Chapter 744: A Message from Misty Pavilion

With a cold snort, Shang Jianxiong swept his sleeve and left. Tian Yu glanced at the three men and quickly followed.

Leaning against the pillar, Tong Mo sighed. His shoulders slumped, his old face full of helplessness.

Shang Yongzhong moved closer and asked in a low voice, "Chancellor, were you the one who moved against that woman?"

Tong Mo rolled his eyes and glared at him. "Prince, do you even know what you're saying?"

"Heh heh. Just asking, just asking. It was a joke. Chancellor, don't take it seriously." Shang Yongzhong tucked both hands into his sleeves in front of his stomach and looked around with a cheerful smile.

Expressionless, Gao Jiancheng looked toward the doorway and sighed. "A beauty is a source of calamity!"

Tong Mo nodded in deep agreement.

He too enjoyed women and had never particularly accepted the saying before. Now, however, he felt he understood it profoundly.

Shang Yongzhong could not resist shaking his head. "At a time like this, one woman from outside has thrown the harem into unrest. I'm afraid many people will be unhappy."

As he spoke, his eyes narrowed.

Even Shang Yongzhong had developed killing intent toward Consort Yu.

The other two naturally understood whom he meant by "many people": the people standing behind the women of the harem.

At present, the court needed those people to help maintain control over the situation. For the emperor to favor one woman exclusively at a time like this truly was somewhat inappropriate.

Yet that woman was under the emperor's protection.

Once the emperor put his mind to shielding her, it was difficult for outsiders to make a move.

No one wanted one woman to interfere with everyone's interests.

"Chancellor, you had better communicate properly with Chief Steward Tian Yu." Gao Jiancheng offered the hint.

Shang Yongzhong nodded to himself.

If they wanted to move against a woman protected by the emperor inside the harem, succeeding without Tian Yu's help was nearly impossible.

Tong Mo had already been thinking the same thing.

But Gao Jiancheng's reminder suddenly made him wary. He feared being lured into a trap.

He gave Gao Jiancheng a cold glance, then turned and left.

...

"Take a look."

Also seated behind a desk in an Imperial Study, Taishu Xiong tossed a newly arrived intelligence report onto the table.

Shao Pingbo, standing below, stepped forward and respectfully picked up the report with both hands.

Only after reading it did he learn that Zhao had suffered defeat at Yan's hands. The situation in the Yan-Zhao war had reversed. Offense and defense had changed places.

"Shang Jianxiong really is blessed," Taishu Xiong said with amused sarcasm. "He courts death himself, yet people below him keep fighting for their lives. Shang Chaozong's lot truly know how to campaign and fight. They really did turn the tide."

Despite the mockery in his tone, it was obvious that Taishu Xiong was in a good mood.

All four Eastern States were now at war, consuming one another's strength. Even Wei and Qi had committed no small quantity of resources.

Taishu Xiong stood to one side and watched the excitement as the other states bit and clawed at one another until everything was in chaos and everyone was covered in wounds.

Naturally, he found it comfortable.

Shao Pingbo closed the report and returned it to the desk. "Without Wei and Qi supporting Yan with everything they have, Yan would never possess the strength to fight this war. It would have been destroyed at the very beginning. Grain alone would have crushed a weak Yan if there were no outside support."

Taishu Xiong nodded.

Naturally, he understood that principle.

"Look at it from the other direction, and that's a good thing too. Wei and Qi are being dragged into the expenditure as well," Shao Pingbo added.

A smile remained on Taishu Xiong's face.

He patted the armrest of his chair. That was precisely what he wanted to see.

Still in high spirits, he clicked his tongue and added, "That Wu Gongling truly is an interesting fellow!"

Shao Pingbo understood what he meant.

Wu Gongling's interference had ruined Han's plans and prevented Han's intentions from advancing smoothly. That was equivalent to increasing Han's consumption and had further divided the strength of the Four Eastern States. All of it benefited Jin.

