Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Tu Pianpian's face was full of hostility. Dog Butcher was at a loss for what to do. One of the preconditions of his serving the Dragon King was that he would never make an enemy of the Central Plains. As the Governor of the Western Regions, Wei Song was a representative of the Central Plains.
"Are you joking with me and my elder brother?" Tu Pianpian asked coldly, considering what her first move should be. She believed that the Dragon King was best at winning fights with extremely risky moves, and that his actual kung fu skills were definitely not as good as that of the two elders of the Kongdong Sect.
Facing imminent hostility, Gu Shenwei didn't immediately make a response. When he did, his voice as bland as usual. "I don't like making jokes. I just want to know whether the Kongtong Sect is loyal to Wei Song or the Central Plains."
"It's not about who we're loyal to… "Tu Pianpian suddenly realized that she had been misled. "Lord Wei is the Governor of the Western Regions who has been appointed by the emperor. Protecting Lord Wei is synonymous with protecting the Central Plains. Don't try to drive a wedge between us, Dragon King."
Gu Shenwei nodded approvingly. "You're right. Wei Song should indeed represent the interests of the Central Plains. But if he's been secretly ruining the emperor's strategies in the Western Regions, then what would you call his deeds?"
Tu Pianpian stared at the Dragon King. Suddenly, she turned and faced her younger brother, asking angrily, "What do you know about this?"
Dog Butcher spread out his hands in amazement. "The Dragon King sent me to invite you here. I don't know anything else."
"Idiot. You've been hanging around the Dragon King but you can't even get a sc.r.a.p of intelligence. Is this how you wander in Jianghu?"
Dog Butcher's face flushed scarlet. He didn't dare argue with his elder sister, so he lowered his head, mumbling, "But you never asked me to be a mole…"
Tu Pianpian put her crutch down, the hostility on her face slightly dissipating. "I believe that you're not a liar, Dragon King, but not all people of the Kongtong Sect are fools. You said that Lord Wei secretly betrayed the Central Plains. Show me some proof."
"I have proof, but first I want to ask - what do you think of the battle of Thousand Hors.e.m.e.n Pa.s.s?"
This was an ambiguous question, but Tu Pianpian instantly understood the connotations because this was not the first time that she had been asked about this issue. "I'm not a henchman of Prince Xiao's, and I know nothing about his true thoughts. Since Prince Xiao said that the army of the Central Plains was just a bait and that the purpose was to breach the defensive line of Luoluo's army so that Dragon King could rush into the enemies, then I naturally believe him. Prince Xiao is the emperor's uncle, and he would never lie to the emperor."
"Wei Song is also very interested in the battle of Thousand Hors.e.m.e.n Pa.s.s, isn't he? Has he asked you a lot of questions about the 'truth'?"
Tu Pianpian didn't answer. She didn't like the Dragon King's gaze and tone since they gave her the strange feeling that he was able to read her mind. But she also couldn't deny that his guess was very accurate. Wei Song had indeed asked her, and he almost explicitly said that the victory in Thousand Hors.e.m.e.n Pa.s.s was actually a lie.
Tu Pianpian had been in the battle herself and she remember every scene vividly. During the battle, Prince Xiao had desperately wanted to break through the encirclement of Norland cavalry forces, and he wasn't composed at all. Afterwards, when she, on behalf of Prince Xiao, had requested the Dragon King not to attack Thousand Hors.e.m.e.n Pa.s.s, the Dragon King had behaved extremely flatly, as if he didn't care about Prince Xiao at all.
She had told all this to Wei Song, but the other side of this issue was that neither Prince Xiao nor the Dragon King believed her, and eventually, it was only because of Luo Ningcha that the agreement had been reached. As a result, everything that had happened previously could only be explained by the words "a show."
Wei Song had asked her to offer some solid proof, but Tu Pianpian didn't have any. Then Wei Song hoped that she could offer her life as a guarantee and testify that the victory in the Thousand Hors.e.m.e.n Pa.s.s was a lie, Tu Pianpian declined. It was not because she was afraid of death but rather because the war was indeed beyond her expectations. It was like a plan that had been formulated in advance: the Dragon King led his army and circled around Luoluo's army. Then, Prince Xiao broke through the encirclement and destabilized the left wing of Luoluo's army, which was why the Dragon King had found a chance to rush into the enemies and secure victory.
