The battlefield was soon occupied by the soldiers from both sides. The commanders took the position assigned by General Li with their soldiers.

The soldiers from both the neighboring Empire fought on the battlefield.

The army of Xin did look as if they will win. On the front, General Li stood with Li Diu forming the labyrinth of the soldiers. 

No one could enter the Labyrinth and cross the borders. The soldiers were killed before they could even try to understand it.

The soldiers on the enemy side were becoming fewer. 

Everything was perfect. In their favor.

But suddenly a large group of soldiers rushed on the battlefield from the opposite side. The soldiers entered the labyrinth as if they were walking normally on a street.

Sitting on his horse when General Li saw his soldiers falling dead body his face became grave. He looked at the man guiding the soldiers from the opposite side. His directions were very accurate predicting that he knew everything about the labyrinth he (General Li) had laid.

As soon as General Li came to know about this, he shouted for his soldiers to enlarge the circle and surround the enemy soldiers instead. Two soldiers were standing with their backs attached to each other as one fought inside the circle and the other from outside.

The soldiers did as he commanded and the bloodshed of Xin Empire soldiers on the front side decreased finally.

  —————-

On the other side of borders

“You said that that they will succumb to their knees with your trick but that General controlled the situation so easily. Our soldiers are dying there on the battlefield.”

The man smiled wickedly hearing the words and said

“You think that you can win against the cunning General this easily? I already knew that this would happen. You just wait and watch.”

  —————-

“General Li, Commander Xie is heavily wounded.”

With a grim face, General Li left the responsibility for the front side on his son and kicked his horse to go to Commander Xie’s side.

But on the way, he stopped his horse suddenly. His heart sank when he gazed across the large ground.

The large labyrinth that was forming across his soldiers was only mentioned in the book he had hidden in Li Manor.

A bad premonition rose in his heart.

With a heavy heart, he rode his horse to the east side of the battlefield. On the east side, he could not see Commander Xie anywhere. It seemed that the wounded commander was carried away from the battlefield by the soldiers.

The fortunate thing was the soldiers were still fighting in the ordered way to defeat the enemy. He felt proud when he saw the person who was guiding them.

Sitting on the commander Xie’s horse, Yi Lei was guiding the soldiers and encouraging them at the same time.

He had been surprised when the young boy had told him that he wanted to join the army four years ago. But Yi Lei’s dedication had surprised him more. The young boy who looked weak and timid fought in the war as if he was made for the battlefield. 

His thoughts were disrupted when a soldier from his behind shouted for him anxiously. He never seemed to see this soldier before.

“General Li, the enemies soldiers trespassed the west side had surrounded Commander Xie stopping or soldier from taking him inside the camp.”

He immediately turned his horse. Their camps were located on the west side. The west side also has a labyrinth formed, he had ensured that. The enemy soldiers should not be able to pass the borders unless someone had that book.

The guess that was formed a few minutes ago now became stronger.

Seeing the General walking to the west with his horse, the soldier immediately walked away from there instead of fighting with other soldiers.

——————

Two Days Later

Xi Manor

Inside the dimly lit hall of the Plum Courtyard, Li Rui and Yi Junjie were sitting on the chairs. In front of them were kneeling four injured shadow guards.

  Yi Junjie sharply looked at their bowed heads.

“How did they suddenly disappear in front of your eyes? “

One of them raised his head. His face was swollen and his eyes didn’t hold any expression other than guilt.

“My lord, the opposite side had more men than us. All of them were much more expert and powerful. The forest was dense so we lost General Li.”

Xi Ying saw a frown on Li Rui’s forehead after the shadow guard summarized the events of the borders.

She was worried.

A feeling of guilt and regret washed over his heart. His fingers itched to smooth her frown. He was not surprised to hear whatever the shadow guard said.

He wanted to tell her that she need not worry. Nothing will happen to her father and brother. They are safe with the Imperial guards.

“How many shadow guards do we have in total?” He heard Li Rui asking Yi Junjie.

“Thirty.”

