The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 168

Chapter 168: A Game of Masters, a Mysterious Contest

Fenghuang’s eyes once again revealed a look of shock. Thinking of the destruction of his family, he was overcome with grief and a sense of despair.

“Yes, I am Murong Jue!” he replied in a deep voice, then looked at Xiao Jinyu and smiled sadly. “Sorry, Qing Gege, I still lied to you and concealed my identity. Now in the land of Qi, I am the descendant of a condemned official. You have taken me in for so long. If treacherous people like Lu Lingxuan and He Shikai were to find out, they would surely accuse you of conspiring with me. If you hand me over to the Emperor Gao Zhan now, you might still be able to atone for your crimes!”

“Changgong has no such intention!” Xiao Jinyu immediately interrupted him. “Fenghuang, my father was also murdered under the charge of treason. That Lady Lu is also the wife of a condemned official. The Grand Marshal Huan Wen of the Jin Dynasty was also a descendant of a criminal family. As for the so-called crime of treason, who can tell what is true and what is false?”

“A hero does not ask about his origins. Don’t give up on yourself!”

Xiao Jinyu finished speaking with a smile, and Fenghuang couldn’t help but burst into tears.

“The person who fought with you today, do you know him?” Xiao Jinyu asked again.

Mentioning this person, Fenghuang’s eyes showed hatred, and he nodded. “Yes, that person was once a general under my father. It was he who secretly reported my father for treason, and now I met him in this Grand Solemnity Temple!”

“He must be one of Lu Lingxuan’s people!” Xiao Jinyu continued. “Perhaps there are also Lu Lingxuan’s hidden agents in this Grand Solemnity Temple, which is why we were ambushed by assassins so quickly after we just met with Zu Ting!”

“On the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, you risked your life to save me. Maybe it was from that time that Lu Lingxuan became suspicious of you!”

“Fenghuang, I owe you too much…”

At this time, the Prince of Lanling also said, “If you are willing, you can go to my army for training. Although I have been transferred back to Yecheng to guard the Northern Grand Camp, there are also my trusted aides in the army stationed in Jinyang. Go to Jinyang to avoid the limelight for now. What do you think?”

Jinyang can be regarded as the second capital of Qi. Emperor Shenwu Gao Huan established his headquarters in Jinyang and controlled the government in Yecheng. Gao Yang lived in Jinyang in his later years, indulging in wine and women, and left the government affairs of Yecheng to Gao Yan. Even Gao Zhan ascended the throne as emperor in Jinyang.

For Qi, Jinyang occupies an absolute geographical advantage in confronting Northern Zhou and Rouran. It is an extremely important town on the front line, where the most elite troops of Qi are stationed, and it is also the most prosperous place in Qi.

Gao Changgong said that he wanted him to go to Jinyang for training, which gave him great trust and the opportunity for the Murong clan to revive!

Fenghuang glanced at Gao Changgong in astonishment, and then looked at Xiao Jinyu.

Xiao Jinyu nodded at him, as if waiting for his answer!

After a long time, Fenghuang nodded with tears in his eyes.

“Okay, I’ll listen to Qing Gege!”

At this time, Gao Changgong took off a jade pendant from his waist and handed it to Fenghuang.

“When you arrive in Jinyang, you can go to General Duan and just say that you are from the Prince of Lanling’s residence!”

“Okay, thank you, Prince!”

Fenghuang bowed to Gao Changgong for the first time, turned around and was about to run out of the residence, but after taking a few steps, he suddenly turned around and strode towards Xiao Jinyu, embracing her.

Xiao Jinyu was caught off guard, and he only heard him sobbing in her ear, “Qing Gege, I also like you very much. It’s the kind of liking that makes me afraid that you will get hurt if I’m not by your side for a moment. I know you’re going to take a very difficult path, and there may be many, many dangers on this path. If I’m not by your side, you must protect yourself and never be as willful as you were in Pengcheng!”

“If you need Fenghuang, just send me a letter, and Fenghuang will come back anytime!”

