The Agreement

For nearly half a month, carriage and horse traffic before the gates of the Prime Minister's Manor had been endless. Because the Immortal-Calming Tax Law had been submitted so abruptly, the vast majority of high-ranking ministers in the Chancellor's faction at court had received no word in advance. Afterward, they naturally rushed to the manor to assess the situation, though their objectives varied widely. Some came to sound out inclinations so as to plan for the future. Some visited merely to choose a side and profess their loyalty. And still others came specifically to bid their farewells. Though grateful for the Chancellor's patronage, just as the gravely wounded censor had proclaimed before the hall that day—"Once war begins, the casualties among the common folk will number far beyond a hundred million"—the manor's conduct had gone too far. Their paths had diverged. Resigning from office to return home and refusing to aid the sects was already the greatest compromise they could make. As the highest-ranking person in the Chancellor's Manor following the Chancellor's seclusion, Xu Yuan had made time to receive many important ministers over these past days. Yet coming personally to the front gates to welcome a guest, as he did tonight, was a first. Moonlight spilled down as the heavy manor gates slowly swung open. Waiting quietly inside the carriage before the gates, Li Zhaoyuan glanced over at the sound. Seeing that it was the main gate swinging wide, his brow twitched slightly. And when he saw the lavishly dressed young man emerging from within the estate, a flicker of surprise involuntarily crossed his deep eyes. As the second imperial palace within the capital, the Chancellor's Manor had rules governing every rite. Though he had entered the capital riding a wave of formidable momentum, on the surface he was still merely a prince born of a concubine. In his heart, he had already prepared himself to be humiliated once again by the third son of the Prime Minister's Manor. He had never expected the other to grant him such high courtesy right off the bat. Reining in the strange look in his eyes, Li Zhaoyuan stepped down from the carriage. Looking at the handsome young man who had already come to greet him before the carriage, he offered a calm bow. Tonight he wore no python robe, but rather an elegant blue-and-white robe embroidered with dark patterns, his deportment exuding ease and serenity. "A late-night visit with poor etiquette—I hope Third Young Master will forgive me." Xu Yuan cupped his hands to return the courtesy. "Your Highness jests. Please, come inside." Guest and host completed their courtesies and entered the manor together. The pure, bright radiance of the full moon bathed every corner. Walking beside Xu Yuan, Li Zhaoyuan inconspicuously swept his gaze across the deserted courtyard corridors. Recently, the manor should have had no shortage of visitors, yet along the entire way, neither aide nor servant nor external guest was anywhere to be seen. He had waited outside the gates for less than a quarter of an hour, yet Xu Changtian had completely cleared the area and come personally to welcome him. Time had passed, circumstances had shifted—had things truly changed in the end? "Does Your Highness find it strange?" As they walked through the cool water-pavilion courtyard, Xu Yuan's unruffled voice suddenly broke the silence. "Do you find it strange that I, Xu Changtian, would treat you with such courtesy?" The moonlit night was tranquil, their footsteps echoing. Li Zhaoyuan replied, "Such exceptional courtesy does indeed make me feel somewhat overwhelmed by your favor." Xu Yuan glanced back and asked half-jokingly, "And if I were to humiliate you just as before, would Your Highness still swallow your anger and endure it as you did in the past?" Hearing this, Li Zhaoyuan chuckled as well. "Wouldn't Third Young Master know if you simply gave it a try?" At this answer, Xu Yuan waved a hand. "His Majesty summoning you to the capital has already laid all cards on the table. Times have changed. Neither you nor I can act as we once did. One must always consider the consequences." Li Zhaoyuan pondered for a moment, then said leisurely, "Had Third Young Master acted as you once did today, I would still have endured it." Xu Yuan gave a soft chuckle. "I know. But would there be any point? Someone like you wouldn't care about superficial humiliation. With my current status, if I truly engaged in such childish antics, wouldn't it only invite your ridicule?" Li Zhaoyuan fell silent for a short while, then said, "Third Young Master has indeed changed considerably. Back at the Northern Border, I saw general-grade talent in you; seeing you again today, you already carry the air of a supreme commander. Even when facing someone you utterly despise, you can rein in your emotions." Hearing the subtle barb in his words, Xu Yuan paid it no mind. "Now that you're nearing the summit of the mountain, you've changed quite a bit yourself. But speaking so bluntly leaves me little room to play along." Having said that, Xu Yuan changed the subject. "Calculating the time, Your Highness must have come straight to find me the moment you entered the city. Aren't you going back to the palace first to take a look?" Li Zhaoyuan replied evasively, "It was on the way to the palace, so I thought I would pay Third Young Master a visit first." Xu