Chapter 557: Beiliang Wants to Reason with Beimang Liyang

Forum Search

Search by Tag

2 Replies, 1 Page Total

He Xinliang, Chapter 158: Beiliang Will Reason with Beimang and Liyang...

While reading the update, don't forget to click "Sign In" at the top right.

"[Book Title]" by Fenghuo Xizhuhou (Author)Link:Mobile Link:

Red tickets are free. After registering a Zongheng account and accumulating a certain number of points, you will receive red tickets.

Every account can add "[Book Title]" to their favorites.

Chapter Series Master Post:

Do not post replies before the main content is fully published. Please wait patiently.

Xueba Administrator Log Link:

Xuezhongba Elite Post Application Link:

Tieba Official Group Arbitration Team: 1681655 (Yaonieba Yaonie Wei Wu)

Yaonie Club YY: 1655 (Yaonie Wei Wu)

Anyone who posts replies before the update content is fully published will be banned for one day.

He XinliangFenghuo Xizhuhou

Phoenixes are said to rest on paulownia trees, but these trees prefer sunlight and cannot tolerate cold or shade; their sprouts are especially fragile. It is hard to imagine paulownia trees surviving in a place like Beiliang. However, since the trees in question were planted in the Young Master's former private residence on Qingliang Mountain, they had a fortunate start, not only surviving but also growing exceptionally lush. Yet, while the paulownia trees in Wutong Courtyard flourished, the courtyard itself became tinged with gloom and sorrow. Perhaps it was due to the approaching Qingming Festival, with those below ground yearning for those above. Consequently, someone in Wutong Courtyard quietly died: Huang Gua, one of the female scribes. This second-class maid’s real name had long been forgotten. When the Young Master returned from his first travels through the martial world, the former King of Liang, who loved eating cucumbers, gave her the vulgar nickname "Huang Gua" (Yellow Cucumber). She protested at the time but eventually accepted it with resignation as she grew accustomed to being called by it. Huang Gua’s death was abrupt and inexplicable, occurring precisely when the new King of Liang was coincidentally absent from Qingliang Mountain, catching many off guard. Outside Wutong Courtyard, the manor's retainers and servants dared not gossip. Even within the courtyard, everyone was silent as cicadas. Xu Weixiong, who managed all matters great and small in Wutong Courtyard, said nothing. The funeral was simple and hastily concluded.

Xu Fengnian returned to the manor in a simple carriage from the refugee area but still did not visit Wutong Courtyard, a place he frequented less and less. Xu Weixiong, seated in a wheelchair, found him in the pavilion on Tingchao Lake and handed him a suicide letter personally written by Huang Gua. Xu Fengnian took it without a glance and tossed it into the lake. The thin, sandalwood-colored paper landed on the surface, became soaked, and slowly sank without causing a single ripple. The letter, like the woman herself, was so light, as if it had simply vanished, utterly insignificant. Xu Weixiong calmly informed Xu Fengnian that after writing the letter, Huang Gua had pierced her neck with a pair of chopsticks in her room and died at her desk. It was a very strange way to die. She was discovered at dawn the next day by Bai Jiu, another second-class maid who had come to call her to the main house for reviewing documents. Xu Weixiong added that in the letter, Huang Gua admitted she had been a Zhao Gou secret agent, planted in Beiliang since childhood. She had committed two betrayals in her life: once when His Highness ventured alone into the refugee area, and previously when she leaked the movements of Beimang. The letter concluded by stating her hope that His Highness would return alive to see her letter, and that in her next life, she still wished to serve His Highness and would no longer be in such an undignified state.

Xu Fengnian’s expression was calm, betraying no sign of sorrow or joy. Xu Weixiong also stated blandly, "When the Beiliang Hawks split, Wutong Courtyard’s intelligence operations and those of Chu Lushhan were divided into internal and external. I knew then that you had detected an inside spy in Wutong Courtyard and hoped they would restrain themselves, knowing when to stop, granting them a chance to live. However, you should understand one thing: once you embark on this path, there is no turning back. It's not about cherishing life or not. Women are ill-fated, especially female spies. At least she could decide when and how to die, and she didn't suffer before her death. None of the female spies dug out from behind the smoke and fire of the unjust Spring-Autumn War had her good fortune."

Xu Fengnian sighed, rubbing his cheeks hard, his words slightly indistinct through his fingers. "There's another spy, one linked to Beimang, hidden even deeper. Who is it? Without her leak, not only would Murong Baoding, the envoy of Jujuzhou, not have been alarmed, but even Hong Jingyan couldn't have gone to Qingcang City to intercept and kill me. These two timed their actions perfectly, clearly a precise calculation by Beimang's strategists. It seems she's much more thick-skinned than that girl Huang Gua."

Xu Weixiong retorted, "Do you genuinely not know, or are you feigning ignorance? How many people in Wutong Courtyard possess that level of patience and cunning?"

Xu Fengnian lowered his hands, cupped them within his sleeves, and turned to gaze at the lake, saying softly, "I will go see her now, Sister. Please prepare two cups of wine for me."

