Chapter 108: Changes

Zhang Pengfei, having narrowly escaped with his life, galloped away from the city lord’s mansion without looking back. After riding for a while, he suddenly halted and touched his still-aching chest. “Shi Chengsong almost killed me just now! How can I follow such a capricious, ruthless, and foolish person? The Great Xia is on the brink of chaos; I need to secure a better future for myself!”

He glanced toward the northeast, in the direction of Anyang, and suddenly made a decisive choice! Just before entering Luliang County, Zhang Pengfei turned his horse around and rode furiously toward Anyang. For the last stretch, he even abandoned his horse and trekked through the mountain forest, reaching Anyang in the dead of night.

Coincidentally, Yang Yishan was on guard at the city gate that night. “Who goes there!”

“I’m Zhang Pengfei…” He explained his situation truthfully, even producing the letter he had prepared to deliver to Luliang County’s magistrate, Zhao Guoshan.

Yang Yishan didn’t dare to open the letter for verification but immediately contacted the higher-ranking officers. They called for Beichen Yuqing in the middle of the night; upon seeing Zhang Pengfei, Beichen Yuqing also summoned Xu Ren and Yan Ze’an, who in turn had the maid wake Xia Qingqing.

In the middle of the night, Anyang was brightly lit. Everyone watched as Xia Qingqing, a maid, opened the letter and passed it around for others to read.

Shi Chengsong from Zhongshan County would never have imagined that his loyal subordinate had sent secret information to Anyang.

After reading the letter, Xu Ren chuckled, “We can’t underestimate others; Shi Chengsong actually wants to unite with Zhao Guoshan to pledge allegiance to the second prince, who is now the crown prince, hoping to gain his support.”

Yan Ze’an sneered, “His Majesty has conferred the title of Eastern Governor to our young lord. We have the right to manage the eastern counties. The second prince is merely the crown prince; he has no legitimate claim to intervene in this matter!”

Beichen Yuqing suddenly asked, “What if the crown prince forcefully intervenes?”

“In my view, if Zhongshan County and Luliang County really express their willingness to support the crown prince, he is very likely to accept. After all, the current crown prince comes from humble origins; his mother, Yue Zhaohua, was merely the daughter of a merchant, and she herself is considered just a ‘beauty’, of a lower status than the empress and favored consorts.

“In contrast, the first prince’s mother is the princess’s mother, who holds the title of empress; the empress herself is the daughter of the Northwest Governor, which grants her a noble status.

“And we shouldn’t forget about the third prince’s mother, Wang Chuchu, who is the emperor’s most beloved consort and the daughter of the Minister of Rites, Wang Chuan; her status is also quite high.

“Moreover, both the first and third princes have backing, while the second prince is isolated. If two counties were to pledge allegiance now, even if it were a sham, the second prince—now the crown prince—might very well agree!”

Xu Ren lightly shook his feather fan, “If the crown prince truly wants to take charge of this matter, we’ll pledge our loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor. Heh…”

“Indeed, if that happens, we’ll have to uphold His Majesty’s authority!” Yan Ze’an echoed, sounding even more eloquent.

Zhang Pengfei, standing below, wished he could cover his ears. Compared to the hot-tempered, violent Shi Chengsong, who easily resorted to killing, these people seemed much more calculated!

Finally, they noticed Zhang Pengfei’s restless demeanor. It was Xia Qingqing who spoke up, “Zhang Pengfei, do you have any relatives in Zhongshan County?”

“No, I’m an orphan.”

“Then… let’s send Zhang Pengfei to rest.”

Once Zhang Pengfei left, Xia Qingqing and the others continued their discussion. “If Shi Chengsong discovers Zhang Pengfei’s situation, will he cancel the plan?”

 

Xu Ren decisively shook his head, “No! I believe this will only accelerate their actions. They will surely want to establish contact with the crown prince before we can act. Let’s just watch the situation unfold. 

“However, we need to be wary of Shi Chengsong and Zhao Guoshan contacting Cai Guo! Those two are cornered dogs, and they might act recklessly!”

The next day, Yan Ze’an sat in his study dealing with an overwhelming number of matters. The developments in Anyang were happening so rapidly, with so many new things emerging that even this prime minister found it hard to keep up.

That afternoon, Song Xing returned, looking worn out, bringing several letters: from Xia Qingqing, Xu Ren, Fang Shijing, Tang Rong from the research department, and finally one for Yan Ze’an.

Song Xing handed the letter to Yan Ze’an last and cautiously remarked, “Mr. Yan, it seems the young master wasn’t very happy when he wrote this letter.”

“Oh?” Yan Ze’an opened the letter and immediately frowned. Li Xian’s tone was particularly serious this time, clearly stating that the dock and ironclad ship projects absolutely could not be halted! Even if this caused delays in other work, the research and production of the ironclad ships must not be postponed! It was already early May, and Li Xian ordered that the first ironclad ship must be ready by August!

This letter left Yan Ze’an feeling quite uncomfortable for two reasons: first, it disrupted his work schedule; second, it made him feel somewhat distrusted!

However, recalling Song Xing’s warning, Yan Ze’an thought for a moment and decided to seek out Xu Ren; after all, Xu Ren had been with Li Xian for a long time and was likely to understand him best.

When Xu Ren saw the letter, he unexpectedly broke into a grin. “Just as I predicted!”

Yan Ze’an, being clever, immediately caught on and his expression darkened, “Xu Ren, you knew this would provoke Li Xian, yet you didn’t suggest an alternative?”

Xu Ren sheepishly rubbed his nose, “To be honest, I wasn’t sure about some of the young master’s ideas, so I wanted to use the prime minister’s hand to test how much he values the ironclad ship project.

“Let me tell you something the young master once said. It was something like this: profits in land-based business rarely reach twenty percent, but in maritime ventures, they can easily reach two hundred percent.

“For the sake of maritime profits, the young master has made numerous deals with the Dragon Palace and given up many profits. The situation is as follows…” 

The two of them talked until deep into the night.

It was on this night that Shi Chengsong, the governor of Zhongshan County, and Zhao Guoshan, the governor of Lvliang County, met in person and confirmed Zhang Pengfei’s betrayal.

Zhao Guoshan sneered, “You have so many talents in Zhongshan County, yet the messenger flew away halfway! What do we do now? I suppose Anyang must be prepared by now!”

Shi Chengsong snorted coldly, “Stop with the useless remarks! Given our current poor strategy, what should we do? My thought is to contact the Crown Prince immediately; we must reach an agreement with him before Anyang is fully prepared.”

Zhao Guoshan ceased his mocking and began to think seriously; after all, people are often forced to act under pressure, and Zhao Guoshan was no exception. Facing such a situation, he suddenly gritted his teeth and said, “Of course, we should contact the Crown Prince, but the current Crown Prince is unreliable. I think the north might be better. I’ve heard that the envoy from the north has already been to your place!”

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