Seeing that his elder sister was silent for so long, Dog Butcher began to admire the Dragon King again, but he also had a lot of questions. "Why does Lord Wei suspect Prince Xiao?"
"Because of the partisan wrangle. Wei Song wants to bring down Prince Xiao and then ask for a reward in front of General-in-chief Pang Ning."
Dog Butcher and his sister didn't know much about the disputes of the Imperial Court, but they had indeed heard some rumors. They just didn't know that the Kongtong Sect's benefactor, Wei Song, was also a part of them.
"Even so, there's no need to kill Lord Wei. The disputes in the Imperial Court should be resolved by the Imperial Court. Why do you have to be a busybody?" Tu Pianpian had actually been convinced, though she hadn't realized it yet.
"Wei Song wants to kill me, so I have to make the first move."
"Lord Wei wants to kill Dragon King?" Dog Butcher was so startled that it seemed like his gray hair was about to fly off. "But he doesn't seem like that kind of person."
"People always first confuse their targets before killing them." The flatter Gu Shenwei's tone was, the more Wei Song's conspiracy sounded real. "Wei Song's plan is something like this: he wants to kill me with the help of Golden Roc Castle so as to trigger the retaliation of the Dragon Army. Then, the Central Plains will send their armies here and there will be another ma.s.sacre, which will prove that Prince Xiao's strategies in the Western Regions were a total failure… "
"Wait." Tu Pianpian didn't want to be fooled by these words. "Lord Wei asked Golden Roc Castle for help? He obviously hated Golden Roc Castle, and he frequently says that 'there will never be peace in the Western Regions if the Unique King is alive.'"
"They have reconciled and are colluding with each other," Gu Shenwei said, as if he was telling her an obvious fact.
"Where's the proof?" Tu Pianpian was still displeased.
"Both of you know Shangguan Fei. He's the Unique King's son, and he was forced to leave his home for various reasons. But his mother is still next to the Unique King, and she can provide me with some information."
Dog Butcher nodded repeatedly. "The Dragon King's right. Shangguan Fei frequently goes to visit his mother and he gets some intelligence every time."
Finally, Tu Pianpian admitted that she was convinced, but she was still more prudent than her younger brother. "These are only words and there's no concrete proof. I'll go and ask Lord Wei himself about it."
Then she turned and left. She wasn't even willing to consult with the Dragon King about any further plans. Dog Butcher called out "Senior Sister" several times. And then he said to the Dragon King resignedly, "My sister was too impatient. Why would Lord Wei… Wei Song tell her the truth? Because of what happened in Thousand Hors.e.m.e.n Pa.s.s, Wei Song has lost trust in her. If she goes there and questions him… Wouldn't that be suicide? I can't let her do this. I have to-"
"You don't have to do anything." In Gu Shenwei's eyes, Dog Butcher was the impatient one. "You sister has her own plans."
"She does?" Dog Butcher was still hesitant.
Gu Shenwei nodded. Tu Pianpian had been maneuvering between Prince Xiao and Wei Song without getting hurt, which was a solid proof that she had a "plan".
The Dragon King's composure made Dog Butcher feel relieved. He asked, "Are you really going to kill Wei Song, Dragon King?"
"I have to, but I won't kill him with my saber. I'll prove that Wei Song betrayed the Central Plains, and then let the Central Plains bring him to justice themselves."
Dog Butcher became relieved, "If so, then not only will the Dragon King's deeds not be against the interests of the Central Plains, but they will also uphold the authority of the Central Plains. I'm willing to offer my help. Please give your orders."
"Um. Keep in touch with you elder sister. She was right. The evidence with Golden Roc Castle is not enough. If we can expose Wei Song, then the envoy of the Central Plains alone will be able to convict him."
Dog Butcher believed this was an important task. He accepted it solemnly and left the tent.
