Chapter 357: Dragon and Tiger? Let's Compare Notes (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 357: Dragon and Tiger? A Practice Session (Seeking Monthly Votes)

North of the city, the Curved Pool, a boat house.

Ma Shuhan went there deep into the night, perhaps it had something to do with the upcoming annual exam.

No, it was most likely related to the exam.

Chen Yi watched Lou Yuxue with a thoughtful expression. "Do you happen to know the identity of the person who met with Ma Shuhan that night?"

Lou Yuxue shook her head. "Ma Shuhan left so suddenly. By the time the investigators tracking his movements found him, he had already departed from the boat house."

"After that, the boat drifted northward."

"But we checked the records of vessels entering and leaving the city through the river garrison, and that boat never left the city."

Lou Yuxue then asked, "You don't know something, do you?"

Chen Yi nodded, then shook his head. "Just a guess."

Lou Yuxue's expression shifted. "Say it."

She knew well the prowess of the person standing before her; to describe him as having "great abilities" would not be an overstatement.

Many times before, events that the White Tiger Guard had not yet discerned, Liu Qiang had known in advance.

Like the Five Poison Sect spreading plague toxins, Liu Hong tipping off enemies and selling state secrets, or the Ji Zhou Business Group manipulating grain prices.

Chen Yi thought for a moment, carefully choosing his words. "The military strategy question Ma Shuhan posed in the exam—what did your White Tiger Guard make of it?"

Lou Yuxue hesitated. "That question... was it problematic?"

Then she saw Chen Yi's smile and realized she had asked a foolish question, muttering under her breath:

"The Saintly Sage of the Great Star did mention this matter during the day."

"He also said that before his death, Ma Shuhan had reprimanded Xiao Jia's stepson over that very question."

"But this..."

She suddenly understood. "You mean Ma Shuhan's death was connected to that question?"

Chen Yi inclined his head slightly. "At first glance, the question seemed to ask about the military campaigns and conquests of scholars. In reality, it was far too abrupt."

"Although the annual exam isn't as strictly composed as the imperial examinations, it does include questions about real-world matters. But it wouldn't have directly asked about war in the north or south like Ma Shuhan did."

"First, scholars often hold the heart to 'harmonize the world, family, ruler, and subjects.' Such a question would naturally prompt some to speak their minds candidly."

"Whether north or south, it inevitably involves killing and warfare, stirring up too much ill will, incompatible with the 'refined' nature of the annual exam."

"Secondly..."

Chen Yi looked at Lou Yuxue with a knowing smile, saying meaningfully: "If you were the examiner, would you dare to ask the reigning emperor whether to campaign south or north?"

Earlier, he had said, Confucianism values harmony above all.

What is harmony?

Harmony with the world, harmony with parents, harmony between ruler and subject.

Ma Shuhan, having attained the position of academic official in Shu Zhou, his conduct was commendable, and his mastery of Confucian and Taoist teachings would not lag behind.

How could he fail to recognize that question's affront to harmony?

Chen Yi believed there were not a few scholars who had perceived this, but they were bound to make their way to the exam hall, compelled to compete for fame and honor, thus falling into the vortex of questioning about northern or southern campaigns.

Lou Yuxue nodded, half-understanding, then raised an eyebrow: "Seems you've read quite a few books."

Chen Yi couldn't help but feel embarrassed. "This is such a basic principle, and you don't know?"

"Who doesn't know?"

Lou Yuxue turned away, a faint blush creeping onto her pale cheek.

This idiot thinks I don't know books! What a scoundrel!

After a while, Lou Yuxue regained her composure, pondering: "You suspect he had that question set intentionally, or someone ordered it?"

Chen Yi nodded. "It must have been so."

"So that person who met Ma Shuhan that night—we need to find a way to track him down."

Lou Yuxue noted this, saying, "Later I'll report this to the Saintly Sage, and he'll arrange something."

"But it will take time."

"Recently, we've been interrogating Liu Hong and his group. We're preparing to send them to the capital soon."

Chen Yi understood, then thought to ask: "In the meantime, any activity from the Ji Zhou Business Group?"

"Ji Zhou Business Group?"

