Chapter 1214: Poaching His Adviser

Jia Wuqun did not hurry to leave Nanzhou. More precisely, he did not want to be led around by Niu Youdao.

Niu Youdao had suddenly told him to leave, so he was supposed to leave? No. His first instinct was to suspect there might be some hidden reason behind it, and he refused to fall into the other man's rhythm.

So he stayed to watch for anything unusual.

He did not bother returning to the useless negotiations either, nor was he particularly worried about his safety. Taking only one attendant with him, sometimes on foot and sometimes on horseback, he began wandering all over Nanzhou's provincial capital. At other times he rode outside the city to inspect the villages and towns nearby. To anyone watching, it looked as though he were simply sightseeing and enjoying himself.

In truth, he was investigating conditions among the people. What he cared about most was whether Shang Chaozong's governance had changed after Niu Youdao's death, whether orders still passed smoothly from top to bottom, and whether cultivation factions were interfering with civil administration.

At the same time, he sent word to Zi Pingxiu, asking him to gather intelligence on the forces aligned with Shang Chaozong.

A man like Jia Wuqun would never make a decision casually, nor would he allow himself to be led by the nose. When he decided something, it was always after obtaining enough information to support that decision.

He himself was the chief person Niu Youdao had brought here to observe, so naturally his movements could not escape Niu Youdao's eyes.

As soon as the surveillance reports arrived, Guan Fangyi delivered them to Niu Youdao.

Niu Youdao flipped through the pages while Guan Fangyi muttered beside him, "You told him to go back, and he has no intention of going anywhere. Not only is he staying, he has even stopped attending the negotiations altogether. Instead, he spends every day sightseeing, eating, and drinking. He's plainly not taking what you said seriously. Looks to me like you've miscalculated this time."

Niu Youdao smiled as he read. "Some people can reach the shore and still refuse to board just any boat. They have no interest in paddling around the shallows for amusement. First they inspect the vessel and see whether it is fit for a long voyage... This man really is interesting."

Guan Fangyi said, "What nonsense is that? He's eating, drinking, and sightseeing all day, and you call that interesting? What's interesting about it?"

Niu Youdao tossed the report down. "Hasn't he been meeting all kinds of people? Hongniang, don't judge everyone through a cultivator's eyes. What certain people do is not always what it appears to be on the surface. If he were so easy to read, he could never have kept such a low profile for so many years. The greater the expert, the fewer traces he leaves when he acts."

Guan Fangyi tried to follow his meaning. "You're saying he's already decided?"

Niu Youdao smiled. "At the very least, he's already come to the shore to look at the sea."

Then his expression settled. "An army of thousands is easy to find; a truly capable commander is hard to obtain. Keep watching him. The moment he stops wandering around, notify the Prince immediately. Those negotiations that were never going to produce a result can end. Let the people from the various states pack up and go home."

Shang Chaozong had never wanted to keep dragging out the talks in the first place. He had been cooperating entirely for Niu Youdao's sake. The moment the message arrived, he ended matters cleanly and without hesitation. Since no result could be reached, there was no point discussing it further.

The various delegations departed. Jia Wuqun returned together with the people from Song.

...

Zi Pingxiu attached great importance to Jia Wuqun's journey. He wanted to know why Shang Chaozong had publicly done one thing while secretly contacting them for another. Once he heard that the Song delegation was returning, he calculated the timing, left court early, and went home to wait.

The moment word came that Jia Wuqun had returned, Zi Pingxiu headed straight for the small courtyard where he lived.

When the two met, they first exchanged assurances that all was well. Then they sat down in the courtyard, and Zi Pingxiu immediately asked, unable to contain himself, "Sir, did you discover what Shang Chaozong intends?"

Jia Wuqun reached for his brush, preparing to write an answer. But the instant he lifted it, he froze.

He looked first at the brush in his hand, then reached out and touched the inkstone. Finally, he ran his fingers over the brand-new writing board before him. His eyes flickered again and again.

Zi Pingxiu noticed and smiled. "Sir's writing implements had grown old, so I had the steward replace them with a new set. Why not try them and see whether they suit your hand?"

Jia Wuqun looked at him in surprise. He dipped the brush in ink and wrote on the board: Why did the Chancellor suddenly think of replacing them?

Zi Pingxiu pointed at the implements. "Simply because they were old."

Jia Wuqun shook his head, his expression quite serious, and wrote again: No. Something must have prompted the Chancellor to order their replacement.

It was such a trivial matter that Zi Pingxiu could not understand why Jia Wuqun was taking it so seriously. But he could tell the man considered the point important and was convinced some outside influence had caused the decision.

After thinking for a moment, Zi Pingxiu realized there had indeed been a small reason. He explained, "Some days ago, I overheard a servant passing nearby say that Sir's writing implements had grown old and no longer seemed comfortable to use. I thought about it and realized you truly had used them for many years, so I later gave the steward an instruction to replace them. Why? Do you find the new set less comfortable than the old one?"

Jia Wuqun shook his head and wrote: Where is the servant who made that idle remark?

How would Zi Pingxiu know? He had countless affairs to handle. Why would he concern himself with a single servant? But Jia Wuqun's reaction felt wrong, so he asked tentatively, "What does Sir mean?"

Jia Wuqun shook his head again and wrote: I must trouble the Chancellor to find that servant and bring him here.

Zi Pingxiu realized there might be something hidden behind the matter. His manner immediately became serious. He turned and called out, ordering someone to fetch the steward.

Zi Pingxiu himself did not even know the servant's name, so he could only give a rough description of his appearance.

