"Make way—" Before the words "back to the residence" could be uttered, a loud "thud" was heard as something fell from the sky, crashing onto the warehouse roof and rolling down the sloped surface until it landed right in front of the group. The guards were startled, shielding Jiang Chao as they retreated several steps. Seeing no movement from the object, they cautiously approached with torches to investigate. What they saw next was shocking—the guard suddenly collapsed onto the ground in fright, dropping his torch, his lips trembling as he stammered, "My lord... my lord..."
Jiang Chao, noticing the guard's strange reaction, stepped forward curiously and was equally stunned. The person on the ground was none other than Zhang Ji, the leader of the supply troops. His body was stiff, a bloody gash across his throat, his eyes wide open—clearly already dead.
Jiang Chao had parted ways with him merely two hours ago, and now Zhang Ji lay before him as a corpse. Before he could process this, several whooshing sounds cut through the air as dark figures flashed across the sky. No one saw how the warehouse doors were opened or how sparks were ignited inside. The moment the sparks touched the dry hay, flames shot up violently, spreading like wildfire. In mere moments, the entire warehouse was engulfed in a sea of fire.
The roaring blaze illuminated the entire street as if it were daytime, the flames tinged with a sinister, blood-like hue. No one had anticipated such a sudden turn of events. Both Jiang Chao and Xia Jun stood frozen in place as the black-clad figures vanished as swiftly as they had appeared. Xia Jun, sensing danger, was about to order a retreat when someone shouted, "Fire! The warehouse is on fire!"
Almost immediately, the distant sound of galloping horses echoed down the street, accompanied by the glow of orderly torches. A voice bellowed, "Audacious criminals! How dare you set fire to the military pay! Men, seize them all!"
Xia Jun's heart sank, realizing the dire situation. Before he could speak, one of his own men had already drawn his sword. "Drop your weapons!" Xia Jun shouted, but the man seemed deaf to his command, charging forward to attack.
The frenzy of violence spread like wildfire. As if triggered by a signal, others unsheathed their blades and joined the slaughter. Chaos erupted, the clashing of swords ringing through the air. The official on horseback, furious at the sight, roared, "By my order, capture these arsonists! Kill any who resist!"
Panic surged through Jiang Chao's men, who ignored Xia Jun's commands and fought back desperately. But their nighttime operation was no match for the imperial guards. Within the time it took to burn a stick of incense, most of Jiang Chao's forces were subdued, the ground littered with carnage. Meanwhile, the warehouse fire raged uncontrollably. Despite the frantic efforts to douse the flames with water, it was like trying to extinguish a wildfire with a cup—utterly futile. They could only watch helplessly as the inferno consumed the entire granary, reducing hundreds of carts of military pay to ashes.The fire raged on throughout the entire night. The citizens of the capital of the Da Jin Dynasty slept soundly, unaware of the undercurrents swirling beneath the surface. No one knew how the granary had caught fire. It wasn't until the next morning when early-rising shopkeepers and vendors went to open their stores that they saw thick smoke billowing from the granary site. The area was in complete disarray, with carriages and horses scattered about, and the interior reduced to ashes—clearly, none of the provisions had survived intact.
By the first day, news that Jiang Chao, the second son of the Jiang family, and Xia Jun, the second young master of the Xia family, had set fire to the military pay stored in the granary had already spread throughout the capital. When Jiang Quan heard the news in his residence, his hand trembled so violently he nearly overturned his teacup. He stared in disbelief at his newlywed wife, Xia Yue, beside him. "What did you say?" he demanded.
Xia Yue looked at Jiang Quan timidly. She was merely a distant cousin from the Xia family's extended relations, originally betrothed to her childhood sweetheart. But to maintain ties with the Jiang family after Xia Yan's death, the Xia family had married her off to Jiang Quan. Xia Yue was only seventeen or eighteen, in the bloom of youth. Being wed to a man old enough to be her father naturally filled her with resentment. Now, not long after her marriage, the Jiang family was embroiled in such a scandal, deepening her bitterness. Yet, under another's roof, she had no choice but to submit. Though Jiang Quan appeared gentle on the surface, his temper was terrifying when provoked. "Master, it's true," she said. "The news is everywhere outside."
Her certainty left Jiang Quan no room for doubt. "That unfilial son!" he roared. "Does he mean to ruin the Jiang family?"
"Master, don't just focus on your anger," Xia Yue said, inwardly scornful of Jiang Quan's tendency to blame others when things went wrong. Masking her disdain, she continued, "I heard the Marquis has already entered the palace to see the Emperor. This matter is no small thing—burning the military pay in the granary is a grave crime. The hundred thousand soldiers at the border are relying on those provisions for survival. For the second young master to act this way now will inevitably raise suspicions."
