Xiahou Zuo looked at Li Chi’s face — grinning in that way that oozed craftiness — and felt he had been far too naive.

“You had it all planned out from the start?”

Xiahou Zuo asked.

Li Chi smiled: “I have said before — I never underestimate any opponent. It was you who assumed I was underestimating them.”

Xiahou Zuo sighed: “Summoning all the people of the Western Regions nations to the Qing Garden at once — this has become a great deal more interesting.”

Li Chi smiled: “Believe me, there are even more interesting things yet to come.”

Xiahou Zuo asked: “How interesting?”

Li Chi shook his head: “Not time yet to tell you. Besides, something interesting can only be appreciated as it truly is when you witness it at the crucial moment — that is the only way to feel exactly how interesting the interesting part is.”

Xiahou Zuo fished around in his lapels for a while and pulled out a few taels of silver, handing them to Li Chi: “If I spend a little money, could Your Majesty reveal something in advance?”

Li Chi looked at those few taels, and though it was a mere pittance, it truly did stir something in him.

He said with some difficulty: “You see… just when you go and press exactly on my weak point.”

His hand had already extended as he spoke, yet somehow he managed to restrain himself from taking the silver just before grasping it.

“No — I am a man of principles.”

Li Chi retracted his hand and walked forward with his hands clasped behind his back: “I’ve arranged such an elaborate scene, expended so much mental effort — to go and leak everything in advance for a mere few taels of silver would feel like a loss.”

Xiahou Zuo: “This minister only happened to bring this much on me. If Your Majesty is unsatisfied, Your Majesty may take these few taels first, and this minister will make up the difference later.”

Li Chi stopped mid-step. Evidently those words “make up the difference later” had once again pressed exactly on his weak point.

He hesitated for a moment, with the expression of someone in great difficulty, and finally sighed: “It’s just that you’re you… if it were anyone else begging me to take these few taels of silver, I wouldn’t spare them a glance.”

Xiahou Zuo immediately said: “Yes, yes — what sort of person is Your Majesty? How could Your Majesty be moved by a mere few taels?”

After pocketing the silver, Li Chi looked at Xiahou Zuo: “Consider this a deposit. A deposit means you’ve reserved something from me — it doesn’t mean you’ve actually received it yet.”

Xiahou Zuo immediately sensed disaster and felt a wave of regret.

He thought to himself: Xiahou Zuo, oh Xiahou Zuo — don’t you know by now what kind of person His Majesty is?

Li Chi said with a perfectly straight face: “Now that I’ve accepted your deposit, you may be assured I will honor it. The deposit is my commitment.”

Xiahou Zuo exhaled with relief.

Li Chi continued: “Accepting your deposit means you have reserved a spot with me. I can guarantee that right now, you are the only person who has reserved a spot to hear my explanation at a special moment.”

Xiahou Zuo: “Your Majesty… what does this mean?”

Li Chi said: “It means this deposit is a deposit.”

Xiahou Zuo: “Meaning this minister spent a little money to pre-book the right to learn some secret from Your Majesty’s mouth — but I still can’t know in advance what that secret is?”

Li Chi nodded: “Precisely.”

Xiahou Zuo: “Then what in the world did this minister’s deposit actually buy?”

Li Chi said: “Strictly speaking, it bought nothing at all.”

He walked on: “After all, once things come to a conclusion, I will explain everything clearly to everyone.”

Xiahou Zuo: “So those who didn’t spend money will know as well?”

Li Chi: “Of course.”

Xiahou Zuo: “Then what was the point of this minister spending the money…”

Li Chi: “You wanted to spend it — it’s not as if I asked you for it. Tell you what — when the time comes for explanations, I’ll let you stand a little closer to me.”

Xiahou Zuo: “Even without this money, given this minister’s rank, this minister would probably already be among those standing closest to Your Majesty.”

Li Chi: “That’s different. Paying a little something for peace of mind — doesn’t that feel better?”

Xiahou Zuo: “…”

The two of them chatted idly all the way to the gates of the Qing Garden. Upon hearing that His Majesty the Great Ning Emperor had arrived, everyone gathered outside the Qing Garden to receive him.

The moment the imperial carriage came to a stop, everyone dropped to their knees — whether Ning officials or Western Regions envoys — falling in a sweeping wave of prostration.

Li Chi stepped down from the imperial carriage, smiling and gesturing for everyone to rise.

Xiahou Zuo had come in the same imperial carriage as Li Chi — a clear signal of his standing, visible at a glance to anyone who knew him, and even to those who did not.

The imperial guards had already completed their deployment around the Qing Garden. Several of the streets surrounding the Qing Garden had been reinforced with a large number of troops.

At this level of defense, never mind one great swordmaster of the Sword Sect — even if three great swordmasters were to come, they would likely be unable to breach even the outer defensive line the imperial guards had established.

Amid the crowd, the Jialou Kingdom’s envoy Mu Yan and Mu Di had a rather complex expression on his face.

He was the last person to have expected that the Great Ning Emperor would summon all the envoys of every nation to the Qing Garden.

After all, earlier, both Gui Yuanshu, the Minister of Rites, and the Ning Kingdom’s Chancellor Xu Ji, had pledged with absolute certainty that the treatment the Jialou Kingdom would receive in Chang’an would far surpass that of any other Western Regions nation.

He had originally assumed this would be the occasion for the Great Ning Emperor to meet with him alone — yet everyone had come, and there was nothing particularly special about their treatment.

