Volume 5, Chapter 20: Startling Insider Information (2/2)
Gu Ying felt himself relax. He thought, Could it be an old friend of Luo Jianfei’s? Is this why he did not speak of it? After all, even though Gu Ying was not fond of the members of Chen Zhen’s faction, he did not wish to see internal strife.
Who would have expected that just as he breathed a sigh of relief, Gu Ying saw the flash of a sword. The gray-clothed youth suddenly leaped forward, flinging his cloak. The powerful wind created extinguished the bonfire. Gu Ying felt his gaze darken before he heard the sound of weapons clas.h.i.+ng. Resting his hand on his own sword hilt, Gu Ying bent his ear to listen closely. The scene before him was pitch-black. With no light from the moon and stars, he could only rely upon his ears to follow the bitter struggle within the hall. In addition, as he had secretly followed Luo Jianfei here, Gu Ying would not intervene lightly even if Luo Jianfei were on the verge of death.
After a few moments, Gu Ying’s eyes gradually grew accustomed to the darkness. Through the hole in the cloth, he could see the violent fight before him. Both Luo Jianfei and the newcomer seemed to be accustomed to battling in the darkness. The sword energy crisscrossed, almost like the two were fighting in broad daylight. Although Gu Ying could only see the flickering glints of the swords and the two faint figures, he could not distinguish who was Luo Jianfei. The unfamiliar youth had sometime earlier cast aside his cape. Both of them were dressed in close-fitting clothes and had similar builds. In addition, their martial arts and swordsmans.h.i.+p were quite similar, almost as if two disciples from the same master were comparing skills. However, Gu Ying could clearly discern that the two were ferocious to the extreme, not holding back in the slightest. After the two had exchanged over a hundred blows, one of the two steadily seized the advantage, while the other could only resist. Gu Ying was filled with anxiety, as he did not know who was winning.
At this moment, the one at the disadvantage leaped back in retreat. He smiled and said, “Fine, I’m convinced. Over these years, your martial arts have improved quickly. Presumably, you once again received Lord Li’s guidance.”
Gu Ying found this voice strange. Hearing that Luo Jianfei had won, Gu Ying found himself have misgivings at the same moment he relaxed. It seemed like the two of them were old friends. However, why were they sparring in the dark and attacking so mercilessly?
At this moment, a spark was created. The gray-clothed man lit a match and reignited the bonfire. Conveniently, he picked up the cape he had cast to the floor. As for Luo Jianfei, he retook his original seat. Indicating for the gray-clothed man to sit down, his face revealed a warm smile as he stated, “Hualiu, in the time of our separation, you now hold a high position. Who would have thought that you would remember an old friend like me?”
The gray-clothed man heaved a sigh and replied, “Were it not because of fate, I would rather that I continued to serve under the young master. At present, Chiji is on the northern frontier serving the young master, Daoli is operating in the Eastern Sea, Lü’er’s business extends throughout the world, Baiyi and Shanzi are in Sichuan, and Yulun and Quhuang are in Southern Chu. As for all of the other brothers, they continue to serve under the young master. Although I have become an official and serve in close proximity to the Emperor, I am the only one who cannot help the young master. Alas!”
“What are you saying?” said Luo Jianfei with a smile. “At the time, if you hadn’t helped the young master take control of General Qin, the Crown Prince likely would have already become the Emperor. At present, it is extremely important that you are serving in the Bright Inspection Department under Xiahou Yuanfeng. If he intends to harm the young master, you will be able to discover it immediately. Lord Li has said that if the Emperor wishes to kill the young master, Xiaohou Yuanfeng would be the first to know. That is why monitoring Xiahou Yuanfeng is the same as monitoring the Emperor. Besides, are you really willing to part with your adoptive mother and brother?”
Although Gu Ying’s knowledge was limited, he was still greatly shocked by what he heard. Even though Luo Jianfei was a key member of the Embroidered Union, who would have thought that he was actually a secret agent from Great Yong? Naturally, although Gu Ying would not suspect that Chen Zhen was also a Yong agent, he still racked his brains as to how to expose this matter and make Chen Zhen too ashamed to show his face. Gu Ying could not help putting a smile onto his face.
Afterwards, Gu Ying realized that, with this man as a mole within the Embroidered Union, he had likely allowed quite a few agents of Yong’s Bright Inspection Department into Hanzhong. This matter needed to be reported to Protector Ma as soon as possible. When all was said and done, Gu Ying was still too young. Extremely anxious, his breathing grew heavy unconsciously. Fortunately, Luo Jianfei and the stranger were close together, single-mindedly focused upon their quiet conversation and did not notice. Gu Ying promptly let out a soft sigh and strove to listen attentively. However, the two were conversing too softly and Gu Ying could only hear a few scattered words. The phrases that popped up quite frequently were the “Prince of Qing” and the “Embroidered Union.”
After some time had pa.s.sed, the two finally ended their conversation. After exchanging grins, Luo Jianfei rose to his feet and said, “All right. Since we’ve finished discussing, you should go back. In a few moments, when dawn breaks, your movements will be limited.”
Hesitating somewhat, the gray-clothed youth replied, “There is one matter that Xiahou daren wanted me to pa.s.s on. He hopes that the young master will consider handing over the Embroidered Union to him after Hanzhong has been pacified.”
Luo Jianfei’s movements suddenly halted. After quite a while, he frostily questioned, “What is Xiahou daren thinking? The Embroidered Union is young master’s sharp weapon. How can it casually be handed over to anyone? In addition, why should we allow Xiahou Yuanfeng to garner such an advantage?”
