Chapter 305: Palace Assassination! (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 305: Palace Slaughter! (Please vote for the moon)

[At a quarter past noon, Count Xiao Yuan, accompanied by the commander of the Dingyan Army, Xiao Jinghong, proceeded to the Office of the Civil Affairs Commissioner, proposing to Liu Hong to suppress the grain prices in Shu State, their conversation flowing like old friends.]

[Before anyone arrived, before any sound was heard, before any scene unfolded, the opportunity presented itself from heaven and earth but was not taken; such a man is truly one who is naturally lazy.]

Was their conversation really that pleasant?

Chen Yi glanced at the golden characters displayed on the light-curtain, then let out an inward chuckle.

He could scarcely imagine the old master Xiao and Xiao Jinghong sitting together with Liu Hong, their hosts and guests chatting merrily. Describing it as using threats and oppression was not an overstatement.

Yet Chen Yi, recalling the sight of Liu Hong's smiling face as he departed, found himself muttering under his breath:

"That old fox is such a skilled actor; perhaps he truly did have a 'pleasant conversation.'"

Liu Hong was a man of deep cunning, his words and actions often at odds.

It seemed he was quite adept at steering clear of danger.

If not for this time, when Xiao the Old Master brought along Xiao Jinghong, perhaps Liu Hong could have found a way to brush things off.

Now, however, even if he did not wish to, he could not help but take some action to stabilize the grain prices within the city of Shu.

It just so happened...

Unaware of Chen Yi's thoughts, Xiao Jinghong chatted away idly beside him.

The two, however, were quite at ease with one another, their proximity growing even closer in the space where travelers usually pass each other.

Chen Yi noticed these things, glanced over at Xiao Jinghong, saw her calm eyes like still water beneath her armor, and paid it no mind.

"My lord, was today's visit to the Office of the Civil Affairs Commissioner regarding the grain prices?"

Xiao Jinghong slightly tilted her head. "My lord, how did you know?"

Chen Yi smiled. "I guessed."

"Rumors have been spreading in Shu City these past few days, claiming grain prices have risen. By today, they've already increased by more than tenfold. If this continues, the people within the city will starve."

"With the kindness of your lord and mistress, it's natural to feel moved."

Xiao Jinghong nodded. "The old master indeed does not wish to see the same calamities as five years ago repeat themselves."

"Did Liu, the Civil Affairs Commissioner, agree?"

"He agreed."

"Then all is well. I can ease my mind regarding my young nephew."

"Ease your mind? What do you mean?"

Facing Xiao Jinghong's puzzled gaze, Chen Yi recounted the tale of Yuan Liu's disgrace—how she had sold herself to bury her father.

"If it weren't for the soaring prices of grain and medicine in the city, she would never have sunk so low."

Xiao Jinghong's eyes flickered, her gaze drifting to the road ahead, her voice tinged with something unspoken:

"Yuan... poor lady."

She turned to ask: "My lord, do you think the old master should have gone to the Office of the Civil Affairs Commissioner sooner?"

"My lady thinks too much."

"The old master's ailing body still cares for the people of Shu City; how admirable. I cannot help but praise him."

"If only my lord shared that view. As for now..."

Chen Yi looked at her, her words trailing off, and guessed what she was about to say. He shifted his tone:

"These days, I've grown quite fond of this place, but I do hope no one stirs up trouble here."

"Just like yesterday, when some 'beasts' suddenly came out of nowhere and snatched away my elder sister, it was quite worrying."

Xiao Jinghong paused. "My lord, do you think the guards within the marquisate... their skills are too lacking?"

"I... do I have any?"

"They do."

"Though my lord need not worry; shortly, Jinghong will arrange for some highly skilled individuals to guard the marquisate."

"..."

Chen Yi rolled his eyes in secret. He had only spoken offhand, never expecting anyone to actually send skilled protectors to the marquisate.

Just the presence of Chen Stopyun and Shen Huatang made it hard for him to sneak out as he pleased.

If more of Xiao Jinghong's so-called masters came, he might find it difficult to venture out after nightfall.

Yet, as he thought this, Chen Yi could only go along with it: "My lady may arrange as she sees fit..."

There was no way out. Fate was stronger than he.

His small frame and legs could not contend with Xiao Jinghong.

In no time at all.

The two returned to the Xiao estate.

Yet Xiao Jinghong did not follow Chen Yi through the gate, instead facing his slightly confused gaze, she bowed slightly:

"My lord, forgive me. Jinghong must take her leave."

Chen Yi paused, glanced at the time—"It's not yet noon. Why not finish lunch first before departing?"

