Chapter 105: Turning the Tables
Upon hearing this, Qin Mingxu suddenly looked at Feng Gao.
Only then did he grasp the meaning of Feng Gao’s words, “I know more than Boss Qin imagines, much more.”
This person before him was like an unfathomable abyss, one that could never be seen through.
A cold sweat broke out on Qin Mingxu’s back.
If he had truly believed the Zheng father and son and lured Feng Gao into a trap, would it have succeeded?
If he had answered “I’ll ride a horse,” how would Feng Gao have treated him after seeing through his thoughts?
So, Feng Gao knew the Zheng family’s plan like the back of his hand. Down to the detail of riding a horse.
A single thought.
Qin Mingxu’s “I’ll ride a horse” made Feng Gao feel his goodwill.
Feng Gao’s tense expression softened slightly. He sat down by the small table, picked up Qin Mingxu’s wine pot, and drank more than half of it in one go. His face instantly became like a peach blossom in full bloom, dazzling and beautiful.
“The person Elder Sister fancies is indeed not bad. I’m drinking this half pot of wine to celebrate Elder Sister’s happiness,” Feng Gao said with a sigh, his phoenix eyes narrowed in relief.
Qin Mingxu stood beside him and asked, “How did Director Feng know? Can you tell me a little?”
Feng Gao smiled, “I’ve said for a long time that no one can truly scheme against me. Unless—”
He paused and said, “Unless I want them to.”
Qin Mingxu pondered for a moment and asked, “Did Director Feng plant informants in the Zheng Residence?”
Feng Gao pointed outside the window and said, “To be precise, they are their informants. The informants they *think* they have. Heh, spies, external spies, internal spies, counter-spies. Isn’t it interesting to play chess with other people’s pieces?”
That little eunuch named Zhang Jing.
He was not simple at all.
Qin Mingxu felt that this water had become even murkier.
“I am a rootless person. Being rootless means having no ties. Therefore, I can be sufficiently calm with anyone around me,” Feng Gao said.
The little eunuch Zhang Jing was very patient, meticulous, and intelligent, but compared to Feng Gao, he was still far behind.
For Feng Gao to reach such a high position and become the Emperor’s top confidant was more than just playing smart.
As early as when Zhang Jing reported to Zou Cheng that Qin Mingxu had indeed flipped through official documents, Feng Gao had seen something unusual.
He was waiting for Zhang Jing to make one mistake after another.
“A gentleman values righteousness, a villain values profit. Sometimes, I actually prefer dealing with villains. Does Boss Qin know why?” Feng Gao asked with a smile, slightly tipsy.
Qin Mingxu looked at the cold moonlight outside the window and pondered, “I guess it’s because with villains, one doesn’t need to talk about feelings or favors, only profit.”
Feng Gao nodded, “Yes, profit is the simplest thing in the world. He was promoted by me, and I can see through all his thoughts. He defected to the Zheng family simply to one day become Director of the Eastern Depot and ascend to heaven in one step. I merely gave him the opportunity to make mistakes, seize his handle, and make all his efforts in vain. How could he bear it? Even if he didn’t want to be used by me, he had to be. He navigates between the Zheng family and me, not daring to offend either. Such a person doesn’t consider anyone his master. He only cares about himself.”
Qin Mingxu lowered his voice and asked, “What is Director Feng’s plan next?”
Feng Gao lowered his head and thought for a moment.
Qin Mingxu quickly asked, “Doesn’t Director Feng trust me?”
“No. I just feel that the more confidential the matter, the fewer people should know. It concerns Elder Sister, and I cannot allow any mistakes.”
The candlelight in the guest room flickered leisurely, from east to west, from south to north.
Feng Gao said, “In three days, at the first watch of the night, when you come out of the prison cell, you will encounter several water carts passing through the city. I have tampered with those water carts, and the drivers are my men. You will quietly take Elder Sister and Cherry onto a water cart. I will bring the others and meet you soon.”
“But if the horse carriage doesn’t go to Guanyin Mountain, the Zheng family will become suspicious. In a moment, they will inform the government, seal the city gates, and launch a full-scale search. Empress Zheng is in power, the Zheng father and son have been ennobled, and those in the Yangzhou Prefectural Office are good at following the wind and will obey them completely,” Qin Mingxu said with concern.
Feng Gao smiled, “Naturally, someone will go to Guanyin Mountain. The Zheng family has already set their trap, so why would I let them miss?”
Qin Mingxu asked no more questions. Since Feng Gao had planned everything and thought of everything, he would just follow his instructions.
“Don’t reveal any clues these few days. If the Zheng family calls you again, just go as usual,” Feng Gao instructed.
“Mm,” Qin Mingxu agreed.
The two men, with rare understanding, nodded at each other.
Feng Gao stood up, preparing to leave through the window.
Qin Mingxu hesitated for a moment before speaking, “Director Feng, I have one small matter I’d like to ask you.”
“Speak.”
