Having devoured three large bowls of white rice and finished off four plates of dishes in a flash, Fang Jie leaned back, let out a comfortable burp, and groaned contentedly, patting his slightly bulging belly. The relief of surviving a near-death experience, followed by a satisfying meal, made Fang Jie feel incredibly good.
"Drink your medicine in a bit."
Shen Qingshan placed the prepared medicine aside and said, "This was brewed by the master herself. She's been working harder than anyone else these past two days. Last night, she spent the entire night in the library searching through ancient texts, trying to find a way to cure you. I always think, how come you're born with such good luck? You're never short of people who can help you, and most of them are women."
Fang Jie chuckled, "What are Daquan and Qilin supposed to think?"
Shen Qingshan smiled and said, "Now I have something serious to discuss with you."
"What is it?"
"Should I stay here, or go back to the shop?"
Shen Qingshan asked, a hint of expectation in her eyes. But Fang Jie's answer after a moment of contemplation disappointed her, and then she gave Fang Jie a resentful glance. "Let's go back to the shop."
Fang Jie thought for a moment and said, "Anyway, I've already told the master that I'll be staying at the shop every day from now on. If we both stay at the martial arts academy, we won't be able to leave if something happens. It'll be easier for you to get away from outside."
"Fang Jie, do you always plan for the worst?"
She couldn't help but ask. Fang Jie nodded and said, "I've never been an optimistic person. Now that I'm one foot in the mud, it's not so easy to get out. The Emperor's words pushed me in, and I can't drag you into it too. I've already told Mr. Zhuo to ask him to tell Xiao Yao not to go to Chang'an immediately after returning from the Northwest, but to find a place to stay outside. I'm actually a little relieved that Da Quan and Qi Lin went to Jiangnan."
He sighed and said, "Who knows what kind of turmoil will be brewing in Chang'an soon? I can't let our entire army be wiped out because of other people's affairs. I'm gambling with my future, but I can't drag your lives into this. If we both stay in the Martial Arts Academy, we won't be able to leave even if we want to."
Shen Qingshan frowned slightly and said, "You don't even trust the people in the academy?"
"Except for our own people."
Fang Jie shook his head and said, "I don't trust anyone."
Shen Qingshan hummed and said, "In that case, I'll stay in the shop. But what do you think, Xiao Yao..." "Will she listen to you and stay outside the city without coming back?"
Fang Jie paused, then shook his head: "Her temperament..."
"Fang Jie...do you think Prince Yi's matter is difficult to resolve? Or have you discovered something that forces you to plan for the future? Prince Yi...does he really dare to have such thoughts?"
Fang Jie said: "I can't see clearly yet. I don't know if he wants to fight for power or something else. The emperor's wisdom is beyond that of ordinary people. I don't think Prince Yi can succeed just because he has such thoughts. What are his bargaining chips? What can he use to compete with the emperor who owns the world? Because I don't know his bargaining chips, I'm even more worried. The emperor is smart, and Prince Yi isn't an idiot. If he doesn't have something to give him confidence, what makes him think he can succeed?"
Shen Qingshan said: "Then let's go, okay? Let's ignore all this trouble."
Fang Jie smiled and said: "No...there's something I must do."
"What is it?"
Shen Qingshan asked. "The blood debt of two thousand civilians and eight hundred border soldiers in Fan Gu must be avenged. I now suspect that Li Yuanshan's motives for the massacre are connected to Prince Yi; perhaps Prince Yi is hiding behind it all. This is why I agreed to the Emperor's request to get close to Prince Yi. I am not a good person, but I remember those who have been kind to me. Two thousand eight hundred ghosts stand behind me, waiting for me to bring them justice. A murderer must pay with his life, a debtor must repay his debt… I don't have the power to kill Li Xiaozong and Li Yuanshan right now, so I must climb the ranks."
Fang Jie let out a long sigh of relief. This was the first time he had spoken these words to anyone, and he felt somewhat relieved.
"I'll stay with you."
