The man addressed as "Sheren Wang" (In feudal China, hangers-on of an aristocrat are generally called Sheren) had a quite ugly look on his face.

Gazing at the dead man in Xue Yi's arms, he came to realize that things had gone beyond what he'd bargained for, that he must return and report it to the crown prince as soon as possible. However, he soon found that extricating himself from the current situation was no longer within his capabilities...

...

In the Eastern Palace, the abode of the crown prince.

A guard hastened into the Eastern Palace, requested an audience with Mu Rongfeng and, after his request was granted, gave the crown prince a blow-by-blow account of what had happened in the inn.

"Your Highness, Xue Yi's half-brother is dead. Sheren Wang was taken into custody by order of Dugu Miao, who has now accompanied Xue Yi into the palace to seek an audience with His Majesty."

"What?!" Mu Rongfeng sprung to his feet in fury. "How did that happen? The orders I gave Wang Huai were to rebuke Xue Yi and take him down a peg. Why did someone get killed there? And how did Xue Yi's half-brother get involved in this? When did he come to this city?"

The guard replied, "To my knowledge, Xue Yi's half-brother posed as his bodyguard and entered the city with him on that day."

With a sulky face, Mu Rongfeng railed, "Wang Huai is such a good-for-nothing. He never makes, but always mars!"

After a while, he instructed through gritted teeth, "Come with me to see my father."

"Yes, Your Highness."

...

A detailed report on the incident in the inn was soon delivered to Ling Zhang's abode and placed on his desk.

The courtyard house in the Jiahe Chamber of Commerce was very quiet, totally unaffected by that disturbance in the inn.

"Childe Ling, just as you expected, the Dugu family seized the opportunity and intensified Xue Yi's resentment towards Mu Rongfeng. Mu Rongfeng went to the palace with all haste in an attempt to make amends, but Xue Yi refused to grant him absolution. In no circumstances would Xue Yi ever again consider talking with Mu Rongfeng about cooperation. The old monarch promised that he would mete out severe punishment to the crown prince, but he's been skirting around the subject of an alliance suggested by Xue Yi." Lian Hai related to Ling Zhang what had happened outside.

Ling Zhang gave a sneer. He'd seen this coming as well.

The Wan Kingdom making a request for an alliance was synonymous with offering Mu Hengtian an opportunity to charge them exorbitant prices. The reason why Mu Hengtian was in no hurry to see Xue Yi was because he wanted to keep Xue Yi in suspense for a while, so that he would be in a more advantageous position during the negotiations. However, now that the plan had been derailed by the deeds of Mu Rongfeng who'd waded in, Mu Hengtian, without doubt, was secretly displeased with Mu Rongfeng, but he still wouldn't grant Xue Yi's request right away. With such a golden opportunity of negotiating favorable terms in front of him, on no account would he make concessions just because of the death of one man. It was a natural thing that he'd been evading talking about the subject of an alliance. Ling Zhang believed that Mu Hengtian would first placate Xue Yi and then ask unreasonable conditions. An alliance was of little significance to the Luohai Kingdom, so Mu Hengtian was in no hurry and didn't mind delaying it for a while longer.

"Previously Xue Yi might have the patience to wait, but now that his half-brother's dead, there's no doubt he wouldn't be able to wait for long. I'm sure he'll do whatever he could to force Mu Hengtian into agreeing to forge an alliance. Cooperating with Mu Rongfeng is no longer an option for him, and Dugu Miao helped him get an audience with Mu Hengtian, which means currently the Dugu family is his only choice," said Lian Hai.

They had been manipulating the Dugu family like a marionette for quite some time. Xue Yi would be walking right into the trap they'd laid for him if he chose to cooperate with the Dugu family.

"We still need to keep a weather eye on the Dugu family. Anybody who rises to the position of prime minister is no fool. Be careful not to rouse his suspicions. Compared with Xue Yi, the Dugu family are of more use to us," observed Ling Zhang.

"I understand," said Lian Hai.

"Childe Ling, there is, in addition, another matter. I just received a message from your father. He said that he'd departed for this city," continued Lian Hai.

Ling Zhang was astonished. His father was coming? Hadn't his father said that he'd stay in Shengzhou waiting for him? Why had he suddenly decided to come to this city? "What happened in Shengzhou?" he asked.