Choking back a sob, he smiled again with tears in his eyes,

“When Fenghuang grows up and becomes stronger, he will come back to protect Qing Gege!”

After saying this, Fenghuang let go of her and strode out of the residence with tears in his eyes.

Xiao Jinyu didn’t know what it was like in her heart, she stared blankly for a while, suddenly thought of something, and when Fenghuang was about to step out of the gate of the Prince of Lanling’s residence, she suddenly shouted:

“Fenghuang—”

Fenghuang was slightly happy in his heart, and stopped, only to hear her say very calmly:

“Not tonight, we need to plan for the long term!”

✿✿✿

“Murong Shaozong’s grandson, Murong Jue?”

In the Lu residence in the Yuanzisi ward, a man in black pulled off the cloth covering his face and reported to Lu Lingxuan everything that happened in the Grand Solemnity Temple. When he mentioned the Northern Barbarian boy beside Xiao Jinyu, Lu Lingxuan’s eyes also flashed with surprise.

“There are still male descendants of the Murong clan alive in the world? Didn’t Emperor Xiaozhao order the commander of the Imperial Guards, Gao Guiyan, to exterminate the Murong clan and leave no male descendants behind?”

“That was indeed the case, but Murong Jue was only eight years old at the time, and his appearance was exceptionally beautiful. If he dressed up a little, he could completely pretend to be a young girl to escape the sight of the Imperial Guards. This kind of thing is not unheard of. During the Western Jin Dynasty, Empress Jia Nanfeng sent Prince Qinghe Sima Xia to kill Wei Guan on the charge of plotting to depose the emperor. At that time, Rong Hui, who had a grudge against Wei Guan, reported the names of nine members of the Wei family’s descendants, but didn’t he also fail to completely eradicate the Wei clan’s descendants?”

Lu Lingxuan had of course heard of this incident. On the day Wei Guan’s family was raided, his two youngest legitimate grandsons, Wei Jie and Wei Cao, happened to escape from the residence due to illness and survived this disaster. Therefore, the Rong Hui clan was later retaliated against by the Wei clan’s descendants and their entire family was executed, leaving no one behind. This is the consequence of not completely eradicating the roots!

“So, how did you recognize that this boy is Murong Sisu’s son, Murong Jue?”

“It’s very simple. The Murong clan is a descendant of the Yan imperial family, and their appearance is extremely beautiful and handsome. Murong Jue inherited this temperament and appearance of the Murong family. What’s more, his martial arts were personally taught by his father, and even I have guided him once or twice, so I am very familiar with some of his techniques!”

“So you have met this child before!”

“Yes, I have met him!” the man replied with his head bowed.

Lu Lingxuan suddenly laughed.

“Then we can also imitate Prince Qinghe Sima Xia and make a night visit to the Prince of Lanling’s residence!”

Upon hearing about the night visit to the Prince of Lanling’s residence, Mu Tipo became excited. He had never led troops to the residence of a prince of the imperial clan, and he felt a sense of excitement at the thought of trying it!

“Mother, are you going to forge an imperial edict like Sima Xia?”

“There’s no need to forge an edict. As long as the Prince of Lanling has the guts to harbor a court criminal!”

Smiling, she ordered Mu Tipo:

“Go and inform Han Changluan to lead a group of manor soldiers to the Prince of Lanling’s residence!”

“Yes!”

✿✿✿

At midnight, the stars in the night sky were exceptionally bright. Suddenly, firelight appeared outside the Prince of Lanling’s residence, and countless armored soldiers surged in, surrounding the residence in an instant.

This was a group of manor soldiers led by Han Changluan, each wearing bright armor and a half-masked helmet, carrying a longbow on their backs and a short sword at their waists.

