Beneath those dark currents, the Meng household was already an arrow on a drawn bowstring, with no choice but to let it fly.

Meng Xiangyang had taken his medicine and was now sitting in a chair with his eyes closed in quiet contemplation.

“Elder Brother.” Lady Shi walked in. Seeing him with his eyes closed, she sat down in the chair beside him. “Elder Brother, you’ve been eating so little these past two days. Today I had the kitchen make a tonic broth — drink a bit more of it later.”

“All right.” Meng Xiangyang finally opened his eyes. His gaze was gentle as he looked at his only younger sister: “A Qiu, do you know why I never allowed you to leave?”

Lady Shi had vaguely sensed the answer for some time but had never had it confirmed. Hearing Meng Xiangyang ask it so directly now, her heart tightened involuntarily.

“Elder Brother, what are you trying to say?”

“At this point I no longer wish to hide it from you. The reason I’ve kept you here is because our Meng family has already passed the point of no return.”

Lady Shi gripped the handkerchief in her hand tightly, her eyes fixed on Meng Xiangyang with anxiety.

“I have been steadily moving troops into Shun Cheng. Before long, my people will have the city completely surrounded. The main military force inside Shun Cheng is the Self-Defense Corps — although they are elite troops, we have the numerical advantage, and our attack will be sudden. They won’t see it coming.”

“Elder Brother, shouldn’t Weizhi be brought in to discuss this matter together?” Though Lady Shi had long anticipated this outcome, she was nonetheless a wife of the Shi household. It couldn’t be said that she stood entirely on Meng Xiangyang’s side — but she knew full well how the Marshal had treated her over the years, and she understood that without the Meng family as her great backing, her position as the principal wife would be untenable.

“A Qiu, Weizhi bears the Shi surname, not the Meng surname. It is not that I don’t trust him — it is that this matter is of the gravest importance and I must exercise caution at every step. If you bring him in, how can you be certain he will stand with us? If he reports our plans to the Marshal, the Meng family is finished entirely.”

“Weizhi would never do that.” Lady Shi hastened to speak in Shi Guang’s defense.

“Do you honestly believe Weizhi has no desire to become Marshal?” Meng Xiangyang fixed her with a deep, penetrating gaze. “You know your own son better than anyone.”

That single sentence left Lady Shi without a word to say.

She understood Shi Guang’s ambitions perfectly well. But the Meng family was moving to rebel and seize control of Bei Di — whoever became Marshal afterward would bear the Meng surname, not the Shi surname. It was therefore impossible to involve Shi Guang in this matter.

“A Qiu.” Meng Xiangyang spoke with grave earnestness: “I give you my word — once I become the master of Bei Di, I will find Weizhi a good future without fail. Even if I don’t make him the Young Marshal, his standing will be on a par with it. You know yourself that neither your second brother nor your third brother has a son to carry on the line.”

At a moment like this, what could Lady Shi possibly say? She had always relied on her family of origin; without them she was nothing. If her family fell, she had no choice but to stand on the same side as them — otherwise nothing but a bad end awaited her.

“Very well.” Lady Shi let out a long, heavy sigh: “I’ll do whatever Elder Brother arranges.”

At that moment, Wang Yuan hurried in and bowed first: “Minister, word has just come from Commander Liu Qingnian — he says his troops are fully assembled and are currently advancing on Shun Cheng.”

“Excellent.”

Ever since Liu Qingnian’s forces had been badly battered during the last bandit-suppression campaign, he had spent these months recuperating, rebuilding his strength, and recruiting soldiers — very quickly swelling his forces once more. With Liu Qingnian leading the charge, they would sweep forward like a blade through bamboo.

The Marshal had Li Yongqi and the invincible Li family army at his side — but the Li family army was stationed at Tai Mountain, too far away to come to the rescue in time. Once he had subdued Shun Cheng, there would be opportunity enough later to deal with Li Yongqi.

“What about Gao Qingyou and Liu Hetian?”

“Both fully prepared, awaiting a single word from you, Minister.”

“Good.” Meng Xiangyang rose and walked to the window. He was staying in a two-story building, and from here he could see Shun Cheng spread out beyond.

Shun Cheng was the capital of Bei Di, long the center of politics and commerce. In recent years, as governance continued to strengthen, Shun Cheng had become one of Xin Guo’s most prestigious cities.

Meng Xiangyang gazed into the distance with confidence. Before long, this place would be his. This land was about to change from the Shi name to the Meng name.

“Convey my order: we move tonight at midnight. I want Shun Cheng taken within two days, and the Marshal’s government offices stormed.”

“Yes.” Wang Yuan acknowledged the command and strode out with great purpose.

Lady Shi watched Meng Xiangyang’s receding figure, her heart a tangle of conflicting feelings. But things had reached this point — she had no choice but to grit her teeth and press forward.

Still, whenever she thought of Shi Guang, her heart was filled with a measure of unease. But at least Shi Guang was Meng Xiangyang’s own nephew — Meng Xiangyang would surely protect him and keep him safe.

