Seeing Jiang Ziqi beaming with the joy of recent successes, Ye Zhao truly didn't want to dampen his spirits. However, considering what Minister Song had told him, he felt it was necessary to give the man a reality check regarding the greatest obstacle he would likely face in his pursuit of a wife.
Interrupting Jiang Ziqi’s endless chatter, Ye Zhao asked, "Jiang Ziqi, do you have any plans for your future?"
"Huh?" Jiang Ziqi looked at him, completely dazed by the sudden question. He thought for a moment before answering, "I’ll probably do as my father wishes and become a minor official." After all, his father’s expectations for him never wavered for a single day.
Ye Zhao’s eyes went dead. *With that kind of attitude, you expect to marry the daughter of a Minister?*
"Can't you show a bit more ambition?" Ye Zhao scolded.
Jiang Ziqi felt this was unfair and shot back, "It’s still more ambitious than being a commoner like you."
Ye Zhao choked. While... technically true, you can't compare yourself to me! "I’m not the one trying to marry a Minister’s daughter."
He only wanted to support his family and live the simple life of an ordinary citizen. Why would he need grand ambitions? Losing his patience, he spoke plainly to Jiang Ziqi. "Do you know what your most difficult hurdle is right now?"
Hearing the previous remark, Jiang Ziqi already had a suspicion. "Minister Li?"
"Exactly!" Seeing that he had finally calmed down, Ye Zhao sighed and relayed everything Minister Song had told him.
And then...
As expected, Jiang Ziqi wilted like a parched leaf. He began pestering Ye Zhao for ideas. Ever since his relationship with Miss Li had progressed, Ye Zhao had become his primary strategist—he was practically one step away from enshrining Ye Zhao as a living Bodhisattva.
Ye Zhao: "..."
Just as he was developing a headache from Jiang Ziqi’s pestering, someone appeared to rescue him.
"Commander Wei?" Ye Zhao called out in confusion as he saw the man push open the door and enter.
Jiang Ziqi instantly cut his voice and movements, sitting up straight and proper.
Wei Feng first noticed the two of them huddled together. His eyes flickered with a moment of doubt, but his pace didn't falter as he walked straight in.
Ye Zhao glanced at the now perfectly behaved Jiang Ziqi, then back at Wei Feng. "Commander Wei, what brings you here?"
Generally speaking, if this man came looking for him, it was for business. Otherwise, he wouldn't spare Ye Zhao a second glance.
Wei Feng’s gaze swept lightly over Jiang Ziqi before he spoke. "The Emperor sent me to deliver a message."
"A message?" Ye Zhao was puzzled. "What message?"
Wei Feng replied expressionlessly, "The Emperor says that Tianshangjing is currently crowded with a mix of people, making it easy for trouble to arise. He wants you to stop running around everywhere."
"Huh?" Ye Zhao was about to ask for clarification when Wei Feng stared him down.
"Have you forgotten whose face you are wearing?"
Ye Zhao felt there was something wrong with that phrasing. What did he mean, *whose* face? This was his own face! Fine, even if it looked exactly like another legendary figure, it was still his own!
"Furthermore, you are carrying *that* item with you."
...
Ye Zhao looked down at the fan at his waist, unable to offer a rebuttal. "Fine, I understand."
"Also..." Wei Feng’s voice paused, and his expression turned more serious as he looked at Ye Zhao. "No matter what rumors or gossip you hear, stay home and ignore them."
"Rumors? What rumors?" Ye Zhao was confused again. He looked at Jiang Ziqi, who had lowered his head in thought.
"Lastly."
Ye Zhao turned back, listening intently. Wei Feng’s expression turned slightly strange before he spat out: "The Emperor wants you to visit the palace in a few days. Fatty Jin misses you."
The Fourth Prince had tried to sneak out of the palace twice already and had been caught both times. From the look of it, his desire to seek revenge on Ye Zhao was very real.
...
