In the eyes of many people, Xie Huainan was the most perfect embodiment of a refined gentleman and an elegant man of bearing.

He held such a high position and wielded such power within the Xie family, yet he never carried himself with an air of superiority.

He was nothing like his elder brother Xie Huaiyuan — Xie Huaiyuan was the type of man whose authority needed no expression; the people below him would feel a measure of dread just thinking of him, let alone standing before him.

Xie Huainan would never put on a cold face because someone was a servant, nor would he appear obsequious because someone was of noble birth.

If people were truly shaped one by one by the hands of some divine power, then that power must have taken greater care when fashioning him.

Every single person in the Xie household — from top to bottom — knew that it was Elder Brother Xie Huaiyuan who made the decisions. Yet very few knew that for almost every decision, Xie Huaiyuan would first seek Xie Huainan’s opinion before making his choice.

The reason was that Xie Huainan would never allow anyone to know this — for if it became known, it would undermine the standing his elder brother had in everyone’s eyes.

He never did anything that might make another person feel uncomfortable. Every person who spent time in his company came away with a sense of having been bathed in a spring breeze.

For instance, there was one occasion when a servant of the Xie household, on his way home, had stopped to buy some pastries to bring back as a gift for his mother — only to discover, after they had been weighed and wrapped, that he hadn’t brought enough money.

Xie Huainan happened to pass by at that moment. He did not use a bank draft or a silver ingot. Instead, he asked one of the people with him for some loose bits of silver, had it put away, and walked over to hand it to the servant.

He said: *The household was distributing wages today, and in your rush to get home to see your mother, you actually forgot to collect yours. I’ve been chasing after you the whole way — quite a chase indeed. Lucky for me that you stopped to make this purchase, or I might have had to chase you all the way to your doorstep. This way, I’ve been spared a great deal of walking.*

He set down the coin pouch, and said: *My regards to your mother.*

Had he left it at that, the servant would still have felt a degree of embarrassment.

But Xie Huainan did not immediately turn to leave. Instead, in a tone of genuine curiosity, he asked: *Might I try one?*

The servant hurriedly unwrapped the already-packaged pastries. These were simple, coarsely made things — the sort Xie Huainan would never encounter, let alone taste, at home.

Yet he would truly reach over and take a piece, eat a bite, and then narrow his eyes and smile at the servant. *If you ever come across something this delicious again,* he would say, *be sure to let me know.*

Eating the pastry, smiling his farewell — that was the kind of person Xie Huainan was.

It was not a performance. He genuinely regarded every person with a kind of sincerity.

And so in that moment, sitting in the reception hall of Shen’s Medical Hall, when he smiled and thanked the young shop boy who brought him his tea, even Shen Ruzhan found herself slightly taken aback.

“Has Master Xie come today to discuss business?”

“Yes.”

Hearing Shen Ruzhan’s question, Xie Huainan replied with gravity, “Many varieties of medicinal herbs exist only in Sichuan. The Xie family has business dealings with the Sichuan horse gangs. Should Madam Shen require medicinal herbs from that region, we can procure them on your behalf.”

“On our behalf?”

Shen Ruzhan smiled slightly. The words *on your behalf* were rather interesting.

After many years in the medicinal herb trade, Shen Ruzhan naturally knew how exceptional the variety and quality of Sichuan’s herbs were. And indeed, there were many varieties of medicinal herbs found only deep within Sichuan’s ten thousand mountains, unavailable anywhere else.

Xie Huainan continued, “On your behalf — meaning we do not purchase them and then resell them to Shen’s Medical Hall at a markup. The herbs are sourced at cost price, and Shen’s Medical Hall settles the account at cost price. However, the costs of labor and other expenses would also need to be factored in.”

He turned to his attendant. “Bring the ledger.”

His attendant raised the ledger with both hands. Xie Huainan received it and presented it to Shen Ruzhan with both hands. “This is a catalog of medicinal herbs from Sichuan. The Xie family has conducted some herb business over the years, and the purchase prices are all recorded here. Madam Shen may look it over first.”

Shen Ruzhan took the ledger and opened it. In no time at all, she confirmed that the purchase prices recorded were so fair they left her astonished — at least forty percent cheaper than what Shen’s Medical Hall would pay going directly to Sichuan to source the herbs.

Thinking about it, that forty percent gap was entirely down to the horse gangs.