Xiao Jinghong shook her head. "The market at Ji is nearing completion; Jinghong needs to oversee the guards for a few days."

"Plus, the three cities' new armies have trained for some time now; it's time to test their strength... My lord, forgive me."

Chen Yi waved his hand. "My lady has matters to attend to, so do go."

Xiao Jinghong's eyes flickered with regret. "Jinghong had already spoken to the old master earlier, so I merely need to see you to this place."

"Alright..."

After the autumn rain, the sunlight grew stronger, though a chill lingered in the air.

Yet on Xiao Jinghong, it seemed to illuminate a sharp edge.

Chen Yi watched her fade into the southern horizon, then turned back into the marquisate.

With such a distinguished lady by his side, he must be pleased.

At the very least, when he wished to slack off, this place had another mountain to keep those scoundrels in check.

"Peaceful..."

...

Chen Yi could not help but feel at peace.

According to his estimation, Xiao Jinghong would likely return quietly to the Ji market within half a day, her target being the evidence against Liu Hong and others.

In that case, he too needed to go out and attend to some matters, all while avoiding being discovered by Xiao Jinghong.

Fortunately, all the things he was meant to do had been completed.

The remainder could simply wait in silence—

It was an afternoon.

The matter of Xiao Yaoyu and Xiao Jinghong jointly pressuring the Civil Commissioner of Shu had spread like wildfire.

Though Liu Hong had taken no action yet to stabilize the grain prices, the people of Shuzhou City had all kindled a spark of hope.

Even those who had gone to the eastern and western markets to purchase grain had diminished in number.

Such circumstances were certainly unwelcome to the grain merchants.

They had only just repurchased grain from Cui Qingwu at fourteen taels of silver per sheng, totaling nearly one million four hundred thousand taels in silver.

If the Civil Commissioner were to open the storehouses and release grain to stabilize prices, they would not only fail to recoup their costs but also squander nearly a million sheng of grain.

Thus, upon hearing the news, Lin Zhenghong and others, at the urging of Li San Yuan, the agent of the Ji Province branch of the Shu Merchant Guild, hurried to the Civil Commissioner’s office.

After receiving news from Liu Hong within three days, Lin Zhenghong and the others, still unwilling to accept the outcome, had no choice but to return to the grain merchants in search of other strategies.

“In three days’ time, we simply cannot sell all the grain even if we lower the prices.”

“Moreover, word has spread throughout the city that the populace has resolved to endure hardship. We… we…”

A merchant in fine silk robes, round-bellied and plump, spoke as if mourning a deceased relative: “This time, we’re bound to incur great losses.”

Lin Zhenghong’s face grew even more grim.

Originally, their operations in Shuzhou had proceeded smoothly, each of them earning pots of gold.

But now, with prices slashed to fourteen taels of silver per sheng, all their money had been converted into grain.

If the grain prices fell back to one or two taels of silver, or even just dropped by one level, all these people combined would suffer losses exceeding a hundred thousand taels of silver.

Such a situation, such a situation…

Lin Zhenghong’s eyes grew red, and he suddenly rose, his face blazing with anger:

“I’m going to find the ringleader!”

The person he sought was none other than Li San Yuan.

In his mind, the agent from the Ji Province branch, who had witnessed countless lucrative deals, had become a laughingstock.

Upon returning to Lin’s residence,

Lin Zhenghong strode straight into the courtyard, pushed open the wooden door to the room where Li San Yuan was resting, and bellowed:

“You’ve caused me such suffering!”

Li San Yuan blinked, his face turning pale: “Has the Duke Liu not agreed to our requests?”

“Agreed?”

“Today, Master Xiao and General Xiao have jointly come forward, and Duke Liu, though unwilling, dare not protect us at this point.”

“How did he respond?”

“He gave us his final three days.”

“After three days, either the grain merchants must lower prices, or the Civil Commissioner must open the storehouses and release grain to stabilize prices!”

Lin Zhenghong’s fury was unrestrained: “Are you satisfied now?”

Li San Yuan’s expression shifted slightly, though he could not ignore Lin’s rage, furrowing his brows in thought.

But after considering it, he could not think of a better plan.

The crux lay in one thing—

The cost of the grain was too high!

If no one else took over this batch of grain, they would not only suffer great losses but also face punishment from the merchant guild.

Such an outcome…

Li San Yuan shook slightly, a flicker of fear crossing his face: “Don’t rush, don’t panic—there are still three days left.”

“I… we’ll find a way.”

“A way?”

Lin Zhenghong laughed bitterly: “What other way could there be?”

