Hee Lingchuan asked in surprise, "What does any of this have to do with Sunx Fuping and Nian Songyu? Why did they try to seize the Grand Square Pot?"

"Sunx Fuping conspired with the Grand Commandant to rebel. Afterward, His Majesty the King personally stripped him of his position as National Preceptor, which is why he couldn’t use the Society Command at all in the Panlong Desert," Hee Chunhua explained. "As for the Xunzhou Governor, he was originally part of the Grand Commandant’s faction and they were close privately. But to this day, he has yet to make a move and hasn’t openly rebelled. I speculate that if Nian Songyu had managed to retrieve the Grand Square Pot for him, it would have been an incredible bargaining chip. It would have made it easy for him to pick a side."

A man as shrewd as Sunx Fuping had picked the wrong side this time, and the price was his life in Panlong City.

In the struggle for power, you truly couldn’t afford a single misstep.

Hee Yue said in a clear voice, "The vast main battlefields are in the northern and central regions. Black Water City and the Panlong Desert were just tiny splashes caught in the current."

Hee Chunhua and his eldest son exchanged a look.

Their thrilling, near-death adventure seemed to count for little in the eyes of those who planned the grand strategy.

Hee Lingchuan searched his memories for a moment, then gave up. His body’s previous owner had only cared about wining, dining, and having fun, and had absolutely no concept of national affairs. He had almost no impression of the influential figures his younger brother mentioned.

Madam Ying had been listening on the side and only now spoke up. "So you’re saying there were no gains from the trip to Panlong City? And you lost so many lives in the process."

She rarely got involved when the men discussed matters of state, but the men of the Hee Family had escaped death by a hair’s breadth. They had set out with two hundred men and returned with only a few dozen.

’They came back empty-handed, and the dead still need to be compensated. Wasn’t her husband’s venture a bad deal?’

Hearing this, Hee Chunhua burst out laughing. "My lady, that’s not how you do the accounting!"

"We may not have gotten the Grand Square Pot, but we took out Nian Songyu and Sunx Fuping. That’s the greatest gain from this trip!" He grabbed his full cup of wine and drained it in one gulp. "Sunx Fuping was one of the main culprits in this rebellion, considered a grave threat by the Royal Court. By killing him, I’ve eased His Majesty the King’s worries and boosted military morale. It’s a great merit."

Hee Yue also said, "Sunx Fuping was the National Preceptor for many years and knew countless secrets. He himself was deeply cunning, and his Daoist Practice was formidable. His going to Panlong City to seize the Grand Square Pot, whether to aid the Grand Commandant or to defect to someone else, was a matter of deep concern for the Royal Court. By eliminating this future trouble for Da Yuan, we’ve actually participated in the great war against the rebels. We might even be rewarded for our merits afterward."

Hee Lingchuan laughed. "Killing Sunx Fuping was to serve the country, but killing Nian Songyu was to eliminate a threat to our little brother here. If we had died in the desert, he would have definitely come looking for you later."

Madam Ying asked curiously, "Why would he come looking for Yue’Er?"

Hee Yue’s face paled. He said, displeased, "Don’t listen to Big Brother’s nonsense. In any case, the Xunzhou Governor didn’t get the Grand Square Pot and even lost a son. I wonder what he’ll do next."

Hee Chunhua sneered. "On the road, I was constantly pondering how to explain the deaths of Sunx and Nian to the Royal Court. It turns out I was worrying for nothing. Tomorrow, I’ll send a report to the Royal Court that the Xunzhou Governor conspired with Sunx Fuping for the Grand Square Pot. He won’t have time to cause trouble for me anymore."

Hee Lingchuan recalled his father’s worried frown during the past ten-plus days of marching through the desert. Seeing him now, animated and with a faint, fierce glint in his eyes, he knew his father had finally let go of his regret over missing the Grand Square Pot.

Hee Chunhua asked Hee Yue, "Let me test you. If news of Nian Songyu’s and Sunx Fuping’s deaths reaches Xunzhou, what will the General of the Northern Expedition do?"