Shen Qingshan said, "Although I haven't met those soldiers or those villagers, since you've made your decision, I'll stay with you."
Fang Jie took her hand and helped her sit on his lap: "When I first came to Chang'an, all I wanted was to live a peaceful life. For a while, I even thought that if I could survive, a useless person like me who can't cultivate would find a place to farm and be a farmer. After arriving in Chang'an, nothing went as I expected. I realized how weak I am. Even if I wanted to find a place to farm, could I? No, because I don't even have the power to choose which direction I go."
"Then I'll fight for it..." "At the very least, I must reclaim my right to do whatever I want."
He paused, then continued, "I always felt that Prince Yi's confidence was inextricably linked to Li Yuanshan. But Li Yuanshan was merely a general of a guard; what good were his elite troops? And what about that eunuch who tried to kill me in Fangu? Why would he target such an insignificant figure as me? He used to be the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Study; why would he personally intervene for a mere border soldier in Fangu? What was his relationship with Li Yuanshan?"
"He died in Fangu; Emperor Xiaozong personally killed him."
Fang Jie frowned: "The eunuch's entourage also died… At first, I arrogantly thought…" "Li Yuanshan massacred the city to cover up Li Xiaozong's intention to kill me, to erase the stain on Li Xiaozong's reputation. But now I realize I overestimated myself. Li Yuanshan didn't even have the interest to kill me, so why would he massacre the entire population of Fangu City because of me? I'm wondering... could the truth he wanted to bury through the massacre be the death of that eunuch?"
"Because I was involved, I focused all my attention on myself, thinking that Li Xiaozong was targeting me, and Li Yuanshan was also targeting me. The reason I didn't die was because I was lucky enough to meet the landlady and the crippled man at Hongxiuzhao. The later it got, the clearer it became that in Li Yuanshan's eyes, I was nothing more than an ant." "So why would he go to such lengths because of me?"
"Thinking of this, I thought of that eunuch."
Fang Jie pondered for a moment and continued, "What could make Li Yuanshan willing to sacrifice a city to kill a once powerful eunuch? You must know that Wu Peisheng was the emperor's closest eunuch; he could sometimes even influence the emperor's thoughts. Killing Wu Peisheng, once exposed, would be a crime that would implicate the entire family. Wasn't Li Yuanshan afraid? This can only mean… Li Yuanshan killed Wu Peisheng because of a crime far greater than killing the eunuch."
"What could be a crime greater than such a grave offense?"
He asked. After a moment of silence, Shen Qingshan softly uttered two words: "Treason."
Fang Jie nodded and said, "I later realized that Wu Peisheng might have discovered some secret of Li Yuanshan, which is why Li Yuanshan had to kill him. At the time, to cover up what he knew, Wu Peisheng deliberately became close to Li Yuanshan, even going so far as to personally come to Fan Gu to kill me. He was just trying to lull Li Yuanshan into a false sense of security. As for me, my status at the time was truly insignificant; death wouldn't have mattered. But Wu Peisheng probably didn't realize that Li Yuanshan already knew what he had discovered, so he set up a trap in Fan Gu. That trap was originally aimed at Wu Peisheng, not me."
"The reason Wu Peisheng didn't flee immediately was because he didn't know Li Yuanshan had seen through him. Or perhaps, he wanted to find more..." "Things."
Fang Jie said in a deep voice, "I wouldn't have understood these things until I experienced so many conspiracies and intrigues after arriving in Chang'an. Because people are always self-centered, thinking everything happened because of them. But that's not the case. Actually, I was an outsider back then. What I can't understand now is, what exactly is Li Yuanshan trying to hide? Is what he's hiding precisely Prince Yi's biggest bargaining chip?"
"So… I must first become Prince Yi's confidant."
He paused, then said solemnly, "I'm even wondering now, is the reason the Emperor entrusted this matter to me because he also suspects Wu Peisheng's death wasn't simple, and I'm the only survivor in Fan Gu City; he knows I'll be willing to investigate this matter thoroughly."
