Chapter 29: A Critical Moment

  I watched Xiaoshunzi packing his things, feeling a sense of confusion in my heart. Tomorrow I would be free again, but I couldn't muster up any excitement. After a long while, I steeled myself and thought, why bother being kind to someone who will definitely kill me tomorrow? Just then, a servant from the Yongwang Fu came to report that Guan Xiu, Dong Zhi, and Gou Lian had arrived seeking an audience. They must be making one last effort, I thought, feeling a warmth in my heart. No matter what, they were good people. Since we would never have the chance to share a drink together again, why not take a stroll under the moonlight tonight? I smiled and told the servant to let them in.

  They were all clever people, and after exchanging a few words, they knew my mind was made up, so no one said anything more. We talked freely, a sleepless night. When the sky brightened at dawn, I looked out the window at the early light and smiled: "There's no banquet in the world that doesn't disperse, today we part ways, next year when we meet again, perhaps we'll be strangers."

  Gou Jian said with a sigh: "Since Su Yun knows it's like this, why does he still want to rely on the King of Qi?"

  I smiled slightly and said, "Prince Qi is straightforward and impulsive. I'm just passing the time under his command for a few days. After a while, I'll leave Chang'an, and at that time, whether we are friends or enemies, you all don't have to worry about it."

  Dong Zhi said in a low voice: "I'm afraid King Qi's Highness won't want to let Mr. leave either?"

  "I simply said faintly: 'Everyone please return, Jiang Mou leaves the Yong Wang Fu today, and His Highness has already said he would see Jiang Mou off. Ran Yun can't go meet His Highness like this, and must bathe and change clothes before bidding farewell to His Highness.'"

  "Since that's the case, we won't disturb Ziyun either. We'll send him off in a bit and then leave, so as not to be disheartened by the farewell. The only sorrow is parting."

  I sent away the three advisors and walked into the back chamber, which was a dedicated bathroom. In the center of the room was a bathtub about five zhang wide, made entirely of bluestone. The water inlet was in the center of the tub, topped with a lotus flower that shot out warm spring water from the copper pipes beneath the bluestones, which had been heated by the clear spring water drawn from the garden. When I entered, Xiao Shunzi was adding water to the tub, creating a misty atmosphere and sparkling droplets everywhere. I couldn't help but smile - the imperial family's luxuries were indeed extraordinary, and I thought this every time I came in.

  Loosening my clothes and walking into the bathtub, I enjoyed the comfort of hot water bathing and laughed: "Xiao Shunzi, do you think it's good for me to build a bathroom like this in the future?"

  Xiao Shunzi didn't respond to my words, and I found it a bit strange. Turning back to look at him, Xiao Shunzi seemed to be lost in thought, his mind wandering elsewhere. I shook my head in puzzlement, but I didn't wake him up. He wouldn't hide anything from me when we're face-to-face, so I figured he'd have something to say to me soon enough.

  After bathing, I put on the clothes prepared by Xiao Shunzi, which was my deliberate instruction. From the innermost underwear to the outermost Confucian shirt, they were all snow-white in color. When I seriously put on each piece of clothing, Xiao Shunzi suddenly knelt down on the ground and said sorrowfully: "Young master, please don't make things difficult for yourself like this."

  I slightly froze, just about to take the outer gown handed over by him, and stopped, asking: "Xiao Shunzi, what are you talking about?"

  Xiao Shunzi said: "Young master wants to avenge his wife, Xiao Shunzi knows that. Please ask the young master, if you want to avenge your wife, what strategies do you have?"

  I looked at him and said faintly: "You and I are closely related, I won't hide it from you. After knowing the culprit, I had already thought of three strategies - top, middle and bottom."

  "May I ask, young master, what is your next move?"

  I took the Confucian robe from his hand and slowly said, "The worst plan is the most difficult. After I escape from Yongdu, I will hide in the city and wait for an opportunity. As the saying goes, 'A wise man thinks a thousand times, but there must be one mistake.' I will carefully wait for the chance to assassinate Li An. Even if the assassination fails, a dike of a thousand miles can collapse due to an ant hole. I will wander around the world and cultivate forces dissatisfied with Li An. Now, Dongchuan has not yet fully surrendered, and South Chu will soon re-establish its country. Borrowing the power of the world, with the king of Yong on my side watching closely, I will eventually have a day to avenge my hatred. However, killing the crown prince of a country is not a small matter. After succeeding, I need to disperse all my wealth and wander around the world from then on. Moreover, if I am slightly careless, it will be a fate of defeat and death."

  Xiao Shunzi asked in a low voice: "May I ask, sir, what is your strategy?"

