Chapter 584: Chapter 584: Severing the Tail to Survive

Ye Chutang was noncommittal.

But to Ye Jingyan, such a reaction was as good as an admission.

He frowned slightly. "Xie Pei may have clashed with Wazhen numerous times in the past, but he has since returned to the Capital City to live out his retirement. Aside from his title as Marquis Zhongyong, he holds no other real power. How could he possibly be involved in this?"

Ye Chutang tapped the Go board. "Don’t forget, although Xie Pei has retired, his prestige in the army is still immense."

"But aren’t King Yan Nan and Duke Dingbei also—"

Ye Jingyan stopped mid-sentence as a thought suddenly occurred to him, his expression shifting.

Ye Chutang gave a slight nod. "Correct. Xie Pei isn’t the only one who held military power, but since he was the first to lay down his armor, he is now in the most vulnerable position."

’Would Emperor Muwu trust King Yan Nan and Duke Dingbei more?’ Ye Chutang didn’t think so.

Emperors are inherently suspicious; they can never place one hundred percent of their trust in anyone.

Especially not in subjects who wield real power.

Xie Pei was the oldest among them and was plagued by injuries, so he chose to relinquish his military authority ten years ago.

He thought he was making a wise retreat to protect himself, but he failed to realize how unpredictable the world is. The Emperor’s Heart Skill, in particular, is never to be trusted.

"After he stepped down, only Duke Dingbei was left to guard the Northern Border. His position is unshakable—not even His Majesty can touch it."

Emperor Muwu was no fool. On the contrary, he was an exceptionally astute sovereign.

He could distinguish clearly between the good of the country and his own imperial power.

Therefore, as long as Shen Youyan could keep the Northern Border safe, he had paradoxically become the one with the most stable authority.

Xie Pei, on the other hand...

"His former subordinates now hold key positions in the army. If he were to ask for a favor, they would more or less have to oblige. That alone is an immeasurable asset."

Ye Jingyan hesitated. "That may be true, but Xie Anjun was born frail and cannot practice martial arts. He has barely left the Capital City in all these years and has had little contact with those military generals. Logically, there’s no way he could—"

Suddenly, he paused, a look of astonishment flashing in his eyes.

The corners of Ye Chutang’s lips curved into the faintest of smiles.

"Xie Anjun is indeed incapable, but he isn’t Xie Pei’s only son."

In that instant, Ye Jingyan felt that all the things he couldn’t figure out before suddenly had an answer.

"No wonder!"

’No wonder Xie Anbai acts like such a libertine, allowing his reputation to be ruined without any sign of repentance—he’s been doing it on purpose all along!’

"Whether he’s acting on Xie Pei’s orders or by his own choice isn’t important. What’s important is that everyone believes Xie Pei has no successor in the army and can no longer pose a threat."

As she spoke, Ye Chutang propped her chin on one hand and lazily pushed a white stone forward, nonchalantly yet decisively cutting off a black stone that had just found a sliver of hope.

"Xie Pei was likely very satisfied with this situation. But in all his calculations, the one thing he overlooked was his most cherished eldest son. I’m afraid he never once asked Xie Anjun if he was content with being the Marquis Zhongyong in name only."

Ye Jingyan’s heart skipped a beat. He felt he was on the verge of uncovering a shocking truth.

"Sister, you mean Xie Anjun..."

"Continue," Ye Chutang urged, prompting him to place his stone.

Ye Jingyan looked down and realized that, without his noticing, his black stones were once again in a hopeless situation.

His brow furrowed. After a long moment, as if he had already given up, he placed a stone in another location.

But Ye Chutang smiled.

"Trying to besiege Wei to rescue Zhao?"

"No." Ye Jingyan shook his head. "I’m cutting off the tail to survive."

’Since the path ahead is a dead end, my only choice is to sacrifice everything for a final glimmer of hope.’

Ye Chutang blinked, the smile in her eyes deepening.

"And you think that will be enough?"

Ye Jingyan’s hand tightened slightly. For a moment, he didn’t know how to answer.

Because he wasn’t sure either.

Everything depended on his opponent.

His palm gradually grew damp with sweat.

Finally, Ye Chutang picked up a stone and placed it with a sharp CLICK.

Ye Jingyan breathed a sigh of relief—his sister’s move was exactly what he had anticipated.

He didn’t hesitate to place his next stone.

Ye Chutang continued to play leisurely with him, not resuming their earlier conversation.

The game had entered a white-hot, merciless phase. The only sound in the room was the clatter of stones on the board.

Xiao Wu watched with a focused expression, nervously glancing from the stack of silver notes on her left to the heavy lock on her right.

Outside, the sky gradually darkened, and the lively clamor of fireworks and firecrackers could be heard from time to time.

It only served to accentuate the quiet tranquility within the room.

Of course, only Ye Chutang felt that way.

Ye Jingyan stared at the board, each move slower than the last. The further the game progressed, the more tightly his brow furrowed.

Xiao Wu didn’t dare to breathe too loudly, secretly thankful that she wasn’t the one facing her big sister today. ’I’d have been toast long ago,’ she thought. ’What’s the point of even playing?’

On the board, the black stones were gradually devoured. Before he knew it, they were completely surrounded by white, with no room left to breathe.

Finally, Ye Jingyan let out a long breath, tossed the black stone in his hand back into its bowl, and looked straight at Ye Chutang.

"I’ve lost."

RUSTLE—

Xiao Wu shot up in excitement, the silver notes rustling. Her little face was flushed, and her eyes sparkled brightly.

’Big Sister won after all!’

’My little treasury is getting another deposit!’

Ye Chutang couldn’t help but smile. She gently pinched the girl’s cheek, then turned to Ye Jingyan and said with a laugh,

"You’ve improved a lot."

Hearing this, Ye Jingyan smiled as well.

"You praise me too much, Sister. I’m still a long way off."

He lowered his gaze to the game board.

When playing Go against his sister, he had no complaints about losing, but—

"I was too naive earlier. I actually thought I could turn the tables."

Ye Chutang’s lips curved slightly.

"It’s not that your method was bad. Often, indecisiveness leads to chaos. But more often than not, man’s plans are no match for heaven’s. In this world, nothing can be accomplished by taking things for granted."

Just like this game of Go.

Or... Xie Pei and the Xie Family.

A jolt went through Ye Jingyan’s chest. His expression grew serious, and he lowered his head respectfully. "You are right, Sister."

Ye Chutang began gathering the stones, speaking in a casual tone.

"At the palace banquet that day, His Majesty ordered Xie Pei to negotiate with the Wazhen Mission. Xie Pei was perfectly compliant and handled it extremely well. But not long after, Xie Pei still died."

Ye Jingyan’s head snapped up, his heart pounding with shock.

’If that’s the case, doesn’t it mean that everything that happened to the Xie Family was His Majesty’s will!?’

’But what mistake did Xie Pei—no, Xie Anjun—make to bring about such a disaster, one that forced Xie Pei to pay with his life!?’

’And was Xie Pei’s death enough to satisfy His Majesty and put an end to this all?’

After turning it over and over in his mind, Ye Jingyan was left with only one last, absurd, and audacious guess.

"Xie Anjun... is connected to Wazhen?!"

CLACK.

The last stone was put away.

Ye Chutang finally looked up. Instead of answering Ye Jingyan’s question directly, she brought up another matter.

"At the Imperial College, have you ever heard rumors about Xie Anjun being close with Fan Chengzhuo?"

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