No one in the hall dared to make a sound.
A full ten breaths passed.
Tie Lanshan let out a cold sneer and leaned heavily against the back of his armchair, which let out a strained, muffled creak.
He spread his hands flat on the armrests on either side, his fingers splayed wide, occupying the entire chair to its fullest.
This posture was a forced attempt to reclaim his imposing aura as a border-defending general.
"Official Xu."
"Your words sound pleasant and straightforward. Even I feel a sense of thrilling satisfaction on your behalf."
He raised a single finger and wagged it in the air.
"But you have forgotten one thing."
"This is Zhenbei City, not the Wenyuan Pavilion in the capital."
Tie Lanshan's tone slowed down, pausing after every word.
"You claim that He Minghu is smuggling and that Ma Jin'an is his accomplice in crime. This is a major case of treason, fine."
"I believe you can see the situation clearly. You, a girl from the Xu family, indeed have some skills."
"However, what does it matter if you see the situation clearly?"
He raised his hand and pointed to the great Zhenbei banner hanging behind him.
"You want me to stick my neck out? Just based on this piece of waterlogged waste paper?"
Tie Lanshan scoffed coldly.
"A one-sided story, plus a rotten piece of paper that does not even have an official verification seal."
"If this thing were submitted to the capital, the people at the Censorate would think it too dirty even to wipe their tables with."
"You want me to bet my life and fortune on something like this?"
"Official Xu, forgive my bluntness."
Tie Lanshan leaned against the back of his chair, his tone revealing the unique certainty of a veteran border general.
"You see through the situation, but what do you have to take action with?"
Xu Qinghuan stood before the tea table, completely unmoved.
What Tie Lanshan wanted was a price.
This old fox was ten times shrewder than He Minghu; he would never work for free.
Sure enough, Tie Lanshan's next words confirmed Xu Qinghuan's judgment.
"Official Xu, I will not beat around the bush with you."
Tie Lanshan leaned forward, interlocked his fingers, and rested them on his knees.
"If you want to investigate He Minghu, I can cooperate."
"The soldiers of the Commander General's Estate can be mobilized, and my connections can be used. But I am not running a charity. When doing business, we must speak of equivalence."
He held up two rough fingers.
"First, the right to allocate all the imperial treasury silver you brought on this trip must be handed over to the Commander General's Estate."
"As an Imperial Envoy patrolling the borders, it is impossible that the imperial court did not give you silver. How this silver is spent, and where it is spent, will be decided by me."
"Second, from now on, the allocation of military supplies and the appointment and dismissal of military officers in Zhenbei City must be solely decided by the Commander General's Estate."
"The capital should stop reaching its hands in."
He spread his hands.
"I will clear the way for you and block He Minghu's blade for you, and you will give me tangible benefits."
"A fair trade, honest and transparent."
Bai Yushu had been waiting for exactly this moment. He took a half step forward and took over the conversation.
"Lord Imperial Envoy, although the general's words are a bit blunt, the reasoning is not wrong."
"The thirty personal guards in your hands are indeed elite. But He Minghu has three thousand men under his command, plus over two thousand city defense garrison troops, making a full five thousand men."
Bai Yushu paused, his tone deepening.
"The meager manpower you brought, My Lord, will not even make a splash against this number."
"Without the Commander General's Estate backing you up, even if you hold the Emperor's Sword, you will not be able to step out the doors of this relay station."
"To say something unpleasant," Bai Yushu cupped his hands, his tone earnest but hiding needles in cotton.
"The soldiers and officers below recognize rations and pay, not the laws of the Great Qian Dynasty. If you want them to risk their lives for you, you have to bring out real gold and silver."
"Empty words are useless in the Northern Frontier."
Xu Qinghuan did not speak.
She was waiting.
Waiting for Tie Lanshan to reveal all his hidden cards.
Sure enough, Tie Lanshan could sit still no longer.
He slapped the armrest fiercely with a loud smack, shaking the teacups on the tea table.
"Official Xu!"
Tie Lanshan raised his voice, no longer concealing the murderous intent radiating from his body.
"I will leave my words right here. If you do not offer benefits, I can very well continue to claim illness and stay inside this Commander General's Estate."
"When He Minghu brings his troops to surround your relay station, I will close my doors and ignore it."
"When that time comes, whether the Imperial Envoy lives or dies..."
He paused for a beat, his gaze piercingly cold.
"...will be entirely up to the will of Heaven."
The hall fell into a dead silence.
But Xu Qinghuan smiled; she genuinely smiled.
"Tie Lanshan, do you know how much cargo the Demao Firm moved in the first half of this year?"
The cold sneer on Tie Lanshan's face instantly froze.
Xu Qinghuan reached out and held up three fingers in the air.
"Demao Firm, Wantong Business, and Jufeng Manor."
