Chapter 93 In a Terrible Mood

Chapter 93: In a Terrible Mood

Only Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao were in the hall.

After Qin Xiao posed his question, the atmosphere abruptly grew tense.

Chu Jiubian observed Qin Xiao. The man’s face was impassive, his deep eyes revealing no particular emotion, as if he were genuinely curious about Chu Jiubian’s relationship with Jiang Shuoye and the High Priest.

Yet, Chu Jiubian noticed his slightly clenched jaw and unconsciously fisted hands.

The man was not as calm as he appeared.

But strangely, Chu Jiubian didn’t believe Qin Xiao was testing him.

Or rather, probing his connections to the northern desert and the High Priest was not Qin Xiao’s primary objective at that moment.

What, then, did Qin Xiao truly wish to know?

Chu Jiubian wondered if he should seize this opportunity to reveal a glimpse of his true hand.

Back on the Star-Gazing Platform, though he hadn’t responded to Qin Xiao’s words, they had planted a subtle seed in his heart, making him less wary of Qin Xiao than he had initially been.

Still, he couldn’t bring himself to divulge all his secrets.

Even if that person was Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao, too, kept his gaze fixed on Chu Jiubian.

The young man’s expression was distant and cool, lost in thought as if weighing a decision.

In that instant, Qin Xiao suddenly felt as if he had returned to the very beginning of their acquaintance, and an invisible, towering wall had once again risen between them.

"Alright," Qin Xiao spoke, his tone lazy and tinged with amusement. "Just a casual question. You don’t have to answer."

But Chu Jiubian spoke, saying, "They’re the same."

Qin Xiao was taken aback.

Chu Jiubian was answering his earlier question: who was more trustworthy, Jiang Shuoye or the High Priest?

And the answer was that, in Chu Jiubian’s heart, both were equally reliable.

Qin Xiao had long known of Chu Jiubian’s ties to the northern desert and that he undoubtedly shared some special connection with the High Priest.

So, receiving this answer now, Qin Xiao was not at all surprised.

Chu Jiubian himself wasn’t sure what prompted him. By the time he realized it, he had already uttered those three words, revealing a part of his hand.

He looked at Qin Xiao, and the tension in the room solidified once more.

It was a strange feeling, unlike any of their previous silences, making Chu Jiubian somewhat restless.

But seeing Qin Xiao’s demeanor, Chu Jiubian didn’t want to be the one to break the stalemate, so he remained silent.

After a long pause, Qin Xiao suddenly chuckled softly and looked at Chu Jiubian with a peculiar gaze. "Are you two very close?"

Chu Jiubian considered it carefully, then said, "You could say that."

Qin Xiao let out another laugh.

"What’s so funny?"

"Nothing."

Despite saying "nothing," Qin Xiao had already risen from his seat and strode over to Chu Jiubian.

A desk still stood before Chu Jiubian, piled high with memorials.

Qin Xiao leaned forward, one hand braced on the table, the other cupping the back of Chu Jiubian’s neck, gently pulling him closer.

The man’s warm breath brushed against his lips, and Chu Jiubian narrowed his eyes.

The next moment, a forceful kiss descended.

Chu Jiubian wanted to pull away, but the hand at his neck offered no chance of retreat.

After what felt like an eternity, the man finally relaxed his grip, and Chu Jiubian immediately leaned back, resting against the chair.

Qin Xiao straightened up.

He wiped the moisture from the corner of his lips and smiled. "I’m going to train the troops. I’ll be back later."

Many soldiers had been recruited recently, all stationed at the military camp outside the city, training daily.

Qin Xiao went there almost every other day to personally oversee their progress.

But he had just gone yesterday afternoon and shouldn’t have needed to go again today.

Chu Jiubian watched his retreating figure and wiped his lips, which still tingled from the kiss.

He thought back but couldn’t quite fathom why Qin Xiao had suddenly kissed him mid-conversation.

Still, given the man’s perpetually passionate nature, such an act wasn’t entirely unexpected.

Chu Jiubian stopped overthinking and lowered his head to review the memorials.

