Extortion

Graceful curves, and fair skin gleaming in the somber light of the snowy day. Xu Yuan found that he could not see through the woman named Li Qingyan before him, just as he could not see through how thick the binding cloth across her chest truly was. After a month spent sharing carriages and rooms, he knew she was clever—clever enough to see through many things with a single glance. Because of that, Xu Yuan had not been particularly surprised by her earlier suspicions toward him. A young master acting like a playboy on the surface while hiding his brilliance in secret was a trope so overused in popular storybooks and plays that it bordered on cliché. His choice to stay in Beifeng City had naturally prompted her questioning—a perfectly justifiable probe. What Xu Yuan could not comprehend was Li Qingyan's attitude toward him. From her startling words when they first met to her current composure while practically standing bare before him. Had there been an emotional foundation between them, none of this would have surprised him. The problem was that he could not detect the slightest hint of affection in her demeanor. Had Xu Yuan not been well-versed in the subtle art of push and pull, even a remarkably shrewd young nobleman would have been spun into utter confusion by this woman's games. Her profound cultivation meant she brooked no argument in most matters, yet in small ways, she made you feel valued. The inadvertent tenderness shown by someone so domineering, coupled with jade-smooth cheeks and cherry lips of peerless beauty, was truly something few could resist. When you rested, she would gently drape a blanket over you, or naturally prepare a brocade fur coat for you to brave the cold as she had when entering the city, always making you feel the difference between how she treated you and how she treated everyone else. In his past life, Xu Yuan would have bolted by now. A man had to know his own limits. There was always someone higher up the ladder. It was fine to go smurfing in low-tier games, but you had to be able to tell if you'd accidentally hooked a great white shark. He genuinely could not fathom why Li Qingyan was doing this. Their engagement was merely a political marriage designed to foster temporary mutual trust between the Chancellor's Manor and the imperial clan. Though both sides paid lip service to accepting fate since they could not defy the decree, whether this grand wedding would ever take place as scheduled remained an unknown. The imperial court of Great Yan was essentially co-ruled by two emperors. As Li Yaoxuan drew closer to the end of his lifespan, the conflict between imperial authority and prime ministerial power was threatening to eclipse the strife between the sects and the court. Given the perception Li Qingyan had demonstrated, Xu Yuan refused to believe she failed to see this. Yet she acted this way regardless. Was she gambling that he, Xu Yuan, was hopelessly love-struck? In his previous life, Xu Yuan had seen documentary materials about isolated cases where infatuated fools swayed national policy, but those were extreme anomalies. Besides, on paper, he was nothing more than an idle playboy. If he dared pull any covert stunts, Xu Changge would break both his legs without hesitation. "......" Thoughts tumbled through his mind, while the chamber was filled only with the sharp clatter of shifting armor as she dressed. Xu Yuan watched as Li Qingyan serenely donned her battle gear before him. Piece by piece, the components were methodically strapped on, until the fair skin exposed to the freezing air was completely concealed beneath heavy armor. Li Qingyan suddenly glanced back over her shoulder. Her war armor—inlaid with flowing gold trim over a crimson dragon motif—accentuated a gaze so piercing it almost stung: "What are you thinking about?" Xu Yuan reeled in his straying thoughts. If he couldn't figure it out, he wouldn't waste brainpower on it; either way, he wouldn't fall for her tricks. He offered a faint smile: "I was wondering... doesn't binding your chest all day feel tight and uncomfortable?" "Tight?" Li Qingyan arched a brow and regarded him flatly, countering, "It seems among your fair confidantes, there are others who, like This Palace, need to bind their chests." "......" Xu Yuan did not reply. Li Qingyan pondered for a moment, then gave a faint smile. "Not talking? Then let This Palace take a guess. It must be that commandery princess from the Marquis of Zhenxi's household, right?" "......" Xu Yuan was speechless. After a moment of silence, Xu Yuan waved a dismissive hand: "Your Highness is being overly suspicious. Junwu prefers women. She and I treat each other as brothers—she's hardly a romantic confidante." "Mirror-rubbing?" A flicker of surprise showed in Li Qingyan's phoenix eyes before quickly vanishing. "The Marquis of Zhenxi has only her as an heir. This commandery princess is quite interesting." Xu Yuan sized Li Qingyan up, changing the subject: "As for me, I'd advise Your Highness not to bind it every day. Doesn't it feel uncomfortable?" Li Qingyan fitted her gauntlets into place, then fastened the saber to her waist, answering casually: "This Palace has grown accustomed to it. In the army, failing to bind it would easily disrupt morale." Hearing this, Xu Yuan blinked, his eyes flickering with realization. Understood. So she was quite bountifully endowed. After a beat, Xu Yuan waved a hand with a chuckle. "That's not what I meant. If you keep it bound too long, it loses its shape, and that wouldn't be pretty." "......" The moment the words left his mouth, the room fell dead silent. Li Qingyan paused