Chapter 262: Human Hearts Can Overturn (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 262: The Human Heart Can Be Overturned (Seeking Monthly Votes)

“…The son of the left king of the barbarian tribe, Musa Gey, was kidnapped by the bandits of the Borzhi Suo state and turned into a barbarian slave, and he is currently in Shu Zhou!”

Chen Yi finished speaking, his eyes fixed on the wide-eyed Lou Yu Xue, a faint smile playing on his lips. “That’s all.”

Lou Yu Xue stared at him, her expression blank.

After a long pause, she finally spoke, her voice tinged with disbelief. “Just these?”

“Do you even know what you’re saying?”

“The news of Prince Lan Tu’s eastward advance and the presence of the left king’s son in Shu Zhou—these two pieces of information, once spread, will inevitably cause chaos.”

“The entire Shu Zhou, not to mention the three prefectures of the Great Wei, will be in a state of panic.”

“Me… you… why would you do this?”

Chen Yi’s face softened into a slight smile upon hearing her question. “I’m glad you’re so taken aback. A mind as sharp as yours should be no exception in Shu Zhou.”

Lou Yu Xue couldn’t help but curse. “You’re satisfied with that, you brat!”

“Tell me, what’s your real motive here?”

Chen Yi let out a hollow laugh. “Relax, relax—it’s just to get you to play along.”

Seeing that Lou Yu Xue remained frozen in her shock, he had to explain further. “The news is fabricated.”

“Fabricated… all of it?”

“Not entirely.”

The moment Lou Yu Xue’s guard had loosened, it snapped back into place, her throat nearly constricting.

“Explain in detail!”

Even as a proud officer of the Silver Flag White Tiger Guard, and soon to rise to the Golden Flag, her experiences far exceeded what ordinary people could imagine. She should have remained as composed as a mountain.

Yet here she was, repeatedly undone by Chen Yi’s words.

It was truly making her, a Silver Flag officer, lose face.

Chen Yi noticed it all, but said nothing, sparing her the blow.

“Lü Jiu Nan, as Prince Lan Tu’s younger brother, leading the Kongzhao King’s forces here—though not impossible, it’s not credible under scrutiny.”

“The bandits, after all, are bandits. Their weapons, equipment, and soldiers are inferior to the Dung Yuan army. Their large-scale raid has no chance of victory.”

“So this message is merely a ‘lie.’”

“As for the left king’s son… he does, in fact, reside in Shu Zhou.”

Before Lou Yu Xue could speak, Chen Yi pressed on. “Do you remember the incident of the East Market granary being burned?”

Lou Yu Xue’s heart stirred slightly, and she caught on. “You mean one of those barbarian slaves is Musa Gey’s son?”

“Those scum from Borzhi Suo, are they insane? Even daring to threaten the Black Bear Tribe?”

“Do they not fear Musa Gey leading a barbarian army to raze the Tea Horse Ancient Road?”

Chen Yi shook his head, offering no further explanation. “The full story is long; I’ll tell you when we have time.”

“You just need to know that Asuo-tai—Musa Gey’s son—is currently in Shu Zhou.”

Lou Yu Xue clenched her teeth, genuinely wanting to punch him.

But she knew Chen Yi wouldn’t say more. She had no choice but to press further.

“Where exactly is he now?”

“I don’t know.”

“How can I verify what you’re saying?”

Chen Yi spread his hands. “If both pieces of news are lies, wouldn’t that be better for you?”

Lou Yu Xue sighed. “I still need to know the impact once the news spreads.”

“Otherwise, I couldn’t ask you to do this.”

Chen Yi paused, then nodded. “I suppose I should tell you.”

“Once these messages are released, the grain prices in Shu Zhou will skyrocket.”

“You… you only care about that?”

“Of course. I’m not mad, so why would I joke about such things for no reason?”

Lou Yu Xue understood, in broad strokes, Chen Yi’s purpose in spreading these messages.

The two messages—“Prince Lan Tu’s eastward advance” and “the left king’s son in Shu Zhou”—would have only one effect: to instill panic among the people of Shu Zhou.

Even if the truth of the messages remained uncertain, and even if many weren’t foolish, some would still cling to the saying, “Better to believe it exists than to doubt it.”

That’s all it would take.

A single percent of people believing it would seek every means to hoard grain, driving up prices.

Thinking this through, Lou Yu Xue huffed. “You’re mocking the common people. Aren’t you afraid of retribution?”

Chen Yi smiled and shook his head. “You’ve used the wrong word, and the wrong person.”

“It isn’t me mocking the common people—it’s the grain merchants of Shu Zhou, the merchants of Ji Zhou.”

“Playing with people’s hearts—doesn’t that suit you?”

“Playing with… well, I suppose it does, but my target has never been the common folk.”

At that moment, Chen Yi stopped, turning the black iron mask in his hand.

“Do you remember the question from the imperial examination this year?”

Lou Yu Xue paused, then hesitated. “Was it ‘Why does the boat capsize when it’s on water?’”

“Yes, why does it capsize?”

