By the time the news of Taiyuan Prefecture repelling the rebels reached the capital, several days had already passed. This event caused a great uproar in the capital.
Taiyuan repelled the enemy with the help of the Jinyiwei?
The Northern Zhenfu Division was empty, and everyone thought they had fled due to unfavorable circumstances. Who knew they had actually gone to fight the enemy? Could it be that the accursed Jinyiwei would do such a good deed?
But how did a few thousand soldiers scare away tens of thousands of rebels?
Could it be that the Prefect of Taiyuan was mistaken…
The taverns and teahouses were abuzz with discussions.
Shen Qingli, hearing this, was somewhat puzzled and said, “He used a risky tactic to hold off the rebels. There are other ways, why would he use a few thousand to block tens of thousands?”
Xie Subai, holding an empty cup and rubbing a chip on its rim, said, “He was making a retreat route for the Jinyiwei. This battle had to be won; otherwise, in the future, they wouldn’t be able to avoid being hunted down in the capital.”
After saying this, he lowered his eyes.
Many of those who followed Huo Xian in the Northern Zhenfu Division had married and settled in the capital. They had nowhere else to go. They needed a legitimate reason to stay in the capital.
At least, they wouldn’t have to live days where people poured slop at their doors.
Huo Xian had considered everyone.
This man…
The midday sun was glaring. Xie Subai, dazzled, lowered his eyes, and a self-mocking laugh escaped his throat, causing Shen Qingli to look over, “What are you laughing at?”
Xie Subai said, “Lanxu, we do not understand him.”
Shen Qingli said nothing, feeling a bit dejected and regretful.
The two of them sat at Yipin Residence for a long time, until the people at the next table finished discussing the Jinyiwei and started talking about other things. Xie Subai, losing interest, had Shen Qingli push him back to the inn.
As they reached the lobby, Ao Zhi was already waiting at the staircase.
She stepped forward and said, “Master, Xiao Yuanjing has arrived.”
Xie Subai’s thin eyelids lifted slightly, and he said gently, “Serve him tea. A guest is a guest; do not neglect him.”
Xiao Yuanjing, however, had no mind for tea.
He had come in pursuit of a letter, which contained a jade pendant, something Chang’an always carried with him.
The sender of the letter only mentioned the name of Lianyu.
Xiao Yuanjing had been waiting here for a long time, from being anxious to feeling calm, during which he had carefully thought through the matter, and found himself not too surprised.
Zhao Yong had long warned him to be wary of Huo Xian.
Now, Huo Xian defied Zhao Yong, most likely seeking another patron. Ultimately, the person behind all this was still Xie Subai. It was just that he had never connected Chang’an’s matters to him, nor did he have any evidence.
After a moment, a noise came from outside the door.
Xiao Yuanjing, with a stiffened back from sitting, straightened as the door opened and saw Xie Subai seated in a wheelchair.
Although the capital now spread rumors that this imperial grandson was unrivaled, Xiao Yuanjing hadn’t had the chance to meet him face-to-face. His gaze lingered briefly on his crippled legs.
Then he clenched his hand, placing the jade pendant on the table, and said, “Where is Chang’an?”
Xie Subai smiled and said, “Master Xiao, information is to be exchanged. Why has Xiao Cheng left you in the capital?”
Seeing Xiao Yuanjing remain silent, he slowly said, “Ao Zhi, see the guest out. It seems I need to send something else to your residence next time.”
Something else.
Xiao Yuanjing’s pupils contracted, and he almost gritted his teeth, “Lianyu!”
Xie Subai’s lips curved slightly, unbothered, but the smile seemed mocking, “Why? You work hard for the Xiao family, but do they value your life? If Xiao Cheng truly cared for you, why hasn’t he let his own son handle the dirty work you’ve been involved in all these years?”
Looking directly at each other, Xie Subai always appeared indifferent. He sighed, “Fine. I never placed my bets on you. Since that’s the case, Master Xiao, please leave.”
Xiao Yuanjing did not move. His hands on his knees clenched, veins bulging, and after a long time, he finally said, “Zhao Yong anticipated that the court would eventually send troops to fight the enemy. He had me arrange a batch of defective products in the Shenji Camp. They were among the military supplies taken by Marquis Xuanping…”
With defective military supplies, the soldiers would be as defenseless as if they were unarmed. How could they fight on the battlefield?
Hearing this, Xie Subai merely smiled, “I’ve already ordered them to intercept it. By now, that batch of defective goods should be on its way back to the capital.”
Xiao Yuanjing was shocked, “How did you know?”
He had done this very discreetly, never entrusting it to anyone else. Unless, within the Shenji Camp, there were his people!
Xiao Yuanjing almost immediately thought of the time at Jiuzhen Temple when the large wild animals guarded by the imperial guards were mysteriously released. He had felt uneasy then. In retrospect, the signs were already there.
How many people had he planted in the army?
Xie Subai did not seem to find his words surprising, only calmly asking, “And what else? There must be more.”
Facing him, Xiao Yuanjing felt the pressure and found it hard to speak, “The Shenji Camp… will continuously send military supplies to the Duke.”
Xie Subai responded with a “Hmm” and asked, “Which route?”
Xiao Yuanjing said, “Taking a detour through the mountain path, there are people to receive it.”
Xie Subai paused for a moment and asked again, “And what else?”
Xiao Yuanjing seemed to be in a hurry, lowering his eyebrows, “I’ve told you everything I know. Where is Chang’an?”
But Xie Subai continued to look at him quietly.
In the end, Xie Subai said, “Ao Zhi, bring it up.”
