Chapter 1617: Each Their Own Plan

"This man is clearly audacious, confronting Qingyang as he does," King Yao said, shaking his head.

"He Xiao can only gain the upper hand over the Regent by leveraging your influence," Qiu Long said, his expression serious. "He's only able to make his business famous in Flashgold by using the Yao Kingdom's name. In recent months, the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce has indeed flourished and expanded rapidly across the Flashgold Plains."

It was rare for the old palace attendant to misread King Yao's intentions. The king glanced at him. "Look, perhaps he only came for Qingyang, which is why he's lingered in Tianshui City for so long. Is there some personal vendetta between them?"

"Ah?" The old palace attendant paused, realizing his master's meaning. He immediately understood. "Yes, yes! That's why he isn't afraid to constantly oppose Regent Qingyang; he came here for this very purpose, wishing her dead! Your insights are truly profound, my lord; you have enlightened this old servant."

If the master said it was so, then it must be.

"Excellent," King Yao said, stroking his beard and smiling. "Since He Xiao harbors such malicious intent, send someone to keep a close watch on him and prevent him from acting recklessly."

"Yes," Qiu Long replied, knowing full well that his old master sometimes liked to say the opposite of what he truly meant.

King Yao continued, "Also, issue a warrant for Cao Wendao. As long as he is within Tianshui City, I want him found, alive or dead."

A portrait could be drawn based on Yang Chi's description.

Finally no longer continuing that alarming topic, Qiu Long quickly assented.

"Just one Cao Wendao has unearthed so many secrets!" King Yao's gaze turned sinister. "Qingyang must have more illicit dealings that are detrimental to my Yao Kingdom!"

"Investigate! Go back three months and investigate everyone who has had contact with Qingyang! I want to know everything they said to her and every action they took with her!"

The room finally warmed up. King Yao sat back down and exhaled deeply.

"Beijia, hehe!"

Quiet Lake Lodge.

The eastern sky began to turn a fish-belly white, and Qingyang looked out the window for the fourth time.

The old tree stood silently, no visitors landing upon it.

Neither demonic birds brought news nor did magical abilities transmit messages. Since the battle of Peach Stream, Cao Wendao had vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.

The more time passed, the slimmer his chances of survival became.

And then, day broke.

Qingyang stood up, feeling a surprising weariness.

Her spirit felt weary.

She held a grand plan in her hands, and everything else should have been secondary to it. Yet, first Bai Ziqi suddenly arrived, then Cao Wendao created complications, both unexpectedly throwing a wrench into her plans.

How many associations, how many imagined details could one Cao Wendao trigger in King Yao's mind? Not a single one would be to her advantage.

Yet, she couldn't simply tell King Yao to stop imagining things, that none of it was true.

Because King Yao didn't believe her at all!

She had no way to prove her innocence.

For the past two months, she had changed her usual approach, adopting a low profile and living in seclusion. She had only just managed to make King Yao relax his vigilance and stop focusing so much on her. But now, with Cao Wendao and his demonic puppet exposed, that old man King Yao was probably seething with anger and hatred towards her again, and would undoubtedly exert all his energy to keep a close watch on her.

More than two months of patient endurance had been utterly wasted!

If King Yao were willing to offend Beijia just to deal with her, would he still give her the opportunity to execute her plan?

Qingyang pondered for a long time, then walked out of the room, faced east, and took a deep breath.

Yuan Xuan immediately stepped forward. "Palace Master."

"Tell Bai Tan to initiate the first step of the plan," Qingyang instructed him. "Be extremely careful when transmitting messages. From today onwards, we will be surrounded by countless spies loyal to King Yao."

"Yes!"

"By the way, have you sent anyone to inquire about Wei Yishan?"

Yuan Xuan replied, "They have been dispatched. News should return by tomorrow night at the latest."

"He Xiao's strength needs to be re-evaluated," Qingyang mused. "While I personally stopped He Xiao, his subordinates still managed to put Cao Wendao in a dire situation. This indicates that the power at his disposal is well-hidden and not as superficial as it appears."

"Excellent," she said slowly. "He Xiao now seems even more like the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities. But I want to know, why hasn't he left yet?"

Perhaps He Xiao already knows that the current situation is increasingly unfavorable to him, and King Yao's ability to protect him is limited. People tend to seek advantage and avoid harm, so why hasn't he left Tianshui City yet?

What is he waiting for?

She had previously deduced that He Xiao's purpose in coming to the Yao Kingdom might be similar to her own. In that case, he would likely sense the turbulent undercurrents in Tianshui City, and once such a hidden tide erupted, it would almost certainly crush the weak.

Of course, He Xiao might not consider himself weak. If he truly is the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities, is he planning to stay and ride the tide?

"Over the next few days, monitor He Xiao's movements."

Yuan Xuan assented, then asked, "What if he quietly slips away?"

The Palace Master's focus is entirely on the upcoming major event; would she divert her attention to dealing with He Xiao?

"Bai Ziqi will deal with him," Qingyang said, her eyes flickering slightly. "Isn't Bai Ziqi's mission in Flashgold to find the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities? They are a natural pair."

Opponents to each other.

"In the past, He Xiao would simply walk away after committing a misdeed, able to go anywhere in the vast world," Qingyang said leisurely. "But now, can he escape the Flashgold Plains, can he escape the Yangshan Archipelago? Once a person establishes a foundation, it's like a tree putting down roots; once rooted, it's difficult to move."

