Cao Dejiang arrived full of worry and left grumbling, but as he stepped out of Helü Hall and glanced back at the young couple whispering together, he couldn’t help but curse with a chuckle.
“That little bastard!”
He’s not at all like his father.
What a pity for an old man like him, still cleaning up this mess at his age.
“Master, what’s wrong?” his attendant, Cong An, asked, stepping closer upon hearing his low mutter.
Cao Dejiang shook his head. “Nothing. Didn’t Li Wenchang and Fan Yan come looking for me before?”
Cong An replied, “Yes, that’s right. The prince has been on a rampage lately, and both the Fan and Li families have people caught in his grasp. Though they’re not from the main branches, if the investigation digs deeper, it’ll be trouble. Lord Li and the others came to you, but you brushed them off with an excuse.”
“Send word that I’m free today and invite them to my residence for a talk.”
Cong An was surprised. “You’re meeting with the clans?”
Cao Dejiang walked calmly toward the exit. “Why, can’t I?”
“No, it’s just… didn’t you say you wouldn’t meddle in the prince’s affairs?”
“I’m not meddling with the palace prince.”
“Huh?” Cong An blinked, confused.
Cao Dejiang didn’t explain. Though Cong An was his close attendant and had served him for years, he only knew bits about Xu Yu’s identity and Xiao Yan’s matters, not the full picture.
He knew Xiao Yan was a He family orphan and Xu Yu was an old He family servant, but Cao Dejiang had never shared more, and Cong An never asked.
As he walked out, Cao Dejiang said to Cong An, “When you see Li Wenchang and the others, drop a hint that Liang Guangyi has already asked me to meet Xiao Yan, and mention subtly that the two had a dispute. Nothing more.”
Cong An nodded, half-understanding. “Understood, sir.”
As Cao Dejiang climbed into his carriage, he pondered. He needed to nudge Liang Guangyi to hurry up and deliver the eight hundred thousand gold to Xiao Yan, securing the deal. As for the book collections, he’d need to tip someone off to prevent Liang Guangyi from rethinking things and causing trouble later.
The Li and Fan families were the most timid, their members already caught by the prince. A little scare would make them the perfect wedge to crack open the clans. To force the Cui family to bleed heavily, Liang Guangyi alone was too “weak.”
After decades of camaraderie, how could he stand idly by?
Cao Dejiang clasped his hands on his knees, his expression wistful.
“A gentleman acts for the greater good…”
Who in the world could match such broad-mindedness?
…
After Cao Dejiang left, Tangning fetched medicine to change Xiao Yan’s bandages. Seeing his raised brows and soft chuckle, she laughed lightly.
“Why did you scare Lord Cao like that? He really thought Ru and I were going to steal books.”
Xiao Yan’s throat rumbled with amusement. “He’s not so easily scared. If you two had the guts to steal, that old man would build you a ladder and cover for you.”
“No way!”
Tangning raised an eyebrow. Lord Cao didn’t seem like that kind of person.
Xiao Yan grinned. “You think he’s upright? That old fox has a heart darker than ours. He’s long coveted the clans’ treasures. Given the chance to undermine them, he’d grab a hoe and dig himself.”
“Bet you anything, the moment he leaves Helü Hall, he’s plotting how to make the clans cough up the gold faster.”
Though Tangning found it hard to believe, recalling how Cao Dejiang had hidden Shi Changan and Xu Yu, knowing their actions yet teasing her with his mischievous streak, she thought he might actually be capable of it.
Carefully unwrapping the bandage on Xiao Yan’s shoulder, she saw the wound had healed and sighed in relief. “As expected, stitching the wound and using Sister Qin’s medicine worked wonders. But you still can’t move too much these days, or it might tear again.”
Xiao Yan nodded. As Tangning wiped around the wound with a cloth and rebandaged it, he said, “I’m heading to the palace later to see the prince.”
“Will the prince let the clans off?”
“He doesn’t have a choice.”
Xiao Yan dressed with Tangning’s help, continuing, “I’ve been ignoring him lately, letting him play master in the court. He’s been so busy grabbing power and purging dissenters that he’s neglected everything else. It’s time to wake him up.”
“On the Longting Guard side, Fu Yue and his men will head back to the northwest in a few days. After pulling back the Xiao Guards who were watching the officials’ residences, my people caught forty or fifty messengers sending letters out of the capital in just half a month. Besides court changes, they even know who the prince favors at night.”
The prince’s secrets were laid bare, yet that fool hadn’t noticed, too busy trying to poach Xiao Yan’s allies.
Tangning shook her head at the prince’s character. “Where were those letters going?”
“Some to the feudal lords, some to the south, and a few to Fengcheng.”
“Fengcheng?”
Tangning frowned. With the Longting Guard still in the capital and Shang Qin dead, the Zhenan Army wouldn’t secretly probe for news. They’d never stopped Di Tao from sending updates to Di Shuangcheng, yet messages were still covertly sent to Fengcheng…
“Those letters might not be for Fengcheng but for Beiling.”
Xiao Yan hummed in agreement. “That’s my thought too. It seems we’re not the only ones aiming to destabilize Beiling from within and disrupt their court. Their spies are deeply embedded in the capital. Jinyun’s team just intercepted a letter, but the messenger was already dead, cutting off all leads.”
Such skill wasn’t the work of ordinary people.
Tangning’s face showed worry. “If the letters are going to Fengcheng, does that mean there are Beiling spies there too?”
Xiao Yan said, “I’ve sent word to Di Shuangcheng to investigate the Zhenan Army and Fengcheng thoroughly. When the Longting Guard returns, Hang Li and the others will go with them. Tuba and Zhang Bin are already in Beiling. With their help, we’ll root them out.”
He paused. “By the way, Song Jinshu has entered Beiling. He’s been taken in as an aide by Xiahou Ling and brought to the National Preceptor’s residence. Also, Tuba saw someone in Beiling’s imperial city.”
“Who?”
“Lu Zhinian.”
Song Tangning’s head snapped up, her face full of shock.
Lu Zhinian?
How did he end up in Beiling?
Xiao Yan was equally surprised. “After he offended you and vanished, the Black Armored Guards scoured the capital but found no trace. I thought the Lu family had quietly dealt with him, but Tuba’s letter said he saw someone in Beiling’s imperial city who looked very much like Lu Zhinian.”
“That man is the consort of Beiling’s Chuyun Princess and a favored minister of their new emperor, named Ji Rongqing. He seems gentle but is ruthlessly cunning. Even Xiahou Ling nearly suffered at his hands due to a moment’s carelessness.”
“Tuba, who’s seen Lu Zhinian before, said they look eight or nine parts alike. But Ji Rongqing seems to have a hidden illness that flares up often. Chuyun Princess’s residence houses over a dozen doctors, yet none can diagnose it. The princess has issued proclamations seeking renowned physicians and rare medicines for him.”
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