Chapter 479: Arrangements

The instant Count Zheng finished speaking, Sun Liang collapsed with a thud.

The feeling of surviving disaster caused all the tension in his mind to vanish at once. He nearly fainted where he fell.

Sun Ying, meanwhile, bit down so hard on his lip that blood seeped out.

Though crippled, he had always possessed a certain vitality in his gaze.

Now... his eyes had turned completely clouded.

Count Zheng did not remain at the Sun Residence.

He ordered his men to release the household servants, then left one detachment stationed outside the gates.

Afterward, he mounted the Pixiu and returned to the Prefect’s residence beneath the close protection of his personal guards.

After all, the Prefect’s residence was now the true center of Yingdu.

Prince Cheng Residence had become more of a symbolic landmark.

On the way back, the Savage King did not ride.

Instead, he deliberately walked beside the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint did not ask him anything.

But Gou Moli began explaining on his own.

Who could blame him?

His identity itself was already an original sin.

And the Savage King understood perfectly well that even after the great merit he had earned today, he still ranked far below the Sword Saint in Count Zheng’s heart.

Besides, he had begun to understand the other Demon Kings.

They did not appear particularly obsessed with concepts such as good and evil.

Their way of doing things resembled their Master’s.

Everything revolved around their own preferences.

The Savage King even suspected they did not care very much about their supposed original identity as “Yan people.”

The Sword Saint was different.

He had changed greatly, true.

But Gou Moli did not dare relax around him in the slightest.

The Sword Saint of the past would never have simply walked forward and killed that masked man with one sword.

Even if he knew perfectly well that killing the man would be easy, he would still have announced:

*I am about to strike. Prepare yourself.*

“Our Count’s move just now could truly be called turning his hand to summon clouds and flipping it to summon rain.

“First, he saved the Sun Clan.

“Judging from what that old man Sun Youdao said, he is preparing to return to public affairs.

“Otherwise, relying on his second son Sun Liang alone, there is no way this agreement could be carried out.

“Yingdu is in chaos now.

“Whether it is the city’s great families, the common people, or the Great Yan court, everyone actually wants the same thing:

“Stabilize Yingdu as quickly as possible.

“Sun Youdao already possesses enormous prestige. His seniority is unmatched, and everyone knows his ability.

“Riding this momentum, even if he simply sits at home and does nothing, Yingdu’s officials will come petitioning for him to emerge and take charge.

“The imperial court may even send down a gracious decree hinting that he should step forward and help settle the situation.

“And once Sun Youdao returns this time, the period he spent in retirement will not diminish his position.

“Quite the opposite.

“He will ride this wind and gain an even deeper grip over Yingdu, the former center of Great Cheng.

“That will also make it easier for him to fulfill everything he promised our Count.

“Second, once the story spreads that Sun Ying betrayed his fellow conspirators, the entire rebel network throughout Jin will hate him.

“No.

“Not merely Sun Ying.

“The entire Sun Clan will be hated.

“In other words, the Sun Clan’s reputation is ruined.

“They have been bound completely to our Count’s ship and no longer possess any road back.”

The Sword Saint listened, then asked:

“Earlier you said everyone would petition Sun Youdao to return and preside over Yingdu.

“Now you say the Sun Clan’s reputation will be ruined.

“Isn’t that contradictory?”

The Savage King shook his head.

“Not contradictory at all.

“A sword has two edges.

“People are the same.

“Once today’s affair spreads, Yingdu’s nobles and common people will actually want Sun Youdao to return even more strongly.

“The great households will be afraid that after this rebellion, the Great Yan court will seize the opportunity to reach more deeply into Yingdu’s affairs, reducing their authority and suppressing their position.

“The ordinary people will fear more rebellions, more military disasters, and another round of displacement that destroys their livelihoods.

“But the Sun Clan will have just performed great service by helping the Yan people wipe out the rebels.

“So in the eyes of the powerful and the common people alike, the Sun Clan will have become genuine people of the Yan court.

“If Sun Youdao steps forward to preside over Yingdu, everyone will believe he can withstand pressure from Yanjing.