The huge commotion quickly attracted the attention of the people in the Prince of Lanling’s residence. Steward Liu was ordered to open the door and asked what was the matter. Mu Tipo stepped forward and said, “Please ask your Prince to come out and see me!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Prince of Lanling walked out with his Princess Consort. Seeing hundreds of armored soldiers holding torches standing in front of the gate, he couldn’t help but tease, “Lady Lu, what a grand show you have put on, bringing troops to surround my residence at night. What is the matter?”

Lu Lingxuan slowly walked out from among the soldiers, and stopped when she reached the Prince of Lanling. She looked up and smiled, “For the sake of the safety of the Prince of Lanling and the Princess Consort, I have specially come here to arrest the remnants of the condemned officials on the order of His Majesty!”

“Lady Lu, are you suspecting that my residence is harboring court criminals?” the Prince of Lanling asked back.

“If not, why would the Prince be afraid of a search? I can keep these manor soldiers from entering the residence, and only I, my few guards, and General Han will go in and take a look. What does the Prince think?”

“Alright!”

This time, the Prince of Lanling replied without hesitation.

Lu Lingxuan was slightly surprised, and then led Mu Tipo, Han Changluan, and the black-clothed hidden guard Erzhu Ying into the residence. They came to the main hall and saw a young man in black clothes and white robes sitting on a rush cushion, playing chess alone against himself on the chessboard!

He was playing chess against himself!

Because he couldn’t find an opponent, he could only play against himself!

The demeanor of a master?

“Lady Lu can send your subordinates to search every corner of the Prince of Lanling’s residence to see if there are any remnants of the so-called condemned officials you are looking for. As for Lady Lu… since you are idle anyway, why not play a game of chess with me? How about it?”

✿✿✿

Lu Lingxuan smiled in surprise, and heard the young man say,

“Since the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Go has been a mysterious existence like yin and yang, the five elements, and the correspondence between heaven and earth. Confucius said, ‘Refine its principles, and it is enough to greatly benefit the teachings of the sages!’ Chess can also educate people like poetry and books!”

“Lady Lu shouldn’t be ignorant of the Way of Chess, right?”

When he said the last sentence, the young man had already raised his head, looked at her, and stood up with his hands behind his back!

His eyes were clear and mocking, his posture was elegant, and he had the demeanor of a famous scholar who was carefree and elegant!

“Who are you?” Lu Lingxuan asked, and at the same time raised her hand to signal Han Changluan and others to search for people in various parts of the residence!

At this time, the Prince of Lanling replied, “I heard that Lady Lu’s intelligence network is spread all over the three kingdoms. You shouldn’t have never heard of the talented advisor in my residence, right?”

Lu Lingxuan suddenly realized, and looked at the young man in black with even more curiosity.

“Are you the Xie Zhen from the Chenjun Xie clan who became famous at the Pure Conversation Gathering on Mount Fahua in the Southern Dynasties?”

“That’s right, it’s me!” the young man replied without any modesty. “How about it, Lady Lu, do you dare to compete with me in the Way of Chess?”

Lu Lingxuan snorted coldly with great disdain.

“Why wouldn’t I dare!”

After saying that, she walked forward and sat down on one side of the chessboard. The young man in black also sat down calmly.

The young man made a gesture of invitation, and Lu Lingxuan took the lead in placing a stone.

In fact, the game on the chessboard was already in the endgame. A group of white stones in the center had no way out, and only the four corners were empty and had a chance to fight. This game seemed to be implying something.

Lu Lingxuan looked at the young man again curiously, then calmed down and started placing stones.

Xiao Jinyu noticed that Lu Lingxuan was indeed a bit clever. By occupying a corner in the small eye, she actually had a chance to turn around a dead game.

Seeing that she had entered the game, the young man was not polite, and concentrated on playing chess with her.

I don’t know how long it took, but the two of them actually played a game of chess on the chessboard that had the momentum of a fierce battle and pointing at the country. When Han Changluan and Mu Tipo returned to the main hall in disappointment, it was already half an hour later.

“Mother—”

Mu Tipo hurriedly stepped forward and whispered in her ear, “We didn’t find him. I’m afraid he has already escaped!”

