Tao Chinh's study.
The atmosphere was as heavy as lead. The assassin from the Gathering Treasures Pavilion, upon capture, had been unable to withstand the tortures of the Six Gates and bit off his own tongue, dying without leaving a single word of confession. The fish had been caught, but the fishing line had snapped.
Tao Chinh stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing out the window, his resolute face revealing not a sliver of emotion. Yet Black Crow, standing beside him, could sense a violent tempest silently brewing within his master's heart. For the Gathering Treasures Pavilion to dare dispatch an assassin into the manor of a Six Gates Strategist to silence a witness—this was no longer a probe, but a blatant provocation.
"Your Excellency," Black Crow spoke up. "Trieu Phuong is truly far too arrogant. Perhaps you should let this subordinate..."
"Unnecessary," Tao Chinh shook his head, cutting him off. "One dead assassin is insufficient evidence to convict the Gathering Treasures Pavilion. Striking now will only beat the grass and scare the snake. Marquis Vinh An is waiting for us to walk right into that very trap."
He turned back, looking at Tran Kien, who had remained seated in silence from the beginning, calmly sipping tea.
"Ve Nhan," he asked, his voice deep and resonant. "The fish has escaped, and the angler has been exposed. How do you intend to proceed on this chessboard?"
It was a question, but also a test. Tao Chinh wanted to see how the sharp knife he had just recruited would react upon encountering its first failure.
Tran Kien slowly set his teacup down. He showed no signs of fluster or disappointment. On the contrary, a gleam of absolute confidence shone within his profound eyes.
"Reporting to Your Excellency," he spoke, his tone neither servile nor overbearing. "The fish has not escaped. Nor has the angler been exposed. In this subordinate's eyes, this chessboard has only truly just begun."
"Oh?" Tao Chinh raised an eyebrow, mildly intrigued.
"Trieu Phuong is a cunning old fox," Tran Kien began his analysis, his logic sharp and lucid. "The purpose of dispatching a man here was not merely to kill Ly Sinh. To kill a frail scholar who hasn't the strength to tie a chicken, there is no need to send such a high-level expert. Her true objective was to probe us, to gauge the reaction of the Six Gates."
"And we have shown her the exact reaction she desired to see most: fury and helplessness," Tran Kien continued. "Right now, in Trieu Phuong's eyes, although our Six Gates has set its sights on the Gathering Treasures Pavilion, we lack sufficient evidence and cannot touch them. She will certainly believe we have failed, and will lower her guard."
"This, precisely, is our opportunity," the corners of Tran Kien's mouth curled up faintly. "This is the stratagem of 'Feigning Retreat to Catch the Enemy'. The more helpless we appear, the bolder that fish will become, and it will expose even more of its flaws on its own."
Tao Chinh and Black Crow froze. They hadn't expected a clear failure, through Tran Kien's analysis, to be transformed into a masterful chess move.
"Then what should be our next step?" Tao Chinh asked, his voice now carrying genuine admiration.
"Cast a long line to catch a big fish," Tran Kien replied. He brought out a map of the Imperial Capital. "Although the Gathering Treasures Pavilion is the core, it cannot operate in isolation. It requires sources of goods, places of distribution, and secret smuggling routes. These are the true tentacles of the octopus. Severing the head is difficult, but severing these tentacles is not difficult at all."
He pointed to several locations on the map. A pawnshop in the western district. A smithy on the outskirts. A private dock on the banks of the Red River.
"According to the intelligence Ly Sinh provided earlier, these are three of the Gathering Treasures Pavilion's secret strongholds, dedicated to trading goods of unknown origins," he said. "What we must do now is not confront Trieu Phuong head-on. It is to silently, without a single sound, sever every last one of her tentacles."
"Lord Tao, please dispatch men to covertly investigate these three locations. There is no need to strike immediately. Merely gather sufficient evidence. Simultaneously," he looked at Black Crow, "I must trouble Lord Black Crow to do me a favor. Have your men intentionally spread rumors stating that Strategist Ve Nhan, due to failing the investigation, has been severely reprimanded by Lord Tao and temporarily suspended from his duties."
Another grand play! Not only letting the prey go, but turning himself into a failure to completely disarm the prey's vigilance.
Tao Chinh looked deeply into Tran Kien's eyes. He fell silent for a long while. Then, he suddenly threw his head back and roared with laughter—a booming, exhilarated laugh.
"Excellent! What an excellent stratagem of 'Casting a long line to catch a big fish'! What an excellent stratagem of 'Feigning retreat to catch the enemy'! Ve Nhan, you are truly a gift bestowed upon my Six Gates by the High Heavens!"
He harbored no further doubts. He waved his hand, his voice brimming with authority. "Proceed according to your plan! Black Crow, from this moment onward, all experts of the Shadow Guard are solely at Ve Nhan's disposal! I want to see exactly how long that fish, Trieu Phuong, can continue to struggle!"
"Understood!" Black Crow solemnly accepted the order, his eyes regarding Tran Kien now filled entirely with profound reverence.
The chessboard in the Imperial Capital, following a seemingly concluding failure, had turned to an entirely new page—a page rife with conspiracies and undercurrents far more perilous than before.
The angler had truly begun to cast his line.