A Step into the Past

Book 14 Chapter 09 – Blessing In Disguise

When Xiang Shaolong and Guan Zhongxie arrived at Lu Buwei’s tent, he was seated outside the tent and enjoying the singing of two stunning courtesans. With him are Mo Ao, Lu Chan and ten over escorts. Zhou Zihen and Lu Niang Rong are not around.

Lu Buwei pretended to be happy to see him and instructed Xiang Shaolong to sit beside him. For the first time, he introduced Mo Ao and Lu Chan to him. 

As Xiang Shaolong exchanged some meaningless conversation with Mo Ao and Lu Chan, Lu Buwei dismissed the courtesans and leaned towards him, revealing: “Tian Dan is leaving tonight. What does Shaolong plan to do? If you want to go after him, I will fully support you. He actually tried to harm me by trying to assassinate you. I will not protect him anymore.”

Everyone stared at Xiang Shaolong, waiting for his reaction. Xiang Shaolong felt like he is an animal being surrounded by tigers and wolves.

They must be laughing inside that he is still ignorant about being poisoned by them. 

Thoughts raced through his mind at the speed of light. If he decides to give up his decision to pursue Tian Dan, Mo Ao may be suspicious and deduced that he has a secret plan. But it would be ridiculous for him to chase after Tian Dan now. He was in a dilemma. 

Recalling his determination to ‘achieve his goals at all costs’, he acted awkward and divulged: “Actually, I wanted to kill Tian Dan because he killed a female friend that I got to know in Handan City. It turned out to be a misunderstanding as I received a letter from her yesterday. I am not really out to kill him but just wanted to scare him. This fellow has always been trying to kill me and it is lucky that he has failed in all his attempts.” 

It is a complete lie to prevent Lu Buwei from forcing him to pursue Tian Dan and also give him an excuse not to pursue him himself. Fortunately, Tian Dan has left and there is no one to validate his words. 

Lu Buwei, Mo Ao, Guan Zhongxie and Lu Chan all have a strange expression on their faces after hearing his words. After they exchanged glances, Guan Zhongxie began: “Why did Official Xiang think that the lady has been killed?” 

From his words, Xiang Shaolong deduced that Tian Dan did not tell them the full details. He was secretly delighted and told them about the weak-looking eyes in the painting compared to Shan Rou’s usual energetic eyes. He bitterly laughed: “I may have been too rash and concluded too early that she was killed without further thinking. When I received her letter yesterday, I realised that it was a complete misunderstanding. She did try to assassinate Tian Dan but managed to escape with her life. Naturally, I will not tell these things to Tian Dan!” 

Lu Buwei shook his head and sighed: “We already know it is a misunderstanding. In actual fact, Tian Dan was puzzled that you concluded that she was dead based on the painting. He saw that you were furious and did not clarify things with you.” 

Mo Ao cut in: “The painting is drawn by one of Tian Dan’s artist from his memory. It is not unusual to draw the eyes incorrectly due to the short interaction.” Now, it is Xiang Shaolong who trembled strongly and he exclaimed: “What?!” 

As everyone is staring at him with astonishment, he tried to cover up and asked: “Since Premier Lu knows about this, why didn’t you tell me earlier?” He tried to suppress his emotions so that his joy will not show up on his face.

Heavens!

So Shan Rou is really not dead. It is really a misunderstanding. 

Lu Buwei leisurely replied: “I thought Tian Dan is spouting nonsense and is trying to use me to scare you so I did not bring it up. Now, we have proven that he has been lying all along.” 

Xiang Shaolong acknowledged that it made sense. But under those circumstances, there is no need for Tian Dan to lie to Lu Buwei. Moreover, it is not Tian Dan’s style to showcase his weaknesses. Thus, there is a high probability that Shan Rou is indeed alive. 

Lu Buwei saw that he cannot persuade Xiang Shaolong to pursue Tian Dan and disappointment is written all over his face. He stood up and asked: “Shaolong! Will you visit Niang Rong in her tent? You may be able to persuade her to change her mind.” 

