Chapter Five: The Delicate Chess Piece

  Holding the confession, I walked towards Qifeng Pavilion because I wanted to see my adopted daughter Roulan. For some reason, I always felt that she was a spirit from the fragrant spring, sent to be my daughter. Hurriedly returning to Qifeng Pavilion, I saw at a glance that Prince Yong was sitting there, teasing little Roulan.

  I stepped forward and bowed: "Your Highness has waited for a long time. I was busy interrogating the prisoner and didn't know you were here."

  Li Zai smiled and said: "I heard that the master has taken in a foster daughter, I came to visit, how is she?"

  I smiled and said, "Your Highness, I have discovered that the power of the Brocade Alliance in Dayong has been thoroughly investigated. Although it's been a night, there are some changes, but wanting to catch them all at once is also easy."

  Li Zai looked at me with some hesitation, and I knew what he meant. "Your Highness's intention is clear to me," I said. "The Brocade Alliance is currently wreaking havoc mainly in Shu and Southern Chu, and for them, Dayong is still a place where they can rest and recover. Therefore, Your Highness hopes to temporarily preserve the Brocade Alliance."

  Li Zai smiled bitterly and said, "Sir, to be honest, I've known about the existence of Jin Xuan's alliance for a long time. It's just that I haven't inquired about it temporarily. However, now they are so arrogant and rampant. If it gets out that Dayong once supported them, I'm afraid Dayong will lose all the people's hearts in Dongchuan and Shu."

  I bowed and said: "Your Highness, don't worry, I have already come up with a plan. We can let some of the Jinwei Alliance's forces off, but first we must completely eliminate their influence in Chang'an. This way, even if they want to drag Da Yong into it in the future, it will be impossible."

  King Yong said, 'This is also good, to avoid the situation in Chang'an becoming chaotic and them taking advantage of it. After all, they are enemies with Da Yong too. I have some intelligence on hand, plus the confessions you obtained, which should be enough. I will issue an order to surround and annihilate them.'

  I shook my head and said, "A small alliance like the Brocade Alliance, Your Highness, even if you eliminate it, what merit would that be? If Your Highness is willing to trust me, let me devise a plan. Not only can we eradicate the Brocade Alliance's influence in Chang'an, but also achieve my heart's desire."

  The King of Yong's eyes flashed and he said: "Since His Majesty has already granted full authority, please take charge, Mr. If you need my support in any way, just let me know."

  I smiled in gratitude, at this time the Duke of Yong looked at Roulan and said: "Sir, you are alone, and your daughter is still young, without a mother to take care of her, it's not suitable. The princess has been heartbroken since the crown prince left for Youzhou, and she feels empty. If sir doesn't mind, why not let the princess take care of Roulan, so that sir won't have to worry."

  I thought for a moment and said: 'It's just that it would be inconvenient for me to go see my daughter.'

  King Yong smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, sir. If you want to miss your daughter, let Xiaoshunzi go to the queen's place to pick her up."

  I think it's a good idea for Xiaoshunzi to enter the inner house without any worries, so I said: 'Then I thank you, Your Highness. The princess will surely teach my daughter to be a noble lady. Please convey my thanks to the princess.'

  The Duke of Yong looked at me for a moment and said: 'Mr., you are already 26 years old this year, why are you still single, you should get married.'

  The words of King Yong caused me great pain in my heart, and after a long silence I said: 'I originally had an unmarried wife, but she passed away before we could complete the marriage.'

  King Yong was taken aback and said, "I didn't know about this book. However, getting married and having children is a major virtue of filial piety. You can't always be so lonely, sir. If you're willing, I'll ask the queen to find a virtuous woman for you. What do you think?"

  I smiled and said, "I am a carefree person by nature, I just haven't gone into the mountains yet. I also don't want to wrong a good girl, so please, Your Highness, don't bother."

  King Yong shook his head and sighed: "Let's talk about these things later, sir. You go busy now, I believe you will give me a satisfactory result."

  I bowed and said: "Your Highness can rest assured that before long you will be able to place your own trusted followers by the Crown Prince's side."

