Chapter Twenty-Six: Innuendo and the Lie on the Board
As dawn broke, Cen Fei and his daughter led Qi Kun and the others along the garden path toward the council hall. The cool early autumn breeze rustled through the leaves of the trees, the sound mingling with the noisy chaos inside the hall.
Cen Fei frowned and stood in front of the door, raising his hand to stop the soldier who was about to report. Then he looked at the crowd behind him and couldn't help but sigh softly.
He looked up at the soldier in front of him, took two steps forward, and said, “The envoy from Ji Province is no ordinary person. I should report to the lord in person.”
The soldier clasped his fists and paused for a moment before bowing to the crowd, stepping aside, and gesturing towards the door, "Please, Mr. Cen."
Cen Fei nodded, lifted the curtain, and entered the room. The chattering officials immediately fell silent, all looking at Cen Fei with varying expressions.
“My lord,” Cen Fei bowed to He Yuan, who was seated on the high seat, “the three envoys sent by Zhong Li’an, the governor of Ji Province, have been waiting outside for a long time. They hope that you will grant them an audience.”
Upon hearing this, He Yuan finally snapped out of his commotion and looked at Cen Fei. He cleared his throat and said, "Please come in quickly." Then he straightened his collar and sleeves and raised his chin in a haughty manner.
Cen Fei glanced at him, then lowered her eyes and silently withdrew from the tent, nodding to the crowd below, "Please come in, everyone."
Qi Kun nodded to Cen Fei, glanced up at the eaves, and then slowly climbed the steps into the room.
The curtains rustled softly again. Cen Xun bowed to He Yuan with his eyes lowered, then sat down in an empty seat to the side. Qi Kun stood in front of the hall and solemnly bowed to He Yuan, saying, "I am Qi Kun. I have come here to pay my respects to the magistrate on the orders of my lord, Zhongli An."
“An envoy sent by Lord Zhongli,” He Yuan glanced at Qi Kun as if pondering, then gestured to a seat to the side, “Please come in quickly.”
Qi Kun chuckled and clasped his hands in a fist salute to He Yuan, "Thank you for offering me a seat."
He turned around and walked to the seat behind him, glancing sideways at the scholar who had been watching him for a long time.
Despite being a scholar, he possessed a carefree and unrestrained air, as if he were there to watch a spectacle. The man, dressed in a gray-black robe, was casually leaning against the table, propping his head up and watching Qi Kun with great interest.
This man was Xue Chang.
Qi Kun glanced at the man and chuckled softly before turning to sit down in the seat next to him.
“I have heard about your purpose in coming here,” He Yuan said, sitting in his seat and looking at Qi Kun and the other two. “However, alliances are always formed by the strong joining forces. Why does Mr. Qi think that the mere Ji and Yu provinces can rival our Jiangnan?”
Qi Kun glanced at Cen Fei, whose brows were furrowed, then looked up at He Yuan and couldn't help but sigh, "It seems that Jiangnan is indeed isolated and difficult to access."
"Qi Gufan, what do you mean by that?" The minister beside He Yuan couldn't stand it any longer and slammed his hand on the table.
Bai Ming frowned and stared at the minister. "My lord Zhongli An has only been in power for half a year, and has successively seized the four prefectures of Ji, Yan, Yu, and Qing. Why can't he compete with Jiangnan?"
"Hey, General Bai." Before Bai Ming could finish speaking, Yang Xiao raised her hand to interrupt him, then leaned on the table and smiled at He Yuan, "Since Lord He is unwilling to form an alliance with us, why should we make excuses?"
He Yuan swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and smiled approvingly, "It seems that General Yang is easy to talk to."
“However, since we have come all this way to Jiangnan with such sincerity, we cannot leave empty-handed,” Yang Xiao poured a cup of tea and looked up at He Yuan. “Although we cannot achieve our original intention, it would not be unreasonable to offer you, my lord, some advice.”
"Oh?" He Yuan looked at Yang Xiao with interest. "Tell me about it?"
Yang Xiao smiled, put down her teacup, and stood up. "The world is in chaos now, with many heroes rising up. Even Jiangnan, without allies, will find it difficult to gain a foothold in this world."
He Yuan looked up at Yang Xiao, who was walking towards him, and gestured for her to continue.
"Since you look down on us, my lord, I have another candidate here. I wonder if you would be interested?"
"Then, in the general's opinion, with whom should I form an alliance?"
Yang Xiao gazed at He Yuan and nodded slightly, "Xiao Yan, Xiao Yili."
Before he finished speaking, chaos broke out in He Yuan's tent, and in an instant, an angry shout rang out.
"Yang Xiao, you've gone too far!" Cen Xun slammed his hand on the table, startling the noisy strategists in the hall. Seeing someone step forward, they emboldened themselves and echoed his sentiments.
Only Xue Chang, leaning to one side, watched this scene with a smile and took a sip of tea.
Cen Xun's eyebrows shot up, and she pointed at Yang Xiao with uncontrollable rage, "Who in the world doesn't know that Xiao Yan murdered the emperor and usurped the throne? Now, treacherous officials are in power throughout Chang'an, and the world is torn apart as a result. How dare you advise my lord to form an alliance with such a regicide and a traitor!"
The hall fell silent instantly, and almost everyone stared intently at Cen Xun, some for profit, others for righteousness.
The entire tent had become a battleground for Yang Xiao and Cen Xun, and this game was their "guiding move" for He Yuan.
"Tongxi, don't be in such a hurry," Yang Xiao waved her hand and smiled contemptuously, then turned back to look at Cen Xun with a feigned serious smile, "Do you know how Xiao Yan got to his current position?"
Cen Xun still frowned and glared at Yang Xiao, "She's just currying favor with treacherous officials, why bother asking?"