  I put on a Confucian robe and said calmly, "The middle strategy is better. The left and right arms of Crown Prince Li An are King Qi, although King Qi is rough, but he is actually a brilliant man with a rough exterior and a delicate interior. If there was no King Yong, it would not be bad for King Qi to be the ruler. I will rely on King Qi, help him make plans and strategies, provoke discord among his brothers, and when the time is right, let him fall into internal strife. Whether it benefits King Yong or King Qi, I will ultimately cause Crown Prince Li An to lose his wings and perish. Even if I don't achieve my goal, I can still cause internal strife in Da Yong, avenging my country's hatred and personal grievances."

  Xiao Shunzi kneeled forward and said: "May I ask, young master, what is your best plan?"

  I am the upper garment, smiling and saying: "This is the best strategy, most upright and just. I will surrender to King Yong, borrow a knife to kill, make King Yong's Highness kill his brother and force his father to abdicate. Not only can I avenge my great hatred, but also the world can get a wise and virtuous ruler, and the dawn of unification is near at hand. I, Jiang Zhe, can also leave a name in history. After the matter is accomplished, maybe I will retire to the countryside or enjoy wealth and honor. Isn't this the best strategy?"

  "Master, over the years, I have been by your side serving you. How could I not understand your thoughts? You clearly know that surrendering to Prince Yong is the best choice, so why are you being so stubborn? Your enemies are also Prince Yong's enemies. If you were to surrender to him, when he ascends to the throne, it would be the perfect opportunity for you to avenge yourself. Yet, you refuse to surrender and instead intentionally provoke him, forcing him to want to kill you. In reality, if you had just surrendered to Prince Yong, after avenging yourself, you could have retreated to the mountains and enjoyed your remaining years in peace. Why must you take such risks? Although your medical skills are extraordinary, who's to say that the poisonous drugs hidden by the imperial family of Great Yong can be cured? What if something were to happen to you, Master? Even if I were to kill Prince Yong, what would be the point?"

  I said calmly: "These things, how can I not understand? But in my life, I have always been able to use any means against enemies, yet I have never used cunning against those close to me. Your Highness, the wise and just king, has treated Rangyun with sincerity and trustworthiness, using much thought for his sake. Although Rangyun is not heartless, how can he not be moved? But I have received favors from Nan Chu in the past and have enmity with Da Yong in the present, already having a rift in my heart. Moreover, if we were to truly follow each other's hearts, I would have to use all my strength to think for Your Highness's sake. If I didn't plan, Your Highness might not necessarily have no chance of winning, although it would be tragic, your reputation would remain untainted. But if I were to surrender to Your Highness, Rangyun is an ordinary person and cannot help but take advantage of the opportunity to avenge his personal grievances, harming the great righteousness between ruler and subject for my own selfish desires. If I acted impartially, how could I face the spirit of Feixiangquan? Thinking it over, I neither want to harm Your Highness's reputation in history nor do I want to betray Feixiang, my wife. There is only one way out - to give up what is easy and take what is difficult. As for the middle strategy, although it would not harm my will, it would inevitably cause great damage to the wise king. I am already ashamed of myself for being unable to serve such a ruler, how can I bear to harm him? Therefore, I can only adopt the lower strategy."

  Xiao Shunzi said, "The young master refuses to serve King Yong of Yun, it is for the sake of King Yong, but why must he force King Yong to kill him? If he pretends to agree and escapes from Chang'an after a while, what's the harm?"

  I smiled and said, "In my life, I may not be very careful with small matters, but for things like this, I would never lie or cheat. When I refused to serve Duke De, I didn't deceive him either. Today, since I refuse to serve King Yong, I won't deceive him either. How could I possibly cut off my thoughts of surrendering to King Yong if he doesn't force me to kill myself? Xiao Shunzi, remember this: today's fake death is indeed a bit dangerous, so if something happens to me, don't take revenge on King Yong for me. His Majesty has done nothing wrong; an overlord must not be soft-hearted. I only ask you to remember that one day, you will avenge my death by killing Li An, and then bring my ashes back to Southern Chu to bury me with Feng Xiang. Can you promise me this?"

  Xiao Shunzi bowed his head to the ground, and after a long time, he said with a sob: "The young master's orders, how could I not listen? If the young master is unfortunate, I will kill Li An first, then return to Nan Chu and guard his tomb for the rest of my life."

  I said lightly: "Thank you, actually I have a great chance of winning, and you don't need to be sad. Once this hurdle is passed, there's nothing in the world that can bind Jiang Mou anymore. Even if it's for revenge, I won't sacrifice my own remaining life. You can rest assured."

