Chapter 684: Assassination

That night, Marquis Zheng did not stay at Little Sixth's princely residence.

Mm.

After all, he was a man who owned property in the capital now too.

He rode in Little Sixth's carriage, though the man holding the reins was one of Zheng Fan's own people.

The Sword Saint sat inside with his eyes closed.

Marquis Zheng rested both hands against the handwarmer Little Sixth normally used in the carriage and asked:

"How did it feel?"

Choosing the foundation of the state inside a roast-duck restaurant.

Had the Sword Saint ever witnessed anything so absurd?

The Sword Saint kept his eyes closed and said nothing.

He merely raised one hand and lightly patted Longyuan's scabbard.

He had personally lived through something even more absurd.

A son had sent someone to borrow his sword... to kill his own father.

In an instant...

Zheng Fan understood.

He laughed.

The Sword Saint laughed too.

Marquis Zheng rummaged under the carriage bench and found a snuff bottle.

He hesitated, did not use it, and tucked it into his pocket instead.

He kept searching.

Then found some incense.

Operating under the principle that unused things eventually expired and wasting them would be a shame, he tossed a little into the brazier in front of him to burn.

"So in your eyes, these imperial princes of Great Yan are still fairly decent."

At least... none of them had murdered the sovereign and rebelled.

The Sword Saint shook his head.

"The main reason is that the Emperor of Yan is simply far, far more formidable than the old head of the Situ family. There isn't even much basis for comparison."

The reason the old head of the Situ family had ultimately been killed by Situ Lei... was that by then, Situ Lei already controlled nearly half the political situation and had sent both his elder brothers away to Snow Sea Pass.

At that point... everyone in the Situ household had already accepted that Situ Lei would become the next head.

Even the old patriarch himself had accepted it.

They were all his sons anyway, weren't they?

That was probably where the awkwardness began when sovereign and minister, father and son, were fused into the same relationship.

Once everyone tacitly accepted that authority had already been handed over, the son replacing the father became an inevitable result.

Everyone had long since prepared to accept that result.

So the exact process no longer mattered much.

"Exactly. If you swapped Little Sixth and the Crown Prince, and Little Sixth had spent this long governing as regent, I honestly wonder whether His Majesty could still have walked out of the Rear Garden and returned to his Imperial Study."

"I have heard that Great Yan's Sixth Prince is called a God of Wealth. I also know he seems to have funded you very early on. But I still haven't seen the special quality you keep talking about."

"It's like you. If you don't leave the house, you feed chickens and ducks all day and use Longyuan to prop up a table leg."

"Fine. Then I'll wait and see."

At that moment... another carriage approached from the opposite direction.

This was Yanjing's inner city.

The district where nobles and powerful officials lived.

Little Sixth's princely residence, the Prince of Jingnan's residence, and Zheng Fan's own Marquis residence all stood in this area.

Expensive, imposing carriages were normal here.

But actual traffic jams were rare.

For one thing, people could usually tell from far away whose carriage was coming.

Drivers and accompanying servants understood rank, seniority, title, and current favor.

Who should yield... would yield long before the two carriages met.

Even if two great households truly wanted to butt heads... powerful men had places of their own for that.

Making a spectacle outside like street performers for commoners to watch was beneath their dignity.

So in reality, two carriages facing each other and refusing to move was almost unheard of.

If it happened at all, it usually meant the households knew each other and had deliberately drawn close to exchange greetings.

"Whose carriage?" Zheng Fan asked the guard driving.

"To answer the Marquis, it appears to belong to the Chancellor's residence."

The Chancellor's residence?

Zheng Fan immediately said:

"Yield. Or take another road."

The Sword Saint opened his eyes with some curiosity and looked at Zheng Fan.

"That doesn't sound like your style."

"I can't be bothered with the trouble."

"The Chancellor doesn't look as though he's coming to trouble you either," the Sword Saint said.

"I can't be bothered making polite conversation."

A voice came from the opposite carriage.

"May I ask if that is the Marquis of Pingxi ahead?"