“The news has spread, and the people are all waiting for the prices to drop. Who would buy grain at this time?”

“Buy?”

Li San Yuan’s eyes lit up with an idea: “Someone might buy!”

Lin Zhenghong’s anger faltered: “Who?”

“Shuzhou doesn’t need it, but that doesn’t mean others outside do.”

Li San Yuan looked toward the west, a slight smile forming on his face: “The forces of the King of Pengcheng are advancing in great numbers right now.”

“From what I know, their army will certainly march in light formation, carrying little grain or supplies.”

“If we sell them this grain, not only can we recoup all losses, but we might even make a small profit.”

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhenghong’s anger subsided: “Would King Pengcheng agree to such a price?”

Li San Yuan grinned: “They’d have to agree.”

“In fact, before passing away, your father had privately contacted the King of Pengcheng to sell weapons, armor, and refined iron to them.”

“That was a deal worth tens of thousands of taels of gold.”

“If we combine that ironware with this grain, there’s no way they can refuse.”

Lin Zhenghong paused, then said: “Is this feasible?”

“Of course—besides the merchant guild, who else in the entire Wei state would dare sell weapons and refined iron to them?”

“Then… how do I proceed?”

“You? You can’t do it. This error was my doing, and you’d only end up in danger.”

Li San Yuan’s lips curled into a cold smile: “Besides, Duke Liu has been avoiding the merchant guild altogether. We needn’t bother him.”

Lin Zhenghong paused: “You… you want to kill Duke Liu…”

“Be careful with your words!”

“I’d have to be quite foolish to target Duke Liu!”

“Then…”

“Do you recall who you saw at the mansion on the night your father died?”

“You… you mean… Liu Taofang?”

“Exactly.”

“Later, go to Liu’s residence and find Liu Taofang. Tell him the price is the same as Cui’s—fourteen taels of silver per sheng.”

Li San Yuan’s face hardened with a hint of ruthlessness: “Since Duke Liu shows no mercy, we’ll have no choice but to act.”

"Whatever it takes, the Liu family must have a share in the grain sold to King Landu this time!"

Lin Zhenghong opened his mouth to speak, but upon catching his gaze, he dared not say another word, nodding in submissive agreement.

Driven to the very edge of the precipice, facing death either way, he reasoned it was better to gamble alongside Li Sanyuan.

This was especially true after the two of them parted ways.

Upon catching wind of yet another rumor circulating outside, Lin Zhenghong grew utterly determined to drag Liu Hong down with him.

That news was none other than this—at the Lin Estate outside the eastern city gate, someone was selling grain at the price of a single tael of silver per dan.

As the news spread, the commoners of the entire prefectural city vied with one another to rush out through the eastern gate, racing toward the Lin Estate.

Under such circumstances, no matter how weak-willed Lin Zhenghong might usually be, it was impossible for him not to harden his heart.

He went straight to the Liu residence, and taking advantage of Liu Hong’s presence at the government yamen, he sought out Liu Taofang, who had been confined to his quarters for many days.

Li Sanyuan made his move as well.

Almost the exact moment he received word that someone was forcefully slashing the prices, he rushed out through the western city gate in desperate haste, sprinting all the way along the official highway toward the Ancient Tea Horse Road.

He was no fool.

On the contrary, he was a highly intelligent man.

Otherwise, he could never have climbed to the position of Patrol Envoy within the Pingzheng Hall of the Jizhou Trading Firm.

It was glaringly obvious—they had been outschemed by someone this time.

Though he still had no idea who was orchestrating this plot from behind the scenes, he would absolutely never let the matter rest.

"Once this is over, I will surely send word to the firm to dispatch top experts to thoroughly investigate this matter. Even if we must dig three feet into the earth, we will find that bastard!"

……

Meanwhile, on the other side.

At the Lin Estate.

Liu Wang, who was thoroughly disguised, was so frantically busy that his head spun, and he was a mere breath away from dragging Boss Chen over to give him a severe tongue-lashing.

Although he had been busy from start to finish this time—purchasing the grain, transferring the grain, and even taking charge of guarding it—the entire process had gone smoothly enough.

Yet when it came to this final step of selling it off, he truly found himself unable to comprehend Boss Chen's intentions.

"Grain purchased for eight, nine, or ten taels is now, of all things, being sold off at the price of a single tael of silver?"

"Has the boss's head been kicked by a donkey, or does he have so much money it's burning a hole in his pocket?"

Even if Liu Wang was completely ignorant of arithmetic, he knew that doing business this way meant taking an astronomical loss.

