Deception

Song Hui recounted that when Zhou Bing entered the Prince of Qin's mansion, he was searched and only found a tattered money bag and a book of Confucian classics. He kept repeating, "I'm just a scholar, I don't know anything."

Xiao Liao interrogated him repeatedly without success, and then resorted to torture to extract a confession.

Unable to bear it any longer, Zhou Bing admitted that he was unwilling to accept that a great scholar had been wronged. He intended to find chivalrous heroes to rescue him, but no one dared to take him on, and in the end, he died without success.

Xiao Liao didn't believe him and asked who he had contacted.

Zhou Bing admitted that he had approached the versatile young man, but the young man was unwilling to take the risk and did not accept the job.

Afterwards, he was heartbroken and unwilling to face the cruelty of the world, so he stayed in the dilapidated temple, intending to renovate it and, after Zuo Wenzhong's death, sculpt a statue of him to be enshrined in the temple for worship.

When the soldiers arrested him, he was still repairing the roof of the dilapidated temple.

Zhou Bing's answer was sincere, but it was not what Xiao Liao wanted.

Since he's approached the versatile young man, it has to work out, whether it succeeds or not.

Despite Xiao Liao's repeated hints, Zhou Bing refused to change his mind.

Xiao Liao immediately subjected him to severe torture to extract a confession, and prepared a written statement, demanding that he sign and affix his seal.

Scholars may be physically weak, but they are stubborn and would rather die than wrong an innocent person.

Xiao Liao panicked and threatened him with his family.

Zhou Bing retorted with a sarcastic remark, saying that he was all alone and fearless.

Xiao Liao got angry and knocked him unconscious. He then ordered someone to hold his hand and force him to sign the document.

Coincidentally, Crown Prince Xiao Yi heard that Xiao Liao had abused the law and rushed over to question him, raising doubts about the blood-written letter.

Zhou Bingyi was a diligent and hardworking scholar. How could his signature be so illegible? The authorities immediately ordered someone to wake Zhou Bingyi up and question him personally.

Upon hearing this, Gu Jinning sneered, "The King of Qin should regret not killing Zhou Bing directly."

Song Hui said, "That's right. As soon as Zhou Bing woke up, he accused the King of Qin of coercing him into a confession and altering his testimony. After the Crown Prince found out the reason, he criticized the King of Qin and decided to let Zhou Bing go. He also ordered the King of Qin to give him one hundred taels of silver as compensation."

Gu Jinning asked, "Did he accept it?"

Song Hui replied, "At first, they didn't accept it. But I guess they thought they would need money for medical treatment and temple repairs, so they accepted it."

Gu Jinning commented, "Not too rigid, at least they know that money is good."

Zhou Bing was released, and Gu Jinning was in a good mood. She treated Xiao Heng'an to a big meal at Baiweizhai. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, they went back to their respective residences.

As evening fell, Qinglian came to report that Zhou Bing was resting at a teahouse and had asked Aunt Hong to look for her.

Gu Jinning smiled upon hearing this and said, "This scholar is quite interesting. Arrange a private room for him, and I'll meet him later."

With a simple "later," Zhou Bing, his body riddled with wounds, sat upright at the table and waited all night.

At cockcrow, the candlelight burned out, and Zhou Bing, unable to stay awake any longer, slumped onto the table, half-asleep.

The window suddenly bumped, and Zhou Bing woke up with a start. He saw Gu Jinning standing in front of him, leaning against the window with her arms crossed, looking him over.

"You're quite persistent, waiting on and on."

Gu Jinning teased him and casually tossed him a bottle of ointment.

"Take it and use it. Your skin is torn and bleeding, and you didn't even bother to see a doctor. It would be bad luck for you to die here."

Zhou Bing had been beaten many times, his body covered in cuts and welts. His fingers were bleeding and swollen from being pinched, and were hastily wrapped with a piece of white cloth.

He gritted his teeth and endured the pain as he got up, but his face was still contorted with agony.

"Princess," he bowed to Gu Jinning despite his injuries, pleading, "Please, Princess, return my jade pendant."

Gu Jinning said, "You're an interesting scholar. Why are you accusing me of taking your things out of nowhere?"

