Intrigue in the Shadows
The atmosphere inside the residence where Lord Jianxin stayed was little different from usual. Given how his influence had shrunk with Lord Pingyuan’s rise, it would not have been strange for the place to feel gloomy. Instead it seemed even more vibrant than before. The reason lay in the Three Advisors at the heart of his retainers; they had not wavered in the slightest.
Just as Lord Pingyuan had his Five Guests, Lord Jianxin’s Three Advisors each possessed clearly divided roles. Their structure resembled the Han Three Heroes who would appear in later generations. Gao Chengshang handled all military affairs, Hui Si managed internal governance, administration, and personnel, and Wei Gai served as something like a chief of staff, overseeing Lord Jianxin’s personal well-being and protection. With such a crisp division of labor and all three showing not a trace of agitation, the rest of the retainers kept their composure, convinced that no field would suffer any major disruption. And none of it was an act.
Lord Jianxin’s chambers. All three advisors had gathered. There, the men who had remained on the defensive until now were weaving together a stratagem that would serve as the opening shot of their counterattack.
“Lord Pingyuan’s inner circle is impenetrably solid. It feels no different from the impregnable Hangu Pass.”
Unlike Lord Pingyuan, who spoke down to others, Lord Jianxin—who had originally been a commoner—used a degree of polite language toward his retainers. He elevated his listeners without debasing himself. Despite having risen to high office through the King of Zhao’s favor and his own handsome features, the true reason people flocked to him was this courteous way of conducting himself.
As he said, despite several glaring mistakes in the past, Lord Pingyuan now showed no obvious weaknesses. By confining himself in self-reflection and exercising restraint, he had rebuilt his collapsed inner circle. With the Five Guests’ talents added to the mix, his influence and prestige had returned to the height of his glory days.
“Therefore the breakthrough must be sought from outside Lord Pingyuan himself.”
Wei Gai, Lord Jianxin’s closest confidant and the one among the Three Advisors most intimate with him, gently turned the flow of conversation. He glanced briefly at Hui Si. The plan had, after all, been devised by Hui Si.
Hui Si gave a shallow nod and spoke.
“As Sir Wei says, a direct assault on Lord Pingyuan is exceedingly difficult. To blame him for the defeat at Changping now, after he has already spent so long in self-imposed seclusion, would only earn us the rebuke that it is far too late.”
Instead of leaping straight to the main point, he laid the groundwork. Gao Chengshang grew impatient.
“Lord Hui, then what do you suggest? It’s only the four of us here—speak plainly.”
“Haha, very well. Lord Jianxin, do you remember the Yan hostage I mentioned to you before?”
“The Yan hostage? You mean the King of Yan’s son?”
“Correct. Some time ago we devised a scheme to restore our fallen authority through him and install Queen Yan’s offspring as the next King of Yan.”
But the plan had failed. Not because of outside interference, but because the boy himself—Ji Dan—had succeeded in persuading Lord Pingyuan. That was when Hui Si had begun to watch Ji Dan with sharp attention.
At first his focus had fallen not on Ji Dan but on Han Jing, the youth who assisted him. What could a mere nine-year-old possibly understand? It had seemed far more natural to assume someone else was directing matters from behind the scenes. Moreover, Han Jing—though lacking experience—was a genuine talent who had studied at Jixia Academy, the great center of learning that had blossomed across the Central Plains. In Hui Si’s eyes the boy was still green, yet he had judged him capable of at least one piercing move.
Yet that judgment had been wrong. As time passed, Hui Si came to realize there was no hidden puppet master; Ji Dan himself was orchestrating every situation. Han Jing was nothing more than his limb and his public mask.
The shiver he had felt upon that realization… Was it truly possible for someone so young to harbor such profound schemes? In truth Ji Dan had never given such things much thought, but Hui Si, unaware of the reality, saw only a boy who had cleverly installed Han Jing as a figurehead. From then on he had watched Ji Dan’s every step.
Though the surveillance had loosened for a time while they blocked Lord Pingyuan’s offensive, once the situation had been stabilized Hui Si once again placed eyes on the boy. Thanks to that vigilance he had discovered that Ji Dan was a weakness Lord Pingyuan himself had not yet noticed.
“Let us make use of him once more.”
At Hui Si’s suggestion, delivered with a confident smile, Lord Jianxin asked with open puzzlement.
“But I heard the boy’s relationship with Lord Pingyuan has soured lately. Even if we touch the Yan hostage, can it truly deliver any meaningful blow to Lord Pingyuan’s side?”
