At the Song Manor, Song Yan actively sought out Li Fuzhen, and they strolled together within the manor grounds. The spirited and impetuous Song Huangmei had gone through many trials and tribulations, daring to confront such ill fortune head-on, before finally obediently removing her sword and learning embroidery and needlework like the other ladies. After carefully considering his words, Song Yan spoke slowly, “Dear niece, allow me to begin with some possibly dull tangential matters. Once your uncle finishes speaking, you can return and explain to the Governor why Huangnan Prefecture has undergone such drastic changes. With the recent upheaval in the Lin Prefecture bureaucracy, if I were not the Governor’s disciple, but rather an aide to the Lin Prefecture General, then putting myself in the Prince’s perspective, there would be three strategies—superior, medium, and inferior—to address the situation. The inferior strategy seeks to quell dissent through mass killings, further divided into three levels: inferior, medium, and superior. The lowest level of this inferior strategy involves killing many minor officials, a foolish and shortsighted approach that only serves to completely dispirit the people of Lin Prefecture. Not only would the local officials view the Lin Prefecture General as inept, but even the scholars from other regions watching from the sidelines would feel they had married the wrong man. If today they can kill the troublemakers, tomorrow they can kill anyone else. With such uncertainty, what good is a temporary official position? The medium level of the inferior strategy involves killing several influential officials like myself. This is somewhat better because the minor officials were not the masterminds behind the chaos in Lin Prefecture—they were incited by officials of a similar rank to mine, both civil and military officers, entrenched local power brokers. With their covert instructions, Lin Prefecture became a den of corruption. Whether it’s killing me, a certain Prefect, or cutting off the limbs of General Long Qing of Huaihua Prefecture, the outcome would not differ much. The minor officials, frightened and timid, would fall silent, and Lin Prefecture’s bureaucracy could enjoy a brief respite. However, this strategy still isn’t sustainable. Once the Lin Prefecture General departs, Lin Prefecture will revert to its former state. This is akin to the dynasty’s approach to dealing with corrupt officials—treating the symptoms but not the root cause. Like wild grass growing back after spring winds, it cannot eradicate the problem completely. The superior level of the inferior strategy is simple: kill just one person.”
Li Fuzhen had never been interested in bureaucratic affairs, but as the Prefect spoke eloquently, she found herself listening without boredom. However, Song Yan’s next sentence left her horrified and pale. “That one person is your father, the Governor. Killing anyone else would not be as effective in intimidating Lin Prefecture as killing him. If the Governor, whose rank equals that of the Beiliang Protector, can be assassinated, who else would be safe from the Prince’s wrath? Moreover, you surely know how your father governs. In the bureaucracy, burning bridges behind you is always bloody, never bloodier. In the Liyang court, the Song family, known for having three outstanding members and two scholars, and the Han family, who have guarded the Jizhou border for generations, are both genuine pillars of the dynasty—upright officials and meritorious servants of the realm. Compared to your father, they were still executed. To put it bluntly, with all the treasures the Li family has hoarded, if their property is confiscated, the border troops could enjoy a New Year feast with meat and fish. The Li family owns twenty or thirty pawnshops, with countless bribes flowing in from subordinates. Rare treasures, antiques, calligraphy, and paintings enter their hands left and right, sold at high prices through the pawnshops. Not to mention they have two mounted caravans, each with over a hundred men, engaged in the salt and iron trade and tea and horse exchanges. Therefore, when I first heard that the Prince had assumed command of Lin Prefecture General, my first thought was that the Xu family was preparing to deal with your Li family. I even sent a secret letter to the border, asking if your elder brother, Li Hanlin, had been placed under house arrest. I don’t know whether my mentor was blinded by proximity or overly trusted the old friendship between the Xu and Li families…”
Li Fuzhen finally spoke, “My family won’t fall into such destitution.”
Song Yan smiled and said something strange, “If your mentor had said those words, your uncle might not have believed them.”
Li Fuzhen looked puzzled, and Song Yan continued, “The Prince did not use any of these inferior strategies to resolve Lin Prefecture’s crisis, which was unexpected. Because the superior and medium strategies above the inferior ones require precise timing; even the slightest misstep could lead to thankless failure. The medium strategy involves controlling people, killing strategically, and creating and leveraging momentum. The superior strategy is for the Prince not to act directly as Lin Prefecture General, but to use the Prestige of the Beiliang King to pressure the Governor, Zhong Hongwu, and others layer by layer. Then, working with new arrivals like Huang Shang from Beiliang, he could push from the bottom up, creating a dynamic where the minor officials, caught between the two forces, would follow the tide and behave themselves. However, such a strategy, though meticulous, would take time to bear fruit—no less than a year or two. Since the Prince inexplicably chose the medium strategy, which is more aggressive than the superior but more moderate than the inferior, your uncle, who harbors ambitions beyond being a mere prefect, now has an opportunity. Besides my personal ambitions, there is one matter I must ask you to convey to the Governor: the one needing to tarnish his reputation is not me, but your mentor himself. I am not yet so high-ranking that my reputation needs to be sacrificed. On the contrary, it is time for your mentor to reduce his own power. It is timely for me to leave the Li family’s fold.”
