Chapter 285 - Eastern Isles

“Huh?”

The faintly teasing note in Li Junqing’s voice made Xu Yuan’s mind stall for a moment. The Eastern Isles invaded by blond devils? Is this the Black Ships Incident?

The thought only lasted a moment before he pulled himself together. Given how absurdly martial the Great Flame Empire was, forget black ships. Even an aircraft carrier would be torn apart, and its crew dragged off to pick cotton in the fields.

Xu Yuan exhaled and murmured with interest, “Blond devils? They crossed the ocean to invade Eastern Isles? Are they actually strong enough?”

The soft music of strings drifted through the room.

Li Junqing considered the question for a moment before replying. “According to my maid, those devils follow a cultivation system somewhat different from the Great Flame Empire’s. Their strongest cultivators aren’t particularly formidable, but the qi released by those iron cylinders of theirs is troublesome on the battlefield. They’re built like turtle shells and difficult to deal with. Aside from that, their large-scale secret arts are probably the only other thing worth watching. As for the Eastern Isles... they don’t seem to be a match for the blond devils. In only three months, they’ve already lost nearly a quarter of their territory.”

Xu Yuan listened carefully, his thoughts turning.

This world seemed much larger than he had imagined.

Just then, Li Junqing suddenly chuckled. “Is Third Young Master Xu worried about those devils?”

Xu Yuan returned to his senses and shook his head with a smile. “Your Highness must be joking. Why would a pack of foreigners be worth worrying about? I’m merely curious.”

Li Junqing caught the look in Xu Yuan’s eyes. He grinned, leaned closer, and lowered his voice conspiratorially. “If you’re interested in those blonds, then once the war in the northern frontier ends and we return to the capital, you can visit the new pleasure house I’m preparing to open. I’ve struck a deal with one of Eastern Isles’s daimyos. He’ll send over a batch of captured blond women. You won’t find them anywhere else in the Imperial Capital.”

“Your Highness is truly thoughtful. I would very much like to study the languages of foreign lands.” Xu Yuan’s eyes narrowed slightly. His interest was thoroughly piqued. Then he suddenly asked, “But didn’t Your Highness just swindle that daimyo out of his silver? He’s still willing to do business with you?”

Li Junqing burst out laughing and patted Xu Yuan on the shoulder. “The Eastern Isles is a chaotic place. There isn’t only one daimyo. Naturally, when this prince does business, I choose the most powerful one.”

Xu Yuan understood what this bastard was planning almost instantly. The man was an old hand at proxy wars. He said nothing more. He slowly rose and gave Li Junqing’s shoulder a pat in return. “Very well. I look forward to visiting Your Highness’s new pleasure house.”

Li Junqing smiled without the slightest warmth. “Just don’t tear the building down again, Third Young Master.”

After that, silence lingered for a moment. Then the two men looked at each other and laughed.

“I’ll take my leave, Your Highness. Until tomorrow.”

“Then I won’t see you out. Tomorrow at the northern gate.”

Li Junqing remained seated, watching Xu Yuan from the corner of his eye until he had completely disappeared. Then he slumped lazily against the cushioned couch and sighed. “Thank goodness the Heavenly Cloud Palace was only conducting ordinary business tonight. If they’d been holding some courtesan queen poetry gathering, the losses would’ve been ruinous. That man really is a walking plague.”

Eunuch Hou stepped forward and asked softly, “Your Highness, did you tell Xu Changtian about Eastern Isles to test him?”

“I wouldn’t call it a test. The matter is neither especially large nor especially small. The Chancellor's Manor should already know about it. I imagine they’re preparing to get involved as well.” Li Junqing shrugged indifferently.

He took out a clean cup and poured himself some of the fine wine Xu Yuan and his companion had left behind. He crossed one leg over the other, took a sip, then glanced at the cup in mild surprise.

“Well, well. He actually ordered Blue Porcelain Wine. Rich men really are generous.”