The steward found it strange that these two men were sitting here discussing an ordinary servant, but the description was enough for him to identify the man. He replied, "Chancellor, that servant is named Wu Xiaobao. He's not currently in the residence. A few days ago, he asked for leave to return home and visit his family."

"What?" Zi Pingxiu shot to his feet, his expression changing instantly.

He had survived in court for years; he was no fool. Jia Wuqun had suddenly begun asking after this servant, and now the servant had just happened to leave. Combining that with everything leading up to it, Zi Pingxiu immediately realized there was definitely something wrong. The matter was not simple at all. It was entirely possible someone had used him as a weapon without his knowing.

His voice sank. "Bastard! Who approved his leave? Where is his home? Send men immediately. Find him and bring him back no matter what—"

"Heh... heh..."

Jia Wuqun suddenly began laughing without end. There was something difficult to describe inside that laughter.

Now he understood. At last, he knew what had happened to the writing implements he had seen in Nanzhou.

What identical copies? There had never been any copies at all. Those things had literally been his own belongings. Someone had used a scheme to remove them from his home, then placed them in front of him somewhere far away and frightened him half to death.

At the time, he truly had been frightened. If people could imitate objects he had used at his side for years so perfectly, reproducing every tiny mark and detail, just how deeply had they penetrated his surroundings? Did he possess any secrets at all in their eyes? The thought had been chilling.

They had thrown him off balance on the spot. During that meeting, for a time he had not even known how to defend himself. It had felt as though he were standing naked before them.

Only after all this did he discover that the people in Nanzhou had simply played a joke on him. And it truly had been a joke. They had never intended to deceive him forever, nor had they used the trick to force him to agree to anything. The moment they allowed him to return, they must have known he would eventually discover the truth.

His laughter gradually turned into a bitter smile as he shook his head.

Yet though it had been a joke, Jia Wuqun understood perfectly well that the deeper meaning behind it was no joke at all. For those people to go to such lengths merely over one set of his writing implements—what did that mean?

It meant they had genuinely put thought into him.

That was no joke.

The steward stood to one side, staring. He had rarely seen Jia Wuqun lose his composure so thoroughly, much less laugh and then smile bitterly with such helplessness.

Zi Pingxiu was equally bewildered. "Sir, why are you laughing?"

Jia Wuqun sighed, picked up the brush, and wrote: A set of writing implements is nothing worth mentioning. There is no need to pursue this matter further.

Zi Pingxiu refused. His voice hardened. "There is clearly something strange about this. How can we not investigate?"

What frightened him was not the trivial matter itself, but the possibility that something enormous was hidden behind it.

Jia Wuqun knew better than anyone that something was indeed strange. No one present understood the matter more clearly than he did. He wrote again: I already know what happened. Chancellor, listen to me. Let the servant go. Pretend nothing happened, do not investigate further, and never mention the matter again.

What was there left to investigate? Jia Wuqun could easily imagine the truth. That servant had gone home to visit family? Nonsense.

The Nanzhou side would not bother killing someone merely to silence him over such a small matter. There was no need. The servant had almost certainly been paid a sum of money and fled. Even if they caught him, what could they possibly extract from him?

More importantly, Jia Wuqun did not want the Chancellor's residence to launch a great search for one lowly servant and stir up a commotion whose consequences outweighed any benefit.

Was it worth making a spectacle throughout the residence over one set of his writing implements?

There was a reason Jia Wuqun had been able to remain quietly hidden in the Chancellor's residence for so many years.

Since Jia Wuqun insisted, Zi Pingxiu fell silent for a moment, then told the steward, "Do as Sir says. You may withdraw."

The steward was uneasy and filled with speculation, but he still cupped his hands. "Yes." Then he left.

Once the outsider was gone, Zi Pingxiu could no longer hold back. "Sir clearly knows something is wrong. Why refuse to investigate?"

Jia Wuqun wrote: There is no need. Nanzhou did it. That set of writing implements was in Nanzhou. I have already seen it there and used it again.

"What?" Zi Pingxiu was even more astonished.

Nanzhou had gone to such trouble over a mere set of writing implements? Had they nothing better to do? He asked seriously, "Why did Nanzhou go after Sir's writing implements? Did you hide some secret inside them?"

Jia Wuqun wrote: The Chancellor worries too much. I am no craftsman and have no skill in mechanisms. There was no secret hidden in them. Nanzhou did it only as an attack on my state of mind.

"An attack on your state of mind?" Zi Pingxiu was even more confused. "Sir, what exactly did Nanzhou want from you on this journey?"

This time Jia Wuqun pulled over a sheet of paper and began writing at length. Dense lines of characters gradually filled it. He gave a broad account of everything that had happened during the trip and did not conceal what Shang Chaozong wanted him to do.

When he finished, he pushed the sheet across.

Zi Pingxiu took it and read carefully. The farther he read, the more confused he became. Once he reached the end, he looked up. "Shao Pingbo? This... no matter how capable this Shao Pingbo may be, Nanzhou clearly possesses extremely detailed information about him. They could act on their own. Why insist that Sir step forward and deal with him?"

Jia Wuqun wrote two characters:

Recruitment!

Zi Pingxiu looked at the word and understood instantly.

He immediately lost his composure.

He had thought Nanzhou's secret invitation must concern some grave state affair. Instead, they had invited Jia Wuqun over to poach his adviser from under his nose!

Worse, he himself had willingly sent Jia Wuqun there to meet them.

What kind of absurd situation was this?

Nanzhou's methods were far too underhanded, and their eyes were viciously discerning.

Jia Wuqun was Zi Pingxiu's most trusted strategist, worth more to him than either arm. After so many years, Zi Pingxiu understood better than anyone how important the man was to him.

How could he possibly allow someone else to poach him so easily?

[End of Chapter 1214]