…
…
Prince Yi's Mansion.
On the ship.
Prince Yi sighed, looking at the koi swimming in the pond. "To ensure they survive the harsh winter, I spent a fortune maintaining the water temperature. They know their place and dare not swim out. Even these lowly creatures know they cannot survive without me. Why do some people always think they can live without me?"
Qin Liuqi knew who he was referring to. After a moment's thought, he replied, "Li Yuanshan perhaps feels that Your Highness holds a trump card in his hands, so he inevitably becomes arrogant and complacent, believing that Your Highness cannot do without him."
"Such people are the most despicable."
Prince Yi sneered. "Greedy and insatiable… The Li family is merely a prominent clan in a remote part of Longyou. Without me, how easy would it be for them to truly rise to prominence? Li Yuanshan has forgotten his place; his arrogance is becoming increasingly repulsive."
He casually tossed the letter in his hand into the stove. "How dare he speak to me in such a tone? He really thinks he's someone important."
Qin Liuqi hesitated for a moment, then said, "Should I send someone to give him a warning?"
"No need."
Prince Yi waved his hand, saying, "Doesn't he think I can't live without him? Let him think that way... The more he thinks that way, the more dedicated he'll become, because he'll treat everything as his own."
"I'm worried, might things get out of control?"
Qin Liuqi asked. Prince Yi smiled and said, "It's not like Li Yuanshan is the only one in the Northwest who's under my control. He thinks he can't steal that secret by sending heavy troops to guard it? He's too naive. He sent a message by carrier pigeon saying he'll open the defenses soon and let the Mongols attack back into Manduqi. His Majesty will surely be furious. If this is done cleverly, Yang Kai won't be able to stay in the Northwest. But Li Yuanshan forgot that I can also use this opportunity to get rid of him."
"Colluding with the Mongols—that's a sword hanging over his head all the time."
"Also…tell Emperor Li Xiaozong to keep a close eye on Li Yuanshan for me."
Qin Liuqi nodded and said, "Emperor Li Xiaozong's secret letter said he suspects Li Yuanshan has discovered something and has been ostracizing him lately."
"I enjoy dealing with young people. From the beginning, I've been associating with the rising stars of the Martial Arts Academy." "Get close. I've gone to great lengths to recruit the top three from the previous competition, and the top five from the year before that. This year's Fang Jie, Yu Xiao, Pei Chuxing, and Xie Fuyao—I'll recruit them all too. I know the future of the Sui Dynasty depends on these young people. I initially thought Li Xiaozong was just a minor, dispensable figure, but now that Li Yuanshan is going further and further astray, I'm willing to give Li Xiaozong a boost."
Prince Yi smiled and said, "I'm just a powerless, idle prince, so my interactions with those young talents are merely about discussing romance and nature. Everyone thinks so. How wonderful that is… No one would imagine that the Emperor has been preparing for ten years for his obsession with conquering the Mongols, and I've been preparing for this for over a decade."
"Your Highness's foresight is beyond the comprehension of others," Qin Liuqi said, bowing his head. Prince Yi chuckled, "Now everyone thinks I really want to go to the Northwest to seize military power… But who can guess that going to the Northwest makes absolutely no difference to me? If His Majesty really lets me go, it'll just be a roundabout way… I love Chang'an, so I won't go anywhere."
He turned to Qin Liuqi and said, "Let those people in the court spread the word again, making the voices advising me to go to the Northwest to take charge of military affairs even louder. I know my fourth brother too well… The more they do this, the less likely he is to let me go to the Northwest. My fourth brother thinks he understands everything, but he understands nothing! Li Yuanshan also thinks he understands everything, but he's just a dispensable pawn. With him, I feel more at ease; without him… am I supposed to do nothing?"
Qin Liuqi whispered, "The eighth day of the second month is an auspicious day. It's said the date for the expedition has been set."
Prince Yi smiled slightly, "Once an auspicious day, there will be a second, a third…"