Chapter 1213: Storms Are Gathering—Decide Early

Here in Nanzhou, on their own territory, getting something into Jia Wuqun's hands was naturally no problem.

Jia Wuqun received the bundle without knowing what it contained. He opened it, began reading, and before long his entire mind had sunk into the material. He went through it over and over for a long time.

By the time he finally came back to himself, night had already fallen.

"Shao Pingbo..."

A lone lamp burned as Jia Wuqun paced the room. The dossier had given him much to ponder. Unexpectedly, it was all about Shao Pingbo.

Some of the information was ordinarily almost impossible to obtain. Only from records supplied by one of the parties directly involved did he finally learn what had truly happened behind the scenes when Beizhou changed hands after Niu Youdao's clash with Shao Pingbo, how Shao Pingbo had been hunted afterward yet managed to escape, and how, even after reaching the Qi capital, he had slipped away from a trap in which Hao Yuntu himself had taken part.

Only now did Jia Wuqun learn that the struggle between Xuan Wei and her younger brother in the State of Wei, the destruction of Qi's communications hubs, the poisoning of Qi's imperial clan, Taishu Huan'er being forced to give herself to Chen Changgong, Ximen Qingkong's poisoning, and a whole succession of other incidents had all been manipulated from the shadows by Shao Pingbo.

Jia Wuqun could not help marveling at Shao Pingbo's capacity for destruction. His methods were vicious indeed.

And Niu Youdao had clearly been no easy opponent either. A man like Shao Pingbo had been forced by Niu Youdao to abandon Beizhou and flee, then driven into years of hiding. That alone spoke volumes.

Then there was the Ghost Doctor's disciple. To think he had once been the lover of Shao Pingbo's younger sister, Shao Liuer. Shao Pingbo had tried to kill him, yet he survived and instead became the Ghost Doctor's disciple. He was now in the Qi capital, but Niu Youdao had planted someone at his side long ago.

The brilliance of the long struggle between those two men, each trying for years to kill the other, left Jia Wuqun in admiration. They truly were mortal enemies.

Now Niu Youdao was dead. Jia Wuqun found himself wanting to ask Shao Pingbo one question: Are you lonely?

What puzzled him even more was that Shang Chaozong's people had actually told him even something as secret as Niu Youdao planting an informant beside the Ghost Doctor's disciple.

It made no sense. None of this had anything to do with the State of Song. Why had Shang Chaozong given him all of it? What exactly did they want him to do?

He paced and pondered for a long while, then stopped beside the desk and lightly tapped his fingers against its surface. At last, he struck it once with slightly more force, as though having reached a decision. He walked to the window, pushed both shutters open, and placed a potted plant on the sill.

Then he remained near the window and waited.

About an hour later, someone arrived, led him away, and put him into a carriage.

The carriage eventually entered the courtyard of a secluded residence. Lamplight shone through the windows of the house.

Jia Wuqun climbed out and looked around. The driver raised a hand, indicating that he should go inside.

He stepped down from the carriage and walked slowly to the door. A push of one hand opened it. Inside sat the man who, after that earlier meeting, had never again appeared at Shang Chaozong's side: Wang Xiao.

On the table, the writing implements Jia Wuqun habitually used had already been laid out. There was even the fragrance of fresh ink. Someone had ground the ink for him in advance.

Niu Youdao rose and extended a hand. "You've come, Sir. Please sit."

Jia Wuqun closed the door behind him and slowly went to sit at the table.

Niu Youdao picked up the teapot and poured him a cup.

Jia Wuqun watched his movements for a moment, then picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote first: There was never anyone like you at the Prince's side before. Nor was there anyone like you at Maolu Villa. Yet a subordinate of Yun Ji can represent the Prince?

Niu Youdao read it and smiled, gesturing for him to drink his tea. "Following Yun Ji is only a disguise. I was originally one of Prince Ning's men. Ever since the Prince escaped Yanjing, I have remained hidden at his side. Now that Niu Youdao has met with disaster, the people of Maolu Villa have been left without a leader. The Prince authorized me to intervene from the shadows and guide them, lest they lose control."

