Chapter 544: Strategy for Jin to Take All Under Heaven

There had been one carriage when they came to Fufang Garden.

When they left, there were two.

Fufang Garden had sent a carriage to escort Xia Lingpei over.

Inside the carriage in front, Bu Xun sat upright.

He looked first at Guan Fangyi seated to his right, then at Niu Youdao seated to his left.

Suddenly, in a flat tone, he asked, “What are you trying to do?”

Niu Youdao turned his head and looked surprised. “What?”

Bu Xun slowly closed his eyes.

He said nothing more.

The two carriages went directly to the State Guest Residence and stopped outside the main gate.

Before long, the official responsible for the residence hurried over.

Bu Xun remained seated in the carriage, lifted the window curtain, and gave him several bland instructions.

The official repeatedly acknowledged them.

Afterward, he personally led Niu Youdao, Guan Fangyi, and Xia Lingpei inside and arranged their lodging himself.

Xia Lingpei kept looking around throughout the journey.

There was curiosity in his eyes, but also a trace of unease.

He had rarely interacted with the outside world.

Under Yucang and the others' protection, he had spent almost his entire life among the same group of people at Fufang Garden.

This was essentially the first time he had ever left them.

Leaving on his own like this had never happened before.

From time to time, he secretly glanced at the teacher he had just bowed to.

The man seemed a little too young.

From behind the carriage window, Bu Xun watched them go.

Slowly, he lowered his hand.

The curtain descended and gradually concealed the profound look in his eyes.

Once they had settled into the guest courtyard, Niu Youdao stood alone beneath the eaves with his sword planted before him.

The rain had stopped.

The sky was gradually clearing, though droplets still fell occasionally from the roof.

After a while, Guan Fangyi came over.

Standing beside him, she said quietly, “I've checked him. He isn't a cultivator.”

Niu Youdao said, “Contact Wuliang Mountain's people and have them rendezvous with Monkey and the others.”

“Send back the flying mounts we don't need.”

Guan Fangyi now understood why he had come back.

She had to admit she was impressed.

This man truly had endless tricks and extraordinary nerve.

Even so, her worry had not lessened.

“Does taking this student really mean anything?”

“Can you threaten Yucang with him?”

Niu Youdao said, “He's kept this orphaned mother and son beside him for years.”

“Before, I thought it was loyalty between sworn brothers.”

“Now that we know Yucang's identity, do you still think it is merely loyalty?”

“These people's own identities cannot see the light.”

“They avoid unrelated people whenever possible.”

“They would never keep two useless burdens beside them for years without reason.”

“No matter how I look at it, something is suspicious.”

“My student's father had little fame, yet he was able to become sworn brothers with a man like Yucang.”

“I'm afraid he was no simple figure.”

Put that way, Guan Fangyi thought carefully and did find it suspicious.

“What sort of person do you think he was?”

“How would I know?”

Niu Youdao said, “I'm not some immortal who can divine everything by pinching his fingers.”

“But wait and see.”

“If the boy is unimportant, they will wait until the three days are over.”

“If he matters greatly to them, they cannot possibly give me three full days to tamper with him.”

“Nine chances out of ten, they'll come looking for me today.”

Guan Fangyi said worriedly, “If Xiaoyue Pavilion decides to use force, I'm afraid the defenses at the State Guest Residence can't stop people like them.”

“It's only the two of you staying here.”

“Aren't you afraid something will happen?”

Niu Youdao said, “Do you think Bu Xun lives on dry rice?”

“At first he didn't understand.”

“But if he reaches the end of this and still cannot sense something wrong, could he possibly be the Chief Commissioner of the Office of Investigation?”

“Could he have helped Hao Yuntu ascend the throne amid the bloody storms of that old struggle for imperial power?”

“My forcefulness toward Yucang at Fufang Garden was deliberately shown for Bu Xun to see.”

“If he still does not suspect why I suddenly decided a second time to accept this pupil, if he still believes what I said before, that would be the truly strange thing.”

“This whole area is probably already filled with Bu Xun's eyes.”

“Yucang himself is probably being watched too.”

“Let Xiaoyue Pavilion try making one reckless move and see what happens.”

Guan Fangyi suddenly understood.

So that was it.

This arrangement looked like nothing more than a straightforward use of leverage.

In truth, it was delicately constructed, layer within layer, with traps and countermoves interlocking over and over.

They appeared to be standing in danger, yet in reality the storm could hardly reach them.

She rolled her eyes at him.

“You're too devious.”

She cursed him, but inwardly she understood clearly.

This was a classic case of placing oneself on the brink of death in order to find life beyond it.

Ordinary people would be scrambling to avoid such risk.

