My father, Gao Huan, is an invincible prince!

Chapter 35 King Gao received an urgent message: What a shocking turn of events!

Going up the mountain is easy, but coming down is hard.

Although this statement comes from a common and colloquial language, it is still a profound truth even 1,500 years ago.

Not to mention the Taihang Mountains, which are already rugged and difficult to traverse, the presence of two women makes the journey even more arduous.

Several times, Zheng Dache nearly tripped and fell over by stepping on her skirt.

It was all thanks to Gao Cheng's quick thinking and timely assistance that they were spared from a miserable tumble down the mountain.

Therefore, by the time everyone finally made it down the mountain and returned to the caravan by the official road, it was already dark.

As dusk fell, it was decided that we would set off at dawn.

Gao Cheng didn't waste any words and directly ordered, "Pass down the order: set up camp on the spot and cook a meal."

"only!"

Wang Hong accepted the order and left, instructing his attendants to get busy.

Soon, those setting up camp, gathering firewood, and starting a fire were all doing their jobs, and the flat ground beside the official road was suddenly bustling with noise.

Gao Cheng found a flat rock to sit on, stretching his aching legs, his mind still preoccupied with the events in Ye City.

Just as I was pondering this, a commotion suddenly broke out on the perimeter.

Report!

Then, a servant rushed over, knelt on one knee, and said, "The outer patrol has come to report that an urgent messenger has arrived from Jinyang, claiming to have important matters to report on behalf of the King."

"Someone from Jinyang?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng's brow furrowed instantly, and an ominous premonition flashed through his mind.

He has only been away from Jinyang for a few days. Unless there is an extremely urgent matter, Your Majesty would never have sent an envoy to pursue him overnight.

In a flash, he said, "Bring him here immediately."

"only!"

The servant took the order and left. Before long, he led a man back quickly.

The newcomer looked travel-worn and haggard; he was none other than Gai Fengle, Gao Huan's trusted servant.

Upon seeing that it was Gai Fengle in person, Gao Cheng's heart sank even further. He immediately rose to greet him, saying, "Lord Gai, your arrival so late at night, could it be that something has happened in Jinyang?"

When Gai Fengle saw Gao Cheng, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stepped forward, kneeling on one knee and saying, "Your Highness, something has happened in Hanoi. His Majesty has ordered me to rush here to report this overnight."

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng frowned instantly: "Has something happened in Hanoi?"

Gai Fengle nodded, immediately took out a letter from his bosom, presented it with both hands, and said: "Ten days ago, the Zheng family of Xingyang suddenly launched an attack, claiming that Aunt Zheng had died unjustly. They gathered several thousand refugees in Henan, surrounded the granary in Heyin, and intercepted 30,000 shi of military grain being transported to Yecheng."

"What?! Is that really true?"

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng's pupils contracted instantly, and he hurriedly took the letter and began to read it carefully.

However, after reading only a few lines, his brows furrowed tightly, and after reading a few more lines, his face became even more gloomy.

The letter stated that the Zheng family of Xingyang not only instigated a popular uprising in Henan under the pretext that Zheng Dache had died unjustly, but also intercepted 30,000 shi of military grain that was being transported from the Heyin granary to Yecheng.

They joined forces with prominent families in Hebei, such as the Lu family of Fanyang and the Li family of Zhaojun, to submit a joint petition demanding that Gao Huan thoroughly investigate the cause of Zheng Dache's death, or they would stop supplying grain and fodder to various prefectures.

After reading the secret letter, Gao Cheng could no longer contain his anger. He clenched the letter into a ball and shouted angrily, "The Zheng family of Xingyang, the powerful families of Hebei, they deserve to be executed!"

He realized almost instantly that the Hebei aristocratic families were using this opportunity to launch an attack.

After all, Zheng Da Che was originally a pawn used by powerful families to test the waters.

But now, this pawn has been taken away by Gao Huan through a "fake death" scheme, so the aristocratic families have suddenly lost their grip on the Gao family, and naturally they will not let it go.

Therefore, it was exactly what he expected that powerful families would take this opportunity to cause trouble.

He never expected that the powerful families would act so quickly and with such ruthless methods, hitting the core with a single arrow.

What do you mean by intercepting military rations, inciting civil unrest, and jointly exerting pressure?

It was clearly an attempt to force him to back down, to "send" Zheng Da Che back, and to put the chess piece back on the chessboard.

His angry shouts also startled Zheng Dache and Yuan Zhonghua, who were not far away.

The two rushed over in a panic, and seeing Gao Cheng's ashen face, they were both shocked and asked in unison, "Your Highness, what happened in Jinyang?"

Gao Cheng did not hide anything, handing the letter to the two women and saying in a deep voice, "You can see for yourselves."

