Ah Jiu did not speak, and thus no one in the study dared to utter a word. The silence was deafening. Outside the door, Hoo Die, who was squatting there, couldn’t help but stand up, pricking up her ears to any sound inside.
"So, where is the letter now? With the Tenth Prince or the Fan Family?" Ah Jiu broke the silence.
Tang Shi exhaled a deep breath and respectfully replied, "According to news from Qian Jiao, it’s not with the Fan Family but in the hands of the Tenth Prince."
Upon hearing this, Ah Jiu smiled.
Should one say the Tenth Prince is clever or foolish?
"Master, why do you smile?" Xiao Li, who was impulsive, couldn’t hold back his curiosity, unlike the reserved Yuan Ye, and blurted out his question.
"The Tenth Prince, Zhao Mingjun, is indeed his father’s own flesh and blood, inheriting his father’s imperial temperament," chuckled Ah Jiu.
If there had been any sincerity in Ah Jiu’s smile, the others might not have doubted his praise, but the derision in his eyes was so blatant that anyone believing him would truly be a fool.
"Master, could you clarify for us?" Xiao Li urged impatiently.
Ah Jiu glanced at him and said, "Zhao Mingjun holding on to those things is to guard against the Fan Family using them as leverage to strike back and control him in the future. Isn’t this precisely in line with an emperor’s paranoia? Holding them himself, he can still control the Fan Family for his own use if he plays his cards right. He wants to make use of the Fan Family but also fears them. This is the craftiness of an emperor. He’s only sixteen this year, isn’t he? And yet, to call him foolish, isn’t this an obvious liability for him to keep? Does he want everyone to know about his misdeeds? Should they be rooted out, Zhao Mingjun’s fate would be easy to imagine."
Xiao Li and the others suddenly understood.
"That’s why I say he is simultaneously clever and foolish," Ah Jiu remarked.
Tang Shi clasped his fists with visible excitement and admiration, saying, "Your Highness speaks the truth. It is exactly such behavior from Zhao Mingjun that has upset Elder Master Fan greatly, otherwise Qian Jiao would not have let slip the information."
Their entire family had bet on Zhao Mingjun, only to be repaid with mistrust, which upset anyone.
Ah Jiu snorted, "Although Fan Qianming is clever, he still lacks a bit compared to his father Fan Shiyuan, that old fox, and is not as reserved. Pass the word down: Qian Jiao just needs to play her part well as their aunt; there’s no need to probe for more information from Fan Qianming, to avoid exposing ourselves."
Nurturing a spy was not easy, and having one close to important figures was even harder. They couldn’t afford to lose such a person who had access to the center of power.
"Master, about this matter, will the Fan Family just swallow their pride?" Xiao Li asked again.
Ah Jiu nodded, "Given the nature of that old fox Fan Shiyuan, I fear he will not only endure it but also do his utmost to dissociate himself from it. That way, should anything unforeseen occur, he can extricate himself."
Xiao Li stuck out his tongue, "If I may say so, master, no matter how crafty the old fox is, he can’t compare to you."
Ah Jiu paid no attention to his flattery and turned to Tang Shi, saying, "You don’t have to return to Cui Li’s side for assignments. Stay here."
Tang Shi acknowledged with a ’yes’ and then added, "Your Highness, shall we pass this news on to the other princes?"
Let them fight amongst themselves while they sit back and reap the benefits.
"For now, don’t release the news. We must get the letter in our hands first," Ah Jiu decreed.
Such a good bargaining chip, of course, was safest in their own hands. What to scheme with it would be a matter for the future.
"In that case, I will send the message to Commander Cui," declared Tang Shi immediately.
"Go," Ah Jiu waved his hand and then looked toward the window, "Come in."
Hoo Die had just taken a sugar cube from the purse, ready to pop it into her mouth when she heard the summons, and her back tingled uncomfortably.