Zhou Bing swayed precariously, barely holding on with his willpower, saying, "This is what you took when you took my book during the day."

Gu Jinning scoffed, "It's just a broken jade pendant. I'll give you as many as you want, it's worth risking your life for."

Zhou Bing's face flushed red, and he said urgently, "I only want my piece, please don't make things difficult for me, Princess."

He bowed once, then staggered and fell to the ground.

Gu Jinning supported him and dragged him onto the bed, saying, "I think it's more important for you to save your life."

He struggled to get up, but Gu Jinning kicked his legs and threw them onto the bed. Zhou Bing couldn't help but groan. His whole body was cracked; the pain was unbearable.

Gu Jinning stepped onto the bed with one leg and threatened, "If you want the jade pendant, tell me its origin."

Zhou Bing's forehead was sweating, his lips were pale, and his voice was much lower, "That was a gift from my benefactor, I will treasure it."

Gu Jinning laughed and said, "Then you should thank me. If I don't take it, your benefactor will be in trouble."

Zhou Bing's vision went black, and his mind began to fog up.

“Your Highness is kind, and I will certainly repay you. But the jade pendant is very important to me, so please return it.”

"Unfortunately, the jade pendant is not with me."

"Princess, you..."

Gu Jinning flicked her sleeves. "See? I really didn't lie to you. You know my fiancé, right? He took him away."

"Prince Jin!" Zhou Bing exclaimed in shock. He tried to get up but collapsed again with a thud, crying out in pain.

"Don't get agitated. Since you know the Prince of Jin, you should know what kind of person he is. If he gets curious and investigates, things will get complicated."

Zhou Bing was anxious, his head was getting more and more dizzy, and he couldn't even open his eyes.

Gu Jinning sat down next to him, tempting him, "Tell me the truth, and I'll cover for you."

Zhou Bing opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but then stopped himself.

Gu Jinning applied acupuncture needles to his hand to wake him up, and tricked him, "Even if you don't say it, I can guess that it's the Crown Prince, right?"

Zhou Bing suddenly opened his eyes, "How did you know?"

Gu Jinning smiled triumphantly, "See, you admitted it yourself."

Zhou Bing shook off her hand that was trying to help him and shouted, "You're so cunning."

Gu Jinning gladly accepted his praise, "It's alright, just average skill. Now you can tell me."

Zhou Bing had no choice but to tell the whole story.

Mr. Zuo was unjustly imprisoned and sentenced to a term of imprisonment. Students from poor families in and around the capital city, dissatisfied with the verdict, spontaneously gathered to seek justice for Mr. Zuo.

The King of Qin led his troops to suppress them and drove them out of the city.

Unwilling to accept defeat, he slipped away in the chaos, hoping to sneak into the palace to plead his case before the emperor, but was discovered by the crown prince who was there to see the emperor.

The Crown Prince advised him not to needlessly throw his life away, telling him that the only way to save Elder Zuo was through the methods of the martial arts world. Hearing that this versatile young man was chivalrous and righteous, always ready to right wrongs, he thought he might as well seek him out and try his luck.

The Crown Prince gave him an inconspicuous jade pendant. If he could find someone and negotiate a price, he could use the jade pendant to ask for silver, any amount would do. After that, he ordered someone to escort him out of the capital.

The Crown Prince went to the palace to plead for Zuo Lao, but was punished by being confined to his quarters. The next time they met was yesterday when he was rescued at the Prince of Qin's residence.

Zhou Bing lamented, "It's a pity I'm useless. I couldn't persuade the versatile young man, and I failed His Highness the Crown Prince's trust. Now that I'm receiving his favor again, I truly feel ashamed."

“Princess, you know the whole story. Please return the jade pendant. Don’t let it fall into the hands of villains and tarnish His Highness the Crown Prince’s reputation.”

Gu Jinning said, "The Crown Prince is my cousin, of course I wouldn't harm him. But you, are you aware that you're being watched?"

Zhou Bing replied, "I know. The King of Qin is narrow-minded and will certainly not let me go. The matter is over, so death is nothing to fear."

He took out a silver ingot and pleaded, "Princess, this is all the silver I have. Please use it to renovate the dilapidated temple in the southern suburbs outside the city. There is no need to make offerings to Buddha. It will provide a place for students traveling to and from the capital to stay. This would be a great favor."