"The treacherous officials are merely a facade; the powerful and influential are the true culprits." Yang Xiao paced back and forth in the hall, arms crossed, and said, "Xiao Yan's current power stems from her ability to curry favor with the powerful and influential. Now, Governor He is condescending to form an alliance with Xiao Yan; isn't he also using Xiao Yan's influence to orchestrate a scheme in Jiangnan?"
Cen Xun raised his hand as if to say something, but He Yuan stopped him. He leaned back and looked up at Yang Xiao, as if what they had just talked about had nothing to do with him. "General Yang, what do you mean by that?"
"Fame, fortune, power. All the powerful in the world seek are these three things." Yang Xiao seemed completely oblivious to Cen Xun's resentment. She glanced at Cen Xun mockingly, then turned back to He Yuan with a smile. "So many people can only dream of such things, yet Xiao Yan can manipulate them at will. In short, it's all about leveraging power. Xiao Yan could seize power by using the influence of treacherous officials; why can't you use Xiao Yan's influence to take control of the world?"
“General Yang,” Cen Fei frowned and raised his hand to interrupt Yang Xiao, “Xiao Yan has always been good at taking advantage of others’ power. If my lord attaches himself to her, how difficult will it be for him to turn things around in the future?”
Yang Xiao stopped, glanced back at Cen Fei, and chuckled, "Even if we can't turn things around, this move will still bring countless benefits to everyone."
The smile on He Yuan's face gradually faded. He sat up straight, frowning cautiously as he stared at Yang Xiao. "Unable to turn things around? What good could there be?"
"Xiao Yan first curries favor with treacherous officials, and then is curried favor with them. In this back and forth, she will certainly not mistreat anyone who asks her for favors. Therefore, if you submit to Xiao Yan, your ministers will surely enjoy countless riches and honors, and live a worry-free life."
Another murmur rippled through the audience. Yang Xiao spread her arms and looked over with a smile, only to see that everyone's eyes were evasive, as if their thoughts had been exposed and they dared not speak out.
He Yuan's grip on the cup tightened involuntarily. He leaned forward, looking at everyone with displeasure, then irritably looked up at Yang Xiao, "Yang Xiao, what do you mean by that?"
Upon hearing this, Yang Xiao couldn't help but scoff, turning to look at He Yuan, "Look at these ministers, they have followed you since your father's generation. How can you disregard their lives for the sake of your own ambition?"
"Yang Xiao! You've gone too far!" Before He Yuan could even speak, Cen Xun pointed at Yang Xiao again and cursed, "Do you think we, your ministers, are all cowards who cling to power and seek only to die?"
Yang Xiao smiled and waved her hand, soothingly saying, "Don't be angry, don't be angry. I've heard about Miss Cen and Mr. Cen's character before. However, even if you don't have this intention, do you dare to assume that everyone here is willing to risk their lives for your lord's hegemony?"
"Yang Xiao, what do you mean by this?"
"We have always been loyal to our lord, how dare you, an outsider, interfere?"
The advisors seated at the table straightened their backs as if they had seized some kind of leverage, and the hall immediately became noisy. Only Xue Chang leaned against the table, drinking tea and watching all of this with a smile.
"Enough!" He Yuan slammed his hand on the table, glaring angrily at everyone present, then glanced at Yang Xiao. "According to you, I'm going to ruin my own empire for their sake?"
Yang Xiao smiled and shook her head. "Not so." She paced around the hall, saying casually, "If Xiao Yan could trust you, logically speaking, you should still be able to remain the Marquis of Yue."
She gazed thoughtfully at the ceiling. “However, Jingzhou is a strategically important place, and she might send her trusted confidants to garrison it. I estimate you can only be the governor of Yangzhou.”
“You…” He Yuan raised his finger and pointed at Yang Xiao in a fit of rage.
Upon seeing this, Bai Ming frowned and raised his hand to press the sword at his waist.
He Yuan suppressed his anger, let out a sigh of relief, and then looked up at Yang Xiao, mimicking her composed manner, and said, "In that case, why doesn't Lord Zhongli go and seek refuge with Xiao Yan? Why don't you and the two envoys who came with you go?"
Yang Xiao was taken aback by what she heard, then chuckled as if she had heard a joke. She didn't respond to He Yuan's words, but slowly walked to her seat, poured herself a cup of hot tea, picked up the teacup, and gently blew on the steam rising from it.
He Yuan frowned as he watched her every move. Seeing that he remained silent, the ministers below dared not say anything more and could only follow He Yuan, holding their breath and watching Yang Xiao intently.
“My lord is a descendant of the founding emperor, and General Bai and I are also sons of famous generals. How can we collude with treacherous officials?” Yang Xiao gently turned the lid of the teacup. “Moreover, we have the courage and ability to fight them.”
"You mean I'm afraid to fight?" Upon hearing this, He Yuan slammed his hand on the table and stood up, then kicked the table over, drawing his sword instantly. He gritted his teeth and cursed at Yang Xiao, "Do you believe I'll kill you right now?"
In an instant, Bai Ming stood up abruptly, kicked the table in front of him aside, raised his hand to protect Yang Xiao behind him, gripped the hilt of his sword tightly with his right hand, and stared intently at He Yuan in front of him.
The sound of swords being drawn rang out immediately, and the officials around He Yuan all drew their swords and pointed them at Yang Xiao. The teacups that had been on the table rolled haphazardly on the floor, spilling tea that reflected the tense atmosphere in the hall.
Bai Ming's sword was firmly held in its sheath, and he simply took a step forward, completely blocking Yang Xiao, and glared angrily at He Yuan.
The tent fell silent instantly, except for the soft clatter of wine cups rolling back and forth on the floor.
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