Poaching

In that instant, countless thoughts flickered through Li Qingyan's eyes, only to vanish into thin air a moment later. *That fellow is dead?* After a brief silence, Li Qingyan turned and sat back down atop the cracked boulder from before. Her crimson lips parted slightly, but no words came, only a faint breath of white mist exhaled into the air. The collapsed, towering halls lay sprawled like dead behemoths upon the ground, while swirling snow falling from above buried every trace of them. Li Qingyan fixated her crimson eyes on the black-armored general standing in the snow for a long while. "You say... he's dead?" Yuan Hao did not answer immediately, instead weighing his words carefully. Ever since he finished speaking earlier, he had been observing her expression. He might be a madman, but that did not mean he was incapable of reading people. The Princess Wuyuan before him seemed to have been thrown off balance by the Third Young Master's death. As thoughts churned in his mind, the metallic rasp of armor echoed across the snow-covered mountain summit. Yuan Hao slowly bowed his head and said softly, "According to the messages sent from Di'an City, the Third Young Master was indeed assassinated and killed." "Heh..." Receiving another affirmative reply, Li Qingyan's rosy lips suddenly curved. She felt like laughing—laughing at how absurd it was. Although that fellow's cultivation was weak, his whole person seemed wrapped in a shroud of mystery. With every layer uncovered, with every interaction, she saw something different in him. When Li Zhaoyuan launched an assassination against the two of them, it was the information he provided that allowed them to escape with their lives from the barbarian military array. In that fathomless underground palace teeming with aberrant ghosts, pursued by the sanctified Barbarian King, he was also the one who saved them. And now, out of the blue, she was being told he was dead? *That fellow, dead?* *How could he possibly die?* Li Qingyan slowly raised her gaze toward the sky. The past prosperity of Ice Spirit Palace and the clamor of its destruction had all faded into bleak desolation along with the drifting snow. Amidst the stillness, Yuan Hao reined in his gaze and prepared to take his leave for now. Princess Wuyuan clearly needed some quiet time alone. As for the remaining matters he had yet to report, he could wait in the camp at the foot of the mountain and deliver them when she came down. "..." Iron boots stepping noiselessly on the snow, Yuan Hao was about to turn and leave, but had taken only a single step when a low female voice came from behind him: "You made a special trip here. It surely isn't just to inform me of this matter." Surprise flashed through Yuan Hao's eyes, followed by understanding. Over the past few days, war had raged across the Northern Border. Belonging to the Great Yan court, the Black Qilin Army and the imperial forces had cooperated more than once. Because of this, he knew that this cold, iron-blooded Princess Wuyuan was not a woman to be swayed by emotion. Turning back slowly, Yuan Hao looked at the stunning woman seated atop the boulder. After a moment's consideration, he said softly, "Yes, but Your Highness..." "I don't believe it." Li Qingyan cut Yuan Hao off. Sitting on the boulder with her legs crossed, she rested a cheek against one hand, her index finger tapping gently. "Unless I see Xu Yuan's corpse with my own eyes, I will not believe he is dead. "After all... "Faking his death to slip away seems like quite a fine choice for that fellow, don't you think?" Hearing this, a peculiar glint flickered in Yuan Hao's eyes. In truth, he had harbored such suspicions himself, but these matters were not for him to pry into. As a blade, he needed only to obey orders. "This general does not dare to make wild guesses on this matter. In coming to see you this time, aside from delivering news of the Third Young Master's death, the Chancellor also instructed me to deliver this item to Your Highness by hand." As he spoke, Yuan Hao reached into his breast and produced a small, three-centimeter black box from beneath the lining of his black armor. Seeing this object, Li Qingyan raised an eyebrow slightly. With a subtle flick of her fingers, she drew the black box through the air into her grasp. Her slender fingertips pressed the clasps on either side of the small black box, and with a soft *click*, it opened. A neatly folded, specially crafted document met Li Qingyan's eyes. Looking at the document, Li Qingyan's beautiful eyes narrowed unconsciously. The marriage contract. Before departing the capital back then, this was the marriage document that she and that fellow had pressed their thumbprints onto under the witness of Imperial Father and the Chancellor. Yuan Hao's voice came softly in a low murmur: "The Chancellor instructed this general to convey that since the Third Young Master was assassinated and killed, this marriage contract may be handled according to Your Highness's wishes." "..." Li Qingyan stared at the vigorous, flowing signature and thumbprints at the bottom of the document for several breaths. Packing it back into the box, she tossed it back to Yuan Hao. "I have no need for this thing. You should take it back and return it to the old Chancellor." "..." Yuan Hao caught it deftly, but his brow