The moment Eunuch Zheng spoke, Li Daoxuan nearly laughed.
Not outwardly, of course.
Inside, though, he was thoroughly amused.
So this is how far you've already sunk.
The eunuch's words sounded humble on the surface, but to Li Daoxuan's ears, they rang like a confession hammered onto a bronze bell. Reclaiming Xiaolangdi had cost the Prince of Fu's Estate dearly—silver, men, face, and patience. And now, with the matter unresolved, the bill was still climbing.
Li Daoxuan merely smiled, offering no reply at all.
That silence was enough.
Bai Yuan, standing at his side, caught the cue instantly and stepped forward as if the thought had just occurred to him.
"Eunuch Zheng," he said pleasantly, "the river bandits of Xiaolangdi have plagued the region for years. The imperial court spent enormous sums on military campaigns and still failed to uproot them. Which means—" he paused, smiling, "—that the Prince of Fu's Estate has been unable to reclaim its own fief for quite some time. Wouldn't you agree?"
Eunuch Zheng's heart thudded.
Oh no.
Before he could respond, Bai Yuan continued, his tone light and conversational.
"Our humble forces recently drove out those bandits entirely. That should count as a rather substantial service rendered to the Prince of Fu's Estate, shouldn't it?"
The eunuch's lips twitched.
"Uh… well… naturally…"
Li Daoxuan finally spoke, his grin carrying a hint of mischief.
"If the Prince of Fu's Estate had hired jianghu heroes to suppress those bandits, it wouldn't have been cheap," he said casually. "As someone from the jianghu myself, I'm quite familiar with the going rates. I'll give you a friendly estimate—river bandits of that scale would cost at least two thousand taels of silver as a retainer."
Eunuch Zheng's eyes flew open.
"Two thousand taels?!" he exclaimed. "Lord Li, you must be joking. Are you trying to swindle me?"
Li Daoxuan only smiled.
He didn't deny it.
That silence was far more unsettling than any argument.
Bai Yuan smoothly took over.
"Our expenses were indeed significant," he said. "Boats lost, supplies consumed, men fed. And that's not even counting the relocation of so many commoners to establish a permanent settlement here—one that ensures bandits will never gather again. That alone required no small sum."
He tapped his fan lightly against his palm.
"Collecting a hardship fee for bandit suppression seems only reasonable. Since we're friends of the Prince of Fu's Estate, we'll even offer a discount." He smiled. "One thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine taels. If we offset that against the rent, I'll even return five taels in silver, and we'll call the rent paid for the next four years. How does that sound?"
Eunuch Zheng finally understood.
He had been utterly, completely played for a fool.
His face darkened. "So that's it," he said coldly. "You intend to default on the Prince of Fu's rent."
Li Daoxuan smiled.
Bai Yuan smiled as well.
Their smiles carried not the slightest trace of apology.
Eunuch Zheng's fury boiled over. "This is the Prince of Fu's territory! Occupying it privately is illegal—no different from banditry! The imperial court will apprehend you and hold you accountable!"
Gao Yiye finally joined the fray, unable to restrain herself.
"Now hold on!" she said sharply. "We never said we wouldn't pay rent. We're collecting a hardship fee. It's the Prince of Fu's Estate that refuses to reimburse our expenses. If this were brought before the court, we'd be in the right!"
The eunuch's composure snapped.
Years of arrogance surged forth.
"Reason?" he barked. "When has the Prince of Fu's Estate ever reasoned with petty commoners like you? Either pay the rent obediently, or don't blame us for being impolite."
Bai Yuan snapped open his folding fan with a crisp 啪, revealing the two bold characters—Gentleman.
He chuckled softly. "We succeeded where you failed. That means we're more capable. So tell me—how exactly do you plan to be 'impolite'? Will you raise an army?"
His eyes gleamed.
"Please. I'd love to see what the civil officials at court would say about a prince privately mobilizing troops."
Li Daoxuan immediately leaned in, adopting the hushed, excited tone of a gossiping villager.
"Have you heard?" he whispered. "The Prince of Fu is plotting rebellion!"
Bai Yuan covered his mouth, glancing left and right theatrically. "They say he never forgave the court for denying him the position of Crown Prince. Now he's raising an army to seize the throne!"
Gao Yiye joined in, sounding exactly like an old busybody at a market stall.
"Ten thousand banners marching on the capital! The Prince of Fu is going to depose the old emperor!"
Three voices like this, whispered in public, could destroy a man faster than a blade.
Cold sweat soaked Eunuch Zheng's back.
For a prince, suspicion of rebellion was the deadliest poison of all. Once the emperor doubted you, your fate was sealed. This was an iron law of history.
The Prince of Fu's guards numbered only in the dozens. They couldn't even suppress bandits—how could they face Bai Yuan's forces?
Eunuch Zheng could do nothing.
"You just wait!" he spat. "Illegally occupying a prince's fiefdom is rebellion in all but name. If the Prince of Fu cannot deal with you himself, the imperial army will!"
With that, he flung his sleeves and stormed out, climbing into his sedan chair. His attendants hurried him down the mountain, where a carriage awaited, bound for Luoyang.
Gao Yiye watched through binoculars until he vanished.
"I heard Henan was flooded into a muddy wasteland," she said. "How did his carriage even get here?"
"The waters receded," Bai Yuan replied calmly. "The silt dried and hardened. The roads are passable again."
Gao Yiye smiled. "Good. Then I can go anywhere too."
Bai Yuan turned to Li Daoxuan, his expression turning serious.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun—once that eunuch returns, the Prince of Fu's Estate will surely complain to the Henan Governor. Imperial troops may be dispatched. What should we do?"
Li Daoxuan shook his head, smiling faintly.
"There's no need to worry. The imperial troops won't have time for us."
Bai Yuan frowned. "They won't… have time?"
Understanding struck him like a spark.
"Does Dao Xuan Tianzun mean… Henan is about to descend into chaos?"
Li Daoxuan sighed softly. "You heard about the Shanxi rebels breaking through Zezhou?"
"Yes."
"Zezhou lies just across the Yellow River," Li Daoxuan said, pointing northeast. "Xu Dingchen is marching south from Taiyuan to encircle them. If you were those rebels, what would you do?"
Bai Yuan answered immediately. "Abandon Zezhou. Cross the Yellow River into Henan and escape the encirclement."
"Exactly," Li Daoxuan said. "Henan is about to become very lively."
Gao Yiye paled. "If the rebels enter Henan… will they attack Xiaolangdi?"
"They won't," Li Daoxuan reassured her. "They move to survive—plunder grain, conscript people. Xiaolangdi looks like nothing but a former bandit den. Their real target will be—Mengjin County."
Bai Yuan clenched his fists.
The faces of the people who had once called him Good Samaritan Bai flashed before his eyes.
"Dao Xuan Tianzun," he said firmly. "We must save Mengjin."
"Not just Mengjin," Li Daoxuan replied. "If possible, I want to stop the rebels at the Yellow River itself."
The river wind howled softly in the distance.
"If we succeed," he added quietly, "Henan will be spared the fate of Shaanxi and Shanxi."
The Yellow River flowed on—broad, cold, and patient—awaiting the next move on the board.