Prince Xin Yang Yuanyan hosted a banquet at his mansion to welcome Wang Wenqian and Yin Peng, and the atmosphere between host and guests was thoroughly harmonious.

When the feast ended, Yin Peng followed Wang Wenqian out of the prince’s mansion. Walking through the side passage toward the guesthouse east of the mansion, he inadvertently turned his head and noticed that in the dim lantern light, Wang Wenqian’s expression had somehow turned gloomy, as if troubling matters were weighing heavily on his chest with no way to resolve them.

Yin Peng asked, “Are you worried about the perilous situation in Huaidong, my lord?”

Wang Wenqian let out a long sigh before slowly saying, “If not for the war earlier this year, Huaidong could have followed the established plan—converting sixty thousand soldiers into military farmers who, together with their families, would reclaim the silted lands west of Dongyang. The situation might have eased and become less dire. However, even without considering the common people’s hunger and hardship, Huaidong’s stored grain can only sustain us for another three to four months. This year across three prefectures and nineteen counties, we suffered from military disaster and flooding—the summer grain and autumn taxes we can collect will likely amount to only twenty to thirty percent of normal. To hold out until next year, we’ll need at least a million additional shi of grain. Yet even if we can procure a million shi of grain, it will still take four or five years to recover—and that’s assuming Huaidong doesn’t suffer large-scale invasions by Liang forces during those years. But is that even possible?”

“Didn’t we agree to request aid from the court?” Yin Peng asked.

“That’s correct, but the problem is how to request aid from the court, and how to ensure the court ministers agree to support Huaidong rather than kick us while we’re down,” Wang Wenqian said.

Hearing Wang Wenqian speak thus, Yin Peng couldn’t help but sigh.

Although Prince Xin and the Third Prince were supposedly brothers, what brotherly affection existed in the imperial family?

The Third Prince had been confined to the palace in his early years, while Prince Xin had long been stationed in Chuzhou—the two had barely met, so naturally there was no fraternal harmony between them.

During the early stage of the Jinling Incident, though both sides agreed at Autumn Lake Mountain to join forces against Anning Palace and jointly issued proclamations denouncing the rebels, Prince Xin subsequently used the militia households under Li Pu’s command at Taowu as bait to lure and annihilate a portion of the rebel elite forces, establishing Chuzhou’s army’s early dominance over Wu (Su), Chang, and Run prefectures—which directly led to the breakdown of their relationship.

Afterward, they clashed violently with the Chishan Army organized and led by Han Qian in the Liyang and Jieling Mountain areas. Through several bloody battles, both sides suffered heavy losses in soldiers and horses.

Only after seeing the aristocratic families of Jiangdong, Xuan, She, Rao, and Chi prefectures, along with Prince Yuzhang Yang Zhitang and the descendants of Prince Zhedong’s faction all side with the Third Prince, was Prince Xin forced to settle for second best—withdrawing the Chuzhou forces back to the north bank to seek control over Huaidong.

Ultimately, it was the Third Prince’s urgent desire to recapture Jinling and ascend to the throne that forced him to agree to Prince Xin’s enfeoffment and control of Huaidong, with Huaidong reluctantly acknowledging the Third Prince’s succession to the throne.

How fragile was the relationship between both sides? Anyone could figure that out counting on their toes.

And Prince Xin’s deployment of them to garrison Yangzhou, along with stationing Zhao Zhen’s heavy forces in Yangzhou, was plainly to guard against the court potentially moving against Huaidong at any time.

Xu Mingzhen’s betrayal of Chu to join Liang, leading to the destruction of the main naval forces and the Right Divine Martial Army, threatened the very survival of both Huaidong and the court.

However, Han Qian committed his direct forces regardless of casualties, fighting several bloody battles along the Chuhe and Fucha Mountain lines that blunted Shouzhou Army’s edge, allowing the court to first stabilize the situation in Huaixi.

Under these circumstances, Huaidong instead faced a severe crisis after the war. What made them think the court wouldn’t seize the opportunity to kick them while they were down?

What made them think the court would selflessly provide a million shi of grain to help Huaidong easily catch its breath?

Of course Yin Peng wasn’t naive enough to think matters would be so simple.

His visit to Chuzhou with Wang Wenqian to meet Prince Xin was frankly about discussing what concessions Huaidong could make at this stage, or what price they could pay in exchange for the court’s support.

He believed His Highness, along with Ruan Yan and others, should also understand this principle.

It was just that they had only arrived in Chuzhou today—there was no way they could directly discuss such an awkward topic.

At the night banquet, everyone talked around the subject, and the atmosphere wasn’t bad. Yet Yin Peng didn’t quite understand why, given that his lord was clearly mentally prepared, he would be so deeply worried.

He thought to himself—could it be that during the banquet conversation, his lord sensed that Prince Xin or Ruan Yan and others harbored some baseless fantasy that would make Huaidong’s situation even worse?

But he hadn’t noticed anything abnormal about the atmosphere during the night banquet!

From what Prince Xin said during the feast, he seemed clearer than anyone about the predicament Huaidong currently faced.

Although Yin Peng also held the position of Yangzhou Military Administrator, Wang Wenqian always treated him as a direct trusted subordinate. Seeing his confused expression, he didn’t hide certain matters from him. He told Yin Peng about the conversation he’d had with Ruan Yan while they rode together in a carriage to Prince Xin’s mansion after entering the city, saying:

“They don’t want to pay too great a price—instead, they’re thinking of scheming with tigers…”

“Ah!” Yin Peng stood there stunned, stammering after a long moment, “Ruan Yan said these things—does His Highness want to use Miss Jun again to form a marriage alliance with Han Qian, then have Han Qian and the Han family pressure the court to allocate relief grain to Huaidong?”

