The burly man stilled when he heard about the scholarly man’s death. He gritted his teeth. The messenger was intimidated by the coldness radiating from him.

After a long pause, the burly man asked, “The army has been more and more agitated these days, hasn’t it?”

The soldier nodded. The burly man’s eyes grew murderous. He scoffed and told the soldier to pass down his message. The soldiers were to stop listening to Ji Bo’s orders. The messenger was then told to write a letter to the imperial city to tell the royal clan what had happened.

The soldier nodded in understanding. He left after giving the burly man a final, worried glance. The burly man sat on the divan, his eyes unfocused. In his tight grip was a pristine piece of white jade. It was the scholarly man’s favorite piece of accessory.

Disobedience spread through the Eastern Wu’s army like wildfire. Nan Xun, who’d been injured in the last battle and was in recovery, was surprised...