Holding his teacup, Chen Yu took a slow sip.
"They're targeting my Fengqi City?"
Chen Yu smiled and exhaled, placing the teacup on the stone table.
"Where did this news come from?"
"Actually, I wanted to tell you last time I was here, but you scared me so much I forgot about it," Liya said, rubbing his hands together. "Seventh Prince has the Grand Tutor's backing, and many within Fengqi City are loyal to the Grand Tutor. King Tatou has been showing signs of his end, but he hasn't quite passed yet, and the royal family's infighting is fierce. So he thought..."
"To seize the city, build an army, and prepare for the future?" Chen Yu raised an eyebrow.
"Mhm!"
Liya nodded emphatically, and seeing Chen Yu remain silent, he didn't say more.
Attacking the city?!
Chen Yu wasn't too surprised by this news.
Fengqi City, with its territory stretching seven thousand li in all directions, and situated in a fertile plain capable of growing abundant grain, was rich in resources.
No one would be willing to give up such a blessed land.
Even if it was located in a war zone.
The division within the city had always shown signs of external influence. Chen Yu's resolution of Fengqi City's internal divisions and the city's subsequent return to normalcy had inevitably impacted many people's interests.
He had also anticipated that in the future, he would face not just the lords of the sub-cities.
The royal family would certainly be involved.
It was just that he hadn't expected the royal family to make a move so soon.
Wouldn't it be better to reap the rewards?
When Chen Yu developed the city, they could then send heavy troops to conquer it, thus obtaining a prosperous city.
In the eyes of the royal family, they should have possessed this capability.
They gave up this easily obtainable, considerable profit and chose to place the attack on Fengqi City on their agenda at this critical juncture, likely considering the issue with the Batu Federation.
Fengqi City might have been considered abandoned territory in the royal family's plans.
In that case, no matter how prosperous Fengqi City became, it would only benefit the Batu Federation. It would be better to capture the city quickly, exploit its resources, and enhance their own strength, thereby increasing their chances in the struggle for the throne.
"The Grand Tutor."
Chen Yu murmured softly, and Liya immediately explained.
"The Grand Tutor's position is second only to the King in the Tatou Kingdom, and his influence within the kingdom is deeply rooted. Seventh Prince has the Grand Tutor's support. A few days ago, my father vetoed Seventh Prince's financial expenditures in the royal court assembly, setting a precedent in support of the First Prince. Now, the royal family has divided into two major factions, and the future king will emerge from one of these two."
"Your father doesn't have as much influence as the Grand Tutor?" Chen Yu frowned.
Liya could be so arrogant, and Chen Yu had thought the Chief Financial Officer was a figure of immense power within the royal family. He hadn't expected a Grand Tutor to suddenly appear.
"How to put it, a balance of power."
After a moment of thought, Liya frowned and said.
"The Grand Tutor has always been very low-key in the royal family, whereas my father is much more flamboyant. They each have their own cliques, but the Grand Tutor has no heirs. My father has me, who is always causing trouble, so it feels like the Grand Tutor doesn't have much presence."
"In the court, my father seems to have more control over the kingdom's finances."
"Actually..."
"To put it simply, their strengths are roughly equal."
"I understand," Chen Yu chuckled and nodded slightly. "It's just that your clan has never taken the Grand Tutor seriously, or rather, didn't consider him a potential threat to your clan because he has no heirs. His sudden support for Seventh Prince caught your clan off guard. Out of necessity, your clan chose the eldest, who was previously considered acceptable, to counterbalance Seventh Prince, who has the Grand Tutor's backing."
"Exactly!"
"In other words, Seventh Prince has always been supported by your family. Now that the Grand Tutor has 'stolen' him, your family is in a difficult position."
"This..."
Upon hearing this, Liya was so shocked he couldn't speak.
How was this possible?!
How could Chen Yu deduce all of this from just a few words? He had never mentioned the family's connection with Seventh Prince, nor should Chen Yu have thought along those lines.
Could it be, as his father said, that Chen Yu had eyes within the royal family?
"Liya, since I consider you one of my own, I feel it's necessary to offer you a few words of advice, otherwise, these could become your fatal flaws," Chen Yu said, looking intently into Liya's eyes. "When you speak, while it seems unintentional, you reveal many details worth scrutinizing. For example, you just mentioned that the royal family is now divided into two major factions."
"What's wrong with that?"
Liya was simply stating the most realistic situation within the royal family; there should be no problem with it.
"The problem lies in the word 'now'," Chen Yu said with a smile. "Your mention of 'now' proves that the royal family was not previously divided into two factions, so it's more likely that there was a situation where one family dominated."
"The First Prince is a decision made by your family out of necessity."
"The First Prince, who has your family's support, can only contend with Seventh Prince, which indicates that Seventh Prince was the one who dominated previously. Given your clan's status in the royal family, you shouldn't have been able to remain neutral. Therefore, it implies that your clan previously supported Seventh Prince, and the Grand Tutor's sudden appearance stole your clan's hard-earned fruits, putting your clan in a passive position."
