Song Chuyi’s heart remained uneasy. Even Lai Chenglong, seated across from her, noticed something was off and frowned as he asked, “Has Yuanhui’s recent words made things difficult for you?”

  It made sense to him. After all, the Great Zhou dynasty revered Buddhism and Taoism. Previously, when Master Yuanhui predicted at the hunting grounds that Song Chuyi would face a camity of bloodshed, it came true. Now that the matter had been brought up again, it was even harder for people not to believe.

  For a young woman to be beled as a bringer of misfortune, no matter how noble her status, it was impossible for her not to be affected.

  Song Chuyi shook her head, composing herself as she looked at Lai Chenglong. “Jia Yingxin and Xu Liang have both fallen. I assume many people have been trying to cozy up to you recently?”

  Leading the pack was Minister Wang, who had been working tirelessly to court favor with the Li family through their marital ties, all while expecting Lai Chenglong to help cover up matters reted to the Northwest. He feared that someone might continue to investigate that line.

  Lai Chenglong gave a noncommittal smile and replied, “Your uncle must be quite busy tely.”

  The private trafficking of warhorses by Yang Xuan had left the Northwest Army nearly bereft of usable horses. Breeding new warhorses wasn’t a task that could be completed overnight. Furthermore, with Han Zhengqing stirring up trouble, Cui Shaoting’s role as the Tri-Border Governor in the Northwest was fraught with challenges.

  Yet this was something both Song Chuyi and Cui Shaoting had long anticipated. The Tatars’ coveting of the Great Zhou was no recent development. If not for the devastating defeat at Tongzhou a few years back, the Tatars would have unched a rge-scale invasion of the Zhou border that same year. Later, Cui Shaoting’s rge-scale fortification efforts and troop drills as Tri-Border Governor had given them pause.

  Their recent move to purchase rge numbers of warhorses through Yang Xuan was clearly a prelude to war. Whether this year or the next, a battle on the Northwest frontier was inevitable.

  “So the family’s affairs shouldn’t burden my uncle any further,” Song Chuyi said, meeting Lai Chenglong’s gaze directly, her tone steady and unwavering. “Although Lady Fan and the Prince of Commandery still aim to win over the Cui and Song families, their new strategist, Master Yuanhui, seems rather opposed to such an alliance.”

  The Cui family was renowned for its talents, and the Song family had Song Chengru as its linchpin. Coupled with the increasingly close ties between the two families in recent years, Yuanhui would never allow the future emperor to be influenced by them. Thus, before fully committing to aiding the Prince of Commandery, Yuanhui’s first order of business would be to eliminate the Cui and Song families.

  It might seem like a futile attempt to topple a giant, but Song Chuyi knew Yuanhui was capable. This man was highly cunning, adept at political maneuvering, and skilled in martial arts. Despite appearing to be a mere accomplished monk, even the abbot of Huangjue Monastery was little more than his puppet.

  Song Chuyi’s grandfather had once considered assassinating Yuanhui to eliminate future trouble, but she had advised against it. Yuanhui was not only a master of strategy but also a formidable martial artist. It was said that in his youth, he had traveled to Japan and single-handedly defeated three masters from the Onmyoji school, emerging undefeated. Upon returning to the Great Zhou, he had resided at the Shaolin Temple in Fujian, where he led its disciplinary hall disciples to repel an invasion of 400 Japanese pirates. Even General Yu, known for his expertise in martial arts and military tactics, had addressed Yuanhui as his mentor.

  A figure so adept at strategy, martial arts, and wielding influence, while also being a trusted guest of Emperor Jianzhang and highly regarded among the popuce, could not simply be eliminated. Other measures had to be devised.

  Indeed, Yuanhui was even harder to deal with than the Prince of Commandery. The prince’s fortune y in having been chosen by Yuanhui; it was not that he had the means to recruit Yuanhui.

  Lai Chenglong assumed Song Chuyi intended to assassinate Yuanhui and shook his head in disapproval. “He is not easy to deal with.”

  Martial artists had a keen sense of danger, and Lai Chenglong, having accompanied the emperor when Yuanhui was received in court, recalled the unsettling aura of danger emanating from Yuanhui.

  “He’s not easy to deal with, but he’s not invincible either,” Song Chuyi said, a faint smile curling her lips as she toyed with the chess pieces on the stone table. “The emperor may revere Buddhism, but he’s even more fascinated by the legend of the Queen Mother of the West’s elixir…”

  Yuanhui represented the Buddhist faction, but in the Great Zhou, Buddhism wasn’t the only spiritual belief widely followed. In fact, both the upper aristocracy and commoners leaned more toward Taoism. This was precisely why the Heavenly Master of Mount Longhu wielded such significant influence.

  Lai Chenglong raised his brows in surprise. This young dy truly dared to think and say anything. Was she pnning to use Taoism to suppress or even overthrow Yuanhui? Yet Yuanhui’s mind was exceedingly shrewd; finding a fw to exploit would be incredibly difficult.

  Before he could voice his objection, Song Chuyi stood up lightly, turning toward the frozen ke. Through the thin ice, she could see bright red fish swimming energetically beneath the surface.

  “Uncle Lai, there’s no need to worry. I know you have no desire to get involved in the Eastern Pace’s conflicts or offend the Prince of Commandery,” Song Chuyi said in her usual calm tone. “I’ll be heading to Jinzhong soon. If Yuanhui intends to make a move against me, the journey to Jinzhong would be the perfect opportunity. I’d like to request your assistance.”

  Lai Chenglong exhaled softly, unable to deny the truth of her words. He had no intention of offending the Prince of Commandery. The Eastern Pace’s situation was uncertain. While the Crown Prince's heir had secured his position, the Prince of Commandery remained a formidable rival. At this juncture, Lai Chenglong preferred to avoid taking sides.

  If she only needed his men for protection, that was a manageable request.

  “Lending people is simple. You already have a few skilled guards by your side,” Lai Chenglong suggested. “I’ll dispatch some trusted Jinyiwei under the guise of investigating a case in Jinzhong. They can look out for you along the way.”

  Even Qingying breathed a sigh of relief. Song Chuyi’s depiction of Master Yuanhui had been so intimidating that it made even her uneasy. With the assistance of the formidable Jin Yi Wei, she felt much reassured, abandoning thoughts of persuading Song Chuyi to seek the Heir Apparent’s help.

  Song Chuyi nodded, agreeing to Lai Chenglong’s suggestion. She then furrowed her brows and added, “There’s one more matter I’d like your help with, Uncle Lai. I want to know the recent movements of Duke Ying’s household and the Marquis of Wuning’s estate.”

  Shen Xiaohai had a penchant for seizing every opportunity to climb the dder. His willingness to marry someone as scandalous and physically disabled as Tong Shao into his family as its matriarch suggested that, with the path of marital alliances blocked, he was likely scheming for another way to rise. Otherwise, Tong Shao wouldn’t have been brazen enough to lodge compints in the empress’s pace at such a time.