Chapter 526: Laying the Groundwork

Chapter 526: Chapter 526: Laying the Groundwork

Disgusted?

Yang Lin’s lips twitched twice. Indeed, these two words described his mood perfectly at this moment. Although he had predicted this before, actually witnessing it now still filled his heart with unshakable disgust.

A bunch of fickle hypocrites!

His gaze fell on the man opposite, grinning slyly. Yang Lin added silently in his heart: an outright scoundrel!

Scoundrels are annoying, but indeed don’t inspire hatred, because they don’t bother to disguise themselves, and you never expect much from them.

It’s the hypocrites who are the most maddening.

"Lord Shen, are you smiling like you’re gloating?" Yang Lin greatly disliked the Deputy Thousand Households of the Black Banner Battalion across from him—smug, stubborn, completely oblivious to his station, and when he smiled, it was like a snake.

"No, no, Prince, I bear you no grudge, not even a petty quarrel. Where would the gloating come from? It’s just that I find the Ministry of Justice Major Case Department’s methods this time truly despicable. I have no respect for such conduct."

Shen Hao still had no idea what Prince Shou wanted from him today. Even choosing to meet in a teahouse showed the Prince must have a specific matter to discuss, and it probably wasn’t anything bad. But whoever spoke first would lose the upper hand, so for now, he was just waiting, waiting for Yang Lin to broach the real topic.

"You’re right. The Major Case Department’s conduct is disgusting to the extreme. Not only treacherous, but shameless as well." Pausing, Yang Lin poured himself a cup of tea, drained it in one go, then sneered: "But the shameless are just petty clowns in the end. It’s no surprise people go so hard against them. It’s called an eye for an eye, isn’t it?"

An eye for an eye?

Shen Hao’s mind stirred; he seemed to catch on to Yang Lin’s reason for seeking him out today, his thoughts spinning rapidly.

Yang Lin didn’t fall silent, as if a dam had burst, not caring about losing the initiative by speaking first, like he was talking to himself, only colder in tone.

"Since I was three years old, I’ve been told to learn every skill I could as if my life depended on it—body techniques, scheming, cultivation, rhetoric, money... There are so many things I’ve learned that I’ve never even needed, yet I know there will come a day when every bit of it will be useful. So I, more than anyone, know what kinds of things are stored in my head that others couldn’t even imagine.

But the sad part is, my six brothers are all just as diligent as me. Whatever I can do, they can too. All our lives, any of us has managed to get the upper hand over the others at some point. But we’ve always kept ourselves in check, never let anything big break out between us, and never once gotten into a fight.

Heh, your face tells me you don’t believe me. But I’m telling the truth. The seven of us brothers have never fought.

But that won’t last much longer.

Have you ever read the Dynasty’s history books? Hmm... The kind that people study for the exams."

Shen Hao nodded: "I have, but only the abridged history of the past seven hundred years."

"Just the last seven hundred years? Heh, you haven’t read much in that area then." Yang Lin leaned deeper into his chair, his tone growing icier: "Well, did you notice any patterns in there? Regarding the fate of princes across the generations?"

Shen Hao: "..."

"Hard to say, isn’t it? Actually, these things could be found in the books precisely because the Jingjiu Dynasty’s emperors never tried to cover them up. It’s just not spelled out plainly, so readers have to figure it out for themselves. Judging by your expression, you’re a perceptive man; you should know the ultimate fate of all those princes.

Ninety percent of the princes disappeared, the rest either became Emperor or Golden Sword Cultivators commanding the Dynasty’s martial force. There’s no third option.

And me—I’m average in cultivation talent, so there’s absolutely no way I could become a Golden Sword Cultivator. Which means I can’t afford to fail, do you understand?"

After that whole speech, Shen Hao sensed Yang Lin wasn’t really talking to him, just venting to himself, so he still didn’t reply.

"Standing behind the Major Case Department is Ye Lansheng, who also represents most of the Civil Servants, you’ve probably heard of him. They always hover around every prince, not too close nor too far, refusing to pick a side yet never completely cutting off contact either—always looking to raise their own worth by biding their time, constantly assessing the situation.

I want Ye Lansheng and his group’s support, so a long time ago I arranged a marriage with the Qin Family, hoping to use that connection to close the gap with the Civil Servant Group. So, I accepted their hints and helped Qin Xiuyuan escape from right under your Xuanqing Guard’s noses."

"Hints?" Shen Hao set down his tea cup, thinking: Is this Yang Lin setting up a confession for himself?

"Yes. Helping Qin Xiuyuan meant helping the Qin Family, and helping the Qin Family would indirectly curry favor with the Civil Servant Group. There are too many twists and turns in all this, too tedious to explain—you probably understand already, no need for me to spell it out." Yang Lin stared at Shen Hao; he didn’t want to go over the details. If the Xuanqing Guard hadn’t already sorted out the cause and effect, that would be a joke, and he didn’t think that was possible.

"Alright, Prince, please go on."

"The original plan was to wait till things cooled down before sending Qin Xiuyuan out of the city, but instead, he died inexplicably." Yang Lin was still pissed at this point. His real scheme had been to "send him out of the city" in name only, while actually turning him over to the "Ministry of Justice". The goal was to keep his own hands clean while also saving face.

Of course, that’s not something you could admit. How could a prince admit to being cowed by the Commander of Xuanqing Guard? That would be a total loss of face.

"So what you’re saying, Prince, is that you have something about the case to report to me?"

"Not to report, but to strike up some goodwill with your Xuanqing Guard." Yang Lin finally revealed his purpose. He’d come around in such a big circle, not because he loved to talk, but to create an atmosphere of candor. Because once some words were said, there was no going back. The previous feud with Shen Hao could be counted as a flaw, and he didn’t want such emotional flaws to affect the final outcome.

Shen Hao straightened in his seat; he could feel the gravity in the other man’s eyes, and after all that buildup, he dared not take things lightly. He nodded and said, "Please speak, Prince. I may be of little importance, but I’ll be sure to report every word you say faithfully."

"Very good. Here, look at this first."

A folded piece of paper, looking like letter paper.

Shen Hao didn’t hesitate, took it and unfolded it. Sure enough, it was a letter. At the top: "To Uncle Wenhe."

Uncle—that was the respectful term for one’s father’s elder brother; the "Wenhe" after it must be the name.

Reading on: Your nephew has acted foolishly, bringing great calamity upon our family. Now regret comes too late, but your nephew cannot stop thinking something is amiss, my mind is uneasy, uneasy and restless...

This single sheet held barely three hundred characters, neatly written which showed the hand was practiced—but in each final stroke, disorder and haste appeared, showing that whoever wrote this was far from calm, full instead of nervous apprehension and dread.

And the contents expressed exactly that writer’s fear and anxiety. Also, from the clues in the letter, it was clear this letter came from the Qin Family’s Third Master, Qin Xiuyuan, written to his uncle—the Patriarch of the Qin Family, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, Qin Wenhe.