Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 853 A mess

Xia Lin's residence was heavily guarded by his personal guards, while inside, Sun Jiuzhen personally led skilled personnel from the Sixth Intelligence Department to set up defenses.

The entire residence was brightly lit and filled with people, yet it was so quiet that only the night wind and the crackling of burning torches could be heard.

Third Sister was wrapped in a Xia Lin garment, which was clearly ill-fitting. The slightest movement on her would reveal her private parts. At this moment, she was sitting on a couch in the inner room, holding a cup of hot soup in her hands. Her eyes still showed some lingering fear, but the blush on her face also made her look very charming.

Xia Lin changed into some dry casual clothes and came out. He sat down opposite Third Sister, picked up the cup in her hand, and took a sip.

"How's the investigation going?" Third Sister looked up at him, her voice slightly hoarse.

"The arrows were standard-issue crossbows used by the army, but they were tampered with and the markings were removed. The poison was a black market poison from the Western Regions, with the raw materials coming from Nanzhao." Xia Lin took another sip of hot porridge, his tone as calm as if he were commenting on whether the dinner was too salty or bland. "The assassin's body was examined. The body was very clean, with no obvious markings, but the soles of his feet had thick calluses from years of riding horses, and his knuckles were large. These were clearly marks left from years of practicing with a curved sword. He looked like someone from the north, or someone who frequently dealt with the north."

"Northern Han?" Third Sister frowned. "Liu Min was just scared out of his wits, how could he have such courage?"

"It's hard to say. It's also possible that someone wants to frame the Northern Han, causing us to clash with Liu Min again so they can profit from it. After all, whoever benefits is a suspect." Xia Lin put down his cup, picked up the poisoned arrow wrapped in cloth, and twirled it between his fingers. "So it could also be one of your own people."

San Niang's pupils contracted: "Beside me..."

“They might not be your close confidants,” Xia Lin interrupted her. “The Anxi Protectorate is so large and has such a complex population. There are many people you brought from Chang’an, local officials and generals who have submitted, and even many within your Li Tang dynasty who don’t want to cooperate with us.”

His words were blunt, and San Niang's expression changed several times before finally settling into a helpless sigh. She knew all too well that the throne was never truly secure. The fact that news of her secret meeting with Xia Lin in the Xuanzheng Hall had reached Chang'an so quickly indicated that she was surrounded by spies.

“Sun Jiuzhen has already visited all the guards and palace servants on duty tonight, as well as anyone who might have come into contact with that area.” Xia Lin leaned against the headboard and smacked his lips. “My people are quite efficient at interrogating people. We should have some clues before dawn.”

Third Sister naturally understood what he meant by "efficient." She didn't stop him; at this moment, there was no room for mercy.

That arrow was clearly meant to kill her.

"If it's found out..." Third Sister's eyes grew cold.

“Find them, kill them if they deserve it, cut them to pieces if they deserve it.” Xia Lin’s tone remained calm. “But the person behind it all probably won’t be so easy to find. It’s easy to cut off the outstretched hand, but it’s hard to dig out the body hiding in the shadows.”

He stood up and walked to the window, looking at the deep night outside: "But this may not be all bad."

"Oh?" Third Sister looked up.

“At least it has given us a clearer view of the enemy lurking in the shadows.” Xia Lin turned back and smiled at her. “I saved you when you were assassinated, and my people are now in charge of security. In many people’s eyes, you and I are now completely in the same boat. This will save us a lot of trouble in our future cooperation.”

Third Sister paused for a moment, then understood his meaning. This incident confirmed the rumors about her and Xia Lin, and the opposition in Chang'an would likely intensify. Conversely, she also needed Xia Lin's support to ensure her safety and stabilize the situation in the Western Regions. In a way, Xia Lin was right; the two were forced to stand more closely together.

This man... always manages to find a way to his advantage even in the worst-case scenario.

"You certainly know how to comfort yourself." Third Sister glared at him irritably, but the lingering fear and gloom in her heart dissipated considerably because of his joke.

"What else? Have a good cry?" Xia Lin walked back and sat down again: "Life goes on, battles must be fought, and business must be done. Don't worry, with me here, no one can hurt you anymore."

These words were spoken calmly, yet carried an undeniable certainty. Looking at his profile illuminated by the candlelight, San Niang felt a slight stirring in her heart; that familiar feeling of reassurance mixed with helplessness welled up once more.

Just then, Sun Jiuzhen came to see him from outside.

"Wait a minute."

Xia Lin didn't let him in immediately. Instead, he tightened San Niang's clothes before calling out, "Come in."

Sun Jiuzhen strode in, still carrying the chill of the extreme temperature difference in the Western Regions. He first bowed to Xia Lin, then to San Niang, but never raised his head or even glanced at her. "Your Majesty, Commander," he said, "our initial investigation has yielded results. The assassin infiltrated the inner garden disguised as a servant transporting swill during a shift change. The person who provided him with cover was a minor official in the Protectorate General's office, surnamed Wang. When I found him, he had already hanged himself."

