Chapter 458: Steal the Dragon and Change the Phoenix

Huang Huihong frowned but still led Sang Hong to a secret room. "What can I do for you, Minister Sang?" His tone was not very pleasant, as the recent deaths of two of his subordinates had clearly put him in a very bad mood.

Sang Hong was unfazed. He calmly said, "There's someone in the team colluding with those assassins."

Huang Huihong sneered, "I know that much. Do you have any evidence, Minister Sang?"

Sang Hong shook his head. "They're all old foxes in the political arena; why would they leave any incriminating evidence for someone to seize?"

Huang Huihong grew somewhat impatient. "Then what are you trying to say?"

Sang Hong replied, "Although I am now a prisoner, I have always been loyal to the Emperor. Looking at the people in the current team, Commander Huang is probably the only one purely loyal to His Majesty."

Huang Huihong frowned again. "What exactly are you trying to say, Minister Sang?"

Sang Hong said, "Zu'an is very important to the Emperor. However, with people in the team colluding with outside forces, I don't believe Commander Huang can deliver him safely to the capital."

Huang Huihong fell silent. In fact, he had felt the same way recently. If the enemies fought openly, his Embroidered Uniform Guard could always invoke an imperial decree and fear no one. But now the enemies were resorting to underhanded tactics, with internal collaborators, leaving them feeling like they had power but nowhere to use it.

"Do you have any good ideas, Minister Sang?" Huang Huihong suddenly remembered that Sang Hong was known for his resourcefulness, so he humbly sought his advice.

Sang Hong said, "We can use the tactic of substitution. My humble son, Sang Qian, and Zu'an are similar in age. Let them switch clothes and identities. This way, if various factions target Zu'an, even if they succeed, they will only capture my son."

Huang Huihong was startled. "Wouldn't that put your son in danger?"

Sang Hong replied, "I have always been loyal to the Emperor. Since I know he values Zu'an, it's only natural for me to share His Majesty's burden. Of course, there's another personal reason: I also want to use this opportunity to atone for my mistakes and gain merit. Once we reach the capital, when the Emperor learns of everything I've done, he might show me leniency."

Huang Huihong had initially been somewhat suspicious, but upon hearing the latter part of the statement, he was completely reassured. "Minister Sang, you truly serve the state with loyalty and selflessness. Please rest assured, I will certainly inform the Emperor of this matter once we reach the capital." What he cared about most was Zu'an's safety. As for Sang Qian's life or death, it was irrelevant. Of course, if both could reach the capital safely, it wouldn't hurt to do the Sang family a favor.

"Thank you, Commander Huang." Sang Hong smiled faintly. Of course, he didn't make this suggestion to atone for his mistakes and gain merit. He knew that given the Emperor's cold nature, now that he was a discarded pawn, whatever he did, it would be difficult to make the Emperor change his mind. Therefore, the most important thing was how to reach the capital safely. More than his own safety, Sang Hong was concerned about his son's well-being. After all, he had only one son, and at his current age, if anything happened to Sang Qian, his lineage would end. His usually clever daughter, Sang Qing, had guessed his thoughts, so before leaving, she sent him a sound transmission of vital energy with a suggestion.

Both father and daughter knew that many people in the capital wanted them dead. Although Sang Qing was secretly protecting them nearby, she wasn't confident she could ensure both their safety throughout the long journey. Conversely, there were just as many people targeting Zu'an. But those people wanted to acquire the "Phoenix Nirvana Scripture" from him, so generally, they wouldn't kill him immediately. This indirectly ensured Sang Qian's safety and also provided Sang Qing with a buffer of time for rescue.

When they woke up the next morning, Zu'an learned he was to swap identities with Sang Qian, and his immediate reaction was to refuse.

Huang Huihong snorted. "This is not up to you. Guards, change his and Sang Qian's clothes."

Hearing that they were to change clothes, Zu'an's eyes darted around, but he didn't object further.

Sang Qian had already received his father's instructions in secret, so he naturally had no objections. Seeing Zu'an still smugly putting on his groom's attire, he sneered inwardly. *You won't be swaggering for much longer; you're on the verge of death and don't even know it.* Recalling yesterday's assassination still filled him with lingering fear. Coupled with his sister mentioning that countless more assassination attempts awaited his father and him along the way, he was naturally happy to pretend to be Zu'an. That way, he would have the protection of the Imperial Guards and also be with Zheng Dan. Why wouldn't he?