The three names slipped from her mouth, each word carrying the weight of a thousand pounds, striking Tie Lanshan so hard that his expression changed repeatedly.
"On the surface, these three merchant firms deal in furs and medicinal herbs. In secret, they smuggle salt, iron, and tea out of the pass, and then bring back horses, cattle, and sheep from the grasslands."
"He Minghu takes a thirty percent cut from this."
"Commander General Tie certainly knows all of this."
Xu Qinghuan lowered her hand.
"But does Commander General Tie know that out of the remaining seventy percent of the profits..."
"...how much has flowed into the official accounts of your Commander General's Estate through the military workshops?"
Tie Lanshan's gaze trembled with shock.
"What did you say?"
"I said..."
Xu Qinghuan took a step closer, her voice kept extremely low, yet every word struck like a hammer.
"Commander General Tie, did you think you were the fisherman sitting securely on the fishing platform?"
"Sitting on the mountain to watch the tigers fight? Waiting for He Minghu and me to mutually destroy each other, so you can come out and clean up the mess?"
She slowly shook her head, her eyes filled with mockery.
"You are a discarded pawn."
"He Minghu kept the smuggling accounts airtight, yet he deliberately routed a portion of the cash flow into the official accounts of the Commander General's Estate."
"These entries were made extremely cleverly, mixed in among the funds for military procurement and city wall repairs. On the surface, they look like normal public funds transactions."
Xu Qinghuan used her fingertip to lightly trace a line on the tea table.
"But once the treason comes to light and the imperial court thoroughly investigates, this silver will bind you, Tie Lanshan, completely to death!"
"When that time comes, He Minghu will likely have a high-ranking patron protecting him to the death; Ma Jin'an is a censor, protected by the speaking officials."
Xu Qinghuan raised her eyes, her gaze as sharp as a blade.
"Whose man are you?"
Tie Lanshan did not answer, because he was perfectly clear about the answer in his heart, but he could not say it out loud.
"He Minghu needs a scapegoat, and you, Tie Lanshan, are the best candidate."
"He props you up in the position of Commander General, feeding you with dirty smuggling silver."
"When it comes time to behead someone to answer for the crimes, with one stroke of the blade, he will send your entire family, young and old, to the execution block."
"Do you still think you are the fisherman now?"
Tie Lanshan's breathing grew heavy.
His hands gripped the armrests, his knuckles cracking as he squeezed. He wanted to retort, to say that Xu Qinghuan was speaking nonsense and bluffing him.
But he dared not gamble.
Because every single word Xu Qinghuan said had accurately struck his weak point.
Deep down, Tie Lanshan knew the background of those three merchant firms in the city, and he knew that He Minghu was smuggling.
But if that silver had truly been worked into the official accounts of the Commander General's Estate...
A sudden chill ran down Tie Lanshan's spine.
An incident from half a year ago surfaced in his mind. Accountant Zhao from the quartermaster's office had inexplicably recorded several extra expenditures for city wall repairs. He had not paid attention at the time, assuming it was just the usual trick of subordinates falsely claiming funds.
That Accountant Zhao was someone recommended by He Minghu.
Tie Lanshan's face instantly turned a mix of pale and green.
Bai Yushu also figured out the crux of the matter.
He hurriedly took a step forward, leaned close to Tie Lanshan's ear, and whispered something extremely quickly.
Tie Lanshan's lips moved, but he didn't utter a single word.
Xu Qinghuan gave them absolutely no room to breathe.
"General Tie, I do not need you to charge into battle for me."
Xu Qinghuan sat back down in the armchair, her tone suddenly shifting.
She put away her previous sharpness, revealing a somewhat reassuring composure.
"Nor will I touch the military power of your General's Estate. Your men are still your men, and your seat remains your seat."
Tie Lanshan looked up.
"I only want one thing."
Xu Qinghuan raised a slender, jade-like finger.
"The coordinating authority over the border trade market."
Tie Lanshan was stunned.
Bai Yushu was also stunned.
The coordinating authority over the border market was the core lifeline of legal trade between Zhenbei City and the grasslands.
Whoever held this great power grasped the throat of commerce between Great Qian and the grasslands.
However, compared to military power, it was relatively insignificant.
"Give me the trade authority, and I will do three things for you."
Xu Qinghuan counted on her fingers.
"First, clear your suspicion in the smuggling case."
"I will write the secret memorial myself. It will state in black and white, reaching directly to the Emperor's ears, that you, Tie Lanshan, were deceived the entire time and became a meritorious subject who actively assisted the Imperial Envoy in suppressing the rebellion upon discovering the truth."
"Second, I will use the trade authority to revitalize our funds."
"I will allocate a portion to your subordinate auxiliary troops who were marginalized by He Minghu. Your men will be re-equipped, and they will never have to look at He Minghu's face again."
"Third."
Xu Qinghuan paused for a beat.
"Third."
Xu Qinghuan paused for a breath, her gaze profound.
