Ma Jin'an held up three fingers, waiting for Xu Qinghuan to speak.
Seeing that this formidable figure remained silent, Ma Jin'an knew he had to keep the show going.
He withdrew his hand, paced to the side of the desk, picked up the Huadiao wine jug, filled his own cup first, and then reached over to top off the empty cup in front of Xu Qinghuan.
"Your Excellency might not be quite aware of just how deep the waters are in this border market," Ma Jin'an said, picking up his wine cup and swirling it gently. "The goods that pass through the Zhenbei City market every year... tea bricks, ironware, textiles, medicinal herbs, plus the horses, pelts, and ox horns from the Helian people. The declared revenue that goes through taxation is at least four hundred thousand taels of silver."
He paused, looking at Xu Qinghuan.
"And that is only what is recorded in the tax ledgers. The unrecorded amount is more than double that."
He Minghu chimed in at the right moment from the side: "Censor Ma is absolutely right! This market is a mountain of gold. Just by trading tea bricks with the Helian people every year, the brothers under my command can barely keep themselves fed and clothed. We cannot count on the imperial court's military pay. If this business is cut off, the troops of Zhenbei City will disband."
"Thirty percent," Ma Jin'an repeated the number. "Your Excellency does not need to do anything. You don't need to provide men, exert any effort, or deal with the Helian people. The Vice General's estate will manage all the connections and escort the merchant caravans back and forth. All Your Excellency needs to do is sit in the relay station and drink tea, and tens of thousands of taels of silver will flow into your accounts every month."
He bent down, lowering his voice.
"Your Excellency holds the Imperial Sword. In the capital, this thing is nothing but a decoration, but in Zhenbei City, it is a golden medallion. With this golden medallion, no one can investigate or touch the market's business! Your Excellency provides a sword in exchange for a mountain of gold. This deal is incredibly worthwhile."
The hall fell silent for a moment.
Xu Qinghuan picked up the cup of wine, sniffed it under her nose, and set it back down.
"Thirty percent?"
She looked straight at Ma Jin'an.
"Censor Ma, are you trying to brush off a beggar?"
The smile on Ma Jin'an's face froze for a split second.
He Minghu was just bringing his wine cup to his mouth. Hearing this, his hand paused, spilling a few drops of wine onto his robe.
"Your Excellency's words..." Ma Jin'an straightened his back. "That is quite incorrect. Thirty percent may seem like a small amount, but over the course of a year, it would be at least..."
"I am not here to do math with you," Xu Qinghuan interrupted him.
She stood up, walked to the long side table next to the desk, and picked up a fresh fruit—a rarity in Zhenbei City—playing with it in her hand.
"Censor Ma, you made it sound very nice just now, saying the Vice General's estate will provide the troops, the manpower, and the informants. But have you thought about one problem?"
Xu Qinghuan turned around and looked at Ma Jin'an.
"Your troops, your men, and your informants—what happened to them yesterday at Wild Fox Shallows? Zhao Si's corpse is still soaking in the border river. Helian Wu's head was smashed into a bloody pulp by my second brother."
She placed the fresh fruit back onto the plate.
"What leverage do you have to negotiate thirty percent with me?"
Ma Jin'an stayed silent for a couple of breaths, then let out a dry laugh.
"Your Excellency makes a valid point. Yesterday's incident was indeed an oversight on the part of the Vice General's estate. But precisely because of this, we need to cooperate in good faith all the more!"
"Lord Xu, you have good merchandise and connections, but you lack local foundations and military protection. However... the Vice General's estate has deep roots here, and we lack the rare goods in your hands and the shelter of the Imperial Sword. We each get what we need, so why not?"
"Then give me another number," Xu Qinghuan said in a flat tone.
Ma Jin'an scraped the side of his cup with his fingernail.
"Forty percent. This is the bottom line. Your Excellency must understand, we still need to bribe the officials in Xuanfu and feed over three thousand brothers..."
"Ah! Censor Ma," Xu Qinghuan interrupted him again. "You still haven't figured out one thing."
She returned to her seat, sat down, and rested one hand on the armrest.
"This market business is not a matter of how much you are going to share with me. It is a matter of whether I am willing to let you play a part in it at all."
Ma Jin'an's pupils constricted slightly.
