Xie Queshan clearly felt his tears sliding across his cheeks, pooling at his ears, seeping into the pillow. Because he couldn’t reach up to wipe them away, the wet sensation became even more pronounced.
He closed his eyes, forcing himself to think of other things.
Song Muchuan’s warning to Jinling would have some effect.
If Wanyan Puruо found nothing in Jinling, would he be safe?
He was not accustomed to thinking positively—he always had to prepare for the worst in everything—but at this moment he still couldn’t suppress his imagination of the best possible outcome.
But that traitor in Jinling was hidden in the shadows. What exactly could he dig up? How far could his eyes see? Everything was unknown.
He thought he would suffer through a sleepless night, but he also fell peacefully asleep amid the quiet breathing.
A dreamless night, probably because he was already in a dream.
——
At this time, far away in Jinling, thousands of miles distant, the singing and dancing continued night after night without rest.
The banquet for Wanyan Puruо was held in Jinling’s largest Flying Immortal Tower. Today happened to be the half-moon, and the market didn’t disperse after nightfall. Crowds surged through the streets in a scene of prosperity.
Before the feast began, Shen Zhizhong and several ministers had already discussed in private how to deal with Wanyan Puruо until they nearly came to blows—their own people were so agitated they almost started fighting.
The situation remained tense.
Though Wanyan Puruо bore the status of an envoy, with her comings and goings under everyone’s watchful eyes, her actions were extremely restricted. But this couldn’t be maintained for more than a few days. If Wanyan Puruо wanted to leave, she could find an excuse to flip the table and go anytime. Then she could secretly return, and no one would know.
What’s more, there was still a traitor among their own people, hidden in the shadows all along.
Everyone argued with red faces, each offering suggestions that were then rejected. No one could think of a way to keep Wanyan Puruо here.
——They couldn’t just kill her, after all.
——Why couldn’t they kill her!
Some with hot tempers were seriously pondering how to make Wanyan Puruо die suddenly. With everyone speaking at once, the scene became chaotic.
But Shen Zhizhong sat in his armchair, remaining silent throughout.
“Lord Shen, what should we do now? Say something!” Finally someone noticed the Chancellor’s silence and anxiously pulled him into the fray.
Shen Zhizhong was over fifty years old. When he lowered his eyes, the wrinkles at their corners made him appear somewhat aged, but suddenly he raised his gaze. His eyes were bright and spirited, revealing an inherent dignity.
“Negotiate.” He uttered two words.
Everyone looked at each other, none understanding what this meant.
At this moment, Wanyan Puruо was already riding in a jeweled carriage toward the tavern. As she passed through the neighborhoods and saw the bustling crowds on the streets—remembering there hadn’t been so many people a few days ago, she realized she had happened upon market day—she felt even more emotional. The Han people were still good at making money and living well. The front lines were locked in fierce battle, yet Jinling remained a world of flowers and brocade, drunk on gold and luxury.
But Jinling was not a place for extended stays. Those ministers were using every means to delay her, and today was finally time to lay everything on the table and discuss her “diplomatic mission.” She had already calculated in her heart that no matter what those old fools said, she wouldn’t buy any of it. She’d throw a tantrum and leave—she had to get out of Jinling quickly.
The Yu Dynasty was already in decline. Apart from playing these petty tricks that stirred public resentment, she couldn’t think of what other schemes they could pull.
Everyone had already arrived, but Wanyan Puruо came fashionably late with an attitude that could be called domineering.
“Since you want to negotiate with me, I have only one condition: the Yu Dynasty must surrender completely, submit to our Great Qi as vassals, and you’ll be allowed to select someone from a collateral branch of the royal family to establish as a feudal prince.”
Wanyan Puruо paused, and the scene fell silent as death. Some were angry, some shocked, but no one spoke.
Seeing this, Wanyan Puruо smiled with an air of certain victory: “If you gentlemen have other thoughts today, then I’m afraid I cannot keep you company.”
Having said this, she prepared to leave.
Shen Zhizhong raised his wine cup and said slowly: “What about commercial trade cooperation?”
