Chapter 1220: The Fire God Manifests

With Jia Wuqun present, Mai Deman—who had been restraining his official airs and accompanying the man with lowered brows and submissive eyes—suddenly straightened. In an instant, he assumed the bearing of an envoy representing an entire state and said coolly, "Noble Consort Lan and the Princess are women of the inner palace. Naturally, we should not disturb them. But even when this envoy goes to the imperial palace to seek an audience with His Majesty the Jin Emperor, His Majesty still finds time to receive me. There is no principle by which guests are simply driven away at will."

"Lord Guo, this envoy represents the face of the State of Song. You also know how honored Sir Jia's standing is. You brought us all this way, and now that we've reached the foot of the mountain, one word of 'unfortunate timing' is supposed to send us rolling back the way we came? Is this how Jin treats its guests?"

Jia Wuqun clasped his hands behind his back and lowered his head to look at the ground.

Ritual and propriety mattered in exchanges between states. Guo Wenshang was slightly embarrassed. He had brought guests out to see the sights; turning around and taking them away the moment they reached the foot of the mountain truly was improper. Forget diplomatic etiquette between states—even an ordinary household would not treat guests that way.

There was also a reason he had personally accompanied Jia Wuqun.

Jia Wuqun's appearance in the Wei military camp to meet with Song's delegation had already put Jin on alert. This "Hidden Chancellor," who rarely appeared in public, had suddenly gone to the battlefield, then abruptly come to Jin. No one knew whether Song had developed some new intention.

At this point, with the war already fought to such a stage, Jin did not want too many cultivator forces from other states joining the conflict. Otherwise, the drain on Jin's own strength would become too great, and Jin had no desire to see that happen.

A man who had reached Guo Wenshang's position hardly cared about sightseeing for its own sake. Accompanying someone on an outing always served a purpose.

Now he had brought Jia Wuqun here, only for them not even to see the Fire God Temple before being turned back. That truly would be inappropriate.

Still, the smile on Guo Wenshang's face did not change. He pressed both hands downward. "Lord Mai, you misunderstand. There is no need for riddles among discerning men. You must have heard what happened to the Seventh Princess. Under such circumstances, barging in rashly would be inappropriate. I merely have some concerns. At the very least, we should send word first. Be patient."

He turned, drew the officer guarding the mountain aside, and whispered to him for a while.

Afterward, the officer hurried away, running all the way up the mountain to report.

Mai Deman quietly glanced at Jia Wuqun's reaction and clicked his tongue inwardly. This Hidden Chancellor truly was no ordinary man. Ever since deciding to meet the Seventh Princess, he had laid one thread after another—the Fire God Temple, then Guo Wenshang—and now each thread was burning exactly where he had intended.

The Seventh Princess would not leave the palace, so she had been lured out. Even after she left the palace, meeting her would still be difficult, so Guo Wenshang had been positioned in advance. Without Guo Wenshang, they might not even have been allowed up the mountain today.

The matter was difficult, yet not difficult. In this Hidden Chancellor's hands, every obstacle had been dissolved with casual ease.

After personally witnessing Jia Wuqun's ability, Mai Deman found it almost a pity that the man had never become a diplomatic envoy.

The guests waited below.

Up on the mountain, the vast Fire God Temple was unusually quiet. Incense smoke curled through the air, while guards stood watch at scattered points around the grounds.

Inside the main hall, Noble Consort Lan and her daughter, Taishu Huan'er, knelt beneath the fierce and grim visage of the Fire God statue, praying devoutly. Mother and daughter were both beautiful, their faces solemn with sincerity.

The officer who had come to report reached the entrance to the main hall and was stopped by a eunuch waiting outside.

The officer peered inside. Seeing that the women were still praying, he knew it would indeed be inappropriate to interrupt them. He therefore leaned toward the eunuch and whispered a few words.

The eunuch nodded faintly and pressed one hand downward, signaling him to wait.

Inside the hall, the solemn temple officiant standing to one side glanced toward the doorway several times, taking in everything happening outside.

When mother and daughter finished their prayers and rose, Noble Consort Lan made a small gesture. A palace maid immediately stepped forward and presented the temple officiant with a gold note from the All-Under-Heaven Money House.

"My daughter and I have disturbed your temple by bringing so many people up the mountain. This small incense offering is merely a token of our regard." Noble Consort Lan indicated that he should accept it.

