Chapter 430: with translation of chapter title

False Song, Bianjing, Pure Breeze Pavilion

- False Song (glossary)

- Bianjing (glossary)

Pure Breeze Pavilion

By the window on the second floor, an elegant seat, Li Yuan sat alone in a corner.

- Li Yuan (person) -> pinyin Li Yuan

(elegant seat simply means "elegant seat"; it is not a proper name.)

Outside the window lies a tributary of the Bian River, willows brushing the bank, boats coming and going; the din is shut out by the window lattice, leaving only a faint city hum, making the interior ever more tranquil.

Bian River

- (others generic)

Before him lay a set of simple and elegant Yue ware celadon tea ware; the pot simmered with just-boiled crab-eye spring water, and beside him lay an opened copy of the Tea Record.

Yue ware celadon is generic.

Tea Record (a book)

Today is his day off; there are no documents to tire his body, no colleagues to bother him—this is his rare leisure.

- No named.

He half-closed his eyes, nostrils twitching slightly as he inhaled the gradually spreading steam and tea fragrance in the air; the usual stern rigidity in his brow eased a little.

- No.

At this moment he is merely a middle-aged scholar who loves tea, not the newly promoted official who must carefully navigate between the Ministry of Works and the Southern Bureau of the Ministry of Personnel as a Section Chief of the Ministry of Works.

Ministry of Works

Southern Bureau of the Ministry of Personnel

Section Chief of the Ministry of Works

We'll translate.

He did not notice that at the street corner downstairs, two seemingly idle peddlers occasionally glanced at the entrance of Pure Breeze Pavilion.

- Pure Breeze Pavilion again.

He also failed to notice that in the neighboring elegant seat, a young man dressed in a half-worn green robe, appearing as a traveling scholar, was leisurely sipping tea, his gaze occasionally sweeping past the window, as if also enjoying the river view.

- No named.

That green-robed scholar was none other than Lu Ming.

- Lu Ming (person)

He arrived a little earlier than Li Yuan, ordering the same Jianzhou Dragon-Phoenix Cake Tea; his tea‑brewing technique was practiced and seasoned, his demeanor composed, without any haste.

- Li Yuan again

Jianzhou Dragon-Phoenix Cake Tea

He was waiting, waiting for a natural opportunity.

- No.

Meanwhile, in the Chen dynasty, a quiet room in a separate estate.

Chen Dynasty

Separate Estate

Quiet Room

Chen Wen was not immersed, as usual, in the mysterious perception of Shi Yong.

- Chen Wen (glossary)

Shi Yong

He simply sat there calmly, like a crouching tiger, yet his mind maintained an intangible connection with that distant teahouse and the young man named Lu Ming.

- Chen Wen again

Pure Breeze Pavilion

- Lu Ming

He knew the plan had been set in motion, the pieces already placed.

- No.

At this moment, all he could do was wait.

- No.

Waiting for that tiny yet crucial spark to quietly ignite at the appointed place.

- No.

His fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on his knee, a steady rhythm that mirrored the inner turbulence he could not fully suppress.

- No.

This contact differed from any of his previous actions.

- No.

The target was located in the core power region of the False Song dynasty, possessed a cautious nature, and was under close watch by the Iron Crow Army.

- False Song (glossary)

- Iron Crow Army (glossary)

Success could open a window within the opponent's bureaucratic system;

- No.

failure could cost an important hidden agent and provoke the Iron Crow Army to heightened vigilance against the South Wind Record.

- Iron Crow Army again

- South Wind Chronicle (glossary)

Risk and opportunity both hinge on that teahouse in Bianjing at this moment.

- Bianjing (glossary)

Pure Breeze Pavilion

Time flowed slowly in silence.

- No.

After an unknown interval, Chen Wen's tapping finger suddenly halted.

- Chen Wen

Although he was not physically present, he seemed to hear some kind of intangible signal.

- No.

He slowly opened his eyes, a flicker of indescribable light passing through his gaze.

- No.

It was neither joy nor relaxation, but rather a kind of… realization.

- No.

"Done."

- No.

He murmured to himself, his voice softly echoing in the quiet room.

Quiet Room

Almost as his words faded, the door of the quiet room was gently pushed open.

- Quiet Room

Zhang Cheng and Wang Ru entered side by side, both faces bearing a barely perceptible excitement.

- Zhang Cheng (glossary)

- Wang Ru (glossary)

"Your Majesty,"

- No (title "君上" is honorific; not a named entity; we could translate as "Your Majesty" but it's a form of address; not needed per rules: generic forms of address not ranks excluded. So we skip.)

Zhang Cheng spoke first, his voice kept low, yet hard to conceal the excitement within.

