The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 130

Chapter 130: Delivering a Head from Afar

Xiao Mohe had once followed Hou Andu. The two of them had made numerous contributions in the suppression of the Hou Jing Rebellion while following Emperor Wu of Chen, Chen Baxian, and later in battles against Northern Qi and various feudal lords. They were considered meritorious officials who had served the emperor since his rise to power, and they were exceptionally valiant. At the age of nineteen, Xiao Mohe had once charged into battle alone on horseback, and no one could withstand him.

The Empress was actually able to persuade Xiao Mohe to attack him?

Chen Shuling was both shocked and terrified.

He turned around and asked Wei Liang, “Who do you think can go to fight against him?”

Wei Liang lowered his head and replied, “Your Highness, in my humble opinion, instead of fighting against him, it would be better to try and persuade him to surrender!”

Chen Shuling’s eyes lit up and he asked, “How can we persuade him to surrender?”

He certainly wanted to persuade Xiao Mohe to surrender. If Xiao Mohe agreed, he would gain a powerful general under his command. Now that the capital was under his control, if Jiankang City lacked a fierce general like Xiao Mohe, then relying on those spineless civil officials and scholars, who could possibly be his opponent?

“Xiao Mohe has made numerous contributions in battle, but he is still only a Third Rank General of the Right Guard, guarding the imperial city. Your Highness can promise him the position of one of the Three Dukes, and if the matter succeeds, he will be credited with assisting in your ascension to the throne. Furthermore, you can entice him with a marriage alliance, promising him the position of Empress for his daughter. This matter will definitely succeed!” Wei Liang replied.

Chen Shuling felt that this plan was feasible, so he said to Wei Liang, “Alright, you go and be the negotiator. Go to the West City Gate and negotiate with Xiao Mohe!”

Wei Liang’s heart instantly sank, but he dared not disobey the Prince of Shixing’s order, so he nodded and bowed in agreement.

Taking the ceremonial guards and musicians provided by the Prince of Shixing, Wei Liang arrived at the West Gate of the Eastern Palace City and explained his purpose to the guarding soldiers. Afterward, he met Xiao Mohe in person, but just from a single glance at this man from afar, he knew that this was definitely not someone who would be easily persuaded to surrender.

Therefore, Wei Liang, the negotiator, simply surrendered himself and instead offered advice to Xiao Mohe, hoping that Xiao Mohe could plead for him before the Empress and spare him from death!

After returning to the Eastern Palace City, Wei Liang told Chen Shuling that Xiao Mohe didn’t quite trust the position of one of the Three Dukes promised by the Prince, unless there was a written agreement and he sent his trusted generals to pay their respects as a sign of sincerity.

In his haste, Chen Shuling actually wrote a written agreement and handed it to Wei Liang to deliver. He also sent Dai Wen and Tan Wu to pay their respects and negotiate.

But what Chen Shuling didn’t expect was that after the three of them went to the West City Gate, they never returned. An hour later, he received news that Dai Wen and Tan Wu had been beheaded and their heads were hung at the Eastern City market for public display.

Wei Liang also never reappeared.

Chen Shuling suddenly felt that his situation was hopeless. The close associates around him had either scattered or died, and no one dared to respond to his summons for support. In the end, he only took his maternal uncle, Peng Hao, and fled under the cover of night. After receiving the news, Xiao Mohe immediately sent a hundred cavalry to pursue their group.

The next day, before dawn, the Prince of Lanling received a secret letter. Upon opening it, it read: “The Prince’s promise can now be fulfilled. Please help this Prince break through the encirclement. Let’s meet at Meiling Ridge!”

After reading this letter, Lu Yu couldn’t help but laugh.

“Has the Prince of Shixing gone mad? He actually believes that the Prince would be willing to rebel with him just to fulfill that one promise?”

“Perhaps he’s truly desperate and wants to defect to our Qi State!”

The Prince of Lanling also smiled and handed the letter in his hand to Xiao Jinyu.

“It’s just as you predicted. It’s not even noon yet, and he’s already been defeated and fled!”

Xiao Jinyu smiled slightly: In her past life, Chen Shuling’s rebellion only lasted for three hours, but in this life, he’s been causing trouble for quite a while!

However, Empress Liu finally understood the meaning behind her words. Sending Xiao Mohe to pretend to surrender, the outcome was indeed not much different. However, Chen Shuling was still alive and had actually escaped to Meiling Ridge.

Is he still obsessed with tomb raiding even when he’s at death’s door?

“What do you want to do now?” Gao Changgong asked again.

“Since he wants to defect to the Prince, then I, along with the Prince, will personally see him off!”

“Let’s take Yue Ying with us!”

✿✿✿

As dawn approached, the world suddenly fell into a deathly silence. The sound of crows cawing seemed to echo from all directions, creating an unsettling atmosphere.

By the time Chen Shuling reached Meiling Ridge, he had no soldiers left by his side. During their escape, his maternal uncle, Peng Hao, had been killed by Ma Rong, one of Xiao Mohe’s men. The remaining soldiers, seeing that the situation was hopeless, had scattered. A few soldiers even tried to kill him to gain merit, but fortunately, he reacted quickly and killed them instead.

