Lu Baijie and Cao Changqing arrived together at Xieyi Garden, and Xu Fengnian was deeply impressed by the courage of Master Tangxi. Even he himself regarded Cao Qingyi as a ferocious beast, and the Lu family’s foundation lay in Jiangnan. Though thousands of miles from the capital, it could never rival Beiliang’s remoteness from imperial authority. Now that the powerful aristocratic families were waning, their focus had shifted from external strategies to internal conflicts. The emperor’s control over these noble clans had become increasingly effective. If the Lus were discovered to have any association with Cao Changqing, it might cost the family head, Lu Daolin, his prestigious position as the head of the National Academy, and it might even endanger his life.
Therefore, with Lu Baijie and Cao Changqing gracing the banquet, the evening gathering at Xieyi Garden became even more lively. At this table, two were ranked among the martial experts, and with the addition of the Tangxi Sword Immortal, the gathering could easily intimidate the martial world. Two-thirds of the dishes were from Beiliang, while one-third were classic Jiangnan delicacies. The porcelain bowls and plates were all crafted in Jiangnan’s grand kilns. During the Spring and Autumn Period, it was not customary to inscribe bowls with calligraphy, but now that peace had returned, the practice of engraving characters on porcelain had revived. Cao Changqing gazed down at the red inscription “Tian Di Tong Chun” (Spring Shared by Heaven and Earth) on a small porcelain bowl with a purple rim and iron feet. He sighed, his expression filled with regret. Porcelain was fragile, and when the bowl shattered, so too would the words. How could this be considered a refined act? Yet outsiders, unaware of Cao Changqing’s scholarly sentiments, mistook his demeanor as the unfathomable thoughts of a high cultivator.
Xu Zhihu sat Xu Fengnian on her left and Jiang Ni on her right, showing no favoritism as she served them both. Occasionally, the Beiliang heir and the Princess Taiping would reach for the same dish. In the past, Xu Fengnian would have to fight tooth and nail to win. This time, however, Jiang Ni was like a frost-stricken eggplant, withdrawing her chopsticks as soon as Xu Fengnian reached out. The meal was uneventful. At this table, the one who appeared most serene and calm was Yu Youwei. Anyone with clear eyes could see that Xu Zhihu did not hold her in affection, and since entering the Lu estate, they hadn’t even exchanged a single word.
After the lavish banquet, Xu Zhihu took her younger brother for a walk, while Jiang Ni, Old Sword Immortal Cao Qingyi, and Lu Baijie remained in Xieyi Garden to enjoy the cool evening. Sitting in a lakeside pavilion, Xu Zhihu expressed her concern, “Cao Changqing is determined to take Jiang Ni.”
Xu Fengnian rubbed his face, and seeing no one else nearby, he replied calmly, “Cao Guanzi has declared that if we hand over his Princess Taiping, he will kill Chen Zhibao.”
Xu Zhihu gasped, frowning, “Truly?”
Xu Fengnian said wryly, “With Cao Guanzi’s status, would he joke with a junior like me?”
Xu Zhihu murmured to herself, “Do you think this might be the path our father had planned all along?”
Xu Fengnian frowned, “Sister, you mean to say Xu Xiao foresaw this day? Could he have planned for an outsider like Cao Guanzi to break the deadlock? That seems almost too clever. You know how terrible Xu Xiao is at playing chess—he can barely hold his own against Wang Jijiu from Shangyin Academy. Besides, Xu Xiao might not even have the resolve to kill Chen Zhibao.”
Xu Zhihu thought for a moment and carefully replied, “If Chen Zhibao is in a position where he could be killed or spared, keeping him alive allows you time to grow and challenge him. But if there’s a firm intent to kill him, having you act as the executioner might establish your authority, though it would greatly weaken Beiliang. Besides being an adopted son, Chen Zhibao is the second most powerful figure in Beiliang after our father. The White-Clothed War Immortal is no ordinary man. He was willing to be our father’s adopted son, but he might not be content to be your stepping stone. If Beiliang falls into internal chaos, the court will have no more fears. Zhang Julu and Gu Jiantang are bitter enemies, yet they have been secretly cooperating for some time. If Chen Zhibao escapes, it won’t just fracture Beiliang and demoralize the army; he could become the next Gu Jiantang!”
Xu Fengnian nodded with a smile, “Indeed, Gu Jiantang could never defeat Xu Xiao, but that doesn’t mean Chen Zhibao, striking out on his own, couldn’t best me, a mediocre heir. It seems Cao Guanzi’s intervention serves Beiliang’s long-term interests best. Either Xu Xiao had guidance from someone as wise as Li Yishan, or he simply made a wild, unprincipled move that somehow worked.”