“Send all of them to the borders. They will search all over the area where this four lost father.”

Yi Junjie nodded. This was the wisest thing to do for now.

Both of them were still thinking that the situation can be controlled because they didn’t know what had transpired on the borders during the war, what was transpiring in the Imperial court.

But it was not long before Yi Ju appeared inside the room. Different from her straight and calm face, she kept in front of her master, her expression was one of panic and worry.

“My Lord, the situation is more serious than we thought. The Emperor….”

When Yi Ju finished, Yi Junjie was shocked by the turn of the events.

Xi Ying’s heart was filled with confusion and disbelief.

Li Rui’s face had a lost look on her face as she supported her back on the chair. She had never been afraid in the past fourteen years. She was not afraid when the arrow was aimed to kill her. She had stood there waiting for her death bravely.

But this time, she was truly afraid.

——————-

Two Hours Ago

The whole Xin Empire was in chaos. The unexpected and unbelievable news had shocked the empire’s people to their core.

In the Imperial court, the assembly of ministers could not let out a single word as the middle-aged General Yun read the letter sent by his subordinates.

“General Yun, The news is also shocking to me but is something that I have seen with my own eyes. The labyrinth laid by enemy soldiers was something that I have only heard about whenever ancestors of the Li Clan are mentioned in the Xin Empire. The sudden disappearance of General Li, his son, Commander Li Diu,  and soldier Yi Lei from the battlefield intensify my doubts.

I don’t think that I need to say something else as His Majesty and General is more intelligent than me. So I will continue with the number of soldiers we have lost in the war…”

The letter was long. The number of lives Xin had lost in the war, the economical losses, and many other losses.

Sitting on the throne, Zhao Wang Lei’s face could not be described with one word. His eyes became colder with every word of General Yun.

No one dared let out a single word.

Finally, the letter was finished and General Yun folded it again as he let out a heavy sigh.

After that, he kneeled down on the floor in front of the Emperor and said loudly.

“Your Majesty, This subject had never thought that General Li would betray Xin like this. But this subject subordinate Commander Ji would never lie to this one. This subject heart bleeds imagining the dead bodies of our soldiers lying on the battlefield.”

“Your Majesty, if it were not for the soldiers sent by this servant then the borders of our Xin would be invaded by the enemy’s soldiers today. General Li sold Xin to our enemies. He is a traitor.”

General Yun’s words echoed in the Imperial court. As soon as he finished,  the several ministers started whispering.

The Emperor, Zhao Wang Lei, finally opened his mouth and his cold and sharp voice fell in everyone’s ears.

“Zhen also wants Minister Xin to find the book of War strategy in Li Manor as soon as possible. The absence of the book from the Li Manor would already be proof that General Li betrayed Xin with his son, Commander Li. They will be given the punishment a traitor should be given.”

The Imperial ministers find nothing wrong in the emperor’s words. General Li was solely responsible for the book. But if he took out the book and didn’t inform His Majesty about this, this was already a crime.   

General Yun however was not satisfied with this as he was only getting half of what he wanted.

“Your Majesty is wiser than this subject. This subject just has some thoughts inside his heart and could not stop himself to say them aloud.”

“Continue.”

With the Emperor’s permission, a smile could not help but blossom on General Yun’s lowered face. Composing his expression, he raised his head and said aloud

“Your Majesty, this subject thinks that someone else was involved with General Li in this matter. If the book was taken to the border by General Li then it would not be this late that the enemy would use those strategies.”

The Imperial court went silent again with these words. Only the Emperor’s deep and loud voice could be heard.

“General Yun said wise words.”

“The Li Clan and the Yi Clan will be investigated thoroughly. If even a single person of them is found to have any link with this whole matter, the whole clan would be executed in the public.”

These few words of the Emperor decided the fate of two influential clans of Xin.

Zhao Zhang Wei looked at all the drama silently. He glanced at the crown prince whose face could not give away anything.

A picture of the woman residing in the Lantai Courtyard flashed in his mind.

His heart sank with worry.