  Xia Jinyi felt more frightened than he had ever been. He was a carefree and impulsive person, which often got him into trouble. He had offended the elders of his sect and was kicked out, so he tried to join the Imperial Guard through connections, but ended up offending Miss Jiang instead. With no other options, he sought help from an older brother-like figure who worked as a guard in the Crown Prince's palace. This older brother was upright and proper, and Xia Jinyi had a good relationship with him. He hoped that his older brother could introduce him to someone important, otherwise, without any talent for taking exams or fighting on the battlefield, how would he make a name for himself? Unfortunately, before he could meet with his older brother, he was confronted by Guan Zhonglian and had no choice but to use his wits to escape. Who knew that the person who framed him was actually Sima from the Yongwang Fu? This made Xia Jinyi feel extremely disheartened, but his older brother told him that if the Crown Prince found out about this, he would definitely keep Xia Jinyi by his side and use it as an opportunity to embarrass the Yongwang Fu. Overjoyed, Xia Jinyi drank a bit too much and returned to the inn, only to be ambushed and captured by some unknown people. They tied him up tightly with iron chains and locked his hands behind his back, stuffing him into a box and carrying him away. By the time he realized what was happening, no one came to release him. After being tied up for so long, Xia Jinyi felt numbness in his limbs and his blood circulation was cut off. The greatest pain was that he could only curl up in a ball and couldn't even stretch out straight. This made him feel like he was suffering the most. If only he could stretch out straight, he would be willing to pay any price. In other words, his will had already been broken.

  Finally, footsteps were heard outside, and someone opened the box. The person was holding a lantern, and the light fell on Xia Jin's face. Xia Jin instinctively closed his eyes to avoid being blinded by the sudden brightness after being in darkness for so long. After a moment, Xia Jin opened his eyes to see a handsome young man standing in front of him, looking no more than fifteen or sixteen years old. The young man seemed curious about him. Xia Jin's gaze conveyed a sense of pleading and inquiry. The young man said calmly, "I am Chi Ji, here to deal with you, Xia Gongzi. If you don't gain my approval, you'll be buried here. But if you're lucky enough to pass, you can meet our master. Please note that if you shout loudly, I'll have to kill you immediately." After speaking, the young man placed the lantern on a table inside and stepped forward to remove the silk cloth from Xia Jin's mouth. Xia Jin took a deep breath and said, "Please let me out first, or else I'm afraid I'll be crippled if I don't stretch my body." Seeing his enemy, Xia Jin's wits gradually returned, and he was ready to start a battle of wits with him. Although it was strange that his enemy was just a young man, Xia Jin was well aware that the most fearsome opponents in the jianghu were monks, women, and children, so he didn't have any thoughts of underestimating him.

  The young man smiled slightly, pulled Xia Jinyi out of the box and put him on the ground. In this way, although Xia Jinyi was still tightly bound, he could stretch his body. He let out a comfortable hum from his mouth, closed his eyes, and seemed to want to sleep well.

  The young man smiled and kicked Xia Jinyi's foot, saying: "Old brother, have you forgotten something? Your life and death are still in my hands!"

  Xia Jinyi opened his eyes, with a comfortable expression on his face, and said: "Young brother, Xia is just a Jianghu vagabond. If you don't have any use for me, why bother going to so much trouble to tie me up? I think if you were to kill me casually, you might even be punished for it."

  The young man suddenly sat on the ground and said to Xia Jin-yi: "You're not wrong, but unfortunately my master is arrogant and won't use anyone who's useless. So you have to convince me to take you to see him. If I'm not convinced, even if I kill you, it doesn't matter, after all, you're not the only candidate."

  Xia Jin's heart skipped a beat as he looked at the young man, who despite his youth, spoke with great maturity and seemed to show no emotion when talking about killing people. He probed cautiously, "Young brother, you're so young, have you killed many people?"

  Chi Jue smiled and said: "I dare not deceive you, when I was young, I killed eight or nine people to save my life. Later, I served my master and killed men, women, old and young. The most pitiful thing was that once we had no choice but to kill many innocent people, including several women and children. To be honest, at the time, I really didn't want to kill them, but who made them stay in places they shouldn't have been? There was only one time when I didn't kill anyone, but they still didn't survive.

  Chi Jue's words were vague, but not a single sentence was false. During their secret training, they often had to duel each other, and those who lost too many times would be eliminated and sent away with their memories erased. Later, they said that these people had already died, losing the memory of the secret camp, which for them was worse than death.