“I didn’t study much…”

Chen Yi shook his head. “I mean to say, water can both carry boats and capsize them.”

“Since they seek to manipulate the people of Shu Zhou, I have no objection to showing them what pain feels like.”

Lou Yu Xue stared at him deeply.

She hadn’t studied much, but she understood the implication behind the words.

Since the merchants of Ji Zhou didn’t care about the common people, manipulating grain prices to sell at inflated costs and profit from their suffering—

He, “Liu Wu,” intended to put an end to this farce as soon as possible.

“Two questions.”

“First, you’re not afraid of things getting out of hand? Those people at Ji Zhou Commercial Bank aren’t ones to be trifled with.”

Chen Yi smiled: “Simple.”

“Before releasing the news, why not buy up all the grain they have? Isn’t that enough?”

“You—you don’t have enough silver?”

“I have my ways.”

Lou Yuxue paused, then reminded him: “No matter what plan you hatch, the silver I used to buy grain from Luo Feng, you owe me.”

“Don’t worry. Once the grain arrives, I’ll pay you back.”

“If you try any tricks, Cui Family won’t let you off that easily.”

When Chen Yi nodded, Lou Yuxue continued: “Second question.”

“Those two messages might only obscure things temporarily. As long as the government issues an official clarification, your schemes will crumble, won’t they?”

Chen Yi raised an eyebrow: “Not at all. You, the female general of the White Tiger Guard, are sharp to think of that. Well done.”

“Enough chatter. What’s your plan?”

“The Buddha says, ‘It cannot be spoken.’”

Lou Yux slammed his palm on the table, his eyes narrowing: “If you won’t say it, how am I supposed to know if you’re trying to cheat me?”

Chen Yi sighed helplessly: “Your Highness, this matter was already set in motion before I came. I had no choice but to act.”

“If I were thinking of cheating you now, wouldn’t that just make me trip over my own stones?”

“That’s why I didn’t tell you—I didn’t want the White Tiger Guard to get in the way.”

Lou Yuxue hesitated, then murmured: “I suppose you can’t….”

They went on to discuss the finer details—when to spread those two messages, when the grain would arrive in Shu Zhou, and so on.

It wasn’t until the eleventh hour of the night that Chen Yi finally stood up, preparing to leave Chun Yu Lou.

Before departing, he withdrew a letter from his sleeve, written by Lin Hua’an, and handed it to Lou Yuxue.

“This is for you, a token of my gratitude.”

Since Lou Yuxue had already convinced Cui Qingwu to strike a deal without needing his persuasion, he didn’t mind offering this letter as a small token.

Lou Yuxue, though initially unbothered, grew serious upon glancing at the letter.

“Lin Hua’an, Prince Lan, ironware trade?”

“Where did you get this?”

Lou Yuxue, as the mistress of Ming Yue Tower and having lived in Shu Zhou for years, naturally knew Lin Hua’an’s identity. But she never expected a private letter between Lin Hua’an and Prince Lan to explicitly mention “ironware.”

She suddenly recalled what Xing Ren had said earlier—that his meeting with Prince Lan was to seek proof of some Shu Zhou officials trading with him.

“This letter must be it.”

“The only people in Shu Zhou who could provide ironware are a few officials.”

“Whoever it is, Xing Ren must be pleased.”

Too bad Lin Hua’an was already dead. For the letter to serve its purpose, further investigation was needed.

Chen Yi, unaware of these matters, raised an eyebrow: “Is it useful?”

“Mind your own business. Tell me, where did this letter come from?”

“On the night Lin Hua’an died, I was there.”

Lou Yuxue blinked: “You killed him?”

Chen Yi scoffed: “Others did.”

After a moment, he added: “The ‘ironware’ supplier mentioned in the letter is Zhu Hao, an official of the Shu Zhou Garrison Command.”

“Zhu Hao?”

Lou Yuxue suddenly realized: “Of course it was him.”

After a brief pause, she asked: “Is anyone else aware of the letter’s contents?”

“No one else.”

Chen Yi replied, noticing Lou Yuxue’s evasive manner, understood that the White Tiger Guard needed the letter. Naturally, he couldn’t reveal that it was also known to Wang Ji and Zhang Daobao.

Lou Yuxue slightly nodded: “I’ll keep this letter. Thank you.”

Chen Yi shrugged: “Glad I could help. I’m leaving now.”

This time, his target wasn’t Prince Lan or Zhu Hao—it was someone even more important: Liu Hong.

Even the few grain houses in Shu Zhou were dealt with as a side matter. He didn’t mind discarding a letter that could prove Zhu Hao’s guilt.

After some casual conversation, Chen Yi reminded Lou Yuxue not to leak any information—even the White Tiger Guard shouldn’t learn of it ahead of time—before finally departing.

Lou Yuxue didn’t refuse.

“I know that means the White Tiger Guard knows. Whether to conceal it or not depends on the aftermath.”

She hadn’t yet risen to a golden flag officer, so many matters were beyond her control, and she had reservations.

If things went smoothly, everyone would be pleased. If not… she couldn’t face it alone.

