On the second day, the porridge distribution site was busy as usual, until the shouting started at the far end of the line and a mob came shoving through the tables.
This is the crown prince's second move. Playing the hero, saving the damsel in distress. He wants Chen Mo to render service in front of me to win my trust and favor. What a laughable trick.
When it was over, one of the candidates was still on his feet, bleeding, having stood between the crowd and the cauldrons. So, he is Lin Zikuan.
"You were injured because of my Shu family's affairs. I am truly sorry."
"It is no trouble. Helping the weak is only my duty."
"The finest wound medicine in the manor. Quick, deliver it to this young gentleman." Then I turned to the men who had driven the mob back. "Thank you, brave men, for stepping in to help."
"Seeing injustice on the road, drawing our swords to help is our duty."
Good acting. Too bad it doesn't work on me.
"Ji'er, I see Chen Mo has good martial arts skills and he is upright. He seems like a good candidate, doesn't he?"
"Father, do not just look at his surface. He is the crown prince's man. Everything today was just a show for us."
"What then? What about that Lin Zikuan?"
"That scholar, however, is a promising talent. He is kind-hearted and has moral integrity. He is much better than those fake heroes."
"Miss, there is a gentleman outside requesting an audience. He says he can help you solve today's trouble."
"Oh? What is his name?"
"A sir named Li."
I quickly ran through all the nobles in the capital surnamed Li. Suddenly, a name forgotten by almost everyone leaped into my mind. The seventh prince, Li Xun. The seventh son of the current emperor. His mother was just an unfavored palace maid who passed away early from illness. He had been weak and sickly since childhood, living a secluded life, never participating in any factional struggles. In everyone's eyes, he was an invisible person with no presence at all.
What did he come to find me for?
"Miss Shu, I, Li Xun, take the liberty of visiting. I hope you will forgive my intrusion."
"To what do I owe the honor of the seventh highness's visit? May I ask what advice you have for me? You said you could help me solve my trouble. I'd certainly like to hear how you plan to help me."
He looked frail and harmless, as if a gust of wind could knock him over, but his eyes were like a deep, bottomless ancient well, hiding too many secrets unknown to others.
"Your Highness is joking. My Shu family is merely a merchant household. We can still handle today's little disturbance ourselves. I dare not trouble your noble self."
I didn't immediately accept his gesture of goodwill. In the capital, goodwill never comes without a reason, especially from someone whose surname is Li, a prince of the royal family.
"Miss Shu is a clever person. Then I won't beat around the bush. The crown prince and I have never gotten along. I assume you have heard of this as well."
The struggles between princes were never a secret. It was just his directness that caught me a bit by surprise.
"The crown prince is a narrow-minded man who never forgives a grievance. Today's incident was just an appetizer. Next, he will use endless methods to deal with your Shu family, until he drives you into a corner, forcing you to beg him for mercy of your own accord."
"So, do you mean you can help me, Your Highness? Or rather, do you want to join forces with me to deal with the crown prince together?"
"Talking to clever people saves so much effort. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Miss Shu needs an ally in court to help you block the open attacks and hidden arrows from the crown prince, and I too need a powerful ally to provide me with financial support. We are a match made in heaven."
He spoke so directly, yet I happened to prefer this approach. It was much more practical than those hypocritical pleasantries.
"Why does Your Highness think I would choose you? The princes in the capital who want to deal with the crown prince are not limited to just you. The third prince, the fifth prince, which of them isn't more powerful than you? You have no power and no influence. Your mother passed away early. Every step you take in the palace is difficult. If I stake the Shu family on you, wouldn't that be a disaster?"
"You are entirely correct. Precisely because I have nothing, I need you much more than they do. That is also why I will not be like them and turn around to swallow you whole after securing your support. My third brother has the prime minister's estate behind him, and the Duke of State. But all they need is your Shu family's wealth. What I need is a partner who can stand shoulder to shoulder with me. We are meant to elevate each other, not consume each other. Miss Shu, this is the most stable arrangement."
I have to admit, he sees things more clearly than anyone. He has also positioned himself in the cleverest, most equal stance possible.
"Why should I believe you?"
"The man who led the mob to cause trouble today is called Pockmarked Wang. The person who bribed him is a manager from the crown prince's estate named Lu Chuan. This is that manager's waist tablet. Right now, he is in the ruined temple on the west side of the city. Whether he lives or dies depends entirely on Miss Shu's word."
It hasn't even been half a day, yet he has already managed to bring the man under control. He is like a beast crouching in the shadows, just waiting for the single opportunity to soar to the heavens.
"Excellent methods, Your Highness. I believe in your sincerity. However, I do not want the man. I want you to do something else for me. I want you to take this Lu Chuan, along with all the evidence of him bribing Pockmarked Wang, and quietly deliver them to the estates of the third prince and the fifth prince."
"Miss Shu, you are even more intriguing than I imagined. A pleasure doing business with you."
"A pleasure doing business with you."
I knew that for the storm-tossed vessel of the Shu family, I had found a helmsman hidden beneath the surface, and this treacherous, swirling game of the capital, with my entry, had just become far more unfathomable.
Crown Prince, your opponents are no longer just me.