Chapter 606: Seventh on the Golden Core Ranking: Zhao Xiongge!

Zhou Qing still had plain rice and pickled vegetables she could force down. Shang Jianxiong, meanwhile, was so anxious and inflamed that he could eat nothing at all. He had been following the battle in Dingzhou without pause.

When Xue Xiao’s urgent request for reinforcements arrived and Shang Jianxiong learned that Dingzhou’s assembled army of fifty thousand had been nearly annihilated by thirty thousand troops from Nanzhou, with an entire commandery lost as well, he flew into a rage.

He denounced Xue Xiao as useless and incompetent. He cursed the officials below who had opened their cities and surrendered, swearing that if the day ever came, he would exterminate the nine clans of every official who had surrendered.

But beneath the anger was even greater unease. His surprise attack on Maolu Villa had failed. He had lifted a rock only to drop it on his own foot, and somehow the affair had grown into a disaster this large.

After repeated deliberations with his ministers, they concluded that sending reinforcements from other provinces was not impossible. But most of the prefectures and provinces still under the court’s control had already had their forces stripped away to defend against the States of Han and Song. Given the ferocity of Nanzhou’s advance, even gathering the remaining troops from two provinces might not be enough to defeat them.

More importantly, if the war expanded any further, Yan would truly be torn apart from within while enemies pressed from without. Would Han and Song be able to resist sending troops then?

The three major sects would not allow the imperial court to do such a thing either. If Shang Jianxiong truly cast everything aside and acted recklessly, he feared he would not remain Emperor much longer.

Yet if they truly followed Nanzhou’s demand and killed Xue Xiao merely because of an excuse Nanzhou had fabricated, what would become of the imperial court’s prestige? What would the Provincial Governors across the realm think? And what if those regional lords entrenched behind their own armies began provoking the court and imitating Nanzhou afterward? The ministers opposed it, and Shang Jianxiong himself was the first to refuse.

In the end, left with no choice, Shang Jianxiong could only follow the ministers’ advice and ask the three major sects to intervene and suppress Nanzhou’s reckless actions.

For Shang Jianxiong, making such a decision was difficult. It laid bare his incompetence as Emperor: he could not even control one Nanzhou.

More importantly, he himself had caused this affair. There were some things he could deny all he liked, but everyone else was not a fool. He had made this mess himself, and in the end he needed the three major sects to step in and clean it up for him. What did he take the three major sects for? It would have been strange if they had shown him a pleasant face.

At the same time, Nanzhou’s attack on Dingzhou had caused far too much commotion to conceal. Spies from every faction had picked up the news, and reports were already on their way in every direction.

...

Day broke over Qingshan Commandery Capital amid a great clamor below the walls. Ten of the people hanging from the battlements were hauled up. Before the watching crowd, the garrison shot all ten dead, then brought the bodies down.

“Why did they kill them?”

“I heard those men accused the imperial court of ordering them to launch the surprise attack. The commandery garrison said the court could never do such a thing. They were furious that these people were spreading malicious lies, so they killed them!”

The commoners below the city walls immediately erupted into discussion.

The bodies were carried out of the city and buried hastily in the wilderness. When they were put into the ground, there was one extra corpse among them: a man whose face was covered in blood and had been smashed badly out of shape.

The soldiers doing the burying gathered together. The group that had brought the ten corpses asked the other group, “Where did this one die?”

The other men chuckled. “He was another of the people captured after attacking the villa. But this one had quite a background. They say he was Gao Shaoming, son of Gao Jiancheng, the Grand Minister of the Masses. Apparently he did not want to implicate his family, so in the end he actually rammed his head into a wall and killed himself!”

“Ho! Then his background really was something. Wouldn’t Grand Minister Gao be heartbroken?”

“Heartbroken my ass. The man has beautiful concubines in droves and sons and grandsons everywhere. What is one dead son? Worst comes to worst, he can just father a few more to make up the number.”

“Haha! You really do have a vicious mouth.”

