Chapter 1517: The Sun Has Risen in the West

Shang Yongzhong refused to believe that, with all the eyes and ears Gao Jiancheng had inside the palace, he could possibly be unaware that the sect leaders of the Three Great Sects had arrived. Of one thing he was certain: Gao Jiancheng had far more informants in the palace than he did. Shang Yongzhong's own position was awkward, so he could not stretch his hands too far. If even he had heard the news, there was no chance Gao Jiancheng had not.

Gao Jiancheng looked puzzled. "What signs could there be?"

Old fox! Shang Yongzhong suppressed the urge to spit in his face. "Shang Chaozong slaughtered Xiaoyue Pavilion, exterminating the entire sect by ruthless means, and then publicly named His Majesty as another of the murderers. What does he intend? And now, of all times, the sect leaders of all Three Great Sects suddenly come here. Aren't you worried something might happen?"

Gao Jiancheng gave an "oh" and seemed to think it over. "Your Highness, aren't you overthinking it? Isn't it perfectly normal for the sect leaders of the Three Great Sects to come see His Majesty?"

Shang Yongzhong stared, growing anxious. "Lord Gao, is there any point pretending to be muddleheaded with me? Gong Lince arrived first. His Majesty went to pay him a visit, and Gong Lince refused even to see him... Don't tell me you didn't know."

Gao Jiancheng exclaimed, "Such a thing happened?"

"..."

Shang Yongzhong could only stare at him. In the end he was so angry he laughed. "You can't play it like this. Fine, Lord Gao. You win." He turned and walked away.

Gao Jiancheng thought he was leaving and had just been about to say, "Take care, Your Highness," when Shang Yongzhong unexpectedly dragged over a chair and came back. He set it down beside Gao Jiancheng, sat, and said with complete seriousness, "Now I've told you, so you know too. What do we do?"

Gao Jiancheng was momentarily speechless. In the end, he still played dumb. "If Sect Leader Gong refused to see him, he naturally had his reasons. Presumably there's some matter involved."

"When have you ever seen His Majesty go to visit the sect leaders of the Three Great Sects and be refused an audience?" Shang Yongzhong shot back. Then he stopped circling the subject and swept a hand. "I'm not going to keep winding around this damned nonsense with you. Lord Gao, you, I, and His Majesty are grasshoppers tied to the same cord. If anything happens to His Majesty, neither of us will escape."

Gao Jiancheng fell silent for a moment. "Did His Majesty send you?"

"You're overthinking it. His Majesty is probably hurrying to see the three sect leaders right now, desperate to learn what's happening. At a time like this, how could he have thought of us yet?"

Gao Jiancheng hesitated. "We should probably learn what the situation is first."

Shang Yongzhong gave him a meaningful look. "Lord Gao, given the things you and I have done, Shang Chaozong probably won't let either of us go. If you have some countermeasure, we need to keep each other informed. And if there's anything you need me to do, don't stand on ceremony."

That was the real purpose of his visit. He had rushed here in a panic, yet this old fellow was still calmly handling official business as though nothing were happening. He was far too composed.

That made Shang Yongzhong suspect the old fox had already prepared some way out. If disaster came, he hoped to pull Gao Jiancheng into standing or falling with him.

Gao Jiancheng almost laughed. This prince's reactions were remarkably quick. He was not particularly capable in other matters, but when it came to reading dangers like these, his head was very clear. He had realized almost immediately that a crisis was closing in.

Then again, it was understandable. Without that much ability, he could never have stood out among the many members of the imperial clan and climbed to his present position.

...

Long Xiu and Meng Xuan arrived at the palace one after the other. After asking the disciples of their respective sects stationed there about the situation, they likewise went one after the other to the place where Gong Lince was staying.

The representatives of the three sides had only just seated themselves in a pavilion when a disciple hurried over and reported, "Sect Leader, His Majesty has arrived and is requesting an audience outside."

Gong Lince said blandly, "Tell him the three of us have important matters to discuss. Ask His Majesty to return for now. We will choose a time to pay him a visit."

"Yes!" The disciple took the order and left.

Long Xiu and Meng Xuan exchanged looks. Long Xiu drawled, "Brother Gong, are you trying to frighten His Majesty or something?"

Gong Lince said, "Do I need to frighten him?"

Meng Xuan said, "It wasn't easy getting here. Out with it. Why were you in such a hurry to summon us?"

It truly had not been easy. The flying mounts of every sect had now been confiscated by Misty Pavilion. Even as sect leaders of major factions, the two men had been forced to ride horses across long distances, jolting along for ages. They rather missed the days when they still had flying mounts. Their efficiency in handling matters had fallen enormously, and even the senior figures of the three sects had become reluctant to travel.

Gong Lince said, "Precisely because getting around isn't easy, I didn't ask the two of you to come all the way to Zijin Cave. Meeting here in the capital makes the journey shorter for everyone. Naturally, if I asked you to travel this far, something has happened. Ai, that Shang Chaozong in Nanzhou never lets anyone rest easy. He exterminated Xiaoyue Pavilion just because he felt like it."

Long Xiu snorted. "Spare me. Without Zijin Cave backing him up and giving him courage, would a pack of mere mortals dare bare their teeth at Xiaoyue Pavilion?"

Meng Xuan said, "Spare us the cat mourning the mouse. What is it?"

Gong Lince sighed. "What else could it be? You've both seen what Shang Chaozong did. Yes, that's right, Zijin Cave supported the move against Xiaoyue Pavilion. But you can imagine why. What kind of thing was Xiaoyue Pavilion? Its wolfish ambitions were plain to every passerby. How could I tolerate them plotting on Zijin Cave's territory? Since Shang Chaozong intended to act, Zijin Cave merely pushed the boat with the current."