Yuan came to a stop, directly puncturing the polite pleasantry, and countered, "On the way? Your Highness previously stationed troops north of the city, while the Chancellor's Manor sits south of the Palace City. What, did Your Highness enter the capital through the southern gate today? There is no need for pleasantries between us. If you have something to say, speak plainly. I am very busy." Hearing this, Li Zhaoyuan calmly raised his eyes to stare at Xu Yuan for an instant, then said, "Since that is the case, I shall dispense with courtesies as well. "Third Young Master, I know you loathe me. My visit tonight is precisely to mend the rift between us." Xu Yuan pondered for a second and asked, "Is there any need?" The broader momentum was already in motion. No matter how much Xu Yuan loathed Li Zhaoyuan, he would have to endure it—just as Li Zhaoyuan had once endured his slaps and swallowed his heartache when forced to eat the woman he loved. Li Zhaoyuan smiled freely and said, "The Immortal-Calming Tax Law has already reached every corner of Great Yan. The situation no longer permits conflict between the Emperor and the Chancellor. If you and I remain in perpetual hostility, it will inevitably affect the greater situation." Hearing him tacitly acknowledge that he was about to ascend the throne, Xu Yuan remarked, "If that is so, it won't be too late to seek me out after you take the seat of Crown Prince." "..." Silence fell after those words. Li Zhaoyuan let out a soft sigh, clasped his hands in a bow toward Xu Yuan, and prepared to turn and leave. Seeing this, Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow and called after him, "Planning to leave?" Li Zhaoyuan's star-bright eyes were earnest as he said, "I find truth in what you have said. Tonight's visit was presumptuous of me." Hearing this, Xu Yuan curved his lips and said calmly, "Such affectation is hardly the magnanimity befitting an heir apparent. Since you're already here, let's hear it. I would like to see what proposal you have to erase the rift between us." After brief consideration, Li Zhaoyuan said softly, "Third Young Master, the assassination attempt on you and Qingyan just before the battle was my doing." Xu Yuan's eyes remained as calm as an ancient well. "Why bring up news that has long become common knowledge?" Paying Xu Yuan no heed, Li Zhaoyuan continued on his own, "Therefore, I can give Third Young Master an opportunity." "..." Xu Yuan frowned upon hearing this. "An opportunity to assassinate me, without the imperial clan pursuing retribution." "..." Hearing this, a glint of surprise finally flashed through Xu Yuan's eyes, and he smiled peculiarly. "Your Highness, at this stage, such empty words—" "I am not joking in the least. Furthermore, I have already obtained Imperial Father's consent in this matter." Li Zhaoyuan spoke with utter calm, as if what he described did not involve his own life. "Rivers and mountains are easily changed, but a man's nature is hard to alter. I know Third Young Master's temperament. For the sake of our future grand designs, I am willing to take this risk." Xu Yuan smiled softly at this. "Regardless of methods?" "Regardless of methods." "Which is to say, I could kill you right now?" The words had barely fallen when the qi dynamic around Xu Yuan began to surge, his spiritual vision locking directly onto Li Zhaoyuan before him. Li Zhaoyuan seemed to sense it, yet his expression did not change in the slightest. The qi dynamic around his body similarly began to climb as he looked straight into Xu Yuan's eyes. "Third Young Master, I hope you exercise prudence. You have only one chance." "..." After locking gazes for a few breaths, Xu Yuan chuckled and dispersed his cultivation technique, saying, "Impressive courage. However, my loathing for you isn't solely because of that assassination attempt, is it?" "Could it be because of those tens of millions of common folk?" Li Zhaoyuan's reaction was swift, yet likewise, a trace of amusement flashed in his eyes as he leisurely countered, "If that is so, Third Young Master has even less reason to loathe me. The rise of power is always drenched in blood. It is true of me, true of Imperial Father, and true of the Chancellor as well. You wouldn't think the Prime Minister's Manor's source of power has never been stained with the blood of the common folk, would you? The Dachao Turmoil forty years ago, the breach of the two rivers thirty years ago—the Chancellor was the mastermind behind them all. And strategic schemes with slightly fewer casualties are as numerous as ox hairs. The sum total of casualties among those common folk—how could it be limited to tens of millions? "I, just like Imperial Father and the Prime Minister, have done all this for the desire in my heart. If you loathe me, you should loathe those two right alongside me!" A single general's triumph costs ten thousand withered bones. The imperial power and the prime ministerial power of the present day were both built upon mountains of corpses and seas of blood. This, Xu Yuan naturally knew. He took a deep breath and said slowly, "Your Highness, what is the desire in the hearts of my father and His Majesty, and what is the desire in yours? "That is the true essence of why I loathe you. "Enough. I accept the opportunity you've offered. If you survive, I will join hands with you to settle the sects! "Muxi, see the guest out!"