Chapter Seventy-Five: Seeking Trouble

“The problem is clear enough; no need for you to summarize it. What we need now is a solution.” The one speaking in that mocking tone was the Performer.

Fat Chen had noticed that ever since the Performer’s old injury had been healed, he had become unbearably arrogant, always ready with a sharp remark for whomever he met. He was no longer the simple, task-focused juggler he had once been.

“Her Highness is here for us to solve her troubles—what, are you thinking of causing a few more for her right now?”

Fat Chen, who managed all of Blackstone’s finances, was the weakest in martial arts, but his status in Blackstone was second only to Zhu Yu. He was not about to let the Performer have his way, and retorted immediately.

The Performer instinctively opened his mouth, ready to launch into a spirited verbal battle, but when he heard Fat Chen’s final words, he glanced at Jiang Yuyan and swallowed his prepared retort.

With that brief interruption, the room once more fell into silence.

After a long pause, Xiyu finally spoke her thoughts.

“Ordinary infiltration won’t work anymore. What we need now is a shortcut. Men, after all, are bound by wealth, lust, power, and influence. I think we should focus our minds on these four.”

“Wealth can be ruled out. He’s a prince—have you ever seen a prince lacking money? The leftovers from one of their meals could feed my whole family for a month.” It was Lei Bin who first responded, voicing his opinion.

“Power and influence are out too. Same logic: he’s a prince. Would he lack power, lack influence?” The Performer took up the thread.

“Typical juggler thinking. Yes, Prince Duan and Prince Yu are princes, but if they don’t lack power and influence, why would they rebel? Are they just bored? Want to play?”

But the Performer had it right, after all. Power and influence weren’t the angles. To join a rebellion requires strength; Blackstone has enough of that, but what excuse do we have to help him?

We can’t just walk up and say, ‘You want to rebel? I’ll help you!’ That would be absurd.

Nor can we fabricate some faction out of thin air; anyone planning a revolt would be cautious to the extreme. Just mention a name, and Prince Duan could trace your ancestry back eight generations.

So that leaves only one: lust.

As soon as Xiyu finished speaking, everyone instinctively looked her way.

Xiyu surveyed them coldly. “What are you staring at me for? I’ve been loyal to Blackstone all my life. Do you now expect me to offer up my body? Impossible.”

—

Xiyu, after speaking, thought a moment more and added, “Besides, my looks are at best above average. Take a look at the prince’s concubines—their beauty is just the baseline. They must also be skilled in the arts, adept at service. I know none of that; I only know how to kill. Zhanqing, on the other hand, is a stunning beauty.”

With this, Xiyu deftly shifted everyone’s attention to Ye Zhanqing.

“What are you all staring at? You need to be told I’m beautiful? But I’m still a maiden—don’t even think about using me for seduction.” Flustered by their gazes, Ye Zhanqing stood up and cursed, firmly refusing.

Though Ye Zhanqing had made her rejection clear, the others’ eyes remained fixed on her, thoughtful expressions forming on their faces.

Now, Ye Zhanqing’s heart sank completely.

“Enough. Stop frightening her. Seduction may be an effective tactic, but beauty is only one aspect. There are other factors. Let’s keep it as a backup plan and consider alternatives.”

Just as Ye Zhanqing was despairing, Jiang Yuyan unexpectedly spoke up to shield her.

Jiang Yuyan’s explanation was enigmatic, leaving the others confused, but her status prevented anyone from challenging her.

Among those present, only Ye Zhanqing understood the implication—Jiang Yuyan was hinting at her lack of loyalty, fearing she might turn traitor.

Though she grasped it, Ye Zhanqing could not voice it, and so silently followed the others past the topic.

In the time that followed, the group wracked their brains for other solutions, but before Jiang Yuyan could speak, each idea was dismissed by the members of Blackstone themselves.

In the end, the beauty trap remained the most plausible, but since Jiang Yuyan had already rejected it, none dared mention it again.

Time slipped by as they deliberated; the sun drifted westward, and daylight faded into dusk.

“That’s enough for today. I must return to the palace. Each of you, as well as myself, should think carefully and reconvene tomorrow at the hour of Si.” Glancing at the sky, Jiang Yuyan interrupted their discussion.

With her words, everyone stopped talking. After affirming her instructions and exchanging a few polite farewells, they each rose and departed for home.

As darkness deepened, the sky seemed to drop a shade in the blink of an eye; night descended, and passersby brushed shoulders, their faces barely discernible in the gloom.

—

Jiang Yuyan walked slowly along the street, appreciating the nighttime scenery of the capital as she gradually let her weary mind unwind.

Alone, she hoped for a quiet return to the palace, but fate was rarely so accommodating. Trouble, as if blind, doggedly sought the Grandmaster’s path.

Ahead, a figure staggered in the opposite direction, followed by three or four attendants fussing over him.

Those attendants shouted incessantly for pedestrians to make way. Though their master collided with passersby, they brazenly accused the crowd of blindness—utterly arrogant.

Perhaps such conduct alone could not fully judge their master’s character, but it certainly revealed his noble status.

As a favored consort, Jiang Yuyan had been granted rare permission to leave the palace, and she wished to avoid any unnecessary complications. She found a corner to wait for the drunken figure to pass before continuing on her way.

Yet the man, as if with intent, veered straight toward her. Before he drew near, she could already smell the heavy stench of alcohol.

Jiang Yuyan was not like common folk; she sidestepped deftly out of harm’s way.

But the man, unable to maintain even a normal person’s balance, crashed headlong into the wall.

A loud, crisp thud resounded.

Unsurprisingly, the impact was severe—he collapsed, unable to rise.

His attendants were shocked, rushing forward to assist him. One among them turned to Jiang Yuyan, cursing, “Blind fool! Couldn’t you have stopped him? Useless…”

Since leaving the Jiang family, Jiang Yuyan had not suffered such insults. Coupled with the emperor’s pampering in the palace, her temperament had grown increasingly extreme.

Her fragile heart was sometimes bulletproof, sometimes brittle to the core.

At this moment, Jiang Yuyan’s heart was at its most vulnerable.