Jiang Quan's heart lurched. In his initial fury over Jiang Chao's audacity, he had overlooked the deeper implications. Now, genuine fear crept in. It was true—the hundred thousand soldiers at the border were desperate for those provisions, yet Jiang Chao and Xia Jun had burned the granary to the ground overnight. In the dead of night, no one would believe it was accidental. And if it was deliberate, why would the legitimate sons of noble families commit such an act? With the ongoing conflict between the Celestial Jin Kingdom and the Da Jin Dynasty already a sensitive issue for the Emperor, Jiang Chao's actions would inevitably lead the Emperor to suspect treason. Why else would he destroy the granary, leaving the Da Jin Dynasty's soldiers in dire straits?
Jiang Quan shifted uneasily, a cold sweat trickling down his neck. The Emperor's suspicion was a blade hanging over the Jiang family. Yet, Jiang Chao was his only remaining son—he couldn't abandon him.
Suddenly, he turned to Xia Yue. "Why has Marquis Xia gone to the palace?" Though Xia Cheng also had only Xia Jun as his grandson, he wouldn't rush to the Emperor so hastily. Unless something critical had happened, Xia Cheng wouldn't act without fully understanding the situation. His urgent audience with the Emperor suggested something significant had occurred.Xia Yue glanced at Jiang Quan and said softly, "I heard that yesterday, when the second young master of the Xia Family appeared, he brought along the Xia Family's private army. Those soldiers clashed with the city garrison commander, and His Majesty was furious upon hearing the news. He ordered the second young master and the second son to be thrown into the Heavenly Prison."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Quan nearly fainted. It wasn’t uncommon for high-ranking officials in the capital to maintain small private armies within their households—these forces were no different from household guards, and their numbers were never large. The Emperor had tacitly allowed this practice. However, the crime of arson committed by individuals alone was vastly different from arson involving a private army. If it were just the actions of Xia Jun and Jiang Chao, one could argue it was their own doing. But once the private army was involved, it implicated the entire household. Especially since this private army had clashed with the city garrison—wasn’t this tantamount to defiance right under the Emperor’s nose? What would the Emperor think? He would surely believe they had long harbored rebellious intentions!
Jiang Quan grabbed Xia Yue’s arm. "Are you certain it was only the Xia Family’s private army? That the Jiang Family had no involvement whatsoever?"
Xia Yue felt even more disdain. At such a critical moment, Jiang Quan was only concerned about himself, terrified of implicating the Jiang Family. His selfishness was truly staggering. But then again, the relationship between the Xia and Jiang Families had always been one of convenience, maintained through marriage alliances. After Xia Yan’s death, she had been married into the Jiang Family purely for mutual benefit—what kinship was there to speak of?
"There was no involvement from the Jiang Family’s private army, Master. You need not worry," Xia Yue replied with a smile, though she immediately furrowed her brows. "But Master, shouldn’t you enter the palace now to plead for the second young master’s sake? This is no trivial matter."
Jiang Quan remained seated, his expression shifting uncertainly. In the past, he would have spared no effort to rescue Jiang Chao without hesitation. But now, the Jiang Family was no longer what it once was—their reputation in the capital was already tarnished, and the Emperor had voiced his displeasure with them. This time, Jiang Chao had stirred up a disaster of monumental proportions. The situation was far too grave for Jiang Chao to escape unscathed. What was even more concerning was the Emperor’s stance. If he entered the palace now to plead for Jiang Chao, would the Emperor assume the Jiang Family was complicit? Initially, the suspicion of rebellion might have fallen solely on the Xia Family, but now it could drag the Jiang Family down as well. What was to be done?
"No," Jiang Quan finally declared after a long silence, as if steeling himself. "This is not the right time. Instead, draft a letter for me to be sent to the Brocade Hero King Manor. Tell Jiang Ruan to return home immediately. Her elder brother is in such dire straits—she must find a way to save him."
Before coming to the Jiang Family, Xia Yue had already heard tales of Jiang Ruan—how she had dealt with both the Xia Family and Jiang Quan. In truth, Xia Yue had applauded her actions. Now, hearing Jiang Quan’s words, she couldn’t help but feel another wave of contempt. Why dress it up so grandly? Jiang Quan dared not step forward himself, yet he pushed his daughter into the fray. He knew full well that Jiang Ruan and Jiang Chao were at odds—how could Jiang Ruan willingly help Jiang Chao escape blame? Perhaps Jiang Quan was so desperate that he had lost all sense of reason.
