Chapter 313: A True Man Indeed!

"Ah!" Linghu Qiu folded his arms and shook his head as he watched Feng Entai leave.

"We should go too!" Niu Youdao launched himself away as well.

The two sped onward. After leaving Heavenly Mirror Lake and returning to land, they continued in the direction of the Qi capital.

Once Linghu Qiu realized where they were headed, he asked in surprise, "You're going back to the capital? After stirring up something like this, shouldn't we avoid the limelight for a while and see what happens first?"

Niu Youdao said, "I threatened Hao Yuntu. I already suspected he might not let me go. Kunlin Shu is a proud man. I had no old enmity or recent grievance with him, and before today he probably didn't even put me in his eyes. There was no reason for him to cling to me and refuse to let the matter drop, especially at a time like this. There has to be a reason!"

Linghu Qiu showed a thoughtful look. After considering it for a while, he asked, "You suspect Hao Yuntu was behind it?"

Niu Youdao said, "I have no evidence."

Linghu Qiu stared at him. "What more evidence do you need? If you suspect he's trying to kill you, why aren't you avoiding him? Why run back to the capital?"

Niu Youdao said, "To confirm it. Besides, running now may not actually be safer than returning to the capital."

Linghu Qiu instinctively looked around. Seeing no sign that anyone was following them, he asked, "Going back to the capital is safer?"

Niu Youdao did not answer. He could not yet reveal the whole story to any outsider. The logic was simple.

If the emperor wanted him dead, how could he be allowed to escape easily under so many watching eyes? In that case, the contingency Niu Youdao had left inside the capital might instead become useful. That was why he needed to return as quickly as possible.

Only once he was back inside the capital could any forces outside the city that might have been positioned specifically against him be drawn away or dismissed. Only then could all attention aimed at him be concentrated inside the city. If something unexpected happened, he could immediately create massive chaos in the capital.

With no forces outside the city prepared specifically to stop him, he might then have a chance to escape cleanly and put great distance between himself and the capital. Any pursuit afterward could be dealt with afterward according to circumstances.

Here, his strength was inferior to others, his power was inferior to others, and he understood far too little of the situation. He had only just arrived, yet every step had already become treacherous. For Niu Youdao, every decision he made now was a gamble. He was dancing on the edge of a blade. There was no room for delay, indecision, or hesitation.

Inside the imperial palace, Hao Yuntu sat in one of the halls while a beautiful consort ladled soup from a tureen into a bowl and presented it with both hands.

"Your Majesty, this is something this concubine just prepared for you. Please taste it and see how it is."

"You've taken trouble over it." Hao Yuntu accepted the bowl, tasted several spoonfuls, and nodded to show that the flavor was good.

The consort immediately blossomed into a radiant smile. Standing beside him, she began explaining the soup—what ingredients she had used, how long she had simmered it, and so on.

Bu Xun, Chief Steward of the Inner Palace, arrived. Seeing the scene, he did not step forward to interrupt. He merely stood to one side with his hands folded. When Hao Yuntu glanced toward him, Bu Xun bowed slightly in silent indication that he had something to report. Hao Yuntu finished the bowl of soup and handed it back.

The beautiful consort accepted it with a smile. "If Your Majesty likes it, have a little more."

"No need. I still have state affairs to handle. Withdraw." Hao Yuntu waved a hand without expression.

The smile on the consort's face stiffened. Still, she obediently answered yes, quickly gathered the bowl and other items, packed them back into the food box, and left carrying it. Only then did Bu Xun step forward. He drew a secret report from his sleeve and presented it.

"The auction has ended. Just as Your Majesty expected, Kunlin Shu indeed provoked Niu Youdao."

"Oh?" Hao Yuntu smiled. "And what was the result?"

Bu Xun answered, "Kunlin Shu was severely injured by Niu Youdao."

Hao Yuntu looked surprised. "Kunlin Shu was no match for Niu Youdao?"

