Chapter 642: Laying All the Cards on the Table

This was Bai Changqing’s first time dealing with the notorious “Disgrace of the Royal Family,” yet to his surprise, his impression wasn’t bad at all.

He was witty, cultivated, skilled in tea, and possessed the refinement of a scholar. Their conversation felt like meeting a kindred spirit, leaving one in high spirits. Together with the rare, exquisite tea in his cup and the elegant, tranquil surroundings, it was indeed a rare moment of leisure.

However, Bai Changqing understood that His Highness, a Prince of the realm, could not simply be here to make friends.

“The tea is enjoyed; I wonder, Prince, for what purpose have you sought me out?” Bai Changqing did not beat around the bush, steering the conversation directly to the matter at hand. In these days, each Prince was displaying his talents in the Imperial City, rumors abounded, and many had come to seek him; previously, he had declined them all.

Could it be that Prince Ling too wished to recruit him into his camp? Bai Changqing pondered in silence.

Yang Shu set down his teacup, smiling as he spoke: “I heard that Lord Bai’s tea skill is unrivaled, so I wanted to witness it myself, and at the same time, help you solve a certain difficulty.”

“Oh? I am unaware of what problem so troubles me as to trouble Your Highness’s concern?” The Prince Ling before him was certainly no “Disgrace of the Royal Family”; those rumors were entirely misleading. Bai Changqing had to raise his guard and respond earnestly.

“You don’t know yourself? Why, it’s the problem between you and the Left Minister—I can help you.”

Bai Changqing’s heart gave a start, but his face remained calm and gentle as before; he shook his head and replied with a faint smile, “I do not understand Your Highness’s meaning. The Left Minister is my superior and has always treated me with generosity. How could there be a problem between myself and the Left Minister?”

Yang Shu leaned back against his chair with great ease, smiling still as he said, “No problem? I have heard the Left Minister is privately networking to remonstrate against shifting the full authority over the new austerity fiscal policy. Lord Bai, are you aware of this matter?”

Without waiting for Bai Changqing to answer, Yang Shu continued, “Even if Lord Bai is unaware, I can inform you: the Left Minister does indeed harbor this intention, and he plans tomorrow, at the time of the Great Court Assembly, to unite half of the Civil Servant Group at the Temple Hall to submit a joint remonstrance.”

This intelligence was no fabrication; it was recently acquired by Yang Shu from Moon Shadow Tower, and its credibility was beyond doubt.

Bai Changqing gave a slight frown at these words but remained silent.

“Heh, Lord Bai, there’s no need for such caution. Our conversation just now was a true meeting of minds—so I will speak plainly, without circumlocution.”

Pausing, Yang Shu continued: “Why do you think my father, the Emperor, is withholding from promulgation your ‘Austerity Fiscal Policy’ plan? Surely, Lord Bai, you understand. To me, this is my father’s generous gift before the Major Examination—a key opportunity for victory. The Left Minister’s attempt to interfere sets him against me.

Perhaps I am weak and beneath his notice, and indeed, he even covertly connects with my two elder brothers, no doubt seeking to leverage outside power to sway the Emperor’s will. Such actions are infuriating.

But why? Why does the Left Minister insist on thankless, fruitless endeavors? What good is opposing me? Or has he already picked sides with my brothers?”

As he spoke, Yang Shu shook his head at his own musings, as though dismissing those conjectures.

“Lord Bai, you must be quite clear on the Left Minister’s designs. Otherwise, you would not have intentionally distanced yourself from him, which is certainly not as harmonious as you just described.”

Here, Yang Shu fell silent and poured himself a cup of tea, all the while gazing at Bai Changqing with a smiling countenance.

“Why does Your Highness think I am avoiding the Left Minister?”

Yang Shu took a sip of tea, shook his head, and said, “Lord Bai, why not speak frankly? Or do you fear I am attempting to pry? There’s no need. Ye Lansheng is a man of excessive personal ambition: when in power, his arrogance was masked by authority; now that the Civil Servant Group has waned, his base nature shows through clearly.

Your choice to steer clear of him is, to be honest, very prudent.”

Bai Changqing narrowed his eyes, discarding his former indifference, and asked: “Base nature? Why does Your Highness say so?”

“Hmph. Ye Lansheng is enamored of power and will not relinquish it, willing even to wager the fate of the Dynasty for it—a true traitor to the realm. Your refusal to collude with him makes you a loyal pillar of the Dynasty.”

“Your Highness, you are…”

Yang Shu raised his hand, interrupting: “Ye Lansheng appears to wish to advise against shifting the authority over the austerity fiscal policy, but in reality, he seeks only to ensure the Civil Servant Group retains control of this great power. From there, he would use it to hinder military affairs in the South, thereby weakening the Border Army and forcing them back to Zhuo Huo Pass. At that point, he would have an excuse to resurrect his old proposal for ‘peace negotiations’, regaining the influence and power he once commanded.

Am I correct?”

Yang Shu’s expression had grown dark and severe, exuding a quiet authority that left Bai Changqing momentarily at a loss for a response. For Yang Shu had indeed laid bare the secrets in his heart with uncanny precision.

It was true—this was exactly why Bai Changqing had forced himself to distance from Ye Lansheng, yet he hadn’t expected Prince Ling to see through him so clearly in but a word.

There was no sense in feigning ignorance any further.

Bai Changqing poured himself some tea, though he did not drink, merely inhaling its aroma. After a long silence, he spoke: “My family line has conducted itself with modest propriety—generations of the Bai Family have received the Dynasty’s stipends; in fact, before our ancestral hall stands a stele inscribed by the late Emperor, extolling the Bai Family’s service. For six generations, preceding seven have died for the state—two in the army, four in the halls of governance.

Such profound grace the Bai Family has always remembered and dared not forget. But the tides of worldly affairs and the tangled matters of state and family ever cloud men’s eyes. I, Bai Changqing, though surviving these decades, often find myself struggling simply to stay afloat, avoiding headlong confrontation out of guilt towards Imperial favor—such is my shame…”

Yang Shu understood and knew that Bai Changqing was deliberately skirting the core of the matter, so he interrupted directly: “Lord Bai, I shall be frank, and you would do well to be so too.

Ye Lansheng’s plans are sinister, but he cannot possibly win. No one—no one—can force any Emperor of the Yang Family to back down or alter the Major Examination on account of any scheme concerning the Royal Family. This is a dynastic iron law. Not Ye Lansheng, nor those wretches he’s drawn in, nor even—were Zhuo Huo Pass to fall—could the course of the Major Examination be derailed.

Thus, Ye Lansheng cannot succeed. And you, Lord Bai, will inevitably become the scapegoat for his failure. On one side, the Emperor’s awe-inspiring might; on the other, Ye Lansheng’s wrath—whatever you choose, you will be at fault.

Would it not be better to step out of this circle, to seek a new road forward? Perhaps more paths will open before you.” With that, Yang Shu raised his cup to Bai Changqing, drinking as though it were wine.

Bai Changqing did not follow suit but instead asked, “Is Your Highness seeking to recruit me?”

“Did you not speak of ‘the tides of worldly affairs’? Since men so often find themselves powerless, why not seek a different way to live? Or—does Lord Bai believe I am unworthy of his service?”

Unworthy? If it had been before today, Bai Changqing would have agreed. But as matters stood… this Seventh Prince had likely long since deceived everyone most completely…