I'll Reap the Rewards

Chen Ye did not jump to conclusions.

He slowly pressed his palm against the table, his fingers tapping a steady rhythm that made a dull sound.

After a moment, he looked up at Su Guang. "What have you found out?"

Su Guang's face was grave. "Two things. First, Liu Zhao has several new personal guards, including Martial Masters of the Dragon Elephant Realm. Second, the Liu Family bought a carriage frame made of Zhenyue Heavy Wood from the Shuntong Transport Agency and gave it to the Cui Family. When Third Miss Cui goes to Xiangguo Temple, she'll most likely ride in that carriage."

Chen Ye raised an eyebrow. The mention stirred his memories of the Shuntong Transport Agency.

He remembered that carriage vividly.

It was the first carriage he had escorted for the agency. Shen Chongsan had personally taken him along to deliver it.

Built entirely of Zhenyue Heavy Wood, it was extremely heavy and exceptionally sturdy.

Once the doors were shut, they were almost impossible to break through from either side.

The Liu Family Steward had even tested it himself.

"Are you sure Third Miss Cui will ride in that carriage?"

"That's my guess," Su Guang said. "Since the Liu Family gave it to them, they'll do everything they can to make sure she uses it. The Cui Family isn't an iron bucket without a crack. There's always a way to pull a few strings behind the scenes."

When Su Guang finished talking about the carriage, Chen Ye laid the clues side by side in his mind and considered them carefully.

A dozen or so desperadoes from out of town, Liu Zhao going to offer incense on the same day as Third Miss Cui for the first time, and that specially made carriage.

It was all too much of a coincidence.

The private room fell quiet for a while.

Su Guang and Zuo Dongxi knew better than to disturb Chen Ye.

Bursts of noise from the street outside the restaurant squeezed through the gap beneath the door, making the room feel all the more stifling.

"The Liu Family probably doesn't intend to approach Third Miss Cui at Xiangguo Temple. They want to make their move on the road."

Chen Ye's voice was quiet, but his reasoning was exceptionally clear.

Su Guang looked doubtful. "You mean the Liu Family plans to harm Third Miss Cui while she's on her way to offer incense? Have they gone mad? Wouldn't that be the same as openly breaking with the Cui Family?"

Zuo Dongxi frowned too. "More importantly, what would the Liu Family gain by offending the Cui Family?"

Chen Ye said calmly, "Don't forget that the Liu Family's target is Third Miss Cui. If Liu Zhao wants to win her over, he needs an opportunity. Normally, she stays in Capital City, where the Liu Family has no chance to act. This trip is an opportunity that comes once in a thousand years. They're bound to stir up trouble on the road and create the right opening for the two of them."

He gathered his thoughts and continued, "First, those desperadoes wouldn't gather in Capital City for no reason. If the Liu Family had hired them merely to guard their estate, they wouldn't need to sneak into an inn and pay with gold ingots."

"Second, if the plan were to ambush and kill someone or cause trouble inside Xiangguo Temple, they'd want to be as discreet as possible. Instead, those desperadoes are throwing money around at gambling dens without a care. It's almost as if they want to leave traces pointing to bandits from out of town. Add in Liu Zhao's trip to Xiangguo Temple on the same day, and their intentions aren't hard to work out."

Zuo Dongxi cut in. "So what exactly are they planning to do?"

"There aren't enough clues to say exactly how they'll do it. But if I were Liu Zhao, I could do this."

"Hire a band of desperadoes to create danger along the road. Then I'd happen to pass by, step in to save her, and earn Third Miss Cui's favor." Chen Ye's gaze sharpened. "Once it's done, a marriage alliance would follow naturally. Even if the marriage falls through, the Cui Family would owe the Liu Family a favor. The Liu Family wins either way."

"And to leave no loose ends, they could kill every one of those desperadoes during the incident. Three birds with one stone."

Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang exchanged a glance.

When Su Guang looked back at Chen Ye, his eyes were full of disbelief.

In the Feng Family's Dungeon, he had only heard that Chen Ye had used the teacup in his hand to expose the real culprit. He had not seen it for himself.

Now he had.

He had never imagined Chen Ye could deduce so much from so little information.

Zuo Dongxi recovered before Su Guang did.

He had already seen what Chen Ye was capable of in the Dungeon.

Though he was still shaken this time, he managed to keep his composure.

He grinned. "Brother Chen, what's that brain of yours made of? I couldn't have thought of all that if you beat me to death. But then, if you didn't have that brain, Brother Su and I would've died in the Feng Family's Dungeon."

Su Guang wasted no words. He picked up the wine flask and filled Chen Ye's cup. "Brother Chen, what do you want to do next?"

"No rush," Chen Ye said calmly. "I still need to confirm two things. First, have those desperadoes scouted the area, and which route did they scout?"

"Second, how strong are the guards Liu Zhao is taking to Xiangguo Temple? Has he secretly mobilized anyone else?"

"If they've scouted the mountain road the Cui Family will take to Xiangguo Temple, and Liu Zhao has secretly mobilized more men, then it's almost certain. The Liu Family is probably staging a show of its own, just as I said."

Zuo Dongxi thought for a moment. "If we confirm all that, brother, what do you plan to do? Tell the Cui Family directly?"

Chen Ye shook his head. "No. Telling the Cui Family now wouldn't gain us anything. We'd only ruin the Liu Family's plans for no reason and make an enemy of them. The loss wouldn't be worth it."

The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. "I want to bring charcoal in a snowstorm and reap the rewards. I'll use this chance to save Third Miss Cui and gain a foothold with the Cui Family."

With that, Chen Ye raised his wine cup and looked from Zuo Dongxi to Su Guang. "If things unfold as I expect, a fortune vast as the heavens is right in front of us. Will you two take the chance with me?"

Su Guang raised his cup without hesitation. "I've said it before: you saved my life, and I can never repay that debt. Whatever you ask me to do, Brother Chen, I'll do it."

Zuo Dongxi hesitated briefly, then raised his cup too. "I trust you. Let's do it!"

The three raised their cups and drained them.

For the next two days, Chen Ye trained quietly and waited patiently for news.

On the third day, Zuo Dongxi and Su Guang returned with word.

"Brother Chen, you called it. Those desperadoes really have been scouting the mountain road to Xiangguo Temple."

Su Qing nodded too. "I found out that Liu Zhao secretly mobilized a group of capable Liu Family soldiers and stationed them outside the city. They're based along the road from Capital City to Xiangguo Temple."

Chen Ye smiled faintly, a gleam flashing in his eyes. "Gentlemen, to refuse what heaven offers is to invite disaster! Our fortune is coming!"

Zuo Dongxi hesitated. "Brother Chen, we've confirmed that Third Miss Cui is taking a Dragon Elephant expert with her, and the rest of her guards are no pushovers either. The same goes for the Liu Family's men. And then there are those desperadoes... How are we supposed to get involved? The Patrol Horse Gang has plenty of men, but most are ordinary people. Going up against that lot would be little different from sending them to their deaths."

"That's why we need to prepare thoroughly beforehand, so nothing can go wrong," Chen Ye said with a confidence as firm as bamboo.

Zuo Dongxi asked curiously, "How do we prepare?"