An Expired Agreement

When one's own house was in turmoil, one naturally hoped others wouldn't enjoy peace either. Whenever a powerful nation fell into chaos, common folk loved nothing more than gorging themselves on gossip and spectacle. With his hands clasped behind his back, chest puffed out and chin held high, He Lingchuan strolled with the swagger of a lord. "I heard, but I have no idea who was behind it." In the front garden, pear blossoms were in full bloom, like jade trees blanketed in fragrant snow. As the two young men walked beneath the flowers, tall and handsome, their effortless elegance left the maidservants gazing at them in a daze from not far away. "The boldest rumor circulating in the Yuan court and common streets is that immortals were behind it. A few days ago, I even heard National Preceptor Yan mention it. He also believes the unrest in Lingxu City is a proclamation that the immortals have returned, as well as a declaration of war against Beijia." He Yue let out a long sigh. "What kind of world are we living in? Could it be that the immortals, gone for thousands of years, are really popping up to join the fray?" The emergence of immortals carried extraordinary significance—so momentous that every kingdom and faction was forced to weigh and scrutinize every implication. "Lately, the world's spiritual energy has begun to awaken again. At a time like this, nothing that appears would be strange," He Lingchuan said leisurely. "Perhaps a great upheaval unseen in centuries is upon us, and what we're seeing now is merely the beginning." He Yue sighed wistfully. "All living souls are pieces on the board. Who knows what kind of world Great Yuan and the rest of us will have to face in the days ahead?" "As long as we don't become discarded pawns, we'll manage," He Lingchuan said after a moment's thought. "Still, every time spiritual energy begins to revive, mortal warfare follows close behind. Who knows when that curse will ever be broken?" "I wonder what Lingxu City has uncovered in its investigation, but so far they don't seem to have made any public statement," He Yue remarked. "I heard Beijia's eastern campaign has been going poorly, and now Lingxu City has been thrown into massive turmoil. You're right, Brother—perhaps a major shift truly is coming. Even His Majesty is considering reinstating the tariffs on Beijia's tobacco and sugar imports." Previously, when Beijia exported chewing tobacco and honey to the Yuan Kingdom, the goods were not only exempt from tariffs, but Great Yuan even had to assign dedicated escorts to usher their caravans in and out. Nowadays, Great Yuan was far from affluent, yet its wealth continued to bleed outward. It was like a patient who received no medical treatment and was instead bled continuously; it would be a miracle if the affliction didn't worsen. He Lingchuan understood why the monarch of Yuan grieved over the gleaming silver slipping away, but said, "Doing that wouldn't be very wise. Beijia just suffered two huge blows and is stewing with rage with nowhere to vent. This is hardly the time to tempt fate and provoke them." Beijia's authority had been challenged; what it needed most right now was a punching bag. Even if unrest struck Lingxu City ten more times, Great Yuan was still far weaker than Beijia. It was best not to harbor such petty ambitions. "The ministers at court said the same thing. His Majesty is quite vexed." "By the way, your former subordinates, Ding Zuodong and Shan Youjun, are both working under Father now," He Yue reminded him. "As for Sun Hongye, he left a few days ago." "Oh?" He Lingchuan was somewhat surprised. "Why did Sun Hongye leave?" "He came here to seek shelter under you. With you gone, he didn't want to stay at the Area Command, so he resigned and departed. If you had arrived a few days earlier, perhaps he wouldn't have left. A real shame." So Sun Hongye left, He Lingchuan thought with a sigh. "Oh, right. Before Sun Hongye left, he gave me a letter and begged me to hand it over to you in secret without telling anyone—in case you returned." Without delay, He Lingchuan followed He Yue back to the courtyard, where He Yue retrieved the letter from his study. "Here, this is the one." The seal was intact. Leaving behind a casual "I'll come back and have a drink with you later," He Yue went out to attend to his affairs. He Lingchuan tore open the envelope and found a sheet of yellowed paper and a letter inside. He opened the yellowed paper first and discovered that it was actually a lease agreement with numerous clauses. The general gist was: The Qing Kingdom leased Blade Harbor and its surrounding lands from the Bailie people for forty years at an annual rent of three thousand taels of silver. During this period, the Qing Kingdom held the right to develop, renovate, collect rent, and engage in any other profitable endeavors within Blade Harbor. Below were the starting and ending dates, along with signatures and thumbprints from both parties. He Lingchuan checked the expiration date on the agreement. Hm, it had expired seven years ago. In other words, this agreement had existed for nearly fifty years, yet the paper appeared to have undergone special treatment; even now, it remained undamaged and remarkably crisp. Having finished reading, He Lingchuan was completely mystified. Why would Sun Hongye deliberately leave him an expired agreement? Mulling it over, he seemed to recall hearing about one of the parties to the agreement—the Qing Kingdom—while traveling in Beijia. Mm, scholars from the Lingxu Imperial Academy seemed to have mentioned the Qing Kingdom over drinks, saying it lay to the east of the Mou Kingdom, but they had only brought it up in passing without going into detail. With doubts in mind, he unfolded Sun Hongye's letter. The handwriting on it was indeed Sun Hongye's, but it was exceptionally brief: *Eldest Young Master, I hope this letter finds you well.* And beneath that... He Lingchuan counted: five sets of numbers. The soul-snatching mirror inside his robe clicked its tongue. "That kid Sun Hongye is actually playing at ciphers with you?" Having lived through the courier case—especially having witnessed how Xi Yunhe left clues for He Lingchuan—it could now consider itself a mirror of worldly experience. It knew that such combinations of numbers were very likely a cipher, requiring a corresponding codebook to decipher. The key to deciphering the code couldn't be that lease agreement; it was far too brief. "Still, decoding requires some sort of key. What good is a letter with neither head nor tail?" He Lingchuan carefully committed the numbers to memory, then tucked away the letter and the agreement. "Back then, Xi Yunhe also kept the cipher and the codebook separate instead of putting them together," he murmured thoughtfully. "This indicates Sun Hongye deemed the matter of paramount importance and feared interception." He set the question aside for now and went to look for Qiu Hu and the others to see if Housekeeper Wu had settled them in properly. Besides possessing their own respective specialties, the dozen or so Mount Rong disciples all had military combat experience, boasting excellent martial skills, cultivation, and expertise. Elder Dao certainly hadn't swindled him; every man assigned to him was an elite. Normally, the Mount Rong disciples accompanying the special envoy could have stayed at the posthouse, which was the proper residence for diplomatic personnel. However, since Madam Ying had extended an invitation, they did not decline. In fact, Qiu Hu had a small request: He had been appointed as He Lingchuan's personal guard, so he had to reside in the same quarters as the special envoy to protect him at close range. Housekeeper Wu had not anticipated such a request and was momentarily taken aback. "The Eldest Young Master is in his own home. He is quite safe here." "That's merely your assumption," Qiu Hu replied rigidly. "The special envoy holds an exalted status and carries an important mission. My duty requires me to remain at his side!" Strolling over just in time to catch this exchange, He Lingchuan waved a hand. "What's the big deal? Qiu Hu will stay in my lower courtyard. That settles it." Since he had spoken, Housekeeper Wu could only comply. ... As her sons walked out side by side, Madam Ying watched their tall, straight backs, her heart brimming with pride. Both of her sons were standouts among men, dragons and phoenixes. Among all the noble households in the Yuan capital, how many had scions more accomplished than hers? How many noblewomen in the capital enjoyed better fortune than she did? Turning around, she saw her husband wearing a solemn expression, gazing blankly into the garden as if lost in thought. She couldn't help chiding him, "What's wrong with you? Your son has returned from the dead, yet you're still pulling a long face? Putting on airs right in front of me now, are we?"