Chapter 44: Honesty
Gu Changxiao was instantly consumed by anxiety. He was certain that the ‘Li King’ from Yanzhou was Daoist Ji.
And the Li King’s subordinate in Luocheng who dispensed medicine and sought out Taoists must be soldiers from the Black Feather Camp.
If they turned back to Luocheng, it would delay them considerably.
Daoist Ji was causing trouble in Yanzhou by besieging the city to demand funds, and Prince Yu’s men were hunting her. Her situation was too dangerous!
They had to reach Yanzhou as quickly as possible to switch their identities back.
However, this time, Grandpa Ling and Jin’an both felt they should go to Luocheng first to find the person dispensing medicine and inquire about the situation.
Their reasoning was that Yanzhou was too far, and Yandi had sealed its borders. With just the three of them, ordinary Taoists, they wouldn’t be able to enter Yandi at all.
Luocheng was closer. After gathering definite news about Jin Sui, they could consider their next plan.
Gu Changxiao couldn’t persuade them for a moment. After a brief thought, he decided to tell them the truth.
“Daoist Ji, you’ve been asking me why I’m sure Daoist Ji went to Yanzhou. Today, I will tell you the truth.”
Then Gu Changxiao recounted something that nearly made Grandpa Ling and Jin’an drop their jaws.
“You, you’re saying you are the Li King, and Sui Sui took your waist token and impersonated the Li King?”
Grandpa Ling was so shocked he pulled out several of his own beard hairs without feeling any pain, pacing in place and saying:
“Wait a moment, let this old Taoist sort this out.”
Jin’an shook his head beside him: “Impossible, how could this be possible? Others aren’t blind. I… Brother, it’s impossible to impersonate the Li King.”
Sister was indeed quite capable of acting as a young Taoist, but to impersonate another man, and the Li King at that, to beat Jiang Nansheng, sell treasures to Wei Prefecture, and even lead thousands of soldiers to besiege the city to demand funds.
Is this something my sister could do?
Grandpa Ling counted on his fingers. Jin’an thought he was fortune-telling: “Grandpa, did you divine that the Li King is my brother?”
Grandpa Ling said irritably:
“How could I divine that! I was calculating the timeline of the Li King’s journey, and it actually matched the day your brother left.”
Gu Changxiao said gravely:
“Daoist Ji, I have been honest with you. Please trust me this once. The young Taoist is truly in Yanzhou, and her situation is extremely dangerous. We must go there as soon as possible.”
Grandpa Ling still felt it was more reliable to go to Luocheng first and find those people who dispensed medicine.
While hesitating, he decided to use his old method for making decisions, which was divination.
He drew a talisman on the spot, asking for guidance. North was Yanzhou, and South was Luocheng.
He tossed three copper coins, opened his eyes, and Grandpa Ling made his decision: “Go to Yanzhou.”
Gu Changxiao felt both relieved and helpless. Relieved that the three of them had no more disagreements about the itinerary.
Helpless because he had trusted Daoist Ji so much, revealing his true identity.
Yet the other party would rather believe the divination than him.
However, before they left, they found a group of people heading to Luocheng to seek medicine and asked them to inform the person dispensing medicine about the three Taoists named Ji heading to Yanzhou.
Soon, Gu Changxiao noticed that ever since he revealed his true identity, Daoist Ji had become somewhat reserved around him, not as at ease as before.
Jin’an, on the other hand, became distant and even showed a sense of wariness towards him.
Only then did Gu Changxiao realize belatedly that all along, Daoist Ji had been inquiring about his identity, and he had also been inquiring about the past of the Ji family’s grandfather and grandchildren.
Now, he had been completely honest, with no more secrets.
But he hadn’t found out anything about the Ji family’s affairs!
Looking at Jin’an’s reaction, did they dislike the Li King?
That was understandable. Many ordinary citizens who didn’t know the truth disliked the Li King, accusing him of intending to kill his father and seize the throne.
Gu Changxiao gave a self-deprecating smile. Daoist Ji, using the Li King’s identity, had caused so much trouble. Perhaps she assumed he was an arrogant and conceited person.
How could she have imagined that the Ji family’s grandfather and grandchildren had other connections with him?
