Fate Trading System – Chapter 203.1

Plan A

Guiding Stars 19

Minran

Boss, are you stupid?!

Su Xin was dumbfounded when she heard these words from Yue Xingyao. She was in the midst of planning how to defend against this kid, and then the kid said… she wasn’t going to cause trouble anymore!

I’ve taken my pants off and this is what you show me?

This wasn’t what they’d agreed on. Had the course of history been altered?

Su Xin knew why Yue Xingyao had changed, but she still couldn’t quite believe it.

For her? But she hadn’t done anything.

A long time ago, she had simply told a lonely Yue Xingyao a story. Yue Xingyao was content to stay in her small courtyard, so she stayed there. Su Xin hadn’t made any special gestures. Why would Yue Xingyao change because of her?

Could a person’s obsession be this deep?

“Da Huangjie, I don’t know why you see me as such a big threat, but I truly haven’t thought about doing anything to you, not before, and not in the future. If you want to ascend to that position [referring to the throne], I can help you.”

“An alliance?”

Su Xin was surprised that Yue Xingyao was the one to suggest it. After all, Yue Xingyao had always been incredibly aloof and cool since childhood. However, since she had brought it up, Su Xin would naturally go along with it; she wouldn’t refuse.

Why not take an opportunity when it presented itself?

“Yes, an alliance.”

Yue Xingyao hesitated before answering. This wasn’t what she truly had in mind, but she subconsciously felt that if she revealed her real thoughts, her Da Huangjie would not only disagree but become suspicious.

Her Da Huangjie didn’t trust her. This was a truly saddening fact.

Preconceived notions were truly frightening. Su Xin’s established impression of Yue Xingyao was that she was powerful and frightening, capable of controlling the overall situation at a young age. But she’d forgotten that Yue Xingyao was only four years old when they met.

Now that Yue Xingyao had someone to miss and something to rely on, her personality wouldn’t become as extreme as before. Yue Xingyao had dispersed that hatred into something else; it had settled onto Su Xin.

“If Da Huangjie trusts me, let’s join forces. Er Huangjie is quite troublesome now, isn’t she?”

Yue Xingyao concealed her true thoughts and resumed the indifferent expression she usually wore when facing others, looking serious and earnest.

Yue Xingyao told herself she needed patience.

“It’s a good idea. So, Wu Meimei, what are your bargaining chips?”

Although Su Xin knew what her golden finger was, she couldn’t possibly reveal it. Furthermore, Yue Xingyao’s reaction had just given her a wake-up call.

Yue Xingyao had asked, why did you see me as such a big threat?

Therefore, Su Xin had to act in a way that was justified and consistent with the current situation.

“You’ll naturally find out about my bargaining chips later. Da Huangjie, your first step should be to deal with Er Huangjie, right?”

“Her…”

Su Xin wore a subtle, ambiguous smile and didn’t finish her sentence.

“Wu Meimei, do you really not want the throne?”

“We’ll see. You know, I’m still young. Who knows if I’ll change my mind later?”

Yue Xingyao felt a pang of bitterness in her heart, but she didn’t show it on her face.

Su Xin decided it wasn’t worth the effort to distance herself any further. They both had their own ideas and plans; they understood each other.

It wasn’t that Su Xin overestimated Yue Xingyao, even though she was only twelve years old.

This was someone who had practically controlled the emperor at fourteen, a near-demonic existence. Su Xin absolutely couldn’t let her guard down.

Their conversation ended just like that. Yue Xingyao left the small courtyard. Although it was dark, Yue Xingyao could still see clearly. Perhaps she truly had a talent for martial arts. In six years, she had been able to convert almost all of the decades-worth of internal energy that the woman had left in her body. Night vision was no problem for her at all.

Yue Xingyao took in the sight of Su Xin reclining comfortably on the wicker chair, then blinked and walked towards the courtyard gate.

The courtyard gate was considerately closed. Su Xin leaned back in the comfortable chair, enjoying the cool breeze and gazing at the crescent moon in the sky, feeling inexplicably sleepy.

Su Xin had been well-attended to in the past, but after entering the military camp and mixing with people from all walks of life, her behavior had inevitably become a bit more rough and unrefined.

In that place, whenever she was exhausted, she could fall asleep anywhere, leaning against a pillar or simply lying on the ground.

Su Xin now felt a little too lazy to walk into the palace to bathe and change into sleepwear. She wanted to just sleep on this chair.

But that was just a thought. Firstly, she didn’t want to endure her current dusty state. And she certainly didn’t want to become the topic of gossip tomorrow.

The palace must have been urgently cleaned. It was autumn, and the air was still humid. The recently cleaned palace, combined with the humidity, carried a slight smell of dust.

Su Xin had brought some of her own clothes this time, as the palace certainly wouldn’t have any prepared for her. After washing up, Su Xin lay in bed, mentally listing the things she needed to do, and then closed her eyes.

