While Lin Zhiji was peacefully grinding his daily tasks, the situation in Upper Jing became increasingly tense.
Almost every day, officials were dismissed or imprisoned. The general’s residence on Yong’an Lane was surrounded by homes mostly belonging to court officials.
Every day, Lin Zhiji could hear crying, shouting, and the harsh commands of soldiers.
He had witnessed this before, shortly after binding with Xie Yi.
The Prince of Qi and the Crown Prince had used the search for assassins as a pretext, but what they were really doing was eliminating political enemies.
The streets were once again filled with chaos and suffering.
Everything was being crushed under the wheels of factional struggle.
Eventually, the escalating conflict alarmed the bedridden old emperor.
The emperor first reprimanded the Crown Prince, then ordered the Prince of Qi to remain confined at home.
Thus, the assassination case ended in mutual damage for both sides.
Although the Prince of Qi was confined, the troops surrounding his residence were withdrawn.
And Shen Xian was finally able to leave.
When he arrived at the small courtyard, Xie Yi was already waiting.
“My lord, I am late. Please punish me,” Shen Xian said immediately.
“No need.” Xie Yi cut straight to the point. “What is the current situation inside the Prince of Qi’s residence?”
Shen Xian immediately became serious: “The Prince of Qi has been behaving himself recently, but the Princess Consort of Qi has visited the Noble Consort several times.”
The Noble Consort was the Prince of Qi’s birth mother.
She had been favored in the harem for many years, even the Empress had to avoid her edge.
Xie Yi said calmly: “From this case, although it appears the emperor punished both sides equally, in reality the Crown Prince suffered the greater loss. He was publicly reprimanded, while the Prince of Qi only received mild confinement. It seems the Noble Consort played a significant role.”
Shen Xian nodded: “At present, the Crown Prince’s position is precarious. It is no wonder he is trying to grab General Xie as a lifeline…”
He paused, then added cautiously: “Does the lord think General Xie will agree to the Crown Prince?”
“Xie Panyue is a cautious and calculating man. If he truly supported the Crown Prince, he would have already sided with him. His hesitation is merely because he does not yet wish to offend him.” Xie Yi commented indifferently, as if speaking of someone unrelated—despite it being his own father.
Shen Xian could not respond, so he said instead: “But now the Crown Prince is in danger. He may not allow him to continue delaying…”
He suddenly froze, realization striking him. “My lord, could it be—”
Xie Yi’s expression did not change. “Exactly what you are thinking.”
Shen Xian opened his mouth, but found no words.
Previously, when Xie Panyue had moved Xie Yi into Qingping Courtyard and instructed the household to call him the Third Young Master, he had thought there was at least some paternal affection involved.
But now it seemed that Xie Panyue had already planned for him to be a sacrificial piece to stabilize the Crown Prince.
The more confused Lin Zhiji became, the more clearly he understood—this old geezer is simply not human!!
Xie Yi was already used to the strange expressions that occasionally popped out of Lin Zhiji’s mouth.
He knew this world was, in Lin Zhiji’s eyes, just a book. But even if it was a book, it was still written by people, and everything in this world more or less reflected the world where the “author” lived.
The words Lin Zhiji used were not very different from theirs; even the pastries they ate were easily accepted by him.
He seemed similar to them, yet there was always an indescribable distance.
Xie Yi’s thoughts shifted slightly, and he said: 【A father is the heaven above a son. Even if he makes me die, it would still be justified—this is filial duty.】
【What nonsense filial duty!! Everyone is an independent individual—what right does he have to decide your life or death?!】 Lin Zhiji couldn’t help but retort, then suspiciously added, 【Host, you don’t look like someone so blindly filial.】
Xie Yi looked at the flickering little round ball, clearly irritated, and slowly smiled: 【Yes.】
Shen Xian was still regretting his careless mouth when he suddenly saw a faint smile flash across Xie Yi’s face.
Shen Xian: !!!
Then Xie Yi looked over and said, “You arrived a quarter of an hour late. Did something happen?”
Shen Xian didn’t know why he was suddenly asked this, but carefully replied, “Some of the Prince of Qi’s other advisers were jealous of me, so they caused trouble. It took some time to deal with them…”
“In the Prince of Qi’s residence, things are complicated. It is not easy to navigate among them.” Xie Yi’s tone was calm. “You’ve worked hard.”
Shen Xian: !!!
It’s over!!!
