Messenger of Calamity

Chapter 98: Dilemma Resolved on Its Own

Leaping across the Imperial Palace was actually far easier than outside.

Outsiders would lift their heads while alive, curiously glancing around, but those within the Imperial Palace would not. Whether eunuch or palace maid, the first lesson they learned upon entering the palace was to lower their heads and compress their presence to the utmost limit. Only when one became like furniture—seen but unnoticed by the nobles—could they be considered a qualified palace person.

Even if they heard tiles clattering on the rooftop, they would not immediately check. Instead, they would intentionally pause for a beat before turning their heads to glance. Do not see what is not proper, do not hear what is not proper, do not speak what is not proper—if I did not see it, it is not my fault; if I did not hear it, it is not my concern; if I did not speak it, it is none of my business. This was the survival code for most within the royal court.

Like the burning Ministry of Appointments at this moment—everyone was diligently fetching water to extinguish the fire, yet no one dared propose saving the books and memorials inside. Firefighting was everyone’s duty, but saving the books was not. Leaving aside how dangerous it was to charge into the flames—what if there were contents they were not allowed to see? Wouldn’t that be courting death? But if some critical solitary copy were burned, wouldn’t the Emperor vent his fury on these palace people?

Why risk oneself to clean up the mess left by everyone else?

Hesitation, wishful thinking, panic—in the end, the palace people could only watch helplessly as the Ministry of Appointments was completely engulfed. Their fate would soon be decided by the moods of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager.

Thanks to the Ministry being far away and most personnel running over to fight the fire, Shang Xinlei managed to reach the bedding storage without alarming anyone. It was already early spring, and the palace had switched to lighter blankets, while the thicker bedding was all stored away. Unless there was an inspection, this place normally remained unopened—naturally, no one would discover the fire oil barrel Shang Xinlei had hidden here.

Shang Xinlei took out a fuse, measured its length with her thumb, and counted out thirty-two thumb-lengths before tying it to the fire oil barrel. She then pulled out a small bottle, squeezed a drop of black oil onto her index finger, and used a firestone to ignite it.

Whoosh!

Once the fuse was lit, Shang Xinlei immediately jabbed her index finger into the wall beside her to snuff it out. Looking at it afterward, the fingertip was already charred black. Beyond the index finger, both her middle and ring fingers were burned. Even as a Second-Stage Messenger, she could not heal that quickly.

"Doesn't it hurt?"

Shang Xinlei jerked her head around and saw a figure in black wearing the Yellow Dog mask standing at the doorway. The palace lantern cast his long shadow, stretching all the way to the far end of the storage room, reaching to the edge of Shang Xinlei's feet.

"I once tried burning my fingers with fire. It hurt quite a bit," Yan Qing stepped in and said. "Actually, the Thieves' House has already unlocked our permissions. You could have just ignited the fuse directly—there was no need to use your finger."

"Are you stupid?"

Seeing Yan Qing looking at her with a gaze full of pity, Shang Xinlei—enraged—got angry for a moment.

Because she realized Yan Qing was right. She really could have lit the fuse directly. It was just that this was only her second time operating under unrestricted rules as a thief, so she had subconsciously used her old methods. She was not like Yan Qing, the sensitive-skinned player whose mind switched gears so quickly.

"I was planning to start a fire here to draw the attention of the palace guards, then take the chance to loot the Imperial Secret Treasury." Shang Xinlei rubbed her fingers hard, trying to dull the pain of the burns. "You came for the Secret Treasury too, didn’t you?"

"I never asked you that—what are you explaining for?" Yan Qing said calmly. "You remind me of a friend. He’s not good at debating and always needed time to organize his thoughts before speaking. Only when it was something he had already thought about in advance would he respond right away... Of course, Red Snake, you’re eloquent and quick-witted, unlike him in that regard. It’s just that what you just said sounded like something premeditated."

"You told Black Wolf and White Fox you were heading to the Wenyan Pavilion. Now you’re telling me you’re going to the Imperial Secret Treasury. Where exactly are you planning to go?"

Shang Xinlei’s gaze turned cold. "You could’ve just completed the mission with Black Wolf and the others. Why did you insist on bothering me?"

"Because I suspect you’ll sabotage our mission," Yan Qing said casually. "Like calling in the military to surround us and capture all three—then you’d be the only one left to complete the mission. After all, Shang Xuanwen is your father."

