Cooper Mr. Michael Bolton had always lived in poverty, never having more than a hundred taels of silver on him, and felt nothing in particular about James Sullivan's description. He tapped the table lightly and said in a soft voice, “So, Your Highness’s return is near. Are there any arrangements for the journey?”

James Sullivan nodded admiringly and said, “We’re worried about angering the Great Qin military, so we plan to disguise ourselves as Qi assassins and attempt to assassinate His Highness on the road, giving the military a reason to go to war.”

Cooper smiled and said, “Now that Qi will send people to wipe us out, we don’t have to worry about finding a reason.”

James Sullivan smiled awkwardly and said, “We have other arrangements as well, but if we want to go up against the army, that’s just wishful thinking.”

Cooper thought for a moment and asked, “Did you find out who the assassin was that tried to kill His Highness last month?”

James Sullivan nodded and said, “We did. It was a Black Banner spy from Southern Chu.”

Ryan Carter chuckled and said, “Didn’t expect I’d be in such high demand.”

Cooper was also starting to get used to this prince’s quirky personality. He tapped his fingers on the table and analyzed, “Chu would certainly want Qin and Qi to go to war, and it’s very likely they’ll make a move as well.”

James Sullivan gave a wry smile and said, “If the Great Qin military finds out the Qi people let our prince go, they’ll probably make a move too. Add in the royal spies of Great Qin, and there are six or seven factions tangled up in this—what a mess!”

Cooper stopped tapping, pressed his hand on the table, and said, “The messier, the better. Only in chaos can we fish in troubled waters. If it were just us and the Hundred Victories Army, we wouldn’t be able to get away.”

Ryan Carter got up and paced a few steps, saying resolutely, “Mr. Michael is right. We have to stir things up. Uncle, tell our people to step up their actions and turn that place upside down.”

James Sullivan got up to take the order. Ryan Carter pointed to a spot on the map and gave him detailed instructions. Cooper listened on the side, growing more and more impressed—this Fifth Prince was meticulous in his thinking and thorough in his planning. What was even rarer was his ability to balance boldness and caution, not just taking reckless risks. He really didn’t seem like a sixteen-year-old boy.

……

The rain stopped. James Sullivan left, and Cooper also went to rest.

Ryan Carter immersed himself in the darkness, carefully cleaning one strange piece of equipment after another. The matter of the Hundred Victories Army weighed heavily on him. In the face of absolute power, any scheme or trick seemed fragile. Michael Bolton had said that the Hundred Victories Army was undefeated only because the Lord of Hundred Victories only fought battles he was sure to win. So, when the army came to surround and kill him, their numbers and quality would be overwhelming—there was no way to break out by luck.

He loaded tiny crossbow bolts into his arm crossbow, then suddenly mocked himself, “If I didn’t do all this, I could at least drag things out a bit longer. Now it’s like an old man eating arsenic—just tired of living.”

After that, his mood inexplicably improved, and he even started humming an off-key pop song.

Eagle Carter was still dutifully standing guard outside the door.

……

Three days later, Mr. Brooks, who had eaten a year’s worth of food for twenty thousand moderately well-off families, came to deliver the imperial edict, saying: The Emperor of Qin has a son, named Lei, gentle in nature and virtuous in character, who has rendered great service to the relations between the two countries. Now, moved by his sincerity and filial piety, the Emperor, in his boundless grace, bestows gold and allows his return to the country...

As soon as Old Mr. Brooks left, Ryan Carter took the golden imperial edict from the desk, examined it closely, and gently stroked it. He smiled at Eagle Carter and said, “This is a good thing—look at the craftsmanship, look at the material. In a thousand years, this will be worth a fortune.”

Eagle Carter automatically ignored this and said to Ryan Carter, “Your Highness, the matter you instructed has been taken care of.”

Hearing this, Ryan Carter casually rolled up the imperial edict and tossed it into a porcelain vase holding a feather duster. He laughed loudly, “Bring it up!”

Eagle Carter waved his hand, and four The Sullivan Family guards carried in a pitch-black iron chest. The chest was five feet long, two feet wide, and three feet high, banded with iron hoops, and most peculiarly, it had more than a dozen keyholes. Eagle Carter stepped forward, took out more than a dozen keys, then pulled out a sheet of paper and, following the order on it, unlocked all the locks one by one. Only then did the chest spring open with a ‘clack’.

Inside was a burlap sack writhing about. Ryan Carter stepped forward and kicked the chest, and the sack finally stopped moving. He asked Eagle Carter, “What is this thing?”

Eagle Carter exchanged a smile with the four guards and said to Ryan Carter, “This is the national advisor’s nephew. This kid was wandering the streets alone, saw us carrying the chest, and insisted on seeing what was inside. So we lured him to a deserted place and tied him up to bring to you.”

Ryan Carter beamed with joy and ordered the guards to pull out the sack. Eagle Carter gave it a couple of hard kicks, and the person inside started wailing like a pig being slaughtered.

Ryan Carter and Eagle Carter grinned, “This isn’t right! Hurry and let this young master out.”

Eagle Carter didn’t argue, drew his waist knife, and with a ‘swish’, sliced open the sack, revealing a horse-faced young man, his face full of terror. His hands and feet were bound, and someone had stuffed a stinky sock in his mouth—he looked utterly miserable.

Ryan Carter studied him for a moment, then raised his leg as if to kick the horse-faced youth, scaring him into curling up into a ball, trembling all over. Ryan Carter said to Eagle Carter, “You can’t see anything through the sack—this is much better…”

……

The horse-faced youth kept kowtowing, tears and snot streaming down his face—he was clearly terrified.

Ryan Carter said to him gently, “Don’t be afraid, young master. Since you’re going to get beaten anyway, it’s better to get it over with quickly.”

The horse-faced youth whimpered, seemingly begging for mercy.

Ryan Carter drew a guard’s waist knife, twirled it a few times in his hand, and said to Eagle Carter, “When you’re done playing, chop him up and feed him to the dogs. Don’t make a mess like last time.”