Chapter 457: Si Clan? Irrelevant!

Fu Mingyuan sighed at the family head's far‑sighted gaze and continued speaking to Fu Zhong: "But… the drama still has to be fully staged; Cui Yan and his group could think of following my path, and Si Wushuang's fox might not be unaware. If we take no action, we'll only arouse suspicion."

He pondered briefly and ordered: "Tomorrow, you go personally to Zui Xian Lou and find the shopkeeper called Lao Dao; he is one of us."

Tell him that the Fu family is fearful and is willing to surrender maps of the three western granaries and their garrison details, and… fifty thousand taels of silver, to aid the bright king in rewarding the troops.

The demeanor must be low, the words fearful, and we must appear cornered and eager to seek shelter.

Remember, it must be 'covert', but not too 'covert'; it's best to let Si Wushuang's scouts 'accidentally' catch a hint.

Fu Zhong understood immediately: "Sir, brilliant! This way we can seal Yu's mouth, won't expose our true identity, and can… add another merit?"

Fu Mingyuan nodded slightly: "Whether it's merit or not, it's irrelevant. What matters is that Jiang Jinshi knows the Fu family has never wavered, nor… stopped acting."

At this moment, inside the Si Mansion, the atmosphere was completely different.

The senior elders of the Si clan, together with a few offspring holding idle posts at court, gathered in the outer hall of Si Wushuang's study.

Si Wushuang himself was in the inner chamber, pondering over a sand table, as if the outside turmoil mattered not to him.

"Wushuang! How long will you remain silent?"

An elderly man with white beard and hair, the Si clan's second uncle, finally could not hold back, slamming the table: "Tongguan is lost! Lantian is gone! Luoyang Cheng has become a lone city!"

Jiang Jinshi's great army lurks outside the city, eyes like tigers! Our Si clan… are we to perish alongside Wei Wenlie?!"

"Indeed, Wushuang!"

Another clan uncle, hurriedly, "You are the Military Advisor; you know better than anyone that Luoyang cannot be held! Jiang Jinshi's new policies, however harsh, are still better than a whole‑family extermination!"

Our Si clan's centuries‑old foundation cannot be destroyed in an instant! While there's still a chance, quickly send someone to make contact with Beijiang…

"Contact? How to contact?"

A younger relative, voice trembling, "Our Si clan… in Jiang Jinshi's eyes, is probably more hateful than Cui Yan! Will he… will he spare us?"

The inner door opened silently, and Si Wushuang, clad in a plain long robe, stepped out slowly.

His face showed little expression, his gaze was terrifyingly calm, as if the outside discussion concerned not the clan's survival but trivial matters.

"Finished?"

He spoke lightly, voice low, yet the noisy hall fell silent at once.

The second uncle, seeing his demeanor, was incensed: "Wushuang! You are the head of the Si clan! You must be responsible for the lives of hundreds of our people!"

"Responsible?"

Si Wushuang's mouth curled a faint smile, expression utterly indifferent: "When did I ever say you must live and die with me?"

The crowd was stunned.

Si Wushuang's gaze swept over the varied faces, and he said calmly: "I, Si Wushuang, act only by my heart, seeking only the outcome of the game.

If you want a way to live, find it yourselves.

Those who wish to defect to Beijiang may now pack up, bring your families, land deeds, shops, go to Cui Yan, go to Fu Mingyuan, or… head straight to the city gate and surrender to the Beijiang army."

He paused, his tone unchanged: "Whether Jiang Jinshi kills you or not is his business. It has nothing to do with me."

"You… you…"

The second uncle trembled with anger, pointing at him: "Are you trying to wash your hands of this? You are surnamed Si! You are the head of the Si clan! Can you wash yourself clean?!"

"Head of the clan?"

Si Wushuang chuckled lightly, "If any of you want that position, you can take it now. I, Si Wushuang, never care."

He turned, his gaze returning to the model of Luoyang on the sand table, "My game isn't finished yet. As for your lives… that's your own board, unrelated to me… Do as you wish!"

Having spoken, he ignored the angry shouts, pleas, or cries of the clan behind him, walked straight back to the inner chamber, and closed the door.

In his eyes, only the intersecting lines on the sand table existed, and the opponent far away in Shouning, playing a game across the void, Jiang Jinshi!

Victory or defeat is the only thing that matters.

Si clan? Irrelevant!!

…

Wang Hou presented several secret reports to Jiang Jinshi, whispering: "Lord, over at Luoyang, the fish have started biting."

Cui Yan, Lu Wen Chang and several other families, via Fu Mingyuan, sent surrender letters and generous gifts, their words meek, only seeking to live.

Fu Mingyuan himself also sent someone 'covertly' to contact our outer liaison point, offering maps of the three western Luoyang granaries and their garrison details, plus fifty thousand taels of silver; the posture was very convincing, the fear very evident.

Jiang Jinshi took the secret report, skimmed it quickly, his face expressionless, and gave a faint "Hmm."

He had long anticipated Cui Yan and the others' surrender; their thoughts, to him, were like leaping clowns.

As for Fu Mingyuan… that old fox, the performance was good.

"Record the Fu family's merit first."

Jiang Jinshi set the report down, "Tell Cui Yan and the others that wanting to live, merely sending surrender letters won't work; make them produce something real."

The weak points of Luoyang's defenses, Si Wushuang's latest deployment adjustments, Wei Wenlie's personal guard rotation patterns… these are the true life‑selling information.

As for promises… tell them, I, Jiang Jinshi, only recognize merit, not toil.

Do it well, and a way of life naturally appears! Do it poorly, or outwardly comply while secretly defying… they must weigh it themselves!

"Yes!"

Wang Hou replied, then handed another secret letter, "One more thing! The Si clan… someone has covertly sent news, a side‑branch member of the Si clan."

He said… he represents part of the Si clan, willing to surrender half of the Si clan's holdings in Luoyang and to turn some garrison troops, only hoping… only that when the city falls, the Si bloodline can be preserved.

Jiang Jinshi took the secret letter, didn't even glance at it, tossed it onto the desk, producing a soft sound.

"Si clan?"

He chuckled lightly, tone tinged with amusement, "Si Wushuang's people? Interesting."

Wang Hou tentatively asked: "Lord, should we make contact? Perhaps we could…"

"No need."

Jiang Jinshi cut him off, "Si Wushuang is not a man who surrenders; he sends these small fish and shrimp merely to test, or… to buy himself time."

Of course there is another possibility that Jiang Jinshi didn't mention, namely that the Si family has already become double‑hearted, that a rift has arisen between the Si family and Si Wushuang, which is why this situation has occurred.

He has only seen Si Wushuang once, but according to Wang Hou's intelligence report, this person can endure in silence for years and is inherently a person of great wisdom.

People like that have their own pride and would never allow themselves to do something like surrendering to survive!