For a moment, neither X'ian nor Wei Feng moved.
The corridor seemed to shrink around them. Lantern light flickered across the prince's face, but his expression remained unreadable. He held the jade pendant loosely between his fingers, as though it were nothing more than an ordinary keepsake.
X'ian recognized it immediately.
Her father had carried that pendant for as long as she could remember.
She had watched him absentmindedly turn it over in his hand while reading reports, discussing policy, or thinking through difficult decisions. It was one of the few possessions he valued beyond its material worth.
She had seen it on the day of his arrest, after that, it had disappeared, yet somehow it was now in the possession of the Seventh Prince, Wei Feng subtly shifted his weight, X'ian knew what that movement meant. He was preparing for violence if necessary.
The prince noticed it too.
"You won't reach the gate before my guards stop you."
His voice remained calm.
"Fortunately, I have no intention of arresting either of you."
No one replied, the prince looked at the pendant.
"Your father gave this to me three nights before his execution."
X'ian felt her heartbeat quicken.
"He knew what was coming?"
The prince's gaze met hers.
"Not the details. But he knew he had become dangerous to certain people."
"Why should I believe you?"
The prince smiled faintly.
"Because if I intended to hand you over, I would have done so already."
That was difficult to argue with, the estate was filled with guards, if the prince exposed her identity now, escape would be nearly impossible, tet he hadn't called for anyone, he hadn't raised an alarm, Wei Feng folded his arms.
"What do you want?"
The prince studied him.
"You must be Wei Feng."
For the first time, Wei Feng's composure cracked, only slightly, but X'ian noticed, most people in Tianzhou believed Wei Feng dead, the prince's knowledge was unsettling.
The prince continued.
"The empire has spent twenty years searching for you."
"And yet here I am."
"Indeed."
A trace of amusement appeared in the prince's eyes.
"Which speaks highly of your abilities."
Wei Feng looked unimpressed.
"Flattery wastes time."
"Then let's not waste it."
The prince slipped the pendant back into his sleeve.
"Lord Xian Ren entrusted me with something before he died."
X'ian's pulse quickened again.
"The ledger."
The prince was silent, his silence was answer enough, a mixture of relief and anxiety washed over her, the ledger existed, it hadn't been discovered, her father had succeeded, at least partially.
Wei Feng's expression hardened.
"Show it to us."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
"Then this conversation is over."
Wei Feng turned as if to leave, the prince didn't stop him.
"Your father didn't die protecting a ledger."
The words stopped X'ian immediately, she turned back, the prince's gaze rested on her.
"He died protecting what was inside it."
A chill crawled down her spine.
"There is a difference."
The prince began walking through the corridor, not away from them, past them, as though he expected them to follow.
After several moments, they did, he led them through a series of quiet courtyards before stopping beside a small pavilion overlooking a pond, the sounds of the banquet had faded into the distance.
Here, they were alone, the prince sat, the others remained standing, for a while, no one spoke, then the prince finally broke the silence.
"How much did your father tell you about the Imperial Treasury?"
"Very little."
"Good."
The answer surprised her, the prince looked out across the water.
"Most people think corruption is about greed."
"It isn't?"
"It begins with greed."
His eyes darkened.
"But eventually it becomes survival."
Wei Feng leaned against a pillar.
"I assume there's a point."
"There is."
The prince folded his hands.
"For thirty years, money has been disappearing from the treasury."
X'ian frowned.
"That isn't unusual."
"Correct."
The prince nodded.
"What's unusual is where it went."
The night air suddenly felt colder.
"The funds weren't stolen by one minister. Or one faction. Or one family."
The prince looked directly at her.
"They were used to build something."
Wei Feng straightened, the old playfulness vanished from his expression.
"What kind of something?"
The prince was silent, for the first time, uncertainty appeared on his face, as though even speaking the truth carried risks.
Finally, he answered.
"An army."
No one spoke, the words seemed absurd, the empire already possessed armies, entire provinces existed to support them.
Why create another?
The prince continued.
"A private army."
X'ian felt the blood drain from her face, a private army of sufficient size wasn't merely illegal, it was treason, the prince nodded slightly, recognizing her realization.
"Now you understand why your father had to die."
The pieces began falling into place, the hidden accounts, the false records, the desperate attempts to recover the ledger, someone powerful was preparing for war, not against foreign enemies.
Against the empire itself, Wei Feng's voice became unusually serious.
"How large?"
The prince didn't answer immediately, when he finally did, his words landed like a hammer.
"Large enough to take Tianzhou."
Silence followed, even Wei Feng looked stunned, the prince rose to his feet.
"The ledger contains names."
"Whose names?" X'ian asked.
"Everyone involved."
The pond reflected moonlight as the prince stared into the water.
"Ministers."
He turned slightly.
"Generals."
His gaze shifted again.
"Nobles."
Then he looked directly at X'ian.
"And members of the imperial family."
The implications were terrifying, this wasn't corruption, this was conspiracy, the kind capable of tearing an empire apart, X'ian suddenly understood something.
"That's why they're searching for it."
"Yes."
"Not to hide theft."
The prince nodded.
"To hide treason."
For a long moment, no one spoke.
The distant sounds of music drifted across the estate.
Laughter, conversation, celebration.
Meanwhile, beneath the surface of that elegant world, something monstrous was growing, when footsteps echoed from the darkness, fast footsteps, a guard appeared at the edge of the pavilion, he immediately dropped to one knee.
The prince frowned.
"What is it?"
The guard looked pale, terrified, the kind of terrified reserved for truly bad news.
The prince's expression hardened.
"Speak."
The guard swallowed.
"They've found him."
A strange tension filled the air, the prince took a step forward.
"Where?"
The guard hesitated, then answered.
"Outside the city."
The prince's face changed instantly, not fear, not surprise, something worse, recognition.
Wei Feng noticed it too.
"Who?"
The guard looked from the prince to the others, then lowered his voice.
"The man from Black Ridge."
The prince closed his eyes briefly.
As though hoping he had heard incorrectly, when he opened them again, all warmth had vanished, X'ian felt unease coil inside her chest, she had never heard that name before.
Yet everyone else clearly had, Wei Feng's expression became grim, the prince spoke quietly, too quietly.
"No."
The guard nodded.
"We confirmed the identity."
A heavy silence settled over the pavilion, finally, X'ian asked the question none of them seemed willing to answer.
"Who is the man from Black Ridge?"
No one replied immediately, the prince stared into the darkness beyond the pond.
When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.
"The only person who knows where the private army is hidden."
Then he looked at the guard, the answer he received shattered whatever hope remained, because the guard lowered his head and said:
"We found his body."