Zheng Dache reached out and took the letter, and together with Yuan Zhonghua, they lowered their heads to read it.

However, with just one glance, Zheng Dache's face turned ashen, her body trembled slightly, and her expression was filled with panic.

"The Zheng family... The Zheng family..."

She bit her lip, her eyes reddening, and her voice filled with despair: "They want to force me back to my former position as a puppet. Your Highness, what can I do?"

Seeing his panic, Gao Cheng immediately said in a deep voice, "Don't worry, this is not your fault, it's just that they are greedy and insatiable."

Before Zheng Dache could even adjust his mindset, Yuan Zhonghua, having read the whole story, exclaimed in horror, "Inciting the people to rebel and seizing military supplies—how dare they do such a thing? How is this any different from treason?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Dache felt even more desperate.

After a moment, she took a deep breath, then forced back her tears, walked to Gao Cheng, knelt down and said, "Your Highness, I am willing to return to Xingyang. As long as the rebellion can be quelled and the grain supplied, I will gladly die ten thousand times over."

"No!"

As soon as he said this, Gao Cheng immediately shouted to stop him.

He immediately helped her up and said in a deep voice, "I have already made it clear that this matter has nothing to do with you. It is their insatiable greed that has created this trouble. How can I, Gao Cheng, a dignified man of seven feet tall, abandon a woman for the sake of temporary peace?"

Upon hearing this, Zheng Dache's eyes reddened even more, and tears welled up in his eyes, but he managed to hold them back.

Yuan Zhonghua said with deep concern, "But if we don't do this, what will we do with the 30,000 shi of military rations? The hundreds of thousands of troops in Jinyang are relying on these rations. If they are delayed and unable to continue, it will surely lead to a great disaster!"

Gao Cheng did not answer Yuan Zhonghua's question, but looked at Gai Fengle and asked in a deep voice, "Did the King send you here overnight for this reason alone, or is there another order?"

Upon hearing this, Gai Fengle lowered his head and said, "The king said: You yourself brought this upon yourself, so you must resolve it yourself. Order the crown prince to go to Ye City immediately to devise a plan to quell the trouble and prevent the power of the aristocratic families from spreading."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Zhonghua and Zheng Dache turned ashen-faced.

This is because Gao Huan's words, seemingly delegating power, actually pushed Gao Cheng to the brink of ruin.

Upon hearing this, Gao Cheng couldn't help but smirk, thinking to himself, "What a fine 'You brought this upon yourself, so you must deal with it yourself' statement."

That old fox clearly threw a hot potato at me.

However, upon further reflection, Gao Huan's words were not entirely unreasonable.

Ultimately, Zheng Dache's troubles were caused by him; the powerful families' attacks were also aimed at him, the heir apparent.

If Gao Huan were to take action, it would only give others grounds to accuse him of favoring his own son and suppressing powerful families.

It would be better to let him go to Ye City on his own and deal with the powerful families.

If he succeeds, it will prove that he is capable of managing the court; if he fails, it will show that he is not up to the task, and it will not be too late for Gao Huan to step in and clean up the mess.

This is both a test and an opportunity.

Having understood this, Gao Cheng no longer hesitated. He immediately summoned Wang Hong and Liu Taozhi and ordered, "Pass on my order: break camp immediately, abandon all baggage, and proceed by light carts at night. You must be out of the Fushui Pass by noon tomorrow!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Hong was momentarily stunned, and hesitated before saying, "Your Highness, the roads in the Taihang Mountains are already rugged. If we travel at a rapid pace through the night, I fear..."

"Stop talking too much."

Gao Cheng waved his hand to interrupt him: "Our military supplies have been intercepted, chaos has broken out in Hanoi, and powerful figures in Yedu are eyeing us covetously. If I continue to advance slowly, by the time I reach Yecheng, it will be too late. Go and deliver the order immediately!"

Wang Hong hesitated upon hearing this.

Liu Taozhi, however, remained expressionless, cupped her hands in a fist salute, and replied, "Yes," before accepting the order and leaving.

Gao Cheng said little, then turned to look at Gai Fengle, pondered for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "Go back and report to the King that I, Gao Cheng, will lift the siege of Hanoi within ten days; and within half a month, 30,000 shi of military rations will be delivered to the King without missing a single grain. If I fail to do so, the King may decide."

Gai Fengle was taken aback upon hearing this.

However, seeing Gao Cheng's resolute and unwavering expression, I said nothing more, only cupping my hands and saying, "Yes. I will certainly convey the Crown Prince's original statement to Your Majesty."

Gao Cheng nodded, said no more, and turned to get into the car with the two women.

A short while later, the carriages and horses set off into the night and disappeared into the vast darkness.