Bi Linglong rejected the offer without hesitation. “How can I leave when my soldiers are fighting with their lives on the line? Now that Lord Du is here, I should have nothing to worry about. If we lose the battle here, I won’t be safe even if I return to the capital.”
Du Jian tried to persuade her, “Your Majesty is right, but you didn’t consider how the rebel army slipped into the reinforced Phoenix Pass in the first place. There must be a traitor among us, and that traitor is likely to be a high-ranking person. I’m not confident I can protect you against the traitors.”
“Are you saying that there’s a traitor among the other Eight Dukes?” Bi Linglong asked with a frown. Given their high standing and great prestige, she had brought the Eight Dukes with her to the battlefield, as they could stir up problems in the capital otherwise. Their high cultivation could be an asset on the battlefield, too. That being said, she'd remained guarded against them.
Du Jian’s son had once been an advisor in the crown prince’s Eastern Palace, and she'd been the one in charge of managing the Eastern Palace, so there were some ties between them. Similarly, Imperial Preceptor Yu Rui was from the Yu clan; Zu An was close to Yu Yanluo, and Yu Yanluo trusted Yu Rui.
Thus, Bi Linglong had tasked Du Jian and Yu Rui to keep an eye on Great General Cheng Yuan and Imperial Tutor Zhuang He. There were only four of the Eight Dukes here, but that was because Zu An had already dealt with the other four.
Are Cheng Yuan and Zhuang He the traitors here?
“They are indeed suspicious. Despite the ongoing crisis, neither of them is stepping forward to hold the fort,” Du Jian replied.
“Old Du, it’s not good to speak behind others’ backs.” A cold harrumph came as a figure descended from the sky—it was Imperial Tutor Zhuang He.
“Indeed. I rushed here as soon as I was done organizing the soldiers. Rather, I find it perplexing how Lord Du rushed here so quickly without doing anything,” another old man said as he walked over from another direction. It was Great General Cheng Yuan.
Du Jian was unfazed. “I am merely speaking the truth. Phoenix Pass was suddenly breached, and none of the formations in the city are working. There must be a traitor among us. To tamper with the formations and quietly open the city gates; the traitor must be a high-ranking, influential individual.”
Zhuang He’s expression turned cold. “Are you implying we’re the traitors?”
Cheng Yuan also coldly glared at Du Jian with narrowed eyes.
“I’m merely pointing out the most reasonable conjecture.” Du Jian shielded Bi Linglong behind him. “As far as I know, Brother Zhuang had a conflict with the regent a while back and has been harboring a grudge against the latter. I wouldn’t be surprised if you were dissatisfied with Her Majesty too.”
Bi Linglong also remembered that incident. Zhuang He had publicly opposed Zu An, but the latter’s decisiveness in killing the Zhao clan’s Eight Dukes forced him to lower his head.
Zhuang He’s face reddened in shame. “I did what I did for the sake of the country; it has nothing to do with the regent! Don’t you utter falsehoods to mislead others now!”
“I am being objective here,” Du Jian replied.
Great General Cheng Yuan spoke up too, “Brother Du Jian, how can you say you’re being objective when you’re attacking Brother Zhuang? You are suspicious as well. How did someone tamper with the formations under your watch?”
“The traitors came prepared. I was caught off guard,” Du Jian refuted him. “Besides, you were in charge of guarding the city gates. Who knows whether you let the rebels in?”
“Enough!” Bi Linglong’s face turned frosty. She didn’t trust any of these people fully, but she needed all the manpower she could get right now, especially experts of the Eight Dukes’ caliber.
People of their stature wouldn’t be tasked with grunt work like guarding the formations and the city gates. They had merely been assigned as the reinforcements if anything went wrong with those areas.
“We shouldn’t be fighting among ourselves when our survival is at stake! We’ll only become laughingstocks!”
Du Jian interjected, “Your Majesty, we have to root out the traitor, or else they could turn against us at a critical moment later on, rendering our efforts futile.”
Zhuang He berated him, "You keep talking about catching the traitor, but who knows if you are the traitor here?”
“What are you saying, you old fool?!” Du Jian roared. The tension between them heightened, and it looked as if they were going to duel each other to the death.
“Enough!” Their argument made Bi Linglong’s head hurt. Their words made sense, and none was clear of suspicion. With her sharp wits, she quickly came up with a plan. “There’s an easy way to determine who’s the traitor. You three head to the frontlines, and the one who kills the most rebel soldiers is the least likely to be a spy.”
The three old men fell silent. They were awed by Bi Linglong’s wits. The rebel army was already close to victory. Going on a massacre right now was bound to draw the eighteen kings’ ire. The true traitor wouldn’t do something like that.
Great General Cheng Yuan said, “Your Majesty is wise, but I’m worried that the true spy will hold Your Majesty hostage after I leave. That would be disastrous.”
Du Jian huffed, “Old Cheng, why are you looking at me?”
Zhuang He sneered, “You should know the reason best.”
“You must be tired of living!” Du Jian roared. The two of them began bickering.
Looking at the three bickering old men chilled Bi Linglong’s heart. Her straightforward ploy should have revealed the traitor. Even if the traitor played along and fought on the frontlines, it would still be to her benefit. And yet, these three were bickering here. Despite their righteous words, they were refusing to execute her order.
This could only mean one thing—they were all traitors! That thought plunged her into despair. Of the trio, she'd trusted Du Jian the most because of his ties with the Eastern Palace. She hadn't expect the other party to betray her.
But this wasn’t the time to pursue the issue. Her only leverage in this situation was that the trio didn’t seem to know one another’s identities. It could be because they were serving different kings, or that the rebel army hdn’t revealed their presence to the other traitors due to their sensitive identities...
Regardless, she had to find a way to turn the trio against one another so she would have a chance to take them down.
So, she declared, “Lord Du, General Cheng, apprehend Imperial Tutor Zhuang first.”
Zhuang He was horrified. “Your Majesty, are you suspecting me now?”
“Lord Du is right. You have harbored dissatisfaction against me and the regent, and that makes you the likeliest suspect. You need not worry. I’ll investigate this matter, and I’ll personally apologize to you if you have been framed.” Bi Linglong eyed Du Jian and Cheng Yuan. “What are you waiting for?”
Du Jian and Cheng Yuan were overjoyed. They had been worried about exposing their identities, leading to a two-against-one situation. If they could eliminate Zhuang He first, it would boil down to a one-on-one, thus increasing their chances of victory. Thus, the two of them charged at Zhuang He.
Zhuang He fended against their attacks while shouting, “Your Majesty, you fail to identify who is loyal to you! You’re bringing the empire to ruin!”
Soon, however, he no longer had the energy to continue shouting. Du Jian and Cheng Yuan’s relentless attacks quickly cornered him, to the point that he could lose his life at any moment.
Bi Linglong calmly watched as Du Jian and Cheng Yuan dished out killing blow after killing blow. Just as I thought.
Just then, a sigh filled the air. “You fools. How can you let a mere lass take you for a ride?”