Breaking the Deadlock
Edward Yu caught sight of the public notice and rushed home to report to his elder brother, Zachary Yan.
Zachary Yan’s grizzled beard shook with rage as he spat, “Damn him! That scoundrel—just as we finish recruiting our private guards, Alexander Hayes goes and openly recruits for the Qin Royal Army! Isn’t he just snatching our men right from under our noses? Charleston only has so many able-bodied lads. Whoever gets to them first wins, and that bastard Alexander just stole the lot! He’s hijacked all the men who should’ve joined us. I’m so furious I could spit blood!”
Edward Yu looked ready to explode. “Big Brother, what do we do now? We finally found a way to turn things around, and now it’s blocked off completely! Forget going up against the Qin Royal Army—if the Qian family shows up for revenge, we don’t even have enough men to defend ourselves!”
The brothers were still fuming when the steward burst in, panic written all over his face. “Bad news, sirs! Something terrible has happened!”
Edward Yu, still seething, took out his frustration on the steward and let loose a tirade before the poor man could catch his breath.
The steward, nearly in tears, pleaded, “Second Master, please, let me finish! The private guards we secretly recruited just days ago—they’ve all defected! Every last one of them ran off to sign up for the Qin Royal Army!”
“What? All of them ran off?” Zachary Yan and Edward Yu shot to their feet, dumbstruck, practically wailing, “Damn it! I broke the law and spent a fortune greasing palms just to get those few hundred men. Now the Palace of Qin posts a single notice, and all my hard-won recruits have been poached. I’m so mad I could explode!”
The Yan brothers raged for hours at home, smashing everything in sight.
Finally, Zachary Yan ground his teeth, refusing to give in. “I refuse to believe it! I’ve survived sixty years—there’s no way I’ll let Alexander Hayes outsmart me! Little Brother, we haven’t lost yet. There’s still a chance! I’ve got a plan that’ll not only break the Qin Royal Army’s recruitment, but might even stir up chaos within their ranks…”
Zachary Yan leaned in and whispered his scheme into Edward Yu’s ear…
Palace of Qin
On the other side, Neil Zhao stood with his head bowed in the Palace of Qin, his attitude toward Queen Lily of Qin more respectful than ever.
"Your Majesty, what a brilliant strategy! You cut off their supply at the root and shattered any chance the House of Zhao had to recruit their own guards. Now all the able-bodied men in Charleston are under your command. I’m in awe of your tactics! Word is, all those private recruiters—including the Yan brothers—lost every single man they worked so hard to recruit. They’re absolutely livid!" Neil Zhao’s words were sincere, with a hint of gleeful payback.
Queen Lily glanced at Neil Zhao. "Watching them choke on their own schemes makes you happy, doesn’t it?"
Neil Zhao blinked, then answered without hesitation, "Exactly. Seeing them stumble and suffer makes me very happy. The more miserable the Zhao clan gets, the happier I am. The day their family falls, I’ll set off fireworks to celebrate."
Queen Lily noticed the fierce glint in Neil Zhao’s eyes when he mentioned the Zhao family’s destruction. Clearly, his obsession and hatred ran deep.
After a brief silence, Neil Zhao spoke first. "Your Majesty, will you and His Highness really grant land to the soldiers?"
Queen Lily smiled faintly. "Of course. The notice is already up—we wouldn’t lie. In a few days, once the details are finalized, the land distribution will begin."
A flicker of doubt passed through Neil Zhao’s eyes, but his skepticism lingered. "Your Majesty, serving one’s general is a soldier’s duty. Why are you treating them so generously?"