"Pfft... Hahaha!" Ye Zhao was silent for a moment before he burst into uncontrollable laughter. He laughed for a while before catching his breath and coughing. "Anything else?"
Wei Feng: "Nothing."
Ye Zhao was just wondering why the man hadn't left yet when, in the next second, Wei Feng grabbed his saber and turned to walk out the door.
Good heavens! He truly was as swift as the wind.
As soon as he left, Jiang Ziqi breathed a sigh of relief. His first words were, "Ye Zhao, you might be in big trouble."
Jiang Ziqi spoke solemnly, his face a mask of gravity.
Ye Zhao didn't understand. "What big trouble could I have?" *Aren't you my biggest trouble?*
Jiang Ziqi exhaled and said seriously, "By my count, the envoys from Xize are almost at Tianshangjing. The leader of the delegation is Xin Muyi."
How strange. Why was everyone telling him this? First Pei Yunting, and now Jiang Ziqi? He wasn't a caveman; he had heard the news that was spreading like wildfire through the streets.
He answered frankly, "I know that!"
"Have you forgotten the past grievances between your father—no, I mean, Lord Tianshu—and him?" Jiang Ziqi corrected himself quickly.
For some reason, Ye Zhao refused to acknowledge his parentage, which left Jiang Ziqi feeling helpless.
*What does that have to do with me?* Ye Zhao was about to say it, but then a realization struck him. "Are you saying the rumors about me being Lord Tianshu’s son have reached Xize?"
His voice rose uncontrollably at the end as a terrifying thought occurred to him.
Jiang Ziqi replied, "Most likely..."
If that were true, then the fact that Xize was sending people to the State of Wei for the first time in over twenty years was almost certainly related to him. Who knew what kind of mess they would stir up? If things went south, he would be dragged right into the center of it!
No wonder the Emperor had specifically sent Wei Feng to warn him. The Emperor must have noticed him running around outside with Jiang Ziqi lately.
How could he have forgotten about this?
Ye Zhao slapped the table and asked urgently, "Where are the envoys now?"
Jiang Ziqi recalled the information from two days ago and calculated. "Probably... they’ll arrive in Tianshangjing in two days."
Ye Zhao organized his thoughts and looked at Jiang Ziqi. "I need to hide at home for the next few days. Don't worry about furthering your relationship with Miss Li for now; I can tell she already likes you. You need to focus on how to pass Minister Li’s test."
He patted Jiang Ziqi’s shoulder and left him with one final word: "I’m leaving."
With that, he bolted.
"Hey?" Jiang Ziqi watched the retreating figure, which was running faster than a rabbit. He lowered his hand, wanting to say that he wasn't finished yet.
He shook his head. Even he could see why the people from Xize were coming; they were clearly coming for Ye Zhao. No matter how much Ye Zhao wanted to hide, he likely wouldn't be able to escape it.
However, Ye Zhao believed that as long as he stayed low enough, nothing would happen to him. Thus, he began his routine of staying indoors. Every day was spent eating, sleeping, and idling away—happy and carefree. Let the world outside be stormy and chaotic; he would remain tucked away like a turtle in its shell.
For the first two days, Mother Ye scolded him for being unmotivated and not going to the teahouse to work.
But once the Xize envoys entered the capital...
Mother Ye: "I’ve already bought enough groceries for the next three days. Is there anything else you want to eat? I’ll go out and buy it now, and then none of us will leave the house for the next few days."
Ye Zhao: "..."
He could hear people outside the walls shouting curses at him. He looked at Mother Ye’s face, which was full of sympathy and maternal love, and said, "Buy another chicken to stew for soup. I want some chicken soup."
"Alright." With that, Mother Ye went out again.
Incidentally, the household lockdown included not just Ye Zhao, but also Father Ye. Recently, when he attended court, his colleagues looked at him with such grief and indignation that it made his skin crawl. Unable to bear it, he had taken a leave of absence to stay home.
Following Mother Ye’s lead, Father Ye uttered the exact same sentiment: "Son, why did you have to be born with this face?"