Nothing major had happened recently, so most of the memorials were either greetings or reports on the progress of spring planting.

The sweet potatoes in Hexi County had already been planted. After the harvest in the first half of the year, County Magistrate Han Yuandao could rightfully be promoted to prefect.

Then there was Lu Yao’s memorial.

Although he reported his progress to Chu Jiubian almost daily in the Divine Realm, he still had to submit memorials periodically to keep Qin Xiao and others in the court informed.

Lu Yao had nearly traversed the central plains and was now heading south. He had already discovered two mineable iron ore deposits.

Qin Xiao had sent people to mine the sites and organized a dedicated escort team to transport the iron ore batch by batch to the capital.

This highlighted the advantage of Qin Xiao’s large number of soldiers—such rough and dangerous work was perfectly suited for them.

Chu Jiubian also ordered the engineering students of the Imperial Academy to lead the establishment of a dedicated iron-forging field just outside the capital, close enough to Qin Xiao’s military camp to ensure safety.

All the blacksmiths in the capital with clean backgrounds had been selected by Chu Jiubian to work at the field.

He even shared updated iron-smelting techniques with these craftsmen. If he had the strength, he would have demonstrated it himself.

However, he didn’t share the steel-smelting method with them. It wasn’t out of stinginess—it was just that steel wasn’t something that could be produced overnight. Even Jiang Shuoye had spent a long time smelting the first batch of steel, and he still couldn’t increase production.

What Chu Jiubian and the others needed now was a sufficient quantity of weapons. Strength was secondary, so producing harder iron weapons was enough.

The engineering students' work differed from the blacksmiths'.

Chu Jiubian gave them schematics for weapons, such as small repeating crossbows and siege crossbows.

Of course, he also gave the blueprints to Situ Zhaoling, telling her to deliver them to Xiao Yao.

Situ Zhaoyao’s abilities exceeded the students', and it was possible that he alone would be the first to reverse-engineer these weapons. Once that happened, he could set up an arms factory there and transport the weapons directly to the capital through the Divine Realm.

In addition, Chu Jiubian personally prepared gunpowder, but after testing, he found its firepower insufficient and continued to refine it.

He wasn't actually planning to use gunpowder for anything specific but merely as a precaution.

Firearms were expensive in the System marketplace, and even the gun he had purchased earlier required separate purchases of bullets, which was prohibitively expensive.

Thus, it was safer to prepare some gunpowder himself. If needed, he could turn it into bombs and let these people experience the power of such "divine weapons."

However, he felt it was somewhat inappropriate to introduce gunpowder this early, so he only produced it in small quantities and did not establish a proper factory.

Perhaps in the future, Chu Jiubian would reconsider his current position...

***

The news of Qin Xiao’s recruiting and training troops had long reached the ears of various powers, and naturally, none of them could sit still.

But after all, they were vassal princes and understood the importance of "having a legitimate cause," so they did not dare to act as openly as the court. Instead, they covertly expanded their influence.

Everyone was waiting for the right opportunity.

Amid this tense atmosphere, Prince Huguang received another piece of news: the previously quiescent Northern Desert Army had also begun recruiting soldiers in secret.

Previously, the Wang family had sent a letter stating that they had reached an agreement with the Jurchen and also reached an agreement with the Northeast Army.

As long as Prince Huguang and others guaranteed that the position of the Northeast Army’s commander would remain in the hands of Nie Xian and his descendants, they would provide the Jurchen with free passage.

They would even cooperate with the Jurchen to slow the imperial court's advance, much like Prince Dingbei and the Northwestern Army had done before.

However, Nie Xian also made it clear that he would not allow the Jurchen to truly invade Great Ning. Even if he could tolerate it temporarily, he would eventually drive the Jurchen out of Great Ning.

To prepare for any eventuality, the Northeast Army was also secretly recruiting and training soldiers.

This was understandable, and Prince Huguang and the others did not mind. After all, no matter who came to power, they would not allow the Jurchen to invade, so the Northeast Army’s current military buildup was not wrong.