Because Zheng Fan was using Little Sixth's carriage, the other side could only ask.

Zheng Fan called toward his driver from inside:

"Say it's a family member from the Prince's residence. Inconvenient to meet guests."

The guard outside shouted:

"This is a member of my Prince's household. It is inconvenient to receive visitors."

"So it was I who was presumptuous. Please accept my apologies to the Prince's household."

The messenger withdrew.

The Sword Saint looked increasingly interested.

"It's reached that point?"

Zheng Fan turned his head and lifted the curtain slightly.

He watched the Chancellor's carriage move away after the two sides passed.

"Old Brother."

"Speak."

"Can you sense how many experts are protecting the Chancellor's carriage, front and rear?"

"I could send a sword strike at that carriage right now. Then you'd have your answer."

"Don't, don't. I was only asking."

"Heh. Why ask that kind of question?"

"Haven't I always been timid and afraid of death? I just wanted to see whether other people are the same."

"No." The Sword Saint rejected the explanation immediately. "You're lying to me."

"Brother, you're not as easy to fool as you used to be."

"Was that praise... or mockery?"

"Hahahaha."

Marquis Zheng laughed.

"You want to kill Zhao Jiulang."

"No. No."

"You do. When you're not acting, especially when you're with someone you trust, your emotions show very clearly."

"Am I insane? I'm a Marquis of Great Yan. Why would I assassinate Great Yan's Chancellor?"

The Sword Saint thoughtfully added:

"Inside Yanjing, no less."

Zheng Fan shook his head and picked up the handwarmer again.

"Great Yan has always had two intelligence yamens. One overt, one covert. The overt one is the Secret Intelligence Department. You know about that. But the Secret Intelligence Department is so overt that even the sovereign cannot completely trust such an obvious bureau. So there is another organization in the shadows. That hidden yamen is controlled by the master of the Lu household. He's currently Vice Director of the Court of State Ceremonial and is His Majesty's milk-brother. Little Sixth told me about this years ago. That's why, when Miss He married, the Lu household was chosen to stand as her natal family. And Little Sixth's eldest son, Ji Chuanye, is currently being raised in the residence of Old Madam Lu, Lady Fengxin. Officially, it's because they're afraid the old lady will be lonely."

"How did we suddenly get onto him?"

"In principle, aside from the Grand Secretariat, the Chancellor doesn't have a directly subordinate yamen of his own."

"That does sound about right."

"But our Chancellor's relationship with His Majesty is like Sun Youdao and Situ Lei... only even more extraordinary. From the princely residence... to the Eastern Palace... to becoming Chancellor. All these years, he has certainly acted according to His Majesty's will. But he has occupied that position for twenty years. How many people has he promoted? How many has he placed? Why does Qian replace its Chancellors every few years? Because if a Chancellor stays in place too long, his roots spread too deeply. He doesn't control the Secret Intelligence Department. But the Secret Intelligence Department must contain his people. Even that hidden yamen under Vice Director Lu must contain his people. At court... he has even more. More than the Sixth Master's faction. More than the Crown Prince's faction. Because many of his people wear the labels of one faction or the other. To a certain extent, the Chancellor and Wei Zhonghe are both the first points from which the Son of Heaven's authority radiates outward."

The Sword Saint raised a hand and rubbed between his brows.

"My head hurts listening to this."

People of the jianghu... really were not suited for such things.

"But the Chancellor is still different from Wei Zhonghe. A new sovereign brings new ministers. A chief eunuch of the inner palace is the Emperor's personal man. The Chancellor, however, is the inheritor of the Emperor's will. In other words, the inheritor of national policy. To a certain degree... that inheritance is more reliable than an imperial prince."

"That part I understand. The difference between a blood heir and the man who inherits your mantle."

"Exactly."

"So what is the point of telling me all this? More importantly, why tell it to me? These are things you probably shouldn't be saying to me at all. Or perhaps... you aren't really telling me. You're telling yourself. How about this? I'll get off the carriage now. The Chancellor's carriage hasn't gone far. I'll catch up and give it one sword strike."

