On the third day of the Lantern Festival, the delegation of envoys from the imperial court also departed Yuzhou City. Among them, some still harbored the thought that Prince Ning might send men to intercept and kill them on the road.

Yet had they heard Hong Shirui’s dismissive remark about ignoring them, they would have understood — why would Prince Ning bother killing them?

When they had arrived, they had done their utmost to conceal themselves. Their departure was no different, only their state of mind had completely changed.

On the way back, compared to the way there, they carried an additional preoccupation — a desperate hope that no one would recognize them.

That, perhaps, was what it meant to know shame.

By the fifth day of the Lantern Festival, the number of people who had entered Yuzhou City had already surpassed one hundred thousand. A gathering of this scale posed a tremendous challenge, both for the soldiers guarding the city walls and for the Tingwei Army of the prefecture office.

Fortunately, among these hundred thousand, those who had come with some ulterior purpose numbered only a very small few.

That morning, Li Chi had just come out of Prince Ning’s residence, intending to head to the main camp to inspect the training of the troops.

He had barely stepped outside when he saw a horse-drawn carriage pull to a stop at the gate. No one climbed down from the carriage. Instead, a small attendant who had accompanied the carriage ran up to the entrance, glanced at the guards standing there, then looked at Li Chi. Apparently deciding that Li Chi’s bearing and attire seemed more refined, and that he must be someone from the prince’s residence, the attendant produced a calling card and handed it over. “Would you be so kind as to announce us? The Xie family — Xie Huainan requests an audience with His Highness Prince Ning.”

Li Chi examined the calling card, then glanced toward the carriage, and nodded. “What is this regarding?”

The attendant replied, “I ask that you go in and make the announcement. I am only a servant and do not know the purpose of my master’s visit to Prince Ning.”

Li Chi made a sound of acknowledgment. “Understood.”

He turned and handed the calling card to the guard standing at the entrance, who was pressing his lips together trying to suppress a smile. “Take this to Master Yan.”

With that, Li Chi walked away. The small attendant returned to stand beside the carriage and wait.

Li Chi went first to the main camp. After reviewing the new recruits’ training, he made his way to the Plum Garden, where the Tingwei Office was located.

Gao Xining had been rushed off her feet these past few days, with barely a moment to breathe. Li Chi had wanted to share a meal with her several times but had never succeeded.

Every day she had to patrol the city, and she also had to lead her people in guarding against any potential assassination attempt against Li Chi.

By the time Li Chi arrived at the Plum Garden, he learned that Gao Xining had gone out again — word was that a homicide had occurred in the southern part of the city, and she had hurried over to assess the situation.

A homicide was a grave matter, but it should properly fall under the jurisdiction of the Yuzhou Prefecture. Gao Xining was simply worried there might be something suspicious about the death.

Li Chi entered Gao Xining’s study. His eye immediately fell on an envelope lying on the desk — it was the one the staff of the official guesthouse had found on the table after Hong Shirui and the others had vacated their rooms. It had been presented to Li Chi, who had read it and then sent it to the Tingwei Office for Gao Xining to review.

Li Chi walked over unhurriedly, sat down in Gao Xining’s seat, picked up the letter, and read through it once more. The letter contained only two sentences in total.

The first: *I ought not to have spoken those words wishing His Highness Prince Ning plain sailing ahead, for I may well be the greatest storm he will ever face on his path forward.*

The second: *May His Highness Prince Ning have plain sailing ahead.*

There was no signature, no name — yet Li Chi knew exactly who had left it.

Under the entire sky, there was now only one person bold enough to call himself the greatest storm on Prince Ning’s path forward. That person could only be Prince Wu, Yang Jiju.

Li Xionghu? He would never consider himself a storm in another’s way — he only ever thought that others were the storms in his.

Yang Xuanji? He did not believe anyone could stop him, but he could stop everyone else.

This letter had been sitting on Gao Xining’s desk all along, which meant she had likely read it more than once.

That girl — she would certainly find a way to ensure this storm never rose.

Li Chi left the study and went to the rear courtyard of the Plum Garden. The three elder masters were there, as expected. Chancellor Gao and Elder Zhenren were playing chess, while Master Changmei, his teacher, stood to the side watching — and was growing so agitated that his eyes nearly went wide. He kept muttering that Elder Zhenren was a dreadful player.

Li Chi went over to greet them, then stepped aside to play with Divine Eagle and Little Dog.