But as for the Northern Desert Army, they never expected Jiang Shuoye to make a move as well.

Everyone knew the relationship between the Northern Desert Army and the Qin Family Army, and Jiang Shuoye was known to be immune to both persuasion and coercion. No one understood his way of doing things.

Thus, even if they wanted to use the Northern Desert Army’s strength, they did not rashly contact Jiang Shuoye.

They did not know whether he still sided with the court and the Qin family.

But now, it seemed that without the court’s permission, he had also begun recruiting soldiers—an act that did not seem like something a loyal general would do.

Therefore, it was possible that he, too, intended to secure a place for himself in the coming conflict.

"Your Highness, could this be deliberate misinformation spread by the court and the Northern Desert Army?" asked a strategist under his command.

Prince Huguang had many strategists, which gave him more confidence in his actions.

Another strategist added, "No one has had contact with Jiang Shuoye, but he does have former Qin Family Army troops under his command. Even if he wanted to rebel against the court, those soldiers might not agree."

Prince Huguang’s desire to cooperate with him immediately cooled.

"Should we send someone to test his intentions first?" suggested another. "The matter of the Qin Family Army is from a bygone era. It’s possible those soldiers are no longer in the army or have lost their loyalty. In that case, the Northern Desert Army would be entirely under Jiang Shuoye’s control."

Immediately, someone else refuted this.

The strategists argued back and forth, some aggressive, some cautious, and others trying to please both sides.

This was both the advantage and disadvantage of having many strategists. Baili Yue was accustomed to such scenes, but it still gave him a headache.

Fortunately, he was a decisive vassal prince; otherwise, he might have been paralyzed by indecision from these strategists.

"Enough," he said, and the hall immediately fell silent.

"Send someone to test his intentions first," Baili Yue ordered. "But even if Jiang Shuoye agrees to cooperate with us, we cannot trust him lightly. We must also contact the great families in the capital."

"Does Your Highness intend to contact the Tatar forces through their channels?"

"Yes," Baili Yue nodded. He summoned his subordinate, personally wrote several letters, and handed them over, instructing him to send them to the capital with utmost urgency.

Seeing that he had made a decision, the strategists stopped arguing and bowed in unison, praising, "Your Highness is wise."

Previously, Qin Jingzhao and his wife had died in a Tatar trap, partly because there was a traitor within the Qin Family Army, and partly because the great families in the capital, together with Emperor Yingzong, had set up that scheme.

A fatal trap specifically targeting the Qin Family Army.

The most critical part of this trap was the Tatar army.

Although there was no definitive proof, it was known that the Lu family, which had planted important spies within the Qin Family Army, and the Qiu family, which had been able to conduct business beyond the borders at the time, had coordinated with the Tatar army.

Naturally, in addition to them, there were also the Xiao family, who manipulated power in the palace, and Emperor Yingzong.

Now, a new situation was brewing. Most of the forces in Great Ning were preparing to move against Qin Xiao.

"Your Highness, we cannot focus all our attention on Prince Ning. We must also be wary of the other vassal princes," one strategist remarked.

They were only a temporary alliance. Once Qin Xiao was overthrown, the real struggle among the vassal princes would begin.

Whoever seized the initiative and had the strongest force would be able to claim the highest position.

Therefore, it was possible that during this time, some would secretly engage in covert schemes.

Another strategist said, "Actually, I don’t think the other vassal princes are worth fearing. Instead, we should be wary of Senior Tutor Chu in the capital."

At these words, everyone fell silent.

They had all heard of the reputation of that divine minister—able to control wind and rain, read celestial signs, conjure grain from nothing to save Hexi County and the southern border from crisis, and create marvels like ice and fireworks. No one knew what else he might have at his disposal.

"These are all just rumors," one strategist scoffed. "Who has actually witnessed them?"

"Exactly," another agreed. "Even Jiang Shuoye of the Northern Desert Army claimed to have received guidance from an immortal. We could also say that our prince has received immortal guidance..."

As he spoke, he suddenly paused.

The others seemed to have remembered something as well, all turning to look at Baili Yue.