Lian Hai answered, "Everything's fine in Shengzhou. It was probably because he missed you that he decided to come here."

Ling Zhang, "..."

The past couple of years had been more than enough for him to get to know his father as well as he himself did. On the surface his father appeared unconcerned about everything, but in fact whenever he left the capital city or was bothered by something, his father became worried about him as though he were still a three-year-old child.

With a fairly resigned look on his face, Ling Zhang said, "I see. Tell me when he approaches the city. Make sure he has everything he needs during his stay in this city."

"Yes, Childe Ling. I'll see to it that all necessary arrangements are properly made," said Lian Hai.

After discussing all the matters he needed to confer with Ling Zhang, Lian Hai rose to his feet and took his leave. There were a lot of issues he had to attend to.

Ling Zhang watched as Lian Hai left. During their conversation, Lian Hai had appeared much more composed than he'd been in their last few meetings. It seemed that his closed-door cultivation had been fruitful.

Meanwhile, Lian Hai, after leaving the courtyard house, felt somewhat bemused. He could sense that the air about Ling Zhang was manifestly different, but he didn't know why.

...

The residence of the Dugu family.

"This way, please, Childe Xue."

Dugu Miao ushered Xue Yi in with the intention to take him to see his father, Prime Minister Dugu. On the way, he told Xue Yi, "I've made arrangements for the matter of your brother to be handled. My family has only limited powers, but I promise your brother's body will be safely delivered back to the Wan Kingdom."

Xue Yi pressed his lips together. "Thank you," he said after a brief moment.

A look of hatred flitted across Xue Yi's eyes at the mention of his deceased half-brother. He bore resentment towards both Mu Rongfeng and the Luohai Kingdom, and he didn't like the Dugu family either, but he would rather cooperate with the Dugu family than with Mu Rongfeng. Mu Hengtian, that old bastard, was still avoiding talking about the matter of making an alliance, and he had had enough of staying in the Luohai Kingdom, so he had no alternative but to seek help from the Dugu family, hoping to have Mu Hengtian give his consent sooner so that he could get out of this country sooner. He inwardly swore that after taking the Great Wen with the Luohai Kingdom, he would bring the alignment to an end, launch an offensive on the Luohai Kingdom and kill Mu Rongfeng to avenge his half-brother's murder!

Dugu Miao took Xue Yi to see Prime Minister Dugu. The content of their conversation was unknown to outsiders, but it came to Ling Zhang's knowledge, because money talks. One of Prime Minister Dugu's henchmen had been bought. The man had no idea whom Lian Hai served, believing that Lian Hai was just the chairman of a chamber of commerce who needed more information. Not for a moment had he connected it with the Great Wen.

Ling Zhang, after being informed of the content of the conversation between Prime Minister Dugu and Xue Yi, came to know that the former was deluding the latter, that the Dugu family had helped Xue Yi only because they wanted to find out how much benefits they could get from assisting Xue Yi, and...how badly they might be able to undermine Mu Rongfeng's position.

Sooner or later Xue Yi would come to see that all these people of the Luohai Kingdom were untrustworthy, that even if the Luohai monarch agreed to make an alliance, he could rip up the allied treaty at any moment, but Ling Zhang knew that he would have to do more to make that happen.

...

Xue Yi was settled in a courier hostel. Every few days he sent in a memorial to the Luohai monarch to urge him to make a decision. On the surface the Dugu family seemed to be actively helping him, but it was all just an act.

Meanwhile, Ling Zhaowu arrived in the capital of the Luohai Kingdom and quietly entered the Jiahe Chamber of Commerce without anybody noticing.

"Father."

Because it was inconvenient for him to go out, Ling Zhang had stationed himself in the gateway of his courtyard house some time before, waiting to meet his father. At the sight of Ling Zhaowu showing up, his face creased into a smile and he walked up to him.

A tender look flashed across Ling Zhaowu's eyes as he saw that his son was safe and sound. He clapped his son on the shoulder and observed, "You look pretty sturdy. It seems you haven't been wasting away during the last month or so."

