Book 59: Chapter 5: Killing Two Birds with One Stone

At the crack of dawn.

Inside the council chamber of the Luoyang City’s Imperial Palace, finished listening to the bad news that Xu Ziling brought, Li Shimin’s expression looked extraordinarily tranquil, only the refined light in his pair of eyes flickered, showing the true color of a commander-in-chief facing the enemy’s magnificent army with thousands of men and horses on the battlefield, not showing the slightest bit of fear.

After thinking deeply for half a day, Li Shimin spoke heavily, “Before going into battle this time, with Fuhuang presiding, I have had a meeting with Taizi and Qi Wang. I proposed the strategy of forming an alliance with Shaoshuai to resist the Wolf Army. Fuhuang was quite moved, but Taizi snorted disdainfully; instead, he proposed to establish friendly relations with the Tujue. Inviting Bi Xuan to Chang’an was the haste decision made at that time with Pei Ji and Qi Wang pushing the wave and adding to the billows.”

Puzzled, Xu Ziling asked, “Since the Tujue already showed clearly that they intend to invade the south, how could Jiancheng be sure that Bi Xuan would be willing to accept the invitation and come?”

Smiling wryly, Li Shimin replied, “In this, Zhao Deyan must be the one threading the needle, their target was obviously me. At that time, Taizi suggested that the reason the Tujue intending to invade was the Central Earth’s young men and women, jade and silk; if we negotiate terms with Bi Xuan and satisfy Xieli’s requests, Xieli would dispel his intention of going south. This is just lunatic ravings. What is even more preposterous is that if the Tujue really go down south, the proposal to move the capital to avoid it was submitted by Taizi himself.”

Xu Ziling did not understand, he asked, “How could Jiancheng dare to speak out about Zhao Deyan threading the needle and things like that? What I want to know is what made Jiancheng think that he could persuade lingzun [your esteemed father] to believe that Bi Xuan would really be willing to accept the invitation?”

Li Shimin replied, “The reason for his high-sounding reason is that Bi Xuan is very interested in meeting with Fu Cailin. In the battle of Longquan, Gaoli and Tujue pit themselves against each other in secret through Bai Ziting, with Gaoli fell in the inferior position. If Bi Xuan could overpower Fu Cailin in martial arts, the damage to Gaoli will be even harder to estimate, therefore, Bi Xuan should not want to miss this opportunity.”

Knitting his brows, Xu Ziling said, “Could it be that Jiancheng never think that no matter how the situation develops, Xieli’s invasion to the south is already like an arrow on the bow, it cannot but to be released.”

Li Shimin said, “What Taizi is most afraid of is not the Tujue, rather, he is afraid that on the outside, I would build a name by being entrusted to resist the Wolf Army, and in the inside, I would want to be in full control of the military power; hence the reason he advocates the policy of concession to the Tujue.”

Xu Ziling still did not understand, he said, “Lingzun came from a family of generals, he is well versed in the art of war; he should have his own view, he can’t possibly be easily influenced by other people.”

Li Shimin spoke dejectedly, “Since taking Chang’an and ascending to the throne to become the emperor, Fuhuang has changed a lot. To put it simply, his guts has become smaller, he only wishes to keep everything currently in his possession. In the world, the only thing that can scare him on the battlefield is Song Que and Xieli, two men, and the latter is particularly worrying because he is completely without any scruple, and his destructive power is strong. As long as Xieli is willing to cease the weapons of war, I believe he is willing to pay any price.”

Xu Ziling spoke cheerfully, “In that case, it will work!”

Greatly astonished, Li Shimin said, “Unexpectedly under these circumstance Ziling is able to think of a way to cope? Actually, if I concealed from Fuhuang that I have been in contact with you, I would actually commit the crime of deceiving the lord; it is not something that a gaining-the-initiative-by-striking-first piece of correspondence could muddle this matter through.”

Xu Ziling said, “I have a plan that can kill two birds with one stone. No matter how Lingzun is of no use, after all, he had once led soldiers on military expeditions, he is a man used to see the big picture; he ought to know that the only way to repel Xieli is to form an alliance between the Great Tang Army and the Shao Shuai Army. Therefore, as long as we have an accurate and credible method to first deal with the threat of the coalition forces from outside the Great Wall, I guarantee that Lingzun will ignore Jiancheng and Yuanji’s opposition, and accept your proposal.”

Greatly delighted, Li Shimin said, “Ziling, please speak.”