  Xiao Shunzi remained silent, I knew he didn't believe me. In fact, what I said was true, I would never go crazy for revenge.

  In the study of King Yong, Li Zhi silently looked at a silver kettle on the desk. Shi Tuo stood in front of the desk and said anxiously: "Your Highness, why don't you use the Mandarin duck kettle hidden by Da Yong, but use this concealed edge kettle?"

  Li Zai said lightly: "Although the secret-made Yuyang vase of the previous dynasty is reliable, Jiang Zhe has read the classics and is good at identification. He may not be able to recognize the Yuyang vase. This hidden sword vase was given by my subordinate in South Chu. The mechanism is ingenious and there is no flaw. Let's use this vase instead. The soul-selling pill won't make the silver vase change color, and Jiang Zhe won't notice."

  Shi Wei had followed Li Zhe for many years, and he could sense the sadness in Li Zhe's heart. He couldn't help but say: "Your Highness, just now, Guan Xiu and others came to report that Jiang Suiyun claimed that he would not be a long-term threat to the King of Qi. If Your Highness cannot bear it, you might as well let him off."

  Li Zai said calmly: "Do you really think so?"

  Shi Yu wanted to speak but stopped, and finally said: "It's all the fault of those under me. Encouraging Your Highness to seek out wise talents is a good thing, but now Your Highness can't even pacify Southern Chu, nor can you obtain wise talents. It's all the responsibility of those under me. But this person, if not killed, I'm afraid those under me will be restless day and night."

  Li Zai sneered slightly: "It's not your business, I was too confident, thinking that all the wise men in the world would obey me. Alright, let's hold a farewell ceremony for Jiang Zhe in the front hall. Poor unparalleled talent, from now on he will be deeply buried in the yellow earth. This is my sin and his misfortune."

  Not far from the Li Wang Fu, a luxurious carriage was quietly waiting. Inside, Prince Qi Li Xian's face was filled with joy. Sitting opposite him was Princess Qin Zhen, who no longer wore men's clothing. She wore a moon-white palace dress, her eyebrows lightly painted, and her beauty shone like a national treasure. She said calmly: "Isn't he just that Hanlin scholar Jiang Zhe? Why do you value him so much?"

  Li Xian's eyes flashed with a hint of mockery, and he said sincerely: "In the past, Rong Er, you were sharp-tongued, but you couldn't convince De Qin Wang. However, this person convinced Zhao Ke with just a few words. It is said that he followed Zhao Ke to pacify Shu. I have carefully studied Zhao Ke's strategy for pacifying Shu and found that his style is unusual. This shows that Jiang Zhe is indeed a talented person. Moreover, I admire his demeanor, not just for one day. Even my second brother respects him deeply. What's wrong with me befriending him? Rong Er, you are a talented woman of the world, with a good family background, looks, and talent, all of which are top-notch. Your only shortcoming is that you lack humility and tolerance. No wonder, you are the spoiled daughter of heaven. Let me tell you, if you offend Jiang Xian, don't blame me for being ruthless."

  Qin Zhen's eyes flashed with anger as she thought back to the time when she was ordered to get close to King Qi. The king, who was young and carefree, had a charming personality that soon won Qin Zhen over. However, in Southern Chu, she fell into his trap due to jealousy and became his fiancée after one night of passion. But from then on, the king returned to his old ways, sometimes being affectionate and other times cold and distant. Before she even entered the palace as his wife, he already had three or four illegitimate children. Qin Zhen hated herself for being so infatuated that she couldn't extricate herself until recently when they finally got married by imperial order. Although Li Xian showed her respect on the surface, he actually drew a line in the inner courtyard of the palace and indulged in sensual pleasures within. She had complained to her teacher and father before, but they all said this was King Qi's true nature, and she could only follow the traditional virtues of a wife and use gentle emotions to bind him. In the end, she could only turn a blind eye. However, today the king went too far by making her bow her head to a prisoner from Southern Chu. After some thought, she decided not to quarrel with King Qi and reluctantly said, "Your subject obeys your orders."

  Li Xian smiled faintly, he was very familiar with this clever woman, proud and arrogant, but lacked a few points of gentleness. Without too much persuasion, he knew that Qin Zhong would not openly defy his orders. Seeing that the appointed time was approaching, Li Xian said: "Alright, let's go to the Yong Wang Fu now."

  The grand hall of the Yong Wang Fu was different from others, not as luxurious and majestic as other royal palaces, but rather spacious and solemn. Today, Li Zhi also wore a plain white robe, originally with a heart full of mourning, when he saw Jiang Zhe, he was taken aback. Jiang Zhe also wore a plain white robe, taking advantage of his elegant and refined appearance, slightly pale, making him look even more dignified.