Wanyan Puruо was stunned. Her movement to stand froze, and she suddenly understood why Shen Zhizhong had chosen today, chosen this place—it was to show her the Yu Dynasty’s commercial prosperity.
And this was truly Great Qi’s weakness.
Great Qi had risen through warfare. War burns money, and all the able-bodied men had gone to the front lines. Forget about commerce—even farming was extremely backward. Relying solely on plunder could no longer fill the deficit, but the Yu Dynasty’s economy was prosperous. This was why even though they had been beaten into retreat after retreat, they could still hold onto a thread of life.
Ultimately, wealth was the foundation of a strong nation. If you robbed others, you were just a bandit. Even if you established a new dynasty and silenced the people, there would still be voices of condemnation.
The Great Qi court was all smugly immersed in the false prosperity of being invincible on the battlefield, but Wanyan Puruо saw clearly that conquering a kingdom was easy, but defending it was hard. They absolutely could not exterminate the Han people completely—they needed reasonable governance, the fusion of two peoples, each taking the other’s strengths. This was the long-term plan for governing the nation.
Originally, if they had pressed their advantage, crossed the Yangtze River, and quickly unified the Central Plains, there wouldn’t have been so many complications. With everything in ruins, starting from scratch would have worked. But now the stalemate at Li Du Mansion had dragged on for three months without the Qi army catching Prince Ling’an. Though it seemed no one had won, the Yu Dynasty’s resistance was growing stronger, and the balance had begun to tilt subtly.
If the Yu Dynasty maintained a stance of fighting to the death, it would be harmful to both sides without benefit.
But if the Yu Dynasty was willing to open trade, submit to Great Qi as vassals, and allow the peaceful integration of the two peoples so Great Qi could quickly become wealthy and strong—this was profitable business.
It had to be said, Shen Zhizhong was an extremely seasoned politician. With just a few words clarifying the pros and cons, he made Wanyan Puruо willingly sit down at the negotiating table.
Shen Zhizhong had a military background, his voice ringing like a bell: “Having our entire Yu Dynasty submit as vassals is absolutely impossible, but if the Princess values commerce and is willing to prosper together, this old minister has some compromise methods.”
Wanyan Puruо’s demand was harshly rejected. But she wasn’t angry either, still smiling sweetly with perfect composure.
“The front lines are fighting in full swing while I sit comfortably in the rear discussing compromises—doesn’t this rather let down our Qi people’s hot-blooded warriors?”
“Does Your Highness the Princess want our Yu Dynasty to exhaust the last tael of silver in the treasury and fight to the last soldier? Then aside from trading heads for heads, you’ll gain nothing at all.”
“The Chancellor shows no sincerity whatsoever—how can we negotiate?”
“As long as Your Highness agrees to order the withdrawal of forces from Li Du Mansion, send Prince Ling’an to Jinling, allow the Yu Dynasty to establish a southern capital and rule divided by the river, our dynasty is willing to pay annual tribute, exempt transit taxes, and engage in deep commerce with Great Qi. Plundered wealth will eventually be squandered away. Only when Great Qi’s own treasury is full and the people prosper will it be the path of longevity. We Han people have a saying: ‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and you feed him for life.'”
Wanyan Puruо was in no hurry to answer. She unhurriedly drank a cup of wine, lowering her eyes to hide her deep thought.
“Then what kind of price is the Chancellor willing to offer?”
Seeing that Wanyan Puruо had softened, Shen Zhizhong took a sip of wine and smiled: “This old minister is merely serving as regent now. Today’s actions are already presumptuous. Naturally, the specific conditions must wait until the nation’s ruler ascends the throne before decisions can be made.”
The conversation circled back, forcing Wanyan Puruо to release Prince Ling’an.
But Wanyan Puruо was clear-headed—she couldn’t let Shen Zhizhong lead her around. Prince Ling’an was a bargaining chip. The reason they could negotiate now was because he hadn’t been caught yet, the situation was undecided, and both sides actually couldn’t afford the consequences of the other winning. So each side stepped back, seeking a compromise solution where each could gain some benefits.
