Book 58: Chapter 12: A Wish
Xu Ziling redoubled his caution. In the flying snow filling the sky, he sneaked into Feng Deyi’s mansion house. Kou Zhong’s encounter the previous night gave him a very big lesson, one wrong move, they would lose all their advantages.
Suddenly taking a breath, he dropped down from high in the air, and came to a back alley behind a courtyard house. At the end of the alley, a shadow flashed. Although it was only a glimpse of a graceful figure, a familiar feeling grew in Xu Ziling’s heart.
Not daring to hesitate, he followed her trail at full speed.
Kou Zhong and Ba Fenghan returned to the Situ’s residence, only the inner hall still had lights on. Turned out Song Shidao and Zha Jie were engaged in a night game of Go.
Song Shidao’s chess skill was definitely several notches higher than Zha Jie, he attacked in such a way that Zha Jie did not have any power to fight back.
Giving pointers, Song Shidao said to Zha Jie, “Playing Go is like a confrontation between two countries, you must take the big picture into consideration, not the gains and losses of one moment, one locale.”
Noticing the sitting-separately-on-either-side Kou Zhong and Ba Fenghan’s faces lacked happy expression, he was stunned and said, “Er Wenhuan unexpectedly does not know where the firearms are hidden? It is beyond expectation.”
Zha Jie nodded in agreement; that was the only reasonable explanation. Because based on the two men’s ability and wisdom and skill, ten Er Wenhuan should not be able to fly out of the crack of their fingers.
Kou Zhong sighed and said, “Everything went smoothly, Er Wenhuan was more greedy for life, afraid of death than we thought. We used finger wind to knock Chunxiang first, and then at the same time we made our move to subdue Lao Er to extort a confession, ay!”
Ba Fenghan spoke dejectedly, “The problem is that the firearms are actually hidden in Li Jiancheng’s East Palace. Unless we forcefully break into the East Palace, there’s nothing that can we do!”
Song Shidao said to Zha Jie, “We stop at this point tonight, you should get a good night’s sleep to restore your spirit, tomorrow you can ask Xi’er for advice.”
Zha Jie knew that the three men wanted to have a confidential discussion, hence he packed up the chess pieces and obediently went to bed.
Kou Zhong and Ba Fenghan looked at Song Shidao, hope grew in their hearts.
Song Shidao muttered to himself irresolutely for half a day. Blurted out laughing, he said, “I should congratulate you. Li Jiancheng keeps the firearm in the Forbidden Garden of the East Palace, as long as there is a fire, it will not only destroy the firearms, but also let Xiuning Gongzhu enjoy a fireworks show being held in the East Palace. One move, two gains.”
Smiling wryly, Kou Zhong said, “The problem is that Li Jiancheng hid the firearms in the underground storehouse of the Ju Bao Dian [lit. amassing treasure palace hall] in the middle of the East Palace. The iron panel sealing the storehouse is a chi and a half thick. Needless to say, there are layer upon layer of guards outside, even a mouse cannot charge in to enter. Such a place, how could we set our hand to it?”
Ba Fenghan said, “Before assassinating Zhao Deyan, it’s not advisable for us to make any move that will beat the grass and scare the snake; if we let Li Yuan knows the secrets of the tunnel, everything is over. The worst thing is that Shi Zhixuan might see through our plan.”
Song Shidao spoke slyly, “The matter depends on the individual [idiom: with effort, one can achieve anything]. Since there is a clear and definite target date, it is possible to get things done. Zaixia’s reputation in appraising antiques for Huangshang last time I was in Chang’an has been widely spread, becoming a more famous appraising expert than Hu Fo, there is no lack of wealthy businessmen coming to seek advice. Pei Ji mentioned to me this morning that Taizi Dianxia wanted to invite Zaixia into the palace and stay for two days. Needless to say, he must have wanted to use my expertise in this area.”
Kou Zhong spoke hatefully, “He must have wanted you to look at the treasure and wonderful antiques that Yuanji robbed from Luoyang for him.”
“Have you set a date?” Ba Fenghan asked.
Song Shidao replied, “Pei Ji was very polite, he let me see when I have the time and then get back to him, and he will make the arrangement.”