Hee Lingchuan protested, "Dad, why don’t you ask for my opinion?"

"Then tell me."

"Rebel," Hee Lingchuan said with a grin. "Pleading his case would be useless. He has no choice but to rebel."

The Xunzhou Governor, Nian Zanli, was already in cahoots with the Grand Commandant. But he wasn’t present when the Grand Commandant rebelled, and he kept his troops hidden afterward. No one knew what he was plotting, but the Royal Court was certainly displeased. Not sending troops to attack the Grand Commandant was a failure to show loyalty.

Now that the news of Nian Songyu and Sunx Fuping trying to obtain the Grand Square Pot gets out, the Xunzhou Governor is well and truly screwed. The Royal Court will never believe any explanation he gives. Besides, his intentions were never good to begin with.

Isn’t this just forcing him to rebel?

"Not necessarily. Nian Zanli has other options," Hee Yue countered. "Besides rebelling with the Grand Commandant, he could also defect to the Northern Demon Kingdom!"

Hee Lingchuan was taken aback. "He’s called the General of the Northern Expedition. Hasn’t he fought many wars against the Demon Kingdom?"

’Looks like I really need to find an opportunity to cram on this stuff.’

"Actually, the Nian Family has managed their affairs in the Northern Land quite well," Hee Yue said. "After Dad came to Qiansong County, he was also fighting foreign enemies every other day for ten straight years. But look, our border trade is now very prosperous, and we have good relations with many kingdoms."

"That’s because we have the Panlong Desert between us and the foreign enemies. As long as we hold Black Water City, they can’t get in..." Hee Lingchuan laughed. "Alright, alright, I know what you’re getting at. Nian Zanli might surrender to the Northern Demon Kingdom."

"Then his offering to the Northern Demon Kingdom would be Xunzhou, the region under his command." Hee Yue said seriously to Hee Chunhua, "He wouldn’t be at a loss, all things considered, because the Northern Demon Kingdom would appoint him to continue serving as the governor of the province. Using a surrendered general to govern a surrendered province is a time-honored practice."

"So he only has two choices now: follow the Grand Commandant or defect to the Northern Demon Kingdom," Hee Chunhua mused. "Although the Grand Commandant suffered a defeat recently, his foundation is strong. With an ally like the Xunzhou Governor, who knows when the civil war will end. If he defects to the north, the Northern Demon Kingdom would be delighted. They’d gain a province without shedding a drop of blood. Moreover, Xunzhou’s terrain is strategically vital. Once the Demon Kingdom takes it, they’ll have vast, fertile plains behind it, which are easy to attack and hard to defend."

"In other words, no matter what the Xunzhou Governor does next, it’s a deep, bloody cut for Da Yuan." Hee Lingchuan stretched his back. "If I were the king, I’d rather maintain the status quo."

Hearing this, Hee Chunhua’s brow furrowed tightly.

Hee Lingchuan wiped his mouth and was about to leave the table when he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, right, Dad. Sunx Fuping’s Magic Staff won’t obey me. Do you have the instruction manual for it?"

After losing its master, the Beast Head Staff had reverted to the form of a Vajra Pestle. No matter how he tried to activate it with his True Power, it remained silent.

"That Magic Staff isn’t really suitable for you. Why not sell it?"

Madam Ying also chimed in, "We have more expenses now that you’re back from this venture. Not to mention anything else, just paying out the death benefits will cost so much silver! It’s better to sell it for cash to cover the deficit."

Hee Lingchuan crossed his arms. "This is my reward for saving dozens of people. Dad gave it to me with his own hands. How can you take it back?"

’Trying to trick me? The family stipends are paid from the public accounts, not out of the Hee Mansion’s own pocket.’

Hee Chunhua looked thoughtful. He casually pulled a notebook from his robes, flipped through it with a RUSTLE, then tore out a page and gave it to him. "Here. The instructions for that staff are all written on this."