Chapter Five: The Golden Bait

  In the 24th year of Taiyong Wuwei, three years after Xinwei, Huo Mou used his own strength to stir up chaos in the Jianghu of Taiyong, causing blood to flow like rivers. Many who benefited from this were unknown to others, except for one person who was known as Huo Li, the righteous son of Huo Mou. At that time, it had not been a year since Huo Mou assassinated the King of Chu.

  "Shu Shi - Ji Cheng Lie Zhuan" translates to "The History of Shu - Biography of Ji Cheng".

  After a moment's thought, I felt relieved. Whatever the case, Li Han Yu was now in this position, and no matter what connections Feng Yi Men and Jing Jiang Wang had, these were all past events. Let's take a look at this intelligence to see if it can be of any help. Unfortunately, Xia Jin Yi's testimony wasn't enough, otherwise it would have been possible to make the Emperor strip Li Han Yu of her princess status, confusing the imperial family's bloodline, a crime that wouldn't be light. However, it didn't matter, as long as General Qin believed this message, it was enough. It just couldn't be revealed lightly, and had to wait for the right moment to expose Li Han Yu's true identity.

  But why didn't Li Han You recognize Xia Jin Yi? Logically, Li Han You's appearance change should be greater than Xia Jin Yi's. I raise the question.

  Xia Jin Yi lowered his head, two tears falling to the ground, and said: "Li Han You has been a natural beauty since childhood, her appearance hasn't changed much. Moreover, the name 'Han You' was chosen by herself, when we were studying together, she thought her original name was too common, so she took this name for herself. Only I knew about it, as she was afraid of my parents blaming her. So when I heard this name, I had some doubts in my heart, but didn't dare to think that such a thing would happen. That's why after seeing her, I could confirm her identity. As for why she didn't recognize me, before the age of 16, I was introverted and dark-skinned, with a sturdy build, completely different from now. It wasn't until I followed my second master that he used a secret medicine to change my skin tone, and forbade me from practicing external martial arts, instead teaching me internal techniques. But even so, having this appearance today is still something I didn't expect."

  I couldn't help but laugh and said: "Why does Master Mengzong attach so much importance to the appearance of his disciples?"

  Xia Jinyi didn't ask Jiang Zhe how he knew the identity of his second master, in fact, if Jiang Zhe hadn't known it would have been strange. He replied: "This, my master said that his disciples can be bad at martial arts, but they must be elegant and refined. At that time, I had already given up hope of revenge and didn't want to study martial arts diligently, so I was actually very happy to follow him and learn those minor skills."

  I took a deep look at Xia Jinyi, but didn't say anything. Perhaps his master had other intentions, but I needed to investigate further to be sure. Anyway, I continued in a low voice: "The situation between the Duke of Yong and the Crown Prince is now a matter of life and death. Since Fengyi Gate has sided with the Crown Prince, it's naturally also on the list for elimination. Don't worry, regardless of whether you can survive that day or not, Li Han will definitely not have a good ending. Over the past year, I haven't wanted to reveal your identity, so I've avoided meeting you. Today, we only have a brief moment together. I know many things about your situation, and when our great mission is accomplished, I won't treat you unfairly. Now, there's something I need you to do. It's extremely dangerous, and you may also face life-threatening risks. Originally, I didn't plan on letting you do it, but only you can accomplish this without being detected by anyone. Are you willing to take the risk?"

  Xia Jin Yi's expression was calm and composed, saying: "The humble one has long put life and death outside the realm of concern. The Crown Prince is cruel and tyrannical, the humble one deeply understands that if he ascends to the throne one day, I fear all the people under heaven will suffer. Although I am not a man of benevolence and righteousness, but if I can exert my meager strength to help the Duke of Yong seize the throne, even in death, I would be content."

  I gave him a deep look and handed him a green silk handkerchief. Xia Jinyi took it, his expression changed greatly, but he didn't say a word. I arranged the details again, Xia Jinyi's face showed both fear and admiration, asking: "How did you know about this, sir? I believe we handled it tightly, no outsider should have known."

  I just smiled and didn't speak, thinking that I didn't need to tell him that Xiao Shunzi had sneaked into the forbidden palace and taken in two disciples. Although those two poor children's martial arts skills were still shallow, their hands and feet were quick, and with clever minds, they actually discovered this earth-shaking secret.