Xiao Yuanjing’s heart filled with hope. When the maid pushed open the door, she was only holding a tray. There was no sign of the person he wanted. But on closer inspection, the tray held a blood-soaked finger!
Xiao Yuanjing went mad. “You, you all!”
He hadn’t had the chance to rush forward when the surrounding guards pinned him down. When he looked up again, his eyes were red.
Xie Subai, quite surprised, looked at him a bit longer.
…
Clouds were rolling, and the autumn wind was chilly.
Xiao Yuanjing gradually closed his eyes and calmed down, not speaking immediately. Inside, a long struggle continued.
When he opened his eyes again, there was a faint coldness and frustration. He gritted his teeth and said, “A few days ago, while repairing the city gates, palace gates, and the gate of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, we took the opportunity to bury explosives underground. Once detonated, the consequences would be unimaginable.”
Xie Subai paused. Explosives buried at the city and palace gates could easily blast open entrances, allowing the rebels to march in. But the explosives buried at the Hall of Supreme Harmony…
That was where the emperor and his ministers held court.
If Xiao Cheng were captured and someone else took over the palace, those people wouldn’t survive either.
This was a case of “if I can’t have it, neither can anyone else.”
Xiao Yuanjing avoided Xie Subai’s sharp gaze and said, “There is a strategist named Mu Lei by the Duke’s side. He is ruthless and leaves no loose ends—I’ve told you everything I know. Where is Chang’an?”
Xie Subai looked at him and said slowly, “He’s in Shunde Prefecture. Rest assured, he’s doing well. Since Master Xiao is so sincere, why not do one more thing for me?”
Before Xiao Yuanjing could react to the fact that Shunde Prefecture was where Xiao Cheng was currently fighting to retake, he heard Xie Subai calmly say, “Why not have your men deliver that batch of defective goods to Xiao Cheng as originally planned?”
Xiao Yuanjing pressed his lips together and looked at Xie Subai, feeling so stifled that he could hardly speak.
What heir to Prince Huaijin, what noble sentiments—he was just a deeply scheming hypocrite who had secretly colluded with the notorious Jinyiwei!
But the victors often write history.
Xie Subai, now sitting leisurely before him, was already a sign that he had won.
As the sun began to set, Xiao Yuanjing finally left the inn.
Just before reaching the door, he paused and turned back, “Is Yuanting also in your hands?”
Xie Subai raised an eyebrow slightly, “Unfortunately, I’ve been looking for him for quite some time as well.”
It seemed someone else had beaten him to it.
Fine.
In the distance, clouds gathered darkly over the mountains, signaling rain.
Xie Subai ordered his men to verify the explosion points Xiao Yuanjing had mentioned. Then, he leaned back in his chair, looking weary, and coughed lightly twice.
At that moment, Ao Zhi returned after seeing off Xiao Yuanjing. She soon came back, her face alight with joy, “Master, the grand secretaries are here!”
Xie Subai, still gazing at the approaching dark clouds, only lifted his eyelids slightly at her words. He looked down at the rain-soaked capital with an air of disdain for something already in his grasp.
He came to himself and said, “Serve tea to the grand secretaries.”
–
Meanwhile, an aggressive autumn rainstorm, accompanied by fierce winds, suddenly descended, seemingly threatening to lift rooftops. The still peaceful citizens of the city were unaware, but the rain made the already muddy mountain paths even more treacherous.
Cautious, Xiao Cheng withdrew from Taiyuan, intending to return to Shunde Prefecture for rest. Unbeknownst to him, several ambushes lay ahead. Zhou Baihu, with his background as a mountain bandit, was an expert in mountain warfare. The rain made it difficult for both sides to fight, but Zhou Baihu was clearly more adept.
In comparison, the disadvantage of Zhou Baihu’s 20,000 mixed soldiers against Xiao Cheng’s forces became less significant.
From the rear, Marquis Xuanping’s troops were also on the way.
They needed only to hold out for a few more days, trapping Xiao Cheng’s forces in the mountains. With an attack from the front and rear, once Xiao Cheng and his men were caught in the valley, it would be like birds trapped in a cage, with no option but to surrender.
They just needed to hold out for a few more days.
However, the Prefect of Shunde was terrified. Ji Yuluo had sent all his soldiers to the front lines, leaving only a handful in the city. Shunde Prefecture now looked like a warrior facing a formidable enemy with bare hands.
But if the soldiers at the front perished, what good would it do to have more people in the city?
Indeed, Fang Kejin understood this, but he was too scared. He was so frightened that he moved from his own residence to the courtyard where Ji Yuluo was staying.
Ji Yuluo, seeing his large boxes and numerous wives, concubines, and children, tightly pursed her lips and furrowed her brow.
Did he think her place was a security agency? An inn?
But before Ji Yuluo could speak, Chaolu warmly welcomed them.
The reason was simple: Fang Kejin’s household had a cook who was particularly good at cooking. On their journey, they had no cook, and the meals prepared by the maids were hasty and meager.
Chaolu’s gesture was simply to take advantage of the cook.
Ji Yuluo thought for a moment and said nothing, heading straight back to her room.
She was too tired these days, her mind preoccupied with Zhou Baihu, and the fierce wind and rain seemed to have given her a cold. She felt dazed and fell asleep as soon as she lay down, not even changing her clothes.
In her sleep, she dreamt of Huo Xian again.
Since receiving that gold pearl, Ji Yuluo often dreamt of him. The storms in her dreams were no less intense than those outside. He always managed to kiss her until she was breathless and weak, waking up drenched in sweat.
So this time, when she woke up breathless and saw him, she still thought she was dreaming.
