CHAPTER 1105: CHAPTER 605: TESTING EACH OTHER (PART 2)

This servant of the Jiang Family, serving for three generations, couldn’t help but say, "Master, this Zhao Douan is quite the arrogant one. Clearly, he’s the one asking for our help, yet he wants you to risk going to the court’s territory. If Ye Xin and that Military Advisor Xu discover this, I’m afraid..."

Jiang Wangsun was now fifty-seven. Though he maintained himself well, his temples had turned gray, and the once handsome face of his youth bore the marks of time.

After memorizing the address on the paper several times, he threw it into the fire basin to burn and said calmly, "Zhao Douan is different from others. Though I haven’t met him in person, observing his way of doing things, it’s clear he’s not easy to deal with. Setting such meeting rules is no surprise. As for going to the court’s territory, I actually feel it’s safer there than meeting here on our side."

After pausing for a moment, Jiang Wangsun instructed, "Go prepare. We set off tonight."

"Yes." The close servant said no more and quietly withdrew.

In winter, darkness falls early.

Soon, the sunset sank below the horizon, and night enveloped Hu Ting.

After dark, Jiang Wangsun openly had dinner at the mansion and then used the excuse of wanting to sleep early to order no one to disturb him.

Returning to the bedroom, he lifted the floor under the wardrobe, revealing a secret passage below.

These days, many large households had secret passages built into their residences to avoid bandits, and Jiang Wangsun chose to live in this house precisely because of this secret passage.

Descending the wooden ladder to the ground, Jiang Wangsun wrapped himself in a pitch-black cloak, covering his entire body, and picked up an oil lamp, proceeding forward.

After an unknown period, he reached the end of the tunnel, climbed a ladder, and pushed open a rice jar lid. This was a woodshed.

Jiang Wangsun pushed open the woodshed door to see that his servant was already waiting outside.

"Master, the carriage is ready outside the courtyard," the servant said.

Unfortunately, the secret passage exit was not within the area controlled by the court, but it was secluded enough. It also avoided the main roads heavily guarded by the rebel army.

From an aerial view, the power boundary lines of the two armies at Hu Ting were not straight but winding and interlocking.

Jiang Wangsun left the courtyard, boarded a low-key donkey cart, and maneuvered through the night with twists and turns, finally reaching a street corner guarded by a secret court sentinel.

In the darkness, Song Jinxi emerged like a ghost, waving for them to follow.

The donkey cart followed Song Jinxi, entering an alleyway, and eventually stopped outside a lantern shop.

"Please, my master is waiting inside," Song Jinxi said in a low voice.

Since entering the court’s territory, Jiang Wangsun’s heart had been tense. He took a couple of deep breaths before lifting the curtain and steadily getting off the cart.

He instructed the servant to wait there.

He glanced at Song Jinxi, whose face was mostly hidden in the night, before stepping toward the secluded lantern shop.

In the night, the few white lanterns hanging under the lantern shop’s sign emitted no light, but through the door, a flickering flame could be faintly seen inside.

As he walked, the snow underfoot made a "creak" sound, particularly crisp. Jiang Wangsun walked a few steps, suddenly stopped, and looked back around, as if assessing the specific location. Alas, the winter night was too dark, with no moonlight tonight, and only a few stars in the sky cast scant light, barely illuminating the surroundings.

Thinking of treading in the half of Hu Ting occupied by the court, Jiang Wangsun looked into the darkness, feeling as though countless ambushes lay hidden.

Taking a deep breath.

Jiang Wangsun cleared his mind, pushed the door, and entered the lantern shop.

"Squeak..."

The door opened, and he lifted the heavy wind-curtain to see the shop’s interior.

The lantern shop seemed to have been closed for a long time. The shop was not large, almost entirely visible at a glance.

Inside, the walls around the room had white lanterns either hanging or piled up in corners.

And in the middle of the room, on a broad square table, a dim oil lamp was burning solitarily.

A young man in elegant attire quietly sits on the bench by the table, seriously crafting lanterns.

A lantern like a bean.

The young man faces the door with a focused expression, holding a bamboo lantern frame in one hand, while the other hand covers it with white lantern paper. He takes paste from a nearby ceramic bowl and evenly applies it to the paper, sticking it strip by strip onto the lantern frame.

Even upon hearing the door open, he doesn’t look up.

