Ploys and Intriques 1

"Oh? It looks like we aren't likely to see Sanlang for a good while then," the white-robed man sighed, and patted Du Yan on the shoulder as he did so. His next words, however, were clearly directed at Qin Feng.

"You should be careful, when you are meeting the Duke too. He has a tendency to be rather strict towards Sanlang. If it hadn't been for the fact that we were childhood friends, the old man would have scared the two of us away already!"

What was that? Was the old man deliberately making things difficult for Li Changhai's friends and companions? Didn't that mean that it was likely that he would do things that looked as if he was driving them away? That was exactly the sort of excuse that Qin Feng was hoping for!

"Bah! You are just making things too convoluted for the young fellow here! Don't listen to Liushui, you hear! He just likes to over-complicate things. The Duke just wants to make sure that there aren't any problems between the brothers, you see?"

"The brothers? You mean, Li Changhai and his older brother? The Duke's heir?"

Du Yan laughed, while Lin Liushui shook his head with a tsking sound. But it was the former who pointed a finger at Qin Feng, and nodded as he did so. "You are quick, I'll give you that! Well, he is just making sure that there's no conflict within the family, no doubt. So that the two brothers don't end up fighting over the Ducal Seat."

"'Conflict within the family'? What do you mean? Have they been contesting for the Ducal Seat before?"

This time, Du Yan shook his head at Qin Feng while Lin Liushui chuckled and replied:

"No, no, no. Sanlang could not be bothered with that. Not when he looks up to his older brother like a veritable demigod. But it does lead to problems here and there. Like the Duke scrutinizing all the people that Sanlang brings back. Which has ended up with the Elder Prince having about eight to ten times more guests than Sanlang does!"

"Oh!"

"Oh, you needn't worry about it! Li Changkong isn't making problems for his younger brother either. The two of them are only competing when it comes to military achievements right now. That is only to be expected, and the Duke has a good number of experts scrutinizing their actions in the field."

"Then ..."

Du Yan grinned and pointed at some place that Qin Feng took to be across the estate, at what looked like man-made Lake in the distance. There were a few buildings across that way, but they lay on a rather isolated stretch. Perhaps a place where the womenfolk were housed, he thought. As it turned out, he wasn't too far off:

"The Duke's daughter didn't like the idea of having a stepmother, you see? So she has been doing her best to put her stepbrother, that's Li Changhai, down whenever she can. The Second Prince's mother knows this, and has taken steps. So we are now in the middle of a great many plots and schemes.

"And they will doubtless attempt to draw you into the same, soon enough!"

Lin Liushui gave out a bit of a laugh when he heard that. "Come now! There is no need to worry him about those sort of schemes. Instead, we should be telling him about the sort of reception that he is likely to get, from those who are already sworn to her side, and are blatantly supporting the Elder Ducal Prince."

He continued, as he turned his smile on Qin Feng, and paused long enough to take a sip of the wine in front of him, before he continued:

"You have arrived here with the Second Prince, so it should be obvious to everyone that you are already tied to him, in one way or another. At the moment, I do no doubt that there are at least two or three teams out there, searching for every speck of information that can be found on you and your allegiances.

"As well as digging up every piece of information that they can find on your placing in the Heaven Sword School. You might have left the place, but it should have records of your accomplishments."

Qin Feng laughed. Heaven Sword School? Those spies could do what they liked there! All of his time there had been spent hiding his true talent away. The only incident that he was worried about, the one that had witnesses, was his defense of the Marquis' Camp! That was the only time that he dragged out everything that he knew about the martial arts.

But Li Changhai was present, and so was his maternal grandmother. So it was unlikely that they would have missed anything already!

But Lin Liushui was still going on. "They will dig out everything. You can be sure about that. Doubtless, all those soldiers that had arrived with you and His Highness, will be interviewed as well. And there will surely be a number of tests, to check if your abilities match up with the stories."

Du Yan gave out a snort at that. But Lin Liushui ignored the brawny fellow and went on as though he had not interrupted at all. "The mere fact that you have come from the South, and with a recommendation from Lady Xie Nianxue, the current Duchess' mother, should be enough to tip the scales over in favor of Sanlang, in the whole scheme of things. At least, that is how the Ducal Princess shall see it. So you should be prepared to meet with a few obstacles from her side," the white-robed man warned.

Which was enough to make Qin Feng give out another chuckle. He had never cared for this sort of games. And he was only making use of Li Changhai, wasn't he? To get out of the Marquis' domain and to get further North? If this half-sister of his was going make trouble for him ...

"I wouldn't be too bothered about this. She isn't likely to make a move until she has a better idea of what is going on. And that will depend on the Duke. You'll be meeting with him first, before anything else."

Du Yan may be tipsy but Qin Feng had to admit that his advice was sound. Besides, he did have that last move of his, didn't he? If they pressed him as these two men had warned, he would be more than happy to just pat his buttocks and leave the place. After all, he doubted that they could do much to him, so long as he kept away from any conflict against the Northern Duchy.

But of course, all of that depended on his meeting with the Duke, and the outcome of the same. If he could fix things there so that he could push the whole of the blame on someone else ...

Well, it would be a simple thing for him to leave the Ducal Palace then, wouldn't it?

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