The low-key prince summons trainees from the Imperial Household Department at the start of the game.

After Qiu Wu left, Zhou Ying sat alone in the study for a long time.

The flame of the oil lamp flickered slightly, casting his shadow on the wall, which stretched and shortened.

He picked up the teacup on the table, which had long since gone cold, but did not drink it. Instead, he gently tapped the rim of the cup with the lid, making a series of very soft and crisp sounds.

This is his habit when he's thinking.

Each tap of the cup lid is like a chess piece falling into your mind.

Shangguan Jin Hong, He Sheng Yuan, Anxi Marquis's Mansion, Hai Sha Gang, Wharf, Military Grain, Bank.

These seemingly scattered people and events slowly pieced together a complete picture in his mind.

But this picture is missing a corner, and the Liu family needs to fill in that missing corner.

"Someone come here." He put down his teacup and called out towards the door.

The old servant silently pushed open the door and entered, bowing as he awaited instructions.

"Tomorrow afternoon, I will invite Vice Minister Liu to my residence for a chat. Tell him that I have acquired a cake of fine tea and would like him to taste it."

……

The following afternoon, Liu Wenzhao arrived on time.

He wasn't wearing his official robes; instead, he had changed into a worn-out blue scholar's robe, a square headscarf, and was carrying a box of Guixiang Village pastries. He looked like an ordinary wealthy man.

But when he stepped into the study, his fingers, which were peeking out from his sleeve, were slightly clenched, and his knuckles were white.

Every time the Third Prince invited him to tea alone, it wasn't just about drinking tea.

After the last tea tasting, two members of a collateral branch of the Liu family were placed in the Ministry of Revenue's Department of Finance, which allowed the Liu family to obtain first-hand accounts of the transportation of military provisions to the northern border.

After the last tea tasting, the Hai Sha Gang's fleet quietly took over the official ship berths in the southern section of Tongzhou Wharf.

Every tea ceremony was a strategic move, each move paving the way for the Third Prince and accumulating leverage for the Liu family.

He was certainly willing to do things for the Third Prince.

His daughter is the Third Prince's principal wife, and the future glory of the Liu family rests entirely on the Third Prince.

But he was also afraid that one day the game would turn upside down and the entire Liu family would be wiped out.

Zhou Ying had already brewed a pot of fresh tea; the tea soup was clear and bright yellow, with a delicate aroma.

This is a newly harvested pre-Qingming Longjing tea, which my father bestowed upon my mother, and she secretly sent it to him.

He didn't get up to greet him, but simply pointed to the prayer mat opposite him, as if inviting an old friend he had known for many years: "Father-in-law, there's no need for formalities. Today, please come and taste this newly arrived Longjing tea."

Liu Wenzhao sat down opposite him, took the teacup with both hands, but did not drink it, only held it in his hands to warm it.

He knew that the Third Prince disliked small talk and always got straight to the point during tea tastings.

Sure enough, after Zhou Ying poured him a full cup of tea, she got straight to the point: "Father-in-law, you're at the Ministry of Rites. Have you heard of the business 'Heshengyuan' lately?"

Liu Wenzhao was slightly taken aback, put down his teacup, cupped his hands, and said, "Your Highness, I have heard of it."

"This business has been very successful in the past year, occupying nearly 15% of the market in the capital in the fields of groceries, grains, cloth, and medicinal herbs."

"They even opened a bank last winter, and it's said that their cash flow has already exceeded one million."

"I have also heard that half of the military pay deposits of the Marquis of Anxi’s mansion were transferred from Longsheng Bank to Heshengyuan Bank."

"The military pay deposits of the Marquis of Anxi's residence, the transport of military rations by the Workers' Association, and the settlement with Shengyuan—doesn't Father-in-law think all of this is too much of a coincidence?"

"Heshengyuan has only been established for a little over a year, so why does the Marquis of Anxi trust it so much?"

"The Workers' Association is the largest porter gang at Tongzhou Wharf, so why did they sign a long-term transportation contract with Heshengyuan?"

Zhou Ying spoke slowly, but each word was like a chess piece struck on a chessboard, resounding and impactful.

Liu Wenzhao frowned: "Your Highness means that these three families are backed by the same force? And the Marquis of Anxi's mansion is backed by the Sixth Prince..."

"I didn't say anything. I just felt that if I could use this power, my standing in front of my father would be completely different."

Liu Wenzhao remained silent.

He picked up the teacup and took a sip; the tea had already cooled down a bit.

He had heard of the Shengyuan line, but had never investigated it in depth, since it was a matter for merchants.

He was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, not the Minister of Revenue or the Minister of Justice.

But since the Third Prince had put it this way, he wasn't discussing it with him; he was assigning him a task.