Lu Lingxuan stood up abruptly, and looked at “Xie Zhen,” who was still sitting calmly beside the chessboard, with some annoyance.

“What’s wrong? Lady Lu seems to be angry? Haven’t you heard a saying: ‘In the Way of Go, rigor is paramount. The superior player focuses on the center, the inferior player on the edges, and the average player on the corners. It is better to lose a few stones than to lose the initiative. This is the norm in chess, and it is also the way of military strategy!'”

Lu Lingxuan smiled coldly, then flicked her sleeves and left with Mu Tipo and Han Changluan.

After leaving the Prince of Lanling’s residence, Mu Tipo said angrily, “Mother, we seem to have been tricked. The Prince of Lanling’s advisor dragged you to play chess, which was a delaying tactic. She was buying time for that Murong Jue to escape!”

“Then send someone to chase him immediately! Quickly order people to block the Yecheng post station and don’t let anyone go!”

“Yes!”

Mu Tipo and Han Changluan responded at the same time, and immediately led a group of cavalry towards the outskirts of Yecheng!

Before leaving, Lu Lingxuan glanced at the Prince of Lanling’s residence again.

“One Xiao Jinyu is not enough, and now there is another Xie Zhen?”

✿✿✿

After Lu Lingxuan left with the manor soldiers, Xiao Jinyu tore off the “mask” of Xie Zhen from her face. At the same time, the “Princess Consort of Lanling” also tore off the “mask” from her face, revealing Fenghuang’s face.

“Qing Gege, why didn’t you let me go just now? Even if I let A’xiu pretend to be you, I could have escaped from Yecheng by now.”

Xiao Jinyu shook her head. “No, even if you escape from Yecheng, you will face countless assassins chasing you. Since we want to send you to Jinyang, we must ensure that you arrive in Jinyang safe and sound!”

“Now is not the best time to leave!”

“Then when is the best time?” Fenghuang asked again.

Xiao Jinyu replied, “Three days later. We have to make at least three moves in this game of chess. Only when Lu Lingxuan can no longer tell the difference between real and fake can you leave!”

After saying that, she called Ling Ye, “First send someone to the Yecheng post station to check the situation for Fenghuang, and also put on a show for Lady Lu!”

“Yes! Princess Consort!”

✿✿✿

At dawn, before the fog had dissipated, the guards at the Yecheng post station saw groups of cavalry galloping towards them. An official wearing a five-beam hat held a sword against the neck of a station master, as if he was giving him some instructions or orders!

The station master nodded repeatedly, and when the official got on his horse and left, his legs almost gave way and he knelt down!

“What happened?” other post soldiers asked curiously.

“I heard that a court criminal is about to escape from Yecheng. He told us to guard the post station and arrest him immediately when he arrives!”

“The portraits are all ready. Look!”

“Wow, why does he look like a woman? Such a handsome young man, how did he become a criminal?”

The Yecheng post station was a temporary resting place on the way from Yecheng to other places. It was a mixed bag of people, and many people passed through this station, but everyone had to show their identification tokens to prove their identity.

Therefore, it shouldn’t be difficult to find a fugitive who might have come from the Prince of Lanling’s residence!

But this small matter became a difficult one. For two days in a row, no one saw a young man as beautiful as the one in the portrait passing by.

When Han Changluan sent the news to the Lu residence, Lu Lingxuan also seemed a little unwilling to believe it.

“Could it be that that kid is still in the Prince of Lanling’s residence?”

Mu Tipo was also very strange.

“Mother, do we need to search the Prince of Lanling’s residence again?”

“No, we’ve already been there once. If we didn’t find him, it can only mean that you are incompetent. There is no reason to go again!”

“Do you think the Prince of Lanling’s residence is a place you can enter whenever you want?”

Mu Tipo lowered his head.

“What should we do now?”

Lu Lingxuan pondered.

“Wait, wait until he leaves Yecheng!”

“We also need to send someone to watch the Prince of Lanling’s residence!”