"Your Ladyship is too gracious." The temple officiant received the gold note with both hands, bowed first to Noble Consort Lan, then saluted Taishu Huan'er. Yet after the formalities, he offered the Princess one additional remark. "Judging from the Princess's complexion, you should keep your distance from noisy people and remain close to quiet ones. Only then can the heart become clear, the spirit become settled, and misfortune be avoided."

Whether among the imperial clan or ordinary people, most still held some measure of awe toward mystical pronouncements of this kind. Otherwise, the Fire God Temple would not exist in the first place, nor would mother and daughter have come here. Those who presided over temples in particular always carried a faintly mysterious aura that made people more inclined to ponder their words.

The temple officiant's sudden remark seemed to strike directly at something. Noble Consort Lan, who had been about to leave, immediately stopped. "May I ask what counts as a noisy person, and what counts as a quiet person?"

Expectation showed faintly in her eyes. The bitterness in her heart had nowhere to go.

She had once believed her daughter was His Majesty's precious jewel and would certainly marry a fine husband someday. Her daughter would gain happiness, and when Noble Consort Lan herself grew old and her beauty faded, she too would have someone to rely upon. Who could have imagined His Majesty would be so heartless as to make her daughter give herself to Chen Changgong?

Noble Consort Lan herself was only in her thirties. Chen Changgong had already passed fifty, yet he was supposed to marry her daughter. Was a man in his fifties truly expected to call her "Mother"? How could she possibly accept such a thing?

She had wept and pleaded before Taishu Xiong as well. That is the daughter you cherish most. How can you bear to do this?

It had been useless. One ill-chosen remark had even provoked Taishu Xiong's fury.

She understood as well that this war concerned the fate of the state. Amid the schemes and counter-schemes of all those men and the violent storms they stirred up, a woman like her was merely one leaf tossed about by the wind. Nothing she said mattered. In the end, she had no choice but to submit.

Once she was forced to face reality, she could only comfort herself. So Chen Changgong was older. If he rendered some great service, at least he might still become someone they could rely upon.

Who could have imagined that old bastard Yin Chu would show not the slightest regard for the Princess? He ignored the imperial command. Refusing to let Chen Changgong and the Princess withdraw from danger and return was already bad enough—he had even killed Chen Changgong with his own hands!

When Noble Consort Lan heard the news, it was as though five thunderbolts had struck her at once. After something like that, how could her daughter ever marry? What man of even modest standing would dare take her as his wife?

She fainted on the spot. After waking, she wept, then went to the Emperor and wept again, begging him to punish Yin Chu severely. In her hatred, she wished Taishu Xiong would exterminate Yin Chu's entire clan to vent the fury in her heart.

Yet the Emperor only wore a dark expression. Not only did he show no intention of severely punishing Yin Chu, he warned her that she was forbidden to cry over the matter and forbidden to mention to anyone that Yin Chu had killed Chen Changgong. He even ordered her to command everyone around her not to leak a single word, threatening that otherwise he would make certain her mouth could never open again.

After that, he bestowed lavish rewards on Chen Changgong's wife and son, treating what had happened to his own daughter as though it were nothing—as though she had simply been a plaything handed over to Chen Changgong.

For the Emperor to be so heartless, to handle matters in such a way—how was her daughter supposed to bear it? How was Noble Consort Lan herself supposed to bear it?

After her daughter returned, she too spent her days washing her face with tears. The Emperor had not even come to look at her once.

One misfortune after another had descended upon them. When Noble Consort Lan heard that worshiping at the Fire God Temple could burn away ill fortune, she dragged her daughter here regardless of whether it truly worked and regardless of whether Taishu Huan'er wanted to come. She could only hope and pray that the Fire God might remove their misfortune.

Now, hearing the temple officiant's words, something stirred in her heart. She desperately wanted a clearer explanation.

The temple officiant answered calmly, "Calamity comes from the mouth; men's words are fearsome. Those who speak too much invite trouble. Quiet people are sparing of speech."

His manner suggested he had said all there was to say. He bowed to see them off.

Noble Consort Lan only half understood and turned the words over in her mind.

Wasn't it true that calamity came from the mouth and that those who spoke too much invited trouble? If Shao Pingbo had not meddled and spoken too much, how could her daughter ever have suffered this disaster?

And weren't men's words fearsome? Who knew how many people were now pointing fingers behind their backs and stabbing mother and daughter in the spine with gossip?

