Hidden Shadow – CH 336

Chapter Three-Hundred-Thirty-Six: Brainwashing

The Second Prince tapped his fingers lightly on the table. “My biggest worry right now is that the Konghe Token will fall into the Crown Prince’s hands.”

“Your Highness need not worry about this,” Chu Dingjiang said.

The Second Prince raised an eyebrow, thinking, “Could it be that you’ve even dealt with the Konghe Army?”

Chu Dingjiang did not bother to guess the Second Prince’s thoughts and said directly, “The Konghe Army is no longer as powerful as it once was. Over a hundred defected the moment they learned of His Majesty’s passing. Some followed me and surrendered to Your Highness, while the rest split into several factions. Not all of them may be willing to follow the Crown Prince. Therefore, even if he obtains the Konghe Token, the forces he can mobilize are entirely within Your Highness’s capabilities.”

The Second Prince paused, his face filled with surprise. He had considered many possibilities, but he had never expected things to turn out this way! For the Song Dynasty, the Konghe Army was undoubtedly a powerful force protecting the nation. The Song Dynasty’s rise and fall since its founding could be described as “success and failure both stemming from the Konghe Army.” After the Second Prince harbored ambitions to usurp the throne, his greatest fear was the Konghe Army. He had invested considerable effort in trying to obtain the Konghe Token, but to this day, he had not even seen what it looked like.

This was good news, but he could not immediately accept reality.

When the Second Prince was seven or eight years old, he always thought the Song Dynasty was very wealthy, but as he grew up, he learned that the national treasury was often empty. It was like thinking he was a rich second-generation heir, only to find out when he was about to inherit the family business that his family had been borrowing money from others.

And the matter that Chu Dingjiang spoke of so casually shocked the Second Prince even more than when he learned of the empty treasury!

“Why?” the Second Prince murmured.

Chu Dingjiang remained silent for a moment, then said, “The reason the Konghe Army has fallen into disarray is because it has long lost its sense of honor.” During the Chenqiao Mutiny, the Konghe Army seemed to be loyal only to Emperor Taizu, but in reality, they fought for the establishment of a nation. While Taizu was alive, the Konghe Army was a divine weapon, invincible and unstoppable. Every assassin within the organization, though living in darkness and leaving only a soul bell after death, experienced immense glory and exhilaration in life.

Later, the Konghe Army internally betrayed its members, supporting Emperor Taizong and secretly plotting to assassinate Taizu, successfully seizing the throne.

One’s character determined how one saw the world. Taizu became Emperor because of the Konghe Army’s betrayal. After ascending the throne, he constantly worried about becoming the next Taizu, so he began to control and suppress the Konghe Army. He feared that being too hasty would provoke a rebellion by the Konghe Army, so all his actions were cautious, gradually nurturing and controlling this iron-blooded fighting force. After his death, his will was left to the next Emperor.

From that moment on, the fate of the Konghe Army was sealed.

These were secrets the royal family kept hidden from outsiders.

The Second Prince could roughly guess the reason, knowing now was not the time for sentimentality, and could only sigh.

The proverb “the bow is put away when the birds are gone, the dog is cooked when the rabbit is dead” played out endlessly.

The Second Prince composed himself and summoned all his advisors to discuss the details of their journey to the palace for the funeral before dawn.

After the discussion, Chu Dingjiang led An Jiu to make the arrangements.

There was one thing about the Second Prince that Chu Dingjiang greatly admired: although he had only served the Second Prince for a short time, at this crucial moment, the Second Prince dared to entrust him with many vital matters.

Chu Dingjiang and An Jiu sped through the night, the two remaining silent.

They stopped outside the imperial city for a temporary rest and preparation.

“The Second Prince is indeed different,” An Jiu said, checking her equipment.

Chu Dingjiang casually replied, “Just for that kind of boldness, I am sure I was not wrong about him.”

“Are all people who do great things this unconcerned with trivialities?” An Jiu found it hard to understand. A man so readily accepting a woman he’d never even met—there was no attraction involved; it was merely a transaction.

Chu Dingjiang paused for a moment, then chuckled. “I do have some principles. Ah Jiu, that’s the highest position in the world. To sit on it, one must endure what ordinary people cannot. Compared to other things, accepting a woman is the simplest. I do not need power or status, so I can be more particular about feelings.”

An Jiu nodded in satisfaction. “Do you know the difference between prostitution and a one-night stand?”

Chu Dingjiang replied helplessly, “No.”

“Most prostitution is simply to satisfy desire, while most one-night stands are because of desire for a particular person. Both are animal instincts, but the difference is that the former is lower animal behavior, while the latter is closer to higher animal behavior,” An Jiu summarized.

“What do you mean by that?” Chu Dingjiang brushed off his hood, looking at her with interest.

“The higher the IQ, the more selective one is when choosing a partner, and the higher the loyalty to one’s partner. This is behavior possessed by higher animals.” An Jiu gave him a meaningful look.

Chu Dingjiang chuckled softly, reached out and embraced her, then leaped onto the palace wall.

An Jiu looked up at his stubble-covered chin, frowning as she wondered if the brainwashing had actually worked.

His words were too roundabout and uninteresting; hints and such were definitely not her style.