Chapter Eighty-Nine: Leaving the City

The soldiers all knew who this man was. It was understandable if they did not recognize the one who devised the schemes, but if they did not even know the general who led the troops, then there was no need for them to be soldiers at all.

Li Le was broad-shouldered and a general appointed by Dong Cheng, but at heart he was nothing more than a bandit chief. The man before him, on the other hand, was Lu Meng, a true general forged in blood and slaughter.

Li Le got to his feet and spat out a mouthful of blood. The soldiers around him were all watching, and being made to look so foolish stirred the fury and savagery in his heart.

Lu Meng rolled his neck. Since being wounded, he had been confined to the house, resting and recuperating, and his bones were nearly rusting with disuse. Now that someone had come seeking a spar, that was naturally all to the good.

Jiang Wen also signaled for his personal guards to step back.

“Come on, then. Want me to go easy on you, old man?” Lu Meng taunted, wagging a finger. Since this was one of Dong Cheng’s men, he could beat him however he pleased.

Li Le roared and charged straight in like a hardened war chariot. His massive body thundered forward, each step heavy and relentless, leaving deep footprints in the earth.

In battle, every exchange is about conserving strength and striking to kill with a single blow. When armies clash, one must preserve as much energy as possible in order to cope with the fighting that follows.

Thus their movements and their judgment were both exceedingly sharp. In his youth, Lu Meng had already led troops in campaigns against the mountain Yue tribes. In terms of martial prowess he could not compare with tiger generals of the first rank such as Sun Ce, Gan Ning, or Tai Shici, but dealing with a mere bandit was effortless beyond measure.

He closed the distance in an instant. Seeing Lu Meng take the initiative to come at him in such overconfidence, Li Le bared a vicious smile.

“A death-seeker!”

He reached out a huge hand to seize Lu Meng. Yet Lu Meng’s body suddenly dropped, and then he delivered a vicious strike straight to that spot.

A howl erupted.

Jiang Wen, at a loss for words, averted his gaze. Only then did he remember that Lu Meng had always had a roguish streak; though this move was shameless, the result was excellent indeed.

The crushing pain and suffocation left Li Le unable to hold his breath. He toppled to the ground and rolled about, his eyes bloodshot, groaning over and over.

Lu Meng let out a satisfied breath. “It’s been ages since I’ve had a real fight. Refreshing!”

“I will... I will... have an audience with His Majesty!” Li Le forced out between ragged gasps. “I will denounce you. You... used such... despicable tactics... You won by dishonorable means, shamelessly!”

The soldiers around him lifted Li Le and hurried him off to see a physician.

“Winning is winning, losing is losing. What’s with all this nonsense? If you’ve got the skill, come back and win next time!” Lu Meng said disdainfully. Then he clasped his hands to Jiang Wen in salute. “Consider this my farewell banquet as well. Take care.”

“Thank you, Ziming.”

Jiang Wen mounted his horse. “Let’s go.”

At the Dong Cheng residence.

“Report, my lord! Jiang Wen has already left Xiangyang’s gates!”

“Did I not instruct Li Le to stop him? Why did he still let the man get away?”

“It was the Fierce Warrior General. He even beat up General Li Le. He’s being sent for treatment now, and the injuries are rather severe!”

“When the Son of Heaven has fully seized power, execute all of them!” Dong Cheng said with rising fury. “There is no helping it. We can only send assassins now. Jiang Wen has brought his family with him, so his pace will not be swift. Go and have Yan Ji bring back Jiang Wen’s head for me!”

At the Chancellor’s residence.

Sun Fu looked at the bamboo slip in his hand. The letter spoke of Dong Cheng’s plot to harm Sun Ce, and it had been delivered to the manor yesterday by a young woman named Diaochan.

By rights, in a struggle over the heirship, as a collateral branch of the family he had no claim whatsoever. Yet at this moment, Sun Fu’s heart stirred with a certain temptation. Not, of course, toward the position of heir itself. The situation was already settled; Sun Ce could now be said to be beyond challenge, and with his own status, Sun Fu would likely never become heir in any case.

