Chapter 1001 Liu Yisheng's Ending (Jingkong Fan)
Under the astonished gazes of all the Wei soldiers, two young men of unknown origin were taken to their camp by Liu Xiang's confidants.
In a spacious and tidy tent, Gu Jiao met Liu Yisheng, whom she had not seen for many years.
He was already in his thirties, and had lost some of the youthful naiveté of his past, but gained a sense of composure and elegance honed by the years, as well as the air of nobility and sharpness of someone in a position of power.
Nine years can change a person in far too much.
Gu Jiao had heard someone call him Prime Minister Liu in her dream of returning to the Marquis's mansion, and knew that he would one day be able to be ennobled and appointed as prime minister, but when she actually met him, it was not quite the same as she had imagined.
Perhaps they didn't expect him to ravage the lands of Zhao, returning with a determination for revenge.
While Gu Jiao was looking at Liu Yisheng, Liu Yisheng was also looking at Gu Jiao.
Gu Jiao has also changed a lot. The birthmark on her face is gone, revealing her hidden beauty, which is unfamiliar yet surprising.
At twenty-four, a flower-like age, she was as beautiful as a fairy.
What remains unchanged is her vibrant energy and her pure, unadulterated gaze.
It seems that no matter how many years have passed or how many things have happened, she has never changed her original intention.
"I'll head out first," Jun Xiuhan said.
"Okay," Liu Yisheng replied.
Jun Xiuhan glanced at Xuan Yuanxi.
“I’m not going out!” Xuanyuan Xi said.
Liu Yisheng smiled, a rare occurrence for him: "It's alright."
Jun Xiuhan was astonished.
He had never seen Liu Yisheng smile.
Liu Yisheng said to him, "Go ahead and do your own thing, I'm fine here."
Jun Xiuhan glanced at Gu Jiao and said, "Her martial arts are very high." Then he looked at Xuan Yuanxi beside him and said, "This kid is not weak either."
He had witnessed Gu Jiao's skills and knew she was a formidable expert capable of defeating Han Ye. According to the intelligence they possessed, the young general beside her should be the champion, Marquis Xuan Yuanxi.
It is not something that can be confined to a pond.
If the two of them were to harm Liu Yisheng in the tent, he wouldn't have time to rescue her.
"I know," Liu Yisheng said casually.
Since Liu Yisheng had spoken up, Jun Xiuhan had no choice but to go out first.
There was only one attendant in the tent.
“Anu?” Gu Jiao looked at him.
Liu Yisheng was in a good mood, her eyes full of smiles: "Yes, you still remember. Anu, do you remember Miss Gu?"
Anu nodded and bowed to Gu Jiao.
He was a mute slave and could not speak.
He has grown taller and bigger, and is now a mature and steady guard.
Gu Jiao nodded to him in greeting.
"Is it Jingkong?" Liu Yisheng then looked at Xuanyuan Xi next to Gu Jiao.
Xuanyuan Xi opened his eyes wide: "Hmm, you know me?"
Liu Yisheng said bluntly, "We've met before, have you forgotten?"
Xuanyuan Xi suddenly realized: "Ah, Paihuazi, Brother Ming'er! I remember now! It was you who saved us!"
Liu Yisheng said in a friendly tone, "Then, I've also done some investigation into you over the past few years."
Xuanyuan Xi: "Oh."
I didn't ask him why he was investigating me.
Nine years ago, Gu Jiao saw Liu Yisheng off and played a tune on the zither for him in the pavilion. Jing Kong was with her that time.
Jingkong asked Liu Yisheng out of curiosity and learned that he and Gu Jiao were close friends.
When he got back, he boasted to his wicked brother-in-law that Jiaojiao and Liu Yisheng were a perfect match, which made his brother-in-law extremely jealous.
Later, when he grew up, he realized that the phrase "harmonious music" wasn't used in that way, especially considering that Liu Yisheng had played the flute with Jiaojiao in the carriage.
Xuanyuan Xi pouted and said, "We're here to beat you up, but you don't seem like you're that deserving of a beating."
The main reason was that he didn't sense any murderous intent or ill will towards Jiaojiao from Liu Yisheng.
He smiled, seemingly unperturbed by Xuan Yuanxi's bluntness. He walked to the low table, knelt down, and asked the two, "Would you like some tea?"
Xuanyuan Xi didn't want to drink; he curiously examined the weapons and books inside the tent.
"Take your time looking around," Liu Yisheng said gently.
Xuanyuan Xi looked at Gu Jiao, and only after Gu Jiao nodded did he begin to look through the books and weapons.
