Arrangements

"Uncle Yan, this...?"

Although Duàn Yì had also been dissatisfied that Yan Yunxiao had schemed against him, Yan Yunxiao had, after all, shown him no small measure of kindness.

He had handed over a peerless sword art like Thirteen Fatal Sword Strikes without hesitation. That was a tremendous debt of gratitude.

Of course, an even closer tie was Guō Qíng.

Duàn Yì was effectively Yan Yunxiao's son-in-law. If anything happened to his father-in-law, Guō Qíng would surely be heartbroken, and he himself would feel miserable as well.

Yan Yunxiao shot Duàn Yì a glare, then paced back and forth on the spot twice before continuing,

"Don't speak yet. Keep listening.

"The struggle between Xia Hong and the Crown Prince was far more intense than you imagined.

"It would not be an exaggeration to call it a fight to the death.

"Since no one is around today, I'll let you in on something. Do you know how many years ago both sides began laying the groundwork for today's conflict?"

Duàn Yì was speechless. Before meeting Xia Hong, he had never had the slightest connection with the imperial family. How could he possibly know such secrets?

But it certainly could not have been merely a year or two. It was like war—the more thoroughly one prepared before battle, the greater the odds of victory. Both sides must have made ample preparations.

Seeing Duàn Yì's bewildered expression, Yan Yunxiao sighed.

"At least fifteen years. Before I left Qing'er, both sides had already begun making arrangements and plotting against one another.

"You placed men; I drove stakes into the ground. In truth, I was a chess piece the Emperor planted beside Xia Hong."

As he spoke of this, Yan Yunxiao's gaze grew distant, and his tone turned wistful. Clearly, even he did not know