Retired Villainess Transmigrates into a Cannon Fodder

Chapter 252

On the other hand, Lee Bohan had never once taken into account that Chu Xiang would even think of seizing the throne away from him with just how fast his power and influence had expanded over the past five years. Chu Xiang’s caravan had also assisted him with various tasks in secret and delivered countless messages for him.  Moreover, her status as the witch concubine had spared him many troubles, so much so that even Concubine Yu gradually began to lose her initial arrogance and no longer meddled in their affairs.

Although it might seem rather unfilial of him, without Concubine Yu as the person-in-charge of the house, Lee Bohan could guarantee that his residence had been cleaned out from all corners. Thus, he would never have to worry about being assassinated during his sleep anymore. Since Chu Xiang cleared him of any fears of troubles in the rear, he was naturally willing to pamper her to the fullest extent. Unfortunately, no matter how he tried to hint at her, she would always insist on keeping their relationship an act. As such, he began wondering if she even saw him as a man.

Over these years, the influence of the rebel army had clearly increased while the imperial court was starting to show signs of crumbling. In spite of that, the incompetent emperor still did not show any signs of changing as a ruler as he continued doing things that incited the hatred of the masses.

Chu Yiru arranged one of his men in the imperial court to induce the incapable ruler of a certain action—to execute all the criminals who had been banished to the frontier.  As everyone knew, Concubine Qin was the daughter of the previous Grand Chancellor, whose entire family had been exiled to the frontier. If the emperor were to order such a decree without thinking matters through, wouldn’t he essentially be ordering for the execution of Concubine Qin’s entire family?

Around this time, rumors began spreading, stating how Concubine Qin had written a pleading letter to the emperor, asking for him to spare the Chu Family. However, when had the emperor ever cared about such matters? Not fond of the Prince of Qin’s attitude, he stubbornly adhered to his initial decree, not intending to change it just because of the Prince of Qin.

Upon receiving the emperor’s response, Lee Bohan dashed out in anger and immediately led his army to the frontier region while criticizing the emperor for his intolerable bullying. This time, he even intended to get justice for the humiliation suffered by Concubine Qin back then.

Ever since ancient times, a good reason had always been necessary to justify a rebellion. On the surface, the emperor could always be seen to be rather fond of the Prince of Qin, and the Prince of Qin had never been someone to care about anything. However, he obviously could not mention that he had been plotting something behind the emperor’s back the entire time. Thus, what better excuse to use than being angry on behalf of your beloved?

In other words, the Prince of Qin was demanding that the emperor make up for everything he did to Concubine Qin. If the emperor ever gave in, wouldn’t it essentially be the same as him apologizing to both the Prince of Qin and the concubine whom he had once abandoned? Naturally, the incompetent ruler would not do such humiliating things. Absolutely furious at Lee Bohan’s behavior, he felt as if he had been played and instantly dispatched an army of troops to pressure him.

With the imperial troops marching towards him, Lee Bohan would of course fight back. And just like that, the Prince of Qin emerged as yet another opposition to the imperial court.

Fully understanding Lee Bohan’s actions, the commanders of the rebel army secretly cursed at him for being such a cunning fox. To have actually had them battle in the front for all these years while secretly building up such a large army that could not be easily antagonized. And since the Prince of Qin possessed the blood of the imperial family, great talents of the time would be more likely attracted to their army instead, which would become a great threat.

But no matter how much anyone feared Lee Bohan, he already had the whole kingdom dancing in his hands. No one would be able to stop him now. Immediately after dispatching his troops, he had, in a flash, taken over seven cities and raised the Flag of Qin up high. It was commonly mentioned that the Prince of Qin would often have a merchant called Lin Mu next to him as his personal “wallet”.  While there might have been some who envied the Prince of Qin for having such a genius by his side, they could nevertheless not help but praise him for treating this Lin Mu person in a courteous manner, as if he was his real brother.

Upon going back inside the tent with Lee Bohan, Chu Xiang took off her wig and let her silky black hair fall. She then said while washing her face, “Phew! I can finally get some rest. I won’t be following you here next time. Do you even know how much the army provisions cost? I’m certainly busy earning money.”

Lee Bohan replied helplessly, “I thought you enjoyed taking a look at the battlefield. Don’t you like doing things out of the ordinary? Other women would never get the chance to come here.”

Chu Xiang laid down on the bed with her eyes shut. “With so many people watching attentively, don’t blame me if my identity gets leaked.”

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