Western Xia Won't Take the Blame

Great Xiangguo Temple was where Xu Yue had "run into" Huang Shang.

Later, after Xu Yue bought the painting, Chen Sheng caught up with her. After a few moves, he was frozen stiff from head to toe and collapsed.

But Xu Yue had held back. Reincarnators generally didn't kill people on a whim, unless they were utterly evil.

There was even less reason to do that here. Teaching him a lesson and making him seriously ill was enough.

But Chen Sheng died later.

At the time, Xu Yue and Xu Feng had been focused entirely on Huang Shang and hadn't investigated. It wasn't until recently that they went to confirm the cause of his death.

Chen Sheng had drowned.

Someone had pushed him into the Golden Water River, where he drowned.

Clearly, his killer had been watching from the shadows all along.

The Chen family had once been involved in the underworld, and still had a bandit's temperament. Now that one of their promising children was dead, they were bound to seek revenge.

This was using someone else to kill for you.

Xu Feng had already suspected Cai Jing, and now the other party had mentioned Great Xiangguo Temple. That was further proof.

Xu Feng immediately sent a message to Xu Yue, but her voice on the other end was calm. "Leave Cai Jing alone for now. He still has his uses."

Reincarnators didn't need so-called evidence to act. If it were up to Xu Feng, he would have snapped the neck of Cai Jing, that future treacherous minister, long ago. But Xu Yue clearly had other ideas.

"Cai Jing is just a nobody right now. Killing him wouldn't mean much. Han Zhongyan let this bunch of reckless scholars spread rumors and slander people, so let him get a taste of his own medicine!"

Xu Feng nodded excitedly. "Right, let's go straight after the Han Clan!"

This wasn't just a matter of wounded pride. The two had long-term plans.

It wasn't only about this imperial examination, but also the promotions that would follow, and even the reforms that would come before long.

For Great Song to rise to greatness, two things were essential: first, a commitment to war; second, reform.

Han Qi happened to be an obstacle to both.

As remnants of the old aristocracy, the Xiangzhou Han Clan were the greatest opponents of all.

If they could bring down the Xiangzhou Han Clan, it would deal a heavy blow to the entrenched classes.

Of course, that would be difficult.

Han Qi wielded power throughout the court and had helped support the next emperor. Relying on Huang Shang alone, it would be nearly impossible.

That was why the Reincarnators were the key players throughout this whole process.

As always, only by creating conflict could Reincarnators truly show what they could do.

Xu Yue continued, "Stop waiting outside the Han residence. Come to the East Gate of the Imperial City."

Xu Feng asked, "What happened?"

"Western Xia has been blamed for long enough. Now it's finally living up to its reputation!"

"These past few days, experts from Western Xia Yipintang have been entering Kaifeng in groups, and many Western Xia spies have also been activated. They're planning something big."

Perched in a tree outside the imperial palace, Xu Yue pointed toward Qingning Palace. "Emperor Renzong is dying, and Emperor Yingzong will take the throne. He's very likely Western Xia's target."

Xu Yue knew quite a bit about history. Although she couldn't remember the exact years the emperors had lived and died, she knew that Emperor Renzong of Song had died the year after Bao Zheng.

The Liao Kingdom was one thing; it didn't want Emperor Renzong to die and spark another war. Western Xia was different.

After Li Yuanhao's death, Western Xia's military strength had never returned to its peak. It had won some border clashes and lost others, and defeating Great Song on the main battlefield would be extremely difficult.

But Li Yuanhao's son was still ambitious, hoping to ride his horses across the Central Plains. At the very least, he wanted to seize vast stretches of fertile land like the Liao Kingdom had, so he could live without want.

Xu Feng understood. "Emperor Renzong has no sons. If anything happens to the crown prince, Great Song will fall into chaos. If Western Xia invades then, it'll have a much better chance of breaking through. Sis, do you think the enemy Reincarnators are behind this?"

Xu Yue nodded. "Almost certainly!"

Reincarnators weren't good at commanding armies, but they excelled at targeted assassinations.

Assassinating the crown prince of a nation and changing the course of history could earn them huge rewards and win them great merit in Western Xia's camp. It would also let them make better use of the forces of the story, so naturally some would be eager to do it.

Xu Yue was about to say something when she suddenly looked behind her.

Two figures, one black and one white, drifted over. Wu Que and Nightingale had arrived in the tree as well.

Wu Que's white robes fluttered, while Nightingale had once again draped herself in a black cloak.

Wu Que got straight to the point. "With Western Xia invading this time, we can form an alliance."

Xu Yue narrowed her eyes. Xu Feng clenched his fists. "In your dreams!"

Wu Que didn't take offense. "Each of us has our own specialty. When it comes to finding spies, Nightingale's bottle of Truth Serum works better than any interrogation. That's the first reason."

He opened his folding fan and fanned himself in the middle of winter, sending a chill through the air. "Second, Queen, haven't you ever wondered why our little conflict followed us into this world?"

Xu Feng's expression changed, while Xu Yue nodded in understanding. "So it really was a planned pursuit across worlds?"

She had suspected as much before.

After all, was it worth it for Wu Que and Nightingale to pay such a high price to come to Kaifeng and set a trap?

Reincarnators always considered cost and benefit.

Without a doubt, the trap set by Wu Que, Nightingale, and Tu Xingsun had cost them far more time and resources than they could expect to gain in return.

They could have used that time to deal with the forces of the story and earned far greater rewards.

Still, sometimes it was hard to say. After all, old enemies were bound to cross paths, and they had a history.

If everyone acted rationally in every situation, the world would have far fewer disputes.

Now Wu Que laid his cards on the table. "Tu Xingsun and I were only the first wave sent to deal with you. Killing you would've been ideal, but if we couldn't, forcing you to reveal your trump card would've been good enough. There's a second wave coming after us."

Xu Yue immediately understood. "So Western Xia's assassination attempt on the crown prince is a feint. We're the real target?"

Wu Que smiled. "Now do you understand how valuable this information is? This is the sincerity I'm offering in our partnership!"

Xu Yue responded with a cold laugh, unmoved. "You're doing this for Huang Shang, aren't you? Once Huang Shang becomes the top scorer and his name resounds across the land, the other Reincarnators will take notice. Their methods will probably be even more formidable. You're afraid you won't be able to beat them to him, so you want to ally with us!"

The two traded threats, meeting each other's gaze. Both wore faint smiles, looking utterly confident.

Only they knew what they were really thinking.

In the end, Xu Yue was the first to take a step back. "Our two sides have contributed the most to Huang Shang's achievements so far. We shouldn't let outsiders reap what we've sown. Let's deal with our opponents from Western Xia and the Liao Kingdom first, then compete among ourselves. What do you say?"

Wu Que smiled too and folded his fan. "Together, we both benefit; divided, we both suffer. A wise choice."

In that brief exchange, all the effort Xu Yue and Xu Feng had put into the Capital had effectively ended up serving Wu Que and Nightingale.

The deal was worth it.

Xu Feng realized that and turned red with anger. Xu Yue's chest rose and fell once as well. She silently told herself to calm down, then asked, "Do you have any specific information about the Reincarnators from Western Xia?"

Wu Que shook his head. "No, but our mission cost a thousand Reincarnation Points. Theirs cost fifteen hundred."

That proved the second group posed a greater threat.

Xu Yue understood.

She had looked down on Wu Que before and intended to use him. Now she regarded him seriously and held out her hand. "A successful partnership—for Huang Shang!"

Wu Que shook her hand. "A successful partnership—for Huang Shang!"

The tenth day of the second month.

The second round of the imperial examination.

The Departmental Examination had arrived.