furrowed instinctively. He could not comprehend the princess's meaning. For the Chancellor to return this marriage contract to Princess Wuyuan was essentially granting her freedom. Otherwise, even if the Third Young Master were dead, the Prime Minister's Manor could invoke this contract to demand she remain a widow for the rest of her life. By handing the contract back to her, the imperial family could nullify it directly, offering both sides a clean, amicable break. Meeting Yuan Hao's puzzled gaze, Li Qingyan slowly rose from the boulder and headed straight down the mountain. "As I said before, unless I see your Third Young Master's corpse with my own eyes, I will not believe it." As she brushed past the black-armored general standing in place, her soft, slightly raspy voice drifted over: "I will order camp struck tonight to head south. If you have no other business, I won't keep you. The war is pressing, and Li Zhaoyuan's side is stirring. As commander, leaving your army for too long might invite unnecessary trouble." "..." Yuan Hao turned his head to watch the gold-armored woman walk into the storm toward the foot of the mountain. His lips parted, but he swallowed the words back down in the end. Nearly everyone in Great Yan's upper echelons knew that the marriage contract between Princess Wuyuan and the Third Young Master was merely a show, a political signal whose symbolic meaning far outweighed its practical reality. Yet judging by the princess's conduct now, this betrothal seemed to be more than just a political gesture. This astonished Yuan Hao. A single trip to the Northern Border had wrought such a transformation in the battlefield-hardened Princess Wuyuan. In a sense, the Third Young Master truly was quite formidable. Amid his amazement, the slender, gold-armored silhouette with cascading black hair had already vanished into the summit's blizzard. Only her leisurely voice drifted faintly up from below: "Oh, right. "If he truly is dead, your Prime Minister's Manor may directly announce to the realm that I am willing to remain a widow for your Third Young Master for the rest of my life." *** As one of the few forms of entertainment in this era, brothels remained bustling with noise once night fell across the misty willow lanes and alleys of Di'an City, even with the flames of war raging across the Northern Border. Amid the nighttime clamor, however, Xuanyue Tower seemed rather quiet. As one of the premier pleasure houses backed by the imperial merchant guild, its threshold was so high that it shut out wealthy merchants who lacked political backing. Enhanced by special arrays, soft string music flowed into every corner of the elegant, distinctive Xuanyue Tower. On the open-air balcony of its top floor, two men sat facing each other across a table, admiring the bustling autumn nightscape of the Imperial Capital while sipping fine wine and chatting with total ease. Even as he bantered and laughed, Xu Yuan looked at the chuckling youth in the python robe across the table, his heart entirely numb. Having laid low until the storm blew over, he had finally taken his new identity out for some fun at a pleasure house, only to run into this prick again. Sometimes, Xu Yuan truly wondered if he and Li Junqing shared some twisted karmic fate from a past life. In the vastness of Di'an City, among so many premier pleasure houses, how could the two of them still run into each other? He had rented out the entire top floor of Xuanyue Tower to listen to songs, only for Li Junqing, dressed in opulent imperial robes, to push the door open midway through, sit down as though they were old friends, and greet him. If this were the past, Xu Yuan most likely would have told this freeloading bastard to get lost. But now, his identity didn't allow him to be so insolent. Inside the box his father had given him, besides a lifelike human-skin mask, lay a sheet of paper detailing his new identity. A child of the current Vice Minister of War who had been living adrift away from home, found and brought back half a year ago. Sometimes, he really felt his father treated his children too well. Counting the days, his father must have begun preparing this identity immediately after his assassination. And to manufacture such a backstory, the old man had undoubtedly taken great pains. As the second-in-command of the Ministry of War—one of the court's Six Ministries—the Vice Minister was not as prominent as the Minister, but he was still an absolute core figure at court. Even so, while masquerading as this man's offspring didn't require him to be overly modest, he could no longer run rampant like the Prime Minister's son. Just like now, he could use this identity to casually rent out the entirety of a high-society establishment in Di'an City, but he couldn't openly slight this Third Prince. The chilling night wind fluttered their robes and long hair. Li Junqing had left his hair unbound—or rather, he wasn't someone who cared about his image in the first place. Of course, Xu Yuan was the same. Tonight, however, Xu Yuan had tied his hair up meticulously, because the role he was playing was that of a modest, refined, and upright gentleman. Since the old man had taken the trouble to arrange this identity for him, he naturally had to immerse himself in the act, playing this role well so that acquaintances