The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 182

Chapter 182: I Will Make Sure His Foolishness Has No Impact

Wei Xiaokuan was a straightforward man. Without hesitation, he ordered the soldiers who had followed him to retreat and stopped Yin Gongzheng from following. Then, together with Xiao Jinyu and Prince of Lanling, he rode to a hillside. From the high ground, they could see that three sides of Yubi City were close to deep trenches, with cliffs several feet high. The terrain was abrupt, with very high watchtowers and city walls serving as defense and early warning.

“If it weren’t for Tong Pass and Yubi City, the Qi people would have already destroyed Zhou!”

Xiao Jinyu suddenly sighed. Wei Xiaokuan was displeased, and the Chief Clerk by his side shouted, “You arrogant boy, what nonsense are you talking about?”

Wei Xiaokuan raised his hand to interrupt his next words and gestured for Xiao Jinyu to continue.

Xiao Jinyu said bluntly, “Therefore, Grand Commandant Wei’s achievements are outstanding, and he is the pillar of the Zhou people! However, Zhou’s economy is far inferior to that of Qi. Qi has agriculture, salt industry, and porcelain industry, all of which have brought great benefits to Qi. Today, Qi’s economy is still flourishing.

However, Zhou has experienced the impact of the previous wars between Northern Wei and Western Wei, as well as the bloody struggle for imperial power. The economy has seriously declined. If it wants to restore its prosperity to compete with Qi, I am afraid it will not be a short period of a few years.

Moreover, our Qi is not without good generals. General Hu Lu and General Duan are both seasoned generals, and there is no shortage of rising stars!”

“If Zhou and Qi really go to war, it’s uncertain who will win or lose, Grand Commandant Wei, what do you think?”

Wei Xiaokuan pondered for a moment and thought to himself: This boy is quite good at analyzing the situation. Is he trying to persuade me to surrender?

He smiled and replied, “Indeed! However, although Qi has unique economic and military strength, I have heard that your Qi rulers are becoming increasingly bloodthirsty and foolish from generation to generation. With such a monarch, even if Qi has countless good generals, I am afraid that there will be a day when the national strength is exhausted, right?”

Xiao Jinyu smiled and said, “Grand Commandant Wei is also right. Our Qi ruler is indeed foolish, but I can guarantee that as long as I am here, I will try my best to prevent his foolishness from having a detrimental impact on the country!”

Huh?

Xin Daoxian, who was watching from the sidelines with Prince of Lanling, couldn’t help but let out a sneer.

“Prince of Lanling, is your Envoy Xie always so arrogant?”

He couldn’t help but tease Gao Changgong. Gao Changgong just looked at Xiao Jinyu thoughtfully and didn’t answer him at all.

At this time, Xiao Jinyu said, “A foolish monarch is often surrounded by treacherous officials. I will remove these treacherous officials one by one, and if that doesn’t work…”

She paused and continued, “Anyway, this is something I need to consider. Grand Commandant Wei doesn’t need to worry about it!”

Although she didn’t say the rest of the words, Wei Xiaokuan felt a kind of world-conquering deterrence from this young man’s eyes.

After a long pause, Wei Xiaokuan burst into laughter:

“Hahaha… Envoy Xie has such courage and confidence, I admire you deeply. Then let’s wait and see if Envoy Xie really has the ability to change the emperor!”

Xiao Jinyu just smiled without saying a word.

“Did Envoy Xie invite me here for a private negotiation to persuade me to surrender?” Wei Xiaokuan asked again.

“Of course not. Grand Commandant Wei’s ambition is vast, and I can’t persuade you with a few words. However, I do have a word of advice for Grand Commandant Wei!”

“Please speak, I’m all ears!”

“Yuwen Hu likes to wage war, but he is not good at planning battles, and he never listens to Grand Commandant Wei. If Grand Commandant Wei happens to predict his failure, it will definitely make him unhappy.

Therefore, I suggest to Grand Commandant Wei that you let Yuwen Hu toss and turn and ignore him. Moreover, he probably doesn’t have much time to live.”

Hearing this, Chief Clerk Xin Daoxian turned pale and shouted, “How dare Envoy Xie say such a thing and predict the life and death of our Zhou’s Grand Steward?”

Xiao Jinyu smiled again.