Xu Weixiong hesitated but ultimately remained silent. The second-class maids in Wutong Courtyard each had their own private rooms, each with its unique charm. Among them, the room of Lu Yi, the manor's "little master of Go," contained the most curiosities, with surprisingly few books. She was skilled at chess but owned no board or pieces. To play, she always conversed with the Young Master directly in the main courtyard, always utterly defeating Xu Fengnian. She was never seen holding back. Even against the Second Princess, who miraculously invented the nineteen-line Go board, Lu Yi could occasionally match her when they had a mutual understanding, demonstrating her extreme intelligence. Perhaps it was due to the adage that extreme intelligence often leads to misfortune, but Lu Yi was also the physically weakest among the Wutong Courtyard maids. Fortunately, Xu Fengnian was a lavish spendthrift when it came to those around him; even the precious elixirs sent to the manor by the old Taoist master Song Zhiming of Wudang Mountain were regularly given to Lu Yi to nourish her body. Today, it was not Lu Yi's turn to review documents in Wutong Courtyard. Her door was left ajar. She sat alone by the window, watching the greening paulownia trees outside, a smile playing on her lips. When she heard a knock and turned to see the Young Master holding a cup of wine in each hand, she rose with a radiant smile. Most of the women in Wutong Courtyard still liked to regard this gentle and handsome young man as their Young Master. Xu Fengnian walked to the window, set down the two cups of wine, and looked out through the green gauze window, following her previous gaze. Lu Yi never cared about distinctions of rank; Wutong Courtyard, after all, did not emphasize such rules. She gently sat back in her chair, her elbow resting on the armrest, her body leaning forward, and looked up at him. It had been this way for so many years: this man was always focused on Beiliang, on the martial world and the empire, while she could only watch him—his profile or his back. Only during a game of chess or a shared drink could she get a good look at his face.

Lu Yi asked with a soft smile, "Huang Gua was a fool, wasn't she, Your Highness?"

Xu Fengnian did not shift his gaze, nodding, "In this courtyard, she was always the clumsiest one. Her handwriting was the ugliest, her chess was the worst, and her guzheng playing lacked spirit. You all always incited her to invite trouble, to confront Yu Youwei, to confront Pei Nanwei, to confront Lu Chengyan—attacking on all sides, making enemies everywhere. She took the blame yet felt like a righteous heroine of great stature. Every time, I wanted to scold her but didn't know how to begin. If I scolded her indirectly, she would surely take it as praise. If I cursed her directly, she would surely cry herself to death. The clumsiest one became a spy, and in the end, truly died clumsily. So I don't blame her, because she was just a foolish girl, and she had parents alive in Yangzhou of Liyang, so she was forced into it. But what about you? You were always the smartest one in the courtyard. My sister said you have no relatives or friends in Beimang. Why were you still willing to risk your life for the barbarians? Was it fun? If you had defected earlier and lived peacefully as Lu Yi of Beiliang, who could have come to Wutong Courtyard to kill you? Zhong Liang? Murong Baoding? Or Hong Jingyan? Those latter two are among the world's Top Ten Martial Arts Experts, and you called them both to Qingcang City, yet they still failed to kill me, didn't they? I truly cannot understand."

Lu Yi calmly replied, "Your Highness, how about we chat while drinking? Which cup is yours, and which is mine? Let's consider it a farewell drink for your servant. Your servant is bolder than Huang Gua, and more cunning. Deep down, I also wished for Your Highness to return home alive, but I wished even more to be able to speak with Your Highness again. Huang Gua didn't dare. Not only was she clumsy, but she was also a coward."

Xu Fengnian sneered softly, "She truly is a ghost now. Before Qingming Festival, that's quite fitting."

Lu Yi tugged Xu Fengnian's sleeve, her gaze hazy as she met his eyes. This beautiful and intelligent woman murmured to herself, "We are all women. Why should I be a maid? Why must I refer to myself as 'your servant' when I see Your Highness? Why can I only watch you from afar my entire life? I am not clumsy. I also dare to kill people, and I can kill with my writing and harm with my words on paper. I also have a name. I also want to get married. I even more want to marry a man and raise children. I have too many thoughts. Your Highness, do you know what my biggest thought is? I remember when Your Highness returned from the capital and drank with me, you said a lot of drunken things, a lot of idle talk about dreams. You said a stray dog's dream is to have a home. You said a pawn that has crossed the river dreams of being able to turn back. You said a swordsman's dream is to enter the martial world with a sword and leave it still with a sword. You also said you didn't want anyone to die because of you, and you didn't want to watch those around you die one after another, requiring you to visit their graves during Qingming. So, my dream is simply to have you look at me more, truly look at me, just like this moment. Only when I die will you remember me. And for as long as you live, you will hate me."

Xu Fengnian pulled back his sleeve, preventing her from gripping it.

Lu Yi exhaled and smiled charmingly, "Your servant has finished speaking. I can die now. Your Highness may leave. Don't let me taint your eyes. I don't want to cause Your Highness more guilt in my dying moments."

