Volume 10 Chapter 7 (2/2)
Empress Jing, whose body was still ensconced in his arms, suddenly trembled violently. The lust in her phoenix-like eyes suddenly dissipated. Staring at him, she cried out involuntarily, ”What?!”
Xiang Shaolong's arms around her tightened. In a soft voice, he said, ”Empress Ding, you really underestimated Tian Dan and Zhao Mu. Do you think that it never crossed their minds that after the Crown Prince ascends to the throne, all power would be concentrated in your hands? In addition, everyone knows that you won't be so stupid as to destroy the base of your military security by executing Li Mu and Lian Po, the pillars supporting the country of Zhao. At that point in time, wouldn't Tian Dan have wasted all of his efforts for no gain? It is precisely because they have ulterior motives that they find themselves 100% confident in their actions.”
Their two bodies were still entangled with one another's, but Empress Jing had already totally recovered her normal clarity of thought. She calmly said, ”Where did you get this news from?”
Rousing his own spirit, Xiang Shaolong said, ”From the first time Tian Dan met me, he wanted to win me over to his side. After you promoted me to the rank of City Commander, I sought him out and held secret talks with him. I pretended to be loyal to him, to see what secrets and plans he had. That is how I heard about this secret.”
A sharp light shone out of Empress Jing's eyes as she stared at him without blinking. Xiang Shaolong matched the intensity of her gaze, not budging in the slightest. A slightly ridiculing tone to her voice, the beautiful woman replied, ”I didn't realize that Horse Fanatic Dong was so very skilled at deceiving people. Mmph!”
Xiang Shaolong once again sealed off her lips with his own.
This time, Xiang Shaolong stopped after only a quick taste. He boldly said, ”For the sake of Empress Jing, it's no big deal if I deceive someone. But there is one thing I do not understand. The King is not in the best of health. I'm afraid that he doesn't have much time left to him. Empress Jing, why don't you just wait for a short period of time longer, instead of taking on such a risk?”
Empress Jing had been kissed by him until her entire body went limp. Panting, she said, ”If I were to wait a few more years, the country of Zhao will have been lost because of this blockhead.”
Xiang Shaolong suddenly saw the light, realizing that she had the same line of thought as him. No wonder she was willing to collude with Zhao Mu.
With a slightly begging tone to her voice, Empress Jing said, ”Let go of me, alright? There's a lot of things I need to discuss with you!”
Xiang Shaolong secretly thought to himself that he might as well go all out. If he didn't seize this opportunity to conquer her, he feared that he wouldn't have such a good opportunity again. Just as he was about to launch a fierce 'attack', a palace lady's voice came from the staircase. ”The palace servant, Zhang Jiguang has come to report that the King is waiting for General Dong in the inner palace.”
The two were feeling guilty due to their sordid actions. They hurriedly separated.
Forcing herself to calm down, Empress Jing said, ”General Dong will go immediately. Have him wait just a moment.” Giving him a glance, she said in a low voice, ”No matter what, don't let the King know what just happened. When dusk falls, go to Han Chuang's residence. I have business to discuss with you.”
Xiang Shaolong found it unimaginable that he once again lost the chance to taste the Empress of Zhao, despite her having been literally at his lips. Lamenting at the situation, he left disappointed.
The palace servant, Zhang Jiguang, led him into a sturdy building within the inner palace. In a low voice, he said, ”The King just woke up. When he heard that you came to visit him, he immediately ordered me to bring you to him.”
Xiang Shaolong knew that the servant had covered up his visit to Empress Jing. He immediately expressed his gratitude.
Jiguang said, ”Right now, everyone in the palace holds General Dong in the utmost esteem. If it wasn't for you quickly capturing those villains, who knows how many more of us would have met with disaster.”
Xiang Shaolong made a few modest remarks, before seizing the opportunity to ask, ”Aside from General Cheng, who amongst the palace guards holds the most authority?”
Upon hearing Cheng Xu's name, Jiguang revealed a look of disdain. ”It would of course be the chief guard, General Zhao Lingpian. His popularity, prestige, and record of service all surpass that of General Cheng. But because he doesn't know how to curry favor with Chief Advisor Guo, he's never been given great authority.”
Xiang Shaolong didn't expect him to speak so openly about internal affairs. Staring at him in astonishment, he nodded. ”Palace servant Zhang, you really speak boldly and forthrightly!”
Jiguang smiled. ”I speak based on my judgment of the person I am speaking with. Right now, everyone in Handan knows that Horse Fanatic Dong is an amazing hero who does not tremble at the sight of power and influence. If our country of Great Zhao had a few more heroes like General Dong, why would we fear the rapacious, predator-like Qin?”
Xiang Shaolong clapped him on the shoulder. ”I simply must make a friend of you, palace servant Zhang! I'll probably have favors that I need you to help me with over the next two days as well.”
They stopped talking as they crossed over the threshold of the door. Passing by two palace guardians, they entered the room to meet with King Xiaocheng.
