"Oh?" Lord Jingnan again pointed towards Zuo Jiqian and said, "Interesting. Commander Zheng said there were no escapees, but you, Zuo Jiqian, claim a female assassin mastermind hasn’t been caught yet. Which one of you two is telling the truth?"
Cold sweat instantly appeared on Zuo Jiqian’s face. He was no fool; how could someone pushed into officialdom by his family, supported by their resources, possibly be a fool? The wastrel sons of the great clans were usually confined to their homes, assigned duties of reproduction. Only truly talented individuals were privileged to receive their clan’s resources and serve to continue their family’s glory. What he might have lacked was this very sense of alertness. And this was a point where Zheng Fan, who had considerable experience bluffing with borrowed authority, excelled. For Zheng Fan, one wrong step often meant death. This was a game with only one life; there was no room for carelessness.
Not long after the assassination at the Memorial Hall, Lord Jingnan had led his troops into the city and directly into the General Mansion. There had to be some scheme involved, Zheng Fan was the first to believe. So, Zheng Fan had made his choice.
Evidently, Zuo Jiqian had also finally realized the crux of the matter. He immediately lowered his head and pleaded guiltily, "To answer Your Lordship, all assassins were killed. There were no escapees. Earlier... earlier, I... I must have misremembered."
"Hah. As a Commander of a fort, your memory is surprisingly poor. Alas, throughout the Imperial Court and the countryside, all view our Yan’s Northern Army as tigers and the Southern Army as sickly cats. I used to pay it no mind, but looking at my southern generals now... Ah..."
"I understand my error, Your Lordship! I am willing to accept punishment!" Zuo Jiqian pressed his forehead to the ground.
At this moment, Zheng Fan spoke up, "In response to Your Lordship, Commander Zuo suffered a head injury while pursuing the assassins earlier."
Zuo Jiqian immediately nodded. "Yes, yes, yes! My head... there’s something wrong with my head."
"If you’re injured, then go back and get treatment. Don’t spout nonsense, understand?"
"I obey, Your Lordship! I understand."
Lord Jingnan dusted off his boots and remarked leisurely, "Here on the Nanwang City front line, people have lived lives of decadence and luxury for too long. Many have become complacent. In our Yan, far too many people naively believe the Qian State would never dare to attack us. A hundred years ago, the first Earl of North Border indeed inflicted great pain upon the Qian State. But no matter how deep that pain was, a hundred years have passed. Even the deepest wounds have long since healed."
A chill ran through Zheng Fan’s heart. As expected. The whole thing was not much different from what he had discussed with the Blindman at home.
So, while forces of the various aristocratic families were being mobilized over there to create a standoff against the Earl of North Border’s army, here, they were already reorganizing the Nanwang City front. This was a precursor to the southern expedition, planned for after the problem of the aristocratic families was eradicated! The Sixth Prince was gifted and astute, so he could sense this.
Then, as the Yan Emperor’s brother-in-law, deeply trusted by the Emperor and in command of the Jingnan army, Lord Jingnan’s actions were undoubtedly in accordance with the Yan Emperor’s will! However, neither Zheng Fan nor the Blindman had anticipated the sheer ruthlessness and brutal straightforwardness of Yan’s upper echelons. Their methods felt completely devoid of any political finesse. If they were playing politics, they should have played it properly, instead of resorting directly to knives... Of course, if one has the qualification and ability to use knives, there is indeed no need for verbal games.
Regarding the earlier assassination, Lord Jingnan had all but spelled it out. But such an explicit statement didn’t necessarily mean he considered you one of his own. First, you had to see if you had the luck—or a strong enough lifeline—to survive being considered as such! It was because he had belatedly understood this connection that Zuo Jiqian unhesitatingly picked up Zheng Fan’s cue and claimed his mind was addled.
"A century of peace, and some people have forgotten their roots," Lord Jingnan said, a faint smile touching his lips. He continued, "I received news earlier that some rebels had infiltrated Huaiya Academy. Initially, I was planning to lead troops to the academy to apprehend them. Unfortunately, with this incident in Nanwang City, I had to bring my forces here first to maintain order. For the moment, I cannot get away. Now, I wonder, which of you two generals can lead troops on my behalf to capture these rebels?"
This was a demand for a pledge of fealty!
Ordinarily, Zuo Jiqian would have agreed without hesitation; his earlier performance had indeed been far inferior to Zheng Fan’s. But upon hearing the name "Huaiya Academy," Zuo Jiqian froze. Read complete version only at novel{f}ire.net
Rebels in Huaiya Academy?
Yan’s literary culture flourished most in Yinlang County, as it is closest to the Qian State. Scholars from the Qian State often came here to study, and occasionally, eminent scholars from Qian would even lecture at the academy. One could say that Huaiya Academy was a sacred place in the hearts of Yan scholars. Yan was a state founded on martial prowess, but with nearly a century of peace in both north and south, literary and cultural pursuits had begun to flourish. Most importantly, governing a country requires reliance on scholars. The Yan Emperor, after ascending the throne, heavily utilized the humble family and suppressed the established aristocratic clans; this, in fact, also contributed to some extent to the rise of the literati’s influence.