knife

Chapter 522 A Song

"Outside the long pavilion, along the ancient road, fragrant grasses stretch to the horizon. The evening breeze brushes the willows, the flute's melody fades, the setting sun beyond the mountains. At the ends of the earth, at the corners of the world, half of my close friends have scattered. Life is short, and joyful gatherings are rare, but partings are many. Outside the long pavilion, along the ancient road, fragrant grasses stretch to the horizon. I ask you, when will you return? Do not hesitate when you come back. At the ends of the earth, at the corners of the world, half of my close friends have scattered. Let us drink a pot of wine to exhaust our remaining joy, and tonight, my dreams of parting will be cold."

On one side of the road, in an octagonal pavilion, dozens of people dressed as scholars held wine cups and chanted loudly.

"Thank you all for seeing us off. Even though we have been exiled to this land of pestilence, our loyalty to the emperor and our country will never change. We also hope that you will remain true to your original aspirations in the capital and safeguard the great Chu state!"

Before everyone, three men dressed in travel attire downed their wine in one gulp, smashed their bowls on the ground, clasped their hands together, and bowed deeply: "The righteous spirit of the Great Chu rests entirely on your shoulders!"

The scholars who came to see him off finished their wine, and amidst the crisp sound of porcelain bowls shattering, they all clasped their hands in a fist salute: "Take care on your journey!"

The three mounted their horses without looking back, and the clatter of hooves gradually faded into the distance.

“Loyal ministers and righteous men are becoming fewer and fewer. Now even Lord Shang and Lord He have been demoted to the remote and desolate land of Shian. The court is filled with the wicked queen’s henchmen. What can be done?” someone lamented.

"Brother Pang, watch your words!" A voice tugged at his sleeve and whispered, "Walls have ears!"

"What's there to be afraid of!" The scholar surnamed Pang flung his sleeves and said angrily, "So what? Exile me to Shian County too, then I can keep Shang Yang and the others company!"

The man who tried to persuade him was met with a rebuff, and he sheepishly let go of her hand and retreated back into the crowd.

In the distance, the exiled men were walking further and further away.

Inside the pavilion, Li Dachui smiled at Jiang Qian beside him and said, "Your integrity is truly remarkable. Although we're outside the city, we're only ten miles from Danyang. To dare to call your cousin a demon queen here, you really have guts! I dare say that your cousin must have spies among this group! That Pang guy is going to be in trouble!"

Jiang Qian chuckled and said, "You're wrong!"

"Did I say something wrong? Does the Empress Dowager of Great Chu have such a large belly that she can tolerate anything the world cannot tolerate?" Li Dachui said. "If someone points their finger at me and curses me, even if I don't kill him, I'll beat him until his face is covered in blood!"

"I mean, this scholar surnamed Pang is my cousin's subordinate!" Jiang Qian whispered, "That man is a spy from Tianluo. These three were exiled because this Pang infiltrated the ranks and found the evidence! But these three probably won't even know until their deaths that it was this Pang who betrayed them!"

Li Dachui's eyes widened: "This works?"

"Why not?" Jiang Qian asked. "Isn't this more efficient? We can catch them every time!"

"That's true! But I really don't like it!"

“You don’t like him? That’s easy. I’ll tell my cousin to send this guy surnamed Pang to keep the three of them company!” Jiang Qian said with a smile.

"OK?"

"Of course!"

"I suddenly feel like there might be something else going on about these three people going to Shian," Li Dachui said thoughtfully.

"Why do you say that?"

“Because the Yi chieftain Nawei is about to enter the capital!” Li Dachui said, stroking his chin. “Nawei is entering the capital, but these three have gone to Shian. I suspect your cousin has some other plans.” Jiang Qiange laughed and said, “Li Bao, it’s a real pity that you’re a wandering swordsman.”

"Is there really another meaning behind this?"

“I don’t know!” Jiang Qian shook her head like a rattle drum: “But I know that the person surnamed Shang is fluent in foreign languages ​​and has been studying the affairs of the southwest for many years. The person surnamed He is at the peak of the eighth rank in martial arts, but he is best at mountain warfare. The other person surnamed Qian comes from a family of doctors and has always been very interested in the insects and diseases of the miasma-ridden lands.”

Li Dachui immediately understood.

"Your cousin is playing a long game. Is she planning to abolish the native chieftain system and reinstate the imperial administration? These three weren't just exiled to the southwest; they're clearly going there to do something big. This combination is brilliant! They're literate, skilled in martial arts, and have a doctor. Your cousin is amazing."

"The imperial court has been struggling in the southwest, making it difficult to implement the policy of replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials. Sending troops from outside to fight is risky and could easily result in a major defeat. The biggest problem is that the troops are not used to the local climate and water!" Jiang Qian said. "Sending these three people is precisely to lay the foundation for the future policy of replacing native chieftains with centrally appointed officials. If the civil methods don't work, then we'll use military force."

"That's a brilliant move! By bringing out their leader, Na Wei, first, I bet the rest of them are either inexperienced or incompetent enough to be no match for these three!" Li Dachui said. "So, these three have been working for your cousin all along!"

“They are people of the Great Chu!” Jiang Qian shook her head and said, “They are loyal to the Great Chu, but they are just so-so to my cousin. They will do things that are beneficial to the Great Chu, but they will never let go of any opportunity to oppose my cousin.”

"It's truly remarkable that your cousin dared to hire such a person; she deserves to be called a remarkable woman!"

"Thanks for the compliment!"

I was praising your cousin.

"I thank you on her behalf! By the way, don't you also have so-called Black Domains outside the Great Wall? How does the Northern Protectorate deal with them?"

"Things outside the pass are simple!" Li Dachui waved his hand: "Our army is pressing in, so do you submit? If you don't, we'll chop you down!"

"Is it really that simple?"

Li Dachui chuckled awkwardly and said, "I don't know, but I've heard some rumors. It's said that they started sending people to infiltrate the Black Domain many years ago, and even Tai'an City itself has a group of people being raised in the Black Domain. Speaking of which, their methods are similar to your cousin's now!"

"Was it also arranged by that Li Dachui?" Jiang Qian tilted her head and looked at Li Dachui.

"I suppose so!" Li Dachui chuckled a few times, changing the subject: "The lyrics and music they just sang were very evocative. I wonder whose work it is!"

"Li Bao, this poem has been sung for hundreds of years, you really don't know it?" Jiang Qian looked astonished. "It was written by Qingfeng, the founder of the Demonic Sect, more than three hundred years ago!"

"Really?" Li Dachui's heart pounded wildly. "I've never heard of this before in the borderlands. Could it be the work of Qingfeng?"

“Of course!” Jiang Qian said, “Although the Qin people wronged Qingfeng back then and tried their best to erase all traces of him, and later the Chu people also began to vigorously suppress him because the sect he founded always wanted to take his place, and at the same time began to eliminate his influence, some things cannot be erased so easily. For example, this piece of music has been passed down, but no one says who wrote it. Over time, people have really forgotten it, but it’s not that no one remembers it. There are many such things in the headquarters of the Demonic Sect in Cloud Mist Mountain.”

"I see!" Li Dachui took a deep breath, and suddenly became even more looking forward to the trip to Yunwu Mountain.

(End of this chapter)