He hesitated for a moment, then mustered his courage and asked, "Your Highness, if I may be so bold as to ask, why are you so concerned about Heshengyuan?"

Zhou Ying did not answer immediately.

He picked up the teapot and refilled Liu Wenzhao's cup. The tea made a crisp, pleasant sound as it was poured into the cup, which was particularly clear in the small study.

Then he gently placed the teapot on the tea tray, raised his eyes and looked directly into Liu Wenzhao's eyes.

"Because of my father, my father has not yet established a crown prince."

His voice suddenly became very soft, so soft it sounded like he was talking to himself, but to Liu Wenzhao it sounded as heavy as an anvil: "My eldest brother has the Grand Tutor, my second brother has the Grand Commandant, my fourth brother has the Marquis of Wu'an, my sixth brother has the Marquis of Anxi, what do I have?"

"I have only one mother who has fallen out of favor, and a father-in-law who is the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites."

Liu Wenzhao's fingers trembled slightly, and the teacup wobbled gently in his hand, splashing a few drops of tea onto the table.

He hurriedly put down his teacup and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, I..."

"Father-in-law, there's no need to be alarmed. I'm not blaming you."

Zhou Ying shook her head slightly, picked up her teacup and took a sip. "I'm telling you a fact."

"Father has never explicitly stated in any setting who he intends to make crown prince, even though my eldest brother has already joined the cabinet to observe politics, and even though my second brother stole the show at the spring hunt, Father still hasn't given his word. Do you know what this means?"

"Does that mean... His Majesty is still watching?"

"Indeed, Father is still watching." Zhou Ying put down her teacup, her gaze sharp. "Why is he still watching?"

"Because he was worried, because his elder brother was backed by Grand Tutor Kong Yan, the leader of the upright civil officials."

"My second brother is backed by Grand Commandant Zhou Jing, a pillar of the hardliners in the military."

"If Father Emperor were to establish the eldest brother as heir, the military generals would be dissatisfied; if he were to establish the second brother as heir, the civil officials would be resentful. That is why he is watching."

"Let's see who can find a balance between civil and military affairs, who can avoid being swayed by any force, and who truly embodies him."

Liu Wenzhao was terrified.

He hadn't expected the Third Prince to be so blunt today.

It was so blunt that every word seemed to tear away the thin veil of pretense in the imperial court.

"Your Highness, are you going to take the middle route?" he asked tentatively, lowering his voice.

"It's not the middle way; the middle way is like a fence-sitter, pleasing neither side."

"I will take the third path, which is to take things by surprise. My eldest and second brothers are fighting in the court, fighting to the death, and the entire court has chosen sides."

"But do Father really care about what they're fighting over? The Grand Tutor's support? The Grand Commandant's endorsement?"

"Father has all of these things; he has everything they can give him."

"What I need to do is give my father something he lacks."

He paused, then said slowly and deliberately, "A son who can truly share his burdens."

Liu Wenzhao remained silent for a long time before slowly raising his head.

He suddenly noticed that the Third Prince's eyes had changed.

It wasn't the kind of gloomy scheming, but a rare, almost burning expectation.

This was the first time he had seen such a light in the Third Prince's eyes.

"What does Your Highness require of me?"

"Investigate He Shengyuan and Shangguan Jin Hong."

Zhou Ying picked up her teacup again, her tone returning to its usual calm, "Investigate who their real backers are, where their weaknesses lie, what their Achilles' heel is. Once you've found out, I'll have my own way of recruiting them."

Liu Wenzhao knew that the "recruitment method" mentioned by the Third Prince was not just about giving money and official positions.

The Third Prince has always won people's hearts through kindness and righteousness.

He himself is the best example.

Back then, he was just an insignificant assistant minister in the Ministry of Rites.

When his daughter married into the Third Prince's household, the entire court disapproved of the marriage. However, the Third Prince personally visited her and shielded her from the Ministry of Revenue's impeachment when she was at her lowest point.

From then on, he knew that this seemingly unassuming Third Prince was no ordinary person.

"Your Majesty understands. There should be clues in the procurement files of Heshengyuan in the Ministry of Rites. I will go back and retrieve the relevant files."

Zhou Ying nodded slightly and picked up the teapot to refill Liu Wenzhao's teacup with the last cup.

The tea soup is clear and bright yellow, with a delicate aroma.

The afternoon sun was shining brightly outside the window, casting a half-light and half-shadow on the tea table between the two of them.

"Father-in-law, I often say, don't try to compete with your eldest brother in literary talent, and don't try to compete with your second brother in martial arts."

"Let them fight their battles, we'll do ours. One day Father will discover that the son who kneels beneath the steps least like the Crown Prince is actually the one who most resembles him."