Of course, Father Ye said this out of sheer frustration.
Ye Zhao also felt his mother was right: This face was a total disaster magnet! For no reason at all, he had to pay for the "debts" the great man had incurred years ago. Now, while he sat at home, curses rained down from all directions.
"Ye Zhao! Lord Tianshu was so formidable, how did he father such a coward like you!"
"Exactly! Back then, when Xize fought their way to our doorstep, Lord Tianshu drove them back! Now, they’ve set up a chess match in Tianshangjing to flaunt their power, and you don't even dare to show your face!"
"Coward! Useless trash!"
"Ye Zhao, come out!"
"Ye Zhao! Get out here!"
"..."
No matter how foul the insults outside became, Ye Zhao acted as if he heard nothing. But as time passed, Mother Ye’s gaze toward him became increasingly pained. What kind of undeserved calamity had her son fallen into?
On the night of the third day, the secret guards had already lost count of how many times they had stopped people from trying to set the house on fire.
When Ye Zhao woke up the next day, he sighed. He hadn't had a good night's sleep for two nights now. Was this ever going to end?
But looking at the current situation, things were indeed not going well.
At Quelou Pavilion, the Xize envoy Xin Muyi had issued a challenge to all of Wei to a chess match. For three consecutive days, everyone from the Wei side who stepped up had been defeated by him. Not a single person had won, and even two of the famous "Three Great Young Lords" of Tianshangjing had lost.
Such a blatant display was a public slap to the face of the State of Wei!
Today, it was the turn of the head of the Three Great Young Lords, Pei Yunting.
Inside a private room at the top of Quelou Pavilion.
"How is the match going?" someone asked.
"They're only halfway through. It’s still impossible to tell who will win or lose..."
"Oh..." the newcomer responded.
Jiang Ziqi was staring intently at the giant display board below. A few seconds after he spoke, he suddenly spun around in shock. "Ye Zhao?!!"
"Shh!" Ye Zhao quickly covered his mouth, signaling him to be quiet. Countless citizens in Tianshangjing were looking for him right now! He had come here under immense pressure.
Jiang Ziqi regained his composure and asked nervously, "Why are you here? Why aren't you hiding at home? What are you doing here?!"
Ye Zhao, who was wrapped up tightly in a disguise, removed his coverings. His face showed signs of exhaustion, and he said with a headache, "It’s too noisy at home. I can't even sleep in peace."
Jiang Ziqi’s thoughts took a strange turn. "So... you came here to sleep?" He was incredulous, unable to believe it.
"Of course not." Ye Zhao was speechless. "I wanted to see if he could finish this chess match today. If this drags on any longer, I won't even be able to go back to my own house."
Jiang Ziqi sighed dejectedly and looked toward the ground floor. "That... might not be easy."
"Xin Muyi truly deserves his reputation as the man who could make a 'First-in-Chess' pact with Lord Tianshu. His skill is likely unmatched in this era, unless..."
Unless Lord Tianshu could be here today. But that was impossible!
Jiang Ziqi lamented, "I’m afraid Master Pei’s situation is looking grim..."
Ye Zhao was slightly surprised. *Is he really that good?*
He carefully peered through the crack in the window at the scene below.
On the Golden Scale Stage, an old man and a young man sat opposite each other. Beside them stood a massive, suspended display board, making it easy for others to follow the game.
He couldn't see what Xin Muyi looked like, only his back. However, from this angle, he could see Pei Yunting’s face clearly. Even from this distance, Ye Zhao could see his expression of intense gravity and concentration.
Ye Zhao thought to himself, *I’m afraid it really might turn out as Jiang Ziqi said...*
Then what was he supposed to do? If even Pei Yunting lost, who else in Wei could step up? Would they have to call for Pei Shian? No, no, he had never heard that the old Chancellor Pei was particularly skilled at chess...
Ye Zhao began calculating for the sake of his future peace and quiet.
***