Scratching his head, Kou Zhong said, “As the name implies, Ju Bao Dian is most likely a place to store treasure and antiques. The underground storehouse under the main hall was originally a place for storing treasures, but now it is used to store ruthless firearms to kill people. His Niang’s! How are we going to take advantage of this opportunity and afterwards, no one will suspect ErGe?”
Holding his head with both hands, Ba Fenghan said, “I really can’t think of a way. Even if ErGe has the opportunity to appraise things in Ju Bao Dian, Li Jiancheng will definitely have his men following him left and right, and the person in charge will follow him closely even more. In such circumstances, what can we do?”
Song Shidao said, “Let’s all of us think about it, Laotianye has given us such a rare opportunity, naturally there will be other arrangements. We only need to move our brains more and see the opportunity and act [idiom].”
Kou Zhong spoke dejectedly, “You are saying that we have no choice but to submit to the will of heaven!”
Song Shidao shook his head and said, “The most important thing for us is to notify Chen Laomou to rush over to Chang’an immediately. It would be best if he could come back with Lei Dage. Without these two men’s wonder-skill and amazing-art, it would be like we have paper but no pen, we won’t be able to write brilliant article.”
Kou Zhong and Ba Fenghan’s two pair of eyes lit up at the same time.
The nightwalker appeared in the depths of an alley and sprinted towards the other end of the alley. By this time Xu Ziling was certain that he had not recognized the wrong person. Increasing his speed, he swept forward, focused his voice into a thread, and said, “Tongtong! It’s me, Xu Ziling!”
The nightwalker’s tender body shook violently, she stopped abruptly.
Before she turned her tender body around, Xu Ziling pulled off his hood and came behind her, so that he met her face-to-face.
It was precisely Liu Heita’s capable helper, expert in using flying dagger, the delicate and pretty young girl, Qiu Tongtong.
Tongtong took off her hood, revealing her thin jade countenance. Hot tears gushing out of her pair of eyes, she spoke with trembling voice, “It is indeed Xu Ye, how come you are here?”
Xu Ziling spoke heavily, “Is Tongtong going to assassinate Zhuge Dewei?”
Tongtong tears fell down, she sobbed silently and nodded her head.
Xu Ziling said, “Don’t cry. This is not a good place to talk, come with me.”
Tongtong finally stopped crying, her pair of eyes were already red and swollen from crying, from time to time her fragrant shoulders twitched, making people I see you and feel pity [this is literal translation].
Looking at her, Xu Ziling, Kou Zhong, Ba Fenghan, and Song Shidao’s heart was broken, but what has happened, no one could change.
Tongtong looked at Kou Zhong, she said, “When Liu Shuai [commander] heard the news that Shaoshuai had safely returned to Liangdu, he was so happy that he went everywhere looking for people to drink with him, he even told me that he would fully support you to unify the world.”
Ba Fenghan sighed and said, “Your Liu Shuai was a man who knows how to use soldiers, why did he launch an offensive in the cold weather, frozen ground, when the ice and snow covered the road?”
Tongtong said, “That was precisely Liu Shuai’s brilliance; there were four reasons. Were it not for Zhuge Dewei, that traitor betrayed Liu Shuai, his plan would have been successful.”
Knitting his brows, Kou Zhong asked, “What was the reason?”
Tongtong said, “We, Hebei people, are most adept in snow battles; we are not afraid of the severe winter, and the area where we started the battle is a place we are familiar with, to us it only had benefit without any harm.”
Kou Zhong nodded and said, “That is very convincing.”
Tongtong said, “Next was the fortunate timing. The Tang Army murdered Dou Ye, ignoring the way of righteousness, arousing public outrage among the people of Hebei and Shandong. Liu Shuai did not want to rise after this enthusiasm cooled down.”