Xu Ziling smiled and said, “Supposing Kou Zhong is willing to come to Chang’an in person, making a gesture to negotiate armistice with lingzun, declaring to Xieli that the Great Tang Army and the Shao Shuai Army have joined forces and form a single line to deal with his invasion, how could Xieli dare to go south? Besides, because within the allied armies beyond the Great Wall there is no lack of brothers who had been through trials and tribulations, fighting side by side with Kou Zhong, such as Tuli and the Gunatai brothers, it could sway the coalition forces from beyond the Great Wall’s soldiers’ heart and ten airs; if lingzun is really willing to pay any price to resist the Wolf Army, how could he refuse?”

Knitting his brows, Li Shimin said, “Although your proposal may seem bold yet could be considered feasible, but apparently I should not propose it in the letter.”

Xu Ziling said, “What if the proposal is coming from Feng Deyi or Li Shentong? It could also point out that this is the proof of Kou Zhong’s sincerity.”

“And what is the other bird?” Li Shimin asked.

Xu Ziling replied, “Naturally it’s Jiancheng and Yuanji. Their grand plan to assassinate you midway by borrowing the Western Tujue people has already fizzled out, so they are forced to pit themselves against us in Chang’an. At present, seeing you openly joining hands with us, they have no choice but to stake all on one throw, to exhaust everything they have to scheme to destroy us in one fell swoop. This plan will not only halt lingzun’s action against your guilt of deceiving the lord, but will also compel Jiancheng, Yuanji to strike back first. One move, two gains.”

Li Shimin stared at him for quite half a day, he stretched out his hand to grab his and said, “My letter will be delivered directly to Fuhuang in the afternoon on the day after tomorrow. Ziling think there is enough time to deploy everything properly?”

Xu Ziling said. “I will rush back immediately, should arrive in Chang’an the day after tomorrow, and will put everything in order unhurriedly. I hope Kou Zhong will have successfully persuaded Li Shentong by then, it will be surefire.”

Li Shimin said, “Wang Shu [Uncle King] is a man who understands reason. Not only does he have deep understanding of my conduct, he is also very clear about what kind of two men Kou Zhong and you, Xu Ziling are; he should how to choose.”

‘Knock! Knock! Knock!”

Ten-million times unwilling, Kou Zhong sat up from the bed, he shouted, “Xibai, please come in? You came back so early, you did not sleep last night?”

Hou Xibai bored through the hall and entered the room in an elegant and unrestrained manner, sat down on the edge of the bed, and said with a laugh, “You, LaoGe not only has formidable ears, but your alertness is also very high, you can tell over a distance that it was Xiaodi.”

Kou Zhong looked at him carefully, he spoke cheerfully, “Congratulations, you, this kid, are full of vigor and looking radiant, obviously, in your cultivation, the benefit you derived was not shallow.”

His bosom filled with emotional stirring, Hou Xibai said, “The past few days were like the former days of being with Shi Shi have come back. He has been more loving and caring for me, in every possible way – than before, so that Xiaodi was overwhelmed by favor from superior. Now, I am preserving and nurturing my spirit, I must somewhat unburden myself; is there any task that can be assigned to me to exercise my muscles and bones?”

Kou Zhong tore off the quilt, he sat beside him on the edge of the bed, and said with a laugh, “I can even make you busy to your death! But I want to understand one thing clearly first. In the past few days, Lao Shi has overdosed you with supplementary medicine, was it because he wanted you to put that beast, Yang Xuyan in order?”

Shrugging his shoulders, Hou Xibai said: “He did not mention Yang Xuyan even for half a sentence. Honestly, I really cannot guess Shi Shi’s intentions, so much so that whether he is happy or angry, I cannot grasp it either.”

Having a headache, Kou Zhong said, “For the last couple of days, Ziling and I have been thinking hard about ways to deal with lingshi [your esteemed master]; how could we make him to pull back obediently without needing to determine life or death with him? In the end, we still think of asking Qingxuan to go down the arena. As for how to put it into practice, we are still thinking about it.”

Astonished, Hou Xibai said, “Aren’t we going to help him to assassinate Zhao Deyan? Can’t we think about other things later?”

Kou Zhong said, “This matter, start explaining and it is a long story, because things have changed. Right now, I have to rush to the Imperial Palace for duty. You take a good rest first, tonight, you will be responsible for following Xiang Gui’s track, I will have a secret meeting with Li Shentong. As for the details, ask Lei Dage, you will understand everything clearly.”

When Xu Ziling returned to the Situ Mansion, Kou Zhong was eating breakfast; accompanying him were Ren Jun and Tongtong.

Worrying about personal gains and losses, Kou Zhong asked, “What’s the situation?”

