Chapter 640: Returning the Favor
The other advisers immediately objected, “Attacking Xia Province again will bring heavy losses. Why shouldn’t we accept the State of Baling’s elite troops as support? The general loves his soldiers as his own sons, and our Xun Province army needs time to rest and recover!”
After the Battle of Han River, Yuan’s army had nearly collapsed, and the Xun Province army had suffered severe damage as well. How could it recover in a few short months?
Now, Xia Province’s soldiers were exhausted and its horses worn thin. Even Zhao Pan, the general most skilled at defense, had been transferred away. If Nian Zanli could borrow the State of Baling’s elite forces at a time like this, then it would be a complete case of the strong crushing the weak, of trampling the Governor-General of Xia Province, He Chunhua, underfoot and pounding him into the ground.
With such a force, it was impossible to lose!
This was a sure win, a battle with the wind at his back. Why would he refuse? Why insist on trading blows back and forth with Xia Province and dragging himself into a bitter fight?
The Xun Province army was the foundation that Nian Zanli had spent more than a decade building. It was also the foundation he would rely on to seize the realm of Yuan in the future. He could not keep wasting it for nothing.
Nian Zanli looked at Lü Huansheng and smiled. “If you have no good suggestions, don’t open your mouth.”
Lü Huansheng ducked his head and said no more.
Someone nearby said, “As for the annual tribute promised to State Preceptor Shuang Ye and the State of Baling, there’s no need to worry about that either. Once we conquer Yuan, we’ll be able to afford that bit of money and goods. A few days ago, the Ke Family spent seven to eight hundred thousand taels just to win a sword tip at Dun Garden’s auction. Surely all of vast Yuan isn’t poorer than a single Ke Family?”
The other advisers nodded. “Exactly. We only need to collect a little extra peace tax, and the hole will be filled.”
The important thing was victory. As long as they won, everything else could be discussed afterward.
Lü Huansheng could not help but say, “Yuan is short on money and grain. I heard Zhao Pan’s army mutinied on the road to the northwest and had no choice but to loot several villages and towns, or else the soldiers would have deserted. Outside of Yuan’s capital, the commoners have already been squeezed dry down to the bone. Even the land has been scraped a meter deep. Where are we supposed to dig up that much money and goods to pay State Preceptor Shuang Ye?”
Nian Zanli’s cold, dark gaze swept over him, and Lü Huansheng immediately lowered his head.
The other advisers hurriedly said, “You said it yourself, that’s the case outside of Yuan’s capital. The capital is prosperous, and all those officials are fat with wealth. Their treasuries are stuffed full of silver, silk, and valuables.”
Someone else reminded them, “The Ducal Minister of War[1] in the northwest has won several victories too, and he’s pressing his offensive. If we don’t use the State of Baling’s troops, then...”
After the battle on the Han River, the Xun Province army had suffered devastating losses. In terms of troop strength, they were already inferior to the Minister of War. If they did not bring Baling’s soldiers south, perhaps the Minister of War would get there first and enter Yuan’s capital ahead of them.
“Precisely!” Nian Zanli’s smile widened slightly. “Since the elite troops have already been borrowed, Lü Huansheng, you’ll return to Xun Province tomorrow and prepare the grain and supplies. Within half a year, we march on the capital!”
Lü Huansheng could only answer in assent.
Nian Zanli walked out of the tent and turned northwest, hand on his sword, his heart open and pleased.
State Preceptor Shuang Ye’s asking price was indeed very high, but how could one hope to win a war without paying a price? With elite troops soon in his hands, he would cut off He Chunhua’s head and use it as a wine cup before next summer!
* * *
He Lingchuan finished his pancake in a few bites, wiped his hands and mouth, then turned and headed toward the Heavenly Palace camp.
Yes, here in the Grass Sea, the Heavenly Palace had no need to show off with extravagant carriages. They had simply sent an entire camp’s worth of men over and pitched ten tents on the sandbar’s best viewing ground, all guarded by Heavenly Palace soldiers.
Since the Chief Cloud Envoy had come in person today, every arrangement here was especially grand.
The open ground outside the tents was packed with kneeling commoners. At a glance, there were at least ten thousand of them. They were so densely packed that almost none of the white sand beneath them could be seen.