Shao Pingbo's expression turned slightly serious. "Your Majesty, that man should not be underestimated. In the past, his elder brother Wu Gongshan overshadowed him. My father did not think highly of him either, so I paid no attention. Looking at him now, it seems we underestimated him."

"Heroes rise in chaotic times. He truly is a character." Taishu Xiong nodded, then suddenly asked with curiosity, "I hear Mu Zhuozhen sent his favorite woman to Shang Jianxiong, and now Shang Jianxiong dotes on her as well. Reliable reports say that because of this woman, quite a few people in Yanjing are dissatisfied."

"I never paid attention to her before. Now I'm curious. What sort of peerless beauty could make Mu Zhuozhen favor her so much and then leave Shang Jianxiong utterly besotted too? How much do you know about this woman?"

From Taishu Xiong's manner, Shao Pingbo could tell that he too had developed an interest in the woman.

After only a moment's thought, Shao Pingbo understood why.

Mu Zhuozhen favoring her alone would not have meant much.

But Shang Jianxiong had also fallen beneath that woman's pomegranate skirt.

Two emperors in succession, both men accustomed to seeing beauties fill their harems, had been conquered by the same woman.

By now, she had probably drawn the attention of rulers across the various states.

More precisely, Shang Jianxiong's behavior had drawn the attention of every major power toward her.

"This minister never paid attention to her either," Shao Pingbo replied calmly. "In the end, she is only a woman of beauty. If she has bewitched Shang Jianxiong, then in some people's eyes she will inevitably become a source of disaster. Great beauties often meet tragic fates. No matter how beautiful she is, I fear she will meet no good end. Sooner or later, she may become a ghost beneath someone's blade."

Taishu Xiong laughed loudly. "How does one weak woman become a source of disaster? In the end, Shang Jianxiong's self-control is simply too poor. I, on the other hand, have grown interested in her. If an opportunity arises, I will certainly snatch her over and have a look for myself. I want to see what sort of beauty can make both Mu Zhuozhen and Shang Jianxiong lose their hearts."

He made no attempt to conceal his own possessive ambition.

Shao Pingbo could understand it.

It was one expression of the ultimate desire to possess that came with a man dominating others and calling himself king.

He said nothing and offered no judgment.

But Taishu Xiong changed the subject. "With the situation like this, your arrangements in Wei and Qi need to move faster."

Shao Pingbo bowed. "Your Majesty, rest assured. Our people are already in position and early results have appeared. But it is still unsuitable to force the pace. Push too hard and things may reverse when they reach an extreme. We need to proceed step by step."

He would not have relaxed his grip on this matter even without the reminder.

He had been watching it closely all along.

He understood perfectly how important it was to him.

Whether he could produce results would determine whether he could truly open up his situation inside Jin.

Taishu Xiong had given him support, but Shao Pingbo still needed to produce something through his own ability.

Otherwise, the civil and military ministers filling the court were hardly decorations. The matter touched the interests of too many people. Without an explanation or something to show for it, Taishu Xiong could not simply support Shao Pingbo out of thin air.

That was precisely why Shao Pingbo still lacked the corresponding authority and could not yet fully stretch his hands and feet.

...

After offense and defense reversed in the Yan-Zhao war, Zhao Xingyan's defeat threw the Zhao court into alarm.

Emperor Hai Wuji of Zhao, who had overruled all opposition and insisted on the war, came under enormous pressure. Orders flew one after another to the front, urging the army to exert itself.

Even without pressure from the court, Grand Commander-in-Chief Pang Teng had no choice but to detach a large force to intercept the enemy.

The situation was obvious.

Yan had no strength to annex Zhao.

But once Shang Chaozong drove into Zhao territory, he would inevitably wreck Zhao's interior in order to undermine its invasion. He would show no mercy.

What Meng Shanming had done after invading Song was the example directly before them.

The moment Shang Chaozong succeeded, Meng Shanming knew Pang Teng would have no choice but to split off troops to intercept him.

Meng immediately increased the frequency of his troop movements. Units shifted so rapidly that observers could barely follow what he was doing, placing enormous pressure on Pang Teng.