As for quiet people being sparing of speech, she could not quite understand what that meant.

"Thank you, Master, for your guidance." Noble Consort Lan inclined herself slightly in thanks. Then mother and daughter left the main hall.

The moment they stepped outside, the eunuch waiting at the door approached. "Your Ladyship, General Li has something to report."

Noble Consort Lan looked toward the officer guarding the mountain. "General Li, what is it?"

General Li stepped forward and cupped his hands. "Grand Herald Guo Wenshang has brought distinguished guests from Song to tour the Fire God Temple. Because Your Ladyship and the Princess are here, Nanling Mountain has been sealed. Lord Guo asks Your Ladyship to show grace and permit their party to come up."

Noble Consort Lan looked surprised. "What sort of distinguished guest requires Lord Guo to accompany him personally?"

General Li replied, "The guest is Song envoy Mai Deman, but Lord Guo said the truly distinguished guest is Jia Wuqun, Song's 'Hidden Chancellor.' The matter concerns affairs of state, so he asks Your Ladyship for understanding."

Displeasure showed faintly on Noble Consort Lan's face. The implication seemed to be that even if she, a Noble Consort, did not wish to let them up the mountain, she had no choice.

Displeased or not, however, her status was only one of honor. When state affairs were involved, between her and Guo Wenshang, it was indeed Guo Wenshang whose judgment prevailed. If she delayed some matter of state, the consequences were not something she could bear.

"What is this 'Hidden Chancellor'? What office is that? And who is Jia Wuqun? Why has this consort never heard of him?" Noble Consort Lan frowned. If she was expected to yield, she at least wanted to know to whom. She could hardly lower her head without even knowing who the man was.

"This..." General Li hesitated. "This general does not know exactly who he is either, but judging from the situation, he is no ordinary person. Your Ladyship, Lord Guo is accompanying him personally and treating him with great courtesy. This should not be taken lightly."

It was a reminder not to dig in her heels over such a matter. She would gain nothing and might suffer for it.

Guo Wenshang had also privately warned him that this concerned state affairs and Noble Consort Lan must not be allowed to spoil anything. If His Majesty later assigned blame because General Li had failed to understand what mattered, he would not be able to bear the consequences either.

An elderly eunuch standing nearby suddenly spoke. "Your Ladyship, this old servant has heard a little about Jia Wuqun, the Hidden Chancellor."

Noble Consort Lan gave a soft sound of interest. "Tell me."

The old eunuch said, "This man is an honored retainer in the household of Song Chancellor Zi Pingxiu. It is said that Zi Pingxiu has held the chancellorship of Song for many years with considerable reliance on this man's counsel. Jia Wuqun therefore has significant influence over the Chancellor of Song and came to be called the 'Hidden Chancellor.'"

"'Hidden Chancellor' is merely a name used in outside rumor, not an actual office. I hear this man holds no official position whatsoever. Even when the former Mu imperial clan of Song invited him to enter court as an official, he refused. He is a private man without rank or office."

Noble Consort Lan's expression grew more serious.

She might not know Jia Wuqun, but how could she not have heard of Zi Pingxiu? He was a Chancellor who had held enormous power in Song for years. Even after the Mu imperial clan lost the throne, Zi Pingxiu had remained secure in the chancellorship. His position within Song was obvious.

And this Jia Wuqun was actually someone capable of influencing Zi Pingxiu.

No wonder.

A female cultivator accompanying them as a guard suddenly added, "I've heard a little about Jia Wuqun as well. Years ago, this man overestimated himself and ran to the Misty Pavilion spouting nonsense. The Misty Pavilion tore his tongue out by the root and threw it to the dogs. It became quite a joke at the time, and people mockingly nicknamed him 'Tongueless Jia.'"

"Ah? They tore out his tongue and fed it to dogs? Such a thing actually happened? Without a tongue, wouldn't that make him a mute..." Noble Consort Lan could not help laughing.

Then her smile abruptly froze.

Something seemed to occur to her. She looked back at the towering, stern, awe-inspiring statue of the Fire God inside the main hall, then slowly turned her gaze toward her daughter.

The taciturn Taishu Huan'er seemed to realize something at the same moment. She happened to look toward her mother, and from the look in Noble Consort Lan's eyes, she could roughly guess what her mother had thought of.

"Could it really be that the Fire God has manifested..." Noble Consort Lan murmured.

[End of Chapter 1220]