"He is a cornerstone of Great Yan. I am also one of Great Yan's Pillars of State. How could we possibly slaughter one another?"

The Sword Saint closed his eyes again.

He could no longer be bothered listening.

The carriage continued onward.

After a long silence...

Zheng Fan spoke again.

"Actually... killing him wouldn't be difficult, would it? Take that situation just now. Not in his residence. Out on the street."

With the Sword Saint beside him... assassinating anyone was possible.

Of course, not everyone in the world could afford the luxury of using the Sword Saint as an assassin.

The Sword Saint sighed.

"If I could confirm he was inside the carriage, I'd have an eighty-percent chance."

That was already absurdly high.

No one knew how many experts protected the Chancellor.

But there would certainly be some.

Zheng Fan shook his head.

"Not enough."

Marquis Zheng began counting on his fingers.

"I brought Xu Chuang. A’Ming brought his blood bag too."

Even then... it still seemed insufficient.

With assassination, even ninety-nine percent certainty could fail over that final missing sliver.

More importantly... this was Yanjing.

The Chancellor himself was covered by imperial authority.

To a certain extent, the Commandery Princess back then had dared lose her head and send someone to kill Little Sixth... but she might not have dared order Zhao Jiulang's assassination.

One was the Emperor's son.

Before entering the Eastern Palace, an imperial prince... even an outstanding imperial prince... was still a consumable.

On that point, the Emperor of Yan had personally demonstrated the truth long ago.

"Actually, I don't think that's where the problem lies," the Sword Saint said, looking at Zheng Fan. "As you said, the Chancellor's position is extraordinary. Perhaps the Emperor of Yan is simply too brilliant and has overshadowed the Chancellor's own radiance. But inside Yanjing... the Chancellor is practically an indestructible vajra. And most importantly..."

"Go on."

"The most important thing isn't how many experts protect him, or how many experts you can use. I may roam the jianghu, but if you truly tried to kill the Chancellor..."

"I don't want to kill the Chancellor. I'm only giving an example."

"Fine. You want to kill someone of comparable standing to the Chancellor. Within the jianghu, that means breaking the rules. People of the jianghu emphasize swift gratitude and vengeance, blades and swords like dreams. Within the court, there are rules. There is propriety. You surely understand that better than I do. The simplest method is not to pile up more experts at all. You could do exactly what you did in Yingdu and directly bring troops into the city. You were able to mobilize soldiers even before the Prince of Jingnan's command token was in your hands. Now that his token is literally on your person, that's even easier. There are ten thousand Jingnan Army soldiers stationed outside Yanjing. Oh. You obviously wouldn't do that either. Because compared with a jianghu method, that would break the rules even more thoroughly. It would mean flipping the entire chessboard and scattering the pieces across the floor."

"Yes. But you still haven't said the most important thing."

"The most important thing is that Tian Wujing is in Yanjing. That fact alone means you cannot kill the Chancellor."

"Not the Chancellor."

"Fine. Someone of the Chancellor's standing."

The Sword Saint smiled.

"Whether you succeed or fail is another matter. If the Chancellor truly is as important to Great Yan as you say... then afterward, the first person to twist your head off your neck would be Tian Wujing. Do not treat Tian Wujing's protection of you as limitless. The main reason he treats you like a younger brother is that you have never crossed that line. Remember... he has already given away his entire clan. Given away his wife. Given away the chance to live beside his own son. He certainly would not want to kill you. But if you crossed that line..."

The Sword Saint shook his head.

"Are you trying to create an immediate opportunity for me to challenge Tian Wujing again and recover my reputation?"

Zheng Fan shook his head.

Then nodded.

"There it is again. Every time you deliberately make that profound expression... truly... whenever I see that face, I feel Longyuan trembling."

Marquis Zheng exhaled a long breath.

"Everything has only just begun. What's the hurry?"

At that moment...

Xue San's voice came from outside the carriage.

"Master."

"San'er. What is it?"