Gu Shenwei had achieved his goals. He had successfully planted a p.a.w.n in the base of his enemy. Although Tu Pianpian wasn't a henchman of Wei Song, with her kung fu and status in the martial arts world of the Central Plains, it would be very easy for her to collect some basic intelligence.
With regards to Shangguan Fei, Gu Shenwei had never hoped to get any information about Wei Song from him, and neither had he meant to use Madam Meng, as that would only alert the enemy.
This was not an a.s.sa.s.sination, but Gu Shenwei had still chosen to quietly close in on the target and then stab him in the back. The only thing that would alerted== him was that it was very likely that a saber was closing in on him, but he didn't have a clue where it was.
Zhong Heng was also very busy. Not only had he made a move himself, but he had also sent his most trusted attendants out, ordering them to do whatever they could to make friends with Ma Lian as well as his subordinates. More than ten feasts were held during the daytime. Night had just fallen when these new friends started exchanging presents.
After midnight, Zhong Heng learned all of the detailed information about the envoy's team. "There are seven of them who deserve our special attention. They're either subordinate officials of the Grand Commandant or have a direct relations.h.i.+p with someone working in the emperor's residential palace. All of them are related to dignitaries in some way."
"Seven people. There are still too many of them."
Zhong Heng also admitted this. "It's possible that one of these seven people knows the Dragon King's true ident.i.ty, but it's also possible none of them know. If one of them does, then it's likely that he is just someone planted in the team by General-in-chief Pang Ning, and that he knows nothing about the Dragon King's parentage."
Gu Shenwei firmly believed his own speculations, but he also didn't want to argue with Zhong Heng. "Is there anyway to narrow it down?"
"Um. There's a way. It might not work, but it's worth a try. Ma Lian has rewarded the troops and finished the inquiry, and the troops' answers have been recorded. However, he hasn't talked with you yet… "
Gu Shenwei understood Zhong Heng's intentions. When it came to the disputes and intrigues concerning officiality, Zhong Heng was indeed more sophisticated than Fang Wens.h.i.+.
"Here is my speculation," Zhong Heng continued. "If Ma Lian finishes his visit to the Western Regions and goes back to the Central Plains, then there's nothing wrong with his team. In that case, we can just give him a considerable amount of money to make sure that he won't slander us after returning to the Imperial Court. If Ma Lian insists on asking Dragon King himself, then there might be some issues. Then our action will have to depend on whether Ma Lian will meet the Dragon King alone or whether one of those seven people will accompany him."
Those who were suspicious of the Dragon King's parentage would surely want to find a way to observe him face-to-face. Gu Shenwei believed that Zhong Heng's speculation was very reasonable.
In the next two days, Tu Pianpian didn't send any messages to the Dragon King. The envoy of the Central Plains neither declared that he was going to return to the capital nor requested a meeting with the Dragon King. Instead, he went to the Four n.o.ble Truths Temple to wors.h.i.+p the Buddha and fast. He essentially lived in the temple, never coming out.
Jade City was seeming in a state peace and there had been much fewer a.s.sa.s.sinations than last year, with a frequency of about one occurrence every two to three days, which was almost normal.
It was under these circ.u.mstances that Luo Ningcha demanded a meeting with the Dragon King.
Shangguan Hong was responsible for delivering the message. Clearly, he hated his Eighth Sister-in-law very much. "This woman… Alas, please show some mercy to me and let me return to the Stone Kingdom, Dragon King. Or just let me be a common soldier in the army."
Shangguan Hong had been originally been supposed to spy on Prince Xiao, but Prince Xiao had hurriedly returned to the Central Plains, so he believed that there was no longer any need for him to continue to stay around Luo Ningcha.
"There's no hurry. Go back and tell her that I don't have the time."
Shangguan Hong steeled himself for his female master's scolding and went back. Before long, he came back to meet the Dragon King again, bringing with him his female master's threat. "She said that if you refuse to meet her, then she'll go to the envoy of the Central Plains."
Luo Ningcha knew much more inside information than Tu Pianpian, which was more than enough to ruin the military exploit that Prince Xiao had worked so hard to fabricate. Gu Shenwei decided to meet her, mulling over what he would have to do to shut this woman's mouth once and for all.