After a short pause, she went on, “More importantly, because the Tang army was attacking Luoyang, the main force was concentrated south of the Yellow River. Although they seized the opportunity to attack and capture a substantial area of our Hebei and more than a dozen cities, still, the foot of their troops disposition was not stable yet, their military strength was weak. If we waited until spring to raise the troops, it would be difficult to fight the wonder troops’ surprise attack, and lose the effectiveness of catching an enemy off guard with a surprise attack [idiom from Sunzi’s ‘The Art of War’]. Therefore, Liu Shuai decided to march the army in the wind and snow, and the facts proved that Liu Shuai was right. Even the troops under Li Shiji’s command were beaten until everything was broken in in disorder [idiom] by us, he was the only one barely able to escape. Wind and snow are actually favorable for defense but unfavorable for offense; however, because the common people in the city occupied by the Tang have their heart leaning towards Dou Ye, it offset this unfavorable factor. Li Shiji abandoned Zongcheng and defended Luozhou instead, precisely because the popular sentiment in the city was unstable.”
Kou Zhong agreed; he said, “In that case, strong wind and snow became the most favorable conditions for Liu Dage instead. Only after Liu Dage has fully recovered his homeland that the Tang Army would have the opportunity to organize a large-scale counterattack.”
Ba Fenghan said, “The problem was that the Yellow River is still under the Li Family’s control, they could use the navy fleet to transfer troops, not afraid that the roads may be blocked by the wind and snow.”
Tongtong said, “Liu Shuai precisely wanted to seize control of the eastern section of the Great River before the weather warms up, so that the Tang people will not have the opportunity to go out of Hainan to attack you. Furthermore, he wanted to firmly control the Tang Army, before joining forces with Shaoshuai in Luoyang. Who would have thought that Zhuge Dewei, that traitor, unceasingly leaking out what is true and what is false of our army in the dark, so that we suffered miserable defeat.”
Speaking to this distressing point, hot tears poured out again.
Kou Zhong felt he did not wish to continue listening anymore. From the first day he met Liu Heita, this hero had always shown deep affection and heavy righteousness toward them, two brothers, all the way until he became the overlord of a region, he never changed.
Xu Ziling asked in heavy voice, “How did Liu Dage go?”
Tongtong’s pair of eyes spouted flames of hatred; gnashing her teeth, she said, “It was Zhuge Dewei in collusion with Li Jiancheng’s man tricking him into entering the city, and then Yang Xuyan that thief made his move to kill him. I will never forget that scene.”
Severely shaken, Kou Zhong said, “Yang Xuyan again! His Niang’s! If I, Kou Zhong do not kill you, I swear I am not a human!”
The wind and snow of the previous night actually helped the two boys, the imperial palace cancelled all outdoor activities, the imperial guards rushed to clear the snow. Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling entered the palace to visit and made a request to Cheng Mo to leave early. How could Cheng Mo dare to offend the favorites guards under the emperor himself? Following the current, he let them go as a favor.
Obtaining their free time, they went to the Fu Ju Lou in the West Market for breakfast. They deliberately picked a table overlooking He Chang Long catty-cornered from the window, and paid close attention to the people coming in and out.
Taking a sip of hot tea Kou Zhong said, “How are we going to help little Tongtong settling down? Her hatred toward the Li Tang is as deep as the ocean, if we tell her that we are here to help Li kid, it is very difficult to predict her reaction.”
Xu Ziling said, “I am not worried about that aspect. Liu Dage was killed by a crafty scoundrel, we become the people that she can trust and rely on. As long as we tell her that we will kill Li Jiancheng, Yang Xuyan and Zhuge Dewei to wash away her hatred, she will listen to us. Temporarily have her settle down in Feng Ya Ge, let Qing Jie take care of her; what do you think?”
“Of course I have no problem,” Kou Zhong replied, “Ay! Liu Dage’s death is really not worth it.”
Looking at him sideways, Xu Ziling said, ‘It’s best not to think about the past, it’s the future that we should pay attention to.”
Thinking hard, Kou Zhong said, “Can you think of a way? How can we, one move, two gains - burn that batch of firearms, and make Li Jiancheng’s head and face filthy with grime [idiom: dejected and depressed]?”
Xu Ziling said, “Feasible solution, I am still lacking, but I can think of a key figure.”
His spirit greatly aroused, Kou Zhong leaned forward and said, “Who?”
Xu Ziling replied, “Wei Zheng!”