“They can all enjoy the shade beneath his tree.

“But how should I explain it...

“That is only one edge.

“The other is that once people no longer fear for their own lives, they begin thinking about all sorts of useless nonsense.

“They themselves drift with the current like water weeds without a spine, yet shamelessly love laughing at others.

“It will be the same nobles.

“The same officials.

“During the day, when they meet members of the Sun Clan in the street or inside a yamen, they will bow and flatter them.

“At night, after three cups of piss-wine with a few friends, they will curse Sun Youdao from head to toe.

“They will call him a traitor who sold his lord for glory.

“A traitor who sold his state for glory.

“The ordinary people of Yingdu will invent plenty of stories about him too.

“Behind closed doors, they will first spit on the ground, curse ‘Old Dog Sun,’ then wonder when that Jin-traitor or Cheng-traitor is finally going to die.

“Being the man everyone looks to and being notorious are not contradictory at all.

“In the end, there simply are not many people in this world willing to stand up and disregard everything.

“Do you think everyone is like you, willing to walk alone in front of a wall of cavalry sabers?

“Besides... even you have been cursed by people, haven’t you?”

The Sword Saint pondered for a long time.

Finally, he said:

“Troublesome.”

“But you seem to have taken it more easily than I expected.”

“I realized thinking too much makes me irritated.

“So I stopped thinking about it.”

“That is enlightenment.

“True clarity.”

They arrived at the Prefect’s residence.

This time, Count Zheng did not ask the Sword Saint to enter first.

If even the Prefect’s residence was unsafe now, then it would mean the rebels had already completely conquered Yingdu.

That was obviously impossible.

The moment news spread that Count Zheng had returned, Prefect Mao and Prince Cheng Situ Yu personally came out to receive him.

Count Zheng had already obtained what he wanted and accomplished his goal.

Naturally, there was no reason to keep wearing a hostile face.

If nothing else, Mao Mingcai had already knelt before him once earlier.

At minimum, Zheng Fan now needed to preserve some dignity for the man.

“Greetings, Prince Cheng. Greetings, Lord Prefect.

“Your Highness, Lord Mao, please be at ease.

“The rebel forces inside the city have basically been suppressed.

“Only the final cleanup remains.”

Situ Yu said:

“It is fortunate Count Pingye was here.

“Truly, this is Yingdu’s good fortune.”

Mao Mingcai stroked his beard and nodded.

“Indeed.

“If Count Pingye had not happened to be here, this disturbance would certainly have kept both this official and His Highness frantically occupied.”

The three entered the official chamber together.

There, Count Zheng explained the affair to the two of them.

Naturally... he did not tell them the truth.

“So Grand Tutor Sun can indeed be considered a man utterly loyal to the state,” Mao Mingcai sighed after hearing the story.

Truthfully, he had not believed it at first.

He did not believe Sun Youdao would do such a thing.

In Mao Mingcai’s view, Sun Youdao’s convictions had never been that shallow.

The “conviction” in question was not loyalty to Great Yan.

It was another form of attachment to one’s old state and people.

As Mao Mingcai saw it, Sun Youdao could simply have watched the fire from the opposite bank.

There had been no need for him to make his own eldest son cooperate from within with Count Pingye.

What would Sun Youdao gain from that?

The Emperor himself had once issued a decree inviting Sun Youdao to Yanjing and offering him office.

Sun Youdao refused on the grounds of advanced age and weak health.

Everyone understood “advanced age and weak health” was merely an official excuse.

In plain language, the man simply did not wish to bend himself and serve Yan.

Everyone could understand that.

If you did not want to serve, then fine.

The Emperor and court had not made trouble for him.

But if you refused an office in Yanjing one moment, then secretly contacted Count Pingye the next so father and son could cooperate from within and without... what exactly were you trying to do?

Of course, Mao Mingcai could never say those words aloud.

Doing so would violate an enormous taboo.

You could not declare that someone being loyal to Great Yan was somehow wrong.

And Count Zheng’s previous actions had been too flawless.

Step by step.

Prediction after prediction.