Xu Ziling sat down across the table from him, with Tongtong and Ren Jun waiting upon him; he smiled and said, “Everything is ready, all we need is an east wind [idiom: lacking only one tiny crucial item].”

Kou Zhong signaled Ren Jun’s Furong Ye with his eyes, being tactful, Ren Jun happily led Tongtong withdrawing from the inner hall.

Xu Ziling asked in astonishment, “Where are the others?”

Kou Zhong replied, “Lei Dage went to a boat on the Yellow River last night to contend for supremacy, to determine victory against an expert in the gambling world, who might be Xiang Gui, to see if he can win back Shang Lin Yuan? Although the Huang He Bang’s martial art masters the whole nest came out to protect him, I still feel a little worried, so I asked Song ErGe, Zha Jie and a group of brothers to protect him in the dark. Xiao Hou is responsible for tracking Xiang Gui. His granny’s bear! What good news do you have? The east wind that is lacking, what egg is that?” [Note: according to dictionary, this ‘egg’ business is a cussing word, probably Hollywood would translate it as ‘what the f* is that?’]

Frowning, Xu Ziling said, “Getting up early in the morning, can you not speak using such a vulgar, dirtying-the-ears words?”

Kou Zhong said, “I was over-excited. Last night, I chatted with Li Shentong, we have an affinity with each other. Turns out all along he always had the heart to help Li kid, only because of the unfavorable situation, he hid it in his heart.”

Greatly delighted, Xu Ziling said, “That east wind is coming!”

And then he narrated the contingency plan that he had discussed with Li Shimin. Finally he concluded, “Our Taihang Shuang Jie must come up with a way to get away, to be replaced by Yangzhou Shuang Long [twin dragons] coming back ostentatiously, but without making people suspect our Furong Ye. By returning to our identity like this, we could avoid the risk of being exposed.”

Kou Zhong was speechless. He said, “You are more extremely daring than me. This is akin to delivering a big gift so that for no reason at all, those who want to kill us will get a once-in-a-thousand-years golden opportunity. If Li Yuan hardened his heart, he might as well kill us and Li kid together during the state banquet to welcome the guests in the Imperial Palace. From our left and right, each side there will be five hundred saber and axe wielders pouncing together, how are we going to deal with it?”

Xu Ziling calmly said, “Li Yuan would not be that stupid, because he could not afford the price. At that time, not only the whole country in rebellion, but Li Tang would also be internally unstable. At the first opportunity, the Tujue would go down south, Tuli and the others would make a ruckus about punishing the Tang to avenge us. Besides, who would dare to say that ten grabs, nine stables [in the bag, success is guaranteed] they have the confidence to hold us back? Don’t forget that within those people who are following us back to Chang’an, there are Lao Ba, Lao Hou, and Lao Yin, the three major martial art masters; how could we be easy to push around?”

Kou Zhong laughed aloud and said, “It makes sense! It makes sense! No need to wear a mask to walk through the street, it is already the vast and might benevolence from the emperor. His granny’s bear, let us separately notify Li Shentong and Feng Deyi, so that they will have a share in exerting themselves to help achieve the fine thing. Hey? You are back!”

His face dark, Lei Jiuzhi entered the inner hall and sat down. The two boys cried inwardly, ‘Not good!’ They had no choice but to personally pour the tea and wait upon him, while looking at his countenance to decipher his mood.

Lei Jiuzhi shook his head and said, “Wine!”

Kou Zhong consoled him, “Momentary gains and losses, no need to take it to heart. Later on we will surely be able to recoup both the principal and interest, why use wine to drown your sorrows?”

Xu Ziling asked, “Did Xiang Gui go down the arena himself?”

Lei Jiuzhi nodded. Suddenly he let out his weird laughter, amidst the laughter, he choked with tears.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling looked at each other in dismay, wondering inwardly if he was unable to bear another devastating setback at the gambling table, he lost and went insane?

Lei Jiuzhi shouted loudly, “Who said I lost!”

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling returned only a blank stare.

Lei Jiuzhi revealed an unprecedented brilliant smile, he even pretended to be tranquil and calm as he said, “His Niang’s! Xiang Gui thought that in listening to the dice, I could not match him, who could have thought that I just learn the Wang Du Da Fa [great method of forgetting the bet], and beat him that his face turned green, his lips white? Not only did he lose back Shang Lin Yuan’s one hundred thousand taels of gold, he also lost seventy-thousand taels more. I want wine not to drown my sorrow, but to celebrate the restoration of my glory. From now on, the Nan Lei Bei Xiang [Southern Thunder, Northern Fragrance, reminder: Lei – thunder, Xiang – fragrant, in Book 26 Chapter 5, it was Bei Lei Nan Xiang], only Southern Thunder remains, no more Northern Fragrance. His Niang’s! Wouldn’t you guys say we should drink for the victory?”

