A Pawn's Passage

Chapter 217: Initial Signs

Qin Xiang met Qin Wubing in The Inn’s lobby.

Although they both shared the same last name, they were not from the same family.

Qin Xiang was a District Princess, and her father was a Commandery Prince. Qin Wubing’s father still held the title of Commandery Prince, so Qin Wubing had not yet inherited the title. However, people would often flatter Qin Wubing, addressing him as “Little Prince” or “His Royal Highness.”

Qin Wubing and Qin Xiang were both children of Commandery Princes, so they had the same status. In front of Qin Xiang, Qin Wubing put away his domineering attitude as a general and greeted Qin Xiang politely, resembling a scion of a noble family.

In fact, the upper-class circle was not very big. As intermarriages were common among the royal and noble families, the nobility were all related to each other at some point in history. As long as the political situation was stable without internal fighting, these families would coexist in harmony, or at least put up appearances.

No matter how domineering and proud these young nobles were in front of their subordinates, they would maintain a friendly and cultured facade in front of people from their social class.

Qin Wubing was naturally curious about how a District Princess ended up in The Inn. Qin Xiang was no fool. She knew that she should keep some truths to herself. She could not tell Qin Wubing that she was deceived by someone from the Eight Tribes because it was not only embarrassing. She would also get in trouble with the Imperial Clan Court.

The Imperial Clan Court was in charge of all matters relating to the royal family. This included the maintenance of the Jade Book, which was the imperial family register. It recorded the names, titles, and details of both legitimate and illegitimate children of the imperial clan, including their dates of birth and death, marriages, posthumous titles, and funerals. It also included records of any crimes and offenses.

Three first-rank officials headed this Imperial Clan Court, namely the Director, Left Director, and Right Director. The three incumbent Imperial Clan Court Directors were all elderly and respected Imperial Princes.

The rule enforcement of the Imperial Clan Court was highly dependent on the status of the offender.

For an Imperial Prince influential in the Imperial Court, these rules were as good as nothing. That was because deposing an Imperial Prince with real power would shake up the government, so the Imperial Clan Court would not find trouble with these high-ranking princes unless absolutely necessary.

Most high-ranking princes had hobbies that challenged the Imperial Clan Court’s rules. Some of these examples were hunting on unauthorized grounds, frequenting brothels, engaging in homosexual activity, performing stage plays, holding fake funerals for themselves for the sole purpose of swindling money from their relatives, and many more. All of the above violated the rules, but the Imperial Clan Court turned a blind eye to them.

For a low-ranking District Princess like Qin Xiang, the repercussions of violating the rules could be severe, even resulting in losing her title. If anyone found out that she had dealings with members of the Eight Tribes, the consequences would be dire.

That was why Qin Xiang lied to Qin Wubing, saying that she was traveling the area with her guards and had chanced upon this inn.

Although Qin Wubing was the son of a Commandery Prince, he was not a member of the royal family. His ancestor was granted noble status for their contributions to the Imperial Court. Thus, Qin Wubing was not familiar with the rules of the Imperial Clan Court.

He was not suspicious of Qin Xiang. After all, Confucian women’s etiquette no longer applied to the current society, so it was not a big deal for women to leave the home.

However, he thought that it was more fitting for someone like Qin Xiang to travel to the peaceful and prosperous Jiangnan, as opposed to the lawless West Gobi. He was also curious as to why Qin Xiang’s guards were missing, leaving her all alone in The Inn.

Qin Xiang explained, “I came here because I heard that the scenery in Cuowenbu is beautiful. But I didn’t expect to encounter the demons from the secret society who killed my guards. A traveling swordsman saved me and brought me here. Then he went somewhere—”

She turned to the Innkeeper.

At this time, the Innkeeper finally understood why Qi Xuansu asked him to inform the Green Phoenix Guard about Qin Xiang. He hurriedly explained, “The Inn has hired that traveling swordsman, so he’s now at the manufacturing plant. He told me to inform the Green Phoenix Guard of the Princess’s presence if he could not return.”

The Innkeeper left out the part about the White Jade Hall. After all, it was better to mention one less thing that could raise questions.

