Chapter 157 The King and Queen of Han 69

Xiang Yu had no intention of letting Emperor Yi live, and he cared even less about this insignificant envoy.

Whether the messenger dies on the way or returns safely is actually irrelevant.

Born in chaotic times, it is perfectly normal for people to die on the way.

As long as no one is left alive, the blame can be easily shifted later.

According to the message relayed back by Xiang Yu's men, the poor messenger died on the way back.

===

Inside the rather simple room lay a pale-faced, bearded middle-aged man, clearly seriously injured, yet there was no doctor or servant beside him.

The person was seen struggling in their sleep with a furrowed brow, making rustling noises in the quiet room.

"woke up?"

Lü Zhi stood with her back to the person, looking towards the window, ignoring the person behind her who was struggling to sit up.

"You are... cough cough, who are you?" The envoy cautiously looked around. There was no one else in the room except for the woman standing with her hands behind her back.

His attendants, his confidants, and the soldiers who escorted him were nowhere to be seen.

He raised his hand to his chest, the excruciating pain still lingering in his heart.

The image of a bronze sword piercing his heart was still vivid in his mind; it was the first time he had ever known that one could feel pain even after death.

This afterlife is perhaps...

He glanced at the room and at Lü Zhi, who had her back to him, and found her too similar to her life in the mortal world.

It's quite rudimentary...

He looked at Lü Zhi with trepidation: "Are you a deity?"

"Heh," Lü Zhi turned around and sneered, "What are you afraid of? You're not dead yet."

She looked down at the man, calculating his usefulness in her mind.

The messenger looked dazed upon hearing Lü Zhi's words. Lü Zhi did not rush to urge him to come back to his senses, but instead slightly turned her gaze to the spirit leaning against the wall. Sunlight pierced through him, and even the dust motes seemed to come alive as they danced lightly.

Not only was the rescued messenger shocked, but Empress Lü Zhi herself found it hard to believe that such a wound could be healed.

What she couldn't forget was His hint: This is in accordance with God's will, He is helping you, so saving you is not difficult.

Lü Zhi clenched her fists; it was for her sake that he was able to live.

Of course, Lü Zhi would not tell this person this, nor did she refute the question the person had just asked. How could bringing someone back from the dead not be considered a divine act?

And she will use this to do what He expects and to comply with His expectations.

"I'm not dead..."

"I...I'm not dead..."

Zhu Qing'ai's lips twitched, and she looked at the man with slight disdain: "Is he crazy?"

She had at least spent her points to save this person; if it weren't for the importance of having a legitimate reason for doing something in this era, she wouldn't have saved him at all, given her stinginess.

Lu Zhi's lips curled up slightly, then quickly flattened. Most of the time, she appeared dignified and composed, but occasionally she felt that she was as energetic as a young person and also quite cute.

"Keep quiet."

The messenger immediately fell silent. Although the strange woman in front of him was not a deity he had seen after death, the fact that she had been able to save him meant that she was no ordinary person.

The envoy skillfully put on a fawning smile: "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Although this era still advocates high moral standards and the public despises petty behavior, the messenger does not feel that there is anything wrong with his actions.

It is wrong to betray God, but it is okay to follow the will of Heaven.

He touched his chest again, and when he looked up at Lü Zhi, his gaze now held the air of a fanatical believer looking at his faith.

Lü Zhi: ...

"It's nothing serious. Please send the messenger back and tell the King of Chu what happened here."

"Well..." The envoy's eyes darted around, looking quite troubled. "I really want to, but look at me, I just escaped death..."

"After such a long journey, it will be difficult for me to return to Chu." When it comes to matters involving one's own life, one becomes cautious no matter what, and this envoy was no exception.

Zhu Qing'ai noticed his resistance and said directly to Lü Zhi, "You won't die within a month. After that, you just need to rest in bed."

At least it was saved by spending points, so it still has an expiration date.

Empress Lü Zhi was aware of this and made a note of it.

"What's your name?" Lü Zhi suddenly asked him.

"My name is Zhang Qian. May I ask who you are?" Zhang Qian also focused his attention, forcing himself to exert his mental energy to observe Lü Zhi's expression.

"Lü Zhi".

Zhang Qian's pupils trembled slightly: "You...you are the Duke of Pei, the wife of the King of Han."

Empress Lü was used to this form of address; ever since she married Liu Bang, Liu Bang was always mentioned before her name.

It is like this now, but it won't always be like this.

Zhang Qian racked his brains, causing his face to turn even paler.

When he arrived, he heard that the King of Han was besieged in Xianyang. How come the King of Han's queen is still outside the city? It can't be that he was picked up and brought back to Xianyang by himself.

No, no, if he were really taken back to Xianyang, why would Empress Lü ask him to go back to the King of Chu? It would be difficult for him to even leave the city at this time.

With his own bloody lesson before him, Xiang Yu had no reservations about not killing envoys in battle.

"But this place... isn't it a bit unsafe here?" Zhang Qian tried to express his thoughts tactfully, while also testing Lü Zhi's attitude.

Lü Zhi didn't care: "The surrounding city walls and other buildings are sufficient."

Zhang Qian shut up. That's right, someone who can bring the dead back to life doesn't need to be afraid of ordinary people.

"How about it? Shall we set off immediately?"

If Zhang Qian was just declining, he is now vehemently opposed. He has only just woken up, how can he possibly travel?

