Letter of Resignation

"Yet, you have already taken a great deal." Inside the elegant hall, an ornate landscape screen stood quietly amid the deep, dark brown decor. Moonlight mingled with the soft glow of gilded lanterns, casting a dim light across Xu Yuan's face. After a moment of contemplation, he added in an unhurried tone: "In fact, far more than you were owed." "..." The look in Li Junqing's eyes shifted slightly. There was surprise, but even more, unease. He suddenly realized the true purpose behind the silence of Chancellor Xu and his entire faction in the imperial court over the past few days. The imperial family had already reaped countless benefits from this feast of division. Taking advantage of the Prime Minister's Manor's misstep, the imperial clan had regained control over numerous vital court positions. Break the rules, pay the price—such was the underlying logic of power. The Prime Minister's Manor had provoked the Sien Saint and plunged the imperial capital of Great Yan into peril; that was their fault. High-ranking members of the Chancellor's faction were imprisoned or stripped of their posts; that was the punishment. Fault and penalty had already balanced out. If they demanded more now, the ones breaking the rules would be none other than the imperial Li clan. Everything should have ended here. It had to end here. Yet Imperial Father seemed to want even more. He wanted to play the rogue against the Prime Minister's Manor—only, in terms of sheer strength, the imperial family lacked the standing to act so brazenly toward the Chancellor's Manor. "Phew... Chancellor Xu's methods are truly formidable." Exhaling a long breath, Li Junqing lowered his gaze to the liquor inside his bronze vessel. "Moving by staying still, playing everyone under heaven like fools in the palm of his hand... By the time the world realized his true aim, it was already far too late." Xu Yuan shook his head and said softly, "It was merely a simple gap in information. Besides, hasn't our Prime Minister's Manor already paid a heavy price as well?" At this point, Xu Yuan cast a faint glance toward the pitch-black sky beyond the window lattice. "You people have completely purged our manor's grip from the city defenses of Di'an." This was actually a rather perilous signal. Countless lessons from history had proven time and again that coups almost always took place within an imperial dynasty's capital. Di'an was the heart of Great Yan, as well as the nerve center of the Chancellor's Manor. The Chancellor's estate lay inside Di'an City, and Xu Yinhe resided within its walls. If the imperial family made a sudden, unprovoked move, having no allies within the city defenses meant the manor could not react immediately, let alone utilize insiders to mount countermeasures. Li Junqing, however, shook his head gently. "Being willing to pay such a steep price only proves you gained something far greater." To Li Junqing's probing remark, Xu Yuan offered a noncommittal smile and countered, "So, do you still intend to come knocking at our door to demand her?" "If I had a choice, I'd say no. But I don't." Li Junqing's voice carried a hint of gloom. Looking at the relaxed expression on the young man opposite him, he could not help feeling a pang of envy. Both of them were sons of the realm's highest echelons, yet this fellow could participate in top-level decisions without reservation and commanded a sizable private force, while he himself was relegated to cannon fodder leading the charge. Xu Yuan was hardly surprised and said with a chuckle, "Who told you never to fight or vie for anything?" Li Junqing snorted softly. "Easy for you to fucking say." Xu Yuan grinned and lowered his voice: "Li Zhaoyuan was in far worse straits than you, but look at him now. With your ability, you wouldn't do any worse than him if you set your mind to it. A pity you're unwilling to take the risk." Li Junqing rolled his eyes. He opened his mouth to retort, but found himself at a loss for words. Because what the kid said was the truth. Pausing for a moment, Li Junqing shook his head helplessly. "One's nature is inborn. Nothing can be done about it." Xu Yuan took a small sip of the spiritual wine in his cup, smacking his lips. His physique could no longer absorb the spiritual qi in the wine; it served merely to satisfy his palate. At that moment, Li Junqing changed the subject: "By the way, does our previous cooperation still stand?" "Dongying?" Xu Yuan set down his wine cup, a hint of interest surfacing between his brows. "Of course it stands. But after what happened that night, shouldn't you barely need my backing anymore?" Li Junqing looked up, shot Xu Yuan a glance, and gave a light huff. "Asking what you already know, aren't you? In theory, yes. After all, the imperial capital was nearly destroyed. Even if just for vanity's sake, the imperial court would grant Dongying sufficient attention. The problem is..." "Get to the point. Stop beating around the bush." "..." Li Junqing was struck silent. "My