Ling Zhang pulled a wry face. While ushering his father into the courtyard house, he said, "How could I waste away when I have so many people taking care of me? Let's talk about you first. Didn't you say that you'd stay in Shengzhou waiting for me? Why did you suddenly decide to come here? Did something else happen in the chamber of commerce?"

Ling Zhaowu replied, "A few days ago I heard that you started closed-door cultivation. I was worried that something went wrong during your cultivation of internal energy, so I came here to check on you."

Ling Zhang held out his hand to his father on his own account. "I'm fine. I performed closed-door cultivation only because I wanted to develop my proficiency in internal energy so that I could better control it lest people get scared whenever they clap eyes on me. I might have to meet Mu Hengtian in a few days. How am I supposed to talk with him about making an alliance if he doesn't even dare look at me?"

Ling Zhaowu held his son's wrist, carefully felt his pulse and then came to know that his son was telling the truth, his worries finally dissolving.

"It seems that this method of internal energy cultivation is quite potent," remarked Ling Zhaowu.

Ling Zhang said, "Maybe it also has something to do with my blood. My grandfather told me that none of the others radiated such dramatic sense of power when they were at the same level as mine."

Ling Zhang led his father into the house. Worrying that his father was tired from the long journey, he suggested his father wash his face, change clothes and then have some rest. He himself went to arrange a welcome reception.

Ling Zhaowu's physical condition had been improving continuously during the past few years. Because of the restart of his cultivation of internal energy, his constitution had long since become stronger than that of the average person, which was why he didn't find the journey tiring. After washing his face and changing clothes, he walked out.

Having no intention to insist his father get some rest, Ling Zhang filled him in on the recent events in the capital.

When he'd finished speaking, Ling Zhaowu commented, "From the vantage point of the present, the old monarch would make a reply within half a month."

Ling Zhang inclined his head. "Xue Yi has been pressing him hard. I've instructed them to work faster."

Ling Zhaowu said, "We don't necessarily have to make Xue Yi return home empty-handed. Your objective is to thwart the Wan Kingdom's plan to align themselves with the Luohai Kingdom. As long as nobody in the Luohai Kingdom takes the alliance seriously, it would be useless even if Xue Yi goes back with a signed agreement – it might even serve to pull the wool over Shan Congli's eyes. After all, it's an alliance with the Great Wen that we want Mu Hengtian to set great store by."

Ling Zhang's eyebrows contracted slightly. "But if we do that, the Luohai Kingdom would be aligned with the other two sides at the same time and get all the advantages. He could totally just sit on the fence and watch the other two sides fight. Wouldn't that put us at a disadvantage?"

Ling Zhaowu replied, "The Luohai Kingdom being a fence-sitter is inevitable. Mu Hengtian has been on the throne for many years. Although currently he's mired in the trouble of the Dugu family and Nian Feng the General-in-chief wielding too much power, he has been keeping the two forces in balance for so many years, which means that he's no fool. Five years ago, the Luohai Kingdom suffered a defeat in the war, so Mu Hengtian is no doubt wary and suspicious of the Great Wen. There's no way he would trust the Great Wen completely and align himself with the Great Wen against the Wan Kingdom. Him being a fence-sitter also means that he wouldn't give the Wan Kingdom his full support either. This is our chance. All we need to do is have the Luohai Kingdom make their move and deliver the Wan Kingdom a lethal blow at the crucial moment – there's nothing more we could expect from Mu Hengtian."

Ling Zhang gave it some careful thought. Before he came to the Luohai Kingdom, Yuwen Tong had made similar remarks. The bottom line was that they had to make sure Mu Hengtian would muscle in and stab the Wan Kingdom in the back if the occasion arose. The Great Wen's alliance with the Luohai Kingdom would be a provisional one anyway. After the Wan Kingdom was taken care of, the Luohai Kingdom would inevitably be the next target.

"It would seem there's no necessity for me to pay him a visit," sighed Ling Zhang.

Ling Zhaowu gave a smile. "Actually there is. Compared with a son of a General-in-chief, a consort undoubtedly carries more weight. And you'd be adding weight to the future alliance by visiting him. Why else do you think Yuwen Tong let you leave the capital city so easily?"

Ling Zhang gave a little cough.