“Because there is a dragon hidden in the seabed, waiting for the moment to leap and become a real dragon, and your Zhou’s Grand Steward may still be immersed in his own arrogant and invincible power.”

Hearing Xiao Jinyu’s words, Wei Xiaokuan’s expression finally changed drastically. He had already guessed who the dragon in Xiao Jinyu’s mouth was.

“Your country’s ruler has extremely strong patience, which is beyond the reach of ordinary people. Yuwen Hu has poisoned three emperors in a row, but he is particularly tolerant of this weak and sickly young emperor. This is not because he has suddenly become benevolent or loyal to the monarch, but because he is certain that your Zhou’s ruler will die before him, isn’t it?”

A trace of worry appeared between Wei Xiaokuan’s eyebrows, and he sighed inwardly: Indeed!

“However, the way of heaven is to diminish the surplus and supplement the deficiency. When things reach their peak, they will decline, and when things reach their extreme, they will reverse. Even the highest mountain will collapse one day…”

At this point, Xiao Jinyu stopped talking. Many things didn’t need to be said explicitly. Giving the other party space to think would often have a better effect.

Sure enough, Wei Xiaokuan also pondered over her words.

Just as he was lost in thought, Xiao Jinyu suddenly asked, “Does Grand Commandant Wei often feel pain in his calf bones, especially at night when the pain makes it difficult to sleep?”

Wei Xiaokuan suddenly woke up and asked back, “How do you know?”

Xiao Jinyu smiled and said, “I have some knowledge of medicine and can cure Grand Commandant Wei of this pain.” She immediately took out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve and handed it to Wei Xiaokuan, saying, “Grand Commandant Wei injured his leg bones in battle in his early years. Although he was treated, he has suffered from chronic pain.

I happen to have a bottle of medicine here that can treat this kind of pain. I can give it to Grand Commandant Wei!”

“Can the medicine you give be used? Who knows if you are secretly harming our Grand Commandant!” Chief Clerk Xin Daoxian ran forward and shouted.

Wei Xiaokuan immediately stopped him and said, “Don’t judge a gentleman with the heart of a villain. I believe in this Young Master Xie’s character!”

After taking the medicine bottle, Wei Xiaokuan also politely replied, “Thank you, Envoy! So, regarding the peace talks, what are the conditions offered by your country’s ruler?”

Xiao Jinyu said, “Grand Commandant Wei, we are here today on behalf of Qi, only wanting to establish a truce and peace treaty with you. Yuwen Hu is capricious and cannot be trusted. However, as long as Grand Commandant Wei agrees not to send troops against our Qi, that will do!

In addition, please ask Grand Commandant Wei to come forward and let your Zhou’s Grand Steward send an envoy to our Qi’s Yecheng to personally welcome his mother back to the country and discuss matters of trade!”

“Is it that simple?”

Wei Xiaokuan was a little skeptical and looked suspicious.

“Yes! It’s that simple!”

Xiao Jinyu replied firmly.

Wei Xiaokuan was still a little uncertain. Then he heard Xiao Jinyu say, “There’s one more thing!”

I knew it wasn’t that simple!

Wei Xiaokuan was wondering what other conditions there were when he heard her say, “There are spies in Grand Commandant Wei’s camp who want to take my life and sabotage the peace talks between Qi and Zhou. I hope Grand Commandant can deal with them properly!”

✿✿✿

When Wei Xiaokuan came down from the mountain with Xie Zhen, Prince of Lanling, and Xin Daoxian, it was already an hour later. Yin Gongzheng carefully observed the expressions of the several people and was quite puzzled and curious.

After returning to the camp, he couldn’t wait to ask, “Grand Commandant Wei, what did that kid from Qi tell you? Did he mention the conditions for peace talks?”

Wei Xiaokuan looked at Yin Gongzheng and thought to himself: If I say that Xie Zhen only proposed a treaty for me not to send troops, it will definitely make Yuwen Hu suspicious when it reaches his ears, and he will become even more wary of me. If I say that Xie Zhen didn’t say anything, this Yin Gongzheng will definitely not believe it and will inevitably suspect that I have a secret agreement with the Qi envoy. It’s better to say…

“Envoy Xie did convey the meaning of the Qi ruler to me, asking our Zhou to exchange two commanderies for the return of Lady Yan. However, I negotiated with him and analyzed the current situation. In the end, he agreed to convey to the Qi ruler the exchange of one commandery and trade with our Zhou!”