Who would dare deliberately walk straight into it?

Playing a hand like this required more than methods.

It required enough composure and courage to control the danger.

Now that she understood, she finally relaxed.

Thinking back, if Niu Youdao had explained the entire plan beforehand, he probably would have frightened her half to death.

One careless mistake in an affair like this could bring disaster.

It was practically gambling with one's life.

She might very well have opposed him fiercely.

...

Within the imperial palace of Jin, there was little of the glittering gold and jade common elsewhere.

Most of the palace was dominated by black.

Inside one hall, a broad-shouldered middle-aged man dressed in black stood before a map.

His eyebrows swept sharply toward his temples.

A thick beard covered his face.

Tiger-like eyes flickered as he stared at the map.

This was Taishu Xiong, Emperor of Jin.

Behind him, a eunuch held a memorial and read aloud in a clear voice:

“...Ever since Shang Jianbo's death, the State of Yan has suffered an unsteady military heart and disorder upon disorder.”

“The imperial court grows weaker by the day.”

“Once the ruler is weak and the ministers strong, great chaos will follow.”

“The Emperor of Yan is incapable.”

“He favors treacherous flatterers, suspects capable ministers, and is already beyond saving.”

“Thus the four eastern states are lambs awaiting slaughter and need not be feared.”

“As for the State of Wei, its ruler is muddleheaded and has ruined his purpose through indulgence in amusements.”

“I have observed that although Wei is rich, it is merely bloated emptiness and cannot withstand a single blow.”

“The Emperor of Qi is a formidable ruler, but he is old.”

“All the imperial princes are restless and secretly harbor thoughts of replacing him.”

“Upheaval cannot be far away.”

“If Your Majesty wishes to take All Under Heaven, Wei is the granary and cannot be left untaken.”

“To sweep across the four eastern states, the fine cavalry of Qi is indispensable.”

“To seek All Under Heaven, first seize the granary and fill the belly.”

“There cannot be two suns in Heaven, nor two masters among men.”

“In the land of the granary, Xuan Wei is a hen crowing at dawn.”

“This is the perfect opportunity to present the ruler of Wei with peerless beauties, bewitch him, and sow discord between brother and sister.”

“With that, Wei can certainly be thrown into chaos in a single stroke.”

“As for the land of iron cavalry, send capable men to encourage the ambitions of the imperial princes.”

“Once the timing matures and both states fall into disorder, Your Majesty's armies can march directly on the granary.”

“Hao Yuntu must first pacify the interior before resisting enemies abroad and will have no leisure to concern himself with Wei.”

“The State of Wei will be there for the taking.”

“The four eastern states are themselves divided internally and will be unable to rush westward in time.”

“Qi alone will be a single timber unable to support the collapsing hall and cannot withstand Your Majesty's military edge.”

“Your Majesty can then ride the momentum and sweep across them in one sustained stroke.”

“Once the three states are linked into one expanse, the northeast will be protected by the hardship of the desert, while the southeast will be guarded by the dangers of the highlands.”

“One need only station great armies along the crucial routes and hold the natural barriers.”

“With Heaven's timing and Earth's terrain entirely in our favor, even if the four states wished to attack, they would lack the strength.”

“With the granary in hand and the iron cavalry under command, the army will be elite and the grain abundant.”

“After a short period of recuperation, two or three years should suffice to harmonize the interior.”

“Then the great army can seek the proper opportunity to march east...”

Taishu Xiong, whose eyes had been flashing over the map, abruptly spun around.

He snatched the memorial from the eunuch's hands.

“...”

The eunuch's reading stopped at once.

When he looked up, Taishu Xiong already held the memorial in both hands and was pacing back and forth, lowering his head to continue reading the detailed strategies that followed.

The more Taishu Xiong read, the more excited he became.

This was no boastful piece of armchair strategy.

It revealed deep insight and was full of practical methods that could actually be carried out.

He could not help murmuring to himself.

“What a Strategy for Jin to Take All Under Heaven.”

“No wonder he could use the territory of a single province to resist Han in the north and defend against Yan in the south.”

“He truly is an extraordinary man!”

After a long while, Taishu Xiong suddenly raised his head.

Clutching the memorial, he swept one sleeve outward and shouted, “Open the central gate! This sovereign will personally receive him!”

The eunuch was startled and stepped forward to dissuade him.

“Shao Pingbo's reputation is infamous. Your Majesty, please reconsider!”

“If he is a wolf, then this sovereign is a fierce tiger. What is there to fear?”

“If he can help this sovereign achieve an enterprise of hegemony like Shang Song's, how could this sovereign turn a blind eye to him?”

