Prince Yu’s residence.

Military Preparation General Jiang Ran, who had believed he might be leaving his life behind in that room, quietly exhaled in relief as Prince Yu finished speaking.

“This subordinate will do his utmost to investigate.”

But inwardly he thought: how exactly is he supposed to investigate this?

Prince Yu had just said that although Yiji Hall had been completely wiped out — not a single person left alive from top to bottom — the matter still needed to be pursued, to find out who had gone to Yiji Hall to hire assassins.

Everyone was dead. Where do you even begin?

Prince Yu hadn’t reprimanded Jiang Ran much, which also surprised Garrison Commander Zeng Ling. When he had come back, he’d fully expected his trusted subordinate’s life to be forfeit.

“You may go.”

Prince Yu waved a hand. Jiang Ran, pardoned as if by imperial decree, immediately withdrew from the study. The moment he was out the door he let out a long, slow breath.

This whole affair had been like an axe falling from the sky — it hadn’t killed him, and for that alone he should count himself fortunate. His life was spared. Whether that blade had landed in his arm or somewhere more vital was beside the point.

But this case was impossibly thorny. There was nowhere to begin an investigation. It would have been nice if His Highness had at least left one person alive. Not only had there been no survivors — even Yiji Hall’s ledgers had been seized and stored by the Prince’s household, leaving not even a copy in the Garrison Commander’s hands.

In the study, Prince Yu looked at Zeng Ling and smiled. “Were you expecting me to have Jiang Ran executed?”

Zeng Ling said: “A man who committed such a serious error could reasonably be put to death. That he was spared is entirely due to Your Highness’s grace and benevolence.”

Prince Yu said: “Then tell me — why did I send him to investigate the Yiji Hall case?”

Zeng Ling was puzzled by it himself. How was the case supposed to be investigated? He’d been sent to investigate without even being given the ledgers — there was simply no way to proceed.

Then it hit him in an instant. If Prince Yu had truly wanted to find out who had gone to Yiji Hall to hire assassins, why hadn’t he left a single person alive before this? That alone told him Prince Yu had no real intention of investigating.

Or rather — Prince Yu didn’t want a loud, public investigation. There was something else behind it.

Zeng Ling ventured carefully: “Your Highness wished to see whether Jiang Ran was worth keeping?”

“Mm.”

Prince Yu nodded. “How you deal with someone who has made a mistake depends on whether that person is useful. If he’s a clever man, a past mistake is actually good — he’ll be more careful going forward. If he’s a foolish man…”

Prince Yu paused, then continued: “I am in critical need of talent right now. In the years ahead, I intend to recruit capable people in great numbers. If I start by killing rather than recruiting, those who might come to serve me will have second thoughts.”

Zeng Ling finally understood completely. Prince Yu’s thinking ran deeper than he’d imagined.

He lowered his head and said: “If Jiang Ran truly goes off single-mindedly to investigate this case, then he’s a fool. And a fool sitting in the position of Military Preparation General is not appropriate…”

Even as he said it, Zeng Ling felt deeply uncomfortable. Jiang Ran was someone he himself had promoted. Calling him a fool now felt like he was slapping his own face.

And in that very moment, Zeng Ling felt a sudden jolt of alarm. The sting of it woke him up.

Did Prince Yu really need to personally reprimand a Military Preparation General? Jiang Ran was only a fifth-rank officer — hardly worth such careful attention from His Highness. The one Prince Yu was really reprimanding… was himself.

With that realization, Zeng Ling’s heart grew heavy. Jiang Ran’s military rank wasn’t high, but his position was critical — responsible for the defense and public order of all of Jizhou City. The message Prince Yu had sent by reprimanding Jiang Ran was: can I trust a Garrison Commander who manages his people this way?

At that thought, Zeng Ling immediately bowed his head and said: “Your Highness, I believe Jiang Ran’s abilities are genuinely limited. His capacity is insufficient for the position of Military Preparation General, and mistakes in that post are bound to recur.”

He looked up at Prince Yu and said: “Since Jiang Ran is already tasked with the Yiji Hall case, perhaps it would be better to transfer him to Jizhou Prefecture as Chief Constable. The Chief Constable’s duty is investigating cases — that would be an appropriate fit.”

Prince Yu let out a hearty laugh, clapping the armrest of his chair several times, then rose and walked away.

Zeng Ling exhaled a long breath. Close — so close. What Prince Yu had wanted wasn’t Jiang Ran’s attitude. Prince Yu had wanted his attitude.