Lou Yuxue shook her head. "After that night, several grain merchants in Xijing and Dongxi lost heavily. Plus, the head of the Ji Zhou Business Group in Shu Zhou was killed, so no one has come forward since."

She then asked, "You suspect someone from the Ji Zhou Business Group is behind this?"

Chen Yi nodded. "Perhaps."

That question concerned the matter of attacking and conquering southern barbarians or northern savages. Except for those connected to the Ji Zhou Business Group, Chen Yi couldn't imagine anyone else who would make Ma Shuhan risk his life to reveal such a secret.

After all...

In his mind, he recalled the incident from earlier—the Execution Office seeking the Old Patriarch for Li Sanyuan.

If the one pulling the strings behind the scenes was from the Ji Zhou Business Group, then this would make sense.

It seemed necessary to visit the Execution Office again, to speak with Fang Hongxiu.

Just chatting.

Lou Yuxue was about to rise and find Jiang Xing when she saw Chen Yi suppress his smile, raised his hand, and said, "Someone's here."

"Who?"

At that moment, Jiang Xing pushed open the door and entered.

Still wearing that dark-colored brocade robe, plain face upward, his demeanor refined and upright, his bearing exceptional.

Seeing Chen Yi and Lou Yuxue, Jiang Xing smiled and bowed. "Lord Longhu, it's been a while. You're all well."

Chen Yi leaned back in his chair, turned his head toward him, nodding casually. "Lord Jinshi, your dignity remains intact."

Jiang Xing's eyes flickered with a smile. "Not to compare with Lord Longhu. A single gunshot piercing through Yan Zhihou's body, the bullet's path still left an aftereffect stirring the very air and spirit—truly a display of might remarkable."

Chen Yi smiled but said nothing.

It seemed that after the night Jiang Xing and Yan Zhihou had fought, Jiang Xing had been to the upper reaches of Chu River.

Thinking about it, that made sense.

After all, as a Jinshi officer of the White Tiger Guard, and his cultivation reaching the third grade of the upper tier, he could indeed sense some fluctuations in the air and spirit in time.

Lou Yuxue looked at the two men, then invited Jiang Xing to take his seat, recounting the matter of Ma Shuhan.

Jiang Xing listened, but his expression was not as moved as she had expected; instead, he fixed his gaze directly on Chen Yi.

Lou Yuxue asked, thoroughly perplexed, "My lord, is something amiss?"

Jiang Xing paid her no heed, keeping his gaze fixed on Chen Yi as he asked in a solemn tone,

"Your Excellency Longhu, I wonder how you view the Emperor's desire to launch a campaign between the north and south?"

Chen Yi arched an eyebrow, noting inwardly that his suspicions had indeed been validated.

The reigning sovereign truly intended to instigate a war and take the initiative to conquer a territory.

After a brief deliberation, he smiled and said, "How I view it is of no consequence; what matters is how His Majesty views it."

Seeing him evade the question, Jiang Xing asked point-blank, "Is this a deduction of your own, or did someone else inform you?"

"Merely a guess."

"And your basis?"

"Liu Hong, the Jizhou Trading Company, and..."

Chen Yi pointed toward him and Lou Yuxue, saying with a smile, "The incessant maneuvers of your White Tiger Guards in Shuzhou."

Jiang Xing gave him a profound look. "Presumably the Xiao family as well?"

Chen Yi replied noncommittally, "The Xiao family is caught within the vortex, blinded by their own involvement, whereas I remain unconstrained."

Yet he knew that after the tribulations of this recent period, Old Master Xiao and Xiao Jinghong had finally come to realize the reason behind the court's prior suppression.

Jiang Xing nodded with a smile and instructed Lou Yuxue to prepare some tea, though his true intention was to dismiss her.

Lou Yuxue had more or less discerned the implications of their exchange, and a tempest of shock surged within her heart.

The Emperor truly wished to wage war?

This, this... was actually true!

Once Lou Yuxue had departed, Chen Yi straightened his posture slightly, looked directly at Jiang Xing, and asked, "You have something to say?"

Jiang Xing adjusted his robes with deliberate slowness, his demeanor growing visibly more commanding.