Shen Ruzhan smiled and asked, “This can hardly be called business — this is a personal favor.”

Xie Huainan shook his head. “This is not a favor. This is a gift.”

He said with great seriousness, “I will speak plainly: the Xie family intends to open a remittance house in Yuzhou and wishes to invite Madam Shen to take a stake in it.”

Shen Ruzhan asked, “With the Xie family’s financial strength, why would you want me to hold a stake? A remittance house is easier to operate without a partner than with one.”

Xie Huainan replied, “The herb procurement arrangement is a gift for Shen’s Medical Hall. The remittance house is a gift for His Highness Prince Ning.”

Such frankness left Shen Ruzhan even more surprised.

Xie Huainan said, “The Xie family will deposit three hundred thousand taels of silver into the remittance house as starting capital. As for how the remittance house’s business is conducted, that would require Madam Shen to oversee it from the inside.”

Shen Ruzhan understood.

The Xie family wanted to give Prince Ning money, but presenting it directly would be far too inelegant.

The remittance house would serve as the vehicle. The three hundred thousand taels was merely the initial capital. Whatever profits the remittance house generated would all belong to Prince Ning.

Money could beget more money.

With Shen’s Medical Hall as the majority stakeholder — whether or not Shen’s Medical Hall truly invested silver of its own — every merchant in Yuzhou would be watching. They would immediately begin gravitating toward the remittance house.

In this way, the Xie family would use three hundred thousand taels to set the example and take the lead. In a short span of time, it would be possible to draw in tens of millions of taels.

This money, of course, could not simply be withdrawn and used directly — it would be Prince Ning’s reserve asset, ready to play its most vital role the moment any difficulty arose.

The Xie family’s minds truly worked differently.

Shen Ruzhan said, “A matter of this magnitude really ought to be brought before Prince Ning first.”

Xie Huainan said, “I called upon Prince Ning’s residence yesterday, but it happened that His Highness was not in. So I came to find Madam Shen first to discuss it. If Madam Shen finds the arrangement workable, the Xie family will go ahead and prepare everything.”

Shen Ruzhan made a sound of agreement, then asked, “And who would serve as head manager of this remittance house?”

Xie Huainan answered, “Myself.”

Now that was even more intriguing.

Fixing the Xie family’s second-in-command in Yuzhou — what did three hundred thousand taels matter? What did the remittance house matter?

This was the true sincerity Xie Huainan wished Shen Ruzhan to relay to Li Chi.

From this point forward, Xie Huainan would not be leaving Yuzhou. With him remaining, the Xie family would be as good as lashed to Prince Ning’s ship — with no intention of disembarking.

—

Meanwhile, Jingzhou, Haiyu.

The six to seven hundred thousand troops of the Tianming Army had been garrisoned here for several months, and no news had yet come back from the negotiations with the imperial court. The winter had been unusually bitter and cold, so Yang Xuanji had no choice but to endure it.

He would wait until the following spring, when the weather warmed, and then reassess the situation to determine how to proceed next.

If the negotiations with the imperial court ultimately yielded the outcome he desired, his next target would be Prince Ning, Li Chi. Without resolving this thorn in his side, Yang Xuanji did not dare commit his full strength to attacking Daxing City.

“My lord.”

Pei Chongzhi, who had only escaped back from Jingzhou not long ago, strode quickly into the study and bowed. “News has just arrived from Jingzhou — the Xie family… has defected.”

Yang Xuanji, seated behind the writing desk, jerked his head up sharply. For a moment, he found it hard to believe.

“What do you mean, the Xie family has defected?”

Yang Xuanji’s expression darkened slightly as he asked, “Are you saying that besides Xie Xiu and Xie Di, someone else from the Xie family has also gone over to that side?”

Pei Chongzhi replied, “The entire Xie family.”

The book Yang Xuanji was holding quivered almost imperceptibly, and then with a sharp crack he slammed it down on the desk.

“What is Xie Huaiyuan trying to do?”

A hint of murderous intent was already flickering in Yang Xuanji’s eyes.

After a moment, Yang Xuanji suddenly looked at Pei Chongzhi. “Your Pei family has always been close to the Xie family…”

Without waiting for him to finish, Pei Chongzhi immediately bowed low. “The Xie family has taken the wrong path. The Pei family will not follow them down it.”

Yang Xuanji exhaled inwardly with relief.