The man was on his deathbed, and instead of thinking about getting treatment and buying medicine, he was still thinking about the dilapidated temple. Gu Jinning really didn't know what to say to him. This scholar was just a blockhead.

Gu Jinning tossed him a piece of paper with disdain, "You're so young, why are you trying to die? Here's a way out for you."

Zhou Bing struggled to open it; it was a map of the mountain roads outside the city, with a route drawn from a dilapidated temple leading into the deep mountains.

“Look carefully and remember it well. If you can return to the ruined temple alive, try to get to the place on the map. Even if you are eaten by wild beasts along the way, it is better than dying under the Qin King’s sword.”

The sky outside the window was already turning a pale white, and roosters were crowing. Gu Jinning pulled back the blueprints and tucked them into her sleeve.

She stood up, stood by the window, and said, "Good luck." In the blink of an eye, she jumped out the window and disappeared into the silence.

Zhou Bing struggled to his feet, but suddenly his blood rushed to his head and he fainted.

After dawn, the teahouse opened its doors to welcome guests. Xiaoqiu was cleaning the various rooms when she discovered Zhou Bing unconscious and hurriedly called for Aunt Hong.

Aunt Hong hurriedly ordered someone to fetch a doctor, muttering, "He's really a bookworm, he's injured like this and still dares to push himself, he's got a death wish."

She went downstairs, chattering on and on, and announced at the top of her lungs, "Listen up, everyone! From now on, we will not take in any scholars who are so reckless with their lives. If they die here, it will affect the teahouse's business."

"And also, as soon as he wakes up, I immediately kick him out. Every day is so unlucky."

Her voice was loud enough for people outside to hear.

Outside the teahouse, directly opposite, through the willow tree, a spy slipped down and went back to report.

Zhou Bing woke up some time ago, and his injuries had been treated and bandaged. Aunt Hong offered him a hot meal and then sent him away.

He can't stay any longer; if he stays too long, the teahouse will also be in trouble.

Remembering Gu Jinning's words, Zhou Bing went out, hired a carriage, bought repair supplies, and left the city.

Xiao Liao's men followed them all the way to the dilapidated temple and destroyed it, but they could not find Zhou Bing.

The two searched the dilapidated temple but couldn't find the man. They chased him out of the temple and questioned the coachman who had turned his horse around and left.

"Hey, where's the scholar?"

The driver adjusted his straw hat and said, "Go down and ask."

With that, he slashed his hand, leaving a bloody mark on the necks of the two men, who collapsed to the ground with their hands still resting on their sword sheaths.

The coachman jumped off the carriage, slowly carried the two people inside, and drove away.

Inside the dilapidated temple statue, Zhou Bing held his breath until the sound of the wheels disappeared and the surroundings returned to a deathly silence before he climbed out and ran into the woods without looking back.

At the Prince of Jin's residence, Gu Jinning, having learned of Zhou Bing's escape, lay on the table, staring meaningfully at Xiao Heng'an.

"Did you do this?"

Xiao Heng'an waved for Song Ming to leave, then slowly walked to the window to shield her from the glaring sunlight, saying, "No."

"Then you guessed it."

Didn't you guess it too?

Gu Jinning raised an eyebrow. "Who told us we're so in sync? I never imagined that my cousin, the Crown Prince, who's usually so quiet, is actually such a loyal and righteous person. I underestimated him."

Xiao Heng'an said, "Master Zuo is his mentor, so he will not ignore it."

Gu Jinning's concern was, "He's really planning to give up the position of Crown Prince."

In terms of talent, learning, and character, Xiao Yi is undoubtedly worthy of the title.

Xiao Heng said, "It has been common for crown princes to be deposed and established since ancient times, but the King of Qin is so persistent in pursuing this issue, which will bring endless trouble."

Gu Jinning propped herself up on her arms, tilted her head to look at him, and said, "We'll deal with whatever comes our way."

Xiao Heng'an said, "It takes skill for you to hold him off for so long."

Gu Jinning touched his collar, grabbed it, and pulled him close, saying proudly, "That's right, he'll die before he can expose me."