Every response made in advance.

The arrangement seemed too perfect.

So Mao Mingcai had accepted that someone must have warned Count Zheng beforehand and arranged to cooperate with him from inside the city.

Emotionally, he still found it difficult to understand.

Rationally... he had already accepted reality.

After Situ Yu heard the explanation, a shadow passed through his eyes.

He hid it quickly.

His own position was deeply awkward.

As Situ Lei’s son, did he want to restore his father’s former glory?

Did he want the Situ Clan to once again dominate eastern Jin?

Of course he did.

But first, he understood that Great Yan was enormously powerful and its armies formidable, while his own side clearly lacked sufficient strength.

Even the capable Jin forces his father had left behind had long since been forcibly reorganized by the Marquis of Jingnan and transferred to the Fengxin City front.

Second...

Situ Yu could not bear to give up his current life.

Situ Lei’s final desperate strike before death had preserved Yingdu.

Then his final decree submitting to Great Yan had obtained for Situ Yu a hereditary princely title beneath the Great Yan court.

He could no longer style himself as a sovereign.

But the title guaranteed wealth and honor for him and his descendants generation after generation.

Still, after hearing from Count Zheng what Sun Youdao had supposedly “done,” Situ Yu could not help feeling resentment.

Because he understood perfectly well:

If the rebels had succeeded... they would inevitably have supported him as Emperor.

Fortunately, the Sword Saint had not entered the official chamber.

Whenever Count Zheng found himself in an absolutely secure environment, he could let himself speak freely.

Otherwise, the Sword Saint would very quickly have found a perfect example of what the Savage King had explained to him earlier.

“So, Lord Mao, Your Highness, I believe there are three things we need to do now.

“First, Lord Mao should use the authority of the Prefect of Yingdu to transfer another force here to garrison the city.”

Naturally, the force transferred in would be Yan troops.

Another thing went unspoken.

If additional Yan troops were brought in, then some of the Jin troops from the north and south camps outside Yingdu would naturally be transferred elsewhere.

Yingdu was simply too important.

It was better to hold it firmly in Yan hands.

Mao Mingcai nodded.

“Second, I ask Lord Mao to open the prefectural treasury immediately.

“At the same time, I ask Your Highness to release some stores from Prince Cheng Residence.

“This rebellion was suppressed inside the city.

“Once the army has entered Yingdu and restored order, the troops must immediately be rewarded.

“The Jingnan soldiers who entered the city and the troops from the West Gate Camp naturally deserve generous rewards.

“At the same time, the north and south camps must also be reassured and rewarded.

“They are probably the most unsettled forces at this moment.

“And their stability was one of the major reasons this rebellion could be suppressed so quickly.

“Furthermore, rewarding the army promptly will help stabilize the soldiers.

“Otherwise, I worry the common people inside Yingdu may suffer.”

Great Yan’s military discipline was strict.

But that discipline referred mainly to troops on campaign and during battle.

Its ordinary peacetime discipline was another matter entirely.

And once soldiers had killed until their eyes turned red and hot blood surged through their heads, it was perfectly normal for them to finish killing the rebels and then begin burning, killing, and plundering nearby.

Why were massacres after long sieges so common?

Because after months of pressure and tension, soldiers entered a city carrying emotions wound to the breaking point.

Once the walls finally fell, all of that fury needed somewhere to go.

Sometimes even the commander could not stop them.

Push too hard and the soldiers might mutiny against their own officers.

This was also one reason the imperial court wanted to reclaim local governing authority.

Military strongmen administering civilian territory were genuinely not friendly toward ordinary people.

Mao Mingcai immediately said:

“Naturally.

“This official will send men back at once to open the treasury and prepare rewards for the soldiers.

“Since one should not trouble two masters with the same affair, I ask Count Pingye to work a little harder and personally distribute the rewards.”

Mao Mingcai’s relationship with Zheng Fan had become very strange.

During the day they had stood in absolute opposition, civil against military.

Now... there was somehow the feeling that both men had been intoxicated by the wind blowing across Jin.