"Sounds like something Black Wolf or White Fox would do," Shang Xinlei said with a laugh of disbelief. "If I really wanted to deal with you all, do you think I would’ve left Rat Monk alive until now? You think I wouldn’t recognize him just because he changed his name and shaved his head?"

So she recognized him, Yan Qing thought.

But he felt the blame lay not with Rat Monk, but squarely on himself. The moment he said in the Thieves' House that he had a way to steal Shang Xuanwen’s Heaven-Reliant Sword, he knew Rat Monk would most likely be identified by Shang Xinlei—even if his name was no longer part of the number series.

The reason was simple. Rat Monk had gotten close to Shang Xuanwen on the very day the theft mission was announced! Add to that his exceptional combat prowess and how he had saved Shang Xuanwen in a time of peril—he was practically the bald and tall version of Jiang Ten!

Of course, a normal person wouldn’t suspect someone of being one of Yellow Dog’s subordinates just upon seeing a stranger. The problem was that Yan Qing had openly said he had planted an agent beside Shang Xuanwen. Shang Xinlei only needed one glance to spot the suspicious unfamiliar monk near her father.

Not to mention, that same unfamiliar monk had once followed her and discussed Qian Gongyu’s predicament with her.

The fact that Shang Xinlei had waited until now to confront him already showed she had immense patience.

"Since you recognized Rat Monk, why not cooperate with me and let him steal the Heaven-Reliant Sword?" Yan Qing probed. "The explosion at the Northern Armory—that was your setup, right? You deliberately lured your father away before the operation. Even if you’re not afraid of the mission failing, aren’t you worried Black Wolf and White Fox might clash with your father?"

"Or is that your real intent? Because your father framed Qian Gongyu, so you’re seeking revenge for love—hoping to use Black Wolf and White Fox to execute a rebellious father?"

Even with her face covered, Shang Xinlei couldn’t hold it in. She burst out laughing with a pfft, taking quite a while to recover from the shock of the phrase “rebellious father.” Even so, her voice still brimmed with amusement, lacking any force in her rebuttal.

“You’re overthinking it. What revenge for love? Qian Gongyu and I are just friends! And don’t underestimate my father—he’s a Third-Stage Messenger, after all. Leaving aside whether Black Wolf and White Fox could even discover him, even if they did, they might not be able to defeat him.”

“Then wouldn’t the mission be doomed to fail?” Yan Qing asked. “Isn’t that still you setting us up?”

“The two of them might not be enough, but with you added in as the third, stealing the Heaven-Reliant Sword shouldn’t be difficult. Who knew you’d insist on following me?” Shang Xinlei waved her hand like shooing away a mosquito. “You still have time to go there now.”

“I could, but you’re coming with me,” Yan Qing said. “Since you’re not going to Wenyan Pavilion, there’s no reason to stay in the palace.”

Shang Xinlei fell silent. She lowered her head, hands placed behind her back, as if gripping a throwing ring. The atmosphere suddenly grew tense and murderous. Yan Qing instinctively turned his body to reduce his vulnerable area and used his left hand—hidden from Shang Xinlei’s view—to gently slide Bingzi Pepper Forest from its sheath, preparing to draw.

Never thought his first battle would be a civil war between teammates.

Yan Qing took a deep breath, the musty scent of bedding filling his nostrils. He was both nervous and excited.

Though he’d always feared battle, afraid of revealing himself, now that he had changed class, grown stronger, and possessed a Legendary Token, he couldn’t help feeling a desire to show off. If Shang Xinlei insisted on fighting, he wouldn’t mind using her to test his real combat strength!

“Why are you interfering with my matters?” Shang Xinlei asked again. “We’re just a bunch of unrelated thieves gathered for the sake of a heist. Someone like you who puts mission over everything should be prioritizing the objective. Why are you so fixated on me?”

“Just consider it a favor from Jiang Ten,” Yan Qing paused, then added, “You’re one of the few friends she has.”

Suddenly, a cool breeze swept into the storage room, as if blowing away the oppressive tension. Shang Xinlei let her hands fall, tilted her head, and stared at Yan Qing. Her eyes glinted strangely, as though he had just told an odd joke.

“Don’t you not care about Jiang Ten? Why would you concern yourself with her feelings?” Shang Xinlei scrutinized Yan Qing, as if trying to see through the Yellow Dog mask. “Besides, I’m her friend, not yours.”