  Xia Jin Yi saw that I didn't say anything, so he carefully put away the silk handkerchief and said, "A humble person can only do his best."

  I saw him nod, and then I took out a porcelain bottle and said: "There are two pills inside. On that day, you should take the one wrapped in green wax first. It's a heart-protecting pill. I'm afraid you'll be the scapegoat that day, but the person who is ordered to kill you won't use a weapon. Splashing blood and killing someone in front of the emperor is an unforgivable sin. If they use fists or palms, I can guarantee your safety. Then, secretly take the pill wrapped in black wax, and it will seem like you're dead. This way, I'll have a plan to rescue you. From now on, even though we can't meet openly, I think you should be tired of being in this murky officialdom too, right? If you still want a future, I promise I won't let you down when the time comes."

  Xia Jin Yi's eyes flashed with a hint of gratitude, and he said: "Thank you, sir, for considering my humble life. If I can avenge my great enemy, I don't care about wealth or glory. I just hope to see Li Han You suffer the consequences with my own eyes."

  I smiled faintly and said, "What's difficult about this? After the matter is settled, you can slip away, and I'll arrange for you to hide out. Later on, you can naturally fulfill your lifelong wish. However, things may not necessarily go that far. If the crown prince doesn't take the bait or if you're not in mortal danger, you can continue serving the crown prince as usual. Just remember, no matter what, you must be loyal and sincere, without revealing any self-serving intentions. If you can still stay by the crown prince's side, then from now on, it's up to you to decide how to act. Just remember that if there's an opportunity, don't hesitate to stir up trouble between the crown prince and Lu Jingzhong."

  "Now the Crown Prince has a grudge against both Fengyimen and Qi Wang, and is heavily reliant on Lu Shao Fu. It's probably not easy to stir up trouble between them."

  I smiled and said, "It's not that difficult. Generally, people with talent can't help but be arrogant and look down on others. Lu Jingzhong is a sinister person, and the Crown Prince is also narrow-minded. As long as you praise Lu Shao Fu's strategic thinking several times, the Crown Prince will harbor jealousy in his heart."

  Xia Jin Yi said with a mixture of trust and doubt: "I understand, you must be acting on orders."

  After finishing the matter, Xia Jinyi quietly left. I understood in my heart that he didn't quite believe in my judgment, but he wouldn't pretend to agree either. After all, my tactics of sowing discord hadn't harmed him much, and praising Lu Jingzhong a few times wouldn't bring him any loss.

  Xiao Shunzi looked at me and said: "It's late at night, young master, are you going to rest here for the night or go back now?"

  "I'm tired," I said. "Let's go back now. I don't like this place, it's full of greasy makeup and perfume, just smelling it makes me uncomfortable."

  Xiao Shunzi handed me the cloak, and after I put it on, he handed over the sedan chair. We walked out of the room, through a side door, and into a dark alley where an ordinary-looking horse carriage was waiting. Xiao Shunzi helped me in and followed, pulling down the curtains before the carriage started moving. I knew my guards were surrounding us, led by Jing Chi, who had been with me almost every step of the way for the past year, except when he was at the military camp. Every time I went out, he would rush to follow, probably because I had punished him so many times that he was now confused.

  The carriage turned left and right for half a day, deep into the night, with almost no one on the streets. The speed of the carriage gradually increased, I lifted the curtain to see the trees on both sides of the street quickly retreating, six guards riding horses closely followed on each side. I knew that Jing Chi must be following behind, although I was not familiar with the streets of Chang'an, I also knew that we were already far away from the place where I had a secret meeting with Xia Jinyi. That's why they dared to speed up and rush along the road. Today's events, those who followed me were the most trusted people in my guard, but they didn't know why I went to that place either. In fact, I deliberately arranged to meet another person there to prevent anyone from discovering that I was present. Of course, that person had enough reason to have a secret meeting with me. If the prince's men discovered the shadow of that person, they would be very worried. That person is "Huo Jicheng", who has been wandering around and spreading his name far and wide for this year.

  One year ago, I ordered someone to kill He Jicheng and silence him, but then fabricated a false appearance that he was still alive. In this past year, "He Jicheng" only did two things, yet they made Fengyimen rack their brains.