  As for doing tasks for Tianji Pavilion, killing people was unavoidable. Only in the last instance with Liang Yu did he not kill anyone. However, since only Princess Chang Le and foolish Liang Yu escaped unscathed, it couldn't be considered merciful either.

  Xia Jinyi could hear the sincerity in Chi Ji's tone and the complete lack of boastfulness, so he knew that he had really met a ruthless killer. He forced a smile and said: "I see, so Xia is far inferior to you, young master. Although Xia has a reputation as a rogue in the jianghu, I don't kill many people after all. My martial arts skills are not high, and killing people is quite troublesome. I wonder what it would take for you to spare my life?"

  Chi Ji thought for a moment and said, "This is quite difficult. Although I don't have much money, when I want to spend it, I'm not short of silver. My martial arts skills may not be high, but they're already sufficient. As for wealth and honor, although everyone loves them, I'm still young, and it's not too late to compete for them in ten years? Speaking of which, his tone gradually cooled down, Chi Ji pulled out a small dagger from his bosom, gesturing at Xia Jin-yi's throat, and smiled, "Alright, you tell me, what benefits can you offer me?"

  Xia Jinyi hastily said: "Young man, don't be anxious, Xia has an idea. Seeing that you are already 15 or 16 years old, the sons of wealthy families should get married. Looking at your demeanor, it's not ordinary, even if you're not from a noble family, you must marry a beautiful and elegant lady from a good family. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste of talent? Xia has no other skills, but when it comes to pursuing girls, I'm unparalleled. Moreover, among the outstanding beauties in the south of the Yangtze River, there's no one who knows more than me. If you're willing, let Xia help you come up with a plan and marry a beautiful wife, how about that?"

  Chi Jing looked at Xia Jinyi for half a day, then burst out laughing and said: "I saw you being chased by Jiang Xiaojie and running for your life everywhere. I didn't think you had such skills. Alright, let me hear your plan."

  Xia Jin let out a sigh of relief, seeing that Chi Ji's killing intent had dissipated. He smiled and said: "Young brother, you can't look down on me. To say, Jiang Xiaojie is not bad, but it's absolutely impossible to marry her as a wife? I just stole her bellyband, and she's been chasing me everywhere to kill me."

  Chi Chi's eyes widened as he stared at Xia Jinyi and said, "You stole hers, her that thing."

  Xia Jin Yi laughed and said: "What's so strange about that? I, Xia Jin Yi, just can't stand the sight of her. A little girl like her has all the young men in Guanzhong following after her, and she's still not satisfied. She listens to my nonsense every day and is very happy. If you slightly cross her, she'll put on a cold face and rely on being a disciple of Fengyi Gate. So I used a seductive fragrance to knock her out and personally snuck into her room to steal her undergarments. Haha, now she dares not pursue me or explain the reason why. Little brother, let me tell you, the girls from Fengyi Gate are not worth marrying. They're all icy and elegant on the surface, but they rely on their beauty to seduce men. I don't believe that a girl wouldn't have any ulterior motives if so many men were pursuing her. They're experts at playing hard to get. My skills in pursuing beautiful women can't compare to theirs. The most hateful thing is, if you really succeed in winning them over, they'll be obedient and compliant with you at first, but the moment you don't cater to their whims, they'll turn against you in an instant. I'm telling you, even marrying an illiterate village girl would be better than marrying one of those Fengyi Gate disciples."

  Chi Jing stared blankly at Xia Jinyi who was talking incessantly, and said: "Listening to you say it's so terrible, have you encountered such a thing?"

  Xia Jinyi was taken aback, his expression suddenly changed, and after a long while, he said: "No, no, I'm just a Jianghu vagabond. The female disciples of the Fengyi Sect either marry into official families or martial arts families. How could they possibly have anything to do with me?"

  Chi Jing looked at Xia Jinyi's embarrassed face and asked: 'Aren't you afraid that I have some connection with Fengyi Gate?'

  Xia Jin-yi's cold sweat immediately flowed down, and he quickly recovered to normal, smiling: "How could that be? Although the Phoenix Instrument Gate may drive some men crazy, with your demeanor and temperament, you shouldn't be someone who is infatuated with beauty." He thought to himself, how could the Phoenix Instrument Gate possibly reach out to a half-grown child like him?