Li Fuzhen softly said, “I don’t know how much of what you’ve said is true, nor do I know whether these strategies are good or bad. I only remember my father once privately said that Uncle Song governs worse than him, but your understanding of the situation surpasses his. However, Beiliang is small, so Uncle Song can only use two of the three elements—strategy, authority, and power.”
Song Yan was taken aback, then sighed heavily after a long pause, “My mentor truly understands me.”
Li Fuzhen looked into the distance and asked, “Minister Song, is the Prince, like you, a clever man?”
Song Yan, having recently pledged allegiance to the Lin Prefecture General, naturally avoided giving a direct answer out of respect, merely saying, “I wouldn’t dare speculate before, but now that I’ve dealt with him, I understand a little. In Beiliang, no one has tarnished his reputation more than him.”
Since Li Fuzhen addressed him as “Minister Song” instead of “Uncle Song,” Song Yan understood that his bond with her family had come to an end. He said calmly, “Let me say one last heartfelt word: Guo Fufeng is someone who can only share prosperity, but whether he can endure hardship… I suppose I was thinking too much. The Li family probably won’t face collapse.”
Li Fuzhen showed no anger on her face, gracefully curtsied, and slowly departed.
In the secret chamber of the Huangnan Prefecture mansion, Han Shang had been flayed and stripped nearly to death, yet still refused to utter a word.
Xu Fengnian washed his hands in a basin, watching the thick, blood-stained water ripple slightly, and sighed, “Indeed, not everyone can become a great spy.”
Hong Shuwen stood beside him, shuddering in fear, while Xu Yanbing remained calm.
Hong Shuwen glanced at the Prince’s still slightly reddened hands, “Shall I fetch another basin of water?”
Xu Fengnian nodded.
After Hong Shuwen left to fetch more water, Xu Yanbing spoke softly, “Your Highness, if I’m not mistaken, this is Han Diaosi’s unique silk-extraction technique?”
Xu Fengnian, not hiding anything from this loyal elder, pointed to his head and smiled, “After Han Shengxuan was killed in Shenwu City, I used some unconventional methods involving his head to learn a few things. Earlier in the Northern Barbarian lands, I also benefited greatly from killing Di Wuhe. However, after Liu Haoshi used celestial techniques to strip away the foundation of my Great Huangting cultivation, my cultivation is insufficient, and although I know how to use many techniques, I simply cannot execute them. It’s like a lowly swordsman memorizing every move of the Two-Sleeve Green Snake technique but lacking the strength to wield it properly. Among the four levels of the First-Rank, I’ve experienced three false stages, perhaps even four. There’s nothing to regret—I’m the first and last of my kind.”
Xu Yanbing said no more.
Hong Shuwen returned with a basin of clean water, and only then did Xu Fengnian completely wash his hands clean, shaking off the droplets. With a mere thought, seven or eight flying swords emerged one by one from Han Shang’s body, skipped across the water basin like stones, and disappeared into his sleeve. These delicate little toys, once their sword embryos were fully matured, required no inner energy to function, making them effortless for Xu Fengnian to wield—truly at his command.
Xu Fengnian left the secret chamber and returned to the courtyard. The previous suspects among the Huangnan Prefecture spies—those who had been cleared—were now carrying out covert operations methodically. Some acted as bait, others as distractions, while Wang Tongque had vanished. Although this courtyard had been a life-or-death situation, for the spies who were not part of the main group, especially those near the border, such events were quite ordinary. Once, in You Prefecture, a spy network had grown so absurdly infiltrated that Chu Lushan was forced to personally lead six hundred cavalry to surround and eliminate them. Out of seventeen operatives, only one remained loyal to Beiliang—the rest were either Northern Barbarian infiltrators or had been coerced or lured into betraying Beiliang. Chu Lushan, facing them alone, made a self-deprecating remark: “I’m honored to announce that with my addition, you now have only two enemies.”
Of course, the Southern Court of the Northern Barbarians wasn’t faring much better than Beiliang.
Xu Fengnian moved a chair and sat beneath the eaves, quietly awaiting the arrival of the Youjun and Ying Shi.
According to the intelligence report, the three nests in Huangnan Prefecture—one old, one older, and one new—were located in a Daoist temple, a gang, and a pleasure house. During the Spring and Autumn Wars, pleasure houses across the warring states were hotbeds for spies, a cliché so obvious that when Chu Lushan took control of intelligence, he scoffed, saying that if you arrested the top courtesans in ten pleasure houses, two or three of them would surely be spies. By the later stages of the war, few fools still engaged in such work. First, cultivating elite female spies was difficult enough, let alone those who were also exceptionally beautiful. Second, everyone already knew that pleasure houses were prime locations for gathering intelligence, so local spies kept a tight watch on courtesans. Any suspicion, however slight, would lead to immediate action—better to kill an innocent than let a guilty one escape. But now that the smoke of war had cleared, female spies were once again hiding in pleasure houses, though their numbers were still limited. Xu Fengnian leaned back in his chair beneath the eaves, slowly recalling Dunhuang City and Wu Meiniang.
