Chapter 1114: An Urgent Edict from the Qi Emperor

Tang Yi did not know whether Ximen Qingkong, standing there like a block of wood, noticed everyone's looks or understood what their eyes were saying. But she saw them, and she understood.

Whether he wanted it or not, Tang Yi knew that today Ximen Qingkong had truly become an enormous joke.

Perhaps it was not only mockery. There was also a great deal of sympathy and pity. Tang Yi herself was among those who felt both for him.

She did not know whether a man like Ximen Qingkong, the number-one expert on the Golden Core Ranking, needed such sympathy or pity.

But she truly saw no reason for him to remain here. Not only should he not be standing here now, the best thing he could do was leave Xuan Wei's side entirely, leave her for good, and never appear beside her again.

If he did that, perhaps people would only say that this man had given everything in vain and failed to obtain the ending he wanted.

But if he stayed at Xuan Wei's side, then he truly would become a joke. Everyone who saw him would think of him as one. His aloofness would not win anyone's sympathy. It would only invite more ridicule.

She could not imagine how Ximen Qingkong could continue staying beside Xuan Wei, facing every person who saw him, day after day, night after night...

On the night of the wedding, the bridal chamber was perfectly quiet. The newlyweds sat side by side at the edge of the bed. The young man's face was expressionless. The woman beside him, her face hidden behind a curtain of pearls, was equally still.

Outside the bridal chamber, Ximen Qingkong remained on guard.

Not far away, Tang Yi silently watched the scene.

Inside the room, Xuan Wei raised her hands and removed the phoenix coronet herself.

Hao Cheng slowly turned to look at her. She turned and looked back at him.

It was the first time he had seen Xuan Wei's face clearly. He froze for a moment, somewhat surprised. He had heard that Xuan Wei was beautiful, but the reality still exceeded his expectations.

Beautiful. She truly was beautiful, very beautiful. She did not look nearly as old as the rumors made her sound. She still looked young, only with the mature bearing that no inexperienced young woman could possess. She had taken good care of herself.

Xuan Wei rose and walked to the table. She set down the phoenix coronet, then turned to face the man sitting on the bed. "Many things are beyond our choosing. You have been wronged by this. Rest assured, I will compensate you in the future."

"Compensate me? How? With wealth and rank?" Hao Cheng patted the place beside him, signaling for her to come sit. "I know what all of you are doing. I had no choice, and I didn't dare resist. I could only submit to your arrangements. You're not bad-looking. You have a certain mature charm, at least enough that I won't lose my appetite. You're familiar with relations between men and women, and I'm no novice either. Neither of us needs instruction. Don't drag this out. Come consummate the marriage."

Xuan Wei made no move toward him. "Jin and Wei are at war. Not a moment can be wasted. I still have many matters to handle. Rest early." With that, she turned and left.

The door opened. Xuan Wei, still dressed in her new wedding clothes, stepped outside and gave Ximen Qingkong a slight nod. "Let's go."

Ximen Qingkong followed her away. Tang Yi, standing not far off, witnessed everything.

Inside the room, Hao Cheng sat on the bed with his eyes closed and said nothing. He remained sitting there quietly for the entire night.

From that night onward, Xuan Wei never entered his room again. She took up residence in another courtyard within the palace.

...

At Maolu Annex, Guan Fangyi hurried into Yuan Gang's courtyard, went straight into the sitting room, shut the door behind her, and immediately asked, "Another message from Master Dao?"

Yuan Gang nodded and handed her the letter. Though she could not read its contents, he showed it to her purely so she could verify the handwriting.

Guan Fangyi indeed could not read it. She merely confirmed the handwriting, then raised her eyes from the paper. "What instructions does Master Dao have?"

Yuan Gang said, "First, he wants a briefing on how the war between Jin and Wei has changed the situation among the various sides, with particular emphasis on the Prince's response and strategy. We are to compile it and send it to Master Dao."

Guan Fangyi nodded. "What else?"

"And then there's Shao Pingbo..."

"Shao Pingbo?" Guan Fangyi cut in, astonished. "Master Dao is inside the Sacred Realm and still has Shao Pingbo on his mind? He certainly has time to spare."

"Master Dao has already confirmed that the upheaval in Wei this time was planned entirely by Shao Pingbo from behind the scenes."

"What? It was him!" Guan Fangyi was shocked. This upheaval had dealt Wei a devastating blow. Shao Pingbo had lain low for so long without making a sound, yet the moment he moved, his handiwork was enormous. It was genuinely frightening. "No wonder Master Dao has never been willing to let him go. Heaven knows how many more families he'll leave broken and dead this time. That man really is a scourge. If Master Dao is thinking about him now, does he still want to get rid of him?"

"Exactly. Leaving that man alive is a major danger. Master Dao wants us to take this opportunity to eliminate him."

Guan Fangyi considered it. "Getting rid of him would certainly be good, but that fellow is extremely difficult to deal with. Even when Master Dao personally acted, he couldn't finish him. After Shao Pingbo hid himself in Jin, he gained the protection of Jin's power. If Master Dao could do nothing about him even while he was here, I'm afraid this won't be easy for us."

"Master Dao has naturally considered that. He wouldn't tell us to do something impossible. His judgment is that after lying low for so long before finally making his move, Shao Pingbo will never willingly accept failure. There is a strong possibility he is personally overseeing the operation and directing the chaos. And a scheme like this certainly won't end after a single move. There must be more to come. Shao Pingbo himself has very likely already left Jin. If he has left Jin, then right now is the best opportunity to strike. He is most likely either in Wei's capital or Qi's capital. Wherever trouble is being stirred up, that is where Shao Pingbo may be."