But there was another who was of higher status than himself, and more talented as well. Regarding this choice of heir, that man must surely be deeply dissatisfied.

Sun Quan.

This cousin of his possessed extraordinary wit and breadth of mind. Of all those who were displeased that Sun Ce had become the heir, he was the one most wronged by it.

Sun Fu naturally wanted to help this cousin of his.

In former days Diaochan had been famed throughout Xiangyang, and even Sun Fu himself had been captivated by that peerless beauty. He had even gone to the relay station many times, hoping to win the lovely woman’s favor.

But no matter what he did, she never once spared him a glance.

He had also raised the matter with Sun Jian, but Sun Jian had ignored him and instead bestowed Diaochan upon Jiang Wen.

Because of that, Sun Fu had developed more than a little resentment toward Sun Ce. Something he himself had tried every means to achieve, a mere scholar had accomplished with ease, and with nothing more than a single poem he had carried the woman away from the relay station.

That poem had spread widely among men of letters, but Sun Fu found no pleasure in it.

Diaochan had delivered the letter into his hands, though he did not know for what reason. Perhaps Jiang Wen had long since learned of the secret imperial edict, and perhaps it was he who had sent Diaochan to the manor with the message. But why he had not sent the letter directly to Sun Ce, and instead given it to Sun Fu, was something Sun Fu had never been able to figure out.

Still, Jiang Wen was now going to serve in Fuchun County, placing him even farther from Sun Ce. Sun Fu did not know how many people now knew of this matter, but at the very least Jiang Wen and Diaochan did. Since that was so, he need not blame Sun Fu for being ruthless. Who told Jiang Wen to fight him over a woman?

He could only blame Diaochan for lacking discernment, for choosing the wrong man.

If he killed Jiang Wen and the others without anyone else learning of this secret, he would not only vent the fury in his chest, but could also take part in Dong Cheng’s conspiracy. By then, once they succeeded, he would surely have made an indispensable contribution. A marquisate would be a small matter.

Or he could simply inform Sun Quan. If Sun Quan learned of this, he would likely choose to sit on the sidelines. After all, if Sun Ce died, the only person who could succeed as chancellor would be him. Once he held all power in his own hands, then in the future, when he ascended the throne and called himself emperor, Sun Fu could even be made a king.

And if this attempt failed, he could push all responsibility onto Dong Cheng, remaining hidden behind the curtain without the slightest involvement, losing nothing at all.

How to maximize the benefit from this affair was what Sun Fu now needed to think carefully about.

On the outskirts beyond Xiangyang.

Tao’er and Diaochan lifted the carriage curtain and gazed at the scenery outside, delight shining on their faces. After all, they had lived in Xiangyang for years; it was not easy to venture out.

Jiang Wen slowed his horse and came to the carriage. “Diaochan.”

Diaochan’s lovely face was filled with curiosity as she looked at him. “Did you call for me, Master?”

Jiang Wen nodded. “Do you know when they will act?”

“My foster father only told me that I was to...” Diaochan’s eyes flickered, and she seemed uncertain how to continue.

Even if Diaochan did not say it, Jiang Wen understood. They had likely intended for her to seduce Bo Fu. After all, people have a sense of shame; to ask a girl to say such a thing herself was truly putting her in an impossible position.

Now they knew of the secret imperial edict, but not knowing when the attack would come was still of little use.

After all, if Sun Ce were to die at an assassin’s hand, they ought to be especially careful about such matters.

Since Lu Meng had been informed, Sun Ce would know before long. As for how to handle it then, that would depend on Bo Fu and Gongjin.

Those old generals would probably urge that all the troublemakers be put to death.

Jiang Wen suddenly sighed. Why was he worrying himself over this? Everything that needed to be done had already been done. What happened next had nothing to do with him, especially since he would soon be far away in Fuchun.