Chapter 128 Fate ordained to be as tall as the heavens
Lu Qi stared intently at him, then subtly shifted the position of his hand while hiding the fan behind his back.
"Didn't you notice anything amiss when you drank that tea just now?" Li Xing, holding his sword, stared at Lu Qi and laughed. "I thought that as His Highness's close attendant, you would bring some servants with you when you left the palace, but who knew that you not only didn't bring anyone, but you didn't even have a sword. You just grabbed a fan and went out like a madman."
Lu Qi glanced at the tea spilled on his clothes, frowned, and deliberately feigned a pained expression. He gritted his teeth, stared at the dark room behind Li Xing from which the soft sounds were coming, then glared at Li Xing with resentment, "Li Xing, you're truly despicable!"
"That's the norm in officialdom. That's how you got to where you are, isn't it?" Li Xing looked down at Lu Qi, who was slumped over the table. "You only thought that losing one person in Chixiao Prefecture would benefit me, but you didn't consider that you yourself are more valuable than the entire Chixiao Prefecture!"
He drew half of his sword and used the hilt to lift Lu Qi's chin. "You're not like Yang Xiao, who is skilled in martial arts and doesn't trust anyone. You're just a self-righteous, weak scholar. It's your good fortune to die on the road to General Xiao's ascension to the throne."
"A weak scholar?" Lu Qi, his hand on his sword, looked up and chuckled softly, "Then you really don't know me at all."
"What do you mean?" Li Xing frowned, looking at Lu Qi who was leaning on the hilt of his sword.
“Do you know that Yang Xiao’s martial arts skills,” Lu Qi couldn’t help but chuckle, then gritted his teeth and stared at Li Xing, “we taught her!”
Before he could finish speaking, a loud "bang" was heard. The small square table slammed onto the stove and spun around, blocking the wooden wall. Li Xing was shocked and Lu Qi forced the sword he had just drawn halfway back into its sheath.
"Assassin!" Lu Qi shouted, then kicked Li Xing against the wooden wall, causing the wooden planks to shake. Li Xing quickly clung to the wall to steady himself. Just as he was about to draw his sword, Lu Qi flicked his fan, and two thin blades flew out and pierced his stomach.
Lu Qi gripped the fan handle, frowned, and looked around. The door was locked, and the windows were tightly shut. He clenched his fist, then turned his gaze to the mud-covered platform behind him.
The next instant, the heel flew straight towards the window, smashing it to pieces before flying into the backyard. Turning around, Li Xing was already sprawled on the ground, lifeless.
Inside, all was quiet, save for the silent clamor of billowing dust. Lu Qi took out an identical small knife from his fan, gripped it in his hand, and listened quietly to the gradually escalating commotion outside.
The wooden planks blocking the way swayed slightly but didn't break; footsteps came from the dark room, as if someone was rushing towards the door. The next moment, the wooden door was pounded on forcefully. "Lord Li! Lord Li, are you alright!"
As Lu Qi listened to the growing crowd outside the door, he realized the door was about to collapse under the impact. He sighed, gritted his teeth, and steeled himself, plunging the half-blade into his side.
A tearing pain suddenly shot through Lu Qi, causing his body to tremble and cold sweat to instantly soak his entire back.
His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, letting the gushing blood soak through his white clothes.
Lu Qi wasn't seriously injured; though his mind was consumed by pain, a sliver of reason remained. He dabbed the blood from his abdomen with his fingertip and then touched it to his lips.
After all, he was still a scholar. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. If he were really on the battlefield where he had to fight to the death, he probably would have died from the pain of his wounds before he was even killed in action.
How painful must Yang Xiao have been to receive those fifty lashes?
In an instant, the wooden door slammed into the room with a loud "bang," raising a cloud of dust.
A man who looked like a civil official led a group of people into the house. They were all startled by the mess.
Lu Qi quickly closed his eyes and pretended to faint from the pain. In the chaos, he heard the civil official rushing towards Li Xing's body, while he was slowly helped up by several commoners who checked his breathing.
"He's alive! Lord Lu is alive!" The leading man exclaimed excitedly, holding Lu Qi in his arms. "Quickly, go to the palace to find him! Quickly, find a doctor!"