One had to realize that the grain in his hands had cost nearly five hundred thousand taels of silver, totaling roughly one hundred thousand dan.

If it were all sold off at a rate of one tael per dan, they would lose at least four hundred thousand taels.

So much gleaming white silver thrown into a river would at least stir up a few splashes, yet here with Boss Chen, it failed to make even a sound.

Yet no matter what Liu Wang thought, he dared not disobey.

In the past, he could still hold his head high before Chen Yi by virtue of his identity as the "Blade Madman," his cultivation, and his realm of martial technique.

Ever since that night's contest, he had been thoroughly humbled.

Chen Yi surpassed him by a wide margin, not only in intellect and strategy, but even in raw martial prowess.

If he entertained any thoughts of failing to follow orders, he had to weigh carefully whether he could withstand that spear.

"Damn it, it's not my silver that's being lost anyway, what the hell am I afraid of!"

Harden his heart as he might, Liu Wang's hands naturally grew more and more adept at the task.

With the assistance of Xue Duanyun and the others, they managed to sell fifty thousand dan in a mere half-day.

Broken silver and copper coins were piled high in several large wicker baskets.

Even so, there were still many people rushing over from the prefectural city, and upon hearing that there was no more grain for the day, a clamorous commotion instantly erupted.

It was only when Liu Wang raised his voice to announce that there would be another fifty thousand dan tomorrow that they finally quieted down.

The light of heaven had just darkened into dusk.

Liu Wang and his men closed the main gates of the residence, looking at the silver and copper coins before them, yet not a single trace of joy showed on their faces.

"What kind of medicine do you think the boss is brewing in his gourd?"

Liu Wang snorted, "You're asking me, so who am I supposed to ask?"

"In any case, the silver lost this time can't be blamed on us."

Xue Duanyun and his two companions looked at one another, likewise shaking their heads, "It can't be blamed on us either..."

Four hundred thousand taels of silver; they couldn't produce that even if they sold off the entire Tianshan Sect.

……

After nightfall.

Having finished his evening meal, Chen Yi sat in the pavilion with Xiao Wuge and Xiaodie, leisurely reading books and playing chess.

Utterly carefree and at ease.

Chen Yi had naturally heard of the occurrences outside the residence.

But this was precisely the result he desired.

"The Old Master took this step neither too early nor too late; it was just right."

"With him pressing down, even if Liu Hong wishes to disobey in his heart, he cannot delay for too long."

"But regardless of whether he moves or not, the news must be leaked out eventually."

"In this manner, Liu Wang can take the opportunity to make a move over there, and it won't seem conspicuous."

The price of grain was bound to plummet catastrophically!

Contemplating these matters, Chen Yi found himself in a pleasant mood, smiling as he played against Xiao Wuge.

In stark contrast, Xiao Wuge was pouting, thoroughly despondent, "Brother-in-law, for an event as major as Second Sister's return, how is it that no one came to inform me?"

"Why should anyone inform you?"

"Your Second Sister has tasks to attend to upon her return; how could she remain in the residence indefinitely? Furthermore, the most vital thing for you right now is to cultivate your martial dao, and pay no heed to anything else."

"That may be so, but I haven't seen Second Sister in ages."

"I have seen her on your behalf..."

Xiao Wuge was momentarily at a loss for words, carelessly placing a white piece onto a corner of the chessboard.

"Palace check."

Looking at the layout of the board where the white pieces had formed a powerful formation, faintly encircling the great black dragon, Chen Yi smiled and set down a black piece.

"Too impatient."

In an instant, the encirclement of the white pieces was utterly dismantled.

With Chen Yi's skill in chess, he had long foreseen this step and had set the trap long ago, waiting for Xiao Wuge to place his piece at this very moment.

Just like that Jizhou establishment.

No matter how they act, they all have only one way out—death.

Xiao Wuge's small face was on the verge of tears, yet no tears fell, as he could only stare blankly at Chen Yi, who picked up white stones one by one with calm composure.

"Not valid, Brother, this game doesn't count."

"How is it not valid? If you place a stone without regret, that's the mark of a gentleman. Haven't you heard?"

"Haven't... "

After some light talk and laughter, as the dog hour approached, Xiao Diao led Xiao Wuge ahead to rest.

Chen Yi was also about to wash up, but heard footsteps outside the Chunhe Garden.

"Master, the proprietor of Bai Caotang is visiting."

Chen Yi frowned slightly, "Wang Ji? It's so late... Has there been trouble on the Tea and Horse Ancient Road?"

"Please have him come in."

(End of chapter)