Gu Jiao knelt down opposite Liu Yisheng.
Liu Yisheng picked up the kettle from the stove, which was within easy reach, and brewed three cups of tea.
Gu Jiao asked, "How did you and Jun Xiuhan meet?"
Liu Yisheng said, "His mother was from Zhao State. Before her father took her back to Yan State, she lived in the same alley as me and we had a few encounters. Once, he fainted from hunger, and I carried him home."
Gu Jiao suddenly realized: "No wonder."
Liu Yisheng handed the tea to Gu Jiao: "His family background in Yan was not very good either. Fortunately, he was hardworking and got into Canaan Academy. You can probably guess what happened next. I met him by chance and learned about you from him. I guessed that 'Xiao Liulang' was you."
Gu Jiao picked up her teacup: "He helped me during the Black Wind Rider selection, saying it was to repay a favor."
Liu Yisheng withdrew her hand, paused, and said, "I was unaware of that."
Gu Jiao looked at him: "How have you been these past few years?"
Liu Yisheng smiled faintly: "As you can see, it's neither good nor bad. How about you? Are you doing well?"
Gu Jiao said honestly, "It's very good, I like it very much."
I love my life now, and I love everything I've experienced.
Liu Yisheng smiled with a mixture of relief and bitterness: "Is he good to you?"
Gu Jiao was taken aback: "My husband? He's extremely good to me."
Liu Yisheng lowered her eyes and took a sip of tea: "That's good."
"Do you harbor resentment?" Gu Jiao asked bluntly.
Liu Yisheng gripped the teacup tightly, staring at the tea leaves floating in the cup. After a long while, he said in a low voice, "Yes, the royal family of Zhao slaughtered my entire Liu family. How could I not hate them?"
“I live like a dog, subject to humiliation and anyone can trample on me.”
"Whenever someone is unhappy, they can take it out on me and the people around me."
"No, I don't have many people around me, just a nanny and a mute slave I bought halfway through the journey."
Gu Jiao had heard and witnessed the scene of him being framed, and hearing him mention it again now, she suddenly felt that the past was shocking.
What the world sees as Liu Yisheng's misery is perhaps only the tip of the iceberg. He grew up amidst endless bullying, and the seeds of hatred had already been sown in his heart.
He chuckled self-deprecatingly: "You shouldn't have helped me in the first place. If I had died of illness on the street, the country wouldn't have almost perished."
“The Zhao Kingdom will not perish,” Gu Jiao said.
Liu Yisheng looked up into Gu Jiao's eyes: "You want to fight me?"
Gu Jiao didn't shy away from his gaze: "Yes."
Liu Yisheng laughed sarcastically: "If we're going to kill each other, why bother getting to know each other?"
Gu Jiao said, "Saving you is my duty, killing you is my mission."
“You are a good doctor and a good general.” Liu Yisheng put down the cold tea in his hand and stood up calmly. “How about we make a bet? If you win, I will immediately withdraw my troops and never invade Zhao again. If you lose… you will grant me one request.”
Gu Jiao replied without hesitation, "Okay."
Liu Yisheng frowned: "Aren't you going to ask what the conditions are?"
"I won't ask," Gu Jiao said.
Liu Yisheng clenched her fingers: "Miss Gu, do you know how treacherous people can be? Your behavior will make me want to win against you by any means necessary. You should bargain with me and make me understand that even if I win, I won't get what I want. Then I might lose that strong competitive drive!"
"What are we betting on?"
Gu Jiao's reply to him was this calm and unfazed statement.
“You…” Liu Yisheng choked, turned her face away to calm herself down, and when she turned back, her face was calm. “I heard that you are Elder Meng’s disciple. You play a game of chess with me. One game will decide the winner. If it is a draw, you will also win.”
"Okay." Gu Jiao agreed readily.
Liu Yisheng looked at Xuan Yuanxi, who was browsing books in front of the bookshelf, and said gently, "Jingkong, there is a Go set on the second shelf. Could you pass it to me?"
"Oh, okay." Xuanyuan Xi took out the Go set and handed it to him.
He set up the chessboard, grabbed a handful of white pieces from the chess box, clenched his fist, and said to Gu Jiao, "Round the game."
Gu Jiao picked up a black card: "Single."
Liu Yisheng opened his palm; there were three chess pieces, indeed an odd number. The one who guessed correctly would play black.
And the black pieces go first.
Gu Jiao made the first move, placing her piece in the upper right corner of the star position.
The corners here lack control, but the outward expansion suits Gu Jiao's decisive and efficient personality.