But he could not say anything, and could only passively accept the Ning Kingdom’s arrangements.

Nevertheless, Mu Yan and Mu Di did not feel the slightest unhappiness — in fact, there was a faint hint of secret delight in his heart.

He understood perfectly well that when the Great Ning Emperor came to the Qing Garden, there would be danger — danger more than sufficient to seal his own doom forever.

Whether or not the Great Ning Emperor would die was something no one could be certain of. But that he himself would die the moment the assassination attempt took place — everyone could be certain of that.

The outer garden of the Qing Garden, normally open to all citizens, had been sealed off in advance for this occasion of such great importance.

The banquet arranged under the Emperor’s authorization was also set within the outer garden — which was larger, more scenic, and thus seemed all the more grand.

This was a season of perfect beauty. The scenery within the Qing Garden was like a painting, with clusters of flowers in bloom everywhere to be seen, and lush green jade foliage everywhere to be seen as well.

The Ministry of Rites staff had long since prepared the venue, setting out one hundred and twenty tables in all.

His Majesty’s position was at the innermost. By protocol, only the Jialou Kingdom’s Prince Mu Yan and Mu Di, and the Xiaoyueshi Kingdom’s Prince Dong Qianyuan were qualified to share a table with His Majesty. All other Western Regions envoys could only sit at tables further away, and the Western Regions merchants who had accompanied the delegations were naturally seated even further out still.

Those sitting at the tables furthest outside could barely make out the Great Ning Emperor at all and had to crane their necks to look.

And so Gan Luo and the others of his group, seated at the outermost section, grew increasingly grim-faced.

Given their status, they could only sit at the outermost perimeter. The distance to the Ning Emperor’s position was too great, and if they charged from there toward where the Ning Emperor sat, they would be turned into pincushions by the palace guards’ and imperial soldiers’ crossbows well before they reached halfway.

“Come with me.”

Manlai Yaman suddenly turned and, in a lowered voice, gave Gan Luo quiet instructions.

Gan Luo immediately stepped forward, falling into stride alongside Manlai Yaman.

Manlai Yaman murmured: “In a moment, you sit beside me. If the Ning people ask your identity, I will explain it to them — I will find a reason to justify your sitting somewhat closer to the front.”

Gan Luo exhaled with relief.

His command of the Central Plains tongue was not particularly good, which was itself a liability — but with Manlai Yaman to cover for him, things would be considerably easier.

Manlai Yaman was the National Advisor of the Xiaoyueshi Kingdom. While he could not sit at the same table as the Ning Emperor, his seat was still among the closest to the Ning Emperor of any present.

“However…”

Manlai Yaman continued in a lowered voice: “If you act, it would be best if you wounded me in the process — otherwise I would be implicated by you.”

Gan Luo thought for a moment before giving a nod: “Understood.”

Manlai Yaman sighed: “If the Ning Emperor can truly be killed this time, whether the Xiaoyueshi Kingdom can survive this calamity will depend entirely on whether the Heiwu Empire keeps its word.”

Gan Luo said: “You may rest easy on that score.”

Though those were his words, Gan Luo understood perfectly well — how could the Heiwu Empire’s Khan Emperor possibly hold these Western Regions people in any regard?

Having the Ning Kingdom send troops to attack the Western Regions was precisely the outcome the Khan Emperor most wished to see.

The Ning Kingdom had only recently been established; the realm was not yet fully settled; and now it would be compelled to make war against the entire Western Regions. For exhausting the Ning Kingdom’s strength, could there be any better situation?

Once the Ning Emperor was dead, the Ning Kingdom would inevitably fall into chaos. The Ning army would also be compelled to avenge the Ning Emperor — and with war breaking out, the Central Plains would quickly once again be plunged into the twin crises of internal strife and external threat.

At that point, those generals of outstanding military achievement, freed from the Ning Emperor’s restraint, would each want their share of the Central Plains realm.

Just look at the regional military governors during the Chu Kingdom era — once the Central Plains descended into chaos, the ones to emerge first would certainly be these men with armies in their hands.

As these thoughts passed through his mind, Li Chi had already walked to the innermost table.

Xiahou Zuo stood at Li Chi’s side. The Ning Kingdom’s Chancellor Xu Ji stood at Li Chi’s other side.

Slightly further behind were the Ning Kingdom’s senior officials: the Minister of Rites Gui Yuanshu and the Deputy Minister of Rites Jia Ruan, since the banquet today was being presided over by them.

Beyond the Ministry of Rites officials, several more Ning Kingdom senior ministers were present. Of the Western Regions guests, only two were entitled to sit at this table.

When Dong Qianyuan and Mu Yan and Mu Di exchanged a glance, the expressions in both their eyes were thick with mutual contempt and disdain.

The Jialou Kingdom was currently at the height of its power, and the Xiaoyueshi Kingdom was the only nation that could hold its own against it.

So when these two came face to face, the mutual hostility between them was barely concealed at all.

“Everyone, please be seated.”

Li Chi smiled and pressed both palms downward.

With the word from the Great Ning Emperor himself, everyone took their assigned seats.

Gan Luo, using Manlai Yaman’s standing as cover, managed to sit down at the table nearest to the Ning Emperor.

He even deliberately chose a position directly facing Li Chi, from which he could observe Li Chi’s every word and movement.

At this distance, Gan Luo calculated — with his level of ability, it would take less than a single breath to reach Li Chi.