TGCFNM -Chapter 354 A Letter from Prince Rui’s Residence

The next day.

At noon, Steward Liu received a letter. After glancing at the signature, his expression turned grave. He immediately instructed the servants to guard the main gate carefully, then hurried off to the back garden to find Chu Ling.

Chu Ling was in the middle of learning how to play pai gow when she saw Steward Liu rushing over. She stood up at once and asked nervously, “Did something happen?”

Steward Liu handed over the letter. “My lord, look at the signature.”

Chu Ling quickly took it—then froze on the spot.

“I can’t make sense of this seal.”

Steward Liu: “…My lord, that is Prince Rui’s seal. And the person who delivered the letter came in a carriage from Prince Rui’s residence.”

Chu Ling was startled. “He delivered it so openly?”

Steward Liu nodded, his expression somewhat unpleasant. “And he even announced clearly outside that it was a letter sent by Prince Rui. After saying that, he left.”

Chu Ling sighed with a headache coming on as she opened the letter. She skimmed through it at a glance, then handed it to Wan Sanjin.

After reading it, Wan Sanjin pressed his lips tightly together and passed it to Su He.

Su He’s perpetually deadpan face twitched slightly. He handed the letter back to Steward Liu. “So Prince Rui did this on purpose?”

“Most likely he saw that we’d set Mei Gao up, so he sent this letter to clarify that the matter wasn’t directed by Mei Gao—we were the ones who intervened,” Chu Ling said, picking up a pai gow tile. She grumbled inwardly: This Prince Rui is quite petty.

Steward Liu gave a helpless smile. “Prince Rui didn’t actually say anything wrong in his letter. Magistrate Mei was indeed brought along just to witness an autopsy.”

“Isn’t that a great way to build up Prince Rui’s prestige?” Chu Ling asked, puzzled.

Steward Liu hesitated before choosing his words carefully. “My lord, doesn’t this also count as pushing Prince Rui to the front whenever something goes wrong?”

“The bigger the official, the heavier the sky he holds up. He’s a prince—who else should bear it?” Chu Ling said matter-of-factly.

Steward Liu found himself unable to refute that. Because, honestly, it made sense.

Wan Sanjin didn’t look worried at all. “Anyway, Si Yuangang killed someone and has been thrown into prison. Si Yuanqi lost his position as Deputy Commander. Magistrate Mei kept his post. Isn’t that a win-win ending?”

“But now the matter has turned into us being the masterminds, with Mei Gao only a part of it. So the Si family has their eyes on us,” Chu Ling said. Though her words were serious, her face showed complete indifference.

Steward Liu’s expression grew more solemn. Just as he was about to suggest finding a solution, he heard his young master burst into laughter.

“What’s the big deal? Back in Dongle City, didn’t my lord offend practically every household anyway? Besides, we’re already in the capital now. Using a shortsighted Si family as an example isn’t unusual, is it? What, are they going to storm over in a mob waving weapons? Of course not!” Wan Sanjin sat back down, lined up the pai gow tiles again, and even dragged Su He over to ask how to win.

Listening to Wan Sanjin, Chu Ling found the logic sound. Reassured, she relaxed and joined the game.

Steward Liu stood rooted to the spot, with only three words echoing in his mind: That’s it? That’s it? That’s it?

The Ghost Scholar somehow understood Steward Liu’s feelings. But now that he was a ghost, he couldn’t offer comfort. He could only sigh softly and say, “I’m afraid I can’t be of much help.”

After watching them seriously playing pai gow, Steward Liu had no choice but to tuck the letter back into his robe and turn to leave.

The Ghost Scholar curled his lips into a smile. “He’s probably gone to seek help from Hong Shiyuan.”

Chu Ling’s hand paused. She lightly tapped the domino tile and asked, “Now that the Si family has their eyes on us, they’ll definitely trip us up in the future. How about we strike first?”

Su He’s hand stopped as well. “Poison their entire household? Should it be lethal poison, or just enough to leave them half-dead?”

Wan Sanjin shook his head. “No. This is the capital—we can’t possibly poison them without a sound… But if Lord Mei were willing to lend us some men, and the city patrol just happened to look the other way, then we’d have a good chance.”

“So are we still playing dominoes? Or should we go prepare the poison?” Su He said, already about to stand.

Chu Ling pulled him back down. “Not yet. We don’t fully understand how powerful the Si family is in the capital. And besides… Prince Rui sent that letter for two reasons. First, to make it clear that we were responsible. Second, in a way, to protect us—since he didn’t punish us.”

“When the Si family failed to plead their case and realized we belong to Prince Rui’s faction, they likely won’t act rashly for now. So we need to make good use of this time.”

Su He looked at her. “My lord, how do you plan to use it?”

Chu Ling revealed a sly smile. “Isn’t Steward Liu bound to ask Uncle Hong for help? When Uncle Hong comes to us, we’ll ask him for all the information on the great clans. We need to know both ourselves and our enemy before deciding our next move.”

Ghost Scholar spoke softly, “It’s difficult to topple the Si family right now. But restraining them? That might be possible. The Four Great Clans appear to compete with one another, yet in truth they share the same interests and fear losing their status. So we can’t rely on one clan to deal with another.”

Bai Su said confidently, “I know what to do. I’ve encountered this kind of situation when people gang up on me in fights.”

Chu Ling propped her chin on her hand and looked at Bai Su.

Bai Su said proudly, “When facing a united group like that, you start by breaking them apart from within—make them suspect one another. Once distrust creeps into a partnership, cracks form in their relationships that can never be repaired. And when that happens, you can defeat them one by one.”

Chu Ling’s eyes lit up. She understood.

In order to maintain the balance of the Four Great Clans and unite at crucial moments to resist imperial authority, they must have intermarriages and business alliances.

That was the breakthrough point.

Chu Ling flipped the domino tiles before her, her voice lowering. “Sigh. Although there are a few capable young heirs among the clans, the existence of these clans is itself the problem. Breaking their status might actually give those younger generations a chance. Otherwise, who knows when they might be implicated and dragged down with the rest.”

Wan Sanjin blinked and looked up. “So… we’re going to fleece the clans out of their money next?”

Chu Ling’s eyes brightened. “Starting with their businesses is also an option.”

“So, are we poisoning them or not?” Su He asked.

“Not for now. We’ll wait until we find the right opportunity,” Chu Ling replied.

Su He nodded. “Then I’ll prepare some in my spare time—just in case.”

At that moment, Steward Liu had just returned after delivering the letter. He happened to hear Su He say “just in case,” and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.

“My lord, Young Master, Young Master Su… what were you just discussing?” Steward Liu asked cautiously.

Su He answered honestly, “We were discussing how much poison we’d need to prepare to take turns poisoning the Four Great Clans.”

Steward Liu felt a chill run across his forehead. “P-Poison? If you do that in the capital, it would be extremely dangerous.”

Wan Sanjin jumped in, looking at Chu Ling and Su He. “That’s why we should smear poison on their front gates. Once it’s there, paste up a seal over it—no one would dare come near. Otherwise, one step in, and down they go.”

Steward Liu: “……”