The Governor's Edge

The atmosphere of the conversation gradually relaxed and turned pleasant. Governor Sheng even showed a rare smile.

The knot in Cheng Hexin's heart finally loosened. Just as he was considering whether he should step forward and say a few words himself, he suddenly saw an off-road vehicle from the Governor's Residence speeding over from not far away.

Before the vehicle had even come to a complete stop, Ling Huayue, the young chief of staff of the Governor's Residence, leaped out and hurried to the Governor's side.

"Governor, this is a telegram from Long Mountain Commandery sent back by Lei Renjie."

Sheng Huaixuan smiled. "What happened? Don't tell me Lin Wen ran out of money and had Lei Renjie telegram me?"

Ling Huayue shook his head slightly. Beneath the moonlight, his handsome face appeared especially captivating. If not for the perfectly tailored men's formalwear he wore, many would have mistaken him for a peerless beauty.

"It's a civil uprising."

Those few words left his thin, sharp lips, and the atmosphere at once plunged to freezing point.

"A large-scale one."

Sheng Huaixuan's smile vanished. He began to read the telegram carefully, while those around him were so anxious they scratched at their heads and ears, yet none dared make a sound to interrupt the Governor.

Ling Huayue had no intention of explaining anything. He stood there coldly, like a beauty sealed in ice.

Cheng Hexin had always detested this manner of his, but there was nothing he could do about it. Aside from the Governor himself, the three great pillars of the Governor's Residence—Chief of Internal Affairs Mei Xingan, Chief of Staff Ling Huayue, and Provincial Administration Director Nuo Peisi—all stood firmly above him in status.

Whenever the Governor was absent, it was always those three who made the decisions.

Now, two of the three giants were present, standing at the Governor's side like his left and right arms. There was even less room for a mere chief secretary like him to speak.

Cheng Hexin even redirected this resentment toward Lin Wen. He had clearly helped him so much that day—opened up the Governor's special car, slapped that bald bastard in the face, and deliberately brought a full set of masters of ceremonies to support him—yet that fellow still failed to keep the situation under control.

What a useless fool!

Cheng Hexin thought bitterly. The Governor thought so highly of him! He had even gone to such lengths to get him authority over military and civil affairs, and it had ended up being completely useless.

Might as well have sent me.

While his thoughts ran wild, Sheng Huaixuan had already finished reading the telegram. A flicker of a smile broke across his stern face.

"This kid has truly exceeded my expectations."

Ling Huayue nodded. "He is exceptionally calculating, skilled at laying out schemes and manipulating hearts. When it is time to act, he does not hesitate in the slightest—ruthless and decisive. He is a vicious character with a pure face and a black heart. We absolutely cannot be fooled by his seemingly innocent, youthful exterior, or we will die without even a burial ground. I must be on guard against him from now on."

Mei Xingan, who had finished reading the telegram over the Governor's shoulder through the corner of his eye, coughed. "His nerve is beyond imagination. He must have some backing that we do not know about. We need to investigate him carefully. There cannot be any hidden danger around the Governor."

Ling Huayue agreed. "Exactly. Governor, you must beware of him turning against you in the future. This boy is no creature that can remain trapped in a pond."

Cheng Hexin's mouth fell open. He felt as though something inside his skull had cracked apart.

Sheng Huaixuan shook his head with a laugh. Those two were good in every way, except that they were too cautious and too narrow-minded.

Reading through Lin Wen's process of suppressing the unrest once more, Sheng Huaixuan suddenly felt his blood surge.

This was the feeling of youth.

He closed his eyes and carefully imagined the scene at the time. He imagined what he would have done if it had been his younger self standing there.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, radiant with spirit. A vigor unseen for many years rose from the swamp that had long settled at the bottom of his soul, making the Governor at that moment look ten years younger.

He said with a smile, "Don't be like that. I could have done it too. This kid is very good."

He pointed to one item in the telegram. "Other than not knowing how he dug out all those agents, I could have handled everything else as well."

"I... could have handled it too."

Ling Huayue and Mei Xingan exchanged a glance, then suddenly said in unison, "Governor! You are the pillar of East Qin Province! The beacon of the Empire's hope!"

"The tens of thousands in the Governor's Residence behind you all depend on you!"

"The hundreds of thousands of brothers who fought shoulder to shoulder with you all depend on you!"

"The one hundred and ten million people of East Qin Province resting upon your shoulders all depend on you!"

"The new Empire—"

"Enough, enough."

Sheng Huaixuan waved a hand in disappointment, as though trying to drive away the suffocating aura of banality that had surged over him, scattering the telegram papers in the process.

"I know. You don't need to keep reminding me."

