Chapter 14: Tales of the Past
Chapter 14: Tales of the Past
Pei Su made no effort to conceal himself on his way back to the Governor-General's Office.
Jiang Suining followed slightly behind and to the right of Pei Su, her face unhidden — and the effect this produced was as follows:
Within two hours, every High-class Brothel and tavern in Lin'an Commandery was buzzing with excitement, all discussing one thing and one thing only: the girl of celestial beauty who walked behind the Heir of the Northern Marquis.
Lin'an Commandery, as the provincial capital, was home to people of no small sophistication — yet more than a few of them, upon catching sight of the girl's face, could not help but gawk like country bumpkins.
When had they ever seen such breathtaking beauty?
Word had it that even Yu Meiren, the most celebrated courtesan of Lin'an's Yanwu House, had quietly slipped out for a look — only to feel so ashamed of herself that she wished she could cover her face and flee.
Some went even further, declaring:
"That Bai Liuying, the youngest daughter of the Bai family — the one the jianghu has been calling the most beautiful woman in the world these past few years — surely she can't be any better than this!"
* * *
While the outside world buzzed with talk of Jiang Suining's appearance, Pei Su had already brought her back to Zhuyang Tower.
"Young Lord, who is this?"
Inside the tower, Banxia studied the strikingly beautiful young woman the Young Lord had brought back.
"Banxia, find her a place to stay for now."
"This way, miss, if you please."
Pei Su offered no explanation, and Banxia dared not press him. She simply followed his instructions and led Jiang Suining to a small room on the inner side of the second floor.
Along the way, she naturally tried to probe with a few roundabout questions — but after several exchanges, Banxia felt even more puzzled than before.
This girl's mind was almost unsettlingly pure.
Wherever had the Young Lord found a girl so untainted in both looks and spirit?
* * *
Meanwhile, Pei Su stepped into a secluded room.
Elder Wu, robed in black, gradually materialized within the room as well. With a wave of both hands, a soundproofing Array Formation enveloped the space.
Pei Su settled into a chair and raised his eyes.
"Tell me everything. Twenty years ago — Dragon-Sparrow, Xiao Lin, and all the hidden truths connected to them."
Elder Wu was silent for a long moment before he spoke.
"Does the Young Master know what triggered that chain of events twenty years ago?"
Pei Su answered without hesitation: "The Kongtong Mountain seclusion."
Twenty years ago, whether it was the Battle of Tianque Pass or the theft of the divine blade — at their root, both traced back to the current Emperor's retreat into seclusion on Kongtong Mountain.
What made it all the more baffling was that His Majesty had been in seclusion for twenty years now with no sign of emerging — and to this day, not a single person at court knew the reason for his withdrawal.
His Majesty's retreat to Kongtong shook the realm and threw the court into disorder. The next event it set in motion was the [Kongtong Petition].
The Crown Prince led the assembled ministers to the foot of Kongtong Mountain, where they kowtowed and pleaded for three days and three nights. His Majesty did not respond.
On the third day, Liu Wan, the Right Capital Guard General of the court, drew his sword and forced his way up the mountain, vowing not to retreat until he had seen the Emperor. He was cut down at the mountainside by Nation-Guarding General Pei Jun.
Most of the ministers dispersed. Only the Crown Prince and a handful of loyal old nobles remained — and they knelt there until they died at the foot of Kongtong Mountain.
No one had imagined that His Majesty would truly refuse to emerge, leaving the Crown Prince and the others to perish on their knees.
Afterward, the court swiftly enthroned the young Crown Prince Jing — seven years old — with the Empress Dowager ruling from behind the curtain. Twenty years on, her grip on power had grown deep enough to astonish the world.
"Precisely," Elder Wu nodded. "Then came the Kongtong Petition, the enthronement of the new Crown Prince, the Empress Dowager's regency — and after that, the Chen King's rebellion."
Pei Su's eyes narrowed slightly.
Chen Mang, the Chen King of the North — the most powerful vassal king of foreign surname in the Great Jin Dynasty. His story was nothing short of legendary.
It was said that Chen Mang had once been nothing but a war orphan from Daxing Commandery in Yizhou. He had joined the army just to have a meal, starting as a common foot soldier.
Through hundreds of battles large and small, he rose from squad leader to platoon leader, company commander, and finally to marshal. His strategic brilliance was unmatched, his command of troops almost divine.
In the three hundred and third year of the Yongjin era, he made a military pledge before His Majesty and led a campaign against the northern steppe barbarians.
He personally commanded one hundred thousand iron cavalry to shatter an enemy force of three hundred thousand, reclaimed lost territory, and severed the head of the Great Khan of the Northern Mongols on the Yanran Steppe — carrying it back himself and hurling it onto the floor of the Golden Throne Hall, to the shock of the entire court.
