Battle of Schemes
Battle of Schemes
No matter which angle he saw, he couldn't see this malnourished brat as someone special.
On the other hand, Wei Hong felt as if he had lost a great opportunity. Seeing Yang Xian and Wei Liuying followed Prime Minister Xie calmly, he felt that he had also lost face. He should have asked first.
'But that boy Liu Ying truly appeared out of nowhere.'
There was no one named Liu Ying in the Capital City. Just a few days ago, Emperor Xuan had been ordering them to conduct comprehensive search all over the capital city because he was so curious about that new strategist. He was still far cry from being an adult, yet the accomplishment he had was something far beyond his age.
However, the result was futile.
Yang Xian didn't visit any mysterious place in public.
He might have done some incognito visit, but no one managed to trace him during that period of time. Besides, they were all so busy with Princess Ji Xiaoli's marriage preparation that they basically forgot about everything else. The guards were only watching over Prince Ji Sheng before they got thorough report about the north's war.
It was then, they found out about the role that Yang Xian played. It was not an exaggeration to say that even without Prince Ji Sheng, the north border would be safe as long as Yang Xian was there to lead. With such a high evaluation, they began to watch Yang Xian more tightly.
But the result only ended up in disappointment. Yang Xian spent his time leisurely in Prince Ji Sheng's office or walked around in the garden for a stroll. When it was night time, he would rest in his room.
And if they dared to come closer…. They would have to fight because he was so alert.
All in all, their investigation didn't result much.
Now that another person at Yang Xian's caliber had appeared, it was clear that the Emperor didn't want that person to grow as the second Yang Xian. If they couldn't get Liu Ying to their side, he would be eliminated before he could grow further.
Besides, he's nothing more than a 14 years old brat.
It shouldn't be that hard.
"Master, the carriage is ready."
"I'll be going back now," Wei Hong replied. "Also, inform Prince Ji Shu that Yang Xian and Liu Ying go with Prime Minister Xie."
"I understand."
It was at this time Wei Hong felt that there was something strange. The name of that strategist was 'Liu Ying' and his age was 14 years old. It was exactly the same as his third daughter.
Well, that should have been impossible, right?
Wei Liuying was nothing more than a useless young girl who couldn't do anything right. She was sickly, weak, and so stupid that he couldn't bear to see her. if not because of her brother, he would never even think of seeing her mother and the useless daughter.
Wei Hong looked to a distance while shaking his head, unaware that he was so close to the truth.
However, it was the truth that he couldn't believe so easily.
…
Back to Yang Xian and Wei Liuying.
The two of them followed Prime Minister Xie as he guided them to his workplace. As the prime minister, the Emperor provided him with a place where he could do his work more effectively. There were several servants there who were already busy preparing for a tea.
"I hope you'll like the tea, Strategist Yang."
"Thank you, Prime Minister Xie," Yang Xian replied.
"Ah right, let me introduce you. This is my untalented child, Xie Han. He had just turned into an adult and I asked for permission from His Majesty to have him attend the court."
Yang Xian nodded to Xie Han before turning back to Prime Minister Xie once more. "You have a good son, Prime Minister Xie."
"Thank you for your praise, Strategist Yang."
Wei Liuying cast a glance at Xie Han then turned her head away. She didn't really like this young man. Compared to Xie Jing who was more open and brash, Xie Han was the replica of Prime Minister Xie. They were both cunning and calculative, the type that Wei Liuying knew she had to put her guard on.
"What would you like to talk about, Prime Minister Xie? I believe you didn't call me over just to have a simple tea."
"I would like to talk about the battle in the temple, Strategist Yang. I really can't comprehend how they managed to infiltrate."
"Oh, it's fairly simple," Yang Xian replied unhurriedly. He glanced to Wei Liuying. "If you feel uncomfortable here, you can walk around. I'm sure it's fine, right Prime Minister Xie?"
"It's fine," Prime Minister Xie replied.
"He's still used to live freely and not accustomed with the etiquette along with the customs here, so please forgive him."
"It's not a bother at all."
Prime Minister Xie was thinking that since Wei Liuying was a neglected child, it was only obvious.
On the other hand, Wei Liuying was resisting the urge to roll her eyes. If they were talking about women's etiquette, then she was good at it. After all, she had drilled all the basic into her bone and flesh over the course of the years she spent in Wei Family Residence. There was no way she would forget them all.
But if they talked about men's etiquette, she only knew the basic from what she had seen and what Yang Xian taught her. She was also not very interested to mingle with the male nobilities, so she chose to agree with what Yang Xian said and walked out.
"In that case, please excuse me."
Wei Liuying walked out of the room unhurriedly while looking around in curiosity. Yang Xian was watching Prime Minister Xie as he began his analysis. It was not really a secret as he was sure that there was also the investigation done by the palace. Prime Minister Xie only wanted to compare notes while giving a chance for his son to poach Wei Liuying.
Internally, Yang Xian wanted to laugh sinisterly. He wanted to know what these people would do to win over Wei Liuying.
By this time, Wei Liuying had walked out of the room. The building itself was large with several rooms and many servants maintaining it. However, not a single one of them dared to get close to the work room or they might risk getting killed because they were trying to touch the properties belonged to the Prime Minister or the kingdom's secret.
Many of them couldn't even read, so it was not strange that they wouldn't want to risk getting accused for something they didn't understand.
"Strategist Liu, please wait for a moment."
Wei Liuying turned her head and saw Xie Han walked out of the room. "Is there anything wrong, Official Han?"
Since Prime Minister Xie was using his formal title with his surname, his sons used their names. Besides, they were considered to be of lower accomplishment if they were to be compared to their father.
"The palace is large and I'm afraid that you'll walk to a restricted place. How about if I accompany you?"
If she could be honest, Wei Liuying wanted to reject such offer. But since she was in the palace as a guest and had to play her part, she nodded. "Sure. I'll be giving my thanks first for your help, Official Han."
"It's nothing much."
Xie Han walked to match Wei Liuying slow pace as they walked to the garden. The location of Prime Minister Xie's office was not that far from the main hall. However, it was still quite a considerable distance because they needed to walk for a long time. Besides, carriages and horses couldn't get close to here, so they needed to walk out of the garden.
"Over there is the location for the carriages. Did you come here with carriages, Strategist Liu?"
"No, I ride horse."
Xie Han looked surprised. "Is your wound…"
Wei Liuying smiled. "I'm fine, Official Han. Riding on a horse didn't put much strain on my body, so I'm mostly fine."
"That's good."
Afterwards, the two of them stayed silent and watched each other from the corner of their eyes. It was clear that the two of them were cautious. While Xie Han wished to poach Wei Liuying, he had to be careful to make sure that he would not fall into any kind of trap that Wei Liuying set.
It was a battle for those who mostly work with their brains.
"The garden is big. Do you like to walk around here, Official Han?" Wei Liuying chose to break the silence first. It was a normal question, but she could see that Xie Han looked unprepared.
Did he rarely come here?