Bu Xun shook his head. "He truly was not. One exchange was enough for Niu Youdao to inflict severe injuries. Kunlin Shu had almost no power to fight back. If the people from the three sects had not stepped in to stop Niu Youdao, Kunlin Shu would already be dead. When the report was sent, Kunlin Shu was still receiving emergency treatment. His injuries are indeed severe."

Some matters could not be explained clearly in one or two sentences. Hao Yuntu immediately opened the secret report and began reading the detailed account.

The auction itself, how Kunlin Shu had provoked Niu Youdao afterward, how Niu Youdao had repeatedly yielded, how the two eventually came to blows, and how Kunlin Shu was finally snatched away after suffering grave injuries—the entire sequence was recorded clearly.

When Hao Yuntu finished, he closed the report and remained silent for quite some time. At last he slowly said, "A great reputation does not rest on an empty man. I underestimated this Niu Youdao before." He opened the report again and skimmed it once more, then nodded faintly. "When still, he is like a hidden dragon lying in the depths. When he moves, he is like a thunderclap, swallowing the four directions and looking upon the heroes around him as though they were nothing. Every step is reasoned and grounded. He advances one move at a time, and when the moment comes to decide, he decides without dragging his feet. He knows when to bend and when to stand firm. A true hero. A true man indeed!"

In the eyes of a man like Hao Yuntu, suffering humiliation did not diminish his final judgment of someone. Who in this world never suffered indignity? Even Hao Yuntu himself was no exception. In his view, a man who insisted on meeting every problem head-on was the real fool. From the height at which he stood, he judged people from a different angle.

Bu Xun smiled. "What does Your Majesty intend to do with Niu Youdao next?"

Hao Yuntu tossed the secret report down, rose, and walked from behind the long desk to the enormous map hanging on one side of the hall.

He stopped before the territory of the State of Yan, found Nanzhou, then placed a fingertip on Qingshan Commandery.

"Bu Xun, tell me. Why do you think he came to the State of Qi?"

Bu Xun walked to his side.

"Most cultivators who come here are after the warhorses within Your Majesty's borders. Tianyu Sect, the greatest backing behind Commandery Prince Yongping Shang Chaozong, has come as well. In recent years Shang Chaozong has managed his two commanderies with some success. He should now possess a certain amount of wealth. But surviving between stronger powers requires more than money. Wealth without military strength is only a slab of fat on someone else's chopping block. Developing military strength should therefore be urgent for him. Niu Youdao most likely came for warhorses as well."

Hao Yuntu looked over the whole territory of Yan.

"If Shang Jianbo were still alive, I wonder which would be stronger—his Yingyang and Wulie Guards, or my Valiant Cavalry."

Bu Xun answered, "Naturally Your Majesty would prevail."

Hao Yuntu turned and looked at him with an amused smile.

"Nothing but flattery. The two armies have never fought. How do you know mine would be stronger?"

Bu Xun shook his head.

"This old servant is not flattering Your Majesty. I speak only the truth."

"Oh?" Hao Yuntu looked interested. "And where lies this truth? If you cannot give me a proper reason, I will not tolerate a bootlicker beside me who knows only how to flatter. I will punish you severely!"

Bu Xun first bent deeply at the waist. Only after straightening did he answer without hurry.

"The reason is very simple. Huyan Wuhen is not Shang Jianbo, and Your Majesty is not the emperor of the State of Yan, Shang Jianxiong. Shang Jianxiong lacked the capacity to tolerate talented men. He could not abide Shang Jianbo and constrained him at every turn. When the commander-in-chief is shackled, how can the Yingyang and Wulie Guards fight freely? No matter how formidable they are, they can only defend their own borders. There is no possibility of striking beyond them."

"After Shang Jianbo died, Shang Jianxiong personally dismantled the Yingyang and Wulie Guards that the State of Yan had relied upon to awe all beneath Heaven. The result is today's State of Yan: internal troubles, external enemies, a state buffeted by wind and rain, with great stretches of territory falling into enemy hands. If Shang Jianbo were still alive, how would the State of Han dare invade the State of Yan?"