“I never said I didn’t care. I only said that when necessary, I wouldn’t hesitate to send Jiang Ten to her death.” Yan Qing, unsettled by the direct stare, felt goosebumps rise and instinctively tightened his grip on Bingzi Pepper Forest. “Within my ability, I don’t mind helping one of her friends.”

Shang Xinlei hummed skeptically, clearly unconvinced. At that moment, footsteps echoed from outside—likely a group of Palace Attendants. Yan Qing immediately closed the storage room door, and the two hid beside it in ambush.

Once the footsteps faded, they breathed a sigh of relief. The later they alarmed the palace guards, the better. Sharing a look, Shang Xinlei let out a light sigh and said, “My target is the Emperor.”

“I figured,” Yan Qing responded without surprise.

From the start, Shang Xinlei had guided the thieves step by step into the Imperial Palace, but not for the Secret Treasury. Within the palace, only one thing held more value than that—the Emperor.

“But why kidnap the Emperor?” Yan Qing asked, puzzled. “To force the court to hand over the Tokens or manuals you want? Don’t tell me it’s to ask the Emperor to pardon Qian Gongyu?”

“Haha, how amusing.” Shang Xinlei’s tone was devoid of emotion, but then she shifted. “But yes, it’s half for Qian Gongyu, the other half for the Shang Family.”

“Don’t know if you’re aware, but my father’s position in the Court—unshakable for years—was mostly because he was a regent appointed by the late Emperor. When the current Emperor was too young to rule, my father held the reins of power. But two years ago, the Emperor was married, took one Empress and two Consorts, and has reached the age to rule.”

“The Empress comes from a prestigious military clan, but one of the Consorts is from the Qun Family, and the other from the Zhou Family. The Emperor’s scholar-tutor also hails from the Qun Family.”

“In contrast, the Shang Family not only failed to build a close relationship with the Emperor, but due to my father, we’ve hindered his efforts to seize power.” Shang Xinlei gently pushed open the door a crack. The palace lantern’s light fell on her eyes, casting shifting shadows and colors. “The Shang Family is destined to be edged out of the Court—maybe in a few years, maybe a decade. The Seven Great Clans rise and fall in turn.”

“The Seven Great Clans won’t collapse, but those rises and falls are a lifetime for us.”

It was clearly a girl of about twenty discussing political factionalism, but to Yan Qing, nothing about it felt out of place. In her words, the Court and its politics were no different from neighborhood squabbles. The Emperor happened to get along better with the Qun Family and just didn’t want to play with the Shang Family anymore.

“My father’s arrangement for Qian Gongyu was also part of preparing for my future. A future Third-Stage with a Legendary Token could secure my footing in the Shang Family, and even help us draw more allies. He was ready to step down, and set up our paths in life. We may not want it, but it truly is the best position, the best ending, he could give us.”

Yan Qing was somewhat surprised. He had assumed Shang Xinlei resented Shang Xuanwen and might even consider patricide to escape his grip. But thinking further—how could she hate him? She was too smart. So smart that she understood all his plans, and saw the painstaking love behind them all.

“I didn’t originally have a way to break this dilemma.” Shang Xinlei returned to the room’s depths and squatted down, picking up the snuffed fuse. “If not for the Thieves' House.”

“Do you know how the new ruler of Great Liang announces his ascension to the world?” she abruptly asked.

“Through an edict?” Yan Qing guessed.

“No, through a grand amnesty.” Shang Xinlei slightly turned her head, casting a sideways glance at Yan Qing. The storage room was dark, but her eyes shone strangely bright—like a king cobra’s gaze. Her tone was sharp and cold. “When a new ruler ascends, a general amnesty follows—mercy for all, a blessing for the people. The low-born see their punishments reduced, the noble clans are released without charge!”

Yan Qing’s pupils contracted.

“Xiao Yu is my friend. She respects and trusts me. I won’t deceive her to earn her loyalty,” Shang Xinlei said. “The Shang Family is my kin. They birthed me and raised me. I have no right to do anything to harm them.”

“Now Xiao Yu and the Shang Family are in direct conflict. It seems like a deadlock. But must I choose only one side? No.”

“There’s no such thing as an unsolvable dilemma—only a decision yet to be made.” Shang Xinlei pulled out a firestone. “This is my decision!”

Shang Xinlei lit the fuse again. That tiny action made it clear—she would stick to her plan. No one could stop her!

“Assassinate the Emperor—dilemma resolved on its own.” She turned to Yan Qing. “Yellow Dog, are you helping me or not?”