Not long after, Jiang Ran — who hadn’t yet made it back to the Military Preparation General’s residence — received a transfer order from the Garrison Commander. His title of Military Preparation General became Chief Constable of Jizhou Prefecture.

In terms of rank, the Chief Constable of Jizhou Prefecture was also a full fifth rank — officially a lateral transfer. But the difference in actual power was visible to anyone who cared to look.

The Military Preparation General’s office commanded over four thousand soldiers, with Jiang Ran holding sole authority — and the post had been extraordinarily lucrative. Every day, the accumulated bribes from all the city gates of Jizhou added up to an impressive figure.

Did the soldiers at those gates dare keep all of it for themselves? Of course not. If one in five made it into their own pockets, that was a good day.

The toll money from the city gates was small change. There was also a substantial income from the tribute paid by every underground faction in the city — and not just the shadowy businesses. Even the brothels and gambling houses, if they wanted to operate in peace, couldn’t afford to be stingy with the Military Preparation General’s office.

Now transferred to Jizhou Prefecture as Chief Constable, he would have a few dozen actual officers under him, plus a crowd of unofficial hangers-on and apprentices who traded on his authority. And above him, how many people would he have to answer to? How many faces would he have to watch?

It was only when Jiang Ran received the transfer notice that he understood — Prince Yu’s order to investigate the case was an order to investigate it for the rest of his life. His career had likely reached its ceiling.

Two years from appointment as Military Preparation General to reassignment as Chief Constable. Two years of glory.

If Prince Yu truly wanted to find out who had gone to Yiji Hall to hire assassins, was all this elaborate maneuvering really necessary? He had said all the witnesses were dead and there was nothing to go on — yet finding out who was behind it would hardly be difficult if he genuinely wanted to know.

At this very moment, Xu Qinglin — who had been strolling around with Gao Yuanzhang — was caught up to by his household servant Chengcai, who leaned close and murmured something in his ear. Xu Qinglin’s face immediately drained of color.

“How could this happen!”

He said in a tense and rapid voice: “You said Yiji Hall was handling this without any risk of failure. They didn’t even kill the man, and on top of that Prince Yu’s forces wiped out all of Yiji Hall. If this gets traced back to me, what do we do?!”

Chengcai was frightened too — more frightened than Xu Qinglin, in truth. He had handled the whole affair personally, and he knew very well how people of power operated. With Xu Qinglin’s background, Prince Yu might not actually move against Xu Qinglin directly — but Chengcai had no such protection. He was just a servant of the Xu family.

“Young Master, you have to save me.”

Chengcai pleaded: “This matter can’t be kept from the master. When the master finds out, he’ll beat me to death.”

Xu Qinglin was so rattled he didn’t know what to do. After a long moment he pulled himself together somewhat and hurried to catch up with Gao Yuanzhang, bowing low. “Dean, something urgent has come up at home and I must return at once. I’m afraid I must take my leave…”

Gao Yuanzhang had already lost whatever goodwill he’d had for Xu Qinglin after the business of the marriage proposal. Now that Xu Qinglin was leaving, he nodded immediately. “Go then. Family matters come first.”

Xu Qinglin rushed home. Along the way he said to Chengcai: “You’re right — this can’t be kept from my father. So when I get home, I’ll confess directly. If I’m honest and contrite, perhaps the punishment will be lighter. Don’t worry — this was something I ordered you to do. I’ll protect you. You’re my man, and I won’t abandon you.”

Chengcai immediately said: “Thank you, Young Master. Chengcai’s life belongs to you. Whatever you command, Chengcai will walk through fire and flood without hesitation.”

Back at the house, Xu Qinglin cautiously approached his father Xu Sheng’s study. The household staff were inside telling Xu Sheng about Yiji Hall — his father was merely curious, not alarmed. He had no idea yet that his own son had brought this trouble down on them.

Xu Qinglin swallowed. He took a deep breath, bowed his head, and entered the study.

Chengcai stood at the doorway, trembling uncontrollably, unable to stop. He knew the master’s temper better than anyone. He could only hope the young master would truly protect him — so long as he didn’t lose his life, being beaten was fine. However hard they beat him.

“You fool!”

At that moment, a shout of furious rage erupted from within the study, and Chengcai nearly fell backward in fright.

Inside the study, Xu Qinglin was kneeling on the floor, pleading repeatedly.