“…” Wang Wenqian nodded bitterly.

“They’re now certain that Han Qian long knew Wen Ruilin’s identity, and knew that when Wen Ruilin devised the strategy to lure the navy into Liang’s encirclement in Hongze Lake, Han Qian was in Chuzhou but chose to stand by and watch. His Highness and the others should recognize that Han Qian is a man of great ambition…” Yin Peng asked.

True, Huaidong currently maintained cooperation with Xuzhou (Tangyi), but this cooperation was limited and maintained with high vigilance.

They even blocked the passages west of Han Canal to prevent refugees from entering Tangyi.

The cooperation was more about equal exchange for the warships, armor, and war equipment that Xuzhou manufactured—scarce supplies. They had previously tolerated the Chishan Association’s foothold on the western shore of Fanliang Lake because they determined it wouldn’t threaten Huaidong.

Now using the young miss as a bargaining chip to forge a marriage alliance with Han Qian would be completely different!

Han Qian couldn’t possibly be satisfied just by marrying Wang Jun and stop making other demands, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to pressuring the court and providing Huaidong with a million shi of money and grain to help Huaidong overcome the current crisis.

Put plainly, Prince Xin and Ruan Yan and others were unwilling to pay too great a price, wanting to use Wang Jun as a bargaining chip and pay a smaller, more acceptable price to gain Han Qian and the Han family’s support for Huaidong.

But this could enable Han Qian to grow powerful in Tangyi!

“They recognize that Han Qian has ambition, and from this they believe Han Qian has designs on Huaidong and might be willing to offer aid. At the same time, they believe that given Han Qian and the Han family’s current position, they need only pay a relatively small price to satisfy Han Qian’s appetite,” Wang Wenqian sighed.

“But there’s no need to use the young miss as a bargaining chip again!” Yin Peng said indignantly.

Two years ago, when both sides harbored ulterior motives and revived the marriage discussion between Wang Jun and Han Qian, Han Qian used the rejection of the marriage as an excuse to escape back to Xuzhou—Wang Jun had already suffered greatly then.

What was this all about now?

“They worry about being manipulated by Han Qian, worry about Han Qian going back on his word, so this time they still want to propose the marriage first, forcing Han Qian into a position with no retreat before discussing other cooperation,” Wang Wenqian said.

“Haven’t Ruan Yan and others always been wary of Han Qian? Why are they suddenly unhesitating this time?” Yin Peng asked.

“Very simple—Ruan Yan doesn’t want me to continue as Yangzhou Governor, that’s all,” Wang Wenqian said.

Yin Peng was slightly startled, then understood.

Previously, Huaidong gave equal weight to both Chuzhou and Yangzhou. Holding Chuzhou allowed expansion of territory north of the Huai River, and Haizhou had salt profits—the benefits were enormous in all respects. But after this war, all territory north of the Huai River was completely lost. Not only was Chuzhou devastated, but for the foreseeable several years or even decades, warfare would be unceasing in Chuzhou territory, which would serve as the main area resisting Liang forces crossing the Huai southward—it would only become more devastated.

In comparison, as long as Chuzhou city held without falling, as long as Han Qian in Tangyi blocked Shouzhou Army’s offensive, Yangzhou on the interior lines could maintain considerable prosperity.

Yangzhou would be Huaidong’s sole remaining major city in the future.

After Wang Jun married Han Qian, even if just to avoid suspicion, they would inevitably have to resign from positions like governor and military administrator, and these important posts would inevitably fall into Ruan Yan and others’ hands!

So Ruan Yan and others were more driven by this calculation, thus neglecting their previous wariness and guard against Han Qian.

Yin Peng couldn’t help but ask, “Did His Highness summon us here this time specifically to discuss this matter?”

Wang Wenqian nodded.

“What will we tell the young miss?” Yin Peng asked with a headache.

“His Highness should have already made up his mind—what else can we say?” Wang Wenqian smiled bitterly.

Yin Peng thought of something and asked, “His Highness’s intention to use the young miss again for a marriage alliance with Han Qian might have another layer of meaning—to further expose Han Qian’s ambitions, prompting the court to strengthen its vigilance against Han Qian, thereby easing pressure on Huaidong, correct?”

Wang Wenqian nodded and said, “His Highness and Ruan Yan should have this intention.”

“Han Qian is such a clever person—he probably won’t easily fall into the trap, will he?” Yin Peng asked.

“Whether he falls into the trap depends on what conditions His Highness subsequently agrees to. In any case, we still need to negotiate first,” Wang Wenqian said.

“But what about the young miss?” Yin Peng asked with a bitter smile.

“Who told her to be Wang Wenqian’s daughter,” Wang Wenqian looked up at the desolate night sky, saying wistfully.

Seeing his lord’s attitude, Yin Peng thought perhaps his lord also felt this was a method of last resort.

Thinking it over, he understood—without Han Qian as mutual support, if they directly asked the court for relief money and grain, and the court demanded that His Highness give up his enfeoffment in Huaidong, demanded that Yang and Tai prefectures be returned to central control, demanded that His Highness and Huaidong’s army return to their pre-Jinling Incident status of guarding the border regions—could they really refuse?