So as long as Bai Ziqi confirms that He Xiao is the Great Emperor of Nine Serenities, there will be no fear of him escaping.

As far as Qingyang knew, the Yangshan Archipelago was prospering, and the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce was flourishing across the Flashgold Plains. He Xiao would surely be reluctant to abandon all this and flee for his life.

As for herself, she only needed to focus on completing the task assigned by the Emperor.

Yuan Xuan whispered, "King Yao has not yet summoned you to the palace."

He had previously informed the Palace Master that Zhao Song had left Yongquan Villa and entered the palace overnight.

It was already daybreak, and by rights, King Yao should have heard the news by now.

"He believes he knows the truth and is now figuring out how to deal with me," Qingyang sneered. "That ignorant old fool is about to be used as a pawn again."

Which also forced her to quickly adjust her plans.

But it didn't matter; whether King Yao hated her or not would be irrelevant in the end.

"Besides, what good would it do for him to summon me? I know everything he wants to ask, and he knows everything I will say," Qingyang said leisurely. "Last night, I merely went out for a walk and exchanged a few words with He Xiao. I neither laid a hand on anyone nor caused any harm. What is there for him to question?"

She then asked Yuan Xuan, "What about the north?"

"There has been no new message."

"At this point, no news is good news," Qingyang said, breaking a long icicle from under the eaves and gently squeezing it. "Everything that needed to be arranged has been handled. Unless it's something significant, do not contact them again."

Yuan Xuan knew very well who "they" were.

With a snap, the icicle shattered into several pieces in Qingyang's hand. She waved her hand, flicking the water droplets from her fingertips.

A few days from now, King Yao's supposedly stable realm would shatter just like this icicle!

After daybreak, He Lingchuan entered the palace.

Upon seeing King Yao, he bowed, addressed him as "Your Majesty," and remained expressionless throughout.

King Yao asked him a question, and he answered it, neither more nor less.

Qiu Long gave him several meaningful glances, but he feigned ignorance.

The story of last night, of course, began with Cao Wendao's disguised visit to He Lingchuan a few days earlier. Before assassins strike, they always survey the premises to understand the target's environment; even petty thieves would do this, let alone Cao Wendao.

Zhao Song and the palace guards stationed at Yongquan Villa could all confirm that Cao Wendao had indeed entered the villa, and even chatted and dined with He Lingchuan.

As a victim, He Lingchuan naturally had the right to claim ignorance of everything. He was not a suspect and had no need to prove a motive for murder.

King Yao summoned him to the palace merely to inquire about details, comparing them with the intelligence Zhao Song had. Finding no discrepancies, he spoke kindly to reassure him.

He Lingchuan noticed that King Yao hadn't mentioned Qingyang at all, so he lightly coughed and said, "Your Majesty, the capital's eastward expansion project is already on track. Lord You and the Fourth Prince can easily take over, and I can then resign and depart."

King Yao was startled and displeased. "Tianshui's eastward expansion hasn't even been four months, and you already want to abandon your responsibilities? He Xiao, that's not what you promised me initially."

As he spoke, a faint sadness welled up in his heart. Among the numerous civil and military officials of the vast Yao court, there was not a single capable person who could replace He Xiao!

If only there had been one or two who could share the monarch's burdens, he wouldn't be in such a passive position.

He Xiao had garnered all the attention in Tianshui City these past few months; even Bai Ziqi, the Cloud Envoy from the Heavenly Palace, spoke up to request a salary for him, though King Yao only approved a meager five hundred taels monthly.

Officials of the Yao court also scrambled to curry favor with He Xiao, who had received untold benefits. Just from what King Yao knew, the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce's suddenly skyrocketing business orders amounted to over 2,500 transactions.

An foreign merchant, only half a year new to Tianshui City, managed to build such a large business? Wasn't it because the authority King Yao granted him could be monetized?

Conversely, He Xiao had made a fortune in Tianshui City, and now, before his work was even complete, he wanted to simply walk away?

He Lingchuan wore a helpless expression. "I also wish to see things through, but someone is relentlessly trying to take my life, and staying in Tianshui City makes me deeply uneasy. It was incredibly lucky that I discovered one Cao Wendao; if there's another, or yet another, I might end up like Situ He."

King Yao had indeed sent nine hundred elite guards to protect him, but didn't Situ He also have personal guards by his side back then? He still couldn't escape Cao Wendao's assassination.

"In the Flashgold Plains, nowhere can be safer than Tianshui City," King Yao said proudly. "If you cannot escape assassination here, you'll surely vanish without a trace if you go anywhere else."

He Lingchuan gave a bitter smile.

King Yao softened his tone and added, "Put your mind at ease. I will assign more security to ensure your safety in Tianshui City!"

He Lingchuan could only thank him, for King Yao had an unspoken implication:

Don't be unreasonable, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit.

He was a favorite of King Yao; normally Qiu Long would see him off at the Jade Spring Palace gate, but this time he accompanied him for another three hundred zhang, all the way to outside Chunhua Gate.

"It's cold and the road is slippery, Lord Qiu, please stop here," He Lingchuan said politely, appearing to reach out and steady the old palace attendant. His sleeve momentarily blocked the view as he secretly slipped him a small box.

Qiu Long was intimately familiar with this maneuver; he accepted it without batting an eyelid, feeling a slight coolness in his palm.