Xiang Shaolong is not in the mood to see Lu Niang Rong at all. He stood up together with Mo Ao and the rest and replied: “There is an early morning hunt tomorrow. Let Third Mistress have a good rest! I will see her again when she is feeling better tomorrow.”

It may be due to his failure to cajole him that Lu Buwei is in a terrible mood. He did not hold him back and allowed him to leave. 

Xiang Shaolong returned to the Cavalry Camp near the Royal tents and saw Teng Yi, Jing Jun and Liu Chao in the middle of a secret discussion.

He pulled Teng Yi to one side first and told him about Shan Rou’s likelihood of being alive.

Teng Yi was mad with joy. He then frowned: “Then are we still going after Tian Dan?” 

Xiang Shaolong resolutely decided: “We must kill him to avenge the injustice done to the Shan Family. Moreover, Tian Dan has tried to kill me several times and is in cahoots with Lu Buwei. It is time to eliminate this threat once and for all! This present opportunity is once in a lifetime chance to kill him. If we missed it, it will be gone for good. No matter what, we must never allow him to return to Qi alive.” 

He added with a smile: “Moreover, I made a vow that day to change my name to Long Shao Xiang if I did not kill him. It is such an ugly sounding name!”

Teng Yi broke out into a smile and waved Jing Jun and Liu Chao to join them. He instructed Liu Chao: “Go ahead and explain your findings.” 

Liu Chao reported: “We have discovered Lord Gaoling’s men building rafts secretly at the river upstream and are collecting large quantities of firewood and dried grass. I am sure that they are preparing to burn the bridges.”

Jing Jun added: “If they build shelves on the rafts and spray the entire raft with oil, it is tantamount to a live volcano speeding down the river towards us. Its destructive impact will be tremendous. Shall we attack them first to prevent this from happening?” 

Xiang Shaolong explained: “This time round, we need to put up a show to allow the Crown Prince to show off his godly ability in leading an army to war. We must project a favourable image of him in the hearts and minds of the people of Qin. This is called Branding. Only through this can we prolong our fight with Lu Buwei until the day he is coroneted.” 

Teng Yi smiled: “You use really funny terms such as Godly Ability and Branding. But it does make sense to me.” 

Jing Jun excitedly said: “I understand. We need to find out about the enemies’ schemes and plan a full counterattack strategy. The Crown Prince will issue military orders while pretending that this is a new encounter. Thus, he can convince everyone of his talent.”

Liu Chao mused: “So we must not only win but win beautifully.”

Knowing the Shan Rou is still alive, Xiang Shaolong is in great spirits. “That’s right!” he laughed.

He continued to praise: “We must win beautifully just like how Jing Jun beat Zhou Zihen beautifully.”

Jing Jun gave his thanks and shone with pride.

Teng Yi joked: “Have you gotten Lu Dan’er’s red flower?”

Jing Jun was agonized: “She is a tough one. She allowed me to hug and caress her but still refrain from letting me pass this final barrier.” 

Liu Chao is experienced with women and gleefully joked: “I think Master Jing is lacking in experience and may have made a few wrong moves.” 

Jing Jun laughingly scolded: “ you. Do you think this is my first girl? My moves are always the best. Unfortunately, there is no way we can prove this by duelling. Hng! You are mistaken.”

The other three men broke out into laughter.

Xiang Shaolong laughed as he agreed that no man will ever say that he is bad at chasing girls. 

After knowing that Shan Rou is alive, Teng Yi is in an excellent mood. He remembered something and reminded: “Yanran and the girls are in the royal tents accompanying Widow Qin. Tingfang wants you to fetch them before returning back to your tent.” 

Jing Jun smiled: “Third Brother had better spend more time with sisters-in-law. Leave these tasks to us!”

Xiang Shaolong smiled as he chided him. Summoning the Eighteen Guardians, he rode towards the royal tents. 

After entering the wooden gates, he ran into Xu Xian who is escorted by several men carrying torches. Together, they rode to one of the slopes to speak in secret. 