He Minghu set down his wine cup, his face beginning to turn pale.
Xu Qinghuan continued at a leisurely pace.
"The glazed glass is my merchandise. I opened up the trade route with the Helian people myself. Qian Fugui is my man. The delivery rules at Wild Fox Shallows were set by me. From beginning to end, what has the Vice General's estate actually done? I am fully qualified to participate on my own."
"You sent a Zhao Si to his death? And nearly drew the Helian iron cavalry into Zhenbei City?"
"It seems there really is no need for cooperation."
As these words fell, the air in the hall instantly turned cold.
Ma Jin'an's expression darkened.
"Your Excellency has great audacity," Ma Jin'an's voice flattened. "But do not forget, the capital is three thousand miles away from Zhenbei City. That Imperial Sword of yours might command the royal court, but it cannot control the blades at the border. You do not have a single soldier of your own here. Even counting the guards at the relay station and the remnants of the Vanguard Camp, you have no more than sixty men in total."
He looked up.
"Without the protection of the local garrison, Your Excellency won't be able to transport a single copper coin out of the market."
"Is Censor Ma threatening this official?" Xu Qinghuan picked up her teacup and used the lid to skim the floating foam.
"Naturally, I wouldn't dare," Ma Jin'an shook his head. "I am merely... analyzing the current situation on Your Excellency's behalf."
At this moment, Xu Zhan, who had been leaning quietly against a pillar in the hall, slowly stood up straight.
"Little sister, I've eaten too much. I'm going out for a walk."
Xu Qinghuan gave a slight nod.
Carrying his single mace, Xu Zhan strode out of the hall.
He pushed the door open and stepped out.
The night wind of early summer rushed against his face, carrying a dry heat. Several lanterns hung in the courtyard, their warm yellow light swaying back and forth in the wind.
Xu Zhan stood on the steps, his left hand resting his mace against the ground in a casual posture.
But his ears twitched.
Behind the pillars of the eastern corridor, there were at least seven or eight men.
Xu Zhan slowly swept his gaze over the courtyard. Not in a hurry to make a move, he unhurriedly walked a few steps into the yard and found a stone stool to sit on.
...
Inside the room.
After Xu Zhan went out, the door closed again.
Ma Jin'an looked at the door, then turned his head back to stare at Xu Qinghuan.
"Your Excellency, let me speak from the bottom of my heart," Ma Jin'an leaned forward, his fingers interlaced and resting on the table. "What you are doing in Zhenbei City is touching a lot of people's money."
"It's not just the Vice General's estate; there are people in Xuanfu watching you too. Do you really think that with just an Imperial Sword and a second brother with a severed arm, you can establish a firm foothold here in the Northern Frontier?"
He paused for a moment.
"I set up this banquet today to sincerely discuss business with Your Excellency. But if Your Excellency insists on leaving no room for the Vice General's estate..."
Ma Jin'an's voice dropped.
"Then I'm afraid tonight's banquet won't end peacefully."
He Minghu rested his palm on the hilt of his blade at his waist.
Xu Qinghuan lowered her head, brushing away the floating tea leaves in her cup, and took a long while before speaking.
"Censor Ma, how many years have you been stationed in Zhenbei City?"
"Six years."
"Six years." Xu Qinghuan nodded. "In those six years, how many of the imperial envoys sent down by the royal court have you seen die in office?"
Ma Jin'an did not reply.
"If an imperial envoy dies, what will the court send?" Xu Qinghuan looked up. "Not a second envoy. It will be a joint tribunal of the Three Judicial Offices. It will be a thorough investigation by the Brocade Guards. It will be the entire Zhenbei City being skinned and stripped from top to bottom."
She set down her teacup.
"Can you afford that gamble?"
Ma Jin'an met her gaze.
A suffocating silence descended upon the hall. The candle wick popped, spitting out a single spark.
He Minghu's fingers tightened and relaxed around the hilt of his blade, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat.
Ma Jin'an slowly leaned back into his chair. He opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word...
"Clang!"
The sharp, crisp ring of clashing metal echoed from the courtyard.
It was immediately followed by the dull, sickening thud of flesh and bone colliding, and then the heavy sound of something crashing against the blue-brick floor.
Suddenly, a splatter of dark red bloomed across the paper window.
