Concession

The Cabinet Office.

The scent of sandalwood lingered in the air, and sunlight filtered through carved lattice windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

This was an extremely quiet side chamber, located in the eastern courtyard deep within the Cabinet compound, a place seldom visited on ordinary days.

The furnishings inside were simple: a low table, two chairs, and a few shelves of books.

A landscape painting hung on the wall, its brushstrokes sparse and elegant, evoking a certain artistic charm.

Yet the two men now seated here imbued this plain chamber with an intangible sense of oppression.

Shangguan Yuan sat in the eastern seat, his eyes clear and spirited, betraying not a trace of his age.

Cui Shifan sat across from him, his figure portly, his face amiable, a faint smile even tugging at the corners of his lips.

But behind those slightly narrowed eyes flickered a shrewd and piercing light.

The two sat across from each other, silent for a time.

Moments earlier, Cui Shifan had arrived uninvited.

At that time, Shangguan Yuan had been reviewing memorials. When he saw the man enter, he merely lifted his gaze for a glance.

Then he waved a hand to dismiss his attendants, waiting until the freshly brewed hot tea was placed before them.

Only then did Cui Shifan stir. He lifted his eyes, fixing his gaze on Shangguan Yuan's face.

As if trying to peer through that unruffled expression, to see directly into the thoughts hidden beneath.

“Brother Shangguan.”

Cui Shifan spoke slowly, his voice deep and carrying the particular weight of one long accustomed to high office:

“I hear that at today's joint tribunal, your esteemed wife personally attended the hall and testified as a witness against Grand Tutor Gu?”

The question was direct, even sharp and unabashed.

Shangguan Yuan paused for a moment in the act of toying with his teacup, then resumed as if nothing had happened.

He lifted his eyelids to meet Cui Shifan's gaze, his expression unchanged, and replied calmly:

“That is indeed the case, Your Excellency the Grand Secretary. Do you find it improper?”

“No, not at all.”

Cui Shifan curled the corners of his mouth, but the smile did not reach his eyes, instead lending his gaze a deeper, more unfathomable quality:

“I simply never expected that your wife, a woman of her station, would possess such boldness and mettle, openly accusing Grand Tutor Gu in public.”

“Truly a heroine of the martial world. I have the deepest admiration for her.”

Shangguan Yuan caught the sharp edge hidden in the words, but his face showed only contrition as he sighed softly:

“You flatter me, Your Excellency. My wife comes from the grassroots, trained in martial arts from childhood, and has a forthright temperament.”

“She is different from those gentlewomen raised deep in the inner chambers, who know only the three obediences and four virtues.”

“Her eyes cannot tolerate deceit, nor can she abide treacherous men deceiving the sovereign.”

“I have advised her several times that women should not meddle in such weighty court affairs, but it was to no avail.”

“Since matters have come to this, I can only let her be.”

With these words, he distanced himself entirely.

As if Jiang Jianli's decision to accuse Gu Chengyin was solely her own impulsive act of upholding justice.

Having nothing at all to do with him, Shangguan Yuan, or the Shangguan family behind him.

Cui Shifan listened to this watertight explanation, his face revealing nothing, but inwardly he sneered coldly.

Others might be fooled by such glib talk, but if he believed it, pigs would fly.

The relationship between the Shangguan family and Luo Zhao, the relationship between Luo Zhao and Gu Chengyin, the relationship between Gu Chengyin and the Shangguan family.

These three strands were intertwined, forming the most unbreakable iron triangle of the Crown Prince's faction.

Talk of a falling-out, of infighting—it was all nonsense.

What's more, back when the two first set up a joint trap, he had been mediating right here in the Cabinet.

And when they set up the second trap, he had been there too.

He had witnessed firsthand how Gu Chengyin and Shangguan Yuan, one singing and the other harmonizing, tactfully lured their adversaries into the snare.

That kind of unspoken understanding, that kind of effortless coordination.

Had anyone not known better, they might have thought Shangguan Yuan and Gu Chengyin were father and son.

So when word arrived that Jiang Jianli had appeared at the joint tribunal to testify against Gu Chengyin in person,

Cui Shifan's first reaction was not shock, nor surprise.

But instinctive wariness.

He automatically assumed Gu Chengyin and Shangguan Yuan were setting up another trap.

Only this time, he had no idea who the intended victim was.

This question had been plaguing Cui Shifan ever since he received the news.

And the results of his deliberations sent a chill down his spine, leaving him unable to sit still.

He immediately went to see Shangguan Yuan.

Cui Shifan had to confirm that the two were gunning for someone else.

Even if they were after Emperor Luo himself, he would welcome it.

The only ones they could not be after were him, Cui Shifan, and the position of Grand Secretary of the Cabinet beneath him.

That was why Cui Shifan had been sparing no effort in pulling strings behind the scenes.

If Gu Chengyin did not die, Cui Shifan would never rest easy.

But circumstances forced his hand. When Gu Chengyin and Shangguan Yuan joined forces once again,

even a Grand Secretary like him had to step aside to avoid the storm.

These thoughts raced through his mind in an instant, yet his face grew only more composed.

He raised his teacup, took a shallow sip, letting the faintly bitter tea liquid spread across his tongue.

Only then did he speak again, slowly steering the conversation back on track.

“Brother Shangguan.”

Cui Shifan set down his cup, his tone softening slightly, as if speaking from the heart: “I believe there may still be room for negotiation here.”

“After all, the laws of the Great Luo Dynasty contain no such charge as ‘usurping a sect leader.'”

“Furthermore, Grand Tutor Gu is, after all, a scion of the Qingyun Immortal Clan and holds great significance for the Green Sword Sect.”

“Could there be a misunderstanding here? Or perhaps someone has fabricated the charges, seeking to create confusion and sow discord among the court officials?”

These words were skillfully chosen.

On the surface, they seemed to defend Gu Chengyin, hinting that the tribunal's accusations might not hold water.

In reality, they signified an attitude of concession.

Cui Shifan's behind-the-scenes machinations were underhanded, but he had not yet reached the point of open conflict.

Gu Chengyin was different. When he acted, he struck not to wound lightly, but to utterly destroy.

The more Cui Shifan thought about it, the more he felt that Gu Chengyin and Shangguan Yuan were aiming for something far greater.

He was not yet prepared for a full-scale confrontation with the Crown Prince's faction.

That was why he had come to Shangguan Yuan. So long as he was not the target, he was willing to make concessions.

Shangguan Yuan listened, and the corners of his eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of shrewdness flashing through his long gaze.

This Grand Secretary, though absent from the joint tribunal,

had seen through the truth of this entire drama with no more than bits and pieces of word passed back.

But then again, if Cui Shifan lacked that level of perception, he could never have held onto the seat of Grand Secretary so firmly.

After all, Hu Juzheng and Yuan Zhengqing of the humble-origin faction were no easy foes.

And now, since Cui Shifan had taken the initiative to broach the subject and hinted at a willingness to compromise,

it showed he was prepared to make certain concessions within a limited scope, ensuring his interests did not suffer even greater losses.

For men at this level, most matters were already laid out on the table from the start.

The reason schemes and conspiracies never saw the light of day was that once seen through, they lost all value.

True masters played the game of overt strategy—of exchange, of compromise.

Now that Cui Shifan had made his position plain, Shangguan Yuan naturally had no reason not to respond.

He deliberated for a moment, carefully weighing his words, then spoke slowly:

“You are quite right, Your Excellency. Court affairs are inherently complex and tangled. Some misunderstandings are bound to arise.”

“Speaking of which, I have recently heard that the Shanshui District is faring quite well.”