  The first thing was that Fengyimen used the remnants of the Jinxiu Alliance to set up a trap, just waiting for him to fall into it. However, although Hujicheng fell into the trap as they had expected, he turned the tables and caught all the participating disciples of Fengyimen and their invited masters off guard, wiping them out in one fell swoop. As for what strategy he used, no one knew, because everyone was left with only a lime-pickled head, hung by the roadside as a warning. From then on, the remaining elite of the Jinxiu Alliance disappeared without a trace, and nothing was heard from them again until two months later when the second thing happened.

  That was a very strange thing, Luoyang was a big city, and the black and white factions within the city were naturally complex and intertwined. The two major families, the Luo family and the Ding family, appeared to be harmonious on the surface, both being prestigious and orthodox families under the banner of Fengyi Gate. However, in secret, they were fiercely competing with each other. There were also some small gangs that operated between the cracks of the two families, and the two major families did not want to suffer mutual losses, so they used these small gangs to fight each other. Who knew that suddenly, a storm would erupt in Luoyang City, and a small gang's power would rapidly expand, swallowing up many of the smaller gangs? This time, the two major families could no longer sit idly by. They joined forces to suppress this small gang, but unexpectedly, it immediately surrendered to the Luo family. The Ding family was worried that the Luo family's growing power would be detrimental to themselves, and they began to secretly plot against them. However, before they could take action, several important figures in the Luo family were assassinated. This time, the Luo family naturally refused to back down, and the Ding family believed that the Luo family was taking advantage of the situation to expand its power. The two families engaged in a series of bloody battles, and the second-in-command of the small gang was also bought off by the Ding family. Luoyang City was suddenly filled with bloodshed and chaos, and all industries were affected. It wasn't until the third daughter of Fengyi Gate, "Cihong Guanyin" Feng Feifei, and the seventh daughter, "Furong Jian" Xie Xiaotong, arrived in Luoyang that they mediated the conflict. After sitting down to discuss the matter, everyone realized that someone had been secretly manipulating events from behind the scenes. The small gang became the target of public anger, and when the two major families joined forces to attack the gang's headquarters, they found that the leader had been assassinated in his bedroom. After careful questioning, it was discovered that only one person was missing - a young man named Huo Li. The gang members only knew that this young man was the new servant of the leader and that he had arrived at the gang shortly before its rapid expansion began. Some people suspected that this young man was actually the military strategist behind the gang, but his youth made it hard to believe this fact.

  If things were to end like this, although it would be puzzling, there's nothing that can be done about it. At most, they could investigate the young man's background. However, a problem arose when a secret letter was discovered in the correspondence between the leader of the gang and someone else. The letter was written by Huo Jicheng to him, and only contained a few sentences that didn't make sense. It simply stated at the end that he should send his son, Huo Li, to come and assist. This letter left everyone stunned, who would have thought that an escaped prisoner could be so ruthless?

  After that, the Fengyi Gate issued a wanted order, and people were arrested everywhere to catch Huo Jicheng. However, despite the strict orders from the government and the Fengyi Gate, there was no news of Huo Jicheng's whereabouts. But after this incident, Huo Jicheng became the second most notorious villain in the Central Plains martial arts world, next only to the Demon Sect. What's more frightening is that he reorganized the Jinxiu Alliance, and the Jinxiu Alliance also became elusive, although some people were still caught under the pursuit of the Fengyi Gate and the Dayong government. However, these people who were unlucky enough to be caught either fought to the death or committed suicide on the spot, and only one or two could be captured alive. But most of these people were very confused, not knowing what they had done or how to contact others. They all acted according to written instructions from certain places, but after that, it was impossible to investigate further. However, from the intelligence already obtained, it can be seen that the Jinxiu Alliance has become a mysterious and terrifying organization. Therefore, Fengyi Gate's eldest disciple, Wen Ziyun, reappeared in Jianghu, responsible for hunting down members of the Jinxiu Alliance. The Fengyi Gate issued an order to Jianghu, stating that anyone who was a member of the Jinxiu Alliance would be killed without mercy. From then on, Huo Jicheng's whereabouts occasionally appeared, but he always disappeared quickly, while "Bloodhand Luo" Wen Ziyun left a trail of blood wherever she went. This was because Huo Jicheng was cunning and always left behind clues of his connections with the leaders of various martial arts schools in different regions. Wen Ziyun, who would rather kill mistakenly than let someone off, became an executioner. Later on, whenever people in Dayong Jianghu heard Huo Jicheng's name, they turned pale with fear. It wasn't until the major sects sent letters to the master of Fengyi Gate, advising him to recall Wen Ziyun, that this incident, which had lasted for over half a year, gradually subsided. If people knew that "Huo Jicheng" had arrived in Chang'an, who knows what kind of panic it would cause?