The contingent was about to depart. Zheng Dan, in the adjacent carriage, saw Zu'an dressed as a groom and was startled. "You... how could you..."

Zu'an chuckled. "My dear wife, have you forgotten your husband?" As he spoke, he moved to embrace her. Zheng Dan's face flushed. Unsure of the situation in front of so many people, she instinctively stepped back.

Sang Qian, from the side, grew anxious. He quickly stepped out to block him. "What are you doing!"

Zu'an pointed to his clothes. "See? The groom's attire and the bride's wedding dress, aren't they a perfect match? Since we're swapping identities, we might as well go all out with the act."

Sang Qian became frantic. "Then why didn't you let Zheng Dan be with me earlier?"

Zu'an looked helpless. "Who told you you weren't capable enough?" He then directly addressed Huang Huihong. "I can guess one or two of your intentions behind swapping our identities. But those assassins aren't fools. After all, it's hard to imagine a bride not being with her groom. When they see that, it'll be a clear giveaway."

Huang Huihong nodded inwardly. What this fellow said indeed made some sense. After all, not all factions knew that Zu'an was actually with Zheng Dan. If the assassins sent were to see that, they would instinctively suspect the person with the bride was the groom, Sang Qian, which would be troublesome. He valued Zu'an's safety above all else, so he was unwilling to take any risks. He then said to Zheng Dan, "You and Zu'an will go into Sang Hong's prison cart. Sang Qian, you go into the carriage ahead."

Sang Qian was instantly dumbfounded. After all that, he still couldn't be with Zheng Dan? However, thinking that his father was watching nearby, Zu'an wouldn't be able to do anything to Zheng Dan. He breathed a sigh of relief. This arrangement wasn't entirely unacceptable.

All of this was kept secret from Prince Liang and Liu Yao. Ever since yesterday's incident, Huang Huihong had taken over the defense of Zu'an and Sang Hong's father-son pair with his Embroidered Uniform Guard, forbidding other Imperial Guards from approaching. Sang Qian was inside the carriage, so others couldn't see his appearance. As for Zu'an, Huang Huihong had someone change his hairstyle, apply makeup, and add some bloodstains. Without a close look, it would be very difficult to tell the difference. At the same time, it was publicly announced that Sang Qian had been injured by assassins last night, which was why Zheng Dan was there to care for him.

After all this was done, he then had the two carriages leave the courtyard. Given what happened last night, Prince Liang and Liu Yao deliberately kept their distance to avoid suspicion. Therefore, they did not notice that the occupants of the two carriages had switched. Prince Liang even joked with Liu Yao, "Why isn't that fellow Zu'an as noisy as usual today?"

Liu Yao laughed heartily. "Most likely, he was scared witless by yesterday's assassination. With him like this, our ears are finally at peace."

"Indeed, indeed." Prince Liang also laughed. "If I had known this, I should have had someone scare him earlier. Such scoundrels only respond to force, not persuasion."

Meanwhile, in the prison cart behind them, Zu'an, while Zheng Dan leaned beside him to "apply medicine," secretly held her hand and made small gestures. At the same time, he looked at Sang Hong: "Minister Sang, your move isn't very honorable."

Sang Hong knew he couldn't hide it from him and didn't offer any excuses. "Although this increases your chance of dying, it greatly reduces your chance of being captured. So it's not entirely without benefit to you."

Zu'an snorted. "You call this beneficial to me?"

Sang Hong chuckled softly. "Didn't you agree to it too? I've always wondered why someone as clever as you would choose a path that seems destined for death. But now I'm certain you have your own plan, and the premise for all of it is to reach the capital safely."

Zu'an secretly became wary. This fellow was truly not to be underestimated; he could guess almost everything. However, he certainly wouldn't admit it. "Minister Sang, you're an old fox yourself; don't assume everyone else is a young fox. I don't have that many schemes. I'm just living one day at a time."

Hearing him say this, Sang Hong smiled but said nothing.

The main contingent continued its journey. It had been uneventful. Until one day, a faint tremor came from the ground, and a black wave appeared in the distance, rapidly approaching the contingent.