After learning that Brother Gu was the Li King, Jin’an was very angry with himself. He had been so good to Brother Gu before, only to realize that this person was also one of the murderers of his father.
Grandpa Ling knew that this child had been constantly reminded by his mother about his father’s death. Not only did he resent Official Huang, but he also harbored hatred towards the Li King and the Emperor.
Fearing that he might let something slip in front of Gu Changxiao, he privately instructed him: “Before you find your sister, you must not reveal anything about your father’s death.”
Jin’an nodded painfully. His sister was now in danger, and he bore a great responsibility.
Along the way, Jin’an had grown significantly. Now he understood how naive he had been before.
The difficulty of vindicating his father was no less than moving mountains.
He asked sadly, “Grandpa, is there no way to clear Father’s name?”
Grandpa Ling stroked his head and sighed softly, “It depends on human effort. Look, Heaven has let us meet the Li King, which is an opportunity for us!”
He only prayed that his granddaughter wouldn’t do anything sensational again. If she angered the Li King, it would be troublesome.
Just as the three of them were making their way towards Yanzhou, Jin Sui was so engrossed in her role as the Li King that she was negotiating with Prefect Li regarding Commander Huo’s assassination attempt!
Han Xing delivered the four corpses to the gates of Yanzhou City. The guards naturally wouldn’t let him in, so he spread the word that the assassin was sent by Prefect Li to the border city to assassinate the Li King.
This once again caused a stir in Yanzhou City, with many people coming to watch the excitement. Ever since the Li King arrived in Yandi, the excitement had been non-stop!
Prefect Li was greatly alarmed upon hearing this. It was like mud falling into his crotch – it was definitely not good!
How could the Li King act so lawlessly? Was this something that could be openly publicized?
He quickly sent someone to invite Han Xing into his residence and ordered a gag order, stating that this matter must not spread beyond Yanzhou City.
It wasn’t just about him; it also concerned Prince Yu!
When he heard that the Li King was demanding Ten Thousand Taels of silver, and threatening to file an Imperial Petition if he didn’t comply.
Prefect Li felt as if he were facing not a prince, but the leader of a marketplace rogue, the ancestor of all rascals.
He had seen shameless people, but never anyone this shameless!
“Where would I get Ten Thousand Taels of silver? Moreover, these assassins killed five of my clerks and infiltrated the border city. What does that have to do with me?”
Han Xing insisted: “In any case, they were sent by Lord Li, and Yanzhou City cannot escape responsibility.”
Prefect Li was unwilling to pay the silver. Besides being poor, another reason was that if he paid, it would confirm his involvement in the matter.
Not only could he not pay, but he also had to distance himself from it.
However, he underestimated the Li King’s level of shamelessness. Han Xing did not return that night.
The next day, the Li King sent another group into the city, not only demanding compensation for the medical expenses caused by the assassins but also demanding Captain Han.
Prefect Li invited people into the city again, but they were unwilling to enter, stating directly:
“Captain Han’s fate is unknown after entering. What if we go in and are silenced?”
“The Prince said that as long as you pay the silver, he will let bygones be bygones. If you don’t pay, he will take the witnesses to Chang’an to file an Imperial Petition.”
Everyone knew that the Li King would never return to Chang’an, but you couldn’t stop him from pestering them like this every day!
Now, the entire city was discussing this matter. Local gentry were speculating that Prefect Li had sided with Prince Yu and conspired to kill the Li King.
If this continued, even with ten mouths, Prefect Li wouldn’t be able to explain himself clearly.
When the Li King sent people to Yanzhou for the third time to demand the person and the silver, he changed his terms. Prefect Li didn’t have to pay the silver.
Instead, he had to agree to the following two points: first, build a road from Yanzhou to the border city, constructed to the specifications of an Official Road.
Second, open the trade rights of the border city. The border city was able to conduct trade a few years ago, but since Prefect Li took office, border city trade had been prohibited.
‘Li, the Boundless King’ sent a letter with his Personal Seal, giving Prefect Li three days to consider. If he didn’t agree, the matter would be taken to Chang’an.
If all five had died, Prefect Li would have adamantly refused. But with one survivor, and the Li King being so unreasonable and acting without any pattern,
No matter how you searched through Historical Records and the Art of War, you couldn’t predict his next move.