  I smiled proudly, who would have thought that this Huo Ji City was planned by me? At first, I thought the identity of Huo Ji City could be utilized, so I let Han Wuji take the risk to silence him, and then had Xiao Shunzi cooperate with Chen Yin and Han Wuji to capture the masters who came to assassinate Huo Ji City. Although these relied on Xiao Shunzi's high martial arts skills, the main force was actually the grown-up youths in the secret camp. With their nearly top-notch martial arts skills and the military formation I had trained them in, plus assassination and ambush tactics, we were able to capture all those masters who acted alone. Moreover, because Huo Ji City was too cautious in the past, most people in the Jin Xiu Alliance didn't know his physical characteristics very well. With the token he left behind, Chen Yin took over the Jin Xiu Alliance, dismissed all the kind-hearted people who were forced to join, and kept some of the ruthless members. Then, using thunderous methods, they thoroughly subdued them, gave them orders to hide in various places in Da Yong, but actually these tasks were just excuses. To complete these tasks, they had to restrain their cruel nature, hide among the common people, not daring to do evil or escape, because Chen Yin had put the deadly poison I provided on them. For the antidote given once a month, they didn't dare to run away. This way, we "softly imprisoned" those ruthless people, and could also utilize their martial arts skills.

  Then I began the second step of my plan. Although the Luo and Ding families in Luoyang City were at odds with each other, they were both accomplices and supporters of the Fengyi Gate. Thief Xi, acting on orders, infiltrated a small gang by calling himself Huo Li, and under my guidance and Chen Yinhan's command, successfully stirred up their infighting. Not only did this leave an impression that Huo Jicheng was waiting for an opportunity to strike from the shadows, but it also weakened the two major families in Luoyang City.

  Recently, I received news from the Yongwang Palace that the current general of Luoyang is a person of the Yongwang and has successfully grasped control of Luoyang. However, I didn't tell the Yongwang about Huo Jicheng's true identity; otherwise, I, as the Yongwang's Sima, would be considered a traitor and the mastermind behind the rebellion organization Jin Xiu Alliance.

  Moreover, the bloodshed that followed, with the Blood Hand Luo Sha killing indiscriminately, although the dead were all people from the jianghu or local tyrants, the Yongwang couldn't help but feel it was excessive. However, this slaughter benefited both me and the Fengyi Gate. I successfully reduced the influence of the Fengyi Gate and made them gradually transform from a noble image to a bloody symbol, reminding them that the Fengyi Gate relied on assassination and bloodshed to rise to power.

  The Fengyi Gate also successfully slaughtered many opposing forces that had begun to emerge in the jianghu. If it weren't for the cooperation of the master of the Fengyi Gate, my goal might not have been achieved so easily. The Yongwang once expressed concern to me about the loss of high-ranking experts in the jianghu being too great, fearing that it would affect the military's combat strength, as many high-ranking experts in the military came from the jianghu.

  I took advantage of this opportunity to let the Yongwang hint to the military to start recruiting high-ranking experts and declare that if they joined the military, they were not allowed to disturb the jianghu people. As a result, many jianghu people joined the military to avoid the storm. This matter received the support of General Qin and King Qi; who wouldn't want to take advantage of this opportunity to strengthen their own military power? It seemed that no one had gained an advantage or suffered a loss.

  If anyone was pitied, it would be those innocent people who were involved in the conflict. However, they were either jianghu fugitives or local tyrants; their deaths didn't harm the common people, so I put my sympathy aside.

  If the news of Huo Ji City entering the capital spreads out, I wonder if the Crown Prince will be frightened.

  I was pondering the upcoming plan when suddenly a shout came from Zhou Wu, who was leading the way in front of the carriage. Then there was an exclamation, and the carriage stopped abruptly. I, unprepared, rushed forward, almost hitting the door. Luckily, Xiao Shunzi reacted quickly and pulled me back. After calming down my frightened heart, I looked at Xiao Shunzi and asked: "What's going on?"