Chapter 100

Chapter 100

As the voice faded, Ying Fusheng followed the sound and saw a man around thirty years old entering with a servant from the residence.

He had the bearing of a scholar, refined and elegant, dressed in plain white robes. A hint of scholarly integrity showed in his features, yet his demeanor carried a touch of nobility. He paused behind Assistant Prefect Fei, and, upon being introduced, bowed respectfully, and first greeted Prince Jin before turning to Ying Fusheng: "Fei Xun, a commoner, has long admired Prince Yan. To meet you today is an immense honor."

Prince Jin's expression darkened at the sight of him, but he soon smiled and said, "What brings you here, Elder Master Fei?"

"Your Highnesses, I learned of your intention to audit accounts and root out corrupt officials to bring justice for the merchants and commoners. After hearing of the incident at court, I immediately had my household accounts brought here. I was unable to appear in court in time to present them, but now the accounts are organized, and I have come specially to deliver them to both princes." Elder Master Fei spoke calmly. He turned his head, and the Fei family servants hurriedly brought in two large chests of account books. "There are many accounts. If either prince has questions, I am willing to offer explanations."

Everyone present knew the value of those chests of accounts. The Fei family had sealed the city and come to visit in person—this was undoubtedly a countermove against Prince Yan's courtroom actions. That he could still come with a smile, putting on a full show of courtesy, was likely aimed at Prince Jin himself.

Assistant Prefect Fei had already stepped back. Prince Jin looked at the two Fei family members, set his fan aside, and. The guards of the Prince Jin residence had appeared on both sides of the reception hall, each armed, watching Elder Master Fei warily.

"Regarding the salt case, the Marquis of Cenzhou is also deeply concerned about turmoil among Jiangnan officials. Assassins daring to kill a court official in broad daylight are a grave matter. If the killers lurk and pose too great a threat, the Marquis is willing to offer his support to Huaizhou." Elder Master Fei showed no fear of the palace guards' intimidation, speaking softly. He was referring to the Marquis of Cenzhou, one of the three prefectures in Jiangnan, and his words were full of bargaining chips.

Ying Fusheng quietly watched the measured exchange between the two. Assistant Prefect Fei could order the city sealed, but Prince Jin could also lift the lockdown.

As events unfolded, how the salt and corruption cases would be investigated was ultimately a game between the Fei family and Zhang Wuyong. Yet this game clearly favored the Fei family. However, this time, the incident at court had involved the common people. Once Prince Jin intervened, the case could no longer be settled as the Fei family wished.

Whether Prince Jin lifted the lockdown would indicate which side he and the princes and marquises backing him would take.

Having been here so long, Ying Fusheng could see clearly how his Royal Uncle, Prince Jin, maneuvered among the various powers of Jiangnan, maintaining balance in the officialdom. The Fei family obviously no longer wanted to drag things out with Prince Jin. They intended to use the city lockdown to force him to fully commit to their side. Once Prince Jin made that decision, the situation would be reduced to black and white.

"There's no one else here. You two can speak freely." Ying Fusheng picked up the hot tea beside him and took a small sip. "Forging an official's handwriting, murdering someone in the street to frame them—Master Fei, you are clever and quite confident."

Elder Master Fei looked at Ying Fusheng, his gaze gentle and sincere. "I have long heard of Prince Yan's wisdom. But thinking back, at age eleven, you schemed to drive your foster mother mad and bring the Ning family to ruin; at fourteen, you toppled the Xu family. Which prince in the court is as shrewd as you? It's just a pity that circumstances went awry back then. Otherwise, you would now be the Crown Prince of Dayuan, backed by the full power of the Xu clan, rather than this sickly frame, kept in Jiangling by the Emperor under the pretense of caring for you. Prince, I find it unfair on your behalf."

"You desire the highest throne, exhaust yourself to do good for the people, yet are constantly suspected by the Emperor. Which prince in the court surpasses you?"

At the mention of the Crown Prince of Dayuan, Prince Jin's expression shifted slightly. He glanced at Ying Fusheng beside him. The young man's face was calm, unmoved by this shocking declaration, as if he had long known it. "Elder Master Fei, are you really treating this residence as a stage, daring to say whatever you please?"

"I have overstepped," Elder Master Fei said.

"I simply regret it. If the Sixth Prince had stayed safe in the capital, how good that would be. Jiangnan is so dangerous, yet you came in person. Perhaps the scenery here is so beautiful it made you linger."

"It's getting late. Both princes, please rest well. I take my leave." Elder Master Fei said.

Prince Jin nodded. Ying Fusheng remained silent.

Elder Master Fei left the Prince Jin residence. At the gate, he glanced at the watchers scattered in the night. A man stepped forward from the shadows. "Reporting to Elder Master, everything is arranged."

"Putting on such a display may anger Prince Jin," Assistant Prefect Fei said.

Outside the gate, Zhou Qingyuan walked out. "Prince Jin won't act rashly. As long as he wants stability in Jiangnan, he'll remain neutral. Besides, the Sixth Prince may not trust him."

"Since we can't kill him, the best way is to keep him under surveillance." Elder Master Fei's gaze turned cold.

Ying Fusheng was someone to be wary of. If allowed to go elsewhere in Jiangnan, he could use Merchant Liu to crack the salt administration, and he would use others to break the Jiangnan setup. "As for Prince Jin, intercept all his secret letters. The troops he can mobilize in Huaizhou are limited. We can't let them have anyone to use."

Since he came to us himself, let him be our captive in Huaizhou.

...

