Chapter 547: Hand Over Nanzhou

Following him back into the pavilion, Guan Fangyi sat down and frowned. “Does Taishu Xiong know him that well? He accepted him so readily.”

“A capable man is capable wherever he goes.” Niu Youdao sighed.

Guan Fangyi snorted. “Now you know he isn't easy to provoke. Why did you have to provoke him in the first place?”

Niu Youdao slowly sat as well, both hands resting on the sword planted before him. “As if I wanted to provoke him. He was the one who refused to let me go. I had no choice but to fight back. If I don't kill him, he'll kill me.”

“I've followed you all over the place hunting him down. At least let me die knowing why. How exactly did the two of you become enemies? Why does it have to end with one of you dead?”

Niu Youdao shook his head ruefully. “It's a long story. When you get to the root of it, it started because of a woman.”

Guan Fangyi blinked. “Tang Yi?”

“More or less.” Niu Youdao sighed.

Guan Fangyi clicked her tongue. “Neither of you is some harmless lamb. Neither of you is the sort to lose his head over a woman easily. Tang Yi must have quite the charm, to attract both of you at once and make the two of you fight yourselves half to death over jealousy. Even this old lady is a little envious.”

“What jealousy? The first time I met that fellow, I knew he was dangerous. I had neither his background nor his power and wanted nothing more than to stay as far away from him as possible. At first, I never imagined he was pursuing Tang Yi. Pursuing her would have been one thing, but his intentions were crooked. Winning Tang Yi was secondary. His real target was Zhao Xiongge.”

“Whatever the relationship between Tang Yi and me, the formal bond between us existed. For no reason at all, that made me a stumbling block in his eyes. A man willing to use his own lifelong marriage as a tool has a heart you can imagine. Once something matters to him, he will stop at nothing. If a man cannot even treat himself kindly, was I supposed to expect him to treat me kindly? I knew then that I was in danger. I practically fled for my life.”

“That was when the two of us began crossing hands. He wanted a marriage with Tang Yi and tried to kill me. I knew he would never let me go, so to remove the danger at its root, I tried to kill him too. We traded moves back and forth. As we fought and came to understand one another better, we both realized his ambitions were not limited to Beizhou, while Shang Chaozong's ambitions were not limited to some little corner of the world either. Sooner or later, both would move against the State of Yan, riddled as it is with troubles within and enemies without. Perhaps not only Yan.”

“By that point, it was no longer a matter of Tang Yi or Zhao Xiongge. After clashing repeatedly, each of us knew what the other was capable of. We both understood that sooner or later we would become obstacles to one another. Even without Tang Yi and Zhao Xiongge, he and I would eventually have crossed hands. The consequences are obvious. Neither of us wants to let the other grow strong enough to become a greater future danger. We both want to strangle the other while he's still weak. Whenever an opportunity appears, we go for the kill. Neither of us will show mercy.”

Guan Fangyi said, “He's gone to Jin now. For the moment, your interests no longer conflict. Don't you like negotiating? Why not take the opportunity to talk things out with him?”

“We've come too far for it to be that simple. Forget grudges and everything else. Just consider one point. If he came to me asking for peace, could I believe he would truly stop? Would I dare let him grow powerful? The same applies to him when he looks at me...”

...

At the Provincial Inspector's Residence in Nanzhou, mealtime had arrived. Shang Chaozong temporarily put aside his official business and entered the dining hall.

Meng Shanming, Shang Shuqing, Feng Ruonan, and Luo Da'an were already there.

They normally ate together. Meng Shanming had originally been unwilling, but Shang Chaozong had insisted.

Luo Da'an could sit at this table because he had become Meng Shanming's follower. More importantly, he benefited from the memory of his late father, Luo An. The living owed his father that much.

As for Feng Ruonan, Shang Chaozong had no desire to share a table with her, but everyone around him kept urging otherwise, seemingly all standing on her side.