A calculating glint flashed in Baili Yue’s eyes.

Indeed.

He had seen Senior Tutor Chu’s capabilities, but the man was merely capable of producing some miraculous inventions and possessed a few unusual abilities beyond ordinary people.

There were rumors he could produce food from nothing and command the wind and rain, but Baili Yue had never witnessed it himself—perhaps it was all exaggerated.

But the "deity" title was actually useful; even his own advisors were intimidated by it.

So, if a "deity" were to declare that Baili Yue should become emperor, wouldn’t launching a war then be justified?

There had been instances of "divine miracles" justifying the Mandate of Heaven before, but those were just mysterious claims made up during each emperor’s ascension to legitimize their rule.

There had never been a precedent of miracles appearing in a vassal prince’s domain.

If such a miracle were to occur in his Huguang region, wouldn’t that...

Baili Yue pushed down the rising emotions in his heart and forced himself to calm down, saying, "Senior Tutor Chu should indeed not be underestimated."

He needed to find an opportunity to remove him.

But he didn’t need to do it himself, because his low-key younger brother, Prince Dingbei, had said he had a way to keep Chu Jiubian in check.

He didn’t elaborate on how, but he seemed confident.

For now, they would wait and see what methods Prince Dingbei would employ.

Chu Jiubian was unaware that someone was already plotting against him. He had been busy all afternoon.

After reviewing the memorials, he took Baili Hong to the Imperial College. They wandered around, listened to the instructors he had trained lecturing the students, and then headed to the military camp outside the capital.

Qin Zhaoyang, who had just finished some tasks, joined them. Knowing they were going to see Qin Xiao, he took the reins himself instead of having the coachman drive.

The three of them left the palace and the city gates discreetly, with no one aware that the emperor was in the carriage.

The camp outside the capital wasn’t far; the carriage arrived in less than half an hour after leaving the city.

From a distance, Chu Jiubian and Baili Hong could hear the soldiers’ synchronized footsteps and thunderous shouts.

The repeated cries of "Kill!" sent chills down one’s spine.

"Sir, it’s so impressive!" Baili Hong excitedly leaned against the window to look outside.

Since the carriage bore the Qin family’s banner and was driven by Qin Zhaoyang, they entered the camp easily and were guided by soldiers to the training ground where Qin Xiao was.

Once inside, Baili Hong remained excited, continuously exclaiming "Wow!" as he watched the soldiers training outside.

Chu Jiubian patted his head and also looked out the window.

Qin Xiao had grown up in the military camp and only came to the capital in his teens, so he had naturally absorbed the skills of Grand Marshal Qin and the Qin generals.

Having led troops to victories in the northwest, training soldiers was second nature to him.

When the carriage stopped, Qin Zhaoyang lifted the curtain and said, "Your Majesty, Sir, we’ve arrived."

Chu Jiubian and Baili Hong stepped out of the carriage.

Looking up, they saw a vast training ground densely packed with soldiers.

However, they were all gathered in a circle, watching a fight taking place in the center.

From a distance and blocked by the crowd, Chu Jiubian couldn’t see what was happening.

Qin Zhaoyang escorted the two closer.

The nearby soldiers, recognizing Qin Zhaoyang, quickly made way. Seeing the ethereal figure in dark purple official robes and the exquisitely dressed but already imposing child behind him, they immediately realized their identities.

Their expressions changed, and they wanted to bow, but Chu Jiubian raised a hand to stop them.

The soldiers quietly cleared a path, allowing Chu Jiubian and the others to reach the front.

"Wow, it’s Uncle!" Baili Hong grabbed Chu Jiubian’s sleeve. "Sir, look! Uncle is amazing!"

Chu Jiubian had seen it as soon as they entered.

In the center of the open ground, Qin Xiao, dressed in black martial attire and holding a long spear, was surrounded by at least seven or eight soldiers armed with weapons, all attacking him together.

Yet the man moved steadily, his spear strikes fast and powerful.

Chu Jiubian noticed that Qin Xiao barely moved, but each thrust of his spear came dangerously close to taking a life.