Yue Xingyao walked outside Su Xin’s small courtyard, quietly heading back the way she came.

The night was quiet, without a single sound, so silent that it made one subconsciously hold their breath.

Yue Xingyao walked expressionlessly through the magnificent palace. The sleeping palace wasn’t much different from anywhere else; it similarly exuded an empty, lonely, and somewhat eerie atmosphere.

There would be no guards patrolling here. Their area of responsibility was only the outer palace. Without special permission or some unusual incident, they wouldn’t be allowed to enter the inner palace.

Yue Xingyao walked at a leisurely pace. Her martial arts skills allowed her to freely enter and exit the palace undetected. Her small stature also served as excellent camouflage. She could sense the presence of anyone within a hundred meters, so she wasn’t worried about being discovered.

Yue Xingyao liked to carefully plan everything in her mind, listing the pros and cons and connections between each action, then considering whether to proceed, how to proceed, and in what order and manner.

Nighttime was a good time for thinking. Yue Xingyao entered her sleeping quarters without disturbing Liujin, who was sleeping soundly in the outer chamber, oblivious to everything.

Yue Xingyao lit a lamp with a fire starter [火折子 | huǒzhézi | portable ember carrier]. The dim light illuminated the scene on the low writing desk.

Yue Xingyao had tidied up the place briefly when she returned that afternoon. Liujin had intended to clean it for her, but Yue Xingyao didn’t want anyone to know certain things, so she always did it herself.

The ink-stained letter had been neatly folded and placed to the side by Yue Xingyao.

Yue Xingyao removed her outer garments, wearing only comfortable undergarments suitable for movement. She opened the hidden compartment under her bed and took out a delicate small wooden box.

The wooden box was secured with a small lock, looking exquisitely crafted.

This was a special lock that Yue Xingyao had specifically commissioned a renowned locksmith to create. Even the most skilled thief in the world wouldn’t be able to open it. There was only one key, and it was in Yue Xingyao’s possession.

Yue Xingyao retrieved the key, opened the small wooden box, and revealed neatly arranged letters inside. Each one was carefully placed in an envelope, but none had an address written on them.

A basin for burning old items sat in the corner. Yue Xingyao opened the window to ventilate the room, then brought the basin in front of her.

Yue Xingyao didn’t look at the letters again, because she had written them herself. No one could be more clear than her about their contents.

The deeper down a letter was, the older it was, and the more childish the handwriting.

Yue Xingyao lit the edge of a thin sheet of paper with the candle flame, watching as the edge turned black and the burned part turned to ash, scattering into the basin.

She released her grip, allowing the flames to quickly consume the entire sheet, and the words written on it ceased to exist.

One letter after another. Yue Xingyao stared at the candle flame, feeling a certain emptiness in her heart.

Until finally, the ashes in the basin formed a thick layer, until the last letter was burned.

Yue Xingyao blew out the candle flame. The basin remained there, holding the remnants of vanished secrets.

All of this was meaningless.

So-called longing was merely a self-deceptive, one-sided sentiment. So-called care was merely sentimental drivel committed to paper, something others didn’t need to accept.

Yue Xingyao seemed to understand what Su Xin needed. She didn’t need these things. Childish longing was meaningless to her, perhaps even laughable.

Yue Xingyao solemnly locked the small box. It wasn’t empty; it locked away her restless heart.

When Liujin came in to clean the next morning, he was surprised to see the ashes in the basin. But he acted as if nothing had happened, emptying the basin and then calling Yue Xingyao to wake up.

Su Xin was granted the title of Prince Duan [端王 | duān wáng] by the Emperor and awarded a mansion and servants. This event didn’t cause much of a stir, because it was expected.

The new residence was located two streets away from the palace, very close and in a quiet environment.

The mansion hadn’t been fully renovated yet, so Su Xin wasn’t in a hurry to move in. As a matter of formality, she first went to pay her respects to the Emperor Consort.

The Emperor Consort, completely unaware of what his daughter had done, was extremely anxious at this moment. The Emperor Consort sensed a great threat from Su Xin, a threat not only to himself but also to Yue Xingyao.

“Father Consort, I’ve come to pay my respects.”

Su Xin wore a flawless smile and a respectful demeanor, leaving no room for criticism. However, this interaction didn’t reveal any hint of closeness, as if they were merely strangers rather than father and daughter.

“Yes. How have you been these past few years in that place? You’ve grown quite a bit since you returned. Have you gained much?”

The Emperor Consort used caring words, but the probing nature of the questions was obvious to anyone.

“I’ve just gotten stronger physically. Being able to contribute my share of strength to Da Yu, after all these years, how have you been?”

Su Xin didn’t want to beat around the bush and directly changed the subject.

