The Frontier Prince: Starting From Scratch - Chapter 24 - Pawns

The night was shrouded in mist.

After a day of hustle and bustle, Yan City had sunk into silence and darkness.

Only the song and dance halls by Jinlin Pond remained brightly lit.

The Official Entertainment House.

An institution under the Yan Prefecture government office, originally meant for entertaining officials.

At this moment, in a private room on the fourth floor.

Zhang Qian and Zhang Kang were breaking the rules, drinking and reveling with over ten family heads who were allied with the Zhang Family.

As the liquor flowed, one of the regional magnates remarked, “Brother, Prince Yan is becoming increasingly intriguing.”

Another magnate chimed in, “Indeed, he tricked us out of so much silver with the art of ice making, and now he’s come up with the art of brewing. This could earn far more than ice making. What will happen if Prince Yan’s Mansion continues to grow?”

Zhang Qian casually lifted the chin of the courtesan beside him, his demeanor relaxed.

After Prince Yan announced the price of the liquor, he wasn’t worried.

At fifteen silver per jar, few in Yan Prefecture could afford it.

It wouldn’t affect the Zhang Family’s brewing business.

However, if this liquor were transported to the south of the Yangtze, it could be immensely profitable.

So, he was quite envious of the art of brewing.

“Brother, say something. Since Chang Wei from Prince Yan’s Mansion took over the prefectural troops, several of our Huang Family members have been dismissed, replaced by people from the Dong, Lv, and Yang Families,” Huang Yu said.

With his family’s interests infringed upon, he harbored resentment towards Prince Yan’s Mansion.

Du Ming sighed, “Our Du Family is in the same boat. Prince Yan’s Mansion is clearly aligning with the Dong, Lv, and Yang Families to oppose us.”

The other magnates nodded in agreement.

Previously, they thrived in Yan Prefecture, but now they had to be wary of Prince Yan’s Mansion, which was quite uncomfortable.

“Ah, Qingfeng Stronghold was a missed opportunity. If only we had killed Prince Yan that day, there wouldn’t be so many complications.”

One magnate said, unaware that the assassination was orchestrated by the Zhang Family.

Zhang Qian and Zhang Kang exchanged a glance.

Mentioning this matter made them feel a surge of frustration.

The magnates continued to voice their grievances until silence fell over the room.

Zhang Qian spoke slowly, “You despise Prince Yan, and I do too. But now Prince Yan has his personal guard, and the prefectural troops have been compromised by the assassination attempt, falling into his hands. In Yan City, we’ve already lost.”

Pausing, he added, “Even in the countryside, the Dong, Lv, and Yang Families have become our hindrance. Even if we were to rebel, victory is far from certain.”

The group fell silent for a moment.

Huang Yu said, “Prefect Zhang, you always have ideas. Share your thoughts.”

The group turned their attention to Zhang Kang.

Though Zhang Qian was the family head, Zhang Kang was their true pillar.

Because Zhang Kang had the backing of the Yuan Family, the largest clan in Yan Province.

Zhang Kang pondered, holding his liquor glass.

Given the current situation, they needed these allied magnates.

To reassure them, he said, “Actually, my brother and I have a plan. We just need to wait for the Beidi people to arrive in autumn, and we’ll need your assistance then.”

The magnates, being shrewd, instantly grasped Zhang Kang’s meaning.

They began to smile.

“Brother Zhang and Prefect Zhang are truly thoughtful. With this plan, success is assured,” Huang Yu said, downing his drink.

Du Ming nodded repeatedly, but recalling something, he said, “But if Prince Yan dies, the art of brewing will be lost, which would be a shame.”

“Indeed.”

“That’s right, it’s quite lucrative.”

“…”

The regional magnates began to discuss among themselves.

Zhang Qian didn’t blame them for being so fixated on money, as he himself was already tempted. If they could acquire the art of brewing, the Zhang Family’s power would greatly increase.

“It truly is a pity. If we could get our hands on it, everyone here could prosper together. But Prince Yan’s Mansion is heavily guarded now, it’s tough,” Zhang Qian sighed.

At this moment, a young magnate suddenly spoke up, “That might not be the case. I heard that Wang Yanzhong, the head broker from the human brokerage, went to the Prince’s Mansion yesterday, selling a batch of maids to serve there. He will continue to source maids for the mansion. If we could have him slip a few of our people in, it might be possible to learn the art of brewing.”

Zhang Qian and Zhang Kang’s eyes lit up. Zhang Qian asked, “I know about Wang Yanzhong going to the Prince’s Mansion, but how do you know such details?”

The young magnate replied, “To be honest, I know a drifter who is quite close to Wang Yanzhong. He told me about it.”

Zhang Kang sneered, “Then it’s simple. We just need to summon Wang Yanzhong.”

“That’s no problem. I’ll send someone to bring Wang Yanzhong here,” Huang Yu said through gritted teeth.

To him, Wang Yanzhong was just a lowly character. If he refused, killing him would be no issue.

With this matter settled, everyone felt relieved, as if the art of brewing was already within their grasp.

As they clinked glasses and celebrated, the door to the private room opened. A courtesan in green approached Zhang Kang and whispered a few words in his ear.

Zhang Kang’s expression changed slightly. He stood up and followed the woman out, entering another room.

“Prefect Zhang, enjoying yourself, I see.”

Inside, a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar was drinking alone.

“Commander Tuoba, when did you arrive in Yan Prefecture?”

Zhang Kang’s demeanor was humble.

The middle-aged man didn’t answer, instead smiling at Zhang Kang, “Now that you’re the prefect of Yan Prefecture and the son-in-law of the Yuan Family, are you still afraid of a mere Prince Yan?”

“We underestimated Prince Yan’s Mansion,” Zhang Kang replied in a lowered voice.

The middle-aged scholar shook his head, “Hmph, you’ve been indulging in comfort for too long, becoming increasingly incompetent.”

Though his tone was calm, each word carried a chilling undertone.

“Commander Tuoba is right. I deserve to die a thousand times,” Zhang Kang’s forehead was beaded with sweat.

This man was Tuoba Lie, the commander of the Beidi’s Black Iron Guard, responsible for gathering intelligence from Yan Province, and rarely seen in Yan Province.

His personal visit now suggested that Beidi might be planning something against Yan Province.

With this thought, Zhang Kang felt a growing unease.