The moment the carriage came to a steady halt, Xu Qinghuan was in no rush to lift the curtain.
Through the gap in the curtain, she took in the spectacle before the Commander-in-Chief's estate with absolute clarity.
Two rows of personal guards stood lined up from the bottom of the steps all the way to the estate's entrance. There was no flashy ceremonial guard, only forty men clad in armor and holding sharp weapons.
These were true veterans who had rolled through piles of corpses. The murderous aura radiating from them could be felt even ten paces away.
Li Sheng jumped down from the carriage shaft and said, "Miss, it's all Tie Lanshan's personal guard battalion. With this killing intent, they are trying to give us a show of strength."
"Playing intimidation games with me?" Xu Qinghuan chuckled lightly. "Lift the curtain."
She stepped onto the footstool and descended from the carriage.
Zhao Hu stood at the bottom of the steps, his body half-turned. He extended his right hand forward in a "please" gesture.
A smile hung on his face, which was carved with deep wrinkles by the wind and sand, making him look rather like an amiable, wealth-bringing Maitreya Buddha.
"Mind your step, Your Excellency. The border soldiers are rough and coarse, reeking of sweat and blood. Please don't let them frighten you."
The words were spoken politely, but the underlying meaning was anything but.
In every word, this old fox was implying: These are arrogant and fierce soldiers of mine. If they scare a greenhouse flower like you, we bear no responsibility.
He was waiting. Waiting for Xu Qinghuan to lower her head and shrink her shoulders, waiting for her to quicken her pace and scurry forward, waiting for her to reveal even the slightest hint of panic.
Xu Qinghuan lifted her foot and stepped onto the first stair.
Her pace was neither fast nor slow, her skirt trailing a shallow mark across the stone steps, entirely unhurried and composed.
The very instant she stepped into the pathway, the guards on both sides moved in perfect unison.
There was no crude, bandit-like trick of crossing their spears. Forty veterans, forty long spears, slammed into the ground at once!
Bang!
The iron ends of the spears struck the bluestone slabs heavily. The muffled crashes merged into a physical wave of sound, shaking the roof tiles above and sending dust raining down.
This was the method of a seasoned border general. Without drawing a sword or flashing a blade, they used the fierce aura of surviving a hundred battles to forcefully crush your spine.
Xu Qinghuan paused her steps.
She did not retreat, nor did she evade. She simply stood firmly and steadily right in the center of the military formation.
She turned her head, her gaze sweeping across the face of the first guard on the left.
She didn't look at their imposing manner, focusing solely on the details.
Wherever her gaze landed, the guards instinctively tightened their grip on their spears. They were accustomed to the flash of swords and the shadows of blades, but they had never seen such a chilling look, as if she were inspecting livestock waiting to be slaughtered.
Xu Qinghuan withdrew her gaze and turned to look at Zhao Hu.
"Adjutant Zhao."
"Here."
"Are these the elites under Commander Tie's rule?"
Xu Qinghuan raised her hand, pointing at the third guard on the left. "The armor plates at the collar are worn out, the copper nails have fallen off, and even the rotten cotton padding inside is exposed."
Her finger shifted, pointing to the fifth man on the right. "The spearhead is rusted, and the shaft is cracked. Taking this thing into battle, is it to kill barbarians, or to give away your head?"
The smile on Zhao Hu's face froze, the corners of his mouth dropping sharply.
But Xu Qinghuan gave him no chance to cover it up.
"I patrol on behalf of the Heavens, holding the Emperor's sword to supervise the Northern Frontier!"
"You indulge your subordinates in military negligence, use such garbage as a front, and line up a formation of derelict soldiers to intimidate an Imperial Envoy."
She stared into Zhao Hu's eyes, enunciating every word. "Are you bullying this official for being young?"
"Or are you despising imperial power, intending to commit treason?!"
Treason.
A sudden clap of thunder on level ground!
These two words again.
Last night in the death row dungeon, Deputy Lieutenant Qian was crushed by this label until he knelt into the black water. Today, at the Commander-in-Chief's estate, this immense burden smashed down heavily onto Zhao Hu's skull, not a single ounce lighter.