"Since Your Excellency Longhu has guessed the Emperor's intent, you must also be aware that the situation regarding Shuzhou and the Xiao family is already settled?"

Chen Yi laughed. "That is the pleasure of speaking with an intelligent man—no beating around the bush."

From the imperial edict previously bestowed upon Old Master Xiao, it was not difficult to deduce the Emperor's current choice. Jiang Xing likewise wore a smile. "Your Excellency Longhu flatters me."

Pausing briefly, he spoke candidly, "The Pavilion Master sent a letter days ago stating that Shuzhou requires the Xiao family to steady the realm; no major upheavals should occur."

"Then all is well."

If the White Tiger Guards truly intended to stabilize Shuzhou, Chen Yi was naturally more than happy to see it happen.

Yet he would still not offer them his full trust.

At least, until the positions of himself and Chen Yunfan within the White Tiger Guards were clarified, he would remain wary.

Jiang Xing then assumed a solemn expression and said, "The Pavilion Master has commanded me to extend another invitation to Your Excellency Longhu to join the White Tiger Guards. I wonder if you will accept?"

"I refuse."

Chen Yi answered decisively, his smile unvarying. "The White Tiger Guards are far too restrictive. I have long been accustomed to a carefree life, so I fear I lack the fortune to enjoy such a placement."

"Will Your Excellency Longhu not reconsider?"

"The Pavilion Master specifically charged me that should you have any conditions, our White Tiger Guards will spare no effort to fulfill them."

"Any condition?"

Jiang Xing stated with utmost solemnity, "The Pavilion Master thinks very highly of you. I have never seen him regard anyone with such gravity."

Chen Yi refused once more, "Our paths diverge, so we cannot plot together. Please convey my gratitude to the Pavilion Master for his kind intentions."

"Our paths diverge, so we cannot plot together..."

Jiang Xing murmured the phrase, a wry smile appearing on his face. "Since that is the case, I shall relay your response truthfully to the Pavilion Master."

In truth, Jiang Xing was deeply perplexed by this matter.

In his mind, the Pavilion Master had always regarded the vagabond martial artists of the jianghu as nothing, once dismissing them as a mere pond full of minnows and shrimp.

Previously, there had been some jianghu wanderers of fine talent who were personally invited by name by the Pavilion Master.

Some accepted, while others refused.

Yet never had anyone been brought up by the Pavilion Master again after explicitly turning down the White Tiger Guards.

The underlying reasons for this truly piqued Jiang Xing's curiosity.

Suppressing the doubts in his heart for the moment, Jiang Xing turned the conversation, saying,

"The matter of Ma Shuhan is far too peculiar; I still need to investigate it further. Should any news arise in the future, I will certainly inform you."

Hearing this, Chen Yi stood up with a smile and said, "In that case, I shall quietly await your news."

Informing him was nothing more than a polite pretext.

Chen Yi, well aware of this, turned and walked out of the quiet chamber.

Lou Yuxue, holding a tea tray outside the door, glanced at Jiang Xing inside upon seeing Chen Yi emerge, and simply said,

"Take care... I shall not see you out."

Chen Yi waved farewell with a laugh and went on his way with long strides.

Lou Yuxue watched him disappear around the corner before finally stepping into the quiet chamber and setting down the tea tray.

Jiang Xing's gaze was cast downward, the smile completely vanished from his face, as he rested a hand on the table and tapped gently.

Tap, tap, tap...

Lou Yuxue stood respectfully to one side, though her mind remained fixed on that departing silhouette.

That bastard still walked away with such carefree elegance.

Amidst her daze, she heard Jiang Xing speak, "Sit."

Snapping out of her thoughts, Lou Yuxue sat across from him. "My lord."

Jiang Xing leaned forward, interlacing his fingers as he looked directly at her and said,

"What was spoken of just now, you must keep strictly to yourself and breathe a word of it to no one for the time being."

Knowing he was referring to the Emperor's desire to instigate a war, Lou Yuxue nodded silently.

"Please rest assured, my lord. This Tigress will keep her lips sealed."

