Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

In the same imperial city, the night wind swept through the nine-layered palace, making the bronze bells on the eaves tinkle. The lights in the East Palace were lit earliest and the darkest.

Crown Prince Qin Linyuan sat upright behind his desk, dressed in a moon-white robe with dark gold dragons embroidered on the cuffs.

He held a half-cup of warm tea in his hand, but did not drink it, only letting the aroma of the tea linger on his fingertips.

On the table in front of him lay a map of the entire Eastern Continent, with mountains, rivers and cities outlined in fine vermilion. The vast area of ​​the thirteen western prefectures had been freshly painted with ochre—like blood that had just seeped onto the map.

He closed the secret report, gently pressed his fingertip on the table, and then raised his eyes.

"What do you all think?" His voice was neither loud nor soft, like lukewarm tea, but the backs of the three strategists tensed up in unison.

Advisor A was the first to bow, speaking rapidly:

"Your Highness, the Azure Dragon Society's power has expanded so rapidly, swallowing up thirteen prefectures in a single night. Their intentions are despicable! I believe the court should join forces with the Suspended Mirror Platform and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, taking advantage of their unstable foothold—"

"And then?" Qin Linyuan suddenly interrupted, his voice still calm, but the hint of a smile in his eyes had vanished. "Let the Azure Dragon Society turn against the imperial court? Tell me, after that, who will fight?"

The strategist's lips moved, but he didn't respond.

Qin Linyuan put down his teacup, the bottom of which touched the rosewood tabletop with a very soft "tap".

He tapped his fingertips on the map of Dongzhou on the table, on the ochre color: "The thirteen prefectures in the west have just been pacified, but the people's hearts have not yet been won over."

If we attack now, we'll help them win back the hearts and minds of the people.

"Furthermore—" He paused, his gaze darkening slightly, "Bai Yujing repelled three half-step Celestials with a single sword strike. Tell me, what will the imperial court use to fight? The Suspended Mirror Platform? The Embroidered Uniform Guard? Or should I send my third brother to his death with his troops?"

The strategists looked at each other, none daring to answer.

Qin Linyuan downed the remaining tea in his cup in one gulp. The tea had long since gone cold, but his expression remained unchanged: "Even my father, the Emperor, is simply holding back. What's the rush?"

He stood up, the hem of his robe brushing against the corner of the table, and walked to the window.

Looking east from here, you can see the outline of the many palaces to the west of the imperial city—that is the residence of the Third Prince Qin Linting, which is now brightly lit, like a ferocious beast lurking in the night, baring its teeth.

"The third brother has been getting close to the Embroidered Uniform Guard lately."

His voice suddenly lowered, as if he were talking to himself, but the three advisors could hear him clearly: "Zhao Chengying, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, is a Grandmaster at the ninth level of the Heavenly Realm. With him behind the Third Prince... my position as Crown Prince isn't very secure."

He turned around, and the moonlight slanted in, drawing a clear line of light and shadow on his profile. Suddenly, a sharp, unusual light flashed in his usually gentle eyes.

"But the Azure Dragon Society in the west is not to be touched for the time being. However, we can—" He paused for a moment, "use it."

The second strategist raised his head slightly and tentatively asked, "Your Highness means...?"

"Send someone to Pingyang County to secretly contact that young dragon leader."

Qin Linyuan walked back behind the desk, sat down, and placed his hands on his knees. His demeanor, which had been sharp and aggressive just moments before, returned to its usual calm and composure. "Tell him that His Highness the Crown Prince intends to befriend the Azure Dragon Society."

He paused, a very faint smile appearing at the corner of his lips:

"Also—have the people the Third Brother planted in the western branch of the Embroidered Uniform Guard be a little… 'active'. Don't let the Azure Dragon Society think the imperial court is doing nothing about the west."

The strategist's eyes lit up, and he cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "Does Your Highness intend for the Azure Dragon Society to become hostile towards the Third Prince?"

"hostility?"

Qin Linyuan chuckled, his laughter as cold and indifferent as a blade slicing through water. "No."

I just want them to see more flags in the West.

As for which flag they choose to work with—that's their choice. My third brother… his favorite thing is being used as a tool, yet believing he's the one wielding it.

He picked up the teacup again, only to find it empty. He gently put it down and turned his gaze back to the map on the table.

On the ochre-colored surface of the thirteen western prefectures, his fingertips traced an arc, as if drawing an invisible line.

"Go," he said, "be careful not to let anyone smell the scent of the Crown Prince."

The Third Prince's Residence.

