Deep within the First Prince's mansion in the capital.
Heavy gray bricks shut out the sounds of the night watchman's drum from the outside world.
Inside the secret chamber, dim firelight spilled from the beaks of bronze cranes mounted on the walls.
Within a purple-bronze Boshan censer, the coiled incense had burned down by more than half.
Xiao Jingxing sat upright on the left side of a red sandalwood couch, holding a black chess piece between two fingers.
Sitting across the chessboard was a figure draped in a black cloak. The hood was pulled low, concealing the upper half of the person's face and revealing only a pale, gaunt jaw.
Clack.
The black piece landed on the board, the dull thud echoing through the secret room.
Xiao Jingxing withdrew his hand. His gaze lingered on the intersecting lines of the chessboard as he spoke slowly.
"Those old pedants have been visiting the Xu residence quite frequently these past few days. The theory of the investigation of things that Xu Zijin threw out has managed to confuse even Kong and Gu. It is truly impressive." Xiao Jingxing's tone carried a hint of scrutiny. "The Jiangnan civil official faction has always prided itself on being upright and pure, yet today they have been turned upside down by a mere commandery princess and a few pieces of scrap paper she left behind."
"The waters of this royal court are getting murkier by the day."
The person opposite him did not reply directly. Pale, withered fingers picked up a white piece from a jade bowl and hovered it over the board.
The lamplight illuminated that hand. The skin was abnormally pale, without a single hair visible on the back of the hand.
The white piece fell, landing right in the heart of the black pieces' main dragon.
"Your Highness is too focused on surface appearances," the person spoke, their voice soft and lingering with an upward inflection at the end. "The Xu family's ability to stir up trouble in the capital has never relied on academics. Whether it is the School of Principle or the School of Mind, it is nothing but a smokescreen."
The person picked up a Jian ware hare's fur tea bowl from the table and slowly used the lid to skim the foam off the tea.
"The Xu family's foundation lies in financial power and their ruthless methods. Has Your Highness forgotten that old case in Jiangning Prefecture?"
Hearing this, Xiao Jingxing lowered his eyes. The past events in Jiangning were a failure he did not wish to recall.
"Wang Ruhai," Xiao Jingxing spat out the name with a cold sneer.
Leaning against his armrest, Xiao Jingxing recalled the situation from a few months ago.
"Back when the Wang family noticed Xu Youde's movements, they sent someone to present me with bank notes worth a full five hundred thousand taels of silver, begging me not to intervene."
"I originally intended to spare the Wang family's lives, but who would have thought that Wang Ruhai was such a useless piece of trash! With so many retainers and private soldiers raised by the aristocratic families, they were actually uprooted entirely by Xu Youde!"
The person took a sip of tea and placed the bowl back down.
"Your Highness is mistaken. The annihilation of the Wang family was not due to poor combat, but rather because the methods of the Xu father and daughter were far too venomous."
From the shadows of the hood, a smooth, completely hairless jaw was revealed.
"Consider this carefully, Your Highness. Back when Xu Qinghuan proposed the policy of merging the poll tax into the land tax, Your Highness went south holding the Imperial Sword. Undoubtedly, the Emperor's original intent was to warn the Xu family. But what was the result?"
Xiao Jingxing furrowed his brows.
The person continued, "The Xu father and daughter first scattered their family wealth, creating a false image of desperate loyalty. Using Your Highness's hand, they placed the blade of the new policies on the necks of the Jiangnan aristocratic families. Subsequently, Xu Qinghuan set up workshops and used that bizarre contraption called the Spinning Jenny to dump cotton cloth at extremely low prices. This single move directly severed the foundation of the Wang family's wealth."
He extended a finger and tapped on a white piece on the chessboard.
"Once the source of wealth is cut off, people's hearts will inevitably scatter. The death squads raised by the Wang family and the underworld assassins they colluded with were completely vulnerable before Xu Youde's elite heavy-armored private soldiers." He raised his eyes to look at Xiao Jingxing. "Your Highness, from the very beginning, you were also calculated into the Xu family's plans, becoming a sharp blade they used to suppress the officialdom of Jiangning."