“Open the central gate!”

Taishu Xiong's voice shook the hall.

Roughly half an hour later, a group escorted Shao Pingbo and Shao Sansheng to the grand main gate of the imperial palace.

Rumble!

The two sides of the palace's main gate, normally opened for the Emperor's own passage, slowly parted.

Taishu Xiong strode out in a black cloak with the bearing of a dragon and tiger, a crowd of attendants following behind him.

Outside the palace gates, Taishu Xiong and Shao Pingbo stopped face-to-face.

Their gazes met.

Shao Pingbo bent at the waist and bowed.

“Shao Pingbo pays his respects to Your Majesty!”

Taishu Xiong studied the still-young man whose temples were already streaked with white.

Then he personally reached out with both hands to raise him.

“This sovereign feels as though we are old friends at first meeting. There is no need for such ceremony!”

With that, he seized Shao Pingbo by the wrist, turned, and personally drew him into the palace.

Shao Pingbo looked alarmed and struggled twice.

Taishu Xiong strode forward without releasing him.

Instead, Shao Pingbo's two attempts to pull free disturbed his qi and blood and sent him into a fit of coughing.

Taishu Xiong glanced back, stopped, and removed his own cloak.

Before everyone's eyes, he shook it open and personally draped it over Shao Pingbo's shoulders.

Such exceptional favor genuinely overwhelmed Shao Pingbo.

He repeatedly tried to refuse.

“Your Majesty, this cannot be!”

“If this sovereign says it can, then it can.”

“Will you obey this sovereign's words or not?”

With Taishu Xiong insisting, Shao Pingbo could no longer refuse such overwhelming generosity.

Wrapped in the Emperor of Jin's own cloak and personally led by the hand into the palace before everyone's eyes, Shao Pingbo enjoyed almost limitless glory.

After the recent period of fleeing for his life like a homeless dog, the treatment genuinely moved him.

His eyes reddened.

Following behind, Shao Sansheng could not help lifting his sleeve to wipe away tears.

Only he knew just how much heart and blood Eldest Young Master had exhausted on the road to this point, and how difficult every step had been.

Heaven did not fail those who persevered.

At last, they had succeeded!

...

At Fufang Garden, Yucang stood in a pavilion overlooking the slender figure pacing restlessly back and forth beside the pond.

Her son's sudden departure had never happened once in all these years.

As a mother, Zhuang Hong was deeply uneasy.

Dugu Jing came upstairs and reported in a low voice.

“Master, our people have investigated carefully.”

“The State Guest Residence is difficult to approach.”

“A large number of additional men have appeared secretly around it.”

“Some were recognized as disciples of the three great sects.”

“It may be a trap.”

“Trying to act by force will probably be impossible.”

Yucang's cheek twitched.

“Looks like Bu Xun truly came with hidden intentions.”

“Nine chances out of ten, he's watching us too.”

“Bu Xun acts on behalf of the Son of Heaven and wields terrifying authority.”

“Even the three great sects give him some face.”

“The forces he can mobilize are simply too vast.”

“Inside this capital, there is essentially no one who can contend with him.”

“Tell everyone below to move carefully and reveal no flaw.”

“Bu Xun probably still has no evidence. Otherwise, he would not be acting this quietly.”

“So long as we remain steady, he will not dare act recklessly against me.”

“Yes!” Dugu Jing answered.

“Then what do we do now?”

“Young Master is in that man's hands and could lose his life at any moment.”

“If anything happens to Young Master, the consequences will be unthinkable.”

“We will have no way to answer to those old ministers!”

Yucang drew a deep breath.

“I will go see him personally.”

Before long, several riders escorted a carriage out of Fufang Garden, heading straight for Tongfang Garden, the State Guest Residence.

The State Guest Residence had been given the name Tongfang Garden, carrying the meaning that foreign guests were to be treated without distinction.

Given Mr. Yucang's reputation, there was no difficulty entering Tongfang Garden after he announced himself.

His mounts and carriage were admitted together.

A runner from Tongfang Garden went ahead to inform Niu Youdao.

After Niu Youdao rewarded and dismissed the man, he smiled at Guan Fangyi beside him.

“He's here.”

“He couldn't wait.”

“Looks like my eye isn't bad after all. I really did hook a big fish!”

Guan Fangyi remained cautious.

“Don't celebrate too soon.”

“Be careful he doesn't simply use force.”

Niu Youdao chuckled.

“You don't need to show yourself.”

“Go watch over my student.”

“If Yucang dares act recklessly, take the hostage immediately.”

“I'd like to see whether he dares let the matter reach Bu Xun and ask him to come judge between us.”

[End of Chapter 544]