- Zhang Cheng

"Qian Gui has just sent a secret message. Inside Pure Breeze Pavilion, 'Lu Ming' has already struck up a conversation with Li Yuan."

- Qian Gui (glossary)

- Pure Breeze Pavilion

- Lu Ming

- Li Yuan

"How did it go?" Chen Wen asked calmly.

- Chen Wen

Wang Ru took up the thread, speaking slightly faster, obviously the news was extremely fresh.

- Wang Ru

"According to the on‑ground hidden agent, when Li Yuan was brewing the second infusion, he seemed slightly hesitant about the water temperature, muttering a sentence under his breath. 'Lu Ming' in the neighboring seat, with an appropriate volume, interjected a remark on the key points of waiting for the soup, citing classics, his view insightful."

- Li Yuan

- Lu Ming

hidden agent

"Li Yuan was initially surprised, glancing sideways. Seeing that 'Lu Ming' was young but composed in demeanor and refined in speech, he felt inclined to talk. They exchanged views on tea ceremony for about the length of an incense stick, and their conversation was most enjoyable."

- Li Yuan

- Lu Ming

"At parting, Li Yuan actually took the initiative to ask where 'Lu Ming' was staying, saying, 'It's a pleasure to meet a kindred spirit; we can discuss tea again another day.'"

- Li Yuan

- Lu Ming

Zhang Cheng added, his eyes flashing with the light of a strategist.

- Zhang Cheng

"The first contact perfectly met expectations. It left an impression, sparked interest, and even opened the possibility of further contact. 'Lu Ming' performed exceptionally well, gauging the distance just right."

- Lu Ming

Chen Wen gave a slight nod, finally revealing a trace of a faint smile on his face.

- Chen Wen

"Good. Notify Lu Ming, according to the preset plan, wait quietly for Li Yuan to make contact—do not rush. Subsequent contact must be even more cautious."

- Lu Ming

- Li Yuan

"We understand, your servants."

- No.

Zhang Cheng and Wang Ru replied in unison.

- Zhang Cheng

- Wang Ru

The news quickly also reached the Ministry of Works Experimental Field.

Ministry of Works Experimental Field

Zhao Lao Nian, who was pondering over the stabilizer instrument, heard the assistant's message, froze for a moment, then slapped his thigh hard.

- Zhao Lao Nian (person)

stabilizer instrument

"Nice job, kid! Well done!"

- No.

He broke into a grin, revealing teeth stained yellowish by smoke.

- No.

"Now we're tweaking the channel on our end, while they start reaching in with their fingers! Inside‑outside coordination—let's see how long that Iron Crow can hold out!"

Iron Crow

The joy of success, like a faint ripple, quietly spread within the Guardians' Core Circle, then swiftly returned to calm.

Guardians' Core Circle

They all knew this was only the beginning.

- No.

Planting a seed requires a long wait and careful nurturing before one can hope for it to sprout and grow into a towering tree.

- No.

But no matter what, the first step has been firmly taken.

- No.

In the quiet room, Chen Wen closed his eyes once again.

- Quiet Room

- Chen Wen

His mind sank inward.

- No.

That intangible growth‑progress vortex seemed to become more active due to the success of this strategy—crossing the light curtain and placing the piece precisely.

light curtain

- No named.

He could clearly "see" that after the mark indicating thirty percent progress, a small blank space had been quietly filled in.

Although still some distance away from upgrading to Lv. 3 (8×), the foundation is undoubtedly more solid.

"Micro-intervention is feasible."

He confirmed it again in his mind.

Kou Zhun was preserved, the technology permeated, the south was delayed; now, moreover, a pawn with potentially far-reaching influence has been buried in the False Song civil service system.

"Spark Micro-light" stage's goal has basically been achieved.

He raised his head, his gaze seeming to pierce the roof, directed toward the endless firmament, and beyond the firmament, to that expanse isolated by the light curtain, the "Mirror Image Land".

The False Song Zhenzong era has already opened its curtain.

"Chan-Yuan Alliance," "Heavenly Book Enfeoffment"…… each either related to the nation's fate or absurdly bizarre historical junctures, now await ahead.

And the shadow of the guardians will also follow the emergence of these junctures, penetrating deeper into that land.

The spark has burned, though not yet a prairie fire, it has already illuminated the path ahead.

Dark currents will rise, accumulating in silence the power to overturn the flood.

Next will be a deeper, broader, more perilous "Undercurrents Surge".

Chen Wen, in the quiet chamber, slowly sketched the blueprint for the next stage.

He knows that the contest with the Iron Crow Army has no end.

Only by pressing forward!