They were prostrated on the ground, oblivious to everything around them, muttering prayers under their breath.
Cloud envoys and lamp guardians were the heavenly gods’ emissaries in the mortal realm. They usually dwelled high above the clouds, rarely seen by humble commoners. With such a rare opportunity today, every devout believer had come rushing over to worship.
There were many entire families lying prostrate together, old and young alike, especially pious and willing to dedicate everything they had to the gods.
As He Lingchuan walked through the kneeling crowd, he felt there was nowhere to put his feet.
As expected, before he could get close to the tents, he was stopped.
The Heavenly Palace guards’ weapons gleamed brightly.
“He Xiao, envoy of the State of Chiyan, requests an audience with Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai. I have major inside information to report.”
The guard looked him over suspiciously, but the word “envoy” still carried weight. One of them turned and entered the camp to make a report.
A dozen or so breaths later, he returned and said, “Please follow me.”
The extra “please” told He Lingchuan everything he needed to know about Bai Ziqi’s attitude.
People hurried back and forth through the camp, busy as worker bees. After all, the Grass Sea event was about to formally begin very soon.
He Lingchuan followed the guard into a small tent.
Bai Ziqi was speaking with someone. When he saw He Lingchuan arrive, he immediately sent that person away and smiled. “Well now, what brings you here to see me?”
His status in the Heavenly Palace was very high, second only to the Chief Cloud Envoy, but he rarely put on airs when dealing with others.
He Lingchuan smiled back, glanced around, and said nothing.
Bai Ziqi understood. He waved everyone else out of the tent, then rubbed his hands together. “Come, please take a seat. Please feel free to speak.”
He had spent a long time trying to figure He Lingchuan out and knew this was not someone who would come knocking without reason.
Sure enough, He Lingchuan wasted no words. “There’s progress on Qingfu Temple.”
The moment he heard the words “Qingfu Temple,” Bai Ziqi raised a hand to interrupt him. He first set up a soundproof barrier, then said seriously, “Continue.”
“The people of Qingfu Temple did not all die. One slipped through the net. His name is Kong Jiaxiang. On the day of the fire, he happened to be spending the night with his lover, and so he escaped disaster.” He Lingchuan lowered his voice as he spoke this earth-shattering news, “After learning that Qingfu Temple had been destroyed, he fled back to his hometown, Yangshui.”
Bai Ziqi listened without missing a single word, his expression grave.
“How did you learn this?”
The Spring Palace was an extremely formidable opponent and had wiped away every lead they could think of. He had mobilized manpower and resources, investigating for so long without finding any useful intelligence. So how had He Xiao, who had only just arrived in Lingxu City, managed to get his hands on something before he did?
He Lingchuan had come prepared. “After we captured Wu Kai at Baishajue, I sent people to investigate his hometown and background. The reports had yet to come back by the time we escorted the prisoner out of Baishajue and headed here to Lingxu City.” He then handed over a file before continuing, “This is a register that Yangshui County just sent to us. It records the relatives and acquaintances connected to Wu Kai’s hometown. Kong Jiaxiang was born a bookkeeper. Not only is he the elder brother of Wu Kai’s daughter-in-law, but he was also the temple attendant at Qingfu Temple. I imagine Wu Kai introduced him there.”
Bai Ziqi took it and began flipping through it while He Lingchuan explained.
“I’ve seen the list of Qingfu Temple’s dead. Kong Jiaxiang was listed among them.” As the injured party, the State of Chiyan was entitled to inquire after the progress of the case, and Fushan Yue had obtained the list. “Then I compared it with the register sent from Yangshui County and found the discrepancy between the two pieces of evidence. I have already sent a bird monster back to verify it. Kong Jiaxiang is indeed still alive and is living in his old home in Yangshui.”
The useful information in the register had already been circled in red ink. Bai Ziqi finished reading it in a few glances and praised him several times, “Excellent, excellent. You’re truly meticulous. But then, why did Crown Prince Yue not arrest him directly?”
Yangshui was within Chiyan’s borders, so Fushan Yue naturally had jurisdiction there.
He Lingchuan lowered his voice. “We feared alerting the snake in the grass, so we must trouble Deputy Cloud Envoy Bai instead.”
Bai Ziqi looked deeply at him. “Then please thank His Highness on my behalf.”