Jiang Xing waved his hand. "You are now a Golden Banner Officer within the Guard, equal in status to me. There is no need to address me as 'my lord' any longer."

Lou Yuxue hesitated slightly before uttering, "Jiang... Jiang Xing."

She knew all too well that her promotion to Golden Banner Officer was merely a stroke of fortune.

Previously, the White Tiger Guards had planted numerous banner officers within the Mingyue Bureau, and she had been but one of them.

Yet as of today, she had become the highest-ranking individual within the Mingyue Bureau.

For this reason, she had caught the Pavilion Master's eye and been elevated to a Golden Banner Officer.

Jiang Xing nodded, displaying not the slightest discomfort at seeing a former subordinate now sitting as his equal.

"Let us not dawdle with idle talk; the Lord has orders."

Jin Yuxue’s expression stilled, and he quickly sat up straight, assuming a respectful demeanor.

Qiang Xing’s features grew equally grave as he replied, "The female tiger officer of the Golden Flag has been sent to escort Liu Hong and his comrades to the Prefecture of Jingdu."

"The Lord wishes to see you."

Jin Yuxue paused, then, after a moment, pointed at himself with trembling excitement, "Me? Me?"

"Indeed."

"The Lord’s secret dispatch explicitly commands you to visit the Prefecture of Jingdu; his elderness surely has matters to entrust to you."

Qiang Xing’s stern expression softened into a smile, "Mind your words and actions carefully; the Lord’s eyes are keen, after all."

Jin Yuxue bowed repeatedly, then, as if recalling something, his face brightened momentarily before dimming again.

"When might the Lord have me depart?"

"Within three or five days; the sooner, the better."

Qiang Xing discerned her thoughts, offering a faint, ambiguous smile, "I shall have the hawk arrive at the capital city. He will take over from you at Chunyu Lou; you need not worry."

"Yet within Bright Moon Tower, you must handle the beginnings and endings yourselves, lest they uncover your presence."

"If you wish to attend to private matters, then..." he trailed off with a soft chuckle.

Jin Yuxue, caught by his insight, flushed briefly but shook her head, "The female tiger has no private affairs; her heart is wholly devoted to the White Tiger Guard."

Before Qiang Xing could speak further, she continued, "Within Bright Moon Tower, I have already arranged everything."

"Because of the 'Dragon and Tiger,' the mountain clans, and the Xiao family in Shu Province, no new elders will be dispatched there for the time being."

"Thus, I have sought leave to transfer to Jinling, and the tower’s principal has all agreed."

Qiang Xing praised her twice, saying, "When you reach Jinling from Jingdu, remember to take care."

"That place is not as high and remote as Shu’s mountains; it lies near Jingdu and even closer to the southern provinces, where officials, merchants, and wealthy gentry abound. Avoid doing anything you cannot control."

Jin Yuxue nodded, "I am grateful for your counsel, Qiang."

After a pause, she restrained the urge to rise, her voice tinged with an unusual note, "As for Master Ma..."

Qiang Xing raised a hand to halt her, "Prepare yourself for the journey north. We have your back in Shu; no trouble will arise."

"And do remember—his elderness holds Shu Province dear; if matters arise, he will dispatch others to attend to them."

At this, Jin Yuxue said no more.

A silence fell.

Qiang Xing read her thoughts, smiled, and rose to depart.

As he walked, he added, "On this journey across tens of thousands of miles, mind your own affairs carefully."

"Yes..."

When Qiang Xing had left, Jin Yuxue slowly lowered his hands from the formal salute. In the candlelight, his eyes gleamed faintly.

The road ahead stretched through high mountains and long waters; he could not fathom when they might meet again.

...

Chen Yizhe remained unaware of what transpired behind Chunyu Lou.

He was already on his way to the Judicial Department, seeking Fang Hongshou to inquire about the matter of Ma Bashan and the reasons for the department’s visit to the Xiao family regarding Li Sanyuan.

But before he could find Fang Hongshou, his light footsteps halted. He turned his head toward a western warehouse, asking softly, "Who is it?"

A voice replied from within, "Dragon and Tiger? Shall we spar?"

(Chapter Complete)