Chapter 176: Mastermind

After the clan meeting concluded, a chaotic din dispersed in all directions, like an audience leaving a cinema. However, few could casually return home, eating melon seeds and lightly musing on what had just transpired. Ahead, everyone had more than enough to do.

What everyone feared most were these unprepared situations. There had been extensive predictions and arrangements beforehand, but when the cards were laid bare, the situation's development completely diverged from their preparations, which was rare in past business battles. The combination of several months of fruitless effort and the dismay of dashed expectations created an immense mental burden, making one feel that all efforts were futile. Yet, the problem was that many things still had to be done.

The Second and Third Households had to find ways to suppress the divisive and negative effects of this matter. Those who had previously mocked the First Household now probably had to consider how to reconcile with them. The Old Master, meanwhile, had to busy himself appeasing his two sons, Su Zhongkan and Su Yunfang, and mediating the views among his other old brothers, so that the matter could pass as smoothly as possible.

As for the First Household, they couldn't assume things were settled. Su Tan'er had to seize the opportunity and swiftly consolidate the First Household's position, which had been wavering for the past two months. This involved stabilizing, appeasing, and winning over allies to maximize her own interests.

Additionally, those who had been swayed by Su Zhongkan and Su Yunfang to speak up at the clan meeting needed to be reassured after a certain degree of reprimand and punishment. As Ning Yi had said, these individuals might not lack loyalty; they might simply have lacked confidence in Su Tan'er. These were capable people, and the reprimand shouldn't be too harsh. After this incident, they might even be more resolute than others if similar situations arose in the future.

Beyond those within the family, news of the clan meeting's outcome had, in mere moments, begun to spread piece by piece from the Su family, reaching various commercial powers in Jiangning City who were interested in the Su household's fate. This subsequently created wave after wave of ripples; the stunned expressions of Xue Yan and others at Moon Fragrance Pavilion were likely not unique. Meanwhile, at Changyun Pavilion, when Pu Yangyi received the message from the Su family amidst an argument, he stood in a daze for a long while. He had never imagined that a casually inquired piece of information could bring him such immense shock. He then recounted the series of events that had transpired among the cloth merchants over the past few months to those who were still arguing.

The Pu Yang family was the wealthiest in Jiangning, with significantly deeper foundations than even the Su or Wu families. Skilled in business, Pu Yangyi had previously sought Ning Yi's company on many occasions out of admiration for his talent and learning. In the back-and-forth machinations of Jiangning's cloth industry over the past few months, he had merely been an observer, watching various figures perform. He hadn't held much expectation for Ning Yi's involvement from the beginning, and the subsequent developments didn't surprise him. However, seeing such a talented scholar enter commerce only to fail left him with mixed feelings—a sense of pity, but also a hint of satisfaction. This sentiment was likely akin to: "You're excellent at poetry, and I admire you for it, but in this field, I am far superior. You shouldn't have gotten involved."

Pu Yangyi's prediction for the Su family's situation tonight was no different from anyone else's. Of course, it wasn't a matter of great importance to him, so he hadn't paid it much mind. But when the news arrived, he was truly startled. The certainty held by almost everyone in Jiangning who cared about this matter for several months had, just like that, completely vanished into thin air. That feeling was indeed inexpressible.

Everyone had thought he was an insignificant participant, perhaps not even a participant at all. But at this moment, they realized that this person was, in fact, the center of the incident. For months, he had orchestrated the entire situation, moving the whole chessboard with a single hair, yet no one had noticed...

Those present at Changyun Pavilion didn't have strong feelings about the Su family's affairs; over half of them didn't even know about them. After Chen Lu composed his lyric poem "Ding Feng Bo," Liu Qingdi's face flushed and paled. He then mockingly dismissed it as mere self-consolation, questioning the use of a good poem. He recounted the Su family's situation, which led to another argument between the two sides, until Pu Yangyi interjected, "The Su family has just received a result..."