Guan Fangyi hesitated. "Even if Master Dao's judgment is correct, Shao Pingbo is responsible for creating this chaos. He will certainly have concealed his movements carefully. It won't be easy for our people to dig him out. Jin is also certain to have sent considerable strength to protect him. With the forces we have, making a move may not be so easy."

"Master Dao knows that. We don't need to act personally. The Jin-Wei war involves Qi, Wei, and Jin..."

Understanding dawned on Guan Fangyi, and she interrupted, "Right! Once Wei and Qi know, neither will let him go. Having two states use the power of the state against him would be much more reliable than doing it ourselves."

Yuan Gang nodded. "I'll contact Xuan Wei and handle Wei's side. You know the Qi capital well. You contact Hao Yuntu and handle Qi's side. Remember, this must remain secret. Avoid letting anyone know we are involved as much as possible. The people of Wuliang Mountain absolutely cannot learn of it."

"All right!" Guan Fangyi agreed.

The two continued discussing the details. Once everything had been settled, they quickly went their separate ways to act.

...

Across the vast grasslands, while an army of one hundred thousand on a forced march took a temporary rest, a messenger officer hurried over and presented a letter with both hands to the commanding general, Ba Yuancheng. He urgently reported in a loud voice, "General, an urgent imperial edict! Prince of the Western Court Hao Yunsheng and Prince Jin Hao Qi have rebelled. They are leading rebel forces in a siege of the capital. The capital is in grave danger! His Majesty orders the General to return with the army at once and rescue him!"

"What?" Ba Yuancheng, who had been gnawing on roast lamb, was so startled that the bone fell from his hand. He sprang to his feet and snatched the letter away to read it.

The group of generals sitting around the campfire were equally shocked and rose one after another.

After reading the letter, Ba Yuancheng stamped his foot and struck his chest. "I knew long ago there was something wrong with the Prince of the Western Court. I never imagined he would truly rebel. Have the army move out immediately! We return to the capital to rescue His Majesty. Quickly!"

"Wait!" One general stopped him and said gravely, "General, calm yourself. Something about this feels strange to me. The three great sects are stationed around the capital. With all three guarding it, how could rebels so easily create chaos? Could this be a deception? Would it be unwise to withdraw the army rashly?"

Ba Yuancheng frowned and immediately had the original secret letter brought over. He carefully examined the emperor's seal. There did not seem to be any problem.

After the others inspected it, they likewise found nothing wrong.

"If the Prince of the Western Court and Prince Jin are rebelling at a time like this, I'm afraid Jin may be coordinating with them from behind the scenes."

"If the capital truly falls and something happens to His Majesty, all of us will deserve ten thousand deaths."

"I only think the timing is suspicious. Gentlemen, if we withdraw now and Qi fails to reach Wei in time, Wei will be in mortal danger. Once Wei collapses, Qi may be dragged into a bitter war."

"If Qi itself is in danger, how can we worry about Wei? General, if we delay the rescue, that would be defying an imperial edict!"

After the generals argued back and forth, Ba Yuancheng stamped his foot and ordered, "Send an urgent request to the Grand Marshal for confirmation and instructions! The army turns back at once. At the same time, contact the capital as quickly as possible and verify whether the report is true!"

At his command, the resting army rapidly set out again.

During the march, in accordance with the imperial edict and to distinguish themselves from the rebels, every soldier tied a strip of white cloth around his head.

...

Inside and outside the Qi capital, all was peaceful.

In a courtyard pavilion, Shao Pingbo held an intelligence report and gave a cold snort. "A marriage alliance? A Qi prince marrying into Xuan Wei's household? Heh. To steady Wei's people, both sides truly are willing to stop at nothing."

Shao Sansheng said, "Isn't Ximen Qingkong, the number-one expert on the Golden Core Ranking, Xuan Wei's lover? How could he possibly agree to something like this?"

"Number one?" Shao Pingbo said. "I hear he spends every day with a sword on his back trailing behind a widow's ass. How much of an 'expert' can a man like that be? He's nothing but a witless brute. Other than risking his life in fights, what can he do? Ximen Qingkong..."

His fingers tapped lightly on the table as he considered the matter, eyes narrowing. "I'd like to see just how deep the love between those two devoted fools really runs. Steady the hearts of the people? Hmph. I, Shao, will send them a grand gift. I only hope this number-one expert on the Golden Core Ranking can keep his life!"

Just then, someone came pounding up the stairs to the pavilion and handed over a letter. "Young Master, someone suddenly threw this letter into the courtyard from outside. The envelope specifically says it is for you."

Specifically for Shao Pingbo?

That meant someone knew Shao Pingbo was hiding here.

Shao Pingbo and Shao Sansheng were startled at the same time. Shao Sansheng immediately asked, "Who was it?"

The messenger replied, "The moment the letter appeared, we went outside to investigate. The street was crowded with people coming and going. We don't know who threw it."

Shao Sansheng immediately turned to Shao Pingbo. "Eldest Young Master, we cannot remain here!"

Shao Pingbo, deep in thought, raised a hand to stop him and held it out for the letter.

Shao Sansheng said, "There may be a trick. Let me inspect it first."

Shao Pingbo did not waste words with him. He simply reached out and pulled the letter from his hand. One glance at the writing on the envelope confirmed that it was indeed addressed specifically to him.

He tore the envelope open, removed the letter, and unfolded it.

After reading it, he slowly folded the letter again and waved the messenger away. Then he told Shao Sansheng, "Open the courtyard gates and wait to welcome our honored guest."

Shao Sansheng ventured, "Who is it?"

Shao Pingbo swept him with a cold glance. "If someone comes in, don't stop them. Bring them straight here."

Shao Sansheng shut his mouth and asked no more. He bowed slightly, turned, and hurried away.

[End of Chapter 1114]