Xu Zhihu softly asked, “Fengnian, are you planning to let her go?”
Xu Fengnian turned to gaze at the evening sky, muttering, “If I say no, it would seem like stubborn pride. Anyone can recklessly confront Cao Changqing, at the cost of their life. But I can’t do that. After all, Xu Xiao is getting old; I can’t keep adding to his burdens. Moreover, this matter of my private friendship with Cao Changqing has surely crossed the emperor’s red line. Even if Xu Xiao dares not take full responsibility, this time we’ve been truly cornered by Cao Changqing, who has struck precisely where it hurts most. He must be certain that I’m not truly fearless and ignorant, and by dangling the bait of killing the White-Clothed Chen, he must be secretly delighted.”
Xu Zhihu asked softly, “Do you really like that girl?”
Xu Fengnian grinned mischievously, “How could I not? I’ve watched her grow up over the years, and she’s become more beautiful every day. I never tire of looking at her, so of course I like her.”
Xu Zhihu sighed, “Is it just liking?”
Xu Fengnian hesitated, as if the question had never occurred to him.
Xu Zhihu gently touched her brother’s brow and asked with a smile, “I’m curious, who do you really fear?”
Xu Fengnian laughed, “Of course, I fear you being unhappy and my second sister getting angry.”
Xu Zhihu shook her head, “I’m not talking about that. I mean someone you truly fear, someone who keeps you awake at night.”
Xu Fengnian hesitated before slowly saying, “I fear the emperor. I fear that he might eventually grow tired of using others to kill and decide to take matters into his own hands.”
Xu Zhihu nodded in agreement. If the emperor were merely an ordinary wise ruler, it would be one thing, but the reality was far more complicated. His diligence bordered on obsession. Normally, such relentless dedication to governance was only seen in founding emperors who rose from humble beginnings. Yet since ascending the throne, he had ruled as diligently as a farmer who had spent his life saving to buy a few acres of land. His dedication was so intense that the emperor’s study was almost always lit through the night until the third watch, prompting rumors that the powerful eunuch Han Diaosi had repeatedly risked his life to advise the emperor to spend more time with his consorts. Once, when summoning a Jiangnan relative to the palace, the emperor composed a poem in which he humorously remarked that while officials slept, he remained awake, and before they rose, he had already risen. When this poem spread, no one in the court dared question Chancellor Zhang Julu’s reforms. Such a capable and tireless ruler—how could any powerful minister not fear him? Loyal ministers feared corrupt rulers, but powerful ministers feared wise ones. The saying, “With each new emperor, come new ministers,” was merely a more refined version of the saying, “Once the rabbit is dead, the hunting dog is boiled.” It revealed the truth—how many old ministers accompanied their old lords to the underworld to continue their “loyalty”?
Xu Fengnian continued, “I fear Xu Xiao.”
Xu Zhihu was surprised and teased, “Strange! Anyone in the world could fear the King of Beiliang, but even you fear our father?”
Xu Fengnian murmured, “I fear him growing old.”
Xu Zhihu fell silent.
Xu Fengnian said calmly, “Then I fear Chen Zhibao turning against us.”
Xu Zhihu nodded, this answer making sense. Chen Zhibao was a master of both commanding generals and leading troops. Except for his lack of seniority, he was no less capable than the King of Beiliang, Xu Xiao. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have earned the titles of “War Immortal” and “Little Butcher.” In terms of ruthlessness toward enemies, he even surpassed Xu Xiao. Such a hero was a blessing as a friend but a curse as an enemy. Before the Xilei Wall, the sight of Jiang Bingsheng’s wife and children dragged to death with blood trickling from his lips was not recorded in any official or unofficial history, but after the Spring and Autumn Period, all those who witnessed it carried the memory with dread. In Shangyin Academy, a master of military strategy once admitted that if both Chen Zhibao and the remaining military genius Gu Jiantang were given 100,000 soldiers, the outcome would be fifty-fifty. But if given 300,000 soldiers, Chen Zhibao would surely prevail. Of course, this was without considering external factors, but it was enough to show how formidable Chen Zhibao was. The court dared not overly suppress Xu Xiao, partly out of fear that Chen Zhibao might use the opportunity to rebel. After all, the emperor in the capital had long admired the White-Clothed War Immortal.
