Crown Prince of the Empire, I quit!

The news of Helu, the Left Wise Prince of the Black Khanate, defecting, was like a boulder dropped into stagnant water, sending ripples through the nations of the Western Regions. However, in the Western Warm Pavilion of the Great Qian Imperial Capital, the candlelight still flickered calmly, illuminating Qin Ming's unperturbed face.

"Your Majesty, Helu and his 37-member group have been accommodated at the Guiyi Posthouse, west of the Beiting Protectorate." Ying Qi emerged from the shadows, his voice deep, "As you instructed, we will treat them with the courtesy of a noble prince, but there will be Xuanjia Army 'guards' outside the posthouse."

Qin Ming did not look up. He wrote a stroke with his red pen on a memorial about the site selection of a new grain warehouse in Jiangnan, and wrote "to be discussed later".

"What did he take?"

"Twenty personal guards, three trusted aides, and...his youngest son, Ashina Lu, who is only nine years old," Ying Qi replied. "According to reports, Helu made several attempts to meet General Meng Zhi along the way, but was politely refused."

The pen tip paused, a faint smile crossing Qin Ming's lips. Helu wanted to negotiate, but he no longer had any leverage. With the Black Khan now a defector, he couldn't return. Who in the Western Regions would dare harbor a man who had offended the Great Qian Emperor? His only value lay in his limited knowledge of the Black Khan's inner workings, and... that child.

"Tell Meng Zhi," Qin Ming put down his red brush and scanned the location of the Black Khanate on the map, "There's no need to meet him. Have your men serve him good food and wine, and then find a few 'enthusiastic' old acquaintances to talk to him about the customs and practices of the Black Khanate...especially the recent movements of the various tribal chiefs."

"Yes." Ying Qi understood. This was to squeeze out the last bit of intelligence value from Helu, while at the same time making him fall into panic of being isolated and helpless.

"That child..." Qin Ming suddenly asked.

"He is very intelligent and clever. As instructed, he has been brought to the mansion by General Meng's wife to study and practice martial arts with the youngest son of the Meng family."

"Yeah." Qin Ming said no more. He used both kindness and force, trying to make Helu despair while leaving him with a glimmer of illusory hope - that child was the reins that would tie up this trapped beast.

A few days later, at Guiyi Inn, Helu faced a table overflowing with delicacies, yet he couldn't eat. Meng Zhi remained absent, and the so-called "old acquaintance" who visited him kept talking about the internal affairs of the Black Khanate, which was clearly just clichés. He felt like a penned animal, waiting to be slaughtered. His only slight comfort was hearing that his young son was being well cared for.

Meanwhile, the Black Khanate's court was plunged into even greater chaos by Helu's defection. Enraged, Great Khan Duobi purged the Zuoxianwang clan, only to intimidate the other tribes. To make matters worse, the border markets of Daqian suddenly raised the price of highland barley again, but only opened it to a few small, previously submissive tribes. For a time, resentment within the Black Khanate was rampant, with Duobi's incompetence being the blame.

Upon seeing this, other kingdoms in the Western Regions, such as Gaochang and Kucha, sent envoys with valuable gifts to the imperial capital, and their words became increasingly submissive, fearing that they would become the next target.

In the warm room, Qin Ming looked at the list of tributes from the Western Regions countries presented by the Ministry of Rites, and his eyes finally fell on the line of words "Gaochang Kingdom presents a white jade pagoda and is willing to invite eminent monks from the Celestial Empire to teach Buddhism."

"Tell the Honglu Temple," he pointed at the line with his finger, "to grant their request. Also, have the Imperial Astronomical Bureau select a few doctors knowledgeable about the astronomical phenomena of the Western Regions to accompany them."

Ying Qi accepted the order, understanding it in his heart. His Majesty was determined to firmly drive the nail of cultural infiltration into the Western Regions.

As the situation in the Western Regions escalated due to Helu's defection, a secret memorial from Jiangnan was quietly delivered to the highest level of the imperial desk. Qin Ming unfolded it, revealing it to be the handwritten note of Lin Hao, the newly appointed Governor of the Grand Canal. The memorial reported that the new grain transport policy was being implemented smoothly, with tax revenues increasing significantly. However, Jiangnan's three major grain merchants and the aristocratic families behind them appeared to be acting rogue, secretly hoarding grain, fearing a higher price for sale.