Qin Wubing smiled. “Here I thought traveling swordsmen were just a legend in novels. I didn’t expect that they still exist in reality. I wish I could meet the hero who saved the District Princess. But the Daoist Order has locked down the manufacturing plant at this moment, so I’m not sure whether he will come back alive.”

Qin Xiang’s face paled slightly. “The Daoist Order?”

“This is a joint operation between the Imperial Court and the Daoist Order. We are patrolling the grounds while the Daoist Order takes to the skies. That way, no demons will be able to escape.” Qin Wubing patiently explained.

He continued, “Speaking of which, this isn’t the first time we have joined hands. Back at the border, we dealt with the Golden Horde’s cavalry while the Daoist Order dealt with the wizards from the Shamanistic Sect. I have to say, the personnel deployed from the Daoist Order are experienced fighters, unlike those flowerbed priests in the Jade Capital.”

The Innkeeper’s complexion turned pale upon hearing this. He had a feeling that most of those recruits and elites from The Inn would never return. The Inn had connections with the Imperial Court but not with the Daoist Order. Qingping Society was the one with close ties to the Daoist Order. Therefore, the Daoist Order would not hesitate to eliminate members of The Inn and would even claim credit for exterminating secret society members.

At this moment, Qin Wubing felt a surge of warmth coming from the mother-child talisman he carried with him. He waved to the Innkeeper, signaling the latter to retreat. But he did not avoid Qin Xiang.

To Qin Wubing, Qin Xiang was one of his own and an equal, so he had to show her due respect. On the other hand, the Innkeeper was a secret society member and not of the same social class, unworthy of his courtesy.

Qin Wubing walked to a corner and took out the mother-child talisman, which turned it into a ball of flame. What appeared in the flames was Shangguan Jing’s face.

“Sage Shangguan, how are you doing over there?” Qin Wubing asked casually.

Shangguan Jing’s voice was slightly distorted as it came through the formation. “A few rats related to the White Jade Hall managed to escape.”

“White Jade Hall?” Qin Wubing was slightly startled.

“Have you heard of it?” Shangguan Jing was surprised that Qin Wubing had heard of this obscure association.

Qin Wubing explained, “I’ve heard about it and even interacted with one of the members once at the Protectorate. A woman went to see the Chief General and talked to him for a long time. Later, I found out that she was from the White Jade Hall. She went to negotiate a deal with the Chief General relating to the Golden Horde. Soon after, the Chief General personally led the attack and killed more than 2,000 enemies. He was later named the Grand Guardian of the Crown Prince.”

The Chief General mentioned was the Protector of Xizhou.

Shangguan Jing was silent for a moment before he asked, “How much do you know about the White Jade Hall?”

Qin Wubing and Shangguan Jing were old acquaintances, so they did not hide anything from each other. “After that incident, I used some connections to investigate White Jade Hall and found out that it was an alliance between the major secret societies. Its members come from various secret societies. I think it’s similar to the Golden Tower Council of the Daoist Order, with representatives from the different Daoist sects.”

“Watch your words.” Shangguan Jing warned, but he did not deny this statement. In fact, there was no difference in structure between the two. It was more of a difference in strength.

Qin Wubing continued, “Actually, I don’t care much about the White Jade Hall. After all, dealing with secret societies is your responsibility. It has nothing to do with me. I was just curious about that woman and wanted to know who her backer was.”

“You mean, the woman who made a deal with the Chief General?” Shangguan Jing asked.

“Yes.” Qin Wubing nodded. “I spoke with the Chief General about this. To my surprise, the Chief General actually told me everything that happened. That woman was a member of the Qingping Society, known by the alias Lady Qi, or Madam Qi. She was a middleman involved in various businesses, but mainly regarding intelligence. She pulled some strings, facilitating a deal between the Chief General and someone from the Golden Horde. That was how the Chief General achieved victory, by obtaining the military intelligence of the Golden Horde.”

“In other words, this Madam Qi is one of the representatives of the Qingping Society in White Jade Hall?” Shangguan Jing pondered aloud.

Qin Wubing said nonchalantly, “Who knows whether this information is accurate? You ought to verify it yourself.”