Xue San climbed into the carriage.

The Sword Saint was surprised to discover that Xue San was dressed as a beggar today.

It fit him perfectly.

A genuine dwarf beggar.

He even held a battered bowl in his hand.

There were plenty of copper coins inside.

More than the red packets Marquis Zheng had given Little Sixth's two children earlier.

What concerned the Sword Saint, however... was what this disguise meant.

They had just been discussing assassination.

So... was Third Mister of the Marquis Residence casing targets?

"Master, Siniang sent me to notify you. Someone from the Prince of Jin Residence has invited you over for a banquet."

"Prince of Jin Residence?"

"Yes."

Zheng Fan instinctively looked toward the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint did not speak.

During his previous trip to Yanjing, Zheng Fan had visited the Prince of Jin Residence.

But he had not met Prince of Jin Yu Ciming.

He had only met the Queen Mother of Jin.

Yu Ciming had supposedly been performing some ritual in the ancestral temple at the time.

What exactly the ritual had been, whether it was real or not...

Zheng Fan had honestly forgotten.

He only remembered that the Queen Mother had grown increasingly alluring.

The Prince Residence had sent someone to the newly granted Marquis of Pingxi Residence in Yanjing to invite him.

Siniang had not come herself.

Instead, she had sent Xue San, who happened to be out casing targets.

Obviously, this was considerate.

If she came personally...

Master might feel awkward going somewhere to flirt.

Perhaps Siniang was even thinking that princesses and commandery princesses no longer offered enough of a challenge.

A Queen Mother... now that had more bite.

"Go or not?" Zheng A’Man asked the Sword Saint for his opinion.

"Go take a look," the Sword Saint said.

What needed to be put down... he had put down long ago.

Going to take a look would not matter.

Zheng Fan told Xue San:

"Go back and tell Siniang that I'll accompany the Sword Saint to the Prince of Jin Residence for the banquet."

"Yes, Master."

Xue San sniffed.

Then suddenly said:

"There's a smell."

He crouched down and pulled out a brocade box.

Inside were numerous bottles, jars, and pills.

"Oh-ho."

"What?"

"These are medicinal ingredients Little Sixth gave me. Supposedly for replenishing qi."

"Master, if you needed something like this, you should have told me. Don't you trust San'er's craftsmanship?"

"These aren't tonics?"

"They are. Very strong tonics. This one, this one, and this one are for women. This one and this one are for men."

"Aphrodisiacs?"

Xue San shook his head.

"No. Not that. Put simply, none of these medicines are meant to arouse desire. They help with conception."

"Heh."

Marquis Zheng once again felt Ji Chengjue flaunting his fertility directly in his face.

"These ingredients are actually very good. Very valuable too. Even if this subordinate wanted to compound them, gathering everything would be difficult. Sixth Prince has capable people under him. An ordinary physician couldn't reach this level."

"All right, all right. Take them back for me."

"Yes, Master."

Xue San took the brocade box and left.

Zheng Fan ordered the carriage to head toward the Prince of Jin Residence.

...

At the same time... inside the Eastern Palace...

"Your Highness, the time has come to act. The situation is already clear. The two Princes have no intention of managing this matter, nor do they wish to. Perhaps all they want is a little entertainment."

A middle-aged scholar knelt before the Crown Prince and urged him earnestly.

The Crown Prince... remained seated.

In his hands, he rubbed two shoe patterns.

During the years when his mother, the Empress, had lost her mind... there were times when she became lucid.

During those lucid stretches... she made shoe patterns.

She said she wanted to make one pair for her son... and one pair for her younger brother.

Mother had always been skillful with her hands.

Unfortunately... the shoes had never truly been finished.

When lucid, she worked on them.

When muddled and mad again... she would seize scissors and cut apart the nearly completed shoes, then tear them to pieces.

"Your Highness!"

"Mr. Zhu."

The Crown Prince looked at the middle-aged scholar with somewhat tired eyes.

This Mr. Zhu was named Zhu Zicong.

He was accomplished in both civil and military affairs.