Xiao Shituan was comfortably squinting on Gu Jiao's lap.
Gu Jiao played chess while petting her cat, which didn't seem like a life-or-death game; instead, it gave her a rather pleasant feeling.
Liu Yisheng raised her hand and placed a piece, her gaze sweeping over Xiao Shi.
Xiao Shi felt a chill down his back and snuggled closer to Gu Jiao.
...
"grown ups!"
Outside the tent, General Mo rushed over in a hurry. He glanced at the tightly closed tent behind Jun Xiuhan and whispered, "What exactly happened?"
"You're asking me? Who should I ask?" Jun Xiuhan retorted.
General Mo dared not argue with Liu Yisheng's confidant. He scratched his head and said helplessly, "I was just worried about your safety, sir. By the way, who are those two people? They seem to be wearing Yan Kingdom armor. Could they be reinforcements sent by Yan Kingdom?"
"You don't need to concern yourself with those two people's affairs, nor can you interfere," Jun Xiuhan said, adding casually, "Even I can't interfere."
Are you jealous, sir?
"Ahem!" General Mo cleared his throat. "We're about to take down Zhao Kingdom, so we absolutely can't afford any mishaps! Zhao Kingdom has been strong and well-equipped in recent years, and this is the perfect opportunity they've seized. If we miss this chance, it will be much harder to attack Zhao Kingdom again!"
With the right timing, location, and people—the Marquis of Xuanping not in court, Tang Yueshan remaining in the capital, and the Crown Prince having thoroughly disastrously mismanaged the Gu family army—this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will not come again.
Jun Xiu coldly replied, "What you can think of, do you think the lord cannot think of?"
General Mo's eyes lit up: "So we'll continue fighting?"
Inside the tent, Gu Jiao placed her last piece: "I lost."
Liu Yisheng said, "It's only a half-point loss."
Gu Jiao said, "That's still a loss."
Liu Yisheng said, "I told you, I will definitely beat you."
It was actually a hard-fought victory; her chess skills were so exquisite that he almost exhausted all his energy to win by half a point.
Gu Jiao said, "A bet's a bet. Make your demands."
Xuanyuan Xi pricked up his ears.
What conditions will Liu Yisheng propose to Jiaojiao?
The way he looks at Jiaojiao is different. Will he make Jiaojiao leave her bad brother-in-law and be with him? Or will he make Jiaojiao stand aside and not participate in the decisive battle between Wei and Zhao?
Or should we just let Jiaojiao lead the troops and help him conquer the world?
To everyone's surprise, Liu Yisheng simply got up, went to the chest, and silently took out a guqin and placed it on the table: "Could you play a tune for me again?"
Gu Jiao looked at him strangely: "Is this all you asked for?"
Liu Yisheng smiled slightly: "If possible, have another meal with me and listen to a traditional opera performance."
Gu Jiao took the guqin.
Liu Yisheng cleaned the table.
With a flick of her fingertips, Gu Jiao unleashed a heavenly melody, like the sound of a mountain stream.
She played "Jinghong" (惊鸿), the song she had played for him on the day she left him. The difference this time was that she added the second half, "Zhaoying" (照影).
Liu Yisheng gently began to play the flute, just like the night she bid him farewell many years ago.
Xuanyuan Xi listened intently, and it took him a long time to realize that he was holding an arithmetic book with familiar handwriting, containing Jiaojiao's annotations.
Did Jiaojiao give Liu Yisheng a book?
That evening, the three of them had dinner together and then went to the city's theater to listen to a short opera performance.
The friendship between gentlemen is as pure as water; there are no warm words or intimate gestures between them, but one can still feel the tacit understanding that permeates everything silently.
"I should go," Gu Jiao said.
Liu Yisheng gazed intently at her: "Be careful on the road."
This parting may be the last time we meet in this lifetime.
Gu Jiao nodded, reluctantly handing Xiao Shi, whom she had been carrying all the way, back to Liu Yisheng. Then, she and Xuan Yuanxi each mounted their horses.
Liu Yisheng suddenly called out to her. In the night, his eyes shone like stars: "Miss Gu, thank you for the book you gave me back then."
...
Three days later, the Wei army withdrew.
The troops from the eleven cities were completely withdrawn.
Liu Yisheng took nothing from Zhao Kingdom. His luggage was very simple, consisting of only a set of clothes, the cat in his arms, and the eleven books she had given him.
I met you at the most miserable and vulnerable time of my life.
But you didn't coldly step over my filthy, rotting body.
You bent your beautiful back and extended your clean hand to me.
(End of this chapter)
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