"There's no way to prove it when someone's dead." Xia Lin wasn't surprised at all.

“Yes. But my subordinates found this in his house.” Sun Jiuzhen presented a piece of silk cloth that had been burned down to a corner, with traces of a special indigo dye still visible on the edge: “This is a dye commonly used for secret communications among Tibetan nobles. It will become visible when exposed to fire. There is only a blurry mark on the fragment, which looks like part of some kind of totem.”

"Tibet?" San Niang and Xia Lin exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

Located on the plateau, Tibet bordered the Western Regions, the Tang Dynasty, and the Tian Wei Dynasty. Its attitude was always ambiguous, sometimes submitting to the Tibetans, sometimes raiding their borders. If Tibet's intervention was indeed intended to destabilize the Western Regions, it would be plausible.

“Interesting.” Xia Lin picked up the tattered piece of cloth and rubbed it between his fingertips. “First, they tried to frame the Northern Han, and now they’ve dragged in the Tubo. This mess is getting muddier and muddier.”

"Keep investigating," Xia Lin said to Sun Jiuzhen. "Follow the line with Tibet, and dig deep into the background of that clerk's social connections. See who's playing these tricks on me."

"Understood!" Sun Jiuzhen accepted the order and left.

The room returned to quiet.

“Tibet…” Third Sister pondered, “If they want to take advantage of the chaos to get a share of the pie in the Western Regions, it’s not impossible.”

"Anything is possible." Xia Lin stretched. "It's also possible that someone deliberately left clues to draw our attention to Tibet. It's all a mix of truth and falsehood. We'll continue investigating in Jiuzhen. Right now, the more important thing is to tighten the fences here and set up our own framework. As for assassins, if one jumps out, we'll just kill him."

"Alright, it's late, let's rest first." Xia Lin stood up: "Let's just sleep, there's nothing else to do. I already had some fun in the bathtub, my body can't take it anymore."

"That's because you insisted on it..."

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? I don't want some people saying that something in the Western Regions has drained me dry."

In the following days, a tense atmosphere prevailed both inside and outside the Anxi Protectorate.

Xia Lin's men thoroughly investigated the Protectorate and even the entire Anxi region, like combing through a fine cloth, and identified several low-ranking officials and merchants as suspects. However, the trail went cold with them; they were clearly just pawns being used. The real mastermind remained hidden.

Sun Jiuzhen is also investigating the line through Tibet, but there has been no breakthrough yet.

However, the impact of the assassination continued to unfold. Taking advantage of this momentum, Third Sister swiftly reorganized the Anxi Protectorate, replacing a number of officials, especially those in charge of defense and internal auditing, with her more reliable cronies from Chang'an in place. Furthermore, she arranged for Xia Lin's people to assist and supervise these key positions.

This move naturally drew considerable criticism, but Third Sister forcefully suppressed it, citing the need to "ensure the overall stability of the alliance with Wei against the rebels." Still shaken by the assassination attempt, she had ample reason to strengthen her centralized power and control.

Meanwhile, after several rounds of closed-door consultations with Xia Lin, the first cooperation framework agreement between Li Tang and the Western Regions Construction Corps was finally drafted.

The details of the agreement have not been made public, but some rumors have already leaked out.

The main points included: the Tang Dynasty acknowledging the dominant position and jurisdiction of the Western Regions Construction Corps in the Western Regions; both sides jointly ensuring the smooth flow and security of the southern route of the Silk Road, mainly passing through Tang-controlled areas, and the northern route, mainly passing through areas controlled by the Construction Corps, with caravans enjoying the same preferential tax rates; the Western Regions Construction Corps providing Tang Dynasty with a range of livelihood technologies, including new textile machines, improved agricultural tools, and irrigation canal construction techniques; and the establishment of a military information sharing mechanism, requiring timely notification and consultation in the event of a large-scale invasion by a third party…

These terms appear to represent significant concessions by the Li Tang dynasty, particularly regarding dominance in the Western Regions. However, after weighing the pros and cons, San Niang and her core advisors concluded that, given the current situation, this was the best option to minimize losses and secure tangible benefits. Continuing to resist might result in even greater losses for the Li Tang.

The draft agreement was sent back to Chang'an by express courier, and submitted to Prince Li Jiancheng of Qin and other important officials of the court for review.

The news elicited mixed reactions from the various kingdoms of the Western Regions. Kingdoms like Kucha and Khotan were naturally delighted, having already aligned themselves with Xia Lin. The cooperation between the Tang Dynasty and Wei meant the overall situation in the Western Regions was settling, and their choice was correct. Some smaller kingdoms, still observing the situation, began to seriously consider sending envoys to Shanshan to pay homage to Xia Lin.

The most vehement reaction naturally came from the Northern Han.