"Mr. Jiang, please have a seat, I’ll be with you shortly," the young man says softly without raising his head, his tone calm and unhurried, as if this night is not a secret meeting but a host welcoming a neighborhood visit.

Jiang Wangsun feels an absurd notion but doesn’t dare underestimate this famous young man.

He steps forward, gradually lifting the cloak over his head, revealing a head with a mix of black and white hair.

Walking forward, he sits on the bench opposite the young man, using the candlelight to carefully examine his counterpart.

Upon the first look, he can’t help but exclaim, "I’ve long heard of Commander Zhao’s distinguished appearance; today I’ve seen the truth of it, affirming the rumors are true. Compared to my younger days, it’s not much different."

"..." Zhao Douan’s hands, busy with crafting the lantern, pause slightly and then resume with familiarity.

Continuing at a leisurely pace, he finishes crafting the lantern, then places it on the ground and looks up at the boastful old man.

He carefully scrutinizes Jiang Wangsun’s weathered visage and muses, "Mr. Jiang is humorous; I, however, am not."

Such conversation unexpectedly opens their secret meeting.

Jiang Wangsun laughs heartily, seemingly unaware of the sardonic remark, and reflects, "I didn’t expect Commander Zhao to choose this place for the meeting. Despite being on the verge of war, he still takes pleasure in crafting lanterns—an artisan’s coarse task. It seems the commander must be very confident in this war."

Is it a test already? Zhao Douan smiles, knowing that while he doesn’t consider himself as adept as Xue Shence on the battlefield, dealing with these seasoned figures is his forte.

He shakes his head, returning with a serious expression, "Mr. Jiang is mistaken. Crafting lanterns is not coarse. Tell me, in whose household are lanterns not essential? To me, lanterns are more significant than humans. At least a lantern brightens the surroundings, revealing everything plainly, while human hearts remain in darkness, unseen and unknowable. Take, for instance, Prince Jing, who likely never imagined that his trusted ’subjects’ may harbor alternate intentions."

Jiang Wangsun’s expression subtly changes, indiscernible in the dim candlelight.

After a pause, Zhao Douan continues with a chuckle, "Of course, I craft the lanterns for a grand purpose later."

"Oh? May I ask what purpose?" Jiang Wangsun inquires curiously.

Zhao Douan seriously regards him and slowly replies, "If Prince Jing dies, won’t there be many white lanterns needed for mourning?"

A quietness envelops the room.

Only the sound of the two’s breathing can be heard, eerily silent.

Jiang Wangsun’s facial wrinkles twitch, perhaps indicating a smile, but perhaps not: "Previously, I heard that the commander marched to the battlefield with a coffin. Earlier, at the Golden Throne Hall, he publicly declared a military directive... knowing well he is so assured, I am curious about the source of the commander’s confidence. As far as I know, after the peace talks failed, the court’s troop deployment is tight, even the imperial guard guarding the Capital’s Inner City seems to have been dispatched to Xiping... Given such hearsay, one might think Her Majesty is going to lead personally in the expedition."

Another probe, again.

One must admit, Zhao Douan’s consecutive victories are nothing short of miraculous, creating significant ripples within the rebel army.

Since the peace talks, Zhao Douan’s constant showcasing—be it the military directive, or using White Stone Bridge to relay messages to the rebel army, and later marching with a coffin, or crafting lanterns now—keeps manifesting his confidence in victory.

It seems the downfall of Prince Jing is inevitable.

Jiang Wangsun is intensely curious about the young man’s source of confidence.

Zhao Douan smiles, ignoring the topic about the Empress’s troop maneuvering, instead, he displays a mysterious smile: "Mr. Jiang’s words might be overstepping. Since I could take down Xu Jingtang in mere months, naturally, I can eliminate Prince Jing. As for my confidence and tactics, well, should Mr. Jiang fully pledge allegiance to the court, then he might have the privilege of knowing them. Does it sound right or not?"

Jiang Wangsun chuckles and replies, "The commander’s words make sense. But I ponder, if the commander’s confidence might still be lacking."

"Oh?" Zhao Douan replies with a laugh, "Does Mr. Jiang think I’m bluffing?"

Jiang Wangsun smiles faintly, reflecting, "Naturally, I trust the commander, otherwise I wouldn’t have come here tonight, only... if the commander truly has such confidence, wouldn’t there be no need to meet this old man... right?"