"After He Minghu falls, whether his three thousand elites are incorporated or disbanded, whatever they have swallowed must be spat back out with interest."
"The soldiers, rations, and equipment under his command will all fall under the unified allocation of the General's Estate."
"From now on, Zhenbei City will have only one voice."
Xu Qinghuan raised her hand and pointed straight at Tie Lanshan.
"Your voice."
Tie Lanshan's breathing completely changed.
He weighed things rapidly, breaking down and chewing over every word Xu Qinghuan had said, examining them repeatedly in his mind.
Bai Yushu opened his mouth, wanting to dissuade him, but ultimately closed it.
Because he was also calculating the cost of this deal.
The price Xu Qinghuan offered was far more tempting than the conditions Tie Lanshan had proposed himself.
She didn't want the right to allocate silver, nor did she touch military or personnel affairs.
She only wanted a seemingly inconsequential authority over border trade.
And the return she offered was what Tie Lanshan dreamed of obtaining—sole control over Zhenbei City!
No matter how you looked at it, this deal gave Tie Lanshan all the advantages.
But precisely because it was too profitable, a chill rose in Bai Yushu's heart.
What exactly did this unfathomable woman want the trade authority for?
Tie Lanshan was still hesitating.
He was gambling, gambling on whether Xu Qinghuan actually held that truly fatal trump card in her hand.
If it was just lip service, he could very well continue to delay.
Xu Qinghuan saw through his thoughts at a glance and stood up abruptly.
"General Tie."
Tie Lanshan's body stiffened.
"Before I came to the General's Estate, I entrusted the secret memorial to a death-sworn soldier at the posthouse."
Xu Qinghuan cast a sidelong glance at Li Sheng, who stood at the door with his hand resting on his saber.
"If I do not return safely to the posthouse before noon today,"
"He will take that secret memorial and fight to the death to break out of Zhenbei City."
"I do not need to elaborate to you on what is written in the memorial."
"He Minghu, Ma Jin'an, the smuggling case, the confession case—one by one, the ironclad evidence is piled high as a mountain."
Xu Qinghuan tilted her head slightly, her gaze like a nail, pinning dead onto Tie Lanshan's face.
"General Tie, once this secret memorial reaches the capital,"
"Will you, Tie Lanshan, be a meritorious subject who assisted the Imperial Envoy in suppressing the rebellion, receiving promotions and titles—"
"Or an accomplice who condoned treason—"
She paused deliberately for a breath.
"And have your three generations exterminated?"
In the hall, Tie Lanshan remained as motionless as a clay statue.
He stared at Xu Qinghuan for a long, long time.
Twenty years.
He had suffered bitterly in the Northern Frontier for twenty years, rising from a lowly battalion commander, trading his life for military merits, hacking his way to the position of General stroke by bloody stroke.
What kind of danger had he not seen? What kind of fatal trap had he not broken through?
Yet at this very moment, Tie Lanshan's palms were covered in cold sweat.
In his twenty years on the battlefield, this was the first time.
No matter how fierce the barbarians he met on the battlefield were, at least he could draw his saber and draw blood.
But the woman before him hadn't moved a single soldier.
With just a few words, she had completely sealed off his retreat!
Tie Lanshan slowly stood up.
His movements were extremely slow, as if every joint in his body had rusted.
He propped himself up on the armrests to stand straight, looking down at the pot of tea on the table that had long since gone cold.
Then, he reached out his rough, large hand.
And personally picked up the bronze teapot.
Tie Lanshan walked over to Xu Qinghuan and tilted the teapot slightly.
The tea, completely devoid of heat, poured steadily into the white porcelain cup.
He poured a cup of tea for Xu Qinghuan.
What it meant for a commanding general to pour tea for someone was self-evident.
Tie Lanshan put down the teapot and took a half-step back.
"Lord Xu."
"There is one thing I do not understand."
Xu Qinghuan picked up the teacup but did not drink.
"What exactly do you want the border trade authority for?"
"Furs, medicinal herbs, horses... As an Imperial Envoy from the capital, these things are of no use to you."
Xu Qinghuan lowered her eyes and took a sip of the cold tea.
"I want grain."
Tie Lanshan's brows furrowed tightly.
"Grain? Trading for grain from the grassland barbarians?"
"But what will you trade with? Salt, iron, and tea are all strictly controlled by the imperial court."
"For an Imperial Envoy like you to take this path is even more audacious than He Minghu's smuggling!"
Xu Qinghuan put down the teacup, flicked her sleeves, and turned around.
"You need not trouble yourself with this matter, General."
"As for what I will use to trade for the grain—"
Xu Qinghuan's clear, cold voice drifted in from outside the door, carried by the dry, hot border winds of May into Tie Lanshan's ears.
"On the day you see it with your own eyes,"
"You will be glad that you poured this cup of tea today."