Xie Yi asked Lin Zhiji: 【Did the task complete?】
Lin Zhiji glanced sympathetically at Shen Xian, who was drenched in cold sweat.
Even though it was already summer, Shen Xian still wore thick brocade robes—yet he had been scared into sweating.
But Lin Zhiji only sympathized for one second before happily looking at the incoming points: 【Completed!!】
Shen Xian, although initially panicked, quickly recovered.
A few days ago, when Song Lü delivered a secret letter, he had met him briefly. Even though Song Lü was disguised, he still looked noticeably thinner.
When asked, Song Lü sighed and said only that he had displeased the lord recently and had been unable to eat properly for several days.
At the time Shen Xian didn’t think much of it, but now in hindsight, Song Lü’s expression had indeed been strange.
Thinking of this, Shen Xian quickly adjusted his tone: “It is this subordinate’s duty. I do not dare claim hardship.”
Xie Yi gave a soft “mm” and did not continue the topic.
Shen Xian finally relaxed and quickly changed the subject: “My lord, do you still remember the Ru family brothers?”
Lin Zhiji, who had been happily counting points, immediately perked up.
Xie Yi’s fingers paused slightly. His voice cooled a little: “What do you want to say?”
Shen Xian hurriedly explained, fearing displeasure: “This subordinate would not overstep. I only happened to see documents about those two brothers in the Prince of Qi’s residence, so I mentioned it.”
Previously, Qing Li had informed him that the lord intended to use those two brothers as leverage against the Crown Prince, but the assassination incident had made that unnecessary.
While sorting files in the Prince of Qi’s residence, Shen Xian had come across their records.
The Prince of Qi had intended to bring Ru Xuezhou into his household. His subordinates had already thoroughly investigated the brothers, and the documents were extensive.
Curious, Shen Xian had taken a closer look—and then couldn’t stop himself.
“My lord, Ru Juncel is exceptionally talented, with the makings of a top scholar. His background is simple, and if he enters officialdom in the future…”
He trailed off with a bitter smile.
He himself was intelligent, but born into a merchant family and thus barred from the imperial exams.
Though called “Master Shen,” he could only hide behind the scenes, never standing openly in court.
He quickly composed himself and continued, “Although my lord already has many capable people, your foundation in court is still weak. Someone like Ru Juncel would be very useful…”
Lin Zhiji: !!!
He hadn’t expected Shen Xian to be thinking this way.
In the original story, Ru Juncel was one of the most important strategists under the protagonist Liu Muzhi. Many of Liu Muzhi’s plans came from him.
One could even say Liu’s smooth rise to power was largely thanks to him—though in the end, he still lost to Xie Yi.
But what if he was taken in by Xie Yi from the start?
Would Liu Muzhi’s entire rise be cut off before it even began?
Lin Zhiji wasn’t particularly worried about the protagonist; he just remembered that System 03 had warned him not to alter major plotlines, or it could cause serious trouble.
He felt a headache coming on.
Earlier, he had only told Xie Yi about Ru Juncel’s talent in order to save the brothers.
Fortunately, Xie Yi hadn’t cared and only used it as leverage against the Crown Prince.
He had originally planned to wait for things to settle before subtly suggesting sending them back to Lingchuan.
Who would have thought Shen Xian would interfere now?
Not supposed to have noble scholars competing, huh?
Shen Xian, you’re being way too selfless!!
Xie Yi didn’t actually need a strategist—but as Shen Xian said, he did need officials.
If Ru Juncel truly passed the exams—even if not top three, even just as a jinshi—he would be able to support him from behind. As long as Ru Juncel was competent, his career would likely flourish.
And from him would extend a web of classmates, mentors, fellow provincials, and marriage ties. If he rose high enough, that web would only grow larger.
The only concern was Ru Juncel’s ability and character.
Xie Yi tapped the table thoughtfully. “I will consider it.”
Shen Xian said no more.
After he left, Lin Zhiji couldn’t help but ask quietly: 【Host, are you really planning to recruit Ru Juncel?】
Xie Yi: 【You don’t want that?】
【Um…】 Lin Zhiji hesitated. 【It’s not that, but he’s too upright. He might not be suitable for officialdom under your style, and he’s different from you in how he operates. I’m afraid you might put in a lot of effort and get nothing in return…】
【Is that so?】 Xie Yi raised an eyebrow. 【Then I should take a look even more.】