Fushan Yue had not arrested the man himself, but was letting Bai Ziqi do it. That meant he was handing Bai Ziqi the credit. Because the Crown Prince of Chiyan had repeatedly run into danger in Lingxu City, the case had not cooled down in court or among the public. On the contrary, the uproar had only grown louder, and even the most remote parts of the Lower City were discussing it.
Bai Ziqi had been running himself ragged over the elixir of youth case for a long time. Recently, he had made little progress, and both the heavenly gods and the Lord Emperor had been asking about it again and again. The pressure on his shoulders was immense.
If Kong Jiaxiang’s testimony could truly become a new breakthrough in the case, then this act from the Crown Prince of Chiyan was a very large favor indeed.
It was not that Bai Ziqi had been ineffective in his investigation. Rather, the lead on Kong Jiaxiang required Chiyan’s cooperation.
At the site of a major fire, missing persons were nothing unusual. With true fire burning so fiercely, what was strange about a body being reduced to nothing? Several bodies were missing from Qingfu Temple’s count. Without the register sent by Yangshui County in Chiyan, they never could have found out that Kong Jiaxiang was still alive.
The Spring Palace had not found him either, which meant that Bai Ziqi was finally one step ahead of his opponent.
He had to grasp this opportunity well.
He Lingchuan smiled. “Of course.”
With a new lead in the elixir of youth case, Bai Ziqi’s attention would shift away, and he would no longer keep staring at him.
Given Bai Ziqi’s caution, coupled with how closely the elixir of youth case was being watched now, he would very likely go to Yangshui in person to seize the man.
During that time, He Lingchuan would gain greater freedom, making it easier for him to act.
With the important information delivered, He Lingchuan prepared to leave.
Bai Ziqi was in an excellent mood and personally escorted him out of the camp, smiling as he bade him farewell.
This scene was surely witnessed by many interested parties.
He Xiao was already a hot topic in his own right. Now, under everyone’s eyes, he had walked into the camp of the empire’s highest power structure, and the deputy cloud envoy had even personally escorted him out. The two of them even seemed to have had a very pleasant conversation.
Naturally, others would wonder about what had transpired inside.
He Lingchuan believed there was definitely someone here watching on State Preceptor Shuang Ye’s behalf.
His deal with State Preceptor Shuang Ye had seemed very simple, and it had seemed that He Lingchuan had profited from it. In reality, how could someone as shrewd and calculating as State Preceptor Shuang Ye ever conduct business at a loss?
He had seen from the beginning that He Xiao was the best person to deliver the lead on Kong Jiaxiang.
He was the case’s original investigator, and the greatest progress made so far in the elixir of youth case had all come from his investigation.
He Xiao was also the State of Chiyan’s envoy, while Kong Jiaxiang’s hometown was Yangshui in Chiyan. It was perfectly reasonable that He Xiao would stumble upon this lead during an investigation.
Most importantly, he was an outsider and had no connection whatsoever to State Preceptor Shuang Ye, so the evidence he submitted was more credible.
Even Bai Ziqi, whose suspicions ran deeper than anyone’s, had no choice but to accept it.
Of course, He Lingchuan had acted somewhat strangely at Baishajue, but none of that had anything to do with Lingxu City.
After Bai Ziqi obtained Kong Jiaxiang’s lead from him, he would not waste more effort verifying it. This also suited State Preceptor Shuang Ye’s desire for a swift, decisive resolution.
Ignoring everyone’s gazes and paying no mind to the ripples this scene would cause, He Lingchuan turned and walked back.
The mirror in his robes heard him let out a long breath and sighed as well. “Now that you’ve handed over the lead, you and State Preceptor Shuang Ye can be considered even. That wasn’t easy.”
“Even?” He Lingchuan gave a soft sneer. “You’re thinking too simply.”
“Huh?” the mirror asked in surprise, “The thing you asked him to do is done, and the thing he asked you to do is done too. Doesn’t that make you even?”
“Being even would mean that our relationship ends here; that would mean that there are no more ties between us.” He Lingchuan said lightly, “But after this, do you think my relationship with Shuang Ye has grown closer or more distant?”
1. Honestly, I’m just putting this to remind you that Dong Haoming is the Ducal Minister of War, I’ll keep translating as Minister of War unless otherwise necessary. ☜
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