With a whoosh, the crowd lifted Lu Qi up and rushed into the palace gate to spread the news. The civil official frowned, took off Li Xing's waist token, looked out the gate with a frown, and said angrily, "The trap I set for Lu Qi has actually allowed him to survive." Then he clutched the waist token and put it into his sleeve, and stepped into the crowd.
In the cold, damp house, only Li Xing's body remained unclaimed.
The bloodstains on the ground seemed to complement the red decorations that filled the streets as the New Year approached.
-
With the Spring Festival approaching, the city was already bustling, and this incident around the palace—one of Xiao Yun and Xiao Yan's advisors dead and the other wounded—caused the area around the small, dilapidated house to be completely blocked. The civil official carrying the token had to exert tremendous effort to push through the crowd and enter the palace with the people escorting Lu Qi.
"Lord Jiang," the guard at the palace gate greeted the civil official with clasped hands and a salute.
"Quickly," Jiang Wen pulled the guard aside, "Quickly prepare a horse for me, I have urgent business with the General."
The guard was taken aback, then quickly nodded and stepped forward to lead the horse. He watched as Jiang Wen hurriedly climbed onto the horse and galloped towards the palace.
"General!" Jiang Wen ran wildly to Xiao Yun's tent, ignoring the servants' attempts to let him in, and rushed into the tent by lifting the curtain.
Xiao Yun was startled by Jiang Wen's sudden intrusion. He frowned at Jiang Wen, who was shrouded in a chilling aura, and said angrily, "What's the matter that you're in such a panic?"
"General, something terrible has happened," Jiang Wen knelt on the ground, trying to catch his breath. "Lord Li Xing has been in trouble."
"What?" Xiao Yun stood up in disbelief. "Didn't he go to trick Lu Qi into revealing information? What could have happened?"
Jiang Wen caught his breath and looked up at Xiao Yun. "When he was making plans with me, he wouldn't listen to my advice. He insisted on plotting to kill Lu Qi, saying that this would ensure there would be no future troubles."
“Lu Qi is just a scholar. If we can deceive him, he shouldn’t be too hard to kill,” Xiao Yun raised her head to signal Jiang Wen to stand up, and frowned. “He’s not Zhongli Shuo, who can hit someone with his heel if pushed too far.”
Jiang Wen got up from the ground and stood in front of Xiao Yun. "Lu Qi didn't bring any servants with him on this trip, so Lord Li sent me to follow him. Then I took him to a secluded house outside the palace, where I hid in a dark room in case of emergency."
"Then what?"
"After luring him in, Lord Li tentatively asked him how likely it was to send people from the Chixiao Prefecture to invite the Qiang King. Unexpectedly, Lu Qi saw through Lord Li's intentions immediately." Jiang Wen became more and more nervous as he spoke, sweat pouring down his forehead. "Lu Qi said that if people from the Chixiao Prefecture were sent to the Qiang tribe, they would definitely not return. In this way, Lord Li's career would be much smoother."
“Lu Qi has always been cunning and treacherous, so it’s normal for him to treat Li Xing this way,” Xiao Yun frowned and looked at Jiang Wen. “So what exactly happened to Li Xing?”
"After being exposed, Lord Li was about to kill him, but unexpectedly, chaos erupted inside the room. Lu Qi shouted something like 'Assassin!' Fearing for the Lord's safety, I tried to smash down the wooden wall, but it was blocked by a table. I had no choice but to go around to the front door. By then, the people had already gathered around. After breaking down the door, both of them were stabbed. Lord Li was already dead, and Lu Qi was also seriously injured..."
"What?" Xiao Yun stared at him in disbelief. "How could such an absurd thing happen? The world is going to the dogs, where would an assassin come from?"
Jiang Wen stood trembling, not daring to look at Xiao Yun. "The people were there at the time, and I didn't dare to kill Lu Qi." He suddenly looked up at Xiao Yun as if he remembered something. "By the way, General, Lord Li gave Lu Qi poisoned tea as soon as he entered. Even if Lu Qi is tough, he probably won't last long."
Xiao Yun frowned, gritted her teeth, and slammed her fist on the table. "Li Xing, Li Xing, why couldn't you just get information out of me properly? You had to resort to assassination, and now you've lost your own life." Xiao Yun cursed, then slumped back into her seat as if deflated, glancing at Jiang Wen. "Fine, at least Lu Qi is dead. Ever since he followed Xiao Yan before entering the palace, he's always been at odds with me. Now that Li Xing is dead, you'll take his place."
Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Jiang Wen's eyes, and he quickly knelt down, saying, "Thank you for your promotion, General."
"Enough, enough," Xiao Yun waved her hand dismissively, unwilling to look at him. "Go down and take care of Li Xing's funeral arrangements."
"Yes." Jiang Wen cupped his hands in greeting and retreated towards the door.
"Wait!" Xiao Yun frowned and called out to Jiang Wen, who had retreated to the doorway. "What did Lu Qi say before? He said that we can't go to Beiqiang?"
Jiang Wen turned his head and then returned to Xiao Yun's side. "Yes, General. Lu Qi once said that sending people from Chixiao Mansion would be... courting death."
Xiao Yun nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this. "I understand. If the bone flute is lost, the Chixiao Palace will be unable to explain itself to the Qiang King. If I were to report this matter to the Qiang King and ask him to send troops to punish them, wouldn't that be..."
Jiang Wen's eyes lit up, and he flattered, "As expected of the General!"
"So, who should be sent as the envoy?" Xiao Yun raised his eyes and glanced at Jiang Wen. Seeing his hesitant appearance, he couldn't help but smile. "The person who can accomplish this task must be exceptionally talented. After I ascend the throne, I will definitely appoint this person as prime minister."
“This…” Jiang Wen looked up at Xiao Yun hesitantly, then made up his mind, “If the General trusts me, I am willing to go to the Northern Qiang in person and ask the Qiang King to send troops.”
“Good,” Xiao Yun patted Jiang Wen on the shoulder, “If this matter succeeds, you will be my appointed prime minister.”
Jiang Wen bowed his head and clasped his hands in thanks, unable to hide his joy. "Thank you, General."
-
A group of people hurriedly carried Lu Qi to the palace. When Xiao Yan asked what had happened, he was both angry and amused. He sent someone to call Yang Xiao over and told her the story again as if it were a joke. He also made sure to display the high-end snacks that Lu Qi had bought and share them with Yang Xiao.
"Wow, you bought some good pastries." Xiao Yan sat at the table, raised his chin at Lu Qi who was groaning on the couch, and handed the pastry plate to Yang Xiao beside him, "Here, you can have some too."
Yang Xiao smiled and took the plate, leaning over to sniff it. "It smells somewhat similar to what that old lady made."
Lu Qi frowned as he looked at the two people distributing pastries, and couldn't help but grit his teeth and press his wound, saying, "So you don't care whether I live or die at all?"
"Tsk," Xiao Yan put down the pastry in her hand, glanced at him, and said, "If you prick yourself, you have to suffer the consequences. Who would willingly go out of their way to get stabbed?"
Lu Qi pressed his wound and let out a long breath. He had just smiled helplessly when the wound was aggravated again, making him gasp in pain. "I guessed they would have ulterior motives, saying they wanted to go out and fish for him, but who knew they would pull this stunt on me."
Xiao Yan smiled upon hearing this, "Perhaps Li Xing just thinks you're a weak scholar."
“Speaking of which, I also have a question,” Yang Xiao interjected, standing next to Lu Qi, “Aren’t you Xiao Yan’s personal attendant? Why are you dressed like this every day?”
"That's called hiding your true strength." Lu Qi pressed his wound, gritting his teeth.
Xiao Yan also stood up and leaned against the table. "But it's true, you haven't made a move in so many years, it's normal that those people don't know your strength."
Lu Qi smiled and shook his head, "Everyone who has seen me fight is dead. Who would know my true strength?"
“Very well,” Xiao Yan nodded and smiled, clapped her hands and stood up. “With the end of the year approaching, I should go and distribute some grain to the people. I’ll take my leave first.” With that, she walked towards the door. After taking two steps, she turned back to look at Yang Xiao and laughed, “Just leave him alone, but don’t let him anger you and then kill him.”
“Okay,” Yang Xiao laughed out loud upon hearing this, “Go ahead without worry, this person won’t die.”
Watching Xiao Yan's departing figure, Yang Xiao couldn't help but sigh softly. She looked down at Lu Qi, "What do you mean by saying everyone who saw you fight is dead? What about the martial arts you taught me when I was young?"
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