Seeing Li Chi approach, Little Dog wore his usual expression — *My subject, We have already received your devotion.*

Divine Eagle, on the other hand, wore an expression of: *Since you are fully aware that I am Little Dog His Imperial Majesty’s most valued minister, why have you still not fed me?*

By now, Divine Eagle was at the stage of pighood that had just crossed into young adulthood — full of vigor and energy, and therefore always restless.

And faced with that restlessness, Little Dog’s response was roughly: *Imbecile. Be still. I permit you to lick my paws.*

Just then, Yu Jiuling came running in from outside. Spotting Li Chi, he let out a breath of relief.

“Master Yan sent me to find the head of the household. He says there’s good news.”

Hearing this, Li Chi had a fairly good idea of what the good news was about.

The Xie family had come calling unexpectedly — what else could it be?

Li Chi asked, “Does Master Yan want me to come back?”

Yu Jiuling replied, “No. Master Yan’s meaning is that although the Xie family has come with sincerity, there is no need for the head of the household to go personally to receive them. It would be more than enough courtesy for Master Yan himself to meet with them.”

He smiled and added, “Master Yan sent me to find you just to let you know — the person from the Xie family understands you very well.”

Li Chi could not help but laugh. *Understands me very well…* Was it really so difficult to understand him? How many people under heaven did not know by now that Prince Ning, Li Chi, was greedy for money?

But then again, how many people truly understood him entirely?

Many knew he was greedy for money. Just as many knew that Prince Ning had still not taken a wife to this day. They all said Prince Ning harbored ambitions for the realm and had no interest in the pleasures of women…

Every time Li Chi heard such talk, he felt a swell of grievance.

*Greedy for money and fond of beauty…* The latter was far more difficult than the former, was it not?

—

Prince Ning’s Residence.

Master Yan instructed someone to refill Xie Huainan’s tea, then said with a warm and easy manner, “The master has an unusually great number of matters to attend to these past few days, and I am not sure when he will return. Why don’t I arrange lodging for you first? When the master returns, I will send someone to notify you.”

Xie Huainan smiled his thanks. “There is no need for Lord Yan to arrange anything. The Xie family has a residence in Yuzhou City — I can simply go there and stay.”

Master Yan had already broached the matter of lodging arrangements, and Xie Huainan naturally understood this was a polite way of asking him to leave. So he rose to take his leave.

Master Yan accompanied him to the front entrance. Xie Huainan smiled and said, “When His Highness returns, I ask that you convey my message: I have full authority to represent the Xie family, and what I said earlier to Lord Yan represents our utmost sincerity.”

Master Yan replied, “Rest assured. The moment the master returns, I will relay your words to him faithfully, every single one.”

Xie Huainan clasped his fists in salute once more, turned, and boarded his carriage to depart.

Not long after, Master Yan arrived at the Plum Garden.

Li Chi was in the rear kitchen, busy preparing lunch for the three elder masters. Chancellor Gao and Elder Zhenren were still playing chess, but Daoist Master Changmei looked considerably more composed than before — quietly watching without uttering a single word of disdain. Once he quieted down, Elder Zhenren set aside the wooden sword he had been holding in his hand.

The moment Master Yan stepped into the kitchen, he saw Li Chi working the wok, tossing it with a practiced flip. Without quite realizing when it had happened, he noticed that Li Chi’s culinary skills had improved a great deal.

“Master—”

Master Yan had barely gotten out two words before Li Chi turned and shot him a look.

Master Yan smiled immediately. Li Chi had made it clear to them all — in informal settings, he was not to be addressed as *master*.

“The visitor is Xie Huainan, the youngest brother of the Xie family patriarch Xie Huaiyuan. He holds a position of great importance within the Xie family — one might say he is second only to Xie Huaiyuan himself.”

Master Yan continued, “Xie Huainan says that if you are willing, the Xie family is prepared to commit the full power of their clan to assist you in seizing the realm — as much money as they have, they will contribute; as much strength as they possess, they will exert.”

Li Chi laughed. “All that talk of strength and exertion — why be so formal about it? Just talk about money, that’s all that matters.”

Master Yan let out a snort of laughter.

He continued, “My guess is that the Xie family came looking for you suddenly because of the matter involving Xie Xiu and Xie Di.”

Li Chi made a sound of agreement. “Most likely.”

As one of the Xie family members who held real power, the Jingzhou Military Commissioner Xie Xiu had abruptly defected to Prince Ning — the impact of this on the Xie family was beyond imagination.

