In New Zheng City, within Ji Wu Ye's grand general's mansion, the pot-bellied Emerald Tiger, clad in luxurious brocade, remained complacently at ease, utterly oblivious to the fact that Han Fei had already ensnared him in a deadly trap.
Likewise, Ji Wu Ye—having lost his Hundred Birds spies to Han Shen's purge—was equally unaware that Han Fei had rerouted the borrowed grain from Wei.
Mo Ya watched the two men indulging in a raucous night banquet filled with wild singing, a mocking smile flickering at the corner of his mouth before he swiftly concealed it.
"Do you all know the biggest difference between Qin King Ying Zheng and Han Fei?"
In New Zheng City, within the small courtyard, the Daoist trio—along with Hēi Bái Xuán Jiǎn—continued enjoying their Qin Moon-style hot pot, with Hēi Bái Xuán Jiǎn still handling the cooking as usual.
"Han Fei isn't ruthless enough; he doesn't dare kill Han Yu. Otherwise, the entire Korean court would view him as the sole heir, and King An of Han would have no choice but to rely heavily on him," Dong Jun said. Her hands didn't pause, swiftly snatching a piece of mutton from under Xue Nu's chopsticks.
"He lacks a regal aura!" Xue Nu declared, gazing at Dong Jun with resentment, as if thinking, Among all these people, you're the one bold enough to steal my meat?
Li Haimo looked at Xue Nu in some surprise. This was indeed the greatest distinction between Han Fei and Ying Zheng. Ying Zheng held firm control over Qin, yet the state never descended into chaos. He used Lü Buwei to eliminate Cheng Jiao, but only after securing absolute command of the army beforehand. Thus, even after Cheng Jiao's death, the forces under him remained orderly. Later, he eradicated Marquis Changxin Lao Ai's faction, and Qin stayed Qin. After driving out Lü Buwei, Li Si stepped in seamlessly, allowing Qin to continue its steady growth.
As for Han Fei, he toppled the Emerald Tiger, but no one emerged to fill the void. The economy is a nation's lifeline, after all. The Emerald Tiger might seem the least useful among the Night Curtain's Four Fierce Generals, yet he was Korea's economic backbone. It was much like the later Qing Dynasty: Qianlong knew He Shen was massively corrupt but refrained from touching him, because He Shen's fall would plunge the entire Qing bureaucracy into disarray. Instead, he handed the blade to Jiaqing, setting the stage for him to finish the job—leading to the saying, "He Shen falls, Jiaqing feasts."
So, as Xue Nu had put it, Han Fei lacked that regal aura. He couldn't subdue his political foes with sheer kingly presence.
"Well said—here's your reward!" Li Haimo said with a smile, serving her a portion of vegetables.
"Korea is ultimately too small, and without Shangdang County, resisting Qin's military edge alone is nearly impossible. Though greedy, the Emerald Tiger sustained Korea's 100,000 troops with the kingdom's remaining lands. Once he's gone, Korea won't be able to cover military provisions anymore," Hēi Bái Xuán Jiǎn remarked.
He had lived in Wei State Prime Minister Wei Yong's residence for a time, so he understood the enormous expenses required to maintain 100,000 troops. The rift between Wei Yong and Wei's great general had started over provisions—Wei Yong couldn't provide enough, leading the general to suspect deliberate withholding and turning them into bitter enemies. Wei Yong was in a tough spot; the cost of the Wei Wu Zu was exorbitant, yet Wei had to sustain over 10,000 of them. Qin, with Bashu's fertile heartland, could only afford 3,000 Iron Eagle Warriors. The weakened Wei could no longer maintain tens of thousands in Wei Wu Zu phalanxes as it had during its days of hegemony.
"That's why I'm curious—among the Night Curtain's Four Fierce Generals, how many are truly working for Korea? Especially the Blood-Clad Marquis Bai Yifei; he couldn't possibly be unaware that the Emerald Tiger's death would leave Korea in shambles. So why didn't he stop Ji Wu Ye from killing him?" Li Haimo asked with a smile.
"Unless... the Blood-Clad Marquis Bai Yifei is Qin's man!" Dong Jun analyzed.
The conclusion startled even her. If Bai Yifei was aligned with Qin, then all of Han Fei's efforts would be in vain. Though Ji Wu Ye held the title of Korea's grand general, the army was under Bai Yifei's control—and he guarded the border. A defection in the heat of battle would leave Korea utterly defenseless before Qin, like an unguarded earthen fortress.
"So, figuring out whose side Bai Yifei is really on—or which kingdom he serves—is crucial," Li Haimo said.
"I'm actually more curious about where his two swords came from. A hereditary Korean marquis probably couldn't acquire blades like those," Xue Nu commented. She had clashed with Bai Yifei, and Jian Jia had told her his swords were peculiar—neither purely righteous nor evil, unlisted in any sword catalog, and unheard of by anyone.
"Shu Mountain Yu Yuan!" Li Haimo pondered for a moment before replying. Such swords bore too strong a resemblance to Yu Yuan's traits. All the Hundred Schools knew Shu Mountain Yu Yuan had arrived in New Zheng, yet no one could locate them. And Bai Yifei himself excelled in witchcraft, making it likely he was a Yu Yuan guardian.
"What happens to Korea has anything to do with our Daoist school?" Xiao Meng finally interjected.
Li Haimo and the others paused, realizing she had a point—the Daoists had no intention of getting involved in Korean affairs, so Korea's fate didn't concern them much.
"I heard Mo has opened a hot pot restaurant in New Zheng, with enough momentum to rival Zi Lan Xuan," Li Haimo mentioned.