“Who isn’t furious? The imperial court will stop at nothing to deal with our Nanzhou. Not only did they launch a surprise attack, they even dared steal the Prince’s women. If they are capable of something this despicable, I say this court is finished sooner or later!”

...

“Gao Shaoming killed himself?”

The moment Guan Fangyi arrived from outside at Niu Youdao’s courtyard, she asked him outright, looking genuinely surprised.

“What is so remarkable about that? Did you take a fancy to him?” Niu Youdao teased as he walked down the steps.

“Pah!” Guan Fangyi spat disdainfully and followed him. “I am worried about my money.”

“Mm. Here.” Niu Youdao took several drafts from the All-Under-Heaven Money House and handed them to her.

“Ten million!” Guan Fangyi counted them, and her face immediately blossomed into a smile. Then the smile vanished. She grabbed his sleeve and demanded, “Did you hide some private money?”

Niu Youdao was struck speechless. What was she talking about?

Without another word, Guan Fangyi immediately grabbed him and searched him, rummaging through his sleeves and patting all over his body.

“What are you doing? What are you doing? A lone man and woman should not be grabbing at each other like this. Careful someone sees and gets the wrong idea!” Niu Youdao squirmed away, ticklish.

“I have already let you watch me bathe. Now you are afraid of misunderstandings?” Guan Fangyi refused to relent. She searched him thoroughly. Only after confirming that he truly had hidden nothing and was still the same penniless wretch did she let him go. Even then, her gaze drifted toward his room.

“Hey!” Niu Youdao planted one hand on his sword and used the other to straighten the clothes she had disordered, waving that hand in front of her eyes. “Where are you looking? Hongniang, are you finished? Is this really necessary? In your eyes, am I the kind of man who hides money in cracks and corners?”

Guan Fangyi snapped, “What happened to the one hundred million we agreed on?”

“In such a short time, where was he supposed to find one hundred million? You did not truly think the Gao family could produce one hundred million gold coins in ready money, did you?”

“When you had me take out three Black Jade Eagles, what did you tell me? You said that once the one hundred million arrived, it would all be mine. And now? The one sold to Dachan Mountain was worth five million at least. Yet now three of them are worth only ten million?”

“You cannot calculate it that way. Think about it. You shared some of that five million out afterward, did you not? Ten million for three is not far off.”

“Niu Youdao, I thought you did not know how to keep accounts. Now it seems you can calculate quite clearly when you want to. Have you no shame?”

“Hongniang, you are the most beautiful woman beneath Heaven. The most beautiful woman beneath Heaven should regard money as dung. You cannot crawl into a money hole. It damages your image.”

“Most beautiful beneath Heaven, second-most beneath Heaven, all that is in the past. Men are no good. This old woman’s beauty has faded. Hard cash gripped in my own hands is still the safest. These days, it is empty fame I regard as dung. Hand over the other ninety million!”

“Look at you. You are practically a match for Old Bear. I am terribly disappointed in you.”

“Stop changing the subject. We are talking money right now. Do not talk feelings with this old woman. They are useless. You have tricked me again and again and made me spin in circles. This time, you have to give me an accounting.”

“He only gave me ten million. Where am I supposed to find one hundred million? Can I owe you the rest for now?”

“Fine. If you do not have it, I cannot exactly sell you by force. Give me a date. When will you repay it?”

“Will my next life do?”

“You bastard! Stop running!”

Where could he run? Dignified Master Dao could hardly flee his own home over a little debt. In the end, Guan Fangyi still caught him by the sleeve.

Niu Youdao simply gave up. He had no money. What could she do to him?

Once he started acting like a deadbeat, Guan Fangyi was so furious her teeth itched. In the end, she could only let him owe it for now and make him repay her little by little once he had money.

Their noisy quarrels were always like this. Once the quarrel was over, it was over, and afterward they were right back to being “as close as glue and lacquer.”

In truth, Guan Fangyi rather enjoyed this feeling. That was why whenever she caught an opportunity, she wanted to make Niu Youdao squirm.