Xu Fengnian suddenly smiled, his eyes narrowing as he said softly, “And finally, I fear Lao Huang.”
Xu Zhihu was completely confused, her expression puzzled.
Xu Fengnian smiled, “When we traveled together, I was always anxious, afraid he would die. Without Lao Huang, how could I have survived the six thousand li journey? I would have died of exhaustion, hunger, or boredom after just six hundred li.”
Xu Fengnian looked at his elder sister, Xu Zhihu, and said, “We both made it through those six thousand li, neither of us dying. But how did Lao Huang end up dying in that damned Wudi City?”
Xu Zhihu naturally had no answer.
Xu Fengnian looked up and said, “It would have been better if he had died in Xishu; at least it would have been his hometown.”
Xu Zhihu began to cry.
Xu Fengnian smiled wryly and helped her wipe away her tears, “Sister, why are you crying? Back then, every time you saw that old man with missing teeth feeding the horses, you never gave him a kind look.”
Xu Zhihu glared at him.
Xu Fengnian finally said, “Jiang Ni, I remember when we first met, she was such a little girl, already bearing the hatred of a fallen nation and family. Actually, she didn’t understand much about national vengeance, but for family vengeance, she had to seek revenge against Xu Xiao. How could someone who was afraid of thunder and ghosts and everything else dare to do that? She looked around, wide-eyed, and who else but me, the unscrupulous, low-ranking, lecherous heir, would be the easiest target? Who else could she go after? Besides being the Princess Taiping, she had nothing special going for her. She couldn’t even build a snowman without her hands getting cold, and she was too lazy to wash clothes. Seeing me practice swordsmanship on Wudang Mountain scared her to death of the hardships of martial arts. She was petty-minded, not too smart, but with my support, she dared to challenge Princess Sui Zhu relentlessly, as if they were equals. Later, fearing she might soften, she wrote a vow to kill me, but then she was severely punished by my second sister when she returned to Beiliang. Still, she blamed me for it. Not only petty-minded but also stingy, she would count coins secretly for no reason, but it’s not right to call her stingy either, because she gave away talismans without hesitation. In the end, she’s just a simple girl. All her so-called hidden schemes are transparent to me. I don’t expose them because I find it amusing. When I was young, my mother once held Jiang Ni’s hand and pointed at her face, telling me that those two little dimples meant she had passed through the gates of hell and the river of forgetfulness, refusing to drink the soup from the old woman at Naihe Bridge. She jumped into the The River of Oblivion river, enduring ten lifetimes of drowning and burning to be reborn, only to find the person she cherished. At that time, I was also young, so I naively thought, wasn’t it me standing right in front of her? I thought no matter what, I would never let this little girl with two dimples on her face be bullied by outsiders in this life.”
Xu Fengnian smiled with his eyes narrowed, “Now it seems, if she could regret, she would surely decide at Naihe Bridge to meet me in the next life, only to not recognize me again.”
Xu Zhihu said helplessly, “You actually believe that?”
Xu Fengnian nodded, “What mother said, I believe.”
As Xu Zhihu was about to tease him, she saw Jiang Ni hesitating outside the pavilion, unwilling to step in. She got up, walked out of the pavilion, pushed Jiang Ni onto the steps, shook her head with a smile, and then left directly.
After Cao Guanzi stirred things up, the two were left in an awkward silence.
Xu Fengnian was the first to speak with ill humor, “What do you want? Are you here to collect a debt? This heir will pay you and we’ll be done.”
Jiang Ni turned her head, extending a small hand, angrily saying, “Two hundred and twelve taels of silver and seventy-two cash.”
Xu Fengnian sneered, “Fine, this heir will convert it all into copper coins for you to carry away in a big sack.”
Jiang Ni snorted and turned to leave.
As she walked out of the pavilion, she turned her head and saw him facing the lake, his back looking a bit lonely.
After a long while, Xu Fengnian spoke, “You’re still here? Even if Cao Guanzi is powerful, if you push me too far, I’ll take you down with me. Who lives or dies will depend on who’s stronger between him and Li Chungan.”
Jiang Ni’s voice was barely a whisper, “If I leave, will you be safe?”
Xu Fengnian turned and smiled, “Of course not. With Cao Guanzi and Old Sword Immortal teaching you, you might be able to kill me in a few years. Go on, go on. I’ll sleep better without you around. I’ll enjoy whatever years I have left.”
Jiang Ni bit her lip and said, “Then I won’t leave!”
If the flamboyant Cao Guanzi heard this, wouldn’t he be furious?
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