At present, he was the foremost strategist within the Eastern Palace.

Back then... his arrival had even alarmed Ji Chengjue enough that Little Sixth ordered an investigation into whether some new capable man had appeared beside the Crown Prince.

That man... was Zhu Zicong.

"Your Highness, you must decide. This time, standing still will no longer work. This time, His Majesty will not enter the board again! This minister can almost smell the killing intent coming from the Sixth Prince's residence. This is Sixth Prince's final opportunity. He will never let it go."

The Crown Prince nodded slightly.

"Your Highness, Eldest Prince returns tomorrow. Will Your Highness go welcome him?"

The Crown Prince shook his head.

"Eldest Brother belongs to Sixth Brother."

"Eldest Prince may support Sixth Prince, but he can only be like that Marquis of Pingxi. Their status is certainly high, but in Yanjing there are limits to what they can actually do. Your Highness... you should go tomorrow."

"We will not."

Zhu Zicong fell silent.

In the end, he could only say:

"Tomorrow there will be a banquet in the palace. The day after, His Majesty will certainly convene a grand court audience. This minister believes Sixth Prince will undoubtedly make his first move during that audience."

"Mm."

The Crown Prince acknowledged him softly.

"Your Highness, no matter what happens, you must hold through the grand court audience."

"We understand."

"Your Highness, I beg you to think of the countless people of Great Yan. Think of the common people's need to recuperate. You must not become dispirited."

"We are not dispirited. Actually, Mr. Zhu... you have one thing wrong. These past two years, whether We acted or did nothing, whether We fought or refused to fight... it made almost no difference. If We could win, Imperial Father would set the board underneath. If We could not win, Imperial Father would still set the board underneath. In truth... doing nothing was sometimes better. That made Us more suitable as Imperial Father's puppet, something he could use to clash with Sixth Brother. That way... Imperial Father and Sixth Brother could both enjoy themselves."

"Your Highness, now is the final moment. You absolutely cannot..."

The Crown Prince smiled.

Then sniffed.

"Tomorrow, We will not go welcome Eldest Brother. As you said... Eldest Brother and Zheng Fan are the same. Their status is certainly exalted. But this is Yanjing. Zheng Fan cannot do what he did in Yingdu and simply order soldiers into the city whenever he pleases. Tomorrow... We will go to the Prince of Jingnan Residence instead. We'll drink one cup of housewarming wine for Our maternal uncle's new residence."

A bitter smile appeared on Zhu Zicong's face.

"Your Highness, how can you still..."

"Sigh."

The Crown Prince sighed.

"Sir, We are not deliberately trying to disappoint you. It is simply that if we're talking about factional struggle and political maneuvering... none of us can defeat Sixth Brother. I understood that when we were children. When I saw Imperial Father holding Sixth Brother on his knee and saying that Sixth Brother resembled him the most... I understood. No matter how we fight... we cannot defeat the younger version of Imperial Father. Since we cannot win... there is no point fighting over every little branch and leaf. Let Sixth Brother attack. These past two years... that is how We have handled him. We should concern ourselves only with the greater situation. If the greater situation stands with Us... then the throne is Ours. If the greater situation does not... then everything else is useless. With Us already sitting in this position... if We personally descend into the mud and fight... that would be what truly diminishes Our stature."

"But, Your Highness, Marquis Pingxi is Sixth Prince's man..."

"You're wrong."

The Crown Prince shook his head slightly.

"Perhaps he was before. Now... no. In truth... he had already stopped being one earlier. As for the idea that the Prince of Jingnan will belong to Sixth Brother because of Marquis Pingxi's relationship with him... heh. No. No. The Prince of Jingnan will never be Sixth Brother's man. In fact... We believe... the Prince of Jingnan is not even Imperial Father's man."

The Crown Prince sighed again.

"We truly do miss Maternal Uncle..."

As he spoke... his gaze returned to the two shoe patterns in his hands.

"And while We're there... We'll deliver the shoe patterns Mother made for him."

[End of Chapter 684]