patted Tuanzi's head and gave him a dried fish as a reward. Menger twitched the corner of his mouth, he always felt that the deity's attitude towards Tuanzi was not like raising a cub. If he knew the...Xuanfeng received the ripple's order and, with the pouch his master had given him, headed straight for the East Palace where the Crown Prince resided after dark.

When Fangcao was changing the water for Fengyun in the evening, she realized her little black cat was missing. She immediately became worried because usually at this time Fengyun would be inside with the young mistress.

"Madam, I'm going to the courtyard to look for the cyclone."

Fangcao immediately said, her responsibility was to take good care of the whirlwind. If the whirlwind disappeared, she would have to leave.

Don't worry, the whirlwind didn't run away. I just saw it chasing the squirrels in the yard and it probably went to play. You don't have to look for it, it's wild enough that it will come back on its own. Cats are nocturnal animals after all.

Ripple waved her hand dismissively.

"Yes, Mistress."

Having heard the ripples' words, Fangcao finally let go of her worried heart. She just hoped that she hadn't taken bad care of her master's beloved pet.

On the other side, the whirlwind moved like lightning through the dark streets under the cover of night. In less than two quarters of an hour, it reached the palace.

Looking at the red wall, Feng spun and kicked off with his legs, easily leaping over it. After landing, he saw no patrolling guards, so he calculated his direction and headed straight for the East Palace.

At this time, the crown prince was gathering his advisors to discuss matters concerning the campaign. Don't think that by standing up and requesting war from the emperor he would agree. You must present a feasible battle plan and prepare for war beforehand.

As the saying goes, "The army cannot move without grain first," provisions are the top priority for a military force.

Secondly, there is the matter of weaponry and equipment. As the saying goes, "If you want to do something well, first sharpen your tools." The quality of weapons plays a crucial role in warfare.

Last but not least, the most important thing is the deployment of troops. In a war, an excellent commander is indispensable for victory.

On this point, the prince considered himself capable. However, his strategies were all learned from books, and he lacked practical experience, so securing a familiar deputy general who knew the Xiongnu well was his top priority.

One by one, the lists laid out before him, the Prince began to plot late into the night. Though his father had agreed to his request for war, he had seized this opportunity. However, there were still his second, third, and fourth younger brothers eyeing his position. The remaining three siblings were not yet mature enough to participate in the power struggle.

This time, as he sets out on this campaign, his so-called good brothers will certainly try to sabotage him, both openly and secretly. Some may even pray for his death on the battlefield, hoping that only then can they seize the highest position of power.

So he not only has to guarantee victory in battle, but also ensure his own safety. He doesn't want to experience being hunted again after last time.

The last time corruption was uncovered in the dam construction project, it unearthed a lot of dirt and brought down some corrupt officials within the court. It also significantly weakened my second brother's power base. So this time, they will definitely go all out to make things difficult for him.

The whirlwind went to the prince's study, and found that these people had no intention of resting. He didn't want to appear rashly, so he turned his head and went to the prince's bedroom, jumped onto the prince's bed, and curled up contentedly in the pillow, starting to sleep.

The Crown Prince and his excited aides discussed until the middle of the night, finalizing half the matters before returning to his chambers accompanied by a close eunuch.

The maids and eunuchs lit the lamps, served the prince with washing and changing clothes, and even let him nap for an hour so that he would have enough energy to deal with matters in court during the morning assembly.

The maidservant tidying the bedchamber gasped when she pulled back the bright yellow quilt, suddenly spotting a dark, shapeless lump nestled on the jade pillow. Her startled cry woke the guard at the doorway.

The prince was also taken aback, thinking that his good second brother had already made a move, and immediately dodged behind the eunuch closest to him.

"Meow!"

Feng lazily yawned and got up from his jade pillow, stretching languidly before gracefully padding over to the bed edge and settling down. He gazed at the prince with a pair of piercing cat eyes.

"His Royal Highness"

The guards at the door, swords drawn, rushed in and saw a small black kitten sitting on the prince's bed. It was barely bigger than two fists and posed no real threat, but they still respectfully asked the prince:

"Your Highness, I apologize for the surprise. We are now taking this cat outside."

"It's just a kitten, there's no need to make such a fuss."

The Crown Prince seemed to recognize the little black cat before him, his eyes flashed and he waved his hand directly.

The maidservant who gasped in astonishment was already kneeling on the ground, her body trembling slightly. The prince directly addressed the eunuch standing beside him:

"Little Quanzi, get this maidservant out of here. You all go away now. This little cat is brave, I'll handle it myself."

"Your Highness, you can't! What if I hurt you" Let me know if you have any other text you'd like me to translate!

Xiao Quanzi still stood before the prince, having already come up with eighteen schemes and plots in his mind.

"Alright, stop fussing around. I have to go to court tomorrow, so you all shouldn't waste any more time here."

The prince said impatiently.

Yes, your Highness.

This time, the maids, eunuchs, and guards all left the prince's bedroom.

The Crown Prince walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at the whirlwind with a smile and said:

"Your master made you come to me so late, is there something you need my help with"

The whirlwind, naturally understanding what the other person was saying, walked over to the prince’s side with cat-like steps and then scratched at the small sachet hanging from his neck with its paw.

"Does this contain something your owner gave me"

The prince tested him with a question.

"Meow!"

The twister let out a shout, then nodded and extended its neck.

The prince was utterly surprised. He never expected this little kitten to actually understand him. He immediately reached out and removed the small pouch hanging from its neck, even pinching it with his hand to confirm that it was likely a piece of paper inside. Only then did he open the pouch.

The pouch was very ordinary, with no markings. Inside, there was a small piece of paper about two fingers wide, on which was written:

"A drop of water received should be repaid with a spring. I humbly request that when His Royal Highness sets out for the campaign, you also bring along Lin Yaizu, the head of the Ministry of War. On the battlefield, swords and blades are blind to life or death, survival depends entirely on skill. This would be considered as Your Highness repaying the life-saving grace."

The note was unsigned. After reading it, the Crown Prince was stunned. Of course, he knew who his savior was. After leaving the Duke of Anping's residence that day, he had specifically instructed his guards to investigate.

It turned out that the person who had saved him that night was Xue Lianyi, the youngest daughter of Hou An Ding. At that time, she had already married Lin Ya zu, the only son of the Minister of War.

After that, he never had another chance to see Mrs. Lin again. As for repaying the debt of gratitude, she didn't mention it, so he didn't bring it up. Perhaps she wanted to use this kindness for something more meaningful.

He hadn't expected Xue Lianyi to ask him to repay her life-saving grace in this situation, putting her husband on the battlefield.

The crown prince simply couldn't figure out if Madam Lin was genuinely trying to help her husband secure opportunities for glory and recognition, or if she was using him as a tool to make Lin Yaozhu disappear under the guise of legitimacy so she could take control.

According to his speculation, the second possibility is more likely to be true.

When Feng saw the prince finish reading the note, he stood there in a daze. He walked over and, raising his paw, snatched the note from the table.ou old bastard!"The old woman, upon hearing her son's words, trembled and immediately reached up from her neck to retrieve a key. Then, she opened the iron shackles that bound Ripple's ankles.Liàn Yī...