Chapter Forty-Two: A Humble Body Without Power

Li Zisheng knew that Mr. Zhong had already deceived him on more than one matter. There were still things Mr. Zhong had not told him, and to be frank, the man was not trustworthy.

Li Zisheng looked into Eight Taels’ eyes, hoping he would finally tell the truth. Though Eight Taels had a simple mind, it was plain that countless secrets were hidden within him. It was simply not yet time for him to reveal them, and so he always wore a look of gloom.

What Li Zisheng needed now was to recognize the changes unfolding around him and the effect those changes might have upon him. He had to understand the man before him completely, because until now he had not been able to grasp the shifting currents around him, and so he had let Eight Taels drift along as he pleased. But things were no longer as they had been.

He had now become Wei Cizang’s disciple, and that alone was enough to explain how he came to possess medical skill. In the Great Tang, scholarship remained the sovereign path, but medicine was also of the utmost importance, an essential discipline in its own right.

For that reason, he could no longer continue taking a soft approach with Eight Taels.

“Sir, please listen to me,” Eight Taels said.

He had clearly heard the hardness in Li Zisheng’s tone. His young master had changed, and in this respect he was utterly unlike before.

Li Zisheng gave no reply, only a faint acknowledgment.

“Sir, when the horses went mad, I saw General Deng Qing, his face dark with fury, order that the rampaging horses be put down at once. But Mr. Zhong, standing to the side, was remarkably calm, as though he had foreseen it long before. It was only because I noticed this that Mr. Zhong told me to keep my mouth shut and not speculate wildly. He also warned me not to tell you about it, saying that the Turkic brats had wolfish ambitions and must have had some scheme in mind to do such a thing. He said if I told you in advance, it would only make you afraid, ruin your spirits, and cause you to underperform in the literary contest. I thought that made sense, so I did not want to tell you, Sir.”

Eight Taels spoke with great sincerity, and although Li Zisheng still harbored some misgivings toward him, his hostility eased a little.

Even so, though he had softened somewhat, Li Zisheng would not let the matter of Eight Taels secretly colluding with Mr. Zhong pass so easily. There had to be something behind such private communication. Still, it was clear enough that Eight Taels kept him in mind; otherwise, he would not have acted this way.

“Sir, Eight Taels would never dare deceive you.”

Eight Taels saw that although Li Zisheng’s expression had softened, his attitude remained somewhat stern. There was still unease between them.

“You just said that Mr. Zhong had already foreseen the chaos among the Great Tang’s warhorses?”

“Sir, yes. Perhaps Mr. Zhong has seen too many storms and tempests to lose his temper over those Turkic brats. It was obvious they had plotted this in secret.” Eight Taels’ gaze was extremely firm.

“Oh? And why are you so certain of that? Could it be that Mr. Zhong’s self-cultivation has truly reached such a level?”

There were holes all through Eight Taels’ words. They sounded almost invented on the spot, and their credibility was very low.

However, Li Zisheng did not expose him directly. Eight Taels might seem simple-minded, even foolish, but his logic was surprisingly sound. Though full of flaws, his words were arranged so perfectly that one almost did not want to find fault with them.

“Let’s go. I imagine General Deng is already at his wit’s end. The participants for this round of the Great Tang’s literary contest have already suffered considerable harm. If not enough people remain to compete, then this contest will likely be counted as a victory for the Turkic delegation by default.”

After saying this deliberately, Li Zisheng left the tent, and Eight Taels followed closely behind him, never leaving his side.

Eight Taels walked in silence behind him, and Li Zisheng had no idea what he was thinking.

They had not yet reached General Deng’s quarters, but already they could hear the man’s furious shouting. Li Zisheng slowed his pace and made his way gradually toward the general’s tent.

General Deng was clearly in a fit of rage. Whatever Li Zisheng said now, he would not hear it. It would be better to let him vent his temper first; then, once he had entered, there would still be room to speak.

Sure enough, just as Li Zisheng had expected, it was not long before a half-dead body was dragged out of General Deng’s tent. Judging from the man’s appearance and the smell clinging to him, he was likely the stable overseer.

Seeing the stable overseer, who had greeted him only yesterday, now beaten into such a state, Li Zisheng could not help but feel that if a person had no power, he would inevitably be trampled. By his reckoning, this matter had clearly nothing to do with the stable overseer at all, yet it had been dumped upon him out of nowhere. This could only be called a calamity without cause. The reason, in the end, was simply that the man had no authority and could only serve as a sacrifice in the struggle between others.

By extension, if Li Zisheng himself ever lost all power and all value in such struggles, his fate would likely be even more miserable. Those under his roof would also suffer a great disaster because of him, and none of them would come to a good end.

Li Zisheng felt a deep chill in his heart, though he said nothing. Since the stable overseer had already been dealt with, General Deng’s rage, though not extinguished, had surely lessened considerably. Now was the proper time to go in.

But just as Li Zisheng was about to enter, he caught sight of Mr. Zhong out of the corner of his eye. It was obvious that the man wanted to speak with him. However, Li Zisheng had no desire to be the first to engage him, so he deliberately pretended not to see him. Given the angle, not having noticed Mr. Zhong at all was perfectly explainable.

Li Zisheng walked into the tent. Inside, the bloodstains on the floor had not yet been cleaned away, and a faint stench of blood drifted into his nose.

General Deng saw him enter. Of all the scholars sent to compete this time, Li Zisheng was the only one who had not been injured. At first, the general had been puzzled as to why only Li Zisheng had come through unscathed. Later, he sent someone to investigate and learned that Li Zisheng had gone to the lake behind the rear tents to practice calligraphy. In that sense, Li Zisheng was the only able-bodied candidate left on their side, and he absolutely could not be allowed to suffer any mishap.

“Someone, come here at once and drive away this bloody stench,” General Deng ordered, clearly thinking of Li Zisheng’s feelings and instructing them to clean up immediately.

Li Zisheng understood the general’s goodwill and smiled as he nodded in acknowledgment. The smell of blood truly was unpleasant, and the sorrow in his heart grew heavier still.

Power. It was all power.