  Chi Ji smiled faintly and said, "Since you don't like Fengyi Gate, why did you want to rely on the Crown Prince? Who doesn't know that the Crown Prince and Fengyi Gate are people in the same boat? The Duke of Yong and Fengyi Gate are not compatible, aren't they?"

  "Little brother, as the saying goes, 'wearing clothes and eating food' are big things in life. I'm not capable of farming or fighting on the battlefield. If I wanted to be a bodyguard, my temperament and appearance would make it difficult for me to be accepted by others. And if I were to become a bandit, well... let's just say that the head of the Imperial Guard wouldn't be easy to deal with, and my martial arts skills aren't exactly top-notch either. In a few years, I'd probably end up in prison eating plain rice.

  As for relying on Prince Yong, I'm afraid I don't have that kind of luck. The prince only accepts people with real abilities, and I wouldn't be able to fit in. The crown prince's place is much more relaxed, actually. To be honest, I originally wanted to rely on Prince Qi, as I heard he likes the pleasure quarters and maybe I could even gain his recognition. But after arriving in Chang'an, I found out that although Prince Qi enjoys visiting brothels, the people around him are all brave warriors who have been through battles, and someone like me wouldn't be suitable."

  Chi Jing thought for a moment and said: "You're right, in the martial arts world, people prefer compact moves, and your Kunlun Sect is mainly known for its unique skills. If you were to go to war, I'm afraid you wouldn't make a good general. Besides, not everyone likes military life, and with your carefree and arrogant personality, I'm afraid you'd be punished by the military law in no time."

  Xia Jin Yi nodded in agreement, saying: "Yes, although I don't have any special skills, I still know what's good for me. If I can stay at the Crown Prince's mansion for a few years, it should be better than wandering around the world, right?"

  Chi Jing looked at him and finally smiled, saying: "Although I think letting you go is not very beneficial, but I really don't want to kill you. Alright, I think you can go see my master now. Let me remind you, my master is usually kind and gentle, but once he gets serious, you'd better hope for a quick death."

  Xia Jinyi suddenly smiled and said: 'Thank you for reminding me, Xia Mou has always been very aware of the situation.'

  At that time, I was in another room and couldn't help but laugh out loud. Through the pipe, I heard Xia Jinyi's words, which made me feel very happy. At this time, Xiao Shunzi suddenly laughed too, and I asked him: 'What, do you think he's funny too?'

  Xiao Shunzi suppressed his smile and said: "Young master, I dare to say something presumptuous, he looks very much like you. If it weren't for your exceptional talent, I think he really resembles you."

  I was originally a bit annoyed, but after careful consideration, I couldn't help but laugh, thinking that it's really like this, and I'm more interested in Xia Jinyi, and I believe my plan will succeed even more.

  After a moment, Xia Jinyi was brought in by Chi Ji, who untied his restraints so he could walk in on his own. However, he was smart enough not to resist, or else he might not have made it to my presence. After more than ten hours of torture, he was now not only starving but also disheveled and covered in dust. With difficulty, he walked in, and Chi Ji gave him a gentle push. He looked up to see the man in green robes sitting behind the desk and the handsome servant standing behind him, then knelt down submissively and said in a low voice: "Your humble subject greets Sir Sima."

  I stared at him in surprise, although he had seen me from afar before, but still remembered me which surprised me. I smiled and said: "Xia Jun, you come from a prestigious family, it's unlikely that you would make any big mistakes, why were you expelled from the sect?"

  Xia Jinyi looked up at me and asked directly: 'Sir, I don't know if there's anything I can help with. If I'm capable of handling it, you can ask again later. But if not, I'd rather not casually discuss past events with just anyone.'

  I looked at him seriously again and said lightly: 'I need a chess piece, preferably one that has its own thoughts. In other words, I want a clever and nimble chess piece, you are very suitable.'

  "So I don't have to die now?" Xia Jin Yi said with a radiant smile.

  I also laughed and said: 'If you are smart enough, not only will you not die, but after the matter is settled, I will give you a way out.'

  The two of us looked at each other and smiled, when a faint voice floated into my ear, it was Xiao Shunzi's voice saying: 'You two are really alike.'

  I couldn't help but give Xiao Shunzi a white eye, although the secret earpiece is very useful, it's not always used to bully me.