The Fei family's chests of accounts sat there. Once they left, the reception hall quieted.

Prince Jin did not rise to leave. Ying Fusheng's gaze drifted into the distance. "What does Your Highness think now?"

The palace servants departed. Prince Jin waved his hand to dismiss his attendants, leaving only Ying Fusheng and him in the hall. "With your guards gone, aren't you worried staying here, nephew? Aren't you afraid I might have other plans?"

"The only people who can come into this Prince Jin's manor are those approved by you, Uncle." Ying Fusheng said. "His informants only venture to operate outside the manor, which shows that this place is temporarily beyond his reach."

Prince Jin smiled. "You trust me that much? Aren't you afraid I might have tricked you into coming to Huaizhou?"

"During the snow disaster in the three prefectures of Jiangnan years ago, an urgent report was sent to the capital from Prince Jin's manor. After that, I had Liu Dafu manipulate the grain market to target wealthy merchants across the three prefectures. Given the Fei family's standing in Jiangnan, my plan back then should not have succeeded." Ying Fusheng couldn't have predicted back then that the mastermind had such an extensive network in Jiangnan—Ying Fusheng's only goal was disaster relief. From afar in the capital, he couldn't foresee everything. "The manipulation of the grain merchants back then—the only one with enough influence to pull the strings and bypass the Fei family was you, Uncle."

Prince Jin dropped his playful demeanor. The young man's expression was calm, and despite the imminent threat from the Fei family, he showed no agitation, expertly masking all emotions. Prince Jin had met many people in Jiangnan and had seen this imperial nephew a few times, each encounter offering a new insight: "Just from one urgent report?"

Ying Fusheng said, "The disaster relief efforts after the Jiangnan snowstorm years ago caused a setback for the Deposed Crown Prince's faction, which the Fei family supported. Given Fei Xun's vengeful nature, he would have set his sights on you, Uncle. I suspect that after the snow disaster, Fei Xun made a move against you."

Years ago, Jiangnan's situation hadn't reached its current state. Even in his past life, the biggest issue in Jiangnan was the perennial problem of corrupt officials and gentry. But in this life, since the downfall of the Deposed Crown Prince and the Xu family's power, it triggered an explosion of long-buried dangers beneath the Dayuan Dynasty.

Prince Jin had sent the urgent report to the court, indicating that he originally trusted the imperial government.

But the result of that trust was a rapid deterioration of the Jiangnan officialdom, especially after he realized the collusion between the Deposed Crown Prince and the Fei family. The factional strife in the distant capital was extremely dangerous—one wrong move on his part could lead to the breach of the Jiangling dikes.

"So you sent Wang Guanzhi to me." Ying Fusheng said softly.

Prince Jin didn't respond, just looked at him.

A man far away in the capital, with nothing more than Jiangling as his foothold in the south, and before that, he had nothing at all. Yet these secret plots and schemes were laid bare before his eyes. Others only saw Prince Jin's manor navigating Jiangnan officialdom with ease, unaware that many of the princes and marquises who once stood behind Prince Jin had been turned by the Fei family over the years. The balance that once kept the Jiangnan officialdom in check had gradually tilted.

"Fei Xun said one thing right."

Prince Jin remarked, "None of the princes in the court can match you."

"Beyond the open struggles you've seen between Assistant Prefect Fei and Zhang Zhizhong in the Jiangnan officialdom, there are also internal conflicts among the princes and marquises." Prince Jin's tone grew more serious, his gaze fixed outside the reception hall. "Originally, I thought it wouldn't be difficult to suppress the Fei family in Jiangnan. But after the snow disaster years ago, the Fei family forged a shadow alliance."

The night deepened as Prince Jin spoke, and a realization had already formed in Ying Fusheng's mind.

"Prince of Qin."

Among the southern princes and marquises, the most powerful were none other than Prince Jin and Prince of Qin. If the Jiangnan officialdom hadn't been infiltrated to this extent, with the Yingtian Prefecture leading and Prince Jin backing it from behind, coordinating with the capital to deal with the Fei family wouldn't have been a problem. But once Prince of Qin entered the game, the stable situation would be broken.

Jiangling lies at the border between two regions. When grain and supplies were sent to the Prince of Qin's manor in Western Shu, Prince of Qin had already overstepped his bounds to interfere in the Jiangnan officialdom and had close ties with the Fei family. If the court learned of this, Prince of Qin's actions would amount to treason, and the princes and marquises in Jiangnan who had dealings with Prince of Qin and the Fei family would fear being uprooted.

The hot tea in front of Prince Jin had gone cold. "Nephew, how do you plan to handle this situation?"

The web the Fei family had spun was supported behind the scenes by the princes and marquises standing behind them—a nearly unsolvable puzzle. The purge that would follow the Fei family's downfall would engulf the entire south. Prince Jin naturally saw that Ying Fusheng had defused several internal conflicts instigated by the Fei family. That was why he had sent someone to Jiangling with a letter before Ying Fusheng arrived in Huaizhou. "You have resolved these internal conflicts one after another, but behind the Fei family stand these princes and marquises—and Prince of Qin in Western Shu. No matter how many times you defuse these situations, they will never let this go."

A trace of weariness appeared on Ying Fusheng's face. Without realizing it, he had leaned back against the soft cushion. Even though people outside could storm in with nothing to lose at any moment and kill him, the composure he had shown facing Fei Xun moments ago had vanished, replaced by an almost cold expression.

"That depends on how many men you have, Uncle, and whether you're willing to come over to my side."

He looked up, and the night was reflected in his pupils.

The moon shone brightly tonight.