wouldn't recognize him. Though he didn't know whether Li Junqing had seen through him, it was enough that the prince showed no sign of it on the surface. With the shift in identity, their idle chatter lacked the heartfelt banter of before. For most of the evening, the two had discussed court affairs and amorous anecdotes. The conversation had been pleasant enough. Naturally, Xu Yuan felt the main reason was that he was the one footing the bill for this private banquet. That was, until Li Junqing suddenly sighed softly: "The Prime Minister's Manor's Third Young Master was assassinated and killed, yet my imperial elder sister actually chose to remain a widow for that playboy." His brow twitching faintly, Xu Yuan wore an expression of well-measured bewilderment and asked in a low voice, "A widow?" Li Junqing glanced at the gentle, sword-browed gentleman across from him, leisurely poured himself a cup of Pure Yang wine, and drank it in one gulp. Feeling a surge of warmth rise from his lower abdomen, he said softly, "Though word hasn't spread yet, counting the time, your father, as an important court minister, should be receiving the news soon." Hearing this, Xu Yuan's eyes took on a slightly forlorn look as he said gently, "Your Highness must be joking. I am merely a concubine-born son. Though my father places no restrictions on my spending to make up for all those lost years, the actual power in the family is held by the first and second branches. If Your Highness hadn't mentioned it, I probably wouldn't know until it was published in the imperial gazette." Li Junqing raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "It's not that big a secret anyway. If Young Master Wang is curious, this prince can enlighten you, consider it payment for this round of drinks." Xu Yuan leaned slightly forward and probed gently, "Oh? I did hear that the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister's Manor was a profligate playboy. Even with a marriage contract between them, Princess Wuyuan is willing to remain a widow for such a man? Could it be that the Third Young Master was hiding his true abilities?" Li Junqing waved a dismissive hand and chuckled softly. "You're overthinking it, Young Master Wang. This is entirely due to my sister's temperament. She has never cared for such things. With this excuse, she can simply stay unmarried for the rest of her life." Hearing this response, Xu Yuan smiled inwardly. He was very pleased with Li Junqing's answer. Though the man liked to trade petty tricks with him on occasion, when it came to major matters of principle, he still knew to protect his standing. As Xu Yuan was pondering, Li Junqing suddenly tapped the table lightly, fixed his eyes on Xu Yuan's, and said softly, "Young Master Wang, you were once stranded outside the capital. Having lived such a life of leisure for so long since arriving here, how does it feel?" Xu Yuan paused slightly. Noticing Young Master Wang's expression, Li Junqing smiled and asked, "Given your age and cultivation, Young Master Wang, you surely must harbor greater ambitions rather than idling away your years here in brothels." "..." Hearing this, Xu Yuan's expression turned slightly solemn, and he instantly understood why he had run into the Third Prince here. After a brief silence, Xu Yuan asked with hesitant care, "Your Highness means..." "Perhaps Young Master Wang could propose to your father that you enter court as an official. If he is unwilling, this prince could provide you with some assistance." "..." Hearing this, Xu Yuan's gaze turned somewhat strange. The Vice Minister of War was a staunch loyalist of the Chancellor; otherwise, his old man wouldn't have felt at ease arranging his fake identity as this official's son. With the court in turmoil, although the Ministry of War lacked the direct military command to mobilize armies, it held the authority to procure military equipment and manage logistics. If Li Junqing managed to turn this disgruntled "son of the Vice Minister of War," if nothing else, he would at least gain access to intelligence from within the Chancellor's faction. Well then, their encounter was no coincidence. Li Junqing had deliberately come looking for him to poach him. Xu Yuan could barely keep a straight face. How did this prick manage to poach talent right onto his fake identity every single time? Seeing Xu Yuan remain silent for a long time, Li Junqing chuckled, shook his head, and said in a low voice, "Young Master Wang, you need not worry. The assistance I speak of is not overt, nor will it put your father in a difficult spot..." "Third Prince, I recall you have yet to open your own manor or establish an office." Xu Yuan suddenly interrupted him. "So, is this the Crown Prince's intent?" Surprise flickered in Li Junqing's eyes, but it quickly dissolved into a smile. He liked speaking with intelligent people. Taking a jade talisman from his Sumeru ring, he placed it gently on the table. This time, the characters carved on the jade talisman Li Junqing produced were not "Three," but rather the two characters "Yucheng." Li Junqing slowly stood up, looking down at the refined, jade-like Young Master Wang before him: "If Young Master Wang is interested, you may take this jade talisman down to the Tianxun Room on the floor below. Imperial Brother and I will be waiting there."