Naturally Li Yuan was not in the mood to play polo, and Kou and Xu, two men were in charge of training the polo rookies, but since Li Yuan must personally select the players from among the Imperial Guards, when the emperor did not have time, naturally it was difficult to establish the team. In high spirits, the two boys asked Cheng Mo to be permitted to leave the palace. Cheng Mo did not dare to offend these two favorites of the emperor; even though he felt that the two boys’ demands were a bit excessive, he was still willing to let them go.

They had just stepped into the traversing public square, Qiao Gongshan and Er Wenhuan spurred their horses to catch up, they cupped their fist from a distance to greet them.

Noticing Er Wenhuan’s with-spirit-without-air countenance, Kou Zhong knew that he had not yet recovered from Ba Fenghan’s torture. Pretending to greet Er Wenhuan with meaningful and heartfelt words, he said, “Er Daren is a hero, the problem is: being a hero, naturally you cannot pass the beauty barrier. However, your body is the most important thing; without a good body, how could you be a hero?”

Inwardly, Xu Ziling was amused; furthermore, he knew that Kou Zhong was in a fine mood, using play on words to tease Er Wenhuan with words, so that he did not know whether to laugh or cry, yet clearly he could not blame Kou Zhong.

Er Wenhuan was slightly startled; he looked at Qiao Gongshan, smiled bitterly, and said, “Qiao Daren, you betray me! How could you declare such a scandal to the world?”

Qiao Gongshan smiled and said, “We are all brothers! Human way [euphemism for sexual intercourse] getting up to mischief is also romantic, absolutely not a scandal.”

Kou Zhong nodded in agreement and said, “True! Maybe it should be called a glorious record.”

Xu Ziling could not help smiling, Qiao and Er, two men exploded in laughter even more, because the way Kou Zhong said it was very amusing.

Gasping for breath, Er Wenhuan said, “His granny’s! But my glorious record is a bit demonic; could it be called a successful way [see above]?” While saying the last sentence, his pale face showed a look of uncertainty.

Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling cried inwardly, ‘Not good!’. If he remembered that the torture was carried out by Kou and Ba, two men, their big operation would go bad.

Kou Zhong hurriedly said, “How about finding a place outside the palace to have a drink and a chat?”

Xu Ziling knew that his murderous intent was aroused; he sighed inwardly, realizing that this was their only choice.

Qiao Gongshan roared in laughter and said, “Of course it was a successful way, you successfully have a way with that poniang [woman, derogatory]!”

Embarrassed, Er Wenhuan said, “Qiao Daren doesn’t know what is called to stop before going too far [idiom: don’t overdo it]?” Turning to the two boys, he said apologetically, “We don’t have time today, but we have made an appointment with Chi Ye; tonight, we are going to have some fun, nobody’s allowed to go home before getting drunk. We’ll see you at Fu Ju Lou in the West Market at you hour [5-7pm]. Qing Guniang will also be there.”

Finished speaking, he turned around and galloped in the direction of the East Palace.

The two boys secretly wiped the cold sweat from their forehead and hurriedly left the palace.

Stepping into the Vermillion Bird Boulevard, Kou Zhong said, “Nearly implicated by Lao Er that we will not be able to return to Chang’an upright and frank, luckily Lao Qiao interrupted. Affairs of life is really hard to foresee, who would ever thought that without needing to attack Chang’an, unexpectedly we can come back ostentatiously with our original identity and appearance. How about we take a stroll?”

Xu Ziling nodded in agreement. They took a stroll along the flourishing Vermillion Bird Boulevard, amidst endless stream of horses and carriages, unending passers-by, bustling with noise and excitement.

Kou Zhong sighed and said, “The plan change; Shi Zhixuan is admittedly a difficult problem, but actually, a series of other problems arises one after another. I wonder if you have thought about it.”

Smiling wryly, Xu Ziling said, “Shigong [martial grandpa] is definitely going to look for us to settle the account. The decisive battle between Bi Xuan and Lao Ba might be happening sooner than planned. This kind of thing, the House of Tang will be unable to prevent, moreover, they must not get involved.”

Kou Zhong spoke dejectedly, “Also, I can no longer avoid Shang Xiufang, ay! I really treated her unfairly. If there is a way I don’t need to hurt her heart, no matter how difficult it is, I will try to do it. Heavens! How am I going to explain to her? Do you think Yuzhi will be willing to accept her?”