Qin Ming's eyes suddenly became sharp. It seemed that some people could no longer hold back. He picked up the red pen and wrote two words at the end of the report:

“Known.”

"Your Majesty." Ying Qi's voice was deeper than usual.

"The Privy Council and the Ministry of Revenue have jointly submitted a report regarding... the new tax regulations for the Hexi military settlements and the Western Regions trade routes, which have been preliminarily drafted."

Qin Ming didn't even look up as he wrote a sharp crimson stroke on the Ministry of Works' memorial regarding the selection of a new warehouse for the grain transport project. His voice was even and calm: "Give me a brief summary."

"Yes." Ying Qi unfolded the file and reported at a steady pace, "First, the Hexi military settlement system has been reformed. Soldiers who work in the settlements will be managed separately. They will be civilians when fighting and soldiers when farming. They will be given generous land and tax exemptions. However... all agricultural output must be supplied first to the Beiting Black Armor Army and border garrisons. The rest will be allowed to enter the market."

"Secondly, the tax system on the trade routes of the Western Regions was completely reformed. The old practice of levying taxes based on camel caravans and merchant caravans was abolished, and replaced with a '10% tax on the value of the goods.' A 'Shibosi' (Market Maritime Customs Office) was established at Yumen Pass, specifically responsible for inspecting goods, determining their value, and collecting taxes. All merchants traveling through the region were required to obtain 'market vouchers.' Those without vouchers had their goods confiscated and were detained."

"Third, five additional 'mutual markets' will be established in the four counties of Hexi, allowing the Western Regions to exchange cattle, sheep, horses, furs, and other goods for our salt, iron, tea, and porcelain. However... transactions must be conducted under the supervision of the Maritime Customs Office, and private trading is strictly prohibited. Anyone found smuggling will be severely punished."

"Fourth, the Imperial Ministry of Revenue Academy will establish a 'Commercial Department' to select students from good families and teach them mathematics, commodity valuation, and foreign languages, to serve as backup for the Maritime Customs. However... all students must undergo a rigorous background check of three generations by the Tingfeng Guards before they are admitted."

Qin Ming paused for a moment after hearing this, then wrote a sharp "yes" on the memorial. He didn't immediately comment on this system designed to control the economic lifeline of the Western Regions. Instead, he asked, "What's going on in the Black Khanate lately?"

Ying Qi was slightly startled, then replied, "Your Majesty, since the defection of Left Wise King Helu, the Great Khan of the Black Khans, Duobi, has purged the Left Wise King's tribe, but the civil unrest continues. The chieftains of the remaining tribes have many complaints. Recently, the Black Khan's envoys have secretly contacted the envoys from Gaochang and Kucha, and seem to be interested in uniting for self-protection."

"Unite for self-defense?" Qin Ming's lips curled up in a cold arc. "It's just a minor issue, not worth mentioning. Tell Meng Zhi that the Beiting Black Armor Army's daily training exercises can be appropriately 'demonstrated' to the caravans traveling to and from the Western Regions. Also, the newly established mutual market in Hexi will temporarily increase the tax on transactions with the Black Khan Tribe by 20%."

"Yes." Ying Qi understood what he meant. This meant that they were going to continue to exert pressure and divide the countries in the Western Regions.

"Also," Qin Ming raised his eyes and glanced at Ying Qi, "Is Helu doing well in Guiyi Station?"

"According to reports, he was initially anxious and repeatedly requested an audience with General Meng Zhi. Recently... he seems to have resigned himself to his fate, spending his days drinking or reminiscing with former subordinates. His youngest son, Ashina Lu, is being well cared for in the Meng residence. He lives and eats with the Meng family's youngest son, learning both literature and martial arts, and has gradually become proficient in Chinese."

"Yeah." Qin Ming said no more. A trapped beast still fights, but over time, its edge fades. That child is the real chess piece.