Yan Anning left.

　　Ji Xiaofu, clutching his wound, trudged home with great difficulty. By the time he reached his doorstep, Qin An, Hua Rong, Qin Sisi, Li Ruru, and others were already waiting for him.

　　"Xiaofu, you're finally back!"

　　Qin Sisi, her face streaked with tears, rushed toward Ji Xiaofu the moment she saw him and threw herself into his arms.

　　Ji Xiaofu quickly sidestepped and asked in confusion, "Sisi, what's wrong?"

　　Without answering his question, Qin Sisi bombarded him with her own: "Xiaofu, did she hurt you? Are you injured?"

　　As she spoke, her gaze swept over him.

　　"Xiaofu, you're hurt?" Qin Sisi screamed.

　　Hearing her cry, Ruru, Qin An, Hua Rong, and the others immediately crowded around.

　　Upon seeing Ji Xiaofu's wound, Qin An immediately rode off to fetch a physician, while Sisi and Ruru helped bandage the injury.

　　After a while, the wound was bandaged, the physician arrived, and he prescribed a remedy for Ji Xiaofu.

　　Ji Xiaofu then recounted the entire incident to everyone.

　　"Sisi, why are all of you here?" Ji Xiaofu asked.

　　He was puzzled as to why everyone was waiting for him so anxiously, as if they knew he had been ambushed.

　　"It was Yan Anning!"

　　"She sent me a letter saying you had been captured."

　　"She said you ruined her plans and that she would kill you!"

　　Qin Sisi spoke agitatedly.

　　"Xiaofu, what exactly happened? What did Yan Anning do to you?"

　　Sisi pressed on incessantly.

　　It turned out that after receiving Yan Anning's letter, Qin Sisi grew extremely worried and immediately sought out Li Ruru and Hua Rong to discuss a plan.

　　They went together to search for Ji Xiaofu but couldn’t find him anywhere.

　　Chang'an was such a vast city—how were they to search, and where should they even begin?

　　Just as their anxiety peaked, Ji Xiaofu returned.

　　After hearing this, Ji Xiaofu was startled.

　　Yan Anning had sent someone to ambush him, yet she also informed Qin Sisi. What was her intention?

　　"It seems she is targeting Sisi," Ji Xiaofu thought to himself.

　　But upon second thought, Yan Anning wielded immense power and didn’t even regard him highly. Why would she bother targeting a woman with no real influence?

　　"Does she have a grudge against Sisi?"

　　Perplexed, Ji Xiaofu inquired about the relationship between Qin Sisi and Yan Anning, but it turned out they had no connection whatsoever.

　　"Even if she held a grudge against Sisi, if she wanted to hurt her, she could have just killed me to achieve her goal. Why go through the trouble of deliberately leaking the news to Sisi? Wouldn’t that just alert the enemy?"

　　Ji Xiaofu pondered silently.

　　"Alert the enemy?"

　　A sudden idea flashed in Ji Xiaofu’s mind.

　　"Exactly. Her goal is to ‘strike the mountain to shock the tiger.’"

　　"The person she wants to target isn’t Qin Sisi but her father—the Chancellor."

　　Ji Xiaofu suddenly understood.

　　"Don’t worry, I’m fine," Ji Xiaofu said calmly.

　　Though he appeared composed on the surface, inwardly he was filled with extreme dread. He had been unwillingly dragged into the court’s power struggles.

　　Sure enough, from that day onward, Yan Anning frequently sent people to harass Ji Xiaofu, keeping a close watch on him.

　　Ji Xiaofu grew increasingly worried, anxious about his fate.

　　Yan Anning’s public arrest and stabbing of Ji Xiaofu were meant as a warning to her enemies.

　　Through Qin Sisi and Li Ruru, she conveyed her intentions to the two Chancellors.

　　Now, her strategy of "striking the mountain to shock the tiger" had indeed achieved its purpose.

　　Ji Xiaofu tread carefully, as if walking on thin ice, not daring to make any further moves.

　　Qin Sisi, worried about Ji Xiaofu, begged her father to protect him, and Li Ruru did the same.

　　"Father, you must help Ji Xiaofu. He offended Yan Anning, and that woman is ruthless. She won’t let him go. Father, if nothing else, please transfer him away from the capital!"

　　Qin Sisi pleaded with her father in tears.

　　"Foolish! Ji Xiaofu merely impeached a few minor local officials. Would Yan Anning even care about them?"

　　"Do you really think she wants to target Ji Xiaofu?"

　　"No, you’re wrong. She is merely using him to warn me to tread carefully and not oppose her."

　　"The person she truly wants to target is me, your father!"

　　Sisi’s father replied.

　　"Target you?"

　　Qin Sisi didn’t fully grasp her father’s meaning.

　　It turned out that the court was primarily divided into two factions: one led by Yan Fulun and Yan Anning, and the other by Chancellor Yang Yan and others.

　　The two factions were equally matched, with their influence waxing and waning.

　　Although Qin Sisi’s father often clashed with Yang Yan over political views, they were united in implementing the "Double Tax System" and opposing Yan Fulun.

　　Although Ji Xiaofu was a wealthy merchant, no one in his family held an official position. He had no background or connections, making him an easier target than those with official ties.