imperial brother discussed this privately with Imperial Father. Imperial Father promised to reinforce the expedition, but the commander-in-chief will be a Commander of the Imperial Guard, while I become the army supervisor." Having said his piece, Li Junqing looked eagerly at his dear friend opposite him. Xu Yuan's eyes flickered, but he did not speak right away. This sudden turn caught him somewhat off guard. It made sense for the Emperor to assign an experienced general to lead the troops. After all, Li Junqing knew nothing of military affairs. Once an army grew large, merely managing the rations, lodging, and logistics of thousands of soldiers was enough to make any novice's head spin, let alone marching and fighting in battle. But stripping Li Junqing of the supreme command and demoting him to an army supervisor was a bit unreasonable. By both sentiment and protocol, this expeditionary force ought to have been commanded by Prince Li Junqing. Yet after pondering for a breath, Xu Yuan suddenly smiled as he looked at Li Junqing, remarking softly, "Your imperial father truly sees right through you." The reason was simple: Dongying was vast, distant, and far beyond the emperor's reach. Once he established a firm foothold there, Li Junqing would almost certainly pull the old trick of a general in the field not being bound by the decrees of the sovereign. That was something Li Yaoxuan could never tolerate. Previously, a symbolic investment could be treated as a father's gift to his son. But with the scale expanded, an investment naturally demanded corresponding returns. Li Yaoxuan wanted both to use Li Junqing's capability to stabilize the situation in Dongying and to keep actual control over the island firmly in his own hands. Li Junqing clicked his tongue. "Can you stop making sarcastic remarks? If you don't up your stake, I most likely won't be able to fulfill your demands over there." Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment before asking softly, "Roughly how many men will the imperial clan deploy?" "My imperial brother said there will be at least two battalions of the Imperial Guard." Two battalions meant an establishment of ten thousand men, and the Imperial Guard ranked among the elite forces of the Great Yan Dynasty. After a moment's thought, Xu Yuan nodded. "I understand." Li Junqing immediately probed, "Roughly how many more men can you back me with?" Xu Yuan did not answer directly, instead asking with a smile: "Li Zhaoyuan started with nothing and managed to swallow up an army of a hundred thousand from the Sect Alliance. As an imperial prince, you already hold natural legitimacy over the Imperial Guard. Can't you even swallow ten thousand men?" "It's not the same." Li Junqing's expression stiffened, and his words quickened slightly. "The Sect Alliance's coalition was pieced together from various sects. There were countless ways to sow division among them. But the imperial family's Imperial Guard is practically an iron monolith. The two can't even be compared." "If Li Zhaoyuan were sitting in your shoes, do you think he wouldn't be able to swallow them?" "If you could pick easy mode, would you fucking choose hell?" "..." "..." They stared at each other for a moment. Xu Yuan shook his head gently. He roughly understood Li Junqing's intention in bringing all this up. Though on the surface it looked like banter, Li Junqing was actually reminding him that the situation was changing rapidly, and their standing in this partnership had now drawn close to equal. If you don't up your stake, I have other options now. I could take the same path as Li Zhaoyuan. When that happens, you won't have an open, legitimate excuse to intervene in Dongying. "I've already sent people to tally the exact numbers. For the army to march south, they need to pass through the Northern Border. It's still in turmoil over there, so there might be complications. But once the New Year passes, I should be able to give you a definitive answer." Li Junqing chuckled, rising slowly from the prayer mat. "Then we'll talk over the details then?" Hearing this, Xu Yuan frowned. "Do you have other business tonight?" Li Junqing shrugged helplessly. "If I didn't have a legitimate excuse, I wouldn't dare invite you, a 'dead man,' out at such a critical juncture." Xu Yuan fell silent for a moment. Lowering his eyelids, he murmured, "It seems your imperial father ordered you to come demand the person from our manor tonight?" Li Junqing smoothed the folds of his robes and strolled over to the window lattice. As the chilly wind ruffled his hair, he sighed softly: "Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Looks like this year won't end peacefully after all... Heh." In the forty-sixth year of Jiajing, On the night of the twenty-ninth, Prince Qing went to the Prime Minister's Manor to demand the Princess of Sien; the Crown Prince stopped him. The following night, on New Year's Eve, the Prime Minister submitted his memorial of resignation before the imperial desk.