When speaking of the powerful and influential noble clans within the Central Plains, the Xie family ranked among the top five — the Pei family fell slightly short of that.

Counting those that had previously ranked above the Xie family — the Yang imperial family set aside — the Wang family’s stance was rather ambiguous. They had always hedged their bets on both sides and would not make a definitive choice until a critical moment. As things stood now, the Wang family seemed to lean somewhat more toward the imperial court, yet it was nothing more than the outward appearance of loyal subjects.

The Cao family had already gone over to Li Chi’s side. The Yuwen family had fallen into decline. The Changsun family kept quietly to themselves.

“What is your reading of the situation?”

Yang Xuanji asked.

Pei Chongzhi replied, “News has also arrived from home, saying that Xie Huainan went to Yuzhou in person. He is presumably there to negotiate terms with Prince Ning Li Chi.”

Yang Xuanji understood perfectly — if Xie Huainan had gone himself, there was no room for reversal.

Pei Chongzhi continued, “The Xie family believes they have enough leverage to constrain my lord. If this goes unpunished, they will grow ever bolder.”

Yang Xuanji asked, “How should it be punished?”

Pei Chongzhi answered, “In this subject’s view, this winter there are no military engagements in Jingzhou. We could dispatch Grand General Yang Dingfang with an army of one hundred fifty thousand to return to Jingzhou and join forces with Grand General An Nuan. This would apply pressure to Xie Xiu.”

Yang Xuanji’s eyes narrowed slightly at these words.

Pei Chongzhi continued, “The foundation of the Xie family’s power lies in Jingzhou. Xie Xiu’s surrender was something the Xie family only accepted under compulsion. If Your Highness divides troops and sends them to Jingzhou — a journey of only a little over a month — the two grand generals, once combined, could send one force to pin down Xie Xiu while another strikes directly at the Xie family’s ancestral stronghold of Tingyang.”

Yang Xuanji nodded slowly. “As long as the army surrounds Tingyang, what can the Xie family do… And since we’re going to make an example of them, do it decisively.”

He looked at Pei Chongzhi. “Arrange for someone to go to Yuzhou, capture Xie Huainan and bring him back to me. If he cannot be taken alive, bring him back dead.”

“Understood!”

Pei Chongzhi bowed deeply.

Yang Xuanji seemed to murmur to himself, “Grass on the ground — when the wind blows, it all sways. If you want to stop the grass from swaying, you pull some of it out by the roots and press it down on top of the rest. Bent at the waist, it stops swaying.”

Pei Chongzhi bowed and said, “This subject understands. This subject will go and arrange the deployment of personnel immediately.”

Yang Xuanji said, “Go. Do not drag it out too long — if it drags on, the Xie family will begin thinking I don’t dare do anything to them.”

—

Yuzhou City.

Shen Ruzhan relayed every word of Xie Huainan’s message faithfully to Li Chi. When Li Chi had heard it all, he found himself thinking that this Xie Huainan was quite a fascinating person.

Shen Ruzhan said, “Xie Xiu once mentioned that although it appears to be Xie Huaiyuan who steers the Xie family, it is in fact Xie Huainan who forms the judgments, and then Xie Huaiyuan who makes the decisions. Since Xie Huainan has come himself, the Xie family’s intentions are not in doubt.”

Li Chi nodded. “Go ahead with the remittance house business. And furthermore — the Xie family deals in illicit salt, does it not? Tell him: whatever price Xie Huainan sells at, that’s the price the Ning Army will pay when procuring.”

—

On the other side, the Xie family’s old residence.

Xie Huainan washed his face, then walked out to the courtyard to feed the fish in the lotus pond. Not far away, Xie Qixi had set up a small table and brewed tea for him.

She asked, “This should work out, right?”

Xie Huainan said with a smile, “If in a couple of days someone comes to say that the Ning Army’s salt supply will henceforth be procured from our Xie family — then it’s done.”

Xie Qixi was momentarily startled.

Xie Huainan said, “Now do you understand why the remittance house had to be opened?”

Xie Qixi thought carefully, and then it dawned on her all at once.

First, join with Shen’s Medical Hall to open a remittance house — then, in the name of the remittance house, procure salt from the Xie family, using the Xie family’s own silver to buy the Xie family’s own goods.

Sending a gift this way — was that not a far more sincere kind of giving?

—