His Majesty was overjoyed. He bestowed upon Chen Mang a golden seal and purple sash, carved out territory and crowned him king, granting him dominion over the thirteen northern provinces with the title King Chen of the North. His mansion was magnificent, his rank equivalent to the Three Excellencies, his glory boundless. He had achieved everything a man could dream of, and the whole realm paid him homage.
More than that — Chen Mang had risen from humble origins and had few entanglements with the great aristocratic clans, which made him a particular favorite of His Majesty, who used him to reform the court and counterbalance the stranglehold of the noble houses over Great Jin's government.
And Chen Mang had always upheld his loyalty and righteousness, maintaining an exceptionally close bond with the Emperor — there were even rumors that in private, they dispensed with the formalities of ruler and subject and addressed each other as sworn brothers of different surnames.
Of course, what Pei Su was recalling came from decades-old dossiers sealed away in the Pei clan's archives.
In the Great Jin of the present day, however, the mere mention of King Chen of the North was enough to make even children in the capital curse his name, and the entire court seethed with righteous indignation:
"That man's heart is crooked and his ambitions treacherous. He defied the Heavenly Dao, violated the natural order, and proved himself utterly devoid of loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, and righteousness."
What they cursed him for, naturally, was his conduct twenty years ago — how, upon hearing of His Majesty's seclusion, he had been consumed by lust for power, mobilized his troops to march south, and had the audacity to dress it up under the banner of "entering the capital to support the throne."
"It was also in that year that my father became the Northern Pacification Marquis, leading one hundred thousand iron cavalry north to Tianque Pass — giving rise to the Battle of Tianque Pass."
"Indeed," Elder Wu's voice was hoarse. "Both the Marquis and King Chen were among the finest commanders in the realm. For a time, the battle fell into a grinding stalemate — and it was under precisely those circumstances that the Imperial Forest Army's Left Central Unit was dispatched to escort the divine blade north."
Pei Su frowned.
"Everything you've said so far is history I already know."
"Young Master!" Elder Wu suddenly curved his lips into a smile. "Every minister at court, every person in the realm, believed that mission was to deliver the divine blade Dragon-Sparrow to the north. But in truth, Dragon-Sparrow was nothing more than a pretext — a cover for... another matter of far greater consequence."
* * *
Twenty li east of Lin'an Commandery, in a desolate village rarely visited by anyone.
Zhao Lan helped the gravely wounded and dying Xiao Lin into a dilapidated thatched hut.
"Uncle Xiao, don't rush — take it slowly. Come, sit down first."
Xiao Lin slumped against the wall, his face ashen, the exposed skin of his body mottled with dark blue-black — a frightening sight.
"Lan'er, I burned my own lifespan and life-blood to barely escape. But I've been poisoned deeply. I doubt I'll survive until tomorrow..."
"Uncle Xiao, you — don't say that!"
Zhao Lan's expression was stricken with grief, his voice slow and unsteady.
But Xiao Lin seized Zhao Lan's shoulders with an iron grip, his eyes wide and blazing.
"Lan'er, if I die, some things may never have answers. The people of this world may never know the truth!"
"Alright, alright — go on..." Zhao Lan was startled by Xiao Lin's agitation. "Twenty years ago, you were the Deputy Commander of the Imperial Forest Army. You were tasked with escorting Dragon-Sparrow north..."
As he said this, Zhao Lan stole a glance at the black cloth wrapped around Xiao Lin's back.
"And Uncle Xiao — did you really steal the court's divine blade?"
On the road to this place, Xiao Lin's poisoned wounds had grown increasingly severe — even flight had become a tremendous struggle — yet he had continued to recount his past in an unbroken stream.
In all the years before, Uncle Xiao had never once spoken of his history.
He had said he was a descendant of the Xiao clan from Ping'an Commandery in Ganzhou. As a young man he had come to the capital, served as a minor soldier performing menial tasks. Through diligent training and repeated meritorious service, he had entered the Feathered-Forest Guard, rising from an ordinary soldier to lieutenant and then to captain.
Later, during the [Taihe Hall Night Raid Incident] at the imperial palace, his outstanding performance earned him appointment as Deputy Commander of the Imperial Forest Army.
"Lan'er, twenty years ago, I and the Imperial Guard Commander of the Gao clan led over a hundred men of the Left Central Guard to escort Dragon-Sparrow northward."
[Author's Note: ① [Taihe Hall Night Raid Incident]: In the two hundred and ninety-eighth year of the Yongjin era, the jianghu demonic cult "Skull Goat" infiltrated the Great Jin capital of the Imperial Capital and launched a midnight assault on the Taihe Hall of the imperial palace. It was only thanks to Lieutenant Xiao Zhongyong leading his men to intercept them that "Skull Goat" failed to breach the hall. To this day, "Skull Goat's" true objective remains unclear, though rumors suggest they were after the world's most lethal poison artifact, the "Infant Poison Bead." The incident is regarded as the most bizarre case in the capital in nearly a century and is now sealed in the forbidden archives of the Court of Judicial Review.]