Kou Zhong slapped his thigh, his tiger-body sat up straight, he nodded and said, “Wei Zheng is the ministry who has given outstanding service to help Jiancheng fighting a victorious battle this time, Jiancheng extremely relies heavily upon him, plus he can enter and exit the East Palace at will, yet I did not think him as an ideal person to respond from the inside. Ay! But how can he help?”
Xu Ziling said, “First of all, we must persuade him to throw his lot to us. This involves taking a bit of risk, fortunately, the risk is not high. Miren’er Junshi said that he is extremely resentful toward Li Yuan, Li Jiancheng, and the others.”
Smiling wryly, Kou Zhong said, “Even if he was persuaded, he still could not enter underground storehouse where the firearms are hidden. Even if the big iron door at the entrance of the underground storehouse is not locked, and he has the strength to lift the iron cover, but when the firearms are starting to burn, crackling and popping, he will have to rush out desperately; won’t it mean that we are putting him in the harm’s way?”
Xu Ziling said, “Both Chen Gong and Lei Jiuzhi have obtained the handed-down techniques of Lu Dashi, let them solve the problem in this aspect. Have you ever thought that it will be impossible for Song ErGe to bring anything which origin is unclear into the East Palace, but Wei Zheng does not have any problem in this regard? Merely from this point, Wei Zheng is already very useful.”
And then he added, “Wei Zheng is more familiar with the situation in the East Palace than we are; if he cast his lot to us, based on his ability and wisdom, the method he can come up with will be more feasible, right?”
Kou Zhong agreed, “Right!” he replied, “This is called employing one’s talent to the fullest; let’s have Meiren’er Junshi make the arrangement for us to see him, to show him our frankness and sincerity. If we feel something is not right, we will kill him on the spot.”
And then he lowered his voice and said, “Our old friend is here!”
Xu Ziling already saw Huang Gongcuo and Yuwen Shang climbing up the stairs side by side, followed by Dugu Feng [Peak]. They sat down at a table overlooking the Yue Ma Bridge.
Kou Zhong spoke hatefully, “These three old bastards [orig. old but still alive] are coming together, I am sure there is nothing good going on. Maybe they are going to discuss how to deal with our future emperor.”
Displeased, Xu Ziling said, “Stop letting your imagination run wild, pay the bill and let’s go!”
Kou Zhong was getting up, but he sat down again; he said, “I have one more thing I want to ask you, I hope you can help me achieving one dream of mine.”
Greatly astonished, Xu Ziling asked, “What could be the dream that you are asking me in such a low voice and humility?”
A bit embarrassed, Kou Zhong said, “I want to visit Xiuning Gongzhu’s fragrant chamber at night, and enjoy the fireworks show in the Forbidden Palace with her.”
Stunned, Xu Ziling said, “Are you, LaoGe joking? Is this risk worth taking? How can I help?”
In a relaxed and haughty manner as if he was not worried that Xu Ziling would not agree, Kou Zhong said, “This is like the warm-up exercise before assassinating Zhao Deyan; also, only with your near-immortal senses will we be able to gain unobstructed passage inside the forbidden palace, able to come and go with ease. Xiaodi with attach myself to the steed’s tail, to follow you like a shadow attached to the form. After we figure out the deployment to burn the fireworks and set the date, we will grope our way into the Gongzhu Dian [princess palace hall] of the Taiji Palace, and watch the excitement with the princess. Ling Shao will be watching from the side to guard against I am making a mistake, for example, I can’t stop myself from kissing the princess. His Niang’s! We are all brothers, can’t you let my first love have a happy ending?”
Dumbfounded, Xu Ziling blurted out laughing and said, “You keep saying brother this and brother that, what else can I say? Why use a big reason to move me and to pressure me? Very well, Xiaodi will risk my life to accompany you, LaoGe!”
Greatly delighted, Kou Zhong said, “Obtaining your nod, why worry that the big matter will not succeed? Suddenly I feel Wei Zheng’s urgency; the sooner we see him, the better. Ha! We are all brothers, you understand!”
Xu Ziling said, “Just consider this I am repaying you, since I appreciate your willingness to support Li Shimin! I will surely exhaust my ability to fulfill your cherished desire.”