"But who would have thought that bastard would take a foot after being given an inch? He's desperate to avenge his blood feud and has now set his sights on Shang Jianxiong as well. I won't hide it from either of you. He intends to raise an army for revenge and use the opportunity to replace Shang Jianxiong!"

Long Xiu said coldly, "Does he think we're decorations?"

Meng Xuan barked, "He dares!"

Gong Lince said, "What wouldn't he dare? For revenge, he already exterminated Xiaoyue Pavilion."

Long Xiu said, "He's a dog raised by Zijin Cave. Don't tell us you can't control him."

Gong Lince said, "He insists on taking revenge. He's even willing to break with Zijin Cave over it. What am I supposed to do? Truly fall out with him? All that territory is held by his troops. If I really dispose of him, chaos is inevitable. Wouldn't the two of you immediately take advantage of the opening?"

Long Xiu said, "What are you rambling about? Are you putting on an opera for us?"

Gong Lince waved a hand. "I'm not joking. This time he's set his heart on revenge. But Zijin Cave doesn't want Yan thrown into disorder at a moment like this either. After I persuaded him, he finally loosened his stance. Give him the whole State of Yan, and he's willing to turn spears and shields into jade and silk and let the matter end there."

"So I came here to discuss it with the two of you. Why not simply let it go? Shang Jianxiong is useless anyway. We might as well hand Yan over to Shang Chaozong. Good for you, good for me, good for everyone. What do you think?"

Long Xiu said, "Are you joking with us? Zijin Cave already controls that much territory and still isn't satisfied? Now you want to swallow even more?"

Gong Lince reached into his sleeve and took out two sheets of paper. After glancing at each, he placed them on the table and pushed one toward each man, gesturing for them to read.

The two exchanged a look and each picked up a sheet.

One glance was enough to alarm them. Both men's expressions darkened. Long Xiu raised his eyes and stared coldly at Gong Lince.

Gong Lince held his teacup and leisurely blew across the steam before taking slow sips.

Meng Xuan glanced at Long Xiu's reaction and immediately understood that the material in their hands must be similar. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Gong, you think you can use this to threaten us? Forget it! The Three Sacred Venerables have already declared that past offenses will not be pursued!"

What they held concerned the old Misty Pavilion inspection. To deal with the pressure coming from the Sacred Realm, the two sects had secretly participated in operations to seize Misty Pavilion personnel, and during those arrests some Misty Pavilion people had inevitably been killed.

Naturally, the papers did not record every improper act committed by the two sects, but they did contain solid evidence concerning some of them.

Neither man knew how Gong Lince had obtained the evidence. Yet they both understood what had happened at the time. No sect had said much openly, but in private, nearly everyone had resorted to similar measures for self-preservation.

Gong Lince lowered his teacup. "Yes, they did say past offenses would not be pursued. But times change. The Three Sacred Venerables only said that because the situation has forced them into difficulty. If they truly stabilize matters, can either of you guarantee Misty Pavilion won't settle these old accounts? Especially when the evidence is laid out plainly before them?"

Long Xiu said heavily, "Zijin Cave's own backside isn't any cleaner."

Gong Lince chuckled. "Careful what you say. Words can't be thrown around carelessly. Do you have evidence? I have evidence I can submit to Misty Pavilion! You should both understand that if the Three Sacred Venerables stabilize the situation, then for the sake of Zijin Cave's interests in Yan, we will inevitably hand this evidence to Misty Pavilion. As for whether Misty Pavilion chooses to deal with you afterward, Zijin Cave can only wait and see. Why don't the two of you gamble on your luck?"

Both men's faces darkened. Long Xiu stood. "Then you can wait until the Three Sacred Venerables actually stabilize the situation!"

Meng Xuan rose as well. "At least for now, the Three Sacred Venerables are still keeping their word. At least for now, they may not dare touch us!"

The two turned to leave. They could not accept such coercion easily. Zijin Cave's present sphere of influence was already enormous. It held half the former State of Qin in addition to its territory in Yan. Added together, that was already comparable to what their two sects controlled combined. If they also allowed Zijin Cave's man to seize supreme power over Yan, how were Xiaoyao Palace and Lingjian Mountain supposed to survive?

But Gong Lince smilingly threw out his true trump card. "Zijin Cave is willing to take out the territory it currently controls and divide it equally among Xiaoyao Palace and Lingjian Mountain."

The two sect leaders, who had not yet left the pavilion, stopped.

They looked at one another, then slowly turned back together.

Long Xiu asked, "Did I hear you correctly?"

Gong Lince said, "All the territory in Yan, and half of Qin's former territory. We'll put it all on the table and redraw the divisions. Whatever extra territory Zijin Cave currently holds, we are willing to redistribute so all three sects receive equal shares." He gestured toward their seats.

The two sect leaders exchanged another look.

Now they could not leave. Nor did they want to. At the very least, they had to understand what Gong Lince meant. Slowly, they returned to the table and sat.

Meng Xuan tested him. "Has the sun risen in the west? Since when did Zijin Cave become so generous?"

Gong Lince said, "There is no wall beneath Heaven that doesn't leak wind. You two were willing to let Zijin Cave take half of Qin. Did you think I didn't know what malicious intentions you harbored? First, you had no choice but to compromise under pressure from the State of Han, and after Shang Chaozong sealed you off, you were ultimately forced to withdraw. Second, you wanted Zijin Cave standing in front of Xiping Pass. You wanted us to face Jin's eastern campaign alone while the two of you hid behind us and watched Zijin Cave bleed itself away."

With an inside man like Gao Jiancheng in place, what could possibly remain hidden from him?

Their strategic intentions laid bare, Long Xiu showed no expression. Meng Xuan merely raised an eyebrow.

[End of Chapter 1517]