Chapter 424 - 265: A Practiced Hand
Chapter 424: Chapter 265: A Practiced Hand
「In a small courtyard by Quchi.」
Days of overcast rain had washed clean the soil in the cracks of the stone-paved path.
A cool breeze drifted through the fine rain.
Brilliantly blooming hibiscus lined both sides of the small path, their fragrance mingling with the scent of the earth to fill the entire courtyard.
Chen Yi sat quietly in the main hall sipping tea, while Wang Ji sat respectfully to the side, recounting the news from the Ancient Tea-Horse Road.
"Sir, those horse bandits are truly terrifying."
"Every Wei Dynasty merchant returning from the Western Buddha Country has been killed by him and his men. Not a single one has been spared."
"If the Wan Family Trading Team from Shu State hadn’t sensed something was amiss from a distance and managed to escape with their lives, who knows how many more would have died."
Chen Yi hummed in acknowledgment but did not speak, his mind racing.
As the one who had personally arranged for Lv Jiunan to fake his death, he had long expected that King Landu would not remain indifferent to the matter.
Even if King Landu didn’t dare lead the Pirate Alliance’s main army to Shu State, he would still take some predictable actions.
Such as slaughtering passing merchants, or spreading rumors about seeking revenge on "Liu Wu."
Of course, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
At least, not for Chen Yi.
At this thought, he asked impassively, "What has been the reaction in Shu State Prefecture City?"
As he asked the question, he already knew the answer. ’Chaos has broken out.’
And indeed, that was the case.
Wang Ji’s next words confirmed it. "To be honest, Sir, after the news arrived, the price of grain in the East and West Markets shot up from three silver taels per stone to six."
"Even so, some of the Noble Families who heard the news early are still sending people to buy it all up, and the city’s residents are following suit."
"On top of that, the prices of medicinal herbs, silk, tea, and other goods have all gone up as well."
He knew Chen Yi had been focusing on the East and West Markets lately, so he reported on that situation first before continuing:
"The Governor’s Office just issued a proclamation: the entire city is under martial law."
"All leave for the City Guard Army has been canceled. They are now guarding the city walls, the streets, and the nearby post stations."
"The Prefectural Magistrate’s Office has also sprung into action, mostly patrolling the streets. Anyone caught acting suspiciously or spreading rumors is being arrested on the spot."
"The Imprisonment Department, on the other hand, seems to be business as usual. I heard they’ve been busy hunting for ’Liu Wu,’ the one who supposedly killed Lv Jiunan."
Chen Yi raised an eyebrow slightly. "What? Do the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office and the Imprisonment Department plan to hand him over to King Landu in exchange for peace on the border?"
’If that’s the case, then those few Thousand Households from the Imprisonment Department are truly spineless.’
Wang Ji gave a wry smile. "It’s not out of the question."
"You’ll recall the great war from five years ago. Shu State is still feeling its effects, especially the Dingyuan Army."
"Although the soldiers of the Three Towns are at full roster strength, their quality is mixed. Over half of the New Army’s troops are far lacking in cultivation, strength, and combat experience."
Chen Yi knew all this, of course. He was also well aware that before the Dingyuan Army was a force to be reckoned with again, ninety percent of the people in Shu State did not want to rashly start a war.
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "Any news from the Xiao Family?"
Wang Ji thought for a moment. "The Old Marquis hasn’t said anything for now."
"However, I heard that after settling affairs at the Governor’s Office, Governor Liu Hong rushed over to the Xiao Family estate without a moment’s delay."
"Sir, do you think he wants to ask the Old Marquis to come out of retirement?"
Chen Yi laughed at this and shook his head. "Quite the opposite."
"If I’m not mistaken, Liu Hong’s purpose in going to the Xiao Family was to persuade the Old Marquis to remain calm and not act rashly."
He could even imagine the kinds of things Liu Hong would say.
’Marquis, right now these are just rumors. We still need to ascertain the situation with the Peacock King Banner.’
’Marquis, the soldiers garrisoned at the border are more than enough to handle those horse bandits. Even if they throw their lives away in an attack, there’s no need for the Dingyuan Army to get involved.’
’Your Lordship is unwell. You should wait a while longer.’
’Besides, this is a grave matter. We must send word to the Imperial Court and let the Holy Emperor himself decide. It will not be too late for you to act once the situation is confirmed.’
’And so on and so forth.’
Chen Yi sneered inwardly. He was certain that the moment Liu Hong learned of this, he would send a letter to King Landu, also urging those horse bandits to remain calm and not act rashly.
Based on his understanding of Liu Hong, although the old fox was anxious, he still knew how to prioritize.
Especially since he was also preparing to abuse his authority, using the upcoming Annual Examination as a pretext to both win over and suppress the Noble Families of Shu State.
Wang Ji, who naturally didn’t understand these subtleties, looked a little awkward. "If you say so, Sir, it must be true."
He hadn’t considered that Liu Hong would try to persuade the Old Marquis not to act rashly.
After all, his position was too low for him to be aware of the true intentions of the Imperial Court and the Shu State administration toward the Xiao Family.
To put it bluntly—unless it was a matter of last resort, no one from the Holy Emperor and the Imperial Court of the Great Wei Dynasty, down to the various ministers of Shu State and even some of the Noble Families, wanted the Xiao Family to regain the authority to command troops.
Once the Tiger Talisman was brought out, the Xiao Family would have true command over the three hundred thousand soldiers of the Dingyuan Army.
’At that point, what could those with ulterior motives possibly use to contend with the Xiao Family?’
Chen Yi understood this situation perfectly, but he didn’t explain it to Wang Ji.
He tapped his fingers on the table, thought for a moment, then said, "There should still be some silver in the coffers from the last few days. Give it all to Guard Liu."
"But..."
Wang Ji nodded hesitantly and said, "I’ll go do that shortly."
In truth, he said this against his better judgment.
In the past three days, because Hundred Herbs Hall had been limiting its sales of tea drinks, they had earned a total of less than five thousand silver taels.
This hadn’t just affected places like the Qin Building and other taverns; even the supply of tea drinks to the Xiao Family’s several Medicine Halls had been severely impacted.
To be precise, Hundred Herbs Hall was now only supplying one hundred jars of the tea drink to each of the Xiao Family’s Medicine Halls per day.
No more than that.
Chen Yi could naturally see Wang Ji’s reservations, but he still didn’t offer an explanation, simply continuing with his instructions: