Xue Liulan shot his friend a look, his voice laced with a playful threat. "If anyone else heard you say that, your reputation as a gentle Gongzi would be ruined."
"It's just smoke and mirrors. Having a reputation isn't better than not having one," Xiao Suyi replied with a serene smile.
"The world is shackled by fame and fortune. How many can truly see past it?" Xue Liulan sighed, then laughed. "Xiao Suyi, how is it that the word 'gentle' seems to fit you less and less?"
Xiao Suyi tilted his head. "With you, it's not necessary."
Not necessary for what? For pretense? He didn't say, but Xue Liulan understood completely. To him, Xiao Suyi was more than just an ally. He was a true friend.
After a moment, Xiao Suyi asked, "You asked me to gather grain for Murong Yan. Aren't you afraid of nursing a tiger that will one day devour you?"
"The dynasty has seen more than one generation plagued by imperial in-laws. My father used the Dengs to suppress the Murongs, but in doing so, he only raised up another powerful clan. And I'm afraid the real threat won't be the in-laws."
"You mean Guo Shangzhong?" A faint smile touched Xiao Suyi's lips. "A problem worth considering."
"Throughout history, how many dynasties have been ruined by eunuchs? And his power has grown far beyond what we predicted."
Xiao Suyi nodded. "To embezzle military rations and cover it up completely… his wings have indeed grown strong."
"So, when the snipe and the clam grapple, why shouldn't I be the fisherman?" Xue Liulan said with a lazy smile.
Xiao Suyi's finger tapped the table. "Aren't you worried the next wave will rise before this one's gone?"
"Murong Yan can't tolerate Guo Shangzhong, and Guo Shangzhong is too greedy to share power. They are bound to fight," Xue Liulan said with confidence.
Xiao Suyi said no more. He knew the man before him—the Fifth Prince dismissed by all as worthless—was second to none in cunning, courage, and ambition.
"If you're so certain, so be it," he said, rising. "Xue Liulan, I doubt the Xue clan will produce another man like you for a hundred years."
"You give me too much credit," Xue Liulan said, rising as well.
Xiao Suyi smiled. "The Fourth Prince is benevolent, the Sixth is arrogant, the Seventh is aloof. Any one of them is a man of great talent. But the only one among you capable of achieving true greatness is you."
Xue Liulan just smiled, waiting.
"You endured the loss of your mother and your brother. You humbled yourself to navigate between powerful factions. You play your enemies against each other, all while weathering the scorn of the world. For that endurance alone, I am your inferior." Xiao Suyi performed the highest salute of a scholar.
"I can't accept that," Xue Liulan said, catching his arm. "Without the four of you, all my endurance would have bought me is a lifetime of comfort."
"You're being modest," Xiao Suyi laughed. "To this day, you haven't used a single soldier from our vassal states, yet you already control more than half the court."
"Why use a butcher's knife to kill a chicken? If I were to destroy Murong Yan, then I might truly need your help against Guo Shangzhong."
Xiao Suyi looked up, thinking. "Murong Jin may be a general, but she is straightforward and not one for schemes. She will be a headache for you one day."
At her name, Xue Liulan's expression darkened. Her willingness to trade a fortress for grain had shown him just how much her family meant to her. And yet, when the time came to cull the power of the imperial in-laws, the Murongs could not be spared.
Hearing no reply, Xiao Suyi could only sigh. Love and power. They could never coexist.
They stood in silence. Suddenly, Xiao Suyi's brow twitched.
Xue Liulan saw it and his gaze immediately began to search the shadows.
"Is the moonlight not beautiful tonight?" Xiao Suyi asked, his voice suddenly loud.
"It is," Xue Liulan said, strolling toward a grove of trees. "The shadows fall slanted on the clear, shallow water."
Xiao Suyi listened intently. "A fine time indeed."
The moment the words left his lips, Xue Liulan snapped a branch from a tree. In a single motion, he was in the air, using the branch as a sword, soaring toward the tree closest to the wall.
The assassin hidden there, wary of Xiao Suyi's famed hearing, had kept his distance. Now, he could only stare in horror as Xue Liulan descended on him.
A sudden gust rustled the dead leaves. By the time Xue Liulan's feet touched the ground, the assassin's body was already falling. He tossed the branch aside, knelt, and pulled the black cloth from the man's face.
As expected, nothing. A forgettable face. No weapons, no tokens.
"You didn't keep him alive?" Xiao Suyi asked.
"Poison in his teeth." Xue Liulan stood, holding up a white handkerchief. "The blood."
Xiao Suyi took it and sniffed. "A sweet, cloying scent. A rare one. This assassin's origins are unusual."
"Even if we can't identify it, it doesn't matter. There are only a few people who'd send men after me. And this one was unarmed, his clothes tied for stealth. Just a scout."
"A sharp eye," Xiao Suyi said.
"Not as sharp as your ear," Xue Liulan shot back. "How did you even hear him? Sometimes, I wonder if you're even human."
Xiao Suyi just smiled. "When the eyes cannot see, the other senses grow sharper. Since we're being watched, perhaps we should lie low."
"My thoughts exactly," Xue Liulan said with a lazy grin.
The news of the Minister of Appointments' death came three days later. Poisoned. Staged to look like arsenic.
"That's the eighth one," Yi said, catching a peanut in his mouth. "What is this assassin trying to do? Kill every official in the capital?"
"Nine out of ten of them are corrupt. If that's his goal, it's a noble one," Murong Jin said, a smile in her eyes.
"Hah! The Ministry of Justice must be losing their minds."
She shook her head and rose. "If you have nothing else to do, come with me tomorrow."
"Where?"
"The Yichun Courtyard. It's been over a month. Time for Xue Liulan to come home."
Yi shot up. "Jin, are you going to storm the brothel? A jealous wife looking for her husband?"
"A jealous wife?" Her eyebrow shot up. "Does that sound like me?"
"Hah. If not, then there's no show to watch," he said, slumping back down.
"I'm not asking you to come watch a show."
"Then what? You want me to help you drag him back?" he grinned. "I don't think that's necessary. With your skills, if he dared refuse, you'd probably just tie him to a horse and drag him home."
"Yi," she said through gritted teeth. "Just because Xing isn't here, do you have to pick on me?"
"Well, if you insist," he coughed into his fist.
She was speechless. "Jindu is in a panic. With you watching my back, I won't have to be distracted. Tomorrow, noon, at the Yichun Courtyard."
"Jin," he asked as she turned to leave, his tone suddenly serious. "Are you starting to like him?"
She froze. Slowly, she turned back. "Why do you ask?"
He looked out the window. "If he ever fails you," he said, a slow, serious smile on his face, "I won't let him get away with it."
She stared. For a heartbeat, she didn't know whether to laugh or worry.
She walked to his side and put a hand on his arm. "What's gotten into you today?"
He shook his head, looking up at her with a lighter smile. "If someone bullies my sister, how can I not be angry? I'm just worried for you."