Below them, tents were pitched everywhere on the plains. Despite the loud gushing sounds of River Jing, laughter and cheering can still be heard as there are still many people who have not retired to bed. 

Xu Xian whispered: “For the past two days, Lord Gaoling has been trying to persuade me and Lu Gong to work join forces with him against Lu Buwei. He swore that he has no intention to usurp the throne but only wanted to force this outsider out of the Qin court.” 

Xiang Shaolong sighed: “Lord Gaoling can never return from this path that he is taking. Lu Buwei has spies around him and he is still ignorant about it. Based on this point, he will only suffer in the hands of Lu Buwei.” 

Xu Xian reminded: “I am puzzled that Du Bi chose to leave Xianyang City during such a crucial juncture. I guessed he knew about Lord Gaoling’s rebellion and purposely left so that he can watch us from the sidelines. This man is extremely scheming and is much more talented than Lord Gaoling.”

He added: “Is Shaolong really confident? Don’t forget that Lu Buwei will create some internal chaos.”

Xiang Shaolong confidently explained: “The Crown Prince will lead the fight personally and Lu Buwei will have no chance to interfere.”

Xu Xian frowned: “The Crown Prince is still young and lack battle experience. I am concerned...”

Xiang Shaolong smiled: “Crown Prince only needs to know how to delegate his work to the correct persons.” 

Xu Xian saw through him and laughed: “Let’s make it a practice round for him! When that happens, Lu Gong and I will stand on his left and right, showing everyone that he has our full support. Shaolong must plan everything well.”

Xiang Shaolong nodded his head joyfully. 

Xu Xian praised: “Your fifth brother is highly-skilled and clever, undermining Lu Buwei’s reputation. He is a rare talent whom Lu Gong and I admire very much. Right! Have you decided to give up your plan to kill Tian Dan?” 

Xiang Shaolong cannot reveal his relationship with Prince Dan. He replied: “I have asked the people of Wei to help me to delay his travelling speed. If they can hold him back a few days, I am sure I can catch up to him. When I am gone, Jing Jun will be in charge of the Cavalry Army. Please help me take care of him.”

Xu Xian was stunned: “Why would the people of Wei help you?” 

Xiang Shaolong answered: “Except for Chu, the other states have some form of enmity with Tian Dan. Moreover, I was the one who freed the Crown Prince of Wei. Lord Longyang will surely lend me a helping hand in return.”

Xu Xian was satisfied with his answer and patted his shoulder to show his appreciation. They then parted.

At the defending gates, the door attendant informed him that Xiao Pan is looking for him. He went to look for Xiao Pan first. 

Xiao Pan is in a secret discussion with Li Si and has a happy expression on his face. The moment he saw Xiang Shaolong enter his tent, he waved him over and together, they analyzed a map on the table. It was a map of the entire campsite. Lord Gaoling’s tents were marked in red. 

Xiang Shaolong understood his excitement and is happy for him. It is a rare chance for him to command the Qin army and show his prowess. 

Xiao Pan began: “Earlier, I have summoned Subject Jing (Jun) and he has told me the location of the rebel soldiers. I am now discussing a counter strategy with Subject Li. Subject Li, why don’t you explain first!” 

Li Si is about to speak out when Xiang Shaolong kicked him lightly under the table. Li Si understood his meaning and reported: “I only contributed a small part and the majority of the plan was crafted by Crown Prince. Why don’t Crown Prince explain it instead?”

Xiao Pan was thrilled and smiled: “For Lord Gaoling to succeed, he must use unconventional methods and take us by surprise. With so much information about their plans, we must annihilate them or my study of military books would be in waste!” 

He pointed to River Jing and detailed: “If I am Lord Gaoling, I will first make use of the natural surroundings to my advantage. For example, I can create dams and store water from the nearby rivers that connect with River Jing. When it is time to attack, I will open the dams and let the huge amounts of water flow downstream. The torrents will tear the bridges apart and with a timely attack, I can achieve victory.” 

Xiang Shaolong was shocked. When Liu Chao mentioned he saw rafts being built, they can be used for building dams too. A water attack is even more powerful than a fire attack and there is no way they can prevent flooding. He could not help but turn to look at Li Si.