Eventually, the two strolled to Black Peony’s grave. Looking at Niu Youdao standing there with his sword planted before him and his eyes closed, Guan Fangyi asked, “The Gao family spent ten million to buy Gao Shaoming’s life?”

Niu Youdao looked surprised. “What makes you say that?”

“Do not take me for blind. Did you think I would not know someone came to the villa last night? The moment that person arrived, Gao Shaoming was taken to meet him. Then first thing this morning, Gao Shaoming was dead. There cannot be that many coincidences. Last night’s visitor was sent by the Gao residence, wasn’t he?”

Niu Youdao smiled. “And how do you know they spent ten million to buy Gao Shaoming’s life?”

“It is not hard to understand if you put everything together. Gao Shaoming fell into your hands. If you started working on him and forced him to stand up and accuse the imperial court, the Gao family would be finished. Once Gao Shaoming dies, that problem disappears. Setting family affection aside, spending ten million to buy Gao Shaoming a death and preserve the Gao family is entirely worth it. And if you refused, forget one hundred million. You would not even get these ten million. Isn’t that it?”

Niu Youdao chuckled. He neither admitted nor denied it, only asked, “What else do you want me to say?”

Guan Fangyi snorted, looking exactly as though she had known it all along.

...

At Boundless Pavilion’s Heavenly Lake Inn, Linghu Qiu walked to the window and pushed it open to look outside. Then he paused. Boundless Pavilion seemed unusually lively today. The flow of people crossing the bridges outside was noticeably heavier than normal.

He was just about to call Hongxiu, who was tidying the room, over to ask what was happening when a knock sounded at the door. The two people inside turned their heads and saw Hongfu push the door open.

Before Linghu Qiu could speak, Hongfu walked to the window and reported, “Sir, the Golden Core Ranking has been updated.”

“Oh?” Linghu Qiu looked outside. “Ordinary changes of names should not cause this much commotion. Has the ranking of some major figure changed?”

Hearing this, Hongxiu walked over as well and looked outside.

Hongfu nodded. “Sir guessed correctly. Zong Yuan, who ranked seventh on the Golden Core Ranking, was killed. The man who killed him was Zhao Xiongge, formerly ranked ninth. Zhao Xiongge has risen to seventh and taken Zong Yuan’s place. The former tenth has moved up to ninth, and the former eleventh has entered the Top Ten. Three positions in the Top Ten changed at once, which is why it caused such a stir.”

Linghu Qiu was rather surprised. “Zhao Xiongge? He has not involved himself in disputes for many years. Why would he make a move against Zong Yuan?”

“According to the reason for the change given on the Golden Core Ranking...” Hongfu stopped there.

Linghu Qiu and Hongxiu exchanged a glance. Hongxiu asked, “Why stop halfway? There are no outsiders here. What is there that cannot be said?”

Hongfu said, “According to the Ranking, Maolu Villa in Qingshan Commandery of Yan was attacked by a large number of cultivators. Zong Yuan was on the attacking side. Zhao Xiongge was on the defending side.”

Silence fell over the room. After a while, Linghu Qiu sighed softly. “How did Third Brother’s place end up drawing both Zong Yuan and Zhao Xiongge into the same fight...? Third Brother is all right, isn’t he?”

Hongfu shook her head. “As for why Zong Yuan attacked Maolu Villa, the Golden Core Ranking was the same as always. It only touched on the matter and gave no details. But another piece of news that has just spread has caused quite a stir as well and may be worth considering. The day after Maolu Villa was attacked, the Sect Leaders of Feihua Pavilion and Zhenling Academy, together with a number of their senior figures who participated in the surprise attack, were captured alive and hung from the walls of Qingshan Commandery as a public display. At the same time, Nanzhou’s army suddenly invaded Dingzhou and began attacking forces controlled by the imperial court.”

“I do not know whether the two matters are connected, but rumors outside say the mastermind behind the attack on Maolu Villa was probably the Yan court, and that the court most likely provoked Third Master’s retaliation. Otherwise, Shang Chaozong would have had no way to make Dachan Mountain do something like this. If that account is correct, Third Master should be fine.”

[End of Chapter 606]