Apart from Meng Shanming, who could not stand, everyone seated rose when Shang Chaozong entered.

His gaze swept across them without so much as pausing on Feng Ruonan. Noticing two people were missing, he asked, “Where are Mr. Lan and Xiao'an?”

The others had assumed the two were with him. Only now did they realize they were not. Meng Shanming immediately ordered, “Da'an, go check on Mr. Lan.”

“All right!” Luo Da'an, still unwilling to put down the two spears in his arms, ran out at once.

Before long, he returned. “Your Highness, Mr. Lan asks you to come outside for a moment.”

Shang Chaozong paused, then strode out.

Luo Da'an bent and whispered something into Meng Shanming's ear before pushing his wheelchair outside.

Shang Shuqing could tell something was happening. Matters here were normally not concealed from her, so she followed.

Only Feng Ruonan remained in the hall, desolate and alone. There was no one else inside. If Lan Ruoting had called everyone out, the one he was avoiding was clearly her.

She had grown so thin she was almost unrecognizable. Nothing remained of the spirited female general she had once been. Even her martial training had been abandoned.

After the tragedy, Shang Chaozong had begun sleeping apart from her. He had even paraded past her with the beautiful women her family had presented him. Those two beauties, eager to sever any connection with the Feng clan, did everything they could to ingratiate themselves with Shang Chaozong and treated her with no respect at all.

She knew that if Tianyu Sect were not there to hold matters down, Shang Chaozong would have repudiated her long ago.

Even when those two women humiliated her, she said nothing. She knew that if Shang Shuqing learned of it, Shang Shuqing would certainly stand up for her.

But Feng Ruonan never told her. She never complained to anyone.

If she kept silent, the servants in the residence naturally kept silent as well. Everyone knew the Feng clan had nearly gotten the Prince killed and that the Prince was dissatisfied with his Princess Consort.

This household still revolved around Shang Chaozong's will. In private, even the servants showed Feng Ruonan little respect.

Her maiden family also knew life could hardly be easy for her here. Husband and wife neither fought nor quarreled nor made a public scene, so what could Tianyu Sect do? Peng Youzai had repeatedly sent word through others, wanting to take her away.

But she refused to leave.

Her maiden family had tried to kill her husband. Her husband, in turn, had killed two of her elder brothers. She had refused to choose a side then, and she would not choose one now. Whatever Shang Chaozong did to her, she simply went on living like a piece of dead wood, taking one day at a time.

...

In the courtyard, Lan Ruoting cupped his hands. “Your Highness, Marshal Meng, Princess.”

He took a letter from his sleeve, handed it to Shang Chaozong, and lowered his voice. “A letter from Master Dao.”

The instant she heard it was from Niu Youdao, Shang Shuqing's bright eyes came alive and fixed on the letter in her brother's hands.

Shang Chaozong read it and visibly jolted, disbelief and uncertainty filling his eyes. He passed it to Meng Shanming.

Meng Shanming was greatly surprised as well. The letter finally reached Shang Shuqing.

Its general meaning was that Tianyu Sect would soon be driven out of Nanzhou and sent to Beizhou, while Dachan Mountain would come south to take Tianyu Sect's place. Before that happened, people would arrive to take control of the situation, and Shang Chaozong's side was to prepare to cooperate.

The four exchanged looks, finding it hard to believe.

Shang Chaozong lowered his voice. “If Tianyu Sect is leaving, why have we seen nothing unusual despite living alongside their people?”

Meng Shanming replied, “That Master Dao has always been like this. Until he turns over the final card, he will not easily let an opponent see what lies in his hand, nor give the other side an easy chance to overturn the board. Since he has arranged matters this way, he must already have made his preparations. Your Highness need only cooperate. Our relationship with Tianyu Sect has deteriorated to this point; driving them from Nanzhou can only benefit us.”