“Elder Brother.” Lady Shi knew there was no turning back now. Her expression turned cold, and a murderous intent crept into her eyes: “When you take the Shi Mansion, you must leave that Luo Huaimeng and Yan Qing for me. I want to make those two wretched women suffer in ways that will make them wish they were dead.”

The thought of how she had been placed under house arrest, and of how Shi Yuan had been driven out of the Shi household, deepened the hatred Lady Shi bore toward Yan Qing and Luo Huaimeng.

“Rest assured — I will not touch anyone in the Shi Mansion. I’ll leave them all for you to deal with.”

“Yes. And that Du Linghua — isn’t she with child? I want her to know that the moment that baby is born, it will be nothing but a bastard. Ha!” Lady Shi thought of the Third Concubine’s fate and felt a deep and satisfying pleasure. Du Linghua had been lording herself over her for all these years — she had long since choked down that grievance for the last time.

Though this was a gamble, when she thought of the winnings that awaited on the other side, all of Lady Shi’s earlier misgivings dissolved completely.

Luo Huaimeng, Yan Qing — just you wait!

Yan Qing had finished dinner and was sitting with Jing Zhi and Murong in the pavilion, eating grapes.

The moonlight was pure and clear, the sky full of stars. It was a tranquil night.

“Miss, is the young master not coming home tonight?” Murong had noticed it was getting late and Shi Ting had not come home for dinner, and guessed he must be occupied with something.

Yan Qing had already received word from Shi Ting — the Meng side had begun to move. So this night that appeared so peaceful was destined to be anything but. What Meng Xiangyang didn’t know, however, was that in this contest he had already become the loser from the very start.

“He probably won’t be back.” Yan Qing smiled: “I have gazed upon the heavens, and tonight something momentous is certain to occur.”

Jing Zhi burst out laughing: “When did Miss learn to divine the future? Miss, will you cast a reading for me too and tell me if I have any good fortune coming?”

Yan Qing studied her with a very serious expression: “I predict that within three days, Jin Shan will send someone to formally propose.”

Jing Zhi flushed red: “Miss, your reading is off — you’re just teasing me.”

“Whether he comes or not, you’ll find out simply by waiting.” Yan Qing ate a grape. “Ever since I agreed to give you to him in marriage, he’s been so elated he doesn’t know which direction is which. These past few days he’s been busy doing up his place — it won’t be long before you’re moving over there.”

“I won’t go. I want to stay by Miss’s side always.” Jing Zhi grew anxious.

“Moving there doesn’t mean I’m throwing you out. Just think of it as going to work — surely you’ll come home on weekends.” Yan Qing said. “We’ll still see each other right here.”

Jing Zhi murmured softly under her breath.

Yan Qing and Murong both laughed. What a silly girl.

Shi Ting had still not come home by the time Yan Qing lay down for the night. She knew that this would be yet another sleepless night for him.

She gently closed her eyes, completely at ease.

For the Meng family, however, this was a night no one could sleep through. After Meng Xiangyang left the city, Lady Shi was restless and uneasy, turning the prayer beads in her hands over and over in petition.

She glanced at the clock on the wall — fifteen minutes until midnight. At midnight, this quiet night was about to be shattered. The moment that would herald a new order in Bei Di was drawing near.

Meng Xiangyang made his way out of the city, heading to rendezvous with Liu Qingnian. When he saw a troop encamped outside the city walls in the distance, a look of absolute confidence spread across his face.

Liu Qingnian, combined with Gao Qingyou and Liu Hetian — three forces launching a night assault. The Marshal’s government would have no chance of withstanding them.

Besides, he had been watching Shun Cheng closely all along. It was a scene of song and merriment, of perfect calm. No one knew he would change everything this night.

Then, in the distance ahead, a cavalry unit came riding toward him in a cloud of dust.

Meng Xiangyang assumed it was the riders Liu Qingnian had sent to receive him.

But as the cavalry drew closer and closer, the person sitting atop the tall horse at the front was dressed in a black uniform, his cap pulled low, a pair of narrow eyes reflecting cold light in the moonlight.

Meng Xiangyang was struck with shock and nearly cried out before he could stop himself: “Why is it you?”

Shi Ting pulled his reins to a halt and looked down at Meng Xiangyang from above: “Who did Minister Meng expect it to be? Liu Qingnian?”

“Where is Liu Qingnian?” Meng Xiangyang’s expression darkened. A whisper of unease stirred in his heart — but he quickly reassured himself that Shi Ting’s presence here was most likely a coincidence.

He was nothing more than a Military Police Division Director with no troops and no real power. Liu Qingnian commanded tens of thousands of soldiers. There was no way someone like Shi Ting, single-handedly, could bring Liu Qingnian to heel.

“If Minister Meng wishes to see Liu Qingnian, follow me.” Shi Ting said and, with a deft turn of his horse, disappeared into the darkness of the night without waiting to see whether Meng Xiangyang followed.

—