"Your Majesty is different. Your Majesty possesses grand talent and bold vision. Since ascending the throne, you have governed diligently, and the State of Qi's national strength has grown steadily more prosperous. Even the sects that constrain the State of Qi have been balanced and controlled beneath Your Majesty's hand. Does Shang Jianxiong possess that ability? If he did, how could the State of Yan have reached its present condition? When two states go to war, what they contend with in the end is national strength. So what if the Yingyang and Wulie Guards were individually stronger than the Valiant Cavalry? The State of Yan's national strength is inferior to the State of Qi's, and chaos fills its interior. Against Your Majesty's armies, the State of Yan would certainly lose. Therefore Your Majesty would naturally prevail!"

Hao Yuntu pointed at him and laughed. "You slippery old fox. I asked you to compare two armies, yet you looked left and right and started comparing the strength of two states." That was what he said, but the smile on his face came from genuine pleasure.

Bu Xun bowed. "This old servant is slow-witted."

Hao Yuntu's gaze returned to Qingshan Commandery.

"A tiger father does not beget a dog son. I have to admit Shang Jianbo produced a good son. For now, Shang Chaozong has made things look quite respectable. But with the State of Yan in its present condition, I doubt the state can hold together much longer. If nothing changes, I fear it will not last another ten years."

Bu Xun looked at the map as well. "Once the opportunity comes, the States of Han, Zhao, and Song will surely rise together to attack, carving up the State of Yan's territory and dividing the state among themselves. The State of Yan will repeat the fate of the former State of Qin."

Hao Yuntu's gaze traveled to the other end of the map and settled on a country that made his teeth itch. "The State of Jin is arrogant and militaristic. It has repeatedly shown designs on my lands. Only by joining hands have the States of Qi and Wei kept it checked. If the State of Yan falls into chaos while the State of Qi lacks the strength to look east, are we supposed to stand by and watch the eastern states grow powerful? Once they do, the State of Qi will have enemies on both east and west and be attacked front and rear!"

Bu Xun could not yet tell where this train of thought was leading.

"What does Your Majesty mean?"

Hao Yuntu paced before the map with his hands clasped behind his back. "Niu Youdao. At such a young age, he possesses this kind of breadth of mind and this kind of ability. If he can cross the many barriers before him, he will become a figure of consequence one day. With a man like this, if you make the hatred too deep, fail to kill him, and let him escape, he will become future trouble. Looking farther ahead, I intend to show him goodwill. Doesn't he want warhorses? I will give them to him."

Bu Xun glanced at the map and hesitated. "Even if he can bring the warhorses back, a mere Shang Chaozong will probably find it difficult to reverse the State of Yan's decline."

Hao Yuntu stopped before the territory of the State of Yan and slowly said, "Even if the State of Yan eventually collapses, Shang Chaozong is different from the State of Yan's other regional lords."

"The other lords can submit to the strong and trade loyalty for wealth and rank. Shang Chaozong is a member of the State of Yan's imperial clan who holds military power. He is Shang Jianbo's son, and he has ambition. He carries the final thread of hope for House Shang. If he loses, House Shang faces extermination. The other states will never allow House Shang another chance to rise. If he remains strong, however, the other states will retain some fear of him. They will worry about provoking Shang Chaozong into mad retaliation and, for a time at least, will not dare slaughter the members of House Shang indiscriminately."

"So whether from sentiment or from reason, Shang Chaozong cannot simply watch the State of Yan collapse. If the State of Yan falls and anyone fights to the bitter end, it will certainly be Shang Chaozong. At the very least, he will not surrender easily."

"Since the State of Qi has no strength to look east, then even if the State of Yan's broader decline cannot be reversed, the eastern states cannot be allowed to swallow it too smoothly. But I am also worried about Shang Jianxiong. That man may be useless abroad, but he is not soft-handed at home. If Shang Chaozong grows stronger, will Shang Jianxiong lose patience and move against him? That would bring the State of Yan's great internal upheaval forward. And that is not what I want to see at present."

[End of Chapter 313]