Of course, Mao Mingcai did not make the suggestion purely because he wanted to build a friendship with Zheng Fan.

At least, that was not his entire reason.

More importantly, he wanted to block Situ Yu before the young Prince could say anything.

Once Yan took control of Cheng territory, Prince Cheng Residence had naturally been cut away from the Jin military forces beneath it.

Prince Cheng could drink himself senseless every day inside his Yingdu residence if he wished.

Nobody cared.

But he absolutely could not touch military authority again.

Rewarding soldiers was an obvious way to purchase loyalty.

There was no possibility of allowing Situ Yu to do it.

Sure enough, once Mao Mingcai finished, Situ Yu said:

“This Prince will have the rewards from the princely stores delivered to Count Pingye afterward.

“I will trouble the Count to distribute them.”

Count Zheng nodded.

“Many thanks for Lord Mao and Your Highness’s trust.”

Mao Mingcai then asked:

“Count Pingye, what is the third matter?”

“The third is punishment.

“Where there are rewards, there must naturally be penalties.

“Only clear rewards and punishments can secure long-term peace.

“This rebellion implicated many officials.

“There were even more guilty of dereliction.

“And still more who simply closed one eye and pretended not to see.

“I believe severe law should be used this time as a warning to others.”

Situ Yu looked worried.

“But if we do that, might it destabilize people’s hearts?”

Count Zheng answered immediately:

“That is why I recommend inviting Grand Tutor Sun to return and have him purge and reorganize Yingdu’s official administration.

“First, Grand Tutor Sun has always possessed great prestige within Yingdu. His presence can settle people’s hearts.

“Second, he knows Yingdu exceptionally well.

“When the purge begins, he will know exactly where to cut.

“Naturally, Lord Mao must preside over the entire process.”

Mao Mingcai narrowed his eyes.

Something about the matter seemed almost too smooth.

Yet he could not identify the problem.

Count Zheng’s recommendation was perfectly reasonable.

Even if Zheng Fan had said nothing, the imperial court would probably have invited Grand Tutor Sun to return after this affair.

“This Prince believes it is feasible,” Situ Yu said quickly.

Earlier, he had secretly resented Sun Youdao.

But he understood something even more clearly.

Having Sun Youdao step forward was infinitely better than allowing Yanjing to send some new ruthless official to Yingdu.

In the end, Mao Mingcai nodded as well.

“Count Pingye’s words are entirely correct.”

Once the discussion ended, Zheng Fan rose and took his leave.

The rebellion had already been suppressed.

Only one task remained for him tonight: distributing rewards to the army.

But gathering and organizing those rewards would still require a little time.

He could use that interval to return to the relay station, bathe, and rest.

Besides, Yingdu had been full of chaos today.

The Princess had remained alone at the relay station.

He ought to go back and check on her.

After briefly taking leave of Mao Mingcai and Situ Yu, Count Zheng led his people back to the relay station.

The moment he entered, he removed a command token from his waist.

It was an imperial gift, engraved with the words **Count Pingye**.

Count Zheng offered it to the Sword Saint.

The Sword Saint looked puzzled and did not take it.

“What is this?”

“Not counting the City Patrol Office and city garrison, there are still large numbers of troops inside Yingdu transferred in from the camps outside.

“They are still searching for rebel remnants.

“I have already sent Gao Yi to supervise patrols.

“But I’m still worried some soldiers may harass the people.

“This is my command token.

“You can wander around the city and take a look.

“If you encounter soldiers committing crimes, show them my token and stop them.”

The Sword Saint accepted the token and smiled.

“Stop them?”

Zheng Fan smiled back.

“Or, put another way:

“If you kill the soldiers committing crimes and then their comrades surround you, show the token so you can leave safely.”

The Sword Saint nodded.

“How strange.

“The meaning is exactly the same.

“But said differently, it feels completely different.”

“So long as you like it.”

The Sword Saint shook his head and tossed the token back to Zheng Fan.

“I’m tired.

“I want to rest.

“You don’t need me to accompany you to the military camp tonight, do you?”

“No.”

“Then I’m going to sleep.”