And then, everyone was truly shocked.

What had initially seemed like a series of unintentional actions had transformed into meticulous step-by-step calculations. The endurance and frustration perceived by others over the past few months now held another layer of meaning. Light as a cloud and modest as a valley, a massive scheme, the most brilliant reversal—it was almost a plotline from a romanticized historical novel. After their initial astonishment, a group of scholars began to exclaim in admiration. As for Liu Qingdi, he was utterly speechless. All his previous criticisms now seemed like a huge joke. Most importantly, Ning Yi wasn't even there at the moment. A poem he had merely written for a nine-year-old child, after being subjected to various attacks, had now become a resounding slap across the face.

The news from the Su family was merely the first wave stirred up in Jiangning that night. No one yet knew how these waves would expand, layer by layer, by tomorrow, or how Xue Yan's comment of "calculating ten steps ahead" would be disseminated. As for Ning Yi, the person at the center of it all, he couldn't have known that someone would take the poem "Ding Feng Bo" that night and turn it into a display of literary talent, or that a group of scholars and literati would be swept into this commotion.

He was currently quite optimistic.

While the Old Master revealing his name at the clan meeting made him feel a little helpless, to say he was genuinely shocked or surprised would be disingenuous. The older the ginger, the spicier it is; Su Yu making such a move was nothing unusual. It was a good, casual move, and if he were in Su Yu's shoes, he would have done the same. If Ning Yi had ambition, this move would make the entire Su family wary of him. If he had no ambition, then no amount of caution from others would matter, and it could also serve as a bargaining chip for Su Tan'er to intimidate others.

And he truly had no ambition to speak of. Of course, his indifference stemmed from the fact that if he ever truly wanted to accomplish something, the Old Master's arrangements would mean little to him. For someone capable of breaking any situation at will, such minor matters were naturally of no concern. The Old Master's consideration for the Su family was reasonable and justified; one couldn't expect unreserved goodwill without reason. As long as the majority of the goodwill was confirmed, that was sufficient.

At this very moment, the ripples continued to spread beyond the Su family. Inside the Su residence, Ning Yi felt there was nothing left for him to do. The three maids all had their own tasks, and Su Tan'er had already left. Ning Yi wasn't privy to her arrangements for the evening. However, he presumed everything was on track; Su Tan'er was hardly inferior to him in handling details, so his intervention was no longer necessary.

After seeing his wife off, he wandered around the Su residence for a while, observing the scattered atmosphere of chaos and the cries of children being punished for upsetting adults. His mind began to drift to his recent chemical research and the Bamboo Grove's plan to open a second branch.

After the telescope was made, he briefly explained its principle, then traded some items with Elder Kang for amusement. With existing military advancements like gunpowder, rockets, and fire lances, he could potentially modify them for self-defense. He also considered that with war looming, telescopes could be somewhat helpful to the Wu Dynasty army, a small contribution towards a peaceful life. Elder Kang was probably still studying them carefully.

As for Bamboo Grove, they planned to open their second branch once the alcohol prohibition was lifted. Current projections suggested the ban would likely be lifted before the New Year. At that time, high-proof spirits could also be introduced, creating some buzz.

More often, he thought of Mount Liang, focusing on telescopes, alcohol, gunpowder, and firearms. The latter two hadn't been developed yet, but improving them based on existing Wu Dynasty technology shouldn't be difficult. However, he was currently considering not telling Elder Kang about these things. The Wu Dynasty's problem wasn't truly about weaponry, but rather the fundamental inadequacy of its army. The Jurchens could defeat a 700,000-strong Liao army with merely 20,000 men, while the Wu Dynasty army would turn tail at the mere mention of Liao forces. Everyone was human; the core issue was morale. Even if the current fire lances were improved to a practical level, whether equipping the army with them would be a blessing or a curse was hard to say.