Compared to Jiangnan, the night fell late in Beiliang. Xu Fengnian looked up at the quiet, serene dusk. The Northern Barbarian spies, still unaware of their impending doom thanks to Han Shang and Heili’s protection, would live a few more hours.
A series of knocks, cleverly coded, echoed through the courtyard.
Hong Shuwen, who handled odd jobs, went to open the gate.
Xu Fengnian turned his gaze and smiled—he recognized the visitor.
The visitor, upon seeing the Prince, showed genuine delight on his face.
Xu Fengnian knew him as Ren Shanyu, a woman with a youthful face and a pair of battle axes, in her thirties yet still possessing the looks of a girl. Most strikingly, her bosom was exceptionally full. In Shenwu City, she had nearly died at the hands of the “Cat Man.”
Indeed, under the legendary invincibility of Han Wudi, the so-called “Land Immortal Below Heaven,” anyone could die at any moment.
Xu Fengnian smiled at the woman who had knelt before him, gently saying, “Ren Shanyu, this time you’re leading forty Ying Shi into Huangnan Prefecture? That’s quite a promotion—congratulations.”
The woman, hearing the Prince speak her name, beamed with a bright smile, revealing a pair of mischievous little tiger teeth that belied her age. It was hard to imagine that such a charming little woman, after chopping people down like melons and vegetables with her axes, would casually wipe blood off the blades using her own bosom. She blushed and said, “Your Highness, it’s actually Wang Lin who leads the team this time. I’m just a scout, like a military scout. The Youjun have already made contact with Wang Tongque. Wang Lin and the others will enter the city at precisely the first hour of the You period.”
Xu Fengnian nodded and had Hong Shuwen bring a chair for the woman. She looked as if she had received an unimaginable reward, her face a mixture of joy and nervousness, sitting down lightly, only placing half her bottom on the chair. Xu Fengnian chuckled, “You’ve only been promoted to a minor rank? That doesn’t match your contributions. Shall I speak on your behalf?”
The woman, who once led a band of outlaws at Jinzishan and had blood on her hands, fidgeted nervously, her earlobes turning red. She tried to calm herself, preventing her ample bosom from trembling too much, and said solemnly, “I was born into a lowly household in the Eastern Yue. If Beiliang hadn’t taken me in at age nine and made me a spy, I would have died long ago. I’m also clumsy—I’ve made two mistakes that cost us military opportunities. In any other place, I would have been executed for shame. I’m content just to be alive.”
Xu Fengnian rested his elbow on the armrest of the chair, leaning his cheek on his hand with a smile, “I didn’t expect Lutou’er to still have a bit of humanity left.”
Hearing the Prince speak so casually about General Chu, whom all the spies in Beiliang revered like a god, Ren Shanyu thought she had committed a grave offense and was about to stand up and kneel again in fear.
Xu Fengnian gently waved his other hand, “I was just kidding. Don’t be so tense.”
Ren Shanyu sat back down on the chair, even more reluctant to speak.
Bravely, Ren Shanyu stole a glance at Xu Fengnian and saw the Prince smiling with his eyes half-closed, his expression enchanting.
She clenched her hands tightly in her lap, sweat pouring down her face, with words stuck in her throat.
Xu Fengnian sighed helplessly, “Say what you want to say.”
Ren Shanyu gritted her teeth, lowered her head, and murmured, “Your Highness, I have only one wish in my entire life.”
Xu Fengnian turned to look at her, curious, “Tell me about it.”
She lifted her head, spoke the sentence, and then slumped back into the chair, finally sitting fully on it this time.
Hong Shuwen wanted to laugh but dared not, struggling to suppress it.
Hong Hengzi secretly admired this woman from the bottom of his heart.
She actually dared to tease the Prince.
Her wish was that before she died, she wanted the Prince to personally touch her bosom, saying it was the only thing she had to offer.
Then, for some unknown reason, Hong Shuwen, upon seeing the woman’s determined and clear gaze, felt a vague and indescribable sadness.
Xu Fengnian leaned forward and gently tidied a strand of hair from her temple.
Then he withdrew his hand, gazing into the distance, muttering to himself, “On the way here to Huangnan Prefecture, I kept thinking—whether it’s worth going through all these twists and turns in Lin Prefecture, dealing with those who only follow rules but not reason. I follow both rules and reason and even care for emotions. But now I understand.”
The woman, who had momentarily forgotten her shyness, clearly didn’t understand what the Prince was saying.
Xu Fengnian’s lips curled into a smile, “No need to touch—I already know yours is very…”
He paused for a long time before finally uttering the two words.
“Magnificent.”
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