He pondered inwardly but showed no emotion on his face. Wei Chenghui had some complaints about Minister Feng, which he could see, but Minister Feng’s ideals ran counter to his own, while Wei Chenghui remained loyal to him – he still respected and valued him. If he invited Feng Suzhen, Wei Chenghui would surely have something to say. He didn’t need to invite trouble.

“Young Master, last night when you went to the Quan residence to ‘admit your guilt,’ what did Quan Feitong say? That fox probably became suspicious. It might be troublesome for us to act in the future.”

At this point, the atmosphere grew heavy. Wei Chenghui frowned inquiringly, his expression showing some gravity.

Li Zhaoting recalled yesterday’s scene and actually smiled slightly.

Originally, having received the servant’s notification, he had gone to meet Quan Feitong that evening.

When he arrived, Quan Feitong had already returned home, and Chao Huang was already there.

“I’ve come to apologize to Master about Li Huaisu’s identity.”

He hadn’t beaten around the bush, speaking directly from the start.

Quan Feitong curved his lips but didn’t speak first. Instead, he smiled ambiguously and asked lazily, “This minister has become friends with Feng Suzhen – do you have any objections?”

By today, without waiting for Quan Feitong’s questions, considering Feng Suzhen’s various behaviors, he had already seen through several points about the relationship between Quan Feitong and Feng Suzhen. He couldn’t help but sneer inwardly – you do love to steal others’ treasures. Of course, he only smiled bitterly and replied, “Master, you know my feelings for Gu. As for Feng Suzhen and me, there was only childhood friendship and marriage obligations.”

This wasn’t false – he truly felt this way about her. He just never expected that she, who constantly spoke of ten years of deep affection, had already thrown herself into the Emperor’s arms.

Saying this was equivalent to his tacit approval that he didn’t object to Quan Feitong harboring thoughts about Feng Suzhen.

“That’s good then.” Seeing his agreement, Quan Feitong finally changed the subject back to business, his expression also cooling, “You shouldn’t have hidden her matter from me.”

Li Zhaoting looked directly back, “Master, since I have a marriage engagement with her, I must protect her completely. Beyond this, I have concealed nothing else. But if this happened again, I would still do the same.”

Quan Feitong stared at him intently for a long time. Even though Li Zhaoting remained composed, his nerves were taut and cold sweat secretly seeped down his back.

Quan Feitong’s principle was: one betrayal means never to be trusted again.

The suffocating atmosphere lasted for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. Quan Feitong’s expression finally slowly relaxed, “This matter is quite detestable to me, but you did what a man should do. In your position, I would have done the same.”

“I only hope you won’t make such mistakes again in the future.”

Li Zhaoting observed his expression and knew he spoke truthfully, finally secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

Chao Huang laughed nearby, “Zhaoting, when you told us she was a Xia family survivor, Elder Brother already had suspicions. He said Scholar Xia was serious and upright – he shouldn’t have raised such a daughter. Not in terms of excellence, but this strange temperament.”

Li Zhaoting continued smiling bitterly, bowing to Chao Huang, then saying to Quan Feitong, “Actually, I knew Master had suspicions, but I truly had no other choice.”

“Mm,” Quan Feitong responded faintly, “The identity was arranged by Minister Feng?”

Li Zhaoting sighed silently, “Correct. Both Li Huaisu’s and Miss Xia’s identities were arranged by that old fox. A cunning rabbit has three burrows – though the old fox didn’t know his daughter would enter government service, he knew I would certainly take the examinations and was sure I would succeed. So he arranged two identities for his daughter. Even if Li Huaisu’s identity was exposed, there was another identity for cover. Though Scholar Xia’s daughter was also a criminal, it was an old case. With connections in court and my protection, it shouldn’t be particularly difficult.”

Quan Feitong smiled slowly, “That fits the old fox’s methods. Needless to say—”

Li Zhaoting, being extremely perceptive, had already guessed what he wanted to ask, “The Ministry of Justice files – he was also prepared. Fearing Feng Suzhen would seek revenge against Lian Yu and waste her life, he gave me forged files to hand over to Feng Suzhen when necessary, hoping to end her thoughts of revenge.”

Quan Feitong glanced at him, “Later, you went with the flow and switched the Ministry’s files, right?”

Li Zhaoting nodded. Quan Feitong’s eyes showed a wicked gleam as he suddenly laughed coldly, “This would have been the perfect opportunity to expose Lian Yu. I went to the Ministry wanting to take the files to show Feng Suzhen, but our Sixth Prince was very cunning, having secretly taken the files away early. The execution was carried out by Yan Da, and Yan Da is his man. So now no one can prove this case was actually his doing.”