He simply wanted to experience the sense of accomplishment from improving things. If he could contact Lu Hongti later, it would be better to send a batch of items her way. He just didn't know how long such a process would take. Several months had passed; Lu Hongti should have returned to Mount Liang by now, and he wondered what her situation was like.

Before long, Su Yunsong, who noticed him wandering, came over and conversed with him for a while. Afterward, this influential figure of the Su family's First Household was somewhat stunned to realize that Ning Yi truly wanted nothing to do with the upcoming matters. Having learned about Ning Yi's performance throughout the entire process from his daughter and then realizing this, Su Yunsong looked at his expression, finding it quite peculiar. He had assumed Ning Yi was a "crouching tiger" in the Su family's First Household, someone who, while not directly involved in many affairs, would certainly not be entirely indifferent and would secretly manage many things for Su Tan'er. But now... how could such a person exist?

It was in this atmosphere that an unexpected presence, unforeseen by either Su Tan'er or Ning Yi, quietly set its sights on him, creating an unexpected turn of events for the night.

After finishing his conversation with Su Yunsong, Ning Yi prepared to return to his room to read and organize his knowledge of modern firearms. Before he reached his small courtyard, a house steward rushed over: "Young Master-in-law, Sister Chan'er... she was injured by something over there. Second Young Mistress isn't here, Young Master-in-law, please go quickly and see..."

Hearing this, Ning Yi's expression changed. He followed the steward towards the courtyard the man indicated. This path led to a side gate of the Su residence and was relatively quiet. Just as they neared an intersection leading to the side gate, the steward fell back half a step and pressed a knife against Ning Yi's back: "Young Master-in-law, don't walk too fast. Now, listen to me."

The Wu family has gone mad... Ning Yi frowned. Although he thought it unlikely, it seemed to be the only explanation at the moment. They weren't far from the small courtyard near the side gate where carriages were parked. Ning Yi raised his hands: "Chan'er isn't hurt?"

"We're not exactly sure who Sister Chan'er is, but... if you tell us, Young Master-in-law, we wouldn't mind hurting her a little."

Ning Yi nodded and smiled, "Excellent."

Outside the city, Ten-Pace Slope.

"Why did you have someone assassinate my father?"

After Su Tan'er asked this question, Xi Junyu blinked, stunned for a long moment, as if finding it absurd: "Where... where did you hear such a thing? How is that possible?"

"Admit it," Su Tan'er said, looking at him, then shook her head. "When I came just now, I was thinking, Brother Junyu, you've always been good at reading situations, so I wondered what you would say. When I was young, I learned many things from you, and back then, I thought, Brother Junyu, you would be my lifelong mentor and friend. I am very sad now. Is it because I am a woman that you intend to humiliate me like this? Xi Junyu!" As she spoke the last two sentences, the coldness emanating from Su Tan'er became palpable. She looked at the man opposite her, enunciating almost every word.

"You... the Imperial Merchant affair failed, and the clan meeting ended up like this. I can understand your thoughts, but..." Xi Junyu paused, "Have you lost your mind from losing?"

"You're still thinking about that. Unfortunately, you've calculated everything wrong..." Su Tan'er shook her head. "I'm already in charge of the First Household. Second Uncle and Third Uncle have nothing to say. Everyone will be shocked by the outcome of today's clan meeting. It's a pity you weren't there just now..."

"How is that possible? The entire First Household was already out of options. With so many people, how could you turn things around? Even if the Old Master stood by you and forced you into the position, it wouldn't work... Didn't I try to think of solutions for you? When things fail, you have to accept it, you..." Xi Junyu looked at Su Tan'er, hesitating. For a moment, he actually thought the woman in front of him was behaving abnormally. Compared to her genuinely knowing something, this explanation seemed more plausible. He glanced at Guard Geng, then at the tall, thin man holding a knife nearby.

