“Your Highness means to take advantage of Prince Ghost-Face being in the capital to send someone back to His Majesty, asking His Majesty to dispatch troops to attack the Rong Di?”

“This plan is feasible! Although the Rong Di have many fierce generals, they don’t follow military tactics or formations. This Prince Ghost-Face… can be considered a remarkable person the Rong Di have produced in a hundred years. There are rumors that… this Prince Ghost-Face of the Rong Di had a mother from Yan, lived in Yan for a period in his childhood, and later came to Jin, where he learned military tactics, which is why he became so formidable…”

“Therefore, Your Highness, as long as this Prince Ghost-Face is not with the Rong Di, what is there to fear from the Rong Di? While Great Zhou stabilizes the Rong Di for us, we should strike first to gain the advantage!”

Li Zhijie opened his fan with an irritated expression and fanned himself: “Great Zhou keeps Prince Ghost-Face stable in the capital, and if Xiliang attacks the Rong Di, Great Zhou will immediately join the Rong Di in attacking Xiliang.”

“Your Highness, I believe… the Great Zhou Empress simply wants to secure benefits for Great Zhou. We, Xiliang, should just give them what they want. As long as we offer enough benefits, surely the Great Zhou Empress won’t refuse?” said one envoy.

Li Zhijie listened to the noisy, chattering delegation, but his mind was filled with the words he had heard Bai Qingyan speak at the Imperial Academy. Great Zhou… wanted to unify the world, which inevitably meant destroying Xiliang… destroying the Rong Di!

Li Zhijie closed his eyes, caught in a dilemma.

Both the Great Zhou and Yan wanted to unify the world, so logically, the Rong Di and Xiliang should join forces against the strong powers. Was the Rong Di mad to persistently target Xiliang when there was no deep-seated hatred between them?

But for Xiliang, only by destroying the Rong Di… could they form a three-way balance with Great Yan and Great Zhou, securing a place in the future, even competing with Great Zhou and Great Yan for dominance over the central plains.

However…

As the current strong powers, the Great Zhou and Great Yan would never allow Xiliang to grow powerful!

How could Xiliang be saved?

Li Zhijie’s head ached from his delegation’s arguing. He rose and walked straight toward the door, ignoring the shouting from his delegation behind him. Irritably scratching his head, he gazed at the blazing sun over the capital, wishing a rain would come at this moment to clear his mind.

Li Zhijie had just descended the stairs and taken a turn around the garden when he suddenly heard the sound of a qin. Following the music, he saw Great Yan’s Ninth Prince enjoying flowers and playing the qin in a pavilion beside the lotus pond.

The octagonal pavilion with double eaves was laid with ivory mats, with a small black wood table in the center. On the table sat a bronze auspicious beast incense burner, sending up curling white smoke. Fine white misty gauze curtains hung down from the crossbeams on all eight sides to keep out flying insects. When the wind passed… the misty gauze curtains swayed gently, and the copper hooks and silver bells hanging on both sides of the curtains made crisp sounds that harmonized elegantly with the Ninth Prince’s qin music.

Li Zhijie’s steps halted as he stood under the osmanthus tree with its dancing shadows, quietly listening to the Ninth Prince’s qin music. When the wind passed… sweet osmanthus flowers fell on his shoulders without his notice.

As one piece neared its end, Li Zhijie watched the Ninth Prince sitting cross-legged on the ivory mat playing the qin, his gaze shifting to the teapot on the small clay stove, then glancing at the Ninth Prince’s mask. As if suddenly understanding something, he lowered his eyes with a quiet laugh. The moment the qin music stopped abruptly, he lifted his feet and walked toward the octagonal pavilion.

“Ninth Prince has such refined interests,” Li Zhijie said with a smile, bowing to the Ninth Prince.

A guard attending the Ninth Prince lifted the misty gauze curtain for Li Zhijie. Li Zhijie gazed at the Ninth Prince, removed his deerskin boots, and stepped onto the ivory mat, sitting across from the Ninth Prince: “Li Zhijie is fortunate in three lifetimes to be able to hear Your Highness’s qin music.”

The Ninth Prince placed the ancient Qin on the small table before him, looked up at Li Zhijie, and smiled: “I thought Prince Yan would be overwhelmed with problems at this time. I didn’t expect you’d still have the mood to appreciate this prince’s Qin music.”

“The Ninth Prince of Great Yan is playing the qin here…” Li Zhijie’s gaze shifted to the teapot on the small stove, smiling as he opened his folding fan and fanned himself leisurely. “And brewing tea – weren’t you waiting for me, planning to help resolve Xiliang’s troubles?”

Li Zhijie wasn’t foolish. The Ninth Prince wore a mask and never showed his true face to outsiders. In broad daylight like this, how would he drink tea?

He must have known Li Zhijie was coming out and was playing the qin here to draw him over.

From behind the mask came the Ninth Prince’s low laughter. He gestured for his servants to put away the ancient qin on the small table, used a cloth to grasp the teapot’s handle, lifted it, poured Li Zhijie a cup of tea, and pushed it toward him: “Prince Yan speaks correctly.”

Li Zhijie picked up the teacup and gently blew on the hot tea, asking: “Great Yan has already signed an alliance with the Rong Di. I wonder how Great Yan can resolve Xiliang’s crisis, and what price would Xiliang need to pay?”

The Ninth Prince leisurely placed the teapot back on the small stove. The tea inside boiled again, spilling out slightly.

“Does Prince Yan know that this Prince Ghost-Face of the Rong Di… has a close relationship with the Great Zhou Empress? It could even be said that the Rong Di are already in the Great Zhou’s pocket. So… what do you think, Prince Yan? Will Great Zhou truly ally with Xiliang?”

Li Zhijie’s grip on the teacup tightened. Without looking up, after some consideration, he smiled and said: “Your Highness must be joking. If Prince Ghost-Face of the Rong Di had a close relationship with the Great Zhou Empress, the Great Zhou Empress should have joined the Rong Di in attacking Xiliang while the three-year pact between the Rong Di and Great Yan was still in effect. Why would she… waste time here?”

“That’s exactly what this prince cannot understand!” The Ninth Prince’s voice seemed to carry some confusion. “However, according to intelligence Great Yan has received, the recently returned third son of the Bai family, Bai Qingqi, has already left the capital. Judging by the direction, he should be heading to Nan Jiang, and perhaps is already preparing for war.”

Li Zhijie maintained a composed appearance and looked up at the Ninth Prince: “This prince just entered the palace to see the Great Zhou Empress today. The Great Zhou Empress simply hopes that we, Xiliang, will show greater sincerity before a treaty can be signed.”

“Why doesn’t Prince Yan think this is a delaying tactic?” The Ninth Prince leaned lazily against the cushion beside him. “Prince Yan, think carefully about that Prince Ghost-Face who suddenly appeared among the Rong Di, coincidentally after the Bai family’s southern campaign. His military tactics, troop formations, and combat methods are quite reminiscent of the Bai family style. And this Prince Ghost-Face’s way of doing things…”

The Ninth Prince gave a low laugh, looking at Li Zhijie: “By common logic, weak nations should unite against the strong. Why would the Rong Di sign such a treaty with Great Yan, insisting on attacking Xiliang? Isn’t the Rong Di afraid that Great Zhou, which borders them closely, cannot sit by and watch them grow powerful, and will devour the Rong Di after they exhaust their national strength fighting Xiliang? Or does the Rong Di have such faith that the Great Zhou won’t do this? But where does this trust come from?”

Li Zhijie’s grip on the teacup kept tightening, his heart suddenly filled with panic.