“Your Highness, Xu Changtian didn’t pay for it.”

That walking plague...! Li Junqing silently cursed him. Then he returned to the matter at hand and said with a chuckle, “Eunuch Hou, I can ignore those blond monkeys and the Eastern Isles curs tearing each other apart. But if those devils can cross the vast ocean and still drive the Eastern Isles forces back again and again, then that is something I have to concern myself with.”

Eunuch Hou was a clever man and knew exactly when to feed his master the proper line. “You mean...”

Li Junqing slowly rubbed the rim of his cup. A cold gleam flashed through his eyes, though his smile never faded. “My guess is that those devils intend to turn Eastern Isles into a forward vassal state. And after that... heh. Once this trip is over, I plan to ask Imperial Father for some troops and pay them a visit myself.”

Eunuch Hou froze. Surprise flashed across his face, and even his voice grew hurried. “Your Highness, you intend to...”

Li Junqing glanced at him and replied as though it were the most natural thing in the world. “Father isn’t Duke Xu. He doesn’t care in the slightest whether his son lives or dies.”

Eunuch Hou fell speechless. He had served the Third Prince for nearly 20 years, so he naturally understood what his master meant.

His Highness was planning to run away again. Once the war in the northern frontier ended, the Imperial Capital would undoubtedly become the eye of the storm. The sect uprising might even erupt in earnest.

No matter how chaotic Eastern Isles became, could it possibly be worse than the Great Flame Empire itself? And if the Third Prince handled matters properly, perhaps he could even carve out a little overseas kingdom and crown himself its local emperor.

??

“Attack the Great Flame Empire?”

The Chancellor's Manor’s inner study was furnished in an elegant, antique style.

The moment Xu Yuan returned to the estate, he had intended to find his father and discuss the matter. He failed to find the old man, however, and instead came across Xu Changge, who was busy handling official affairs.

Xu Yuan stared strangely at his elder brother.

Seated behind the study desk, Xu Changge continued reading the document in his hand and gave an indifferent nod.

“Yes. That is the Blackscale Guard’s assessment.”

Xu Yuan had assumed the Chancellor's Manor knew nothing about the matter. As it turned out, they had already reached a conclusion. After a brief pause, he asked, “Something this important, and Father has no thoughts on it at all?”

Amusement flickered in Xu Changge’s eyes. “This is important?”

“It isn’t? A powerful empire is preparing to—”

“Changtian.” Xu Changge cut him off with a helpless look. “You haven’t taken over the family’s affairs yet, so there are many things you don’t understand. The Great Flame Empire has 14 provinces. The imperial court wouldn’t even need to act. If they united, the sects of a single province would be enough to wipe those Eastern Isles raiders and their entire nation from the face of the earth.

“And those blond devils have already been on the island for three months, constantly pouring in more men and resources. The Eastern Isles forces may be retreating, but they’ve still only lost a quarter of their territory. By now, the two sides have reached a stalemate around the Minghu River in the Eastern Isles.”

Xu Yuan pondered for a moment before suddenly asking, “Shouldn’t we get involved?”

Xu Changge smiled faintly. “We already are. The Calm Sky Merchant Association has contacted one of the daimyos. He intends to exchange certain rare minerals from the Eastern Isles, along with silver, for weapons and military equipment.”

Xu Yuan fell silent, then slowly let out a long breath. “My opinion is that we should make sure the Eastern Isles people cause those blond devils as much trouble as possible. Let the dogs tear each other apart. The Blackscale Guard should also establish a new intelligence network over there as quickly as possible. Ideally, they should even find a way into the blond devils’ homeland—”

“That’s enough. You don’t need to concern yourself with these matters. Go back and rest. You leave for the northern frontier tomorrow.” Xu Changge waved a hand. After a pause, he set down the document in his hand and spoke in a gentler voice. “Changtian, you’ve never seen a real battlefield. Once you get there, make sure you stay close to the First Martial Princess.”