...
In the Heavenly Prison, in the darkest cell, two prison chambers stood side by side, separated only by thick iron bars. The faint flicker of torchlight did nothing to dispel the eerie gloom of the prison—instead, it only made the atmosphere more sinister.On either side of the iron bars, two men sat leaning against the wall—one hanging his head in despair with continuous sighs, the other with a chilling gaze, his face so dark it seemed to drip with gloom.
Jiang Chao looked at Xia Jun, unable to conceal his anxiety. "Cousin, what should we do now?"
"What else can we do?" Xia Jun sneered. "We're like fish on the chopping block."
Seeing Xia Jun's indifferent demeanor, Jiang Chao grew even more frantic. "How did things come to this? Where exactly did we go wrong? Damn it, why did the city garrison arrive at this exact moment?"
Xia Jun lowered his head, his eyes flickering. The ominous premonition he'd had since last night had finally been confirmed. He had felt everything was going too smoothly—so smoothly it aroused suspicion. The fact that Jiang Ruan hadn't intervened was simply too strange. Now he finally understood where that inexplicable sense of foreboding had come from. Ever since they began plotting against Jiang Ruan years ago, she had never lost when it came to matters involving her. If she never lost, how could they have won so easily? All of this had been her scheme from the start.
"We've been tricked," Xia Jun said slowly after a long pause. "This was a trap set for us from the very beginning. The other side always knew what we were planning—they merely gave us a push, and now it's time to reel in the net."
Jiang Chao stared at him in shock, his mind growing increasingly muddled. "Cousin, what do you mean?"
"The fire in the granary last night was inexplicable—clearly, someone deliberately set it to pin the blame on us. And when the city garrison arrived with their troops, I explicitly gave orders not to provoke a fight, yet someone still drew their sword first. Thinking back now, it's far too suspicious. Someone must have infiltrated our ranks to deliberately stir chaos."
That person had mingled among their private soldiers, inciting conflict between Xia Manor's forces and the city garrison's troops, thereby framing the Xia family for rebellion and assault. The charges of arson combined with rebellion were grave crimes—enough to brand them as traitors with open defiance.
"But... how could they have known about our plan to swap the provisions?" Jiang Chao was stunned that someone had played the role of the oriole stalking the mantis. Only five people had known about this plan—where had the information leaked from?
"Strange, isn't it? I find it strange too. It doesn't seem like they merely found out about our arson plot—it's as if they knew our every move from the start, even giving us a nudge along the way. Now that I think about it, Zhang Ji's performance in court that day was far too flawless. I suspect we had already fallen into someone's trap by then, completely unaware."
Jiang Chao shook his head. "Cousin, what you're saying is too unbelievable. If it's true, who could it be? Who has such power?""Who?" Xia Jun's mind conjured up an image of a bewitchingly beautiful face, those upturned, alluring eyes slightly curved as if mocking their self-proclaimed cleverness. Was it her? Though it seemed utterly inconceivable, Xia Jun had an intuition that she was undoubtedly involved. There were no true prophets in this world, so how—how had she learned of their plans? It was as if she had seen right through their every thought. That was truly terrifying. She had even arranged for Zhao Yi, who was on duty, to avoid last night's patrol. The city guard who caught them was another old official, renowned in the Da Jin Dynasty for his impartiality. Had it been Zhao Yi, the Emperor might have suspected it was due to the feud between the Zhao and Xia families, but with that old official, such a possibility was completely eliminated. Jiang Ruan had even accounted for this—they had no chance to turn the tables.
"Do you know the most terrifying part?" Xia Jun let out a cold laugh. "By burning the provisions in the dead of night, we could easily be accused of treason and colluding with the enemy. Those provisions were meant to relieve the urgent crisis at the border. Now, they've all been reduced to ashes. We can't compensate for this. There's only one way out now."
"What way?" Jiang Chao asked urgently.
"Wait," Xia Jun said. "Wait for the Eighth Prince to find a reason to replace the provisions and inform the Emperor that what we burned was moldy grain, not the military pay. Then this matter can be resolved smoothly."
"That's a relief," Jiang Chao sighed. "The Eighth Prince still has use for the two of us. The Jiang and Xia families can't be discarded either, so he naturally won't stand by and do nothing."
"Let's hope so." Xia Jun stared at his hands, but... he thought silently, had Jiang Ruan really only gone this far? That woman was ruthless and merciless. If she had orchestrated all this, why would she strike hard only to let them off lightly? Just to make them suffer a little? The unease in Xia Jun's heart resurfaced. He clenched his fists and fell silent.
(End of Chapter)
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