“You… the Zheng Residence… that woman in the Zheng Residence…” Qin Mingxu chose his words carefully, unsure how to phrase it.
Feng Gao frowned, “Which woman?”
“The one in the Zheng Residence who looks very much like Sang Yu,” Qin Mingxu said, watching Feng Gao’s expression.
Feng Gao turned his head and leaped out the window.
As light as a swallow.
“In this human world, no one can be like Elder Sister, nor is anyone worthy of being like Elder Sister.”
Feng Gao’s voice was carried by the night wind, faint, very faint.
Qin Mingxu returned to the couch and closed his eyes.
In his mind, he saw Feng Gao’s lonely figure.
He hoped he was overthinking things.
Yes, he must be overthinking things. He turned over and fell asleep.
Qin Mingxu had a peaceful dream that night. Sang Yu gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The son, Qin An, was robust and heroic. The daughter, Qin Hao, had a face like a carved jade doll and was smiling at him, her smile melting his heart…
Feng Gao, having left the inn, was meticulously planning the “Guanyin Mountain Plan” for three days later.
Half a month ago, the One-Eyed Dragon had an audience with the Emperor.
What awaited him, besides rewards and official positions, was a Hongmen Banquet.
The Emperor ordered Minister of War Gao to host a banquet at his residence to entertain the One-Eyed Dragon and his capable subordinates.
To get rich, stick to your trade and sell wine and vinegar. To get an official position, kill and rob to be recruited and pacified. No matter how great the One-Eyed Dragon’s victory, it could not erase the fact that he was once a bandit.
After months of fighting in Burma, the One-Eyed Dragon, as the commanding general, held great prestige in the army and could rally a hundred responses. He led his troops south, fighting and incorporating remnants, his force growing larger and larger, more than ten times its original size. To deal with the most troublesome elephant cavalry in the Burmese army, he also trained dozens of lions. He led his personal guards, fighting on lions, exceptionally brave, and the elephant cavalry retreated to the southern wilderness.
The Imperial Court initially ordered the recently recruited One-Eyed Dragon and his followers from Shenju Mountain to participate in the war, intending to use them as cannon fodder. No one expected them to be even fiercer than the regular army and to grow so powerful during the war.
This force had grown to a point where the Imperial Court was wary.
Someone slandered the Emperor, mentioning that the One-Eyed Dragon was winning over people in the army and often spoke disrespectfully of the Imperial Court when drunk. It was said that he once held the captured crown of the King of Burma in his hand and said, “Royal power is nothing more than this,” showing disloyal intentions and likely to cause future internal strife.
However, the One-Eyed Dragon had rendered meritorious service to the country and the Emperor.
It was inconvenient for the Emperor to issue a direct order to execute him, for fear of disheartening the generals returning from the front lines. Thus, a plan was devised to poison the One-Eyed Dragon and his entourage at the Minister of War’s residence.
If the One-Eyed Dragon died, the remaining bandits would be leaderless and would naturally not cause any trouble.
The One-Eyed Dragon was a heroic figure among men, a chivalrous hero of the jianghu. How could he not smell the scent of conspiracy?
At the Minister of War’s residence, he feigned drunkenness, used a whistle as a signal, and with those few brothers who had risked their lives with him, he scaled the wall from the side of the latrine and escaped.
The Emperor was furious and ordered the Ministry of War and the Eastern Depot to capture him in secret.
They tracked him all the way to Yangzhou.
During the recruitment and pacification incident, Feng Gao had dealt with the One-Eyed Dragon and deeply respected him as a man of loyalty, bravery, benevolence, and righteousness, unwilling to let him die in vain. Coincidentally, Sang Yu was imprisoned, and the Zheng Residence set a trap.
With these two matters combined, Feng Gao decided to employ a strategy of luring the enemy into a trap and substituting one thing for another.
On one hand, it could resolve the One-Eyed Dragon’s crisis.
On the other hand, the Zheng family’s trap could be appeased, and Elder Sister and her family could be kept safe.
Feng Gao and the One-Eyed Dragon met behind the giant Buddha at Tianning Zen Temple in Yangzhou.
The Buddha, high above, was neither joyful nor sorrowful.
Incense smoke curled in the temple.
The two men remained composed.
Next, there was a silence as vast as the sea.
On the One-Eyed Dragon’s refined face, which had drunk blood and frost, flickered the wind of Shenju Mountain, the Wuling flowers that never withered through the seasons, and the verses he had written in Wuling Pavilion.
“The first few flowers of the small peach have just bloomed. Scattered remnants of the sunset in light and dark. The East Wind also understands human feelings, and arrives at the mountain home in sequence.”
After a long while, he said, “She will be safe, won’t she?”
“Naturally,” Feng Gao replied.
The One-Eyed Dragon said, “Boss Zhu once said, ‘Ten years for a soulmate, seven feet for life and death of two women.’ I, the One-Eyed Dragon, have lived half my life in the greenwood, with no regrets towards my country, my brothers, or the common people, only the great kindness of Boss Zhu remains unrequited.”