Xu Fengnian turned directly and walked away.

Not long after Xu Fengnian left the room, the faint creaking sound of a wheelchair came from outside. Lu Yi did not turn to look at the woman who was colder and smarter than herself. She bent down and reached for a cup of wine. "Is this the Green Ant wine prepared by the Second Princess?"

Lu Yi did not look at the woman in the wheelchair, who likewise did not look at Lu Yi, her expression indifferent.

Lu Yi let out a soft scoff, "Then it makes no difference."

Lu Yi was truly intelligent. If the two cups of Green Ant wine had been personally prepared by His Highness, one would be poisoned wine, but the other would naturally be ordinary Green Ant wine given as an act of clemency. Whether Lu Yi lived or died would depend on fate. But if the two cups of wine were bestowed by the Second Princess, Xu Weixiong, they would undoubtedly be two cups of poisoned wine delivered without the Young Master's knowledge. Therefore, it would not matter which one she drank.

Lu Yi casually picked up a cup of Green Ant wine and drank it all in one gulp, so fast she hadn't even tasted it, then picked up the second cup and tilted her head back to pour it down her throat. Since she was going to die, drinking one more cup of wine was always a gain. In her many previous games of chess against the Second Princess, her few victories had been achieved by accumulating advantages bit by bit.

Lu Yi sat back in her chair, quietly waiting for death.

After a long while, Lu Yi frowned, hearing only Xu Weixiong say coldly, "I did indeed prepare two cups of poisoned wine for you, and I also guessed that he would swap out both cups for you again. He wanted you to drink one cup, feel lucky to have escaped death, then leave Beiliang and hide in a place with beautiful scenery, living with a clear conscience. But I will not let you leave this courtyard so comfortably. I came to force you to drink both cups, to make you, this ungrateful wolf, clearly understand who owes whom! He doesn't want you to die, and he wants you to live comfortably. I don't have such a kind heart. Unless you die of old age, you can forget about dying before then. I will have several elite peregrine falcons follow you for the rest of your life..."

A voice interrupted the two women's sharp exchange, "That's enough, Sister."

Xu Fengnian turned back and pushed the wheelchair away.

Xu Fengnian pushed her up Qingliang Mountain, where they overlooked Liangzhou City together. He said softly, "My last bit of patience has worn thin, so Sister, please rest assured. From now on, I won't be so compassionate. Mother used to say that no one is born to suffer. Even if a man cannot treat women kindly, he must not casually harm them; he must truly treat them as human beings. Now Wutong Courtyard is peaceful, and I have no more worries. This time, consider this my way of making a clean break. I'll indulge my willfulness one last time with you, Sister, how about it?"

Xu Weixiong nodded.

Xu Fengnian laughed in surprise, "Sister, why are you being so reasonable? I'm not used to it."

Xu Weixiong bumped her head back, hitting him hard, and said blandly, "I'm only making an exception to allow your willfulness this once because the number of times you've visited the Bureau of Manufacturing in the back mountains since becoming the King of Beiliang has exceeded my expectations."

The Beiliang Bureau of Manufacturing was built at the foot of the back mountain of Qingliang Mountain.

It was this inconspicuous institution that forged the world's finest sabers, spears, bows, crossbows, and armor for the Beiliang Iron Cavalry.

If every saber, every spear, every bow and crossbow, and every piece of armor was just a little better than others, but combined with three hundred thousand Iron Cavalry, how immense and astonishing was the cumulative hidden advantage?

The biggest consumer of gold and silver in Beiliang, aside from military expenses for maintaining troops, was the large-scale weaponry produced by the Bureau of Manufacturing.

The second King of Beiliang, guarding the empire's northwestern gateway, placed even greater importance on this than the former king, almost to an unhealthy degree that could not be surpassed.

Xu Fengnian's eyes were firm. He made a gesture of an arrow being fired in a high arc and said in a deep voice, "I want to speak a long-standing truth to Beimang and Liyang, a truth established by Xu Xiao back then: the greatest truth under heaven lies within the range of Beiliang's bows and crossbows!"

Collapse Replies:[User Comment]: Before (2014-02-25 23:33)[User Comment]: Leave (2014-02-25 23:33)[User Comment]: Before (2014-02-25 23:33)Simple Years, Flowing Time (2014-02-25 23:33): Insert[User Comment]: Haha (2014-02-25 23:34)[User Comment]: Front Row (2014-02-25 23:34)[User Comment]: Complete (2014-02-25 23:37)[User Comment]: (2014-02-25 23:38)

3 more replies.Collapse Replies

Don't have a Baidu account yet? Forum members' popular game rankings:

* Popularity: 838122* Popularity: 468912* Type: Simulation Management* Popularity: 302606* Type: War Strategy* Popularity: 270556* Type: Casual Competitive* Popularity: 220876* Type: Casual Competitive* Popularity: 191990* Type: Casual Competitive* Popularity: 169684* Type: Simulation Management* Popularity: 100024* Popularity: 94678* Popularity: 73882

2 Replies, 1 Page Total

Born for interests, Tieba understands you better! Or