Seeing Wanyan Puruо’s silence, Shen Zhizhong continued: “How about this—Your Highness the Princess can lay out your conditions, and I’ll have the Ministry of Revenue calculate them first. This will provide a basis for future decisions.”
Shen Zhizhong kicked the ball to Wanyan Puruо.
She wanted to know exactly how much money was left in the treasury so she could gauge what level to price at. Great Qi’s victory was still obvious now—if the Yu Dynasty could buy peace with money, why not?
But precisely because she couldn’t fathom what price range the other party had in mind, if she spoke rashly and quoted too high, negotiations would break down; too low and she’d suffer a loss. The negotiations seemed to have reached an impasse.
Wanyan Puruо beckoned, indicating for the maidservant to pour her wine. The maidservant somehow seemed flustered and accidentally wet her dress. Wanyan Puruо unusually didn’t lose her temper, using the opportunity to get up and change clothes.
When she returned, she was already confident.
“Three hundred thousand in annual tribute—how about that?”
Shen Zhizhong slammed his wine vessel onto the table with a bang. Like a stone stirring up a thousand waves, everyone chimed in. Some showed anger, some slapped the table hard, and the impulsive ones directly stepped forward to curse Wanyan Puruо for asking an astronomical price.
“It seems the Princess did not come to negotiate with us in good faith today. Since that’s the case, let us part ways here.”
Shen Zhizhong delivered the final blow, decisively flicking his sleeves and leaving, taking all the ministers with him.
Wanyan Puruо was stunned. How had Shen Zhizhong flicked his sleeves and walked away? Shouldn’t he be the one desperately trying to continue negotiations?
Now she was in an awkward position—she couldn’t leave easily either. Her intuition told her this negotiation wasn’t a losing proposition, but she also couldn’t appear too eager, as if she would definitely accept this deal. She was clear that she had fallen into Shen Zhizhong’s trap and could only continue waiting in Jinling.
But aside from this, she still felt something was suspicious.
……
On this dark and windy night, a man carrying a bulging bundle hurriedly left through the back courtyard of his residence. He cautiously looked left and right, and only after confirming no one had seen him did he run frantically along the base of the alley wall.
But just as he turned out of the lane, two men suddenly blocked his path. These two were tall and burly, their faces shrouded in darkness so their features couldn’t be seen clearly—only the large sabers each held in their hands were visible.
The man was none other than Minister of Personnel Ding Xu. With guilt already weighing on his mind, seeing this scene startled him. He instinctively stepped back, tripped over his own heels, and fell onto his bottom.
“Lord Ding, Her Highness the Princess invites you for a chat.”
Two guards escorted Ding Xu to a dark alley where an inconspicuous carriage was already waiting.
A lantern hung outside the carriage, revealing the hazy silhouette of someone inside.
The anxious Ding Xu didn’t dare offend the noble lady in the carriage and fell to his knees with a thud.
“Your Highness, you must protect me! I stole intelligence for you, but who knew tonight was a trap set by Shen Zhizhong—he gave everyone different prices! I’m now in mortal danger and had no choice but to flee!”
The person in the carriage remained silent for a long time.
Ding Xu looked up anxiously, threw caution to the wind, and continued: “Your Highness, I’ve also obtained an absolutely secret piece of information—the Candlelight Bureau spy codenamed ‘Goose’ in the court is Xie Queshan, who committed treason years ago! I know many other things too. As long as you keep me safe, I’ll tell you everything!”
“Is that so?” A middle-aged man’s voice came from the carriage, and a hand lifted the curtain. “Lord Ding is so loyal, yet I knew nothing of it. Or perhaps I should call you… Daman?”
Ding Xu looked at the person in the carriage in surprise.
Several shadow guards silently surrounded them, and a sword pierced through Ding Xu’s chest.
Xie Zhu stepped down from the carriage with a grave expression, gazing at Ding Xu lying on the ground. Tonight, Shen Zhizhong had executed a series of interconnected schemes—not only making Wanyan Puruо voluntarily stay, but also using the opportunity to root out the spy. He had Xie Zhu intercept Ding Xu halfway and extract the intelligence he knew from him.
But what he had just revealed… actually mentioned his nephew, Xie Queshan.