Was that so? Jia Wuqun considered the explanation, then drew the dossier from his sleeve and pushed it across the table. He took up the brush again and wrote: You gave me this to read. What is your purpose?

Niu Youdao picked up the papers and casually flipped through them. "You've read everything?"

Jia Wuqun nodded.

Pop!

Niu Youdao brought his hands lightly together. The entire stack of paper instantly crumbled into powder and drifted aside.

The gesture was equivalent to openly revealing that he was a cultivator. Jia Wuqun narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched him.

Niu Youdao said, "Since Sir has read the contents, you should understand this much. Jin would not have committed itself to an all-out invasion of Wei unless it believed it had a real chance of success. Why did it have that confidence? Because the internal turmoil in Wei and Qi had prepared the ground. The answer is obvious: Shao Pingbo pushed matters to this point."

"As for the current battlefield in the west, Wei is already spent. It is essentially Qi alone that remains capable of resisting Jin's army. This is hardly Huyan Wuhen's first clash with Jin. He has defeated its armies repeatedly, and not long ago Gao Pin suffered a major loss and nearly died at Huyan Wuhen's hands. Huyan Wuhen's ability is plain to see. With him in Qi, this war may be difficult to decide in a short time."

"Open blades and open battle are not what one needs to fear. What is frightening is someone sowing chaos from behind. Sir has read the dossier and knows what Shao Pingbo is capable of. Matters have already come this far. He will not willingly accept failure. Given his character, he is certain to interfere with some vicious scheme."

Jia Wuqun wrote: What has that to do with me?

Niu Youdao said, "Give Shao Pingbo some trouble. Make him divert his attention from the battlefield until he has his hands full with his own affairs."

Jia Wuqun tapped one finger against the writing board. His meaning was obvious: the same question still stood. What did that have to do with him?

Niu Youdao said, "The Prince has a particular idea concerning Taishu Huan'er. He wants Taishu Huan'er to marry Shao Pingbo."

Jia Wuqun froze. The purpose was not difficult to understand. Shao Pingbo's proposal had forced Taishu Huan'er to give herself to Chen Changgong. Now Chen Changgong was dead, and these people wanted Taishu Huan'er married to Shao Pingbo instead. Was that not forcing Shao Pingbo to lift the stone he had used against someone else and drop it squarely on his own foot, purely to disgust him?

Once he understood, Jia Wuqun's expression twitched in a most remarkable fashion. He wrote: I never imagined the Prince possessed such a wicked sense of humor.

Niu Youdao said, "Everything we know in detail about Shao Pingbo has already been given to Sir. With your ability, this should be a trivial matter. Of course, if Sir is willing to resolve Shao Pingbo completely, the Prince would have no objection at all. But Sir surely has no desire to become too deeply entangled in this affair, so the Prince is not counting on that."

Jia Wuqun wrote: You summoned me here merely to have me do this?

Niu Youdao nodded. "Correct. That is all."

Jia Wuqun wrote: The Prince could do this himself. Why seek me out?

Niu Youdao replied calmly, "Wu Gongling is not someone the Prince takes seriously. Zi Pingxiu is even less so. Sir, however, is someone the Prince greatly admires. As for the State of Song, the Prince will take it sooner or later. Sooner or later, it will be his possession."

Jia Wuqun wrote: Rather grand words. The Prince remains confined to one corner of Nanzhou and cannot even command Yan. How can he dare claim that Song is already in his grasp?

Niu Youdao said, "A hidden dragon lies in the depths. Sir has underestimated the Prince. The Yan court is nothing but an ornament. If the Prince wished to take it, he could do so at any time. There is little point arguing over words, so let us put it another way. Among the officials throughout Yan, choose any man loyal to Shang Jianxiong who displeases you. Give me his name, and the Prince will replace him immediately."

That did make Jia Wuqun pause. Uncertainty showed in his eyes. If the claim were false, the confidence in the man's voice did not sound like a lie.