After paying respects to the monarch, each of them seated themselves. Before he had a chance to speak, King Xiaocheng ordered all the guards to leave before saying in a low voice, ”Do you have any good news to report on the oaths of loyalty?”
Xiang Shaolong closely examined his face. Although he looked a bit tired, he didn't look as bad as he had imagined. ”The number of guards patrolling the Marquis' residence suddenly increased dramatically, and Tian Dan gifted him with ten giant hounds that are particularly sharp of eye and keen of nose. Aside from forcibly entering the residence, there's really no way in. If my guess is correct, someone has leaked the news out to him, causing Zhao Mu to become wary of me.”
King Xiaocheng was stunned for a moment, before revealing a pondering look in his eyes. After a long time, he said, ”There's only a very few number of people who know about this, and We have ordered them to guard this secret carefully. Who would dare to disobey Our commands?”
Xiang Shaolong said, ”Maybe I'm being overly suspicious. Perhaps Zhao Mu is simply increasing his guards due to the critical time about to come to pass.”
King Xiaocheng's expression changed quickly. In a heavy voice, he said, ”The great general is about to return in a few days' time. If Zhao Mu wishes to rebel, he must make his move in these next few days. General Dong, have you received any intelligence on this front?”
Xiang Shaolong said, ”He once mentioned that he will need to borrow support from the men of Qi to accomplish the deed. Based on this, I imagine he has a full and complete set of plans to allow the men of Qi to easily enter the city. Oh! Not good!”
King Xiaocheng was alarmed. ”General Dong, what did you just think of?”
What Xiang Shaolong had suddenly thought of was Zhao Mingxiong, that internal traitor. With him acting as cover, it wouldn't be hard at all to sneak a group of men from under the walls through the Wu family tunnels. No wonder that Zhao Mu, when he suspected 'Dong Kuang' of betraying him, still appeared so confident and unconcerned. This really was not good at all. Although he thought of this, he dared not say it. He lied, ”I believe that this very night, Zhao Mu will initiate the first of his chain-plans of attack. He will assassinate the ministers and generals opposed to him to cause confusion in the hearts of the soldiers and the civilians. I must make preparations.”
This was also very much a possibility. When he thought of this, he suddenly felt very uneasy. But before they had concluded their talks, he dared not rashly depart.
King Xiaocheng's face turned white. Gasping with astonishment, he said, ”Make the first strike to seize the initiative! Right now, we can't hold too many scruples. General Dong, order your men to go and capture or kill Zhao Mu. If he is going to be disloyal to me, there's no need for me to be faithful to him. No one can blame Us for being ruthless to him.”
Although Xiang Shaolong's heart was burning with anxiety, he forced himself to be calm as he explained, ”Highness, you are absolutely correct. That is the most direct, straightforward way to deal with things. But right now, we still don't know how many of the palace or city guards are traitors. If Zhao Mu gets a wind of the plan and makes his move first, launching an attack in unison with Tian Dan and Li Yuan's forces, it will be very hard to determine who will win and who will lose. Today, Zhao Mu introduced me to the Mohist Juzi, Yan Ping. This extremely talented Mohist swordsman alone will be very difficult for us to deal with. When combined with the thousands of men Zhao Mu has under him, the situation looks very grim.
Upon hearing the names Tian Dan, Li Yuan, and Yan Ping, King Xiaocheng's face turned ashen. At a loss as to what to do, he complained, ”Are you saying we should just sit here and do nothing until he calls up his men and revolts?”
Xiang Shaolong secretly grumbled to himself that all of Zhao Mu's resources and power were nurtured by the King himself. And now, the King wants to blame him? He calmly replied, ”Although your humble servant has become the City Commander, I only have the authority to command the troops in dealing with routine matters of city security. I cannot deploy the troops as I see fit, much less command the troops stationed outside of the capital. If, theoretically, you were to give me the army seal, I would be able to strengthen our defenses and concentrate our forces within the city, while having all of the critical choke points and passageways manned by people I trust. At that point in time, we would no longer need to fear the forces outside of the city. Perhaps we would even be able to slaughter Tian Dan and Li Yuan at the same time.”
King Xiaocheng hesitated for a long while, before saying in a trembling voice, ”Tian Dan and Li Yuan are important officials of the kingdoms of Qi and Chu. Do not take any rash actions before I consult with generals Lian Po and Li Mu.”
Xiang Shaolong secretly exclaimed to himself that this was such a pity. He knew that the King was just finding an excuse. He now better understood why Empress Jing said that the kingdom of Zhao would be lost under his rule. If you wish to accomplish great things, how can you be so full of misgivings and vacillate on what to do?
King Xiaocheng suddenly rose to his feet. ”Fine! We will give you the army seal, so that you can act with full authority!”
Xiang Shaolong hurriedly knelt down to thank him.
At this point in time, the hatred he felt for the King of Zhao had already become very dull and light. It had been replaced with pity and sorrow.