her how to protect herself, who had once laughed and said they were “kindred souls in misfortune.”
Dong went on heatedly, “The demon-empress has lost Heaven’s mandate! Her reign is ending! My Prince alone bears the true blood of the Li clan!”
“My Prince has always respected Grand General Chang,” he pressed. “You could achieve great things together!”
Chang Sui'an frowned deeply, glancing at his sister.
“Respected?” Chang Suining echoed with a faint smile. “Do you mean the way the Prince’s heir repeatedly threatened my father’s and brother’s lives?”
The Prince of Rong’s household, while pretending alliance, had sought to manipulate General Chang Kuo — respected by all within the Xuanzhe Army — while secretly plotting to kill Cui Jing and seize control of his men.
The scattered clues now wove themselves into a single, sinister design.
But they had failed — the Chang family was too loyal to be swayed, and Cui Jing far too difficult to kill.
Their plan to seize Taiyuan had collapsed, their attempt to let Xu Zhengye plunge the world into chaos had crumbled as well.
“Those who achieve greatness do not quibble over trifles,” Dong said coldly. “General Ningyuan, this concerns the survival of your clan. Ask General Chang himself — let him decide!”
“So,” she said softly, “what you mean is: submit and live, or defy and die?”
Her gaze turned faintly sharp. “Even now, with your life in my hands, you dare to threaten me. Is this the arrogance of your Prince’s household?”
It had never been about “shared enterprise.” They merely wanted the Chang family to wield the blade on their behalf — to die for them if need be.
From that arrogance, she could see clearly how vast the Prince’s hidden strength must already be.
“Do not act out of pride, General Ningyuan,” Dong said, the corner of his mouth twisting in disdain. “Such matters should be left for your father to decide.”
“What great matter?” she replied lightly. “A trivial one like this — I can decide it myself.”
He frowned, opening his mouth to argue — but she cut him off:
“I could consider your offer,” she said, “if you answer one question.”
Seeing hope, he steadied himself. “Ask.”
“Who,” she asked, “is the most secret spy the Prince of Rong has planted beside the Holy Emperor?”
“This kind of matter,” he said at once, “is beyond me. I merely follow orders. If you truly wish to cooperate, you may ask the Prince or his heir yourself.”
Ask them? she thought. As if I would ever kneel to such men.
Chang Suining rose to her feet. “Since you don’t know, there’s no point continuing.”
He stared in disbelief. “You treat such a matter so lightly—?”
But she had already crossed the threshold, sword in hand, her voice cool and unhurried as she gave her order:
“Take them away. Kill them all.”
“Yes, General!”
Chang Sui'an stood frozen, watching her departing figure.
This sister of his — he had never seen her like this before. Words like “calm” or “resolute” seemed far too pale to describe her now.
Then her voice drifted back: “Leave Fan Ou alive. See to his recovery.”
Dong’s face turned bloodless with disbelief.
Moments later, he and the assassin were dragged away, the corpse lifted soon after.
Fan Ou, watching them go, felt a pitiful surge of envy — for once, he wanted to be among those carried off.
He didn’t want to stay. He didn’t want to heal.
But Jian Tong gripped his arms and dragged him from the hall as he sagged bonelessly, despair hollowing him out.
After arranging everything, Chang Sui'an hurried to catch up with his sister. “Ning Ning…”
“If you have time,” she said, turning to him, “go to Grand General Cui and tell him everything we learned today.”
“Oh—yes!” He agreed quickly. He wanted to say more, but the words failed him.
She paused, met his eyes, and said quietly, “Don’t worry, Brother. No one will ever again decide for the Chang family. From this day forward, we will decide our own path.”
Sunlight streamed through the trees, gilding her face and eyes with molten gold.
He remembered the prison, the chains that bound him, and how she had broken them — how she had led him from that cage of injustice.
Now, her words felt like a promise: that there would be no more chains, no more cages.
He realized suddenly that it was his sister who had been protecting him — and she had done so well.
But he did not want her to stand alone against the storm.
That thought, half-formed before, now hardened into resolve.
The world was chaos, every man and woman grasping for power — and if they wished to stand firm, they must become strong themselves.
His eyes reddened as he nodded fiercely. “Yes… from now on, we decide for ourselves!”
If strength was what it took to do so, then he would grow strong — quickly.
He might not be as brilliant as his sister, but as her elder brother, he would not be found wanting.
Under the bright sun, the siblings exchanged a smile.
And beyond his shoulder, Chang Suining squinted toward the blazing golden sun — her decision clear at last.
Since the storm of fate could not be avoided — since no one could remain untouched — and since she refused to entrust her dignity, her loved ones, or the crumbling realm itself to those she despised…
Then she would take it upon herself.
After all — she could trust herself.
…
A gentle breeze stirred the ginkgo leaves, scattering shimmering patches of light.
Beneath that dappled shade stood a man, his face half-lit, half-shadowed.
His hair was neatly bound, his dark blue robe flowing, his bearing serene — as if the tree and the man together formed a painting of tranquil grace.
This was Yizhou — the Prince of Rong’s residence.
Footsteps sounded.
“Father.”
A tall, lean young man in a cloak stepped forward and bowed deeply to him.
(End of Chapter 317)