  He felt a pang of regret, his eyes falling on Shi Yun's body. Because today was the day to kill Jiang Zhe, Li Xian only brought Shi Yun to see him off. Shi Yun's eyes were icy cold, and he shook his head slightly. Li Zuo did not hesitate, smiling: "Today I came to bid farewell to the master, knowing that the master is of noble character, so I can only offer a cup of fine wine as a sendoff. Master, please don't decline." As he spoke, Shi Yun brought over a black wooden tray, on which were placed a hidden sword flask and two silver cups.

  My gaze swept over the Cangfeng Hu, and I couldn't help but smile wryly. This Cangfeng Hu was designed by me personally and sold through Tianji Pavilion for a high price, with only three pieces made, each worth a thousand gold coins. Who would have thought that we'd meet again today in Dayong? The bottom of this pot has a hidden compartment that can hold a cup of poisonous liquid. If you want to harm someone with this pot, just pour the poison into the bottom, and when pouring wine, press down on the lotus flower carving on the handle, then the poisonous liquid will flow through the wall of the pot to the mouth of the pot, from where it will flow into the cup through the lotus flower heart carved beside the mouth. This way of poisoning is undetectable, even if you kill a thousand or a hundred people, no one would suspect anything. Of course, this poison must not be allowed to discolor the silver pot, so that anyone can use the Cangfeng Hu to harm others without arousing suspicion. I didn't expect that today, this Cangfeng Hu would be used on me myself, I wonder if this is considered self-inflicted?

  Li Zai picked up the hidden sword flask, first pouring a cup of poisoned wine, then moving his thumb to pour himself a cup of clean wine. He put down the flask and raised his own wine cup, forcing a smile: "Sir, please drink this cup to the full, from now on you will soar to great heights and rise to prominence."

  I took the cup of poisoned wine, thinking that if I had shed blood and sweat for this person, what I would get in return was probably just this cup of poisoned wine. Looking at Prince Yong, I saw him forcing a smile, and I thought of his past favors, so I opened my mouth and said: "Your Highness is destined to be the dragon among men, your nobility cannot be spoken of, from now on, as long as you cultivate your military strength and govern with virtue, even if the Crown Prince is jealous, he will not dare to provoke you easily. As for other matters, there are wise scholars who will plan for Your Highness. Today I bid farewell to Your Highness, today we may never meet again, I wish Your Highness to unify the world soon, bring peace and prosperity to the four seas, and let the people live in happiness. Although I am far away in the Jianghu, I will pray for Your Highness day and night." These words were all spoken from my heart, I really didn't blame him, he wanted to kill me because I had forced him too hard, a true dragon has its own reverse scales. Thinking that we would not meet again after today, I couldn't help but say a few words from the bottom of my heart. Holding up the wine cup, I could distinguish the poison in the wine, and the Wan Du Jiang I had prepared was also a highly toxic medicine, but it could protect my heart and preserve my life. Tonight was the perfect opportunity for me to fake my own death. Raising the silver cup, I was about to drink this cup of poisoned wine.

  Li Zai took the wine cup from Jiang Zhe, and his heart was very uneasy. He had never done such a thing as killing a good man before, and he couldn't help feeling a little guilty. At this moment, when he heard Jiang Zhe's sincere words, his powerful right hand actually trembled. Just as he saw Jiang Zhe about to drink the poisoned wine, his chest surged with blood and energy, and he suddenly reached out and pressed down on the cup.

  I looked at Li Ze's hand on the wine cup in confusion, looking at his pale face, my heart was in a mess. Although Li Ze had only been impulsive for a moment, he quickly calmed down, took away the wine cup and said lightly: "Although you are a scholar, your temperament is not inferior to that of a brave warrior on the battlefield. You should use a large cup, not this silver cup. Come, bring me my golden helmet."

  Before long, the attendant brought over the golden helmet that Li Zhe had worn when he went to battle. Li Zhe did not use the hidden mechanism of the wine jug, but instead opened the lid and poured all the fine wine into the helmet. He raised it with both hands and said: "Jiang Zhe, you are a talented scholar from the prosperous land of Southern Chu, but your character and integrity surpass those of my brave warriors on the border of Great Yong. I offer you this golden helmet filled with wine, wishing you a smooth journey." At that moment, Li Zhe's heart was filled with peace and tranquility, without any anger or resentment. He thought to himself: "I should not have used Jiang Zhe for my own purposes. It is my own lack of virtue and talent. If I were to kill an innocent and worthy scholar, even if the throne were before me, what qualifications would I have to ascend to it?"