Lan Ruoting sighed in admiration. “What a grand move. We never saw any great disturbance, yet he forced Shao Pingbo to flee Beizhou. Now he's about to expel Tianyu Sect from Nanzhou as well. Neither is a small affair. All we knew was that he went out on a trip, and quietly, without a sound, he accomplished both. I truly have no idea how he did it. I have to admire the man.”

Shang Chaozong said, “According to the letter, they're merely exchanging one place for another. Beizhou has been managed quite well these past years. Tianyu Sect doesn't lose out.”

“Doesn't lose out?” Lan Ruoting asked. “Our Master Dao is hardly some benevolent soul. Has Your Highness forgotten that he had us secretly win Shao Dengyun over in advance?”

Shang Chaozong's cheek twitched as realization struck. Earlier, he had thought there was little meaning in trying to win Shao Dengyun over from such a vast distance and that the move might even push the Yan court into desperation. Only now did he understand.

So the pit had been dug here, waiting for Tianyu Sect.

Meng Shanming slowly nodded, equally impressed. “The highest art of war is to attack strategy, to subdue the enemy without fighting. Master Dao truly has the ability to turn clouds and rain with a flip of his hand. Your Highness is fortunate to have his assistance. He is worth an army of a million!”

Shang Shuqing held the letter in silence. Hearing everyone praise him somehow made her feel as though they were praising her as well. Sweetness welled inexplicably in her heart. In her mind appeared the figure of a man sitting before her dressing table with eyes closed, letting her comb his hair.

She only wondered when she would see him again...

...

At Xiaoyao Palace, amid jade halls and towers half hidden among brilliant flowers, Peng Youzai sat alone, occasionally looking around.

He found the situation strange. He had no idea why Xiaoyao Palace had suddenly summoned him with such urgency, forcing him to hurry all the way here without rest.

Inside the tower, a lacquered, gold-carved door suddenly opened. Long Xiu, Palace Master of Xiaoyao Palace, emerged with several people.

Peng Youzai immediately rose and saluted. “Greetings, Palace Master.”

Long Xiu smiled and pressed one hand downward, signaling him to sit, then took the upper seat himself. “Making you come all this way on such short notice must have been hard.”

“It was only proper.” Peng Youzai answered politely. “May I ask what instructions Palace Master has for me?”

Long Xiu asked, “The conflict in Nanzhou between your Tianyu Sect and Niu Youdao and Shang Chaozong still hasn't been resolved?”

“It does not affect the overall situation in Nanzhou.”

Long Xiu abruptly said, “Dachan Mountain in Beizhou gets along reasonably well with Niu Youdao, and Dachan Mountain is also willing to hand Beizhou over to Tianyu Sect. What do you think?”

Peng Youzai stared at him in surprise. “Forgive my dullness. What does Palace Master mean?”

“Beizhou intends to return to the State of Yan. Dachan Mountain has recognized its error and returned to the proper path. That is a merit, and if they surrender Beizhou, we cannot treat them unfairly. Let us do this: Tianyu Sect will hand over Nanzhou to Dachan Mountain. As for Beizhou, it will be given to you.”

“This...” Peng Youzai shot to his feet. The news was simply too sudden.

Long Xiu frowned. “What? You object?”

“Han has paid an enormous price fighting Yan over Beizhou. How could they give it up so easily? If Tianyu Sect moves there, won't we immediately be plunged into war?”

“You're worrying too much. Dachan Mountain and the Shao clan are returning as one. The handover will be stable, and you can take over directly when you arrive. With no internal disorder or resistance, Beizhou's forces and the imperial court will stand together against outside enemies. What can Han do no matter how angry it is? Try to seize Beizhou by force?”

How could Peng Youzai willingly abandon a place where Tianyu Sect had already built a foundation? He cupped his hands and asked, “May I ask whether Zijin Cave and Lingjian Mountain know of this?”

“We've already discussed it. One province for another. Tianyu Sect loses nothing.”

A voice came from behind the door.

The lacquered, gold-carved doors opened again, and two men emerged.

[End of Chapter 547]