Xiao Jingxing's face turned cold. Thinking back to Xu Youde's tearful vows of absolute loyalty in the Lingering Garden of Jiangning, everything now seemed to reek of hypocrisy.
"What a fine Xu Youde. What a fine Xu Qinghuan," Xiao Jingxing gritted his teeth, squeezing the words out.
He picked up another black piece and slammed it forcefully onto the chessboard.
"I granted them the Imperial Sword back then only because I considered their merit in offering up their wealth and their willingness to be isolated officials! Looking at it now, Xu Qinghuan traveling north to Zhenbei City is definitely not as simple as checking the accounts!"
Xiao Jingxing stared fixedly at the mysterious person across from him.
"Zhenbei City has the Great Qian's most elite border army, that old fox Tie Lanshan, and the border markets outside the pass. Once mutual trade opens, gold and silver will flow like water. By taking the Emperor's Sword there, Xu Qinghuan is clearly going to snatch the money bag of the northern borders!"
The person chuckled softly, the sound carrying a slightly high-pitched tone.
"Your Highness is perceptive! Xu Qinghuan has an enormous appetite. She wants not only money but also power! If she manages to operate in the northern borders for a while, her allies will gain a massive boost in strength. Your Highness must take precautions."
Xiao Jingxing snorted coldly. "Precautions? That fool's secret reports are full of excuses. I imagine he has suffered a great loss at Xu Qinghuan's hands."
The person nodded slightly. "But Your Highness... the northern borders do not solely belong to the Great Qian's border army."
Xiao Jingxing's gaze focused as he stared at the person opposite him.
"You mean..."
"North of the Yin Mountains, beneath the Eternal Blue Sky, the iron cavalry of the Helian Royal Court are going hungry," the person said in an even tone, laying out a cruel scheme. "The Right Luli Prince, Ashina Gudu, is an insatiable jackal. If Xu Qinghuan wants to take a share of the border markets, she will inevitably have to deal with the Helian people."
He leaned closer to the chessboard.
"Your Highness, to kill with a borrowed knife, why use your own? You only need to send someone to secretly contact Ashina Gudu and promise him heavy profits! Let the Helian Royal Court dispatch troops to set up a death trap at Yehu Beach or the border markets. Even if Xu Qinghuan has the Emperor's Sword and that incredibly strong second brother of hers, in the face of tens of thousands of iron cavalry, she will only be trampled into minced meat."
Xiao Jingxing remained silent.
The coiled incense in the secret chamber burned out, the last wisp of blue smoke dissipating into the air.
Xiao Jingxing raised his hand, pinching a white piece from the chessboard and playing with it between his fingertips.
"The Helian people are greedy by nature. If we give them too much, I fear we will be rearing a tiger that will cause trouble later; if we give them too little, Ashina Gudu might not be willing to exert himself," Xiao Jingxing voiced his concerns.
"Your Highness need not worry." The person stood up and straightened their black cloak. "This slave... ahem, I have a plan. Xu Qinghuan has eight carts of colored glaze in her possession. That is the best bait."
Then, as if whispering a secret, he explained his scheme in detail.
"We only need to have someone spread the rumor..."
A few breaths later, after hearing this plan, Xiao Jingxing's eyes burst with intense light.
"An excellent plan!" Xiao Jingxing put down the white piece and stood up. "I will leave this matter for you to handle. Remember, you must clean up all traces. You absolutely cannot leave any leverage that might fall into the hands of others."
"I obey your command." He bowed in respect.
As he bent down, the collar of his cloak fell open, revealing the scarlet brocade with a dark flying fish pattern inside.
The luster and style of that fabric were absolutely not something an ordinary official or merchant could wear.
He took a few steps back, bowed once more, and then turned to walk toward the secret door of the chamber.
The secret door opened, and the night wind rushed in.
The wind carried a faint scent of aloeswood—a tribute incense that only those deep within the imperial palace, who attended to the Emperor's daily life, were qualified to use!