After learning that Li Tang and Xia Lin had begun negotiations, Liu Min smashed his beloved agate wine cup in his tent.

"That woman Li Tang is utterly shameless! She's associating with wolves!" He trembled with rage. "She's trying to drive me to my death!"

His generals were also indignant.

"General, we cannot sit idly by and wait to die!"

"Li Tang has broken his promise, so let's strike first and beat the crap out of them!"

"Fight? With what can we fight?" Old Liu still retained a sliver of rationality, pointing to the military camp outside that had not yet fully recovered: "The men have just been infected with the plague, and the horses haven't been restored yet. How can we fight? If we go to attack Li Tang, will Xia Lin just sit and watch? If we're attacked from both sides, do we want to die even faster?"

A single sentence silenced the tent, leaving only heavy breathing. The devastating scene of Xia Lin's martial arts demonstration remained a haunting nightmare for them.

"Then... what do we do? Are we just going to stand by and watch them join forces?"

Old Liu's eyes were sinister. After a long silence, he finally managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Send someone back to report to the Great Khan! Tell the Great Khan everything about the situation here! Especially the collusion between Li Tang and Xia Lin! Also, send our men to contact the Tibetan envoys. Don't they also want to get involved in the Western Regions? If they can form an alliance there, why can't we?"

A ruthless and resolute glint flashed in his eyes. Since the Li Tang dynasty was so heartless, then the Northern Han wouldn't be so ungrateful as to seek new allies. Even if it meant dealing with a tiger, it was better than waiting to die!

The situation in the Western Regions became even more chaotic due to the initial cooperation between Li Tang and Xia Lin, as well as the mysterious poisoned arrow. Various forces were readjusting their strategies, and the undercurrents were becoming increasingly turbulent.

Inside the Anxi Protectorate, Xia Lin encountered an unexpected acquaintance.

That day, he was watching the newly transferred Li Tang soldiers and his troops conduct coordinated drills on the drill ground when a guard ran up to report: "General, a Taoist priest is requesting an audience. He says he is an old friend of yours and comes from Fuliang."

"A Taoist priest?" Xia Lin was taken aback. He recognized an old acquaintance from Fuliang, dressed as a Taoist priest...

"Is that Xu Shiji, the third brother? Wasn't he filming a movie in Lingnan? What's he doing here?"

Filled with doubt, he quickly walked back to the commander's tent.

Upon entering the tent, one sees a Taoist priest, travel-worn and with mud splattered on the hem of his robe, yet still exuding an air of otherworldly elegance, admiring a map of the Western Regions hanging on the tent wall with his back to him.

Hearing footsteps, he turned around. Who else could it be but Xu Shiji?

He was thinner than when Xia Lin last saw him in Lingnan, but his eyes were even more profound and bright.

"Daosheng, how have you been?" Xu Shiji said with a smile, cupping his hands in greeting.

"Brother Xu! What brings you here?" Xia Lin was both surprised and delighted, and stepped forward to grasp his arm: "From Lingnan..."

"The filming is almost finished. His Majesty is overseeing the remaining details. He's even more concerned than I am," Xu Shiji said with a smile. "I heard that the situation in the Western Regions is almost settled, but there are still undercurrents. I was worried, so I handed over the post-production work and came here overnight with some edited sample footage. First, to show you our work, and second, to see if there's anything I can do to help."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the faint sounds of training coming from outside the tent, and lowered his voice, saying, "And also to lay low for a while. That guy, he's gotten so into acting that he insists I play that scholar... I just can't stand his flamboyant attitude."

Xia Lin was taken aback at first, then imagined the scene of Xu Shiji being forced to play a scholar by Emperor Jingtai, and couldn't help but burst into laughter, laughing so hard that tears almost came out.

"Hahaha...Serves you right! Serves you right for getting him to act in the first place!"

Xu Shiji shook his head and smiled bitterly.

After laughing, Xia Lin looked at Xu Shiji and felt a warm feeling well up in her heart.

Xu Shiji's arrival at this time was not simply for delivering a movie sample or seeking refuge. He was there to lend a hand because he was worried about his own side being short-handed or encountering some difficult problems.

Moreover, this is Xu Shiji, who in official history was a formidable figure who fought alongside Li Jing in conquering the Western Regions. He was often compared to Li Jing. In reality, he was certainly no match for Li Jing, but the fact that he was even compared to Li Jing was already quite remarkable.

This kindness will be remembered.

"It's good that you're here!" Xia Lin patted Xu Shiji's shoulder hard: "Third Brother, you've come at just the right time! I have a headache here that I might need your help to figure out."

"Oh? What is it?" Xu Shiji raised an eyebrow.

Xia Lin pulled him to the table, pointed to the direction of Tibet on the map, and his eyes sharpened.

"About a poisoned arrow and the shadow that may be hiding behind the Tibetans."

(End of this chapter)