After Xie Di’s defeat and capture, he had, on account of Xie Xiu’s connection, been spared any harsh treatment. Seeing that the morale of his troops had utterly collapsed and that they had no will to fight whatsoever, when Yuchi Guangming launched his attack on Yingzhou, Xie Di had in fact offered little resistance before raising the white flag and surrendering with his forces.

Both men were now Prince Ning’s people. For the Xie family to continue placing most of their bets on Yang Xuanji had become largely meaningless.

Even if the Xie family poured everything into continuing to support Yang Xuanji, the thorn lodged in Yang Xuanji’s heart could not be pulled out.

Better to switch allegiances.

Master Yan said, “The foundation of the Xie family’s power lies in Jingzhou. With Xie Xiu having defected without prior authorization, they had no choice but to go along with the tide.”

Li Chi asked, “What exactly is the Xie family proposing?”

Master Yan replied, “The Xie family’s meaning is: full commitment.”

Li Chi said, “Empty words — what’s the use of just chanting slogans?”

Master Yan smiled. “If you still haven’t met with Xie Huainan within ten days, then it definitely won’t remain just empty words.”

Li Chi said, “Then let it sit for ten days… Master, how much are you eating?”

Only then did Master Yan notice that Li Chi had already started cooking noodles.

Master Yan said, “I eat very little… whatever those three elders eat, I’ll have the same amount.”

Li Chi nodded. “Understood. So you’ll eat the serving of three people — in that case, I’ll have the serving of thirteen elders.”

Only someone who knew Master Yan personally could understand what he had meant — that he would eat the same amount as each of the three elders, meaning three people’s worth.

If that line were to get out and be interpreted by an outsider, the result would surely be: *The Yuzhou Military Commissioner, Lord Yan, eats three elders in one sitting; His Highness Prince Ning can put away thirteen elders in a single meal.*

—

The Xie family had a residence in Yuzhou City, though it had been a long time since anyone of significance had returned to it.

The highest-ranking Xie family presence in Yuzhou before now had been nothing more than the manager of one of their business branch offices.

In Yuzhou, the Cao family’s business empire was the largest of all — no one could overshadow them, no matter the trade.

In Jingzhou, the Xie family’s standing was roughly equivalent to what the Cao family had in Yuzhou.

What made people most envious of the Xie family was that for a very long time, illicit salt could only be purchased through them. This was the kind of trade that would get an ordinary person executed for attempting, yet the Xie family ran it with flourish and success. The illicit salt sent annually into Sichuan alone represented an enormous sum of income.

The roads of Sichuan are treacherous — treacherous on account of ten thousand mountains.

To do business well in Sichuan, one absolutely had to maintain good relations with the local horse gangs. The Xie family had always kept close ties with the Sichuan horse gangs.

Do not think for a moment that a horse gang is merely a freight-hauling operation. The horse gangs of Sichuan reportedly numbered eighty thousand strong. When their leader stamped his foot, the entire jianghu of Sichuan trembled.

The Xie family members in Yuzhou had surely received news well in advance, for the residence had been cleaned inside and out.

That Xie Huainan would come himself — a figure who genuinely occupied the second position of power in the Xie family — was in itself enough to demonstrate the Xie family’s resolve.

Some unpleasant business had once taken place in Yuzhou. Xie family members had stirred up trouble in Yuzhou on Yang Xuanji’s behalf.

But Xie Huainan knew: as long as sincerity was sufficient, those old unpleasantries could be set aside.

Yet this sincerity also represented the Xie family’s bottom line — and its exact parameters could only be determined after he actually met with Prince Ning and gauged the situation.

Xie Qixi was the person the Xie family had left stationed in Yuzhou City — a young woman of only twenty-four or twenty-five.

She had managed to hold her own there, first because of her abilities, and second because none of the other Xie family members had been willing to stay behind at the time.

She was not from the main lineage of the Xie family — a branch member always occupied a somewhat lower-standing position.

“Ninth Uncle.”

Xie Qixi saw Xie Huainan and promptly performed a junior’s salute.

“Not so much formality — you know I detest all that.”

Xie Huainan smiled slightly. “How have things gone with what I entrusted you to handle?”

Xie Qixi also smiled. “The first show of sincerity for Prince Ning has already been prepared.”

She pointed toward the rear courtyard. “Yang Xuanji’s operatives on this side — I have already secured seven or eight out of ten of them. As long as Prince Ning meets with Ninth Uncle, this first gift can be presented.”

Xie Huainan made a sound of acknowledgment. “Tomorrow, you and I will go out together to take care of the second matter of sincerity.”

—