Li Si clarified: “I have nothing to do with this. This is really Crown Prince’s idea.” 

Xiao Pan proudly continued: “Subject Li guessed that they will use a fire attack but I felt that a water attack is more powerful. If they add a few logs on the water, all kinds of bridges will be destroyed. Then, they only need to shoot some fire arrows and our whole camp will be burnt to the ground.”

Xiang Shaolong was amazed at Xiao Pan’s intelligence. This is truly the first time he is fighting a war based on his own abilities. 

Xiao Pan proceeded to explain the different scenarios where Lord Gaoling can send in his attackers and how Lu Buwei can try to kill his opponents using different strategies. His explanations made sense and both Xiang Shaolong and Li Si were completely blown away by his intricate thinking and rational explanations. 

Finally, Xiao Pan bitterly smiled: “My biggest flaw is that I have too many scenarios with their own strengths and weaknesses. I have no idea which is the best plan. Will my two subjects please advise me?”

Xiang Shaolong could not hold back and laughed: “The most powerful attack is the attack that always changes to suit the changing battle conditions. Crown Prince can rest at ease. When we know their attacking time, we will attack first and annihilate all of them before Lu Buwei even know what is going on. Leave this to the Changping brothers and myself. Then, Crown Prince only needs to issue the orders and we will put up a good show for everyone.” 

Xiao Pan slapped the table and sighed: “Only Grand Tutor and Subject Li understands me. We shall do as you say!” 

Li Si respectfully added: “Official Xiang and I will bring you the latest battle reports so that you can make the necessary changes.” 

Pleased, Xiao Pan nodded his head. Changing the subject, he asked: “Grand Tutor’s Fifth Brother Jing Jun is a rare talent. He is skilful, loyal and honest. I admire men like him. Can Grand Tutor Xiang give any suggestions on how I may reward him?” 

Xiang Shaolong shook his head: “His official post is already quite high and still lacks real experience. We must let him hone his skills further before we promote him again.” 

Xiao Pan smiled: “Is he really interested in Lu Dan’er? If Lu Gong does not object, I will see to their marriage. After all, it is better for her this way than to land in the hands of Guan Zhongxie the traitor.”

Xiang Shaolong recollected the ugly expression on Guan Zhongxie’s face as he leapt up from a naked Ying Ying. He felt like there were needles pricking his heart. He nodded: “I have to bother Crown Prince.” 

Xiao Pan gladly assured: “It is my pleasure. For the time being, I am not interested in marriage as there are too many important things to do.” 

When he left Xiao Pan’s tent, he ran into Lord Changwen and was detained by him and dragged to a corner. He cheered: “My sister is no longer hostile towards you. You must grasp the opportunity and win her heart. If you marry her, you will be relieving us of a big burden.” 

Xiang Shaolong was very uncomfortable. Luckily, he was not deeply intertwined with Ying Ying yet or it will be a heavy blow to him. He remembered the one night stands in the 21st century and realised that what Ying Ying is not that atrocious after all. Both males and females have the right to sleep around. The question is that in this case, it is Guan Zhongxie purposely out to seduce Ying Ying from him.

To Lord Changwen, he bitterly smiled: “I have lost. Can we stop talking about this?” Lord Changwen was astounded. “Guan Zhongxie?” he stammered.

Xiang Shaolong nodded his head slightly and patted his shoulder apologetically before he took his leave. 

Qin Qing’s tent is located behind the main royal tent and is beside Zhu Ji’s tent. Here, there are ten odd tents which all belonged to the females of the royal family. Wooden walls are erected between these tents and the other tents and security is very tight. 

Xiang Shaolong may have the authority to go wherever his wishes but he still respects their rules and announced his arrival to a palace guard. Soon, one of Qin Qing’s personal maids came to report that Ji Yanran and the ladies have left and Qin Qing has retired for the night.

Xiang Shaolong understood that Qin Qing does not want to see him given the present circumstances. He shrugged his shoulders and left.