Both Wei Gai and Gao Chengshang appeared equally doubtful. It was exactly as Ji Dan had intended. Yet Hui Si was not deceived.
“The Yan prince employed a rather crude trick. The disturbance he caused in the marketplace to create distance from Lord Pingyuan was entirely deliberate.”
At Hui Si’s firm declaration the others voiced their confusion.
“Deliberate?”
“Then wouldn’t that damage Lord Pingyuan’s reputation? Shouldn’t that work in our favor?”
The fact that the other two did not immediately grasp his meaning did not indicate any disparity in talent among the Three Advisors; their areas of expertise were simply different. Wei Gai excelled at charming others with pleasing words, while Gao Chengshang possessed an overwhelming eye for military matters. Both men, however, were somewhat weak when it came to intricate psychological ploys. Knowing this, Hui Si offered a more meticulous explanation.
“At first glance it appears to be a simple opposition: Lord Pingyuan distancing himself from Yan on one side, and the Yan prince who still feels nostalgia for his homeland on the other. But you must read the hidden truth beneath.”
“The hidden truth?”
“The Yan prince is effectively declaring: ‘My relationship with Lord Pingyuan is currently poor, so attacking me will cause him little harm. Therefore, do not stir me up.’”
In fact, everyone except Hui Si had interpreted the incident precisely as Ji Dan wished. Had it not been for Hui Si, they would not have spared the boy a second glance. But his next words finally gave them the proper thread, and they began to sense the strangeness.
“Is it not odd? Even without reacting this way, the Yan prince is only a minor figure to Lord Pingyuan. There would be no need to pay him any particular attention.”
“Oh… That would mean…”
“Exactly as Lord Jianxin has surmised. The Yan prince has something he desperately wishes to conceal. Knowing that its exposure would harm Lord Pingyuan, he is deliberately pretending to stand in opposition so that he may step back from this political storm.”
Wei Gai added, “Moreover, even if the secret is revealed, he intends to minimize any damage that might reach Lord Pingyuan, who took him in.”
“Precisely,” Gao Chengshang chimed in. “The opposition is a smokescreen. His true aim is to stay clear of the whirlpool of this struggle while still preserving his loyalty to Lord Pingyuan—is that it?”
“Correct.”
Once he confirmed that everyone had fully understood his meaning, Hui Si allowed himself a small smile.
“I now grasp the general shape of what you wish to convey. However, the most crucial piece is still missing. Just what is this secret the Yan prince is so desperate to hide that it could affect even Lord Pingyuan?”
At Lord Jianxin’s incisive question, Hui Si wiped the smile from his face and grew solemn. Then he revealed the secret he had uncovered.
“Ying Zheng.”
For a brief moment the others looked bewildered by the sudden name. But they were sharp men; they instinctively understood the weight it carried.
“The Prince of Yan has been meeting with the princess of Qin.”
And not in some distant place, but right here in Zhao.
He did not need to speak the rest aloud. The same thought rose simultaneously in every mind present.
The hostages of Yan and Qin—nations that had attacked Zhao—were meeting freely? Moreover, the Yan hostage was doing so while enjoying Lord Pingyuan’s patronage? This was no trivial matter.
Since Ji Dan had already placed himself in partial opposition to Lord Pingyuan, it might not bring about the man’s complete ruin, but it would at minimum be enough to shove Ji Dan back into the miserable existence he had once endured. Lord Pingyuan’s own judgment and control would be stained, his competence questioned, and he would find himself placed upon the scales of judgment.
Even the strongest dam begins to crumble from a single small hole. The damage might appear minor, yet hairline cracks would begin to spread across Lord Pingyuan’s unassailable reputation.
“All preparations are complete. We await only your command.”
Hui Si had known of the meetings between Ji Dan and Ying Zheng for some time. The reason he had merely watched without intervening was to remove any possibility that Ji Dan could later claim ignorance of the girl’s true identity. With tenacious patience he had waited until the affection between them deepened. The time was now ripe.
This time you will not be able to stop it, Prince.
While others saw Ji Dan as nothing more than a nine-year-old child hostage, Hui Si alone recognized him as the formidable adversary who had neutralized his previous schemes. Therefore the dagger he had prepared struck with lethal precision at the boy’s greatest weakness.
§
“Something… feels wrong.”
What was this sensation? The chill racing down my spine made me freeze just as I was about to step out of the house. I stood motionless for several long minutes, lost in thought. In the end I forced the uneasy feeling aside.
It’s probably nothing.
I took a step forward.