That powerful, tenacious, iron-hard countenance returned to Sheng Huaixuan's face. He let out an almost inaudible sigh before changing the subject. "In any case, this is a good thing. An enormously good thing. This is a great victory for us. This kid has given me the greatest surprise. Those jackals, hounds, demons, and monsters at Imperial Headquarters and the Supreme Council have probably burst their lungs with rage by now—if they know."

"The advantage the flood disaster brought them is gone. Now it is our turn."

He pondered for a while, then said, "Once you return, draft a commendation telegram for the disaster relief efforts. Publish this telegram in every newspaper throughout East Qin Province at the same time, but do not mention the name Long Mountain Commandery."

"Contact Victory Province and South Province. Tell them I agree to their terms. But I have one additional demand: conduct a themed publicity campaign titled 'Which Matters More, Procedure or Human Lives?' It must cover every media outlet within their territories and continue for at least one month."

"Notify Lei Renjie. Have him tell Lin Wen that not a single one of the agents and spies they caught is to be released. Keep every last one locked in prison. No matter who comes, it will do no good."

"And tell him that the Governor's Residence will distribute a portion of the disaster-relief funds later. He need not be anxious."

Within an exceedingly short time, Governor Sheng Huaixuan issued countless orders in succession, from consolidating their advantage in victory to launching a counteroffensive and settling accounts. They could almost be called watertight; even Mei Xingan and Ling Huayue could not find the slightest flaw.

That man had returned.

Mei Xingan and Ling Huayue were both gratified, but neither showed it on his face, merely returning to his usual demeanor.

Ling Huayue became once more the cold, beautiful, noble Frost Princess. As he noted down every subordinate, he filled in the details in his mind and had already begun assigning tasks.

Then he suddenly thought of something else and said, "Governor, after Lei Renjie sent the telegram, he also told me that Lin Wen's way of killing was clean and decisive. His control over his muscles and strength had reached the absolute pinnacle—even Lei Renjie himself was slightly inferior. Clearly, that kid is no ordinary martial artist. If we carefully trace his background from here, we should be able to dig up quite a bit of information."

Sheng Huaixuan shook his head. "It's irrelevant. Don't do anything unnecessary."

Ling Huayue lowered his head without speaking, but the look in his eyes showed that he had not given up.

Mei Xingan looked at the final portion of the telegram, then suddenly smiled. After clearing his throat, he said, "Little Sheng, the young master really worships you. He remembers every one of your past glorious deeds perfectly."

Sheng Huaixuan's expression did not change. He merely shook his head slightly. "He's too impetuous, his horizons too narrow. Letting him see how vast this world is and learn a little of the height of heaven and the depth of earth is no bad thing."

Mei Xingan pointed at an additional section attached to the end of the telegram. "Look, they compared the young you to Lin Wen. The young master is defending you with all he's got."

By now, Sheng Huaixuan no longer had any doubts. He glanced over it twice and commented, "They can't be compared like that. This kid is still immature; he only sees the surface."

"Although my official rank was not high back then, the real power in my hands was considerable, and Li Longxing, who was already the Crown Prince, stood behind me."

"But Lin Wen has no backing whatsoever. Other than granting him military governorship authority, I have given him no other substantive support. Yet what he is facing is a battle that should never have belonged to someone at his level—my enemies have turned around and gone after him."

"He even sent Lei Renjie away, presumably to show that he does not want to choose sides so quickly and be drawn into the crushing struggle at the Empire's highest level. Yet his actions have been almost like wading straight through the Empire's minefields."

"One could say that his nerve is enormous—so enormous that even I find it somewhat puzzling. Yet he is not without courage or cunning; he is no mere reckless brute. In that sense, these actions of his are contradictory."

"But."

A rare smile appeared on Sheng Huaixuan's face, carrying even a trace of nostalgia and slyness.

"Isn't that what young people are like?"

Mei Xingan coughed twice and said with a smile, "As expected of Little Sheng. Your mind is far sharper than that of this useless old man."

Sheng Huaixuan smiled, then suddenly recalled something and added a few more instructions.

"Oh, right. Do everything possible to seal off news from Long Mountain Commandery. There absolutely must not be any public reports. Stop any reporters from entering Long Mountain Commandery, and prohibit the spread of any information related to it at the government level."

"Investigate more strictly during this period. Even if we cannot stop all of Yu Zhongxian's spies and agents, at least make things less easy for them."

"And remember to have Lei Renjie tell Lin Wen that he must be careful at a time like this. He must be steady and prudent, must not do anything out of line, and must not be careless enough to make mistakes."

"They have suffered a crushing defeat now, so guard against them leaping over the wall like desperate dogs and launching a last-ditch counterattack. Once I have finished making arrangements and their death hour is at hand, he can let go and act boldly. Then it won't matter."