slightly as she adjusted her gauntlets, glancing back at his grinning face. Her phoenix eyes narrowed in scrutiny. At that gaze, Xu Yuan was about to open his mouth to make an excuse, but to his surprise, Li Qingyan's thin lips curled faintly: "Rest assured, Prince Consort. This Palace is not one of those frail, ordinary mortals. Moreover, I know my own body best. On the night of our wedding, if you do not disappoint This Palace, This Palace certainly will not disappoint you." "......" Xu Yuan was speechless. Damn it. He had cracked a lewd joke, yet somehow ended up being teased by her instead. Fastening the armored vest, Li Qingyan said in earnest: "This Palace will waste no more words. I grant you one night. Tomorrow at the hour of the snake, arrive promptly at the Feather Forest Guards camp south of the city. This Palace will be waiting for you there." With that, the armor-clad woman strode briskly out of the chamber, disappearing into the swirling snow in an instant. Night fell, the wind and snow wailing in the ears. Though the pleasure houses of the Northern Border differed somewhat in style from those in Great Yan's heartland, they were largely the same. The Northern Border fell far behind the Great Desert in this regard, where one could fully experience the exotic allure of desert dancing girls. Then again, it was unavoidable. Barring those with peculiar tastes, ordinary men could hardly handle female barbarians covered in spikes. In an elegant private room on the top floor, sandalwood incense hung thick in the air amid waves of plucked strings. "You ask me what kind of person my Imperial Sister is?" The Third Prince stared with an amused look at the man in the blood-red robe opposite him: "If I knew what kind of person she was, I would've catered to her tastes long ago and recruited her under my Imperial Brother's banner." Saying so, Li Junqing plucked a fresh fruit from a platter and popped it into his mouth. Chewing on the sweet, luscious juice, he chuckled: "If my Imperial Sister backed my elder brother, the struggle for succession would be as good as won. After all, she represents the stance of Great Yan's God of War, Marquis Wucheng." Hearing this, Xu Yuan sighed, then smiled. "True enough. The two hundred thousand elites of the Beifeng Army across the six garrisons, combined with the one hundred thousand Feather Forest Guards bestowed upon Wuyuan by His Majesty, would be more than enough to orchestrate a palace coup in the Imperial Capital." "Brother, even if we are conspiring, could you not be so blunt?" The corner of the Third Prince's eye twitched. Xu Yuan shrugged, then asked with sudden intrigue: "Junqing, your elder brother here is curious about something. Could you enlighten me?" Li Junqing grew wary inwardly, though his face remained beaming with smiles as he replied: "Ask away, Changtian. I shall hold nothing back." "Heh." Xu Yuan gave a soft chuckle, pointing up at the grand array activated in the sky: "Your imperial bloodline holds primary control over the arrays established across all commanderies and counties. But what happens if two members of the imperial family vie for control against each other?" Li Junqing's expression turned odd upon hearing this. "You didn't know about this?" Xu Yuan blinked, pointing to himself. "Should I know about this?" Li Junqing chuckled quietly. "Although this is top secret, it shouldn't be much of a secret to your Chancellor's Manor. To prevent brothers from falling out and misusing arrays to slaughter their own kin, the First Ancestor designed the city arrays' controls so they can balance each other." Xu Yuan cast a thoughtful glance at the dark, oppressive sky outside the window. "In other words, if you wished, Junqing, you could also control Beifeng City's city-protecting array?" Li Junqing hissed through his teeth and hastened to ward off the idea: "Theoretically, yes. But if I dare make a move right now, my Imperial Sister would definitely chop me into pieces." Xu Yuan waved a hand. "Don't be nervous. I've no intention of asking you to touch the city-protecting array." Li Junqing breathed a sigh of relief, his smile returning. "Good, that's good." Xu Yuan leaned back against the soft couch, staring at Li Junqing, and suddenly chuckled slyly. "Let's dispense with the small talk between brothers. You had me come over tonight—did you want to continue our unfinished discussion from this afternoon?" "......" Li Junqing froze for a moment. "What unfinished discussion?" Xu Yuan also paused, then said as if it were obvious, "Supporting your bid for the throne, of course." Li Junqing looked at him with an odd expression. "Wait, didn't I already say I plan to head out to Yingzhou Island?" "Weren't you joking?" "Who said I was joking?" "......" Silence. The two stared at each other, eyes wide. After a long pause, Xu Yuan let out a breath and asked, "Then what did you summon me here for?" "To plan my escape." "......" Xu Yuan was struck speechless. After a beat, Xu Yuan lowered his voice: "You want to run, so why look for me?" Li Junqing let out a sigh, his gaze turning melancholic. "Changtian... in the eyes of commoners, my status as the Third Prince makes me royalty of the highest blood. But you must know how awkward my position is here in the Northern Border. I'm stuck right in the middle—uninformed on major matters, and knowing trivial ones is useless. "The more critical the crisis becomes, the more my Second Brother can use his competence to rally military support. But what about me? I'm just a merchant. What could I possibly do staying here in Beifeng City? Resell military supplies on the black market