Prince Qi's Residence
Prince Qi stood atop the high steps, looking down at the kneeling man as though he were already dead.
Under that icy gaze, the kneeling man instinctively trembled. He could no longer tell whether it was the cold weather or a premonition of impending disaster that chilled him.
"...Th-that is what happened, Your Highness. Your servant only wanted to ease your burdens. If the people from the Dai Marquis Residence hadn't been so cunning and actually sought out those thugs' clans, my plan would have succeeded!"
As he listened to the man's continued excuses, Prince Qi's expression remained icy, and even his voice seemed cold enough to freeze solid.
"Heh." He sneered. "It was bad enough that you did this behind my back. But after failing, you still have the gall to report it to me?"
Although Prince Qi had always resented his subordinates acting on their own initiative, he would have rewarded them if they had succeeded. Since their target was Su Ziji, the newly appointed Marquis of Dai, he might even have been delighted.
Presumably, this man, who had served him for quite some time, had thought the same. He had read his master's mind thoroughly.
But the scheme had failed!
A dilemma in which neither choice could satisfy both sides had been broken open by an unconventional move. The other side had not even acted directly, instead having the thugs' clans discipline their own members. That single move had smashed the scheme to pieces, making it impossible to continue.
Although outsiders did not know that people from his residence had recruited those thugs, Prince Qi's Residence and the Dai Marquis Residence had already held literary gatherings at the same time. Even if he had not been responsible for this affair, others would probably assume