Chapter 1181: Chapter 645: Dream Wager (Quadruple Bonus Chapter)
He spent the whole morning playing with Qin Yue, yet did not see Zhu E; she usually doted on Yue’er the most, unwilling even to let her sleep with the wet nurse.
He found a maid and asked, but the latter hemmed and hawed, speaking at length without giving an answer. She only said that usually the Princess did not allow them to ask questions at will, and clearly did not know much. Chen Yi, however, suddenly understood: Zhu E must have gone to deal with official business.
It had been more than ten years since Qin Qingluo inherited the title of the Annan Royal Mansion; all major military and state affairs were decided by her. Yet there were always matters in the shadows that were inconvenient for her to decide personally, and a person’s energy is limited, so she had entrusted almost all of them to Zhu E.
To say that these were entrusted to Zhu E is not quite accurate. For hidden matters such as espionage, from the time her elder sister—Qin Qingluo’s mother—was still alive, Zhu E had already been her right-hand woman, holding great power; otherwise it would have been impossible to help Qin Qingluo ascend to her position.
As far as the Princess was concerned, Zhu E could be called a rare virtuous helper in this world.
Leaving the small courtyard, he strolled over to the study where Zhu E handled affairs. Zhu E was simultaneously leafing through documents and writing swiftly at the desk, a persistent worry between her brows. Only when she saw Chen Yi come in did she put down her brush and rub her brow.
"You’re here, my lord?" Zhu E’s voice carried exhaustion.
"You were busy until very late, weren’t you."
"I haven’t slept all night..."
Zhu E let out a bitter smile, then picked up a piece of intelligence:
"In times like these... the Ancestral Temple assassination case has stirred up a storm across the whole city. Government offices, noble mansions, great Tusi clans—everywhere people are in a panic, everyone feeling endangered, afraid that with one misstep they’ll be implicated, their houses searched and clans exterminated. The Prince has gone a bit too far this time."
Chen Yi asked calmly, "Has it already reached the point where anyone can see clearly that Qing Luo is using this pretext to eliminate political enemies?"
Zhu E gave a slight nod.
"Aunt Zhu is very worried that the more this case is pursued, the bigger it will grow, until it reaches the point of backlash, driving everyone to stand opposite the Prince Mansion. When that happens, it will be impossible to bring under control."
In front of Zhu E, there was no need to pretend. The Princess liked that he was rather clever, though even if he were not, she would still have liked him.
Zhu E raised her eyes to Chen Yi, her worry deep: "With such ruthless methods, I truly fear it will stir up public wrath to a boiling point. Zhu E is worried, worried that... when things reach an extreme, they will reverse."
"But if it’s not handled on a grand scale, it will be hard to uproot the foundations of the great Tusi clans, and impossible to purge the corrupt administration."
Zhu E smiled, the smile somewhat strained. "That is true in principle, but the measure within is hard to grasp. Easy to talk about, extremely troublesome to carry out. After all, the Prince Mansion has held its fief in Nanwei for... three hundred years. The accumulated ills are not few."
Not just not few...
Tusi, corrupt administration, the Divine Sect, heresy, and the court’s Forbidden Army pressing on Nanwei’s borders.
Waves of refugees poured in, the registered population of the prefectures and counties ballooned on the registers, vast tracts of land were reclaimed. It seemed that in just a few years the entire territory would迎来 a full harvest, thriving once more.
Blossoms brocaded upon silk?
More likely oil boiling over a raging fire...
Chen Yi walked to the window, gazing at the bleak scene in the courtyard, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the cold window lattice.
As for Zhu E’s worries, he offered no words of comfort, only a faint "Mm," as though listening to some idle matter unrelated to himself.
In the afternoon, he changed into an inconspicuous outfit and once again slipped quietly out of the Prince Mansion.
.........
Xie Maping Gambling House, that familiar quiet room.
The fragrance of tea filled the air, laced with a faint, elusive hint of smoke.
Seated opposite him was no longer those three imposing masked figures, but a contact likewise wearing a mask, whose presence was more restrained, like dead wood without a ripple.
"Battalion Commander Chen." The other’s voice was flat and unruffled. "The Supreme has spoken: what the Lord has done, though ruthless, is aimed at the Prince of Annan. Thus our paths converge. For now... we can trust you."
The word "trust" was spoken very lightly, laden with probing and reservation.
Chen Yi did not care in the least. He lounged casually against the back of the chair, fingertips tapping the table, and asked, "May I ask what position you hold within the sect?"
"Chief Envoy. Above me is only the Supreme."
"One person below, all others above?"
"Battalion Commander may understand it that way."
What followed was a bout of mutual probing and exchange. He did not ask about the lineage of the World-Holding Bright Envoy, nor did he press for the core secrets of this heretical group. He only traded, with an air of indifference, some minor information about movements within the Prince Mansion and the stirrings among the Southern Border Tribes.
This contact who called himself Chief Envoy was cautious in speech, watertight.
Still, Chen Yi did confirm one thing: the "Supreme" in his mouth was not the previous generation’s Purity Saintess, but the current leader of the heresy, said to be the principal disciple under the former Purity Saintess.
Half an hour later, their discussion was more or less complete.
Having gained the other party’s preliminary trust, Chen Yi was reasonably satisfied.
Besides, to blend into the heresy, he would need several more rounds of contact.
Chen Yi nodded. "In that case, I shall quietly await good news."
"Before we part, allow me one more question." The Chief Envoy’s gaze, through the holes of the mask, seemed to want to pierce Chen Yi’s disguise. "Is the Battalion Commander’s hatred for the Prince of Annan truly to-the-death, irreconcilable?"
A cold gleam flickered in Chen Yi’s eyes. "To the death, irreconcilable."
"So much the better. The Annan Royal Mansion is in truth an accomplice of false believers. We and they are likewise as incompatible as Fire and water."
As they separated, Chen Yi lifted the cup of tea on the table that had cooled at some unknown point, took a sip, and shot the other a sharp look. "My movements—up to this point. If anyone in your sect leaks so much as a hint of it..."
The contact was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Rest assured, Battalion Commander. This matter is top secret."
......
The next day at midday,
Chen Yi drank alone in a nondescript tavern inside Dragon Tail City, quietly training his tolerance for alcohol.
The atmosphere in the tavern was oppressive. The few tables of patrons at the neighboring tables kept their voices very low, their eyes flickering, casting wary glances around from time to time.
