The significant movement of troops from the State of Wei had caught the attention of Qin Yue. He had initially expected a full-scale invasion from Wei, considering the continuous rumors and reports over the past half month. However, Wei had been delaying their actions. Now that there was finally some movement, how could he not be excited?
Qin Yue immediately deployed his forces and remained on high alert. Yet, after being on guard for nearly a day and night, the city gates of Fufeng were completely closed.
“Could it be that Wei is intentionally setting a trap? First, they feigned a show of force, causing us to expend our energy needlessly, and then, when we let our guard down, they plan to launch a massive attack?”
“Not ruling out that possibility,” Qin Yue began to speak when a gray pigeon landed in the tent. It fluttered around inside the tent and then perched on Qin Yue’s arm directly.
Tied to the pigeon’s foot was a small bamboo tube.
“You all may leave,” Qin Yue said as he removed the bamboo tube from the pigeon’s leg. He held it in his hand while the gray pigeon briefly stayed before flapping its wings and flying out of the tent. “Make sure there’s no laxity1lack of strictness or looseness in rules, standards, or behavior in patrolling.”
The others promptly stood up, saying, “We take our leave.”
Once they had all departed, Qin Yue carefully extracted the paper hidden inside the bamboo tube. As he read it, his expression changed to one of delight.
“So, it’s because the Prince of Wei suddenly got seriously injured in an assassination attempt that has delayed Wei’s advance.”
After finishing reading, Qin Yue paced back and forth a few times, then walked briskly to the candlelight. He ignited the paper with the flame and the small piece of paper burned until it turned to ashes.
“Come here,” Qin Yue shouted, and a young soldier with a long spear ran in. “What orders do you have, General?”
“Fetch the strategist; I need to discuss matters with him,” Qin Yue commanded.
…
Fufeng City seemed to have changed overnight as a storm of activity engulfed it. Numerous military officials went door to door with weapons, conducting searches. Everywhere they went, chaos followed.
Qi Shao witnessed a middle-aged man who tried to intervene and prevent the soldiers from kicking in a door and being brutally beaten, and then he was dragged away.
“Why bother?” Some patrons in the ground floor lobby of the inn sighed regretfully as they sipped their drinks. “It’s just a door. If they break it, they can always repair it later. Why resist and end up being beaten and taken for questioning?”
“Sir, your words are biased,” countered another customer who disagreed. “These people are rude and disrespectful. They kick doors and assault people without asking for any reason. Isn’t that similar to bandits? If the head of a household doesn’t dare to intervene even in such situations, what kind of man is he?”
“Bandits? Are you really daring to say that?” The customer gestured towards the soldiers conducting the search. “This is the most elite team in Fufeng City. I heard that the highly favored Third Prince was seriously injured a few days ago, and those assassins were hiding in the homes of these ordinary people. General Sun himself ordered a house-to-house search to catch any stragglers.”
“Why did the Third Prince, who is so highly esteemed, come to Fufeng City for no apparent reason and subject himself to this trouble?”
“You just don’t understand,” the customer wanted to explain further but saw that the searching soldiers were approaching their group. He quickly stopped talking.
“By order of the authorities,” the leader of the soldiers displayed his identity badge. “Bring the register of those who have stayed here in the past few days.”
The innkeeper nervously handed over the register, and the soldier inspected it. “Are the people listed here currently present?”
“Yes, they are all here,” the innkeeper nodded repeatedly. “Assistant, please show these officials to their rooms.”
“Go upstairs and search,” the leader of the soldiers tucked the register into his chest and waved his hand. The soldiers following him immediately rushed into the inn and began searching.
It didn’t take long for them to reach the “Tianzi” room. There was a fierce knock on the door. Qi Shao glanced at Qi Heng and Zheng Er, who had serious expressions, and didn’t dare to call them. He had to go and open the door himself.
“Search… Oh, it’s Second Young Master Wang?” The intimidating soldier, upon seeing Qi Shao’s appearance, immediately changed his demeanor.
Qi Shao opened the door wide and said calmly, “Please come in and search, gentlemen.”
The soldier wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled in a somewhat appeasing manner. “Second Young Master Wang and Young Master are saviors to our Lord. How could I dare to suspect you?”
He lightly slapped his own face, “It’s all because of my lack of judgment that disturbed the peace of the two young masters.”
Even General Sun treats these two masters and their servant as honored guests; he wouldn’t dare to offend them.
Qi Shao grinned, “Let’s go ahead and search. I know it’s your superiors’ request. I have nothing to hide, and it’s also to save you from any awkward questions from General Sun.”
“Well… I’ll just do a cursory search then.”
Qi Shao stepped aside, and the two soldiers entered the room, looked around, found nothing unusual, and promptly returned to the doorway. They shook their heads at the soldier who had spoken with Qi Shao.
“No signs of anything unusual.”
“Hmm, what are you all doing here?” Sun Hua, who had come to look for someone, found his subordinates gathered in front of that Young Master Wang’s door.
“General,” the soldiers saluted one by one, “We are conducting a search under orders.”
Sun Hua’s eyes flashed, “Did you find anything?”
“We arrested several people across the street, and they’ve already been taken away,” one of the soldiers replied truthfully. “We searched the building across the street and came to search this inn. We didn’t expect that the two young masters were also staying here. We just finished the search when General arrived.”
“Foolish. Young Master Wang is a benefactor of the Third Prince. There’s no need to search their residence.”
“It’s alright, everyone can rest assured,” Qi Shao interjected. “General Sun, what brings you here all of a sudden?”
