The Capital Patrol Office handled public security, yet it was the very first government office every merchant had to court. To do business in Linzi and do it well, one could not afford to ignore Zheng Shi's disposition.
By the chessboard, Wen Lianmu spoke with easy confidence. "The rivalry between Chongxuan Zun and Chongxuan Sheng—Chongxuan Zun is actually in an unassailable position. In terms of talent, strength, and brilliance, he is publicly recognized as one of the very best."
Wang Yiwu nodded in rare agreement. "Indeed."
Wen Lianmu glanced at him, his expression inscrutable, but offered no further comment on the matter. Instead, he continued along his own thread: "His weakness lies outside himself, not within. I believe Chongxuan Sheng saw this too—that's why he sent him into the Jixia Academy, so he could focus on dealing with what lies outside him… his power base."
He added, "I have to say, Chongxuan Sheng played this move beautifully. He is a player who deserves one's full attention. Before this, I completely underestimated him."
Wang Yiwu said nothing. He was certainly unwilling to admit he had underestimated Chongxuan Sheng, but a man like him could not deceive himself either.
"Things outside oneself are nothing more than connections, resources, and interests. Chongxuan Sheng is now devouring Chongxuan Zun's former businesses with increasing ease. The Treasure Gathering Chamber fattened him up, and the Four Seas Trade Alliance has given him considerable support. Moreover, Su She is currently licking his wounds with his tail between his legs, keeping entirely out of sight. The Treasure Gathering Chamber's silence has made the situation ever more awkward—Chongxuan Zun's businesses keep shrinking. When you face problems that cannot be solved by force, you are inevitably at a loss."
Wen Lianmu deliberately, whether intentionally or not, underscored his own importance, rubbing a bit of salt into Chongxuan Zun's wound—a small counter-strike of sorts. "To be honest, with Chongxuan Zun himself absent, you cannot directly call upon the Guardian Grand Marshal's connections to help him… In the commercial sphere alone, it is very difficult for us to compete with Chongxuan Sheng backed by the Four Seas Trade Alliance. It's not that there's no way at all, but it would take twice the effort for half the result—more loss than gain. A wise man does not choose such a path. If we are to break the deadlock, we must cast our eyes further and wider."
Wang Yiwu sat ramrod straight, his entire body like a drawn bow. "So you've set your sights on the Northern Garrison Commander."
His voice was perfectly steady. "But the Northern Garrison Commander conducts himself with integrity."
"In a place like Linzi, where dragons and snakes lurk at every turn, to maintain order and come out well, there are only two paths. Either one is supremely skilled, handling everything with smooth diplomacy, offending no one. Or one is iron-faced and impartial, giving face to no one—which is to say, as you put it, conducting oneself with integrity."
Wen Lianmu smiled. "Regardless of what Zheng Shi is like at his core, since what he presents to the world is the latter, he will absolutely not side with us—especially not involve himself in the Chongxuan family's internal struggles, handing others a weapon against him. So I can only play a risky move, forcing him into the game."
The truth was that it was Wang Yiwu's own weakness in the art of maneuvering that had forced Wen Lianmu to seek unorthodox methods.
Wang Yiwu paused a moment before saying, "You're only thinking about the present, with no regard for the flood that may come after."
Wen Lianmu reached into the bowl of white stones and grabbed a handful, then watched them slip through his fingers one by one. "To turn the situation around in a short time, Zheng Shi is the most useful piece we have. As for what comes after… when Chongxuan Zun emerges from the Jixia Academy, will it be you who fears this piece, or Chongxuan Zun?"
He tugged the corner of his mouth, and only now did the unique arrogance and sharpness of the man show through.
"I believe in you," Wang Yiwu said.
"I'm flattered," Wen Lianmu replied in a deliberately insincere tone. Then he continued: "Preparedness ensures success; lack of it ensures failure. This time, my strategy has multiple contingencies. Zheng Shangming is tailing Jiang Wang—I've arranged to have him exposed. The best outcome would be for Jiang Wang to kill Zheng Shangming, or for Zheng Shangming to kill Jiang Wang. If it's the former, the rift between Zheng Shi and Chongxuan Sheng becomes unbridgeable. If it's the latter—I don't know how deep the bond between Jiang Wang and Chongxuan Sheng runs, but at the very least, in terms of current value, he is a right-hand man. Chongxuan Sheng absolutely cannot afford to swallow such a massive loss."
"And the worst outcome?"
"The worst outcome is simply that Zheng Shangming realizes he's been played, then follows the trail back to me. But beside me…" Wen Lianmu suddenly clenched the few remaining stones in his hand and raised a finger, pointing at Wang Yiwu, "…stands you."
"And then?"
"I've studied Zheng Shangming carefully. He's the typical young master who refuses to rely on family connections, desperate to prove himself. Much of this stems from Zheng Shi's strict discipline since childhood, and part of it is simply his own temperament."
Wen Lianmu continued his analysis. "He can endure hardship, bear ridicule and humiliation. But that's not because he possesses the quality of patience—quite the opposite. He is the least patient, the least able to suppress the impulse to rebel. The only reason he could endure what he did in the Rain-Cutting Army was that deep down he knew those people and their actions were beneath notice. He treated them like ants, so he didn't feel it was hard, nor did he feel humiliated."
"He is resolute about not relying on Zheng Shi, yet Zheng Shi is his greatest source of strength. He lives in a deeply awkward, contradictory way. He is the son of the powerful, yet he disdains the powerful. He appears to be above his father's authority, yet deep down he is the one who most acknowledges that authority. He appears never to dare defy Zheng Shi head-on, yet everything he does is an act of defiance."
"There's a volcano hidden inside him, and once it's touched…" Wen Lianmu spread his hand wide, and all the white stones fell at once.
"Boom!" he mimicked.
"So you're certain he'll charge into the Grand Marshal's manor regardless of the consequences?" Wang Yiwu asked.
"He can endure the finger-pointing and bullying from those people in the army camp, but he absolutely cannot endure you. Because you are someone who can truly bully him, truly oppress him."
"And if you're wrong?"
"I won't be wrong."
The confidence Wen Lianmu displayed made Wang Yiwu nod. "Good."
"When he comes storming into the Grand Marshal's manor in a blind rage, his life and death will be out of his hands—and Zheng Shi will have no choice but to work for us. This is merely the second-best option. Because Jiang Wang didn't act recklessly, we're left with only the second-best."
The stone was already on the board, so Wen Lianmu didn't particularly care about that.
"Speaking of which," he said with deep implication, "these are things you never used to want to think about."
Wang Yiwu walked the path of fierce advancement, of absolute invincibility. All schemes, all twisted hearts, he smashed with a single blow. He had never even bothered to learn the art of war.
Wang Yiwu did not answer directly, only saying, "I'm better suited to staying in the army. In Linzi, I'm very uncomfortable."
"Well, perhaps it's more like…" Wen Lianmu stopped himself there.
Because at that very moment, an enraged voice rolled across the sky, reverberating through the entire Guardian Grand Marshal's Manor—and of course, it reached the ears of both Wang Yiwu and Wen Lianmu—
"Wang Yiwu! What kind of coward skulking in the shadows do you think you are?! Get out here right now!"
It was Zheng Shangming's voice.
Just as predicted!
His choice had been calculated down to the letter.
Unlike the others in the Grand Marshal's Manor, who were shocked, furious, and bewildered—
Wen Lianmu and Wang Yiwu exchanged a glance.
"What does it feel like to spend every day studying other people?" Wang Yiwu asked.
Wen Lianmu grinned. "The endless joy!"