The lamps crackled and popped, and the nine giant tallow candles on the bronze lamp tree illuminated the entire main hall as bright as day.

Qin Linting sat imposingly in the main seat, his physique as robust as an iron-cast pagoda, his thick eyebrows like knives, his deep-set eyes, and when he looked at people, he resembled a fierce tiger sizing up its prey in a cage.

A commander of the Imperial Guard was kneeling before him, still in his armor and covered in sweat.

"The thirteen prefectures of the West, the Azure Dragon Society?" Qin Linting scoffed, his laughter rough like sand being sharpened on a knife. "Ha."

He held a jade wine cup in his hand, filled with grape wine from the Western Regions, its color as deep red as blood.

As he spoke, he casually tightened his grip—his knuckles clenched, and the jade emitted a soft "crack" sound, with cracks spreading out like a spider web.

"Bang."

The wine glass shattered in his palm, shards of porcelain falling in a flurry. Crimson wine dripped from between his thick fingers onto the carpet, staining a small dark patch. Not even a white mark was left on his palm—the physique of a Grandmaster at the fifth level meant that such sharpness could not harm him in the slightest.

"My older brother—" Qin Linting clapped the crumbs off his hands, his voice filled with undisguised sarcasm.

"Is he now sitting in the Eastern Palace, strategizing, sipping tea, and playing the role of a harmonious ruler and his three advisors?"

The commander looked up: "Your Highness, according to intelligence... the Crown Prince has indeed made a move."

"Sending people to contact the Green Dragon Society, hoping to use them as a tool to harm my Imperial Guards?"

Qin Linting snorted coldly and stood up. He was extremely tall, and his mere presence blocked most of the lights behind him, casting a shadow that enveloped the commander. "What a clever plan. Too bad—"

He paced back and forth, his boots pounding on the gold brick floor, each step heavy like a drumbeat.

"What kind of people are those from the Azure Dragon Society? Tell me about them." He suddenly stopped and turned to look at the commander.

Qianhu hurriedly replied, "Li Chenzhou, Guan Qi, Bai Yujing... they are all proud and ambitious heroes."

"A ruthless and ambitious figure." Qin Linting chuckled, grinding the word between his teeth. "Would they care about an olive branch extended by a mere crown prince? Naïve. My elder brother has played the role of a mere playboy; does he really think everyone in the world buys into his act of gentleness, kindness, respect, frugality, and humility?"

He walked back to the main seat, but did not sit down. Instead, he rested one hand on the back of the chair, staring intently at the flickering candlelight in the hall.

"My elder brother's cleverness backfired. The Azure Dragon Society had just finished attacking the Azure Dragon Temple and crawled out of the bloodbath of Frost Maple Plains, which was the time when they were most wary of outside forces."

Sending someone to make contact at this time—"his smile gradually faded"—would only lead the Azure Dragon Society to believe that the imperial court was trying to interfere in the west.

"Then all the Azure Dragon Society's hostility towards the court will be blamed on the Crown Prince. My dear elder brother, his ability to dig his own grave is far superior to his ability to govern a country."

The commander prostrated himself on the ground, saying, "Your Highness is wise and sagacious."

"It's not fair to call him wise."

Qin Linting waved his hand, the hand that had just crushed the wine glass standing out sharply in the candlelight, its knuckles clearly visible and veins slightly bulging. "Have someone keep an eye on the Eastern Palace. I need to know where every person who leaves the Crown Prince's residence and every letter that arrives goes. Also—"

He paused, then his gaze suddenly fell on a map of the northern border defenses hanging on the north side of the hall.

The map is marked with continuous passes and defenses in ink, and at the northernmost point, a small circle of cinnabar marks a separate area with three words written next to it: "Weeping Blood Marquis".

"Go to the Northern Border and deliver a letter to the Weeping Blood Marquis."

Qin Linting lowered his voice, his rough tone carrying a rare hint of solemnity, "Just say... the Third Prince has long admired the Marquis's reputation and wishes to forge a good relationship with the Marquis's mansion. The Marquis guards the capital's borders in the north, while I look after his family and relatives in the west. It's a win-win situation, isn't it wonderful?"

The commander looked up in surprise, meeting Qin Linting's hawk-like eyes, then immediately lowered them again: "...Your subordinate obeys."

"Go ahead." Qin Linting sat back down in his chair, his palm resting on the armrest. The hand that had just crushed the wine glass now stood firmly, like a sword sheathed. "Oh, and—bring another pot of wine, this time in an iron cup."