Meiling Ridge was not originally a burial ground. In the early Eastern Jin Dynasty, when barbarians invaded, the gentry migrated south. The Governor of Yuzhang, Mei Ze, stationed his troops here to resist the enemy. Later generations, in order to commemorate General Mei Ze’s noble character, built the General Mei Temple here and planted plum trees extensively, hence the name Meiling Ridge.

From then on, this place became an auspicious burial ground, with many famous scholars and nobles buried here.

At night, the shadows of the trees danced ominously. It was April, close to the Qingming Festival, and the plum blossoms were in full bloom. The cold wind carried the fragrance of plum blossoms, and the falling petals added to the eerie atmosphere.

But Chen Shuling had been accustomed to tomb raiding since childhood and was not afraid of ghosts or spirits.

As he walked aimlessly, following a winding path, he unexpectedly stumbled upon the final resting place of Xie An, the Grand Preceptor of the Jin Dynasty.

✿✿✿

Although reduced to such straits, upon seeing Xie An’s tomb, Chen Shuling was still ecstatic.

Just as he was about to excavate the tomb, the sound of horse hooves echoed from the forest, firelight approaching from afar, illuminating the entire Meiling Ridge.

Soon, the sound of horse hooves drew near. Chen Shuling first hid himself and saw from afar that the leader was Prince of Lanling.

Chen Shuling couldn’t help but be overjoyed. He quickly revealed himself and, as Prince of Lanling reined in his horse, bowed from afar and said:

“Changgong truly keeps his word. A gentleman’s promise is worth a thousand gold. Zisong is immensely grateful.”

Prince of Lanling, accompanied by several guards, walked up the winding and deep corridor until he reached Chen Shuling.

“Your Highness, you have no soldiers by your side? How did you end up in such a sorry state?”

“Don’t mention it. A bunch of cowardly good-for-nothings, seeing Xiao Mohe and Ma Rong’s ferocity, actually betrayed this Prince and all fled!”

Lu Yu, hiding behind Prince of Lanling, really wanted to laugh. He quickly covered his mouth to stifle the sound.

“So, Your Highness invited Changgong here. What is it that you want Changgong to do for you?”

“This Prince still has troops in Xinlin, but to get there, I need to cross the river from the Xiaohang ferry crossing. Currently, Xiao Mohe is relentlessly pursuing me, and this Prince truly dares not show himself. Therefore, I need Changgong to cover me to the Xiaohang ferry crossing. Once this Prince has gathered his troops and wishes to defect to Northern Qi, I hope Changgong will recommend me to your Qi Emperor!”

As expected…

“Alright. Changgong can draft a letter to our Qi Emperor, recommending Your Highness. However…” His tone changed, “Whether Your Highness can reach Northern Qi, Changgong cannot guarantee.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Chen Shuling’s expression changed, and he suddenly felt something was amiss. Just then, someone stepped out from behind Gao Changgong.

This person was dressed in black, with a slender figure that appeared somewhat thin. They also wore a veiled hat. Under the firelight, their entire being exuded an air of chilling solemnity and murderous intent.

“Xie Zhen?”

Although their face was concealed, Chen Shuling could not forget this aura. Upon seeing them, he took several steps back, his eyes wide with anger.

“Gao Changgong, what do you mean? Could it be that for this advisor of yours, you would betray your promise and kill this Prince?”

“Your Highness, there was never any promise or loyalty between us! However, Changgong is truly grateful for Your Highness’s trust. Even on the verge of death, you still think of me!”

These words were the utmost sarcasm. Chen Shuling felt a chill down his spine. He had initially believed Dai Wen’s report, saying that Gao Changgong had obtained a stunning beauty and had long forgotten about Xie Zhen. Moreover, Xie Zhen had caused him such a big problem, how could he still favor this advisor?

It was just an advisor. If they had caused trouble, he could just kill them!

Why… was Xie Zhen still here?

“It’s all your fault! Because of you, this Prince has been reduced to such a state! Even if this Prince dies, I must kill you first!”

Chen Shuling drew his sword and lunged at Xiao Jinyu. At the same time, another cold light flashed, directly severing his wrist as he watched in shock.

In a split second, he didn’t even see who had drawn the blade before letting out a blood-curdling scream, clutching his wrist as he rolled on the ground.

“No one touch her!” Gao Changgong roared furiously.

Only then did Chen Shuling realize that Prince of Lanling had always been an enemy, not a friend!

“Your Highness, do you know why you’ve ended up like this? It’s not because of me, but because of yourself!”

Xie Zhen stepped forward at this moment, looking at the man writhing on the ground like a stray dog and said:

“Your Highness, haven’t you read Mencius’s words: ‘With the utmost support, the world follows. With the least support, even relatives turn against you. Attacking those abandoned by their relatives with the support of the world, thus, a gentleman may not fight, but if he does, he will surely win.'”

“Therefore, when Your Highness raised the banner of rebellion and summoned the princes and generals, no one dared to respond. The taste of being abandoned by those who have lost their way must be unpleasant, right?”

Chen Shuling felt a pain he had never experienced before, whimpering but unable to retort.

Xiao Jinyu paused for a moment and then said with a smile:

“Your Highness, you say, you rebelled, but why did you use the banner of ‘eliminating evil ministers around the emperor’? To eliminate me?”

“Do you even believe those words yourself? I’m not even a minister, so how can there be any talk of a treacherous minister?”