“Just as you see. I’ve never left, not to such a distant place. Why don’t you tell me, what interesting things are there in that place?”

“They’re all rough people. There’s nothing interesting to talk about. By the way, where is Wu Meimei?”

“She should be at Zixing Hall right now. Look at what you’re wearing! Didn’t the palace people prepare clothes for you?”

“I arrived rather suddenly yesterday. The Imperial Garment Bureau hadn’t had time to take my measurements yet. I expect they’ll come today.”

The Emperor Consort knew Su Xin didn’t want to reveal anything. Continuing to chat and feign closeness would only be awkward, so he casually followed the lead and changed the subject.

The two didn’t have much to say to each other. They hadn’t been close in the past, and after so many years, they had grown even more distant, even though the Emperor Consort had raised her.

Su Xin naturally wouldn’t do anything to the Emperor Consort, but that was on the condition that he didn’t court death or do anything harmful to Su Xin’s interests, anything truly irritating. Otherwise, out of respect for the Emperor Consort’s role in raising her, Su Xin could let her live peacefully to old age. Su Xin was just afraid he wouldn’t be content with peace and quiet, that he’d continue to stir up trouble.

Su Xin returned to her small courtyard. Sure enough, after a while, people came to take her measurements, asking about her preferred styles and fabrics.

“Anything is fine. You decide.”

Su Xin didn’t care whether the styles she wore were fashionable or ornate, as long as they were presentable.

After sending away the palace staff who had come to take her measurements, the small courtyard became empty again.

Previously, only Su Xin, Jinxiu, and three other palace servants had lived here. When Su Xin left, the three other servants had been sent elsewhere. Su Xin wasn’t very familiar with them and didn’t have much of an impression of them. Since they weren’t close, Jinxiu had been the only one she could rely on back then. Now that Jinxiu hadn’t returned with her, there was naturally no one by her side. It was empty.

A few days later, Su Xin left the palace, taking nothing with her except the clothes she had arrived in. She departed lightly. The Imperial Garment Bureau was rushing to make her clothes, which weren’t finished yet. Once they were ready, they would be delivered to her mansion.

“Can I visit you often in the future?” Yue Xingyao asked.

“Of course, as long as you’re willing. The doors of my mansion will always be open to you.”

Su Xin nodded and left gracefully.

“Always open?” Yue Xingyao murmured, touching her fingers.

Su Xin hadn’t been idle in the palace. The Emperor had appointed her to an official position, and a high-ranking one at that.

The former Minister of War had retired to his hometown, and Su Xin filled her position.

As soon as the Emperor made this move, everyone understood what it meant.

The Minister of War wasn’t a small position; on the contrary, it was a major one, a lucrative post. One wouldn’t reach this position without serving for at least ten or eight years.

The Minister of War was in charge of selecting military officials and managing military administration, wielding significant power. This position made it very easy to cultivate one’s own confidantes among the military officials. A skilled Minister could even control the defensive forces inside and outside the capital. Therefore, this was a crucial position, one that could only be entrusted to someone the Emperor deemed absolutely loyal.

Everyone also knew that the Eldest Imperial Princess had just returned from the border. Now, the Emperor had placed her in charge of the Ministry of War. The meaning was clear.

When Su Xin had some free time, she asked Fourteen to send her a list of all eligible bachelors in the capital. She needed to choose carefully.

Even Fourteen was taken aback.

【Host? Didn’t you say you didn’t want men?】

The initiative should always be in my hands. I only said I wanted to marry, not that I wanted to sleep with them.

Su Xin leaned back in her chair, holding documents in her hand. It had to happen eventually, so it was better to take control of the situation.

There would be someone she wanted. She already had a general outline in mind, derived from the original owner’s memories.

Su Xin finally got past that particularly busy period. It must have been the usual rush of a new official taking office, so there were many things to understand. But with Fourteen’s help, things weren’t so difficult to handle.

As a super-intelligent AI, Fourteen’s statistical and data processing abilities were unquestionable. By consolidating the complex information from the documents and categorizing them, many things became clear at a glance.

A super search engine allowed Fourteen to gather a lot of information about this world, organize it, and then relay it to Su Xin. The tangled relationships were sorted out and memorized by Su Xin.

Su Xin had a secret meeting with Pei Yu. Six years had passed, and Pei Yu had transformed from that naive young girl into the cunning Pei Daren [大人 | dàrén | respectful title for officials] of today. Her official rank had steadily risen, not all at once.

Pei Yu had changed from an idealistic youth into an old fox, the two personalities completely merging, adapting to external influences and changing her attitude towards many people and things. The only thing that hadn’t changed was her attitude towards Su Xin.

They hadn’t stopped exchanging letters during these six years. After all, while Su Xin knew the general events that had unfolded here, she needed letters to convey her own knowledge and strategies.

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