“Sweet dreams.”

The Sword Saint returned to his room.

Count Zheng put away the command token and turned toward his own quarters.

The Savage King immediately seized the opportunity to sidle up beside the Blind Man.

“I did pretty well today, didn’t I?”

By all logic, the Savage King should not have been so childish.

But whether a person appeared childish depended entirely on who stood beside him.

A superior could display overwhelming dignity before subordinates.

Put that same superior beside people of equal standing, and he might behave no differently from anyone else.

Clearly, Gou Moli regarded the Blind Man as someone on his own level.

The Blind Man nodded.

“I know you wrote an arrest slip.”

“Oh?”

“I also know whose name you wrote.”

The Savage King had been sitting at the table directly opposite him.

The distance had been tiny.

How could the Blind Man’s mental perception possibly have failed to detect it?

“Then why didn’t you stop me?

“Why didn’t you ask what I was doing?”

“Why should I have stopped you?

“Why should I have asked?”

“You weren’t afraid I might ruin everything?”

“If you did it, you naturally had your reasons.

“I simply waited to see what happened.

“Your name is Gou Moli.

“It is not Gou the Second Fool.”

“Was that praise?”

“What do you think?”

“I’ll treat it as praise.”

“That is acceptable.”

“Wonderful.

“We don’t have anything else to do tonight, do we?”

“Other than visiting the army camps once, probably not.”

“Then shall we kill a few more rounds?”

“Using the word ‘kill’ for five-in-a-row seems a little excessive.”

...

Count Zheng entered his room.

Xiong Liqing came forward immediately and helped him remove his armor.

“There was an enormous commotion inside the city today,” the Princess said.

“Mm.

“Did it frighten you?”

“No.

“I was only worried about you.”

“I treasure my life very much.”

“I know.”

Once the armor came off, Count Zheng was just preparing to stretch when the Princess’s fingers accurately found the two raised points on his chest.

Her fingertips began circling them.

“Hiss...”

Count Zheng took half a step backward.

“I’m covered in sweat.

“Don’t let me stink you out.”

The Princess looked at him.

“Then shall we change to this?”

As she spoke, she loosely closed one hand and moved it up and down.

Count Zheng remained silent.

The Princess sat down on a chair, slipped off her shoes, and revealed her bare feet.

“Or this?”

“Heh.”

Count Zheng laughed.

The Princess bit her lip, apparently somewhat confused.

“Elder Sister only taught me these three.

“She said they should be enough for the journey.

“By the time we return home, I should have practiced them all properly.”

“Looks like the two of you get along very well.”

“Yes.”

“I need to visit the military camps again later to distribute rewards.

“Would you like to come with me?

“Treat it as an opportunity to get outside for some air.”

“All right.

“I’ll change clothes.”

“Just wear something ordinary.

“You can dress as a man.”

“That won’t do.

“I need ceremonial dress.”

“We aren’t rewarding our own soldiers.

“There is no need to make it so troublesome.”

“They may not be ours now.

“But who knows whether they will become ours later?”

“You make an excellent point.”

“Hehe.

“Of course.

“By the way, Yingdu has a very famous clothing shop.

“I heard about it even when I was still in Chu.

“I didn’t have any opportunity today.

“Tomorrow I want to go have a look, assuming they open.”

After a day of soldiers and chaos, it would have been perfectly normal for shops to remain closed tomorrow as well.

“They will open.”

Count Zheng sounded exceptionally certain.

“But the clothes there are very expensive,” the Princess warned.

“I want several outfits made from Heavenly Silkworm silk.

“It is a precious material produced in the Tianduan Mountains.”

Count Zheng did not foolishly say:

*Then we’ll just rob the shop.*

He understood perfectly well that women enjoyed the experience and atmosphere of shopping.

Something seized by force somehow felt cheap.

“Fine.

“Tomorrow we’ll go out incognito.

“I’ll accompany you.”

“But it is genuinely very expensive,” the Princess reminded him again.

Count Zheng laughed.

“A man earns money in the first place... so a woman can swindle it away.”

————

[End of Chapter 479]