Yin Gongzheng slightly breathed a sigh of relief. Then he heard Wei Xiaokuan change the subject, “But Envoy Xie has another request, which is to let the Grand Steward send someone to Qi’s Yecheng to complete this handover and welcome Lady Yan back!”

“That’s no problem, I will make it clear to the Grand Steward! But to exchange one commandery…”

Yin Gongzheng looked worried and thought to himself: If the Grand Steward was really willing to cede land in exchange for his mother, he would have agreed during Emperor Wenxuan’s reign!

“If the Grand Steward is really reluctant to exchange a commandery, then he can only use more grain and silk to exchange for Lady Yan’s return!” Wei Xiaokuan seemed to see his worry and added.

“Good, good! This peace talk with Qi, Grand Commandant Wei has made great contributions, I will report all this to the Grand Steward!”

Yin Gongzheng looked grateful. Wei Xiaokuan asked again, “By the way, besides the Grand Steward’s daughter Yuwen Ya, who else is in the envoy that came from Chang’an with you this time?”

✿✿✿

Yin Gongzheng replied, “It’s just that the Grand Steward assigned some manor soldiers to me, nothing else!”

“Then who is the deputy envoy by your side?”

“Yang Su!” Yin Gongzheng replied, “He is a Zhong Wai Ji Shi, recently promoted by the Grand Steward!”

Seeing the doubt on his face, Yin Gongzheng asked again, “Grand Commandant, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, you go and entertain the Qi envoys, make sure to ensure their safety, before they leave tomorrow, there can be no mistakes!”

Wei Xiaokuan instructed, Yin Gongzheng nodded in agreement, and then withdrew from the camp.

As soon as he left, Wei Xiaokuan called Xin Daoxian forward again and whispered something in his ear. Then he took out the porcelain bottle “Xie Zhen” had given him, poured out some ointment, and was about to apply it to his leg. Xin Daoxian wanted to stop him, but Wei Xiaokuan said, “It’s fine, if it’s really poisonous, can they still leave here alive if something happens to me? These Qi envoys are young, but they are not stupid. They won’t do such a stupid thing to sabotage the peace talks!”

After saying that, he applied the ointment to his leg as “Xie Zhen” had said. These days, the weather had turned cold, and the leg pain had become more and more serious, which did affect his sleep.

After the ointment was applied, Xin Daoxian saw that Wei Xiaokuan hadn’t spoken for a long time and became even more suspicious and worried.

“Grand Commandant, how do you feel? Could it be…”

Wei Xiaokuan interrupted his next words, his expression a little strange:

“It feels very strange, like a clear spring flowing into my limbs and bones, the pain gradually disappears, and the whole person feels relaxed and happy!”

“That means this medicine is really effective?” Xin Daoxian also said in surprise.

Wei Xiaokuan laughed, and then his eyes showed worry: “If our soldiers could all use this kind of medicine, they wouldn’t suffer from the pain of those old injuries!

I didn’t expect that this Xie Zhen is not only exceptionally talented, but also has such medical skills. This is truly a rare talent. Alas, it’s a pity that he can’t be used by our Zhou!”

“Grand Commandant, why not just keep him in our Zhou…”

“No, how can we force someone’s will? However, there was one thing he said at the banquet that I agree with. If the monarch doesn’t love the people, we should take the world’s people as our own responsibility. Maybe in the near future, he will abandon Qi because of the Qi ruler’s foolishness?

This person can only be treated with sincerity and emotion. Any conspiracy or calculation will be counterproductive!”

Xin Daoxian obediently replied yes!

……

Upon learning that the peace talks had ended and the Qi envoys were about to return, Yuwen Ya became anxious and angrily vented her anger at Yin Gongzheng, “Master Yin, are you planning to go back now? But what about the matter my father entrusted to you? What about me?”

“Young Lady, this matter cannot be forced. Since there is no fate with Prince of Lanling, Young Lady should give up this idea. When you return to Zhou, the Grand Steward will definitely find a good marriage for Young Lady!”

“How can those dandies in Chang’an compare to a handsome and upright man like Prince of Lanling? Besides, even if there are a few outstanding ones, they have all been chosen by my elder sisters. When will it be my turn?”