Sun Hua pretended to reprimand his subordinates for a few words, then smiled and said to Qi Shao, “I am here on the orders of the Third Prince, inviting both young masters to the City Lord’s Mansion for a meeting.”
“General Sun, please wait for a moment. I’ll inform my elder brother.” Qi Shao arched his hand and turned back into the room. Qi Heng seemed to be talking quietly with Zheng Er, and when he saw Qi Shao enter, he immediately stopped talking.
Qi Shao rolled his eyes. He had no interest in hearing about Qi Heng’s conspiracies and schemes. As long as they didn’t involve him, it was fine.
He wondered what kind of expression Wei Chao, no, the Third Prince, had with those eyes of his. How could he think that Qi Heng, who seemed so devious, was a good person?
After Qi Shao was lost in thought, he explained the situation to Qi Heng. Qi Heng asked Sun Hua to wait for a moment, then went behind a folding screen, changed into a different robe, and walked out.
Qi Shao looked at the clothes and found them somewhat familiar. “Isn’t this the outfit that the Third Prince sent over yesterday?”
Qi Heng put on his veil. “You’re right.”
Qi Shao didn’t understand why Qi Heng insisted on changing into a different robe. Qi Heng calmly replied, “When someone gives you something as a gesture of goodwill, and they want to build a closer relationship, it’s only natural to let them see that you appreciate their intentions.”
…
Qi Heng, Qi Shao, and Zheng Er followed Sun Hua into the City Lord’s Mansion. Wei Chao was still lying in bed, unable to move around. However, when he saw the three of them, his face lit up with joy.
“Young Masters,” Wei Chao greeted Qi Shao and Qi Heng. When Qi Heng stepped into the room last, Wei Chao noticed the robe he was wearing and his smile became even brighter.
“Young Master Wang, please have a seat,” he turned to a nearby maidservant, “Quickly bring tea for Young Master Wang and his companions.”
“Brother Wei…” Qi Shao paused, “No, I should address you as the Third Prince now. May I ask what brings the Third Prince to invite my elder brother and me here?”
“Brother Wang, no need to be so formal,” Wei Chao felt a bit embarrassed, “You can still call me Wei Chao. ‘Chao’ is my real name, I just changed my surname to one that sounds similar.”
Qi Shao: “…” What’s the difference between using a fake name and not? No wonder Qi Heng was able to figure out his identity; it’s even more half-hearted than the fake names they used.
Wei Chao cleared his throat, his injured wound was hurting a bit, but he forced himself to endure the pain. He didn’t want Young Master Wang to think he was being delicate.
“Is the outer robe Young Master Wang is wearing the one I sent earlier?”
Qi Heng nodded. Although he had already recognized it, getting confirmation in person made his joy obvious.
After Wei Chao woke up that day, he asked his two bodyguards about what had happened and learned that the bloodstains on the hem of Qi Heng’s robe were from when he had caught him and accidentally dirtied it. So, Wei Chao felt a bit better and immediately had two sets of clothes sent over as an apology.
“Unfortunately, there aren’t better fabrics available in Fufeng City. I’ll have some better ones sent to Young Master Wang in a few days.”
“No need,” Qi Heng shook his head and casually said, “Has the Third Prince obtained any information from the leader of those assassins?”
Upon mentioning this, Wei Chao’s mood darkened a bit, “That leader was too resolute. Even when Sun Hua used torture, he didn’t reveal a single word. If it weren’t for keeping a close watch on him, he might have bitten his own tongue and died.”
“There’s no impenetrable fortress in the world,” Qi Heng calmly remarked, “One of my subordinates has some experience in this area. I just don’t know if the Third Prince can trust me…”
“I trust you,” Wei Chao eagerly expressed his sincerity, “Young Master Wang saved me, so I definitely trust Young Master Wang.”
Qi Heng hadn’t expected to achieve his goal so easily, and he was momentarily surprised. “In that case, when the Third Prince’s injuries improve, I’ll be happy to assist him.”
The Third Prince eagerly nodded, “By the way, Young Master Wang, you have excellent swordsmanship. A few days ago, I happened to obtain a sword.”
As he spoke, a maidservant went to a cabinet and retrieved a sword case. She opened it and carried it over to Qi Heng.
“Young Master Wang, would you like to take a look?” Wei Chao looked at Qi Heng with some anticipation.
Qi Heng raised his hand, and the cool hilt of the sword fell into his palm. “This is one of the twin swords crafted by the renowned master Ban from Wei State a hundred years ago, right?”
Wei Chao’s eyes sparkled, “Young Master Wang is truly knowledgeable. This is indeed the main sword, ‘Autumn Water,’ from the twin swords.”
He had left the secondary sword, ‘Long Sky,’ behind earlier, thinking it was too feminine. But now he had a plan: if Young Master Wang used ‘Autumn Water,’ he would use ‘Long Sky,’ so everyone would see that they were close friends.
Wei Chao had some calculations in his mind, trying to figure out how to voice his request.
Qi Heng could see the thoughts in his eyes. “Do you want to learn swordsmanship from me?”
Wei Chao instinctively touched his face. Had he been so obvious?
“But I don’t take on disciples,” Qi Heng continued, “However, when you’re feeling better, and if you have some free time, I can teach you a move or two.”
Wei Chao immediately beamed with joy, wishing he could recover instantly.
Seeing this, Qi Shao felt a sense of loneliness, knowing everything that was happening. He sighed quietly.
The fact that the Third Prince of Wei State was eager to become a disciple of an enemy kingdom’s prince was a sign of trouble for Wei State. It seemed that the Wei State might face difficulties with such a prince.