The Daoist manager for New Zheng, Mo, had visited once and caught them eating hot pot. With Li Haimo's approval, he opened a shop in the city's central district. Business exploded, leading to plans for chain branches across the Seven Kingdoms.
"A hot pot restaurant is still just an eatery, unlike Zi Lan Xuan's pleasure venue. A gold-sinking den remains a gold-sinking den," Xue Nu said. As Yan's premier dancer, she knew full well that no matter how popular, a hot pot shop couldn't supplant such a realm of wind and snow.
Li Haimo nodded in agreement. A full hot pot meal might cost one gold at most, while a single cup of wine at Zi Lan Xuan could easily match that.
"The Zhu Family is quite intriguing—he wants a piece of the action too, but knowing Mo is one of ours from the Daoist school, he's proposing a partnership to spread hot pot shops across the Seven Kingdoms together," Li Haimo said with a laugh.
The Shennong Hall Zhu Family truly lived up to its reputation as the Farmers' treasure basin, with an exceptionally keen business eye. They had first established Qian Long Halls across the Seven Kingdoms for bartering rarities, amassing countless treasures for the Farmers—who knew how many. Lord Changping's Three Hundred Poems Swords owed half their success to him.
"So, what's the Zhu Family's real purpose in Korea?" Xiao Meng asked.
One of the Farmers' six hall masters, Shennong Hall's Zhu Family, showing up in New Zheng couldn't be for nothing. Beyond his "thousand faces" moniker, he was known as "no treasure overlooked." That meant New Zheng held something the Farmers coveted deeply, prompting Zhu's personal involvement.
"First, it could be Duke Zhuang of Zheng's secret—the mystery of the bronze box. Second, the Sui Hou Pearl, the Zhou Heavenly Son's sword-casting secrets. Third, Korea itself!" Li Haimo replied. Only these three treasures could capture the Farmers' interest.
"I heard the Farmer traitor, Black Swordsman Sheng Qi, has come to Korea too—could it be for him?" Dong Jun suggested.
"If it were for Sheng Qi, it wouldn't be Shennong Hall's Zhu Family showing up, but perhaps Tian Meng, Tian Hu, and Tian Mi," Hēi Bái Xuán Jiǎn countered. Shennong Hall had the most disciples but the fewest experts, making it ill-suited for confrontations.
"Could there be another possibility—Baiyue?" Xue Nu proposed.
Everyone was fixated on Korea, but it was little more than leftover scraps. If she were Zhu, she wouldn't bother with such a heavily contested prize. Instead, Baiyue's vast opportunity lay right beside it; the Farmers could fully claim it. So Zhu's true target had always been Tian Ze. And during their first encounter with Zhu, his gaze stood out—while everyone else focused on the Blood-Clad Marquis, Zhu's eyes were on Tian Ze.
"Tian Ze is Baiyue's deposed crown prince, and Baiyue is fiercely xenophobic, while the Central Plains has always viewed them as barbarians. Yet Baiyue's power rivals any feudal state; it's just internally fragmented and chaotic. But if Tian Ze gains Farmer support to restore his rule, unify Baiyue, and establish a Baiyue kingdom, then Qin's southern border would face a direct threat," Li Haimo suddenly realized.
Among the Seven Kingdoms, Chu had the largest territory, with Baiyue close behind. If Baiyue unified into a state, its lands would surpass Chu's, becoming the largest nation. The Farmers, as backers of this new kingdom, would reap benefits beyond measure.
"You all are real schemers!"
Dong Jun suddenly felt incredibly naive. Even the Daoists, with their pursuit of detachment from desires, had layers of strategies. The Mohists and Farmers deployed endless tactics. Ghost Valley's Vertical-Horizontal alliance was plotting an entire kingdom. Yet to this day, she had no idea what Eastern Emperor Taiyi and Chu Nangong were scheming.
"Among the Hundred Schools, the most daunting remains the Confucians—even now, we still don't know what they're up to," Xiao Meng said.
She harbored deep resentment toward the Confucians, whose influence was overwhelmingly vast—even Fu Nian and Yan Lu couldn't exert absolute control over them.
"Quicksand is complex too—seemingly united, but each member is far from straightforward. Han Fei, Korea's ninth prince, wants to strengthen his kingdom and aims to claim ninety-nine under heaven. Wei Zhuang's origins are a mystery, and what he learned at Ghost Valley remains unknown. Zi Nu could be from the Hundred Schools or perhaps King An of Han's agent. Zhang Liang represents the Confucian Gongyang faction. Not a single one has a clean, clear background. Han Fei trying to save Korea with such a crew is truly like a fool chasing dreams," Li Haimo remarked. In an organization of four, with three of murky origins—what game were they even playing?
"So we still need to keep a close eye on the Farmers' movements," Xiao Meng reminded.
Now that they'd deduced the Farmers' intentions, they had to consider what they were truly doing and whether it might disrupt the Daoists' arrangements—that was the immediate concern. Previously, no one had noticed, but now the Farmers were stirring the pot to draw the Hundred Schools' attention. Thus, the Daoists needed to take action to redirect everyone's gaze back toward the Seven Kingdoms. As for the Confucians, they could wait until those scholars revealed their hand before dealing with it.
Li Haimo understood what she was thinking—after all, the entire Daoist school was now entangled in the fifth heaven-man Dao decree. Any misstep could deliver a devastating blow to them, which was why he had always avoided appearing in the Seven Kingdoms under his true identity, lest the Hundred Schools connect the Daoist disciples' activities to him.
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