for profit? My Imperial Sister would chop me into mincemeat for sure." Xu Yuan remained utterly unmoved upon hearing this. "And so?" Li Junqing hesitated for a moment, then stood up and sat down beside Xu Yuan, grinning ingratiatingly. "So, isn't your younger brother here just hoping Big Brother can help me find a way to survive?" "Don't call me brother. I can't bear the honor." "Third Young Master, you are my Imperial Sister's prince consort. You can naturally bear being called my brother." "Enough." Xu Yuan smiled and shook his head. "You are Wuyuan's own younger brother, after all. Even if the city falls, she would surely arrange a way out for you." Li Junqing clicked his tongue, darting a glance toward the commandery office, and whispered, "Tsk, that's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about the one in the government office..." "The Second Prince?" Xu Yuan cut straight to the point. "You think he'll kill you?" Having grown entirely accustomed to how blunt this fellow was, Li Junqing nodded. "Amid the chaos of the city falling, killing me would be like severing an arm from the Crown Prince. My Second Brother would never pass up that opportunity." Xu Yuan pondered briefly, his mind racing. If Li Junqing died, control of the imperial merchant guilds and his Imperial Shadow Guards would inevitably change hands. Whether they would still belong to the Crown Prince's faction by then would be anyone's guess. Pausing, Xu Yuan asked with a wry expression, "Your family truly exemplifies fraternal affection." Li Junqing grinned widely. "There have been plenty of shining examples of filial devotion and parental tenderness in our family's history too." "......" Xu Yuan. After a moment of quiet, Xu Yuan smiled and reached out to pour some wine, but Li Junqing tactfully beat him to it, picking up the flagon to top off Xu Yuan's cup. Xu Yuan watched without stopping him, taking a gentle sip from the filled bronze cup. "So how am I supposed to help you with this?" Li Junqing seemed to have prepared his pitch long ago, whispering, "Both of us came to Beifeng City alone, with no bodyguards at our sides. I'd like to borrow a Second Rank expert from you, Brother." "A Second Rank?" Xu Yuan frowned. Before leaving, Lou Ji had left him contact methods for several hidden agents. While there were many formidable fighters among them, there was only a single Second Rank Origin Realm powerhouse. Reflecting for a moment, Xu Yuan lowered his voice: "What do you want to borrow a Second Rank expert for? To escort you out of the city and around the mountain ranges back into Great Yan's territory?" Seeing that Xu Yuan hadn't refused right away, Li Junqing's eyes brightened. "Naturally, I couldn't do that. The Northern Border soldiers are shedding blood right now. If I did that, it would be desertion in the face of battle. Imperial Father would surely punish me, and it might even implicate my eldest brother." Xu Yuan rubbed the bronze wine cup, asking, "So your plan is to act as an imperial envoy and seek reinforcements around Houting County?" "......" Li Junqing turned solemn and cupped his hands. "Third Young Master predicts things like a deity." Xu Yuan glanced toward the southern camp of the Feather Forest Guards. "Will your Imperial Sister agree to this?" Li Junqing shook his head. "Of course not. Act first, report later. I will leave a letter for my Imperial Sister in the commandery office, then seize control of the northern array to slip out of the city and head north to request aid from the sects around Houting County. It won't harm the overall situation, and the pretext is completely legitimate. Even if my Second Brother wants to hold it against me, he'll have no angle of attack." Xu Yuan listened carefully to Li Junqing's escape plan and nodded. "This plan is indeed workable." Li Junqing poured more wine for Xu Yuan again, asking in a hushed tone, "Then, Brother, you..." Xu Yuan said nothing, slowly raising a hand before Li Junqing's eyes, then gently rubbing his index finger and thumb together. Show me the money, and everything is negotiable. He had only just commissioned old man Jiang He to research and concoct the Bane-Breaking Pill, which was burning through money rapidly. To pass up an opportunity to fleece this wealthy magnate who controlled the imperial merchant guilds would be an offense against the heavens. Li Junqing understood at once, crisply holding up five fingers. Xu Yuan let a perfectly calculated look of astonishment flash in his eyes. "Five million taels?" "......" The corner of Li Junqing's eye twitched. He was doomed. Just as he was about to speak up and deny it, Xu Yuan was already speaking: "Since you are so generous, Junqing, your elder brother naturally cannot let down your kind intentions. Will that be in banknotes, land deeds, or guild contracts?" Li Junqing fell silent for a moment, then ventured tentatively, "Changtian, what I meant was fifty—" "Alas," Xu Yuan interrupted with a heavy sigh. "Junqing, look at my terrible memory. I misremembered. Our Chancellor's Manor doesn't seem to have a Second Rank in Beifeng City..." Grinding his teeth, Li Junqing ground out word by word, "What I meant was... the five-hundred-thousand shortfall might have to wait until we return to the capital for hard silver. I only have four million five hundred thousand taels on me right now." Hearing this, Xu Yuan said nothing more and simply extended his hand. Li Junqing's cheek twitched with heartache as he laid stack after stack of ten-thousand-tael banknotes upon the table. "I trust the Third Young Master will make the arrangements as soon as possible..."