Sweat immediately beaded on Zhao Hu's forehead.
The May sun was already vicious, but he only felt a bone-deep chill all over his body.
He had been mixing around in Zhenbei City for over a decade; what kind of scene hadn't he witnessed? But the label of "treason," whether you were of the lower third rank or the lower fifth rank, once pinned on you, meant the execution of your entire family.
Zhao Hu's back bent down, bending so quickly that even he himself didn't realize it.
"This subordinate has been impolite! I deserve ten thousand deaths! I absolutely have no intention of offending the Imperial Envoy!"
His voice squeezed out from his bowed posture, carrying a tremble.
Outsiders wouldn't know if these words were sincere, but at the very least, etiquette had to be impeccably maintained.
The guards on both sides were even more panicked.
The speed at which they retracted their spears was three times faster than when they thrust them out. The clattering of colliding iron rang out in a chaotic chorus.
Someone's hand trembled while pulling back their spear, the shaft knocking against the bracer of the man next to him with a crisp clack.
Forty men simultaneously dropped to one knee.
Their spears were held upright by their sides, tips pointing to the ground, heads bowed; no one dared to look up.
This murderous show of strength, from establishing dominance to completely crumbling apart, took no more than half a cup of tea's time.
Xu Qinghuan didn't spare Zhao Hu another glance.
She stepped forward, her skirt brushing past the knees of the kneeling guards, not pausing for a single step.
Li Sheng followed behind, finding it truly difficult to control the corners of his mouth as he caught sight of the sides from the corner of his eye.
He saw forty fierce border soldiers kneeling subserviently on the ground.
This scene was utterly satisfying!
The main hall of the Commander-in-Chief's estate.
When Xu Qinghuan crossed the threshold, the first thing she saw was not Tie Lanshan, but the guest seat.
The guest seat was placed down in the hall, six paces away from the master seat. The chair was half a head shorter and surprisingly didn't even have armrests.
On the tea table next to it sat a coarse porcelain bowl. The tea soup inside was yellowed; even commoners could tell at a glance that it was the lowest grade of stale tea.
On the master seat, Tie Lanshan sat upright.
This was Xu Qinghuan's first time seeing this man face-to-face.
He had a burly figure, with broad shoulders and a thick back. His black casual robes were filled out to the brim. On his neck, exposed at the collar, was an old knife scar extending from the root of his left ear all the way to his collarbone.
Both hands rested on the armrests, veins bulging on the backs of his hands, his knuckles thick and large. At a glance, they were hands that had gripped the hilt of a blade for decades.
He wore a smile on his face.
This smile was different from Zhao Hu's fake smile; Tie Lanshan genuinely found this amusing right now.
A girl from the capital had scolded his personal guards into kneeling right at his doorstep. He wasn't angry; instead, he found it novel.
This kind of person was ten times harder to deal with than the furious, jumping-mad He Minghu.
Standing beside Tie Lanshan was Bai Yushu, wearing a green shirt and a wooden hairpin, holding a scroll in his hand, his face revealing nothing.
"Hahahaha!"
Tie Lanshan laughed aloud, his resonant voice buzzing through the main hall.
"Lord Xu has great spirit! I have stayed in Zhenbei City for nearly twenty years, and this is the first time I've seen someone scold my soldiers into kneeling before my gates."
He stood up, raising his hand to gesture towards the guest seat.
"Come, come, have a seat. A welcoming banquet for you. The borderlands are crude, and our hospitality is lacking, so please do not take offense, Lord Xu."
His tone was warm and his posture generous, displaying the demeanor of an old senior taking care of a junior.
Xu Qinghuan stood in the hall, her gaze sweeping over the half-shortened guest seat, and then glancing at the yellowed tea soup in the coarse porcelain bowl.
Her feet rooted to the spot; she didn't take a single step toward the guest seat.
"Li Sheng."
"Here."
Xu Qinghuan's gaze swept over, landing on the empty space beside Tie Lanshan's master seat.