Yin Gongzheng didn’t quite understand the thoughts of these young ladies, so he found an excuse and quietly left.

When he left, Yuwen Ya said, “No, I can’t come here for nothing. Even if I can only get one night of pleasure, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future!”

The maid saw that her face was slightly flushed and seemed to have made up her mind. She hurriedly stepped forward and said, “Fifth Young Lady, I have a plan that can help you achieve this wish.”

“You have a way? Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Yuwen Ya raised her eyebrows and asked in a low voice, “What plan? Tell me about it!”

✿✿✿

At this time, after returning to the camp, Gao Changgong also asked Xiao Jinyu curiously, “Are you serious? Yuwen Hu… he doesn’t have much time to live?”

Xiao Jinyu smiled and shook her head, “I’m not sure, but isn’t it a good thing to make Wei Xiaokuan completely lose trust in Yuwen Hu and have hope for their Zhou ruler?”

“It’s indeed a good thing, so you’re making it up again?”

Xiao Jinyu smiled, neither admitting nor denying.

“Do you think Wei Xiaokuan will agree to our peace terms?”

“He will. If there is really a war between Qi and Zhou, and Yuwen Hu loses, his prestige will definitely be greatly reduced. By then, it will be the day for Wei Xiaokuan to rise again. Moreover, Wei Xiaokuan knows very well that the Qi army is not as weak as Yuwen Hu imagined. If they rashly send troops, they will not gain any advantage!”

“There is one more point: Wei Xiaokuan must leave a good impression on the envoy sent by Yuwen Hu, so he will inevitably increase the bargaining chip I mentioned and try to find a compromise.

Maybe he will exchange it for one commandery, or more grain and silk!”

Speaking of this, Xiao Jinyu quickly stopped talking. She heard Gao Yanzong shouting outside the tent in a very loud voice, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”

“This is our Grand Steward’s daughter, who came to greet Prince of Lanling and Young Master Xie!” the maid replied.

Yuwen Ya glanced at Gao Yanzong and said angrily, “Who are you? Why are you stopping me? I am here on behalf of my father to discuss peace talks with Prince of Lanling and Envoy Xie!”

Gao Yanzong laughed.

“Is Yuwen Hu crazy? Sending you, a little girl, to discuss peace talks? Or do you see that my fourth brother is so handsome that you want to offer yourself to him?”

“You—”

Yuwen Ya’s face flushed red, and she was so ashamed that she stomped her feet and was about to leave. At this moment, she actually heard a voice from inside the tent, “Let them in.”

The maid lowered her head and suddenly showed a happy expression. She almost rushed into the tent herself.

“Fifth Young Lady—” she called to Yuwen Ya, who was hesitating.

Only then did Yuwen Ya reluctantly adjust her appearance and enter the tent with the maid. She saw that Xie Zhen was actually lying on the couch, and Prince of Lanling was feeding her something to drink.

“What’s wrong with Envoy Xie…?” Yuwen Ya asked curiously.

Prince of Lanling said, “I don’t know why, but I suddenly feel weak all over, and I seem to have a fever…” After saying that, he turned around and looked at Yuwen Ya, “What brings you here, Young Lady?”

Almost as soon as Prince of Lanling turned around, Yuwen Ya was stunned. Last night, it was dark, and she didn’t see very clearly. She only felt that his temperament was extremely noble and the lines of his face were perfect. Now, looking closely, she felt as if he was a masterpiece of nature, truly blessed by heaven, more handsome than anyone she had ever seen!

Seeing her staring at him in a daze, Prince of Lanling was displeased, but he still politely asked again.

Yuwen Ya then came to her senses and smiled, “It’s nothing important… just… just that I admire Prince of Lanling’s name and have something I want to give you.”

After saying that, she handed the embroidered handkerchief with twin lotuses to Prince of Lanling. Seeing that he didn’t take it for a long time and frowned slightly, she put the handkerchief on the table next to the couch and quickly left!

The maid looked back at Prince of Lanling, who was about to reach for the handkerchief, a smug smile appeared on the corner of her lips, and she also quickened her pace to catch up with Yuwen Ya.

✿✿✿

As night fell, a woman dressed in night clothes came to another tent. Looking at the man who was boiling green ant wine, she nodded and said in a low voice, “It’s done. They shouldn’t wake up tonight!”