“Father, I was rash and foolish for a moment — and then Chengcai egged me on. He said he knew killers at Yiji Hall who could handle it without leaving a trace, and I let myself be bewitched, I shouldn’t have listened to his nonsense.”

Xu Sheng was so furious his scalp felt like it might split. This matter could be interpreted large or small. On the smaller side, it was merely an attempt on Li Chi’s life — Prince Yu’s household might not truly care enough to press the issue. On the larger side, this had touched on Xiahou Zuo, and given how much Prince Yu valued Xiahou Zuo, it was not impossible that he could come to the Xu family’s door in righteous fury, leading troops to demand an accounting.

“Someone come.”

Xu Sheng called toward the door: “Bind Chengcai.”

He looked at Xu Qinglin with deep disappointment: “Before I return, you are not to go anywhere. Stay here and reflect on your mistakes. No meals!”

“Yes, yes — your son will reflect.”

Xu Sheng had someone help him into fresh clothes, then brought several attendants and the bound, gagged Chengcai, boarded his carriage, and drove straight to Prince Yu’s residence.

He waited outside Prince Yu’s residence for a long, anxious stretch. Finally someone came out and said Prince Yu would receive them. Xu Sheng unconsciously raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his brow.

When he reached the reception hall, even from a distance, Xu Sheng fell to his knees with a heavy thud.

“Your Highness, this official Xu Sheng deserves ten thousand deaths.”

Prince Yu strode out quickly and reached down to lift Xu Sheng by the arm. “Lord Xu, whatever is the meaning of this?”

Xu Sheng read in the faint smile at the corner of Prince Yu’s mouth that His Highness understood perfectly why he had come. If the Xu family had pretended to know nothing, Prince Yu would conclude that Xu family had no sincere intention of supporting his bid for the throne.

Prince Yu had deliberately refrained from launching a loud public investigation of the Yiji Hall case. He had been waiting.

In the reception hall, Xu Sheng went through the entire sequence of events. He said it had all come from a child’s jealousy — causing such an inexcusable mistake — and it was all that servant Chengcai’s fault for encouraging the young master into it. Xu Sheng said he was willing to hand over both Xu Qinglin and Chengcai for Prince Yu to deal with as he saw fit.

In truth, if he truly intended to surrender the boy, wouldn’t he have brought his son along?

Prince Yu smiled: “A child’s temperament — understandable. As it happens, I had been thinking that Qinglin is a young man of outstanding talent, and I was planning to bring him into my service and entrust him with important responsibilities.”

He looked at Xu Sheng and said: “Lord Xu, you may not know this yet — the banditry throughout Jizhou has grown severe, and Jizhou’s military forces are insufficient. I plan to expand the Jizhou Army by at least ten battalions. When Qinglin finishes his studies at the academy, I intend to send him to work in the newly expanded Jizhou Army.”

His tone shifted, and he sighed: “But the difficulties are considerable. Jizhou’s treasury is already stretched thin. Expanding the Jizhou Army is… a challenge.”

“Your Highness!”

Could Xu Sheng fail to understand the meaning?

He immediately rose and bowed deeply: “Your Highness’s concern for the people of Jizhou, and your efforts to maintain peace within Jizhou’s borders — this official is deeply moved and deeply ashamed. My family engages in commerce and has accumulated some modest wealth. If Your Highness would not despise it, this official would be willing to donate from the family’s holdings to support the expansion of the Jizhou Army.”

Prince Yu smiled and said: “How could that be right — that is your family’s assets. State affairs are important, but we cannot use your private wealth for them.”

“No no no, this official also wishes to do something for the people of Jizhou. This is this official’s heartfelt wish to serve the realm. Please, Your Highness, grant this official the honor of donating… fifty — no, one hundred thousand silver taels.”

“Ha ha ha ha!”

Prince Yu rose and came forward, taking Xu Sheng by both arms. “With Lord Xu’s character, his virtue, his generosity — if I continued to refuse, I would be dishonoring your sincerity.”

Xu Sheng quickly said: “Thank you, Your Highness, for giving this official the opportunity to do something for Jizhou.”

Prince Yu smiled: “You said earlier that a servant of your household encouraged all this?”

His tone shifted naturally: “Qinglin has great promise ahead of him. A servant with such a malicious influence — best not to keep him on. But this is your household’s affair. Take the man home and deal with him yourself.”

“Yes yes yes…”

Xu Sheng turned toward the attendants he’d brought and called out: “Take that wicked servant home. Gather every member of the household to watch, and carry out the family law!”

—