Li Sheng instantly understood. He strode down the hall, grabbed the back of a wide armchair with one hand, and lifted it up.
The armchair landed steadily, perfectly aligned and right alongside Tie Lanshan's master seat.
The hall fell silent for a moment.
The smile on Tie Lanshan's face didn't change, but the interest in his eyes faded slightly.
Seeing this, Bai Yushu also drew in a sharp breath of cold air.
Xu Qinghuan walked over and took her seat in the armchair that had been brought up.
She sat extremely steadily, her back straight, her hands resting casually on the armrests, her aura not losing to Tie Lanshan in the slightest.
Two chairs were placed side by side, and two people sat together.
Looking up from the hall, one could not tell who was the host and who was the guest.
Tie Lanshan turned his head and took a deep look at Xu Qinghuan.
Lord Xu, this is—
There is no need for a welcoming banquet.
Xu Qinghuan interrupted him coldly.
Xuan-Da, Liaodong, and the Northwest—the three military circuits are garrisoned separately, with their military expenditures calculated independently. This is the rule set by Emperor Taizu.
But over the past half year, Liaodong has not been short a single tael of silver, and the Northwest's provisions have been allocated monthly. Only the Xuan-Da circuit...
Commander Tie, you know better than I do just how dire the food shortage is in the central route of Xuan-Da right now. If they continue to starve like this, I am afraid the soldiers below are not far from mutiny, are they?
Tie Lanshan's smile completely vanished.
It was not out of fear, but because these words struck right at the heart of the matter, leaving no room for him to evade anymore.
Bai Yushu shifted half a step forward, his lips moving slightly as he tried to speak on behalf of his commander.
Xu Qinghuan gave him absolutely no chance to open his mouth.
Xu Qinghuan picked up the teacup at hand and gently skimmed the foam with the lid, her movements leisurely.
Commander Tie, you have been in the Northern Frontier for nearly twenty years. Do you really think this is because the imperial treasury is empty and cannot provide grain?
Tie Lanshan did not reply.
His thick fingers tapped the armrest twice in a slow, heavy rhythm.
The court has grain, yet it has been delayed for so long. It is obvious that someone in the court is playing tricks. I imagine you have anticipated this as well.
She turned her head and looked directly into Tie Lanshan's eyes, her gaze as sharp as a blade.
Someone wants to use this cut-off of provisions to force chaos in Zhenbei City, to force the soldiers to mutiny! When the time comes and the Northern Frontier is in turmoil, the capital offense of lax military discipline and hoarding troops for personal power will be pinned directly on your head.
Commander Tie, this fine head of yours will become a stepping stone for others to eliminate dissidents and climb the ranks.
Xu Qinghuan's voice was not loud, but every word was meant to pierce the heart.
The three circuits are garrisoned separately and do not command each other; this is Emperor Taizu's method to prevent military generals from rebelling. But prevention is one thing; they still need to be maintained. What happens when they can no longer be maintained?
She turned her head, directly facing Tie Lanshan's profile.
Starvation.
Starve your soldiers until they cannot eat, starve your generals until they resort to smuggling to support the troops, starve you until you have no choice but to collude with local merchant guilds, starve you until your hands are stained with dirty silver that cannot be explained.
Once enough leverage has been gathered against you, a single transfer order from the capital will replace you with an obedient dog to sit in your chair.
Commander Tie, what is being cut off is your very life. I am sure you understand the stakes involved even better than I do.
Xu Qinghuan's voice was not loud, but every word struck with concrete force.
You could hear a pin drop in the hall.
Bai Yushu could finally hold back no longer and spoke softly, Lord Xu, these words—
Mr. Bai. Xu Qinghuan did not even look at him. I am speaking with Commander Tie. Why are you interrupting?
Bai Yushu's words were forcefully choked back in his throat, and the calm, breezy mask on his face finally cracked.
Xu Qinghuan looked back at Tie Lanshan.
As for the defense account books of Zhenbei City, does Commander Tie plan to hand them over yourself, or must I investigate them personally?