　　Coincidentally, he also had ambiguous relationships with Qin Sisi and Li Ruru. Everyone in the court believed he would become the Chancellor’s son-in-law.

　　The reason he hadn’t yet publicized his relationship with the Chancellor was simply that he was still choosing between Qin Sisi and Li Ruru.

　　Targeting him was not only easy but also served to strike at the heart of her opponents. Yan Anning secretly relished this.

　　"Father, no matter what, you’re a senior statesman who has served multiple dynasties! They wouldn’t actually dare to move against you, would they?" Sisi asked worriedly.

　　"Don’t worry, they wouldn’t dare."

　　Seeing his daughter so concerned, Lord Qin composed himself and comforted her.

　　"Sisi, your father is growing old. I only wish to retire soon and enjoy my remaining years in peace. The only thing I still worry about now is you!"

　　"My dear daughter, you’re already eighteen and still haven’t found a归宿 (guīsù -归宿 meaning a place to belong, often referring to marriage or settling down). How could I bear to leave you behind and retire?"

　　"Father, I have something to attend to. I’ll return to my room to rest now."

　　Qin Sisi knew her father wanted to press her about her relationship with Ji Xiaofu, so she quickly made an excuse to avoid the topic.

　　Lord Qin was perplexed by his daughter’s ambiguous relationship with Ji Xiaofu, yet her refusal to speak of romantic matters.

　　But how could Sisi bring herself to explain the details to him?

　　She didn’t want her father interfering in her marriage plans, nor did she want Ji Xiaofu to marry her out of fear of her father’s power.

　　Seeing that his daughter refused to say more, Lord Qin could only shake his head helplessly.

　　Meanwhile, on the other side of Chang’an, Ji Xiaofu was also sighing to himself.

　　He was frowning with worry, deeply troubled.

　　Not only were his romantic affairs unresolved, but he was also now targeted by Yan Anning.

　　For Yan Anning, "killing the chicken to warn the monkey" was the best way to intimidate her enemies and achieve victory without fighting.

　　He had unfortunately become the innocent "chicken" singled out by Yan Anning. Should any conflict arise between the factions, he would likely become a casualty in this court struggle.

　　"Brother, now that Yan Anning has you in her sights, you must think of a way out," Hua Rong said to Ji Xiaofu.

　　"Brother, I also want to escape this predicament, but given the current situation, what options do I have?"

　　"Brother, I know you don’t want to be involved in court conflicts, but now that you’re already caught in it, there’s no backing out."

　　Hearing Hua Rong’s words, Ji Xiaofu felt a glimmer of hope and eagerly asked for advice.

　　"Does Brother have a clever plan?"

　　"Brother, we are like fish on the chopping block, at the mercy of others. Rather than waiting helplessly for disaster, we should fight back."

　　"Brother, you mean…"

　　Ji Xiaofu trailed off, lost in thought.

　　He had already guessed Hua Rong’s intention, but the matter was significant, and Ji Xiaofu needed more time to consider it.

　　Seeing his hesitation, Hua Rong urged, "Pledge your allegiance to him."

　　"Brother, what are you hesitating for?"

　　"If Yan Anning truly moves against you, I won’t be able to help you. Neither will my father, nor even Lord Qin or Lord Li be able to protect you."

　　"The only way out now is to seek his help."

　　Ji Xiaofu nodded in understanding.

　　And who was "he"?

　　None other than Chancellor Yang Yan.

　　At present, he was the most powerful and the most favored by the Emperor.

　　Only he could stand against Yan Anning.

　　Although Qin Sisi and Li Ruru’s fathers were also Chancellors, they were not in favor and held little influence.

　　Yang Yan had the Emperor’s ear, and the Emperor trusted his counsel completely.

　　Yang Yan monopolized power, reducing the other Chancellors to mere figureheads.

　　"Will he accept me?" Ji Xiaofu asked worriedly.

　　His concern was not unfounded.

　　Rumors were spreading that Ji Xiaofu was Lord Qin’s future son-in-law.

　　Given Yang Yan’s strained relationship with Lord Qin, would he accept Ji Xiaofu?

　　Yang Yan was exceptionally talented and had achieved remarkable political accomplishments, earning praise both inside and outside the court as a "wise chancellor." However, he was also narrow-minded.

　　"Second Brother, my father serves in the same court as him and has a close relationship. His implementation of the 'Double Tax System' has offended many officials, and now he needs to vigorously recruit his own allies."

　　"You were the first in the Tang Dynasty to seriously implement the 'Double Tax System.' In this regard, you and he are on the same side."

　　"You are talented and a rare gem. When the time comes, my father will recommend you personally. I don’t think he will refuse you," Hua Rong replied.

　　"Thank you, Brother."

　　Hua Rong then arranged an introduction for Ji Xiaofu.

　　With the support of Hua Rong and his father, although Yang Yan had some reservations about Ji Xiaofu, he was in need of capable people and reluctant to turn him away.

　　Moreover, Ji Xiaofu was part of the Censorate, responsible for overseeing officials. Yang Yan could use him to impeach officials and eliminate dissent.

　　Yang Yan thought to himself and ultimately accepted Ji Xiaofu.