"The Wu family's cloth faded." Su Tan'er tilted her head, waiting for Xi Junyu to process the meaning of her words. "For several months, everyone has been caught in the scheme. When Father was assassinated, you made people believe someone was targeting the Su family, subtly escalating the conflict. Grandfather worked for a long time before finally calming things down. You did it on purpose, to make the Su family drop their guard during that time. With your abilities, even a slight relaxation would allow you to do many things. You thought you controlled the overall situation from the middle..."

As she spoke, suddenly, there were two clanging sounds from outside—the clash of weapons. Then, voices abruptly erupted.

"They're here!"

"Kill him!"

"Don't let them escape!"

Amidst the chaotic sounds, Xi Junyu looked in that direction. Su Tan'er also tilted her head for a glance. It seemed someone outside was trying to enter, had been discovered, leading to a fierce confrontation and flight.

"Your people?" Su Tan'er asked Xi Junyu. "They actually came to rescue you. Do you believe it now? They also think you can't get lucky anymore."

Xi Junyu turned his head back, remaining silent, his eyes filled with shock. He couldn't understand why things had truly escalated to this point.

"The day Father was assassinated, my husband and I were originally scheduled to go for the porridge distribution; Father wasn't supposed to go. The assassins were arranged there early, and so many narratives were prepared to ruin my Su family's reputation. It couldn't have been that they intended to assassinate me and then changed their minds to kill Father instead. There must have been an insider who knew Father would stop there on his way back. This insider had to be very familiar with the Su family's situation to know everyone's habits, and thus decided to assassinate Father at that precise moment. You were outsmarted by your own cleverness. Such a huge blunder: when we deceived everyone by saying the Su family's yellow cloth was excellent, that insider would have believed it because he would have seen it with his own eyes..."

"Now the Wu family's cloth has faded. They have no recourse whatsoever. It's a crime of deceiving the emperor, so they can only come to the Su family for help. Wu Qilong could only confess... I had thought there was an insider in the Su family, but I never imagined you were the mastermind. What brilliant maneuvering, you must be very pleased with yourself, aren't you? Unfortunately, you were also already caught in a scheme, and this one is bigger than yours..." The sounds of fighting continued from outside, followed abruptly by another shriek. It seemed more than one person was rushing in, but there were also many ambushed near the courtyard. Su Tan'er took out several papers from her bosom: "These are documents signed by Wu Chenghou. I made a copy. Do you want to see them?"

Xi Junyu leaned back in his chair, listening to the fighting outside. He didn't look at the items on the table, his expression complex. After a long moment, he finally looked at Su Tan'er: "A crime of deceiving the emperor..." He knew the power such a situation could wield at this stage, and he could roughly guess what was on the table without looking. He simply shook his head, "This isn't your doing... you haven't reached this level..."

Su Tan'er was silent for a moment, then smiled faintly, her expression gentle, and she replied softly.

"Yes, it wasn't me..."

Su Residence, near the side gate.

Two figures followed the two people ahead, pausing briefly here.

The figures ahead had also stopped. One was dressed as a house steward, and the other, walking in front, had a bandaged left hand and now raised it.

"Old Second has succeeded. Go tell Old Fourth to prepare the carriage, we're leaving immediately."

"Alright... you need to keep an eye on Old Second. Don't let him use too much force. He's just a frail scholar; it would be troublesome if he's killed."

"Understood."

The two figures ahead started walking forward. They also looked around and quickly followed. Soon, Old Second and the scholar turned past the front courtyard gate, where the path was darker. As they reached the gate, there was a thud from ahead, and a figure on the path in front fell to the ground.

"Old Second and his temper..."

One of them cursed under his breath, took two quick steps, and then both stood by the gate.

Under the starlight, the scholar's silhouette was outlined. He stood there, tilting his head to look at the figure lying on the ground. His bandaged left hand waved a few times in the air, and his right hand held the steward's sharp knife. He awkwardly scratched his head. He shifted position, seeming to bend down as if to drag the body on the ground aside. Then he turned his head, saw the two figures by the gate, and stood up.

Six eyes met, full of unspoken emotion...