She couldn’t afford to let “Brother Liu” take the blame.

Thinking this way, Lou Yuxue didn’t hesitate. She secured the letter, then summoned her subordinates to report everything.

Though she still kept a wary eye on “Brother Liu,” compared to those opportunistic merchants from Ji Zhou, she trusted him more.

At the same time, she wanted to see how “Brother Liu” planned to make Ji Zhou merchants pay in Shu Zhou.

“Hmph. Those people, having profited so much in the north, still want to meddle in Shu Zhou. Greedy beyond measure.”

“Just the lesson they need from ‘Brother Liu’…”

Not long after, Chen Yi returned to the back of the tailor shop, called Zhang Daobao to remove his disguise.

He looked out at the night’s darkness, listened to the steady patter of rain, and in his mind, a chessboard continued its game—pieces being placed and captured.

One after another, the black stones moved.

There were the scheming, treacherous Prince Lan and others, along with the barbarian Left King Mu Hage and the like.

Looking across at the white pieces, there were only Lou Yuxue and Pei Qian of the Mountain Tribe.

At the very last, Chen Yi held the single white piece that represented himself, letting out a soft sigh in his heart.

"If I want those people to take the bait, Wang Ji alone probably won't be enough."

He turned the matter over and over in his mind.

The only way to make this play look realistic enough was for him to enter the chessboard as a piece himself.

"Fortunately, I still have another identity."

None other than.

Chen Yu.

With this thought, Chen Yi changed his clothes and instructed, "Wait for me here tomorrow."

Zhang Dabao assented without a single question.

Chen Yi said no more either, vanishing silently into the rain as he made his way straight back to Chunhe Garden.

Once he had changed into dry, casual clothes, he went to the study and lit an oil lamp.

He sat in silence for a moment.

Emptying his mind slightly, Chen Yi took out paper and brush and began to write and sketch.

Tonight's excursion had yielded a bountiful harvest.

Not only had he won Asutai's trust, but he had also discussed and finalized the subsequent plans with Lou Yuxue.

Coupled with a piece of news obtained by chance—that Fu Wanqing was currently deep within the barbarian territory, inside the tribe of Muhage, the Left King.

This journey could hardly be called anything but smooth.

However, though his pieces were placed and many things were proceeding according to his envisioned plan, it still required a bit of luck.

Even though he often spoke of "man's will conquering heaven," when the critical moment arrived, a degree of caution was inevitable.

Especially since he was no longer facing fools like Liu Wen and Liu Jing, but rather Liu Hong, King Landu, and the people of the Jizhou Trading Company.

Once word leaked out or a mishap occurred midway, the entire plan risked being overturned.

He could not afford not to tread carefully.

"Now, it all depends on the fortune of the Xiao family."

With these thoughts, Chen Yi composed his mind and, upon the broad sheets of Yunsong paper, began to sketch the portraits of Xiao Wan'er, Xiao Jinghong, and the others.

So much time had passed, and it was indeed time for him to hand over two paintings to fulfill his task.

Why two?

Naturally, because his lady, Xiao Jinghong, had to have one as well.

Thus, Chen Yi shamelessly painted himself into it, rendering his features handsome and his posture dashing, the very image of an elegant young master.

"A family, after all, ought to be whole and complete."

As the first painting neared completion, Chen Yi's true essence flowed, connecting the artistic intent of his painting path with the spiritual mechanism of heaven and earth.

In the next instant, he saw the portraits of the figures on the Yunsong paper seem to come alive.

Not only could they move about, but they could also assume various expressions.

Chen Yi looked at the figures in the painting, a bizarre look appearing on his face. "Does the path of painting actually possess such miraculous capabilities?"

Then, with a slight nudge of his thoughts.

Within the sea of qi at his Yintang acupoint, the spiritual essences of the four divine beasts shifted positions, sending strands of true essence into the painting.

The next moment, a figure stepped directly out from the canvas.

—It was, astoundingly, "Xiao Wan'er" clad in a long gown.

The figure of "Xiao Wan'er" appeared solid, her face flushed with a healthy glow, smiling at him as though she were a living person.

Chen Yi sized her up, reaching out a hand to test the illusion, and only set his mind at ease once he confirmed it was merely a silhouette gathered from the spiritual mechanism of heaven and earth.

"An unexpected pleasant surprise, not bad at all."

At present, his path of painting was merely at the stage of minor accomplishment, so this phantom was of little help to him.

If he were to elevate his painting path to great accomplishment or absolute perfection, perhaps it would yield other utilities.

With these thoughts, Chen Yi painted another piece, a slight smile gracing his face.

"Lord Ye's love of dragons... truly a marvelous thing."

...

The following day.

Just as the dawn light began to break, Chen Yi dressed neatly and came to the living room to sit at the dining table.

Xiaodie asked with a hint of surprise, "Young Master, are you going out today? I recall you don't have classes at the academy until tomorrow."

While instructing her to prepare breakfast, Chen Yi looked out the window at the drizzling rain and said:

"There are some matters that require a trip to the Baicao Hall..."