“Xiahou daren has said that the entire world belongs to the Emperor and Hanzhong is Great Yong’s territory,” answered the gray-clothed man, heaving a sigh. “Regardless of whether the Embroidered Union are rebels, as the one in control of the Bright Inspection Department, he cannot permit such a force to exist outside of the court’s control. Moreover, since the young master is now a marquis, he will continue to rise steadily. It is best that these shadowy matters be handed to Xiahou daren. If the Embroidered Union still has value, then it should fall under Xiahou daren’s control.”
Sneering for a few moments, Luo Jianfei replied, “You sure are talking big. You should clearly know what’s going on with the Embroidered Union. If it were two years ago, I would have agreed if the young master wished to hand over the Embroidered Union. However, at present, the Embroidered Union controls fifty percent of our operations in Hanzhong and Western Sichuan. In addition, the Embroidered Union is working alongside the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets and the remnants of the Fengyi Sect in Southern Chu. You should know full well the importance of the Embroidered Union to the young master. This time, for Great Yong, the young master is prepared to sacrifice at least seventy percent of the Embroidered Union’s strength. Unexpectedly, Xiahou Yuanfeng is still so greedy and refusing to let off the remaining thirty percent. And to my surprise, you’re actually speaking on his behalf. Hualiu, have you forgotten who has allowed you to obtain your current position and wealth?”
Without a hint of a smile on his face, the gray-clothed man raised his right hand and vowed, “I swear to the Heavens that if I had any evil intentions towards the young master, then I will die an unnatural death without a complete corpse!”
Hearing these words, Luo Jianfei’s expression softened. However, he still angrily said, “If so, that’s good. However, I want to hear why you are speaking on Xiahou Yuanfeng’s behalf.”
Sighing, Hualiu responded, “I only just heard Xiahou daren speak of this and also spoke up to reproach him. However, Xiahou daren has said that because Hanzhong was under the control of the Prince of Qing, it was not inappropriate that the Embroidered Union was under the young master’s control. But once Hanzhong has been pacified, if the young master’s relations.h.i.+p with the Embroidered Union that is focused upon reestablis.h.i.+ng Shu is too intimate, the Emperor will likely become suspicious. Young master’s talents are Heaven-sent and has enormous power in his hands. It would unavoidably be considered as excessive to continue to control the Embroidered Union for the sake of self-preservation. If the young master is willing to hand over the Embroidered Union, it would express his loyalty and cut off his relations.h.i.+p with a rebel faction. It is quite suitable to suffer negligible losses to obtain the Emperor’s wholehearted trust and eliminate the suspicions that the young master would suffer. I also feel that Xiahou daren speaks the truth.
“In addition, even if the Embroidered Union is given up, not only does the young master still have sufficient strength for self-preservation, our people will be able to disengage from the Embroidered Union to concentrate on the young master’s protection. That is why I hope that you can explain this matter to Lord Chen before pa.s.sing the message on to the young master. Xiahou daren does not want to directly discuss this with the young master. Even if these negotiations fail, no hostility will be wrought. What do you think about my words?”
Luo Jianfei’s features changed several times. It was a long time before he could reply, “I will report this matter to Lord Chen. However, the ultimate decision is still the young master’s.”
“If the young master disagrees,” spoke Hualiu, “I will do everything to dissuade Xiahou daren.”
Luo Jianfei nodded his head slightly before turning and departing. It wasn’t long before the gray-clothed man also left. Only then did Gu Ying discover that he had practically forgotten to breathe. How was this possible? How could the Embroidered Union be no more than someone’s p.a.w.n? If what they said was true, then who was their young master to be able to control the Embroidered Union and also have ties with the Bright Inspection Department? Gu Ying was not fully aware of the current situation. If it were his father or his adopted elder brother, Shangguan Yan, they could guess at the young master’s ident.i.ty. However, as for Gu Ying, he did not understand the horrifying ramifications of what he had heard.
After a few moments, after he had determined that the two had gone far away, Gu Ying finally came out from underneath the sacrificial table, preparing to return to Ma Cheng to report the inside information he had heard. When he walked out of the temple, he unexpectedly felt his back grow numb and he tumbled to the ground facedown. Afterwards, a man’s foot stepped on Gu Ying’s back and said, “Sure enough, I didn’t hear wrong. There was indeed someone hidden within the temple. Jianfei, do you recognize this man?”
Gu Ying felt his entire body grow cold. It wasn’t that he was afraid of death at his age. If he were a few years older and had a taste of the pleasures of life, he would likely be afraid of death. However, he was currently in the prime of his youth, filled with youthful energy and vigor. This was the moment that he was most liable to lightly cast aside his life. What he was worried about were his father, his uncles, and his relatives. If he died here, it was likely that none of his family could escape alive.
Using his foot, the gray-clothed man rolled Gu Ying over onto his back. Gu Ying’s pale face was revealed to Luo Jianfei’s eyes. Luo Jianfei’s eyes suddenly narrowed and his right hand fell to the hilt of his sword. However, very quickly, a difficult look appeared on his face. Ultimately, he did not draw his sword.
Footnotes:
<ol><li>事不宜迟, s.h.i.+buyichi – idiom, lit. the matter should not be delayed; fig. there’s no time to lose</li><li>攘外必先安内, rangwaibixian’annei – to pacify internal threats before dealing with external ones; this was the excuse used by Chiang Kai-shek in dealing with the Communists and warlords prior to the Second Sino-j.a.panese War/World War II</li><li>迅雷不及掩耳, xunleibujiyan’er – idiom, lit. as swift as a sudden clap f thunder which leaves no time to cover one’s ears; fig. like a thunderbolt</li><li>初生牛犊不怕虎, chushengniudubupahu – idiom, lit. a newborn calf is unafraid of tigers</li><li>阴差阳错, yinchayangcuo – idiom, lit. an accident arising from many causes; fig. a freak combination of factors</li></ol>