"For your own life's sake, the situation cannot be delayed."

He didn't want to travel now just to save his own life.

He actually understood what Lü Zhi meant. It wasn't difficult to survive; he could simply disfigure his face and hide his identity, making it hard to find him in the chaotic world. But it would be much harder to live a life of honor and prestige.

He was, after all, a minor nobleman with a surname, and he was unwilling to be a vagrant; that was worse than death for him.

Without Lü Zhi's persuasion, Zhang Qian convinced himself and stood up with gritted teeth: "Alright!"

"Uh..." he paused, "It doesn't seem... painful?"

“Yes,” Zhu Qing’ai replied from where Zhang Qian couldn’t see, “After all, it’s my territory.”

Golden threads were pulled out from Zhang Qian's body, and He hooked and coiled them up.

The silk thread was kneaded and flattened at His fingertips into a small golden bead, which He then casually flicked back to Zhang Qian's brow.

Zhang Qian felt a sudden chill between his brows, like ice clinging to his bones in the dead of winter, making his heart tremble.

Lü Zhi's gaze towards Zhang Qian was also slightly subtle: "It is His grace that you will be safe within a month."

Zhang Qian raised his hand in a gesture of respect: "I will certainly do my best to accomplish this task."

Lü Zhi nodded in satisfaction: "In that case, you can rest for the night and set off first thing tomorrow morning."

Zhang Qian felt that the bright future was beckoning him, so he naturally had no objections.

===

Zhang Qian returned to the King of Chu's side by galloping horseback, and several days had passed.

Upon meeting the King of Chu and his court officials, he delivered the best performance of his life, which was, of course, a genuine outpouring of emotion.

"Your Majesty! Thanks to your protection, I am able to return alive to see you!"

What happened?

Zhang Qian cried as if he were facing a life-or-death separation, drawing the attention of the King of Chu and his two trusted ministers.

Zhang Qianren acted decisively, tearing open his shirt to show the wound on his chest. The layers of cloth didn't reveal much, but the dark red bloodstains were clearly visible through the fabric, and a faint smell of blood and herbs filled the air.

The King of Chu pointed a trembling finger at Zhang Qian's chest: "Did Xiang Yu do this?"

"How outrageous!"

"How dare they treat the king's envoy in such a way, showing no respect for hierarchy? They deserve to be punished."

The King of Chu's expression shifted between light and dark. What did he mean by punishment? Did he not know his own predicament?

The King of Chu raised his hand and pressed it down, signaling his confidants to be quiet. His gaze towards Zhang Qian turned cold, filled with inquiry, suspicion, and apprehension.

How did you survive?

Zhang Qian knew he couldn't lie at this moment, but he also couldn't tell the whole truth. He told the King of Chu what had happened, nine parts true and one part false: "I went to Xiang Yu's army on Your Majesty's orders. At first, he was quite respectful, but later..."

In truth, he had never received any respect when he went there, but to save face for his current boss, he still acted tactfully.

Zhang Qian left a blank, allowing the King of Chu to use his imagination to fill in the details of the treatment he received in Xiang Yu's army. He then continued, "Later, I discovered that the vassal kings enfeoffed by Xiang Yu did not actually contribute much to the overthrow of the tyrannical Qin Dynasty."

Zhang Qian rattled off a long list, and the King of Chu also considered it in his mind. With the death of Qin, the world was divided into several parts, with various vassal states existing side by side, yet Xiang Yu was enfeoffing the rulers and their subjects...

It's not that it's impossible to take a gamble, but...

Although the King of Chu did not want to admit it, he had to admit that Xiang Yu was no longer under his control. Despite his repeated opposition, he was still forced into the position of Emperor Yi.

Being an emperor isn't easy; he's not Qin Shi Huang, who held all the power in the world in his own hands.

Seeing that the man was wavering, Zhang Qian also feigned hesitation: "This humble subject has something else to say, but I'm not sure if I should..."

“Speak,” the King of Chu casually set down his cup, “I have come to this point, what is there that I cannot speak of?”

"Your Majesty, you must not be so dejected!"

Two of the King of Chu's confidants also offered words of comfort, which improved the King of Chu's mood, and he was more attentive to what Zhang Qian had to say.

"I was able to survive this time thanks to the help of the King and Queen of Han."

The King of Chu perked up, nodded, and gestured for Zhang Qian to continue.

"Originally, I was going to die from a gash in my chest, but the Queen of Han, who happened to be passing by, saved me. She had a remarkably skilled physician with her!"

Zhang Qian knew the truth, but he wasn't foolish enough to tell the King of Chu that the Queen of Han had divine assistance. If the Queen of Han had divine assistance, then what was the King of Chu?

Most feudal lords and kings cared about the gods and the mandate of heaven. Before achieving their goals, they would not hesitate to stab the King of Chu in the heart.

"The Queen of Han was brave and skilled in battle. She first led her men to drive away those people, and then rescued me. I was thus spared from death."

At this point, Zhang Qian began to untie the strips of cloth on his body, insisting on showing the King of Chu the long and hideous wound on his chest.

Only then did the King of Chu believe Xiang Yu's intention to kill him.

-----------------------

Author's Note: I'm back! I'll update as soon as possible this month, finish the main story, and then write the side stories [angry]. If I don't finish this month, I'll keep fighting next month!