"Isn't that so?"
Listening to Chen Yu's analysis, Liya felt his heart being tightly squeezed.
A monster!
The person standing before him was definitely not human; he was a demon. To deduce so many details from a single word, was this something a human could do?
"Furthermore, your control over your emotions is too poor."
"Your pauses and hesitations when answering my questions just now are enough to prove that you are agitated by this matter."
"Why are you agitated?"
"It's simple. You've been hunting eagles your whole life, only to be pecked by an eagle. Anyone would be agitated when mentioning this."
"I estimate that the Chief Financial Officer would also teach you these things, but you haven't paid much attention. However, these are all very important. To those who are cunning and experienced, you have already been completely seen through."
Chen Yu gently patted Liya's shoulder, which had been unable to recover for a long time, and said no more.
All of this needed to be digested slowly.
His understanding of these matters was the result of training since childhood.
If Liya had exposed such flaws in the past, Chen Yu would have ignored him. At that time, he had not yet decided whether to cooperate with Liya, so the more Liya exposed, the more beneficial it would be for him.
Now, he had accepted Liya.
As a collaborator, it was best to offer some guidance to prevent future troubles.
"You mentioned the Grand Tutor earlier. The people on this list belong to the Grand Tutor, correct?" Chen Yu spread out the parchment and changed the subject, pointing to the list. "I see you've made annotations here."
"Yes."
Glancing at the list Chen Yu pointed to, Liya nodded.
"This is what my clan has investigated. Whether it's accurate, I can't guarantee one hundred percent, but at least ninety percent is not a problem."
"Ninety percent, that's a high enough probability."
Fortune favors the bold; gaining one is like obtaining great favor.
In fact, for many things, achieving even one is a great gift. There are simply not many sure things placed before you in this world.
Risk-taking is sometimes indispensable.
The list provided by Liya, with a ninety percent probability, was already remarkable. Moreover, he had placed informants in the sub-cities, and when the two sides compared notes, the results would likely align.
"Count Miyet, Seventh Prince."
"Count Holans, Grand Tutor."
"Count Loka, Grand Tutor."
"..."
Dozens of names, all pointing to the Grand Tutor and Seventh Prince.
Seeing these names made Chen Yu's head ache.
Earl!
This was enough to prove their strength.
It was just that Chen Yu was curious; dozens of names belonged to the Grand Tutor's people, while only Count Miyet at the top belonged to Seventh Prince.
"What's the background of this Miyet?"
"Miyet was once a classmate of Seventh Prince, and also my classmate," Liya said, his gaze deepening. "We all studied in the royal court. Miyet's father, Mikun, was one of the nine great generals of the kingdom and had always followed the old king. Years ago, upon reaching adulthood, she was granted a city by Mikun and awarded a noble title. When she entered the royal court to receive her enfeoffment, she met both me and Seventh Prince, and she knew my sister had married Seventh Prince."
"Oh, oh?!"
Chen Yu was inexplicably stunned and coughed.
"You have a sister?"
"Yes, married to Seventh Prince," Liya said solemnly. "Back then, Seventh Prince and I pretending to be at odds was just for outsiders. In private, he was quite afraid of me, relying on my family's influence. You can probably understand. When Miyet entered the city, we had a small gathering. She desperately needed a backing at the time, and Seventh Prince supported her. She wanted to approach me then, but my family's plan was not to get involved in Fengqi City's affairs. Later, Miyet seized the cities of Mikun and Mihui. Mihui was her own younger brother, and the territory he held was extensive enough to be enfeoffed as an Earl, and he was granted the title of Earl by the royal family."
"This is quite a ruthless individual," Chen Yu nodded slightly.
Seizing the cities of her own father and younger brother, and Mikun being one of the nine great generals of the Tatou Kingdom, this indicated that Miyet's strength was definitely not to be underestimated.
The annexation of sub-cities seemed rather troublesome.
"My Fengqi City alone can confer so many Earldoms," Chen Yu said, somewhat surprised. Liya smiled and replied, "My Lord, the previous owner of Fengqi City's territory was a Grand Duke. His domain stretched seven thousand li in all directions. The area of such a territory is larger than that of dozens of dukes combined. Miyet, whom we just discussed, her territory is actually large enough to be considered a Duke, but you are only a Duke, so she can only be made an Earl."
"So, in the future, I might be facing many Earls with the strength of Dukes?"
"Yes!"
"Among these many Earls, is Miyet the strongest?"
"Not really," Liya shook his head slightly. "Miyet has only risen in the past two years. Fengqi City has many old Earls who have inherited their titles through generations. In terms of foundation, they are stronger. Miyet can only be considered a rising star."
"Then Seventh Prince wants to attack me, perhaps he will start the campaign from Miyet's territory."
"Probably."
Chen Yu raised an eyebrow, tapped his survival wristband, and found Clay's chat window.
"Give me the blueprints for the entire Fengqi City. I'm at the fish pond."