When Pang Teng detached one million men to intercept Shang Chaozong, he did so with extraordinary caution, terrified of exposing any opening.

But this was exactly the opportunity Meng Shanming had been waiting for.

If there was no opening, create one.

Without warning, Meng Shanming launched a ferocious frontal assault, throwing the Zhao army into violent turmoil.

At the very moment Zhao was dividing its forces, a weak point appeared.

Xu Jingyue, leading the Gongzhou troops, launched a sudden attack. Like a sharp blade, his army drove violently into that weak point and cut the detached force away from Zhao's main army.

Meng Shanming continued his savage pressure from the front, pinning Pang Teng's main force in place.

Shang Chaozong turned his army back.

Joining forces with Xu Jingyue, he struck Pang Teng's detached blocking force from both sides.

Pang Teng immediately dispatched men to attack Xu Jingyue and relieve the isolated army.

At Meng Shanming's order, Xu Jingyue abandoned the fight and drove straight toward Zhao's interior.

Shang Chaozong stopped fighting as well and likewise headed deeper into Zhao.

If Pang Teng did not reinforce the detached troops, Xu Jingyue and Shang Chaozong would combine to destroy them.

If Pang Teng did send reinforcements, the two men would simply run.

In an instant, the one Yan force driving into Zhao's interior became two.

Pang Teng's head felt as though it had split in two from the headache.

Was he supposed to divide his army again and pursue?

He had begun with four million troops.

One million had been smashed by Shang Chaozong.

Another one million had already been detached to intercept Shang Chaozong.

If he split off another million to block Xu Jingyue, he would have only one million left in his own hands.

After Meng Shanming detached Xu Jingyue's five hundred thousand, he still held one and a half million troops.

And Xu Jingyue was a fierce general of Yan.

Sending too small a force after him would be useless.

To stop him properly, Pang Teng would have to detach another million.

All the while, Meng Shanming watched him like a tiger, waiting for an opportunity to launch the fatal blow.

Yet Pang Teng could not simply refuse to intercept them.

That was the greatest misery of being the defending side.

Forced into helplessness, Pang Teng had no choice but to lead the army in a strategic withdrawal. He intended to rely on favorable terrain and natural barriers to reconstruct a situation advantageous to Zhao.

The Zhao forces that had invaded Nanzhou withdrew across the board.

The situation had completely reversed.

Yan's army now advanced wholesale into Zhao territory.

...

As the army pushed forward, Zijin Cave Elder Yue Yuan spurred his horse up beside the carriage Meng Shanming was riding in.

He reached out, lifted the curtain, and called, "Sect Leader."

Gong Lince flashed out of the carriage and landed beside the marching road.

Yue Yuan rode closer, jumped down, and handed him a sheet of paper. "Sect Leader, Misty Pavilion has sent word. It is summoning the leaders of the various sects to Misty Pavilion for deliberations."

Gong Lince took the message and asked suspiciously, "About what?"

"I don't know." Yue Yuan shook his head.

Gong Lince read the message.

It truly did not say what the matter concerned. It only specified a date for the meeting.

Three days from now.

After thinking for a while, Gong Lince did not dare delay.

He turned, caught up with Meng Shanming again, and took his leave.

...

Among rolling mountains, two old acquaintances finally met.

In the end, Niu Youdao had still agreed to see Mr. Yucang.

Niu Youdao had refused the meeting.

Yucang only became more insistent and refused to take no for an answer.

In the end, Niu Youdao set the time and place himself. Yucang said he would cooperate completely. So long as Niu Youdao agreed to meet, every security arrangement could be made however Niu Youdao considered safest.

After Yucang reached a designated place, Niu Youdao even sent a flying mount to bring him the rest of the way.

Yucang brought almost no entourage.

Only his disciple Dugu Jing accompanied him.

At Niu Youdao's side, there was only Guan Fangyi.

When the two groups met in the mountain valley, Yucang could not resist looking several times toward one side.

Not far away, beneath a tree, stood a man in flower-patterned robes.

He stood proudly with his hands clasped behind his back.

[End of Chapter 744]