Muttering to himself irresolutely, Xu Ziling said, “There is a very big difference between Shang Xiufang and Chuchu. First of all, you came across Chuchu before you met Yuzhi, plus there is a relationship with Su Jie. Yuzhi only feels that you are a person with heavy comradeship. But if you tell her that in your heart you also have Shang Xiufang, it might cause unpredictable damage to the relationship between you and Yuzhi. It is a bit like repeating the situation between Song Que and Fan Qinghui. If Yuzhi knows that what she receives is not your entire love, the consequences will be hard to fathom.”

Kou Zhong put his hand on Xu Ziling’s shoulder, he spoke in distress, “Brother! I am in so much pain! I really don’t know how to face Shang Xiufang. She is a good-looking and intelligent good woman, she also has bemoaning-the-state-of the-universe-and-pity-the-fate-of-mankind sentiments worthy of the greatest admiration. How could I bear to hurt her?”

Xu Ziling spoke in heavy voice, “Do you believe in fate?”

Kou Zhong shook his head with blank expression, he said, “I don’t know! I really don’t know! Oftentimes the bizarre and ingenious things of the world exceed all expectation, so much so that it is hard to believe; I have no definite answer.”

Xu Ziling said, “Everything has no choice but to follow nature, to depend on Laotianye’s arrangement. This way, your heart will be a bit more comfortable.”

Kou Zhong said, “There is still another person we have to confront, which is Ke Dazhi. Under such circumstances, it is difficult to distinguish between friends and enemies; it gives me a headache.”

Smiling wryly, Xu Ziling said, “No need to think too far, let’s wait until Li Yuan make his decision and then we’ll talk about it. Chi Shengchun now not only lost Shang Lin Yuan, but also lost a lot of money; he must be hard pressed for money, hence he has no choice but to take a risk out of desperation, and he will start with us, these two kids. Otherwise, why did he deploy Bai Qing’er?”

Kou Zhong said, “Tonight, Ling Shao is going to make your move, to make matters even worse for Chi Shengchun, to ruthlessly win a lot of money from him. I hope I could see a bit quicker his expression when he finds out that he wanted to steal chicken, but did not realize that the rice has been nibbled away.”

Xu Ziling said, “Have you thought of a way to make Taihang Shuang Jie successfully accomplish their task and retreat?”

Smiling wryly, Kou Zhong said, “If the track suddenly went missing, I am afraid it would raise suspicions; it will depend on whether Shi Zhixuan is going to expose us. When I went to see Liao Kong that day, he promised that he would notify Qingxuan, telling her that you, Ling Shao would like her to rush over to Chang’an immediately. But going there and back, I am afraid it will take ten days, eight days. How are we going to pacify Shi Zhixuan so that he won’t be suspicious?”

Xu Ziling said, “Dealing with Shi Zhixuan, I do not have the slightest bit of confidence. He won’t believe any nonsense we are telling him.”

Kou Zhong said, “Presently, the only thing that benefits us is that Shi Zhixuan had lost his eyes and ears, his spy inside the House of Tang imperial court. When Li Yuan announces that he invites us to Chang’an, he will come to his senses and realize that we have fooled him; therefore, we must deal with him before he realizes it. Otherwise, if he copied us, by writing on top of the walls, on the street corners – in big letters that Taihang Shuang Jie are Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling in disguise, we will be in trouble!”

Thinking deeply, Xu Ziling said, “Lao Shi has changed a lot this time.”

Puzzled, Kou Zhong asked, “What has changed a lot?”

Xu Ziling said, “Ever since he was listening to Qingxuan’s flute art from the side and stealing a glance at her face, I feel that Shi Zhixuan is no longer the same as the Shi Zhixuan before; as for the specific situation, I am unable to describe.”

“So what then?” Kou Zhong asked.

Xu Ziling was silent for a moment, he said, “Shi Zhixuan now does not have anything at all, the only thing he is relying upon is his exceptional demonic power. If we can break his Bu Si Yin Fa, I wonder if he would have the heart to withdraw from the fray and live in seclusion?”

Kou Zhong nodded and said, “As long as we could make him unable to get away, while also unable to get rid of us, it would be tantamount to breaking his Bu Si Yin. Are you thinking of going all out against him before Qingxuan comes? Now we all are getting along well, forcing him to a life-and-death decisive battle does not seem to be too appropriate.”

Xu Ziling said, “Let me I think it over carefully. We have arrived at the South Gate! Let’s go home!”

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