Each time, he precisely controlled his strength, merely intimidating the soldiers.

The nearby soldiers, aware of Chu Jiubian and Baili Hong’s presence, were somewhat restrained, but the cheers from those farther away were almost deafening.

Chu Jiubian could hear Baili Hong excitedly chattering and felt his sleeve being tugged.

But he didn’t look down, his gaze fixed on the man in the center of the training ground.

The man’s aura was cold and fierce, his eyes tinged with a sinister intensity, vastly different from the person Chu Jiubian usually saw.

This version of Qin Xiao seemed more like the ruthless Prince Ning he was known to be.

All the soldiers in the circle were knocked down by Qin Xiao, waving their hands to signal they couldn’t continue.

Qin Xiao sheathed his spear, casually adjusted his robes, not even breaking a sweat.

He took two steps but suddenly paused, his gloomy eyes locking onto Chu Jiubian from afar, the gloom vanished.

Chu Jiubian blinked, then heard Qin Zhaoyang say hesitantly beside him, "Sir, you’re radiating quite an energy today."

Energy?

Chu Jiubian watched as Qin Xiao strode toward them.

The observing soldiers followed his gaze and finally noticed Chu Jiubian and Baili Hong, startled and unsure whether to bow.

Before they could react, Qin Xiao had already reached Chu Jiubian and the others. Qin Zhaoyang signaled for everyone to disperse and rest.

The vast training ground quickly emptied.

"What brings you here?" Qin Xiao’s eyes remained fixed on Chu Jiubian’s face.

The young boy looked up at his uncle’s tall figure and said happily, "Uncle, you’re amazing! You beat so many people all by yourself."

Qin Xiao finally looked down at him and smiled.

He crouched to meet the boy’s eyes and asked, "Do you want to learn?"

"Yes!" Baili Hong nodded eagerly.

"I’ll start teaching you next year," Qin Xiao said.

Baili Hong grew even more excited. "Then can I become as strong as you, Uncle?"

"Yes," said Qin Xiao. "Your Majesty will be even more skilled than me."

"Wow—"

Chu Jiubian looked down at the child who barely came up to his thigh, a smile playing on his lips.

The little one had been eating well every day and had indeed grown taller, but it would still be a long time before he could be as skilled as Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao raised his eyes to Chu Jiubian.

Meeting his gaze, Chu Jiubian asked, "Heading back together?"

Qin Xiao stood up and replied, "Not this time. I need to meet someone later."

"Who is it?"

Qin Xiao smiled. "Just someone unimportant."

Chu Jiubian raised an eyebrow but said nothing more. Qin Xiao, however, kept watching him.

When Chu Jiubian didn’t press further, Qin Xiao gave a slight smile.

The awkward tension was noticeable—not only to Qin Zhaoyang, but even Baili Hong sensed it.

The child looked from one to the other before finally turning to Qin Zhaoyang and blinking a couple of times.

Qin Zhaoyang gave an awkward smile and shook his head.

Perhaps the two masters were having a disagreement—or maybe not. He couldn't really tell.

"Then we’ll head back first," Chu Jiubian said, taking Baili Hong’s small hand.

Qin Xiao stood and watched as the three of them departed once more.

Before driving away, Qin Zhaoyang couldn’t help but glance back at Qin Xiao. He saw him propped against his spear, standing casually, as if he had reverted to the carefree playboy he once was in the capital—nothing like the authoritative Prince Ning.

Yet Qin Zhaoyang shivered.

Others might not know, but those close to him understood: whenever their lord carried himself so casually or wore that mocking smile, it meant his mood was particularly foul.

***

After returning to the palace, Chu Jiubian ate dinner with Baili Hong and took a walk after dinner.

Later, the child excitedly pulled him into the main hall and proudly showed him a stack of papers. Pointing at the different characters written on them, he said, "Teacher, look—I plan to have these characters made into seals and give them to the Imperial College scholars."

Chu Jiubian was surprised. "Why?"

"Because they all like me very much, and I like them too. I want to do something for them," the child said, beaming.

