Chapter 010: Seizing the Opportunity

As the two were talking, they heard the sound of rapid horse hooves. Soon, a group of over a thousand Imperial City Guards surrounded Du Fan and Old Mark.
The Imperial City Guards had arrived so promptly, likely having been there all along, waiting until the battle was over before daring to enter.
The leading officer rode forward and shouted, “Who on earth is fighting in the capital? Don’t they care about their lives?”
Old Mark frowned slightly.
But Du Fan snorted and said, “You’re Redcliffe’s men, right?”
Upon hearing the name Redcliffe, the officer’s expression changed slightly. He said, “Who are you? How do you know the leader’s name… You…”
As soon as he said “you,” the officer finally saw Du Fan’s face. His expression changed again, and he quickly dismounted, kneeling on one knee as he shouted, “I pledge allegiance to Lord Du Fan…”
The Imperial City Guards around them became agitated… Du Fan… was he the same Du Fan who had shone brightly on the day of the coup!?
Du Fan hadn’t expected this low-ranking officer to know him. He frowned slightly and asked, “You know me?”
The officer raised his head, filled with admiration, and said, “Lord Du Fan, back then in the training ground, you single-handedly repelled Francis and drove back the remnants of the Bauhinia faction… Though I’m just a minor major, I was fortunate enough to witness your bravery…”
After saying this, the officer felt uneasy. He had indeed been there earlier, but the situation in the alley made him hesitant to enter. Now that he knew it was the future duke fighting, he regretted it deeply.
If he had helped earlier, this future duke might not have forgotten his kindness.
But not only had he failed to help, he had also shown up too late. If the duke got angry…
Thinking of this, the officer cautiously glanced at Du Fan before whispering, “Lord, what exactly happened just now…”
Du Fan easily guessed the officer’s thoughts. He simply smiled and said, “It was just an assassin trying to take my head. Nothing serious!”
Hearing this, sweat poured down the officer’s forehead. Stammering, he said, “I… I… I…”

Du Fan shook his head and said, “Get up and talk… You, Commander Redcliffe, are in charge of the capital’s defenses and law enforcement right now, aren’t you?”
The officer quickly stood up upon hearing this and said, “Yes, Commander Redcliffe has been ordered to oversee the capital. As you know, besides defenses and law enforcement, we also need to be wary of those from the Great Prince’s faction…”
Du Fan smiled slightly and said, “Aren’t the rebels from the Great Prince’s faction under the watch of my Northern Legion? Why is Lord Redcliffe still so worried?”
Hearing this, the young officer dared not respond.
It involved political and military power struggles—how could such a minor figure dare speak rashly?
Even if he stayed silent, Du Fan knew clearly that what needed attention wasn’t the rebellious forces of the Great Prince’s faction but rather those ten thousand cavalrymen of the Northern Legion!
After all, in terms of combat strength, the Northern Legion’s cavalry was beyond comparison to ordinary armies.
If Prince Fischer didn’t lack troops and face political instability at the moment, would he allow the Northern Legion to station itself in the capital?
If Du Fan’s guess was correct, once Prince Fischer dealt with the rebels from the Great Prince’s faction, the Northern Legion would have to withdraw from the capital.
This young officer likely couldn’t understand these matters, and Du Fan certainly wouldn’t explain them to him.
With that in mind, Du Fan smiled and said, “Since Commander Redcliffe is in the capital, could you please pass on a message for me?”
The officer replied eagerly, “I’m willing to do that.”
Du Fan said calmly, “Tell Redcliffe that someone tried to assassinate me here but was severely injured by me. I suspect he must have plans to escape the capital… I want you to thoroughly examine everyone who comes in and out. You must find that person. By the way… that person is called ‘The King of the Night.’ I believe Commander Redcliffe has his portrait. Also, he was injured in the chest. Send people to watch over the doctors everywhere. If anyone comes seeking medical treatment, you know what to do.”
Hearing this, the officer actually breathed a sigh of relief. He nodded and said, “Then I’ll go handle this right away… I’ll take my leave now…”
With that, the officer waved his hand and quickly left with his troops.
Seeing this, Old Mark whispered, “Young master, entrusting these matters to them… I’m afraid…”

Du Fan smiled and shook his head, saying, “It doesn’t matter… My identity is different now. Once Redcliffe gets the news, he’ll immediately report it to Prince Fischer. And to prove he didn’t send someone to assassinate me, Prince Fischer will surely order a thorough investigation. By then, not to mention the Imperial City Guards, even the inner court and court magicians will get involved… With such a tight net in place, even if Laku isn’t injured, I guarantee he won’t have a chance to escape… Still, there are two areas where Prince Fischer’s influence cannot reach… I’ll have to handle those personally.”

Old Mark frowned slightly and asked, “Young master, what do you mean…?”

Du Fan raised one finger and said, “As for the Holy Church, Prince Fischer has absolutely no control over it. To prevent Laku from boldly going there to seek medical help, I’ll have to meet Lord Anthony in person…”

“As for the second one…” Du Fan sneered, “There are indeed some decent people in the Mage Guild, but given Laku’s current situation, he’s definitely not able to slip in there. So we don’t need to worry too much about that… We just need to spread the word, and that old fox Edward will naturally know what to do. He’s currently in a bit of a bind because of his support for the eldest prince—how could he pass up such a good opportunity to show himself?”

Old Mark nodded and said, “Since you’ve thought of all this, everything will be fine. But what exactly do you want me to do?”

Du Fan snorted and said, “Although I have ways to deal with these major issues, it’s likely… that Laku’s attempt to assassinate me today was orchestrated by someone on purpose… Maybe some high noble hates me and hired him… If that’s the case, relying on Prince Fischer probably won’t lead to any results. So, Grandpa Mark, I want you to investigate this aspect… You know the capital better than I do; you surely know how to proceed, right?”

Old Mark nodded and said, “Then I’ll take it upon myself to investigate.”

Du Fan remained silent for a moment before nodding and saying, “Go then… But for now, don’t report this to Father. Also, if it’s impossible to proceed, just give up… There’s no need for my Green family to suffer because of a lowly assassin.”

Old Mark smiled and said, “Don’t worry, young master. Though I’m old, I’m not stupid… Things won’t go wrong that easily.”

“Then I’ll be off…”

After saying those words, Old Mark’s figure quickly vanished into the air. Only after seeing Old Mark leave did Du Fan suddenly stagger, letting out a “Wah—” as he spat out a mouthful of blood. After a moment, he sighed and murmured, “This Laku is quite skilled. If it weren’t for the Holy Radiant Staff, I’d be done for this time… Damn it, it seems only Chenchen can be her match… I’m still a bit too inexperienced!” After resting for a while, Du Fan’s breathing gradually returned to normal. He looked around, the gloom on his face disappearing, replaced by a faint smile… No matter who wanted to assassinate him, no matter who was behind this… He could investigate these matters slowly; eventually, the truth would come to light anyway, and he wasn’t in a hurry… It was just that he had never had an excuse to openly gather his own team. It seemed this incident provided him with a perfect excuse! It seemed he had to make this matter a big deal, one that everyone would know about… By then, not to mention having a few private armies, even if he had tens of thousands of northern troops by his side, Prince Fisher would probably be left helpless! You who tried to assassinate me! You thought you had won! But you didn’t expect it to bring me various benefits, did you? Hmph! My luck, Du Fan’s luck, is truly excellent! Coughing sounds came from the alley, mixed with cold laughter, which gradually faded away…