"In comparison with an alliance covenant, keeping the Dugu family under control is the matter of supreme importance. The Dugu family and the Luohai Kingdom must be kept in the dark about the truth while the Great Wen is dealing with the Wan Kingdom. We have to make sure they're stuck in a whirlpool of internecine struggles. Otherwise the Luohai Kingdom would become a troublesome enemy ahead of schedule and it'd take a lot more of our time and energy to handle the issue," said Ling Zhaowu.

Ling Zhang, who was aware of this as well, gave a nod. In fact, he had once reminded Lian Hai that the matter of making an alliance might be taken lightly, but the matter of keeping the Dugu family in the dark and the Luohai Kingdom in infighting must be treated with great caution.

"Take this letter out of the city and tell the handler to have it delivered to my father as soon as possible."

In a courier hostel in the capital of the Luohai Kingdom, Xue Yi handed a letter sealed in a thin bamboo tube to his trusted bodyguard, a sulky look in his eyes. Recalling that earlier this day the Luohai monarch had once again postponed making a reply, he felt really annoyed.

"Yes, Young Master." Xue Yi's bodyguard took the secret letter, put it away, disguised himself and then left the courier hostel, heading for the city gates.

A man working for the Jiahe Chamber of Commerce, who had been covertly staking out the courier hostel, soon reported the bodyguard's acts to Lian Hai.

"Childe Ling, Xue Yi sent a letter back to the Wan Kingdom."

It was early in the morning. Ling Zhang, after being informed of this matter, said with a head bob, "I see. Keep a close eye on Xue Yi. Someone will deal with that letter he sent."

"Yes, Childe Ling," Lian Hai answered and then took his leave.

Ling Zhang sat down and started thinking. Some of Yuwen Tong's men were in the Wan Kingdom, and they could handle this matter. As for the letter Xue Yi had sent back to the Wan Kingdom, he had a shrewd idea what was in it. It was probably about the death of his half-brother, the delaying tactics of the Luohai monarch and, of course, his anger at the various sides in the Luohai Kingdom. Xue Yi had orders from the Wan monarch to come to this city, and he wouldn't leave until the mission was accomplished. In that private letter to Xue Chi, he might well have asked his father to give him some advice. The man who'd been killed in the inn was Xue Yi's half-brother and also his most trusted adviser. Without him by his side, Xue Yi didn't even have anybody to talk about his grievances with in the Luohai Kingdom.

It struck Ling Zhang as quite baffling that Shan Congli had sent Xue Yi to the Luohai Kingdom. Given Xue Yi's relatively low rank, wasn't it inevitable that Mu Hengtian would make a fool out of him? Besides, Xue Chi was the General-in-chief and enjoyed a high prestige among the troops. After being reinstated, he would no doubt be wielding great power in the army once again. Had Shan Congli not feared that if he sent Xue Yi, Xue Chi's son, to the Luohai Kingdom, Xue Yi might strike some kind of secret deal with the Luohai Kingdom? Or was it because there were fewer and fewer people in the Wan Kingdom that Shan Congli deemed trustworthy?

Ling Zhaowu came to the house to have breakfast with his son. On walking through the doors, he caught sight of Ling Zhang pondering.

"What's wrong?"

Ling Zhang jerked out of his trance, settled Ling Zhaowu in a chair and then told his father his conjectures about the domestic situation in the Wan Kingdom. "To my knowledge, Shan Congli reinstated Xue Chi because the Chen family was getting increasingly powerful, and he needed to make sure the Chen family had a relatively small say in military affairs, but why Shan Congli sent Xue Yi to the Luohai Kingdom has always been a mystery to me. After all, forging an alliance is an important issue. Though Xue Yi is Xue Chi's son, he's a military officer, and negotiating for an alliance is a task typically assigned to a civil official."

As a result, Ling Zhang had every reason to suspect that Shan Congli had nobody else he could entrust such a task with, which was why he had sent Xue Yi here to negotiate, though it was like forcing a donkey to dance.

"Xue Chi is a member of the faction led by the monarch. The Xue family has been loyal to the royal household of the Wan Kingdom for generations. Although the prestige of the Xue family concerns the royal household, the incumbent monarch, like several of his predecessors, knows very well that in times of crisis only the Xue family would come to his rescue, so it's not really surprising that Shan Congli trusts the Xue family and Xue Yi," explained Ling Zhaowu.