Jia Wuqun refused to be drawn into that subject. He wrote instead: This Jia appreciates the Prince's esteem, but my position does not permit me to undertake such a matter. Forgive me for being unable to comply.

Niu Youdao said, "The Prince understands Sir's difficulty. You are tied to the Chancellor, so if you act, the State of Song becomes implicated as well. But as I just said, the Prince does not care whether Wu Gongling or Zi Pingxiu participates. What matters to him is whether Sir is willing to do it."

"If Sir agrees, you need only handle the matter yourself. As for guards, the Prince will assign experts to protect you and will absolutely guarantee your safety. Whether Song becomes implicated will depend on Sir's own skill."

Jia Wuqun raised his brush again.

Niu Youdao lifted a hand to stop him. "Enough, Sir. The Prince does not force unwilling men. There is no need to answer immediately. If you wish to return to Song tonight, you may. If you prefer to leave after daybreak, that is fine as well. Return first and consider the matter carefully. Once you are home, with no other concerns weighing on you, you can think in peace."

"The Prince has patience and can wait for Sir's answer. However... it would be best to decide before the war in the west produces an outcome the Prince does not wish to see. If you wait too long, there will be no point."

Jia Wuqun looked surprised. They were simply going to let him return? If that was truly the case, whether he agreed or refused would be entirely in his own hands.

Niu Youdao rose and gestured toward the door. "Sir may leave on your own. The carriage will return you safely."

Jia Wuqun remained silent for a moment. Then, unexpectedly, he raised his brush and wrote two characters on the paper: Dou Hai.

He set down the brush, rose, and headed for the door.

Dou Hai? Niu Youdao frowned slightly. The name looked familiar. Then he remembered. Dou Hai was the Provincial Inspector of Fangzhou, one of Shang Jianxiong's trusted territorial officials. His rank was by no means low.

Understanding, Niu Youdao smiled faintly. Without lifting his head, his eyes still on the words on the board, he said, "Sir, storms are already gathering beneath Heaven. Sooner or later the Zi residence will be swept into them. How long can you remain hidden? When the Zi residence can no longer avoid facing what is coming..."

He left the thought unfinished, then added, "I have said all I should. I hope Sir will decide early."

Jia Wuqun's hand paused on the door bolt. He turned his head slightly and listened to the end of the warning. Then he drew back the bolt, strode outside, went straight to the carriage, caught the side with one hand, and climbed into the compartment.

The driver mounted the front bench, snapped his whip, called to the horses twice, and drove away.

As the carriage jolted along the road, Jia Wuqun sat inside without a word.

Back in the lamplit room, Niu Youdao stared at the writing board for a while, then slowly turned his head toward the darkness beyond the door. With a sudden sweep of his sleeve, the lamp went out and both the board and papers shattered to pieces.

A black shadow shot from the house and vanished into the vast night.

When Niu Youdao's figure appeared again on a street inside the city, Yun Ji was already waiting. Like an attendant, he followed behind her back to their temporary residence.

Guan Fangyi was waiting for them. The moment she saw the pair return, she immediately went to meet Yun Ji with a smile. "Sister Yun, you're back?" Yet her eyes flicked toward Niu Youdao behind her.

Yun Ji gave a slight nod and walked past. Niu Youdao followed close behind and murmured, "Have Monkey come see me."

Guan Fangyi stopped, then changed direction and went elsewhere.

Once Niu Youdao and Yun Ji were back inside, Niu Youdao immediately entered the inner cultivation room and waited in silence.

Before long, Yuan Gang arrived. He pushed open the door, came to stand before Niu Youdao, and said nothing, simply waiting for instructions.

Niu Youdao said calmly, "Send word to Gao Jiancheng. Fangzhou's Provincial Inspector, Dou Hai—I don't care what method he uses. Within three days, Dou Hai is to be thrown out of the office of Provincial Inspector."

Yuan Gang asked, "Anything else?"

"No."

"Understood." Yuan Gang immediately turned and left.

[End of Chapter 1213]