One month after the stormy night at the Gathering Treasures Pavilion.
Outwardly, the Thang Long Imperial Capital had returned to its inherent prosperity and peace. But for those truly standing upon the chessboard of power, the violent undercurrents had never ceased.
The Gathering Treasures Pavilion remained sealed, and Trieu Phuong was continuously summoned for interrogation. Marquis Vinh An, having a crucial financial arm severed, was forced to temporarily pull back his forces. He frantically dispatched men to investigate the identity of "Ve Nhan", yet the results yielded nothing but a blank sheet of paper. A poor scholar from Hoai An, possessing no family background and no backing. The more he investigated, the more paranoid and wary Marquis Vinh An became. He refused to believe that a blank piece of paper could paint a storm of such magnitude.
Meanwhile, the Six Gates, under the command of Tao Chinh, pressed their advantage. Using the pretext of "eradicating heretical demons," he consecutively dismantled the minor strongholds of the Black Dragon Stronghold within the capital. His momentum grew by the day, earning the cheers of the common populace and the praise of the Emperor.
And Strategist Ve Nhan, the very one who had ignited the first spark, completely vanished from the public eye. "Suspended from duty," he spent his days secluded within his manor, reading books and playing chess, interacting with absolutely no one. He resembled a chess piece that had fallen out of favor, a sharp knife that had been sheathed.
No one knew that the knife had not been put away. It was merely being sharpened, awaiting the opportune moment to thrust into another throat.
Within the study of Ve Nhan's manor.
Tran Kien sat before a chessboard. Yet upon the board lay not chess pieces, but small bamboo slips, each inscribed with a name and an official title. This was the intricate web of relationships within the Imperial Court that he had personally mapped out after studying the Black Dragon Stronghold's ledger and the case files of the Six Gates.
Tao Chinh. Duke Dinh Quoc. Marquis Vinh An. And countless other names.
He was playing a game of chess all his own.
He had not wasted the past month. Outwardly "concealed," he had actually utilized his identity as a Strategist of the Six Gates to borrow Tao Chinh's authority, reading through all the classified files he previously could not access. He was gradually grasping every single chess piece, every single connection upon this chessboard of the Imperial Capital.
And he had found his next prey. A big fish hidden very deep.
Vice Minister of Personnel, Vuong Tung.
Outwardly, this was a clean, upright official belonging to no faction, highly respected by scholars. But the Black Dragon Stronghold's ledger recorded that he had once accepted a massive bribe to help a demonic fiend conceal his crimes. And within the network of the Gathering Treasures Pavilion, one of the largest front pawnshops was registered under the name of a distant nephew of his.
An old fox wearing sheep's clothing. A crucial root within Marquis Vinh An's network.
Tran Kien knew that against such a man, brute force could not be used. Openly accusing him without concrete evidence would only result in being bitten back. He needed a trap. A trap that would make this old fox willingly walk right into the snare.
He picked up his brush, drafted a plan, placed it into an envelope, and signaled to Black Crow, who was hidden in the shadows. "Deliver this to Lord Tao."
Early the next morning, in the study of the Six Gates.
After reading Tran Kien's plan, Tao Chinh's falcon eyes narrowed. A long while later, he burst into laughter.
"Excellent! What an excellent stratagem of 'Luring the Snake out of its Hole'! This brat was truly born for the shadows."
He did not hesitate in the slightest. "Proceed according to his words!"
A new play began.
A piece of news was "accidentally" leaked from the Six Gates. The Six Gates had captured a high-ranking subordinate of the Gathering Treasures Pavilion. After being tortured, this man confessed to the entire money-laundering network. And the most crucial piece of evidence was a secret ledger, currently hidden in a secure location.
This news, like a tossed boulder, once again stirred the tranquil lake.
Within the study of the Vice Minister of Personnel.
Vuong Tung, the clean official, could no longer maintain his composure upon hearing the news. His face turned ashen, and the teacup in his hand trembled. He knew that if that ledger truly existed and fell into Tao Chinh's hands, his career and his very life would come to an end.
He dared not inform Marquis Vinh An. If he did, to conceal the secret, the first person the Marquis would eliminate would be him. He could only act on his own.
That night, a black shadow quietly left the manor of the Vice Minister of Personnel, heading toward an old pawnshop in the western district.
The shadow did not know that from the moment he stepped out the door, dozens of eyes belonging to the Shadow Guards of the Six Gates had silently locked onto him, tailing him like phantoms.
And atop the highest roof, a scholar in plain blue robes, holding a book in his hand, stood quietly, looking down at it all. The moonlight illuminated his face, cold as ice.
"The fish has taken the bait," Tran Kien murmured.
He did not follow. He knew that the play below was already being handled by Tao Chinh. His mission was complete.
He raised his head, gazing toward the distant Imperial Palace, its glazed tiles shimmering under the moonlight.
Trinh Lam Vy, he thought inwardly. I wonder how you fare inside?
Two years had passed. The little girl of the past had surely blossomed into a young maiden by now.
He let out a soft sigh. Within his profound eyes, for the first time in a long while, a glimmer of complex emotion flickered. On this chessboard of the Imperial Capital, he was not merely fighting for the legacy, for justice. He was also fighting for a promise.