Chu Jiubian looked through the papers and could see the care the child had taken—every stroke was carefully written, striving for perfection.

Every character on the papers was the name of one of the scholars.

Chu Jiubian looked up at the child’s innocent smile, hesitated to speak.

"Teacher?" Baili Hong noticed his hesitation and asked, "Is something wrong?"

"Not exactly that," Chu Jiubian said, reaching out to him.

Baili Hong immediately dove into his arms, hugging him with a chuckle.

Chu Jiubian smiled and ruffled his hair, speaking as gently as possible, "It's not wrong to value talented people, nor is it wrong to accept kindness from others and return it in kind."

"But you must be prepared," Chu Jiubian's eyes darkened slightly. "People can change. If you put too much of yourself into it now, you may get hurt in the future."

Baili Hong listened attentively and nodded, saying, "Sir, I understand. But I'm not afraid of getting hurt."

Chu Jiubian lowered his gaze to look at him.

The young boy looked up at him with clear, bright eyes: "My uncle said that one should never lose the ability to love others. Even an emperor should retain the capacity to trust and care for people."

Chu Jiubian was taken aback.

"It's a beautiful thing to have someone you care about. No matter what happens in the future, the joy and warmth of the present are real," Baili Hong said in his childlike voice, parroting Qin Xiao's words. "When I look back on it later, I will still be happy."

Chu Jiubian stared at him, momentarily lost in thought.

He felt as though he didn't quite understand those words, yet somehow, he felt he grasped something.

As dusk fell, Hong Fu, who had returned from his duties, took Baili Hong to wash up and prepare for bed. Chu Jiubian also returned to his bedroom.

Xiao Xiangzi and the others were no longer regularly assigned to Yaotai Residence these days, spending most of their time at the Hall of Mental Cultivation instead.

Having finished his duties for the day, Xiao Xiangzi attended to Chu Jiubian's washing up.

As always, Chu Jiubian didn't want help while washing up, only calling them in to tidy up after he was done.

Xiao Xiangzi poured him a cup of water and, together with Xiao Jinzi and Xiao Yinzi, cleaned up the water splashed on the floor. He chattered casually about the day's events at the Directorate of Ceremonial, his lively chatter filling the room.

Chu Jiubian listened with interest.

Perhaps influenced by Baili Hong's words, he looked at these familiar faces with a slightly different perspective, feeling an even greater sense of closeness.

"Oh, by the way," Xiao Xiangzi said, "I saw His Lordship earlier. He was sitting on the rockery in the imperial garden, not saying a word—gave me quite a start."

Chu Jiubian paused while drying his hair. "Qin Xiao was in the imperial garden?"

"Yes," Xiao Xiangzi said, puzzled. "At first, His Lordship told me not to tell you he was there, but after I had walked a few steps away, he said there was no need to hide it from you."

Chu Jiubian fell into thought.

After Xiao Xiangzi and the others left, the room grew quiet.

Chu Jiubian sat in front of the mirror for a long while before finally getting up and going straight to bed.

Only one lamp was lit in the room.

Some time later, the bedroom door opened.

Chu Jiubian looked over and saw the man's tall figure.

Qin Xiao first glanced into the inner room and, seeing that Chu Jiubian seemed to be asleep, quietly washed up in the outer room.

After finishing, he reentered the bedroom and carefully lay down on the bed.

Chu Jiubian lay with his back to him, awake but not turning around.

He could feel Qin Xiao looking at him.

After what felt like an eternity, he heard Qin Xiao give a low chuckle before he was pulled into the man’s warm embrace.

"Aren’t you going to ask me who I saw tonight?" Qin Xiao asked.

Chu Jiubian remained silent.

Qin Xiao moved closer, propping himself up slightly, and reached out to touch Chu Jiubian’s face.

Chu Jiubian didn’t pull away.

The man’s rough fingertips lingered on his lips before he murmured, "I didn’t meet anyone else. There’s no one worth meeting."

Chu Jiubian still said nothing.

Qin Xiao continued, "Not like you, Young Master—you have so many people you can trust."

Chu Jiubian—"..."