Hearing this, Li Zhaoting’s heart tensed. Since the Huang Tianba case, though Quan Feitong had appeared calm on the surface with no major movements in court – aside from Gu Shuangcheng’s marriage, without much direct confrontation with Lian Yu – he knew he must have been acting secretly. So he spoke very calmly, “Master, let him win this round. But what do you plan for the future? Lian Yu’s power grows stronger. If time passes, with deep roots, he might become impossible to remove.”

Quan Feitong listened faintly, his expression mysterious. Finally, he raised an eyebrow and smiled, “Indeed, only Li Zhaoting truly understands me.”

“This minister has already discussed matters with Grand Consort Ai.”

At this point, Wei Chenghui and Si Lanfeng, who had been listening with some fascination, were both startled. Wei Chenghui was like the most capable hunting dog, seeming to smell the blood of approaching storms. He asked nervously, “Young Master, what does this mean?”

Si Lanfeng held his breath even more, his eyes bright as he looked at Li Zhaoting, waiting for information.

Li Zhaoting also showed the first genuinely comfortable smile in days. He said slowly, “Quan Feitong revealed two pieces of information. First: The late Emperor favored Consort Ai, and Consort Ai was no simple woman. She pestered the late Emperor until he wrote a note a year or two before his death, passing the throne to Lian Jie. However, this note isn’t an imperial edict and requires recognition from many important court ministers to be valid. Before this, they must also shake Lian Jie’s loyalty. If this young master doesn’t rebel, no matter how energetic Quan Feitong is, it’s all in vain.”

“Second: Chao Huang commands military power, and Marquis Murong Jing also commands heavy troops, enough to divide and resist. This is why Quan Feitong has hesitated to act.”

“But do you remember the deceased General Liu Shouping? He was killed by Lian Yu, and all his subordinate officers and soldiers retired completely. General Liu died supporting Lian Jie. If this group of soldiers could be regathered to support Lian Jie, combined with Chao Huang’s forces, it would be enough to overthrow Lian Yu.”

“And Quan Feitong has already sent trusted agents to secretly persuade this force that Lian Yu overlooked.”

Hearing this, both Wei and Si were secretly shocked. Wei Chenghui stood up excitedly and laughed coldly, “In that case, Quan Feitong now has the strongest backing. Though old Marquis Murong Jing is brave, he’s getting on in years and not what he used to be. As long as he breaks through these two barriers, he can raise troops and change dynasties.”

“Among the three factions, though my forces aren’t small, they’re the weakest,” he said angrily, his eyes showing fierce light, obviously deeply agitated, “I knew Quan Feitong would seize the opportunity to cause trouble, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon. I thought we still had time to maneuver, but…”

Li Zhaoting remained silent, suddenly looking at Si Lanfeng, “Lanfeng, from what you’ve observed recently, how are the relations between Lian Yu and Lian Jie?”

Si Lanfeng quickly replied, “I came tonight specifically to report this to Young Master. Being one of Lian Jie’s trusted subordinates, I can freely enter and exit the inner palace, unlike other court officials who have restrictions entering the inner palace. After court that day, I secretly entered the inner palace to observe. Lian Yu had unpleasant exchanges with everyone, especially Lian Jie.”

“These past days, their relationship has felt very strange, no longer as intimate as before.”

“Excellent. Quan Feitong’s alienation strategy has indeed taken effect.” Li Zhaoting suddenly picked up three chess pieces from the board on his desk and placed them before the two men, “Teacher, actually, this time isn’t just a challenge for us, but also a great opportunity.”

The man’s long, pale fingers slowly moved, picking out crystal-clear white chess pieces one by one and placing them on the table.

One, two, three…

A total of… four pieces.

“This first piece is… Feng Suzhen. Already played.”

Placing the piece, Li Zhaoting spoke faintly, a glimmer of light slowly flowing in his eyes, deep and complex, like a well, like a pool, profound and dark, impossible to fathom.

Wei Chenghui and Si Lanfeng were both surprised and delighted, extremely astonished. After all, experience comes with age. Wei Chenghui suddenly remembered something, his eyes flickering, “Young Master, you chose this time to expose Feng Suzhen not only because she… betrayed you…”

“You wanted Lian Yu to cause disputes in court, splitting the ministers, creating rifts between him and the Empress Dowager, Marquis Murong Jing, and even Lian Jie and Lian Qin. Most importantly, you wanted Quan Feitong to trust you again.”

“Exactly. The Feng family was killed on Lian Yu’s orders. If he wants to protect Feng Suzhen, the Empress Dowager and others, concerned for his safety, cannot stand by and watch. Yet their good intentions aren’t adopted. Even if they reconcile, that crack will always be there. And Quan Feitong is extremely suspicious – his wariness of me began precisely with Feng Suzhen’s identity. Only by letting him know what I had hidden from him can he completely dispel his doubts.”