Wang Dian woke up when it was nearly midnight. The scattered bed curtains blocked most of the flickering candlelight. In his drowsy state, he glimpsed a piece of clothing and was slightly confused. Then, a cool hand was placed on his forehead.
“You slept for a full five hours, clinging to Zhen without letting go. So clingy,” Liang Ye’s voice fell into his ears.
Wang Dian had slept deeply, and his fatigue had mostly subsided. He rolled over to lie on his back. Liang Ye’s hand tentatively reached inside his clothes. He lay still, and after a long while, he turned his head to look at Liang Ye leaning against the headboard. Frowning, he said, “It’s okay to sit up?”
“It hurts a bit.” Liang Ye touched his chest, deliberately pinching once. “Hmm, right here.”
Wang Dian instantly jolted, most of his drowsiness dissipating. In a hoarse voice, he asked, “Where are you touching?”
“I touched the wrong place by accident.” Liang Ye brazenly touched several more times, then casually withdrew his hand. He waved two sealed letters at him. “Cui Jin has indeed made a move.”
Wang Dian yawned, turning his back to him to continue sleeping.
Liang Ye poked his shoulder with the letters. “Don’t you want to read them?”
“No, I’m tired,” Wang Dian replied weakly.
Liang Ye found it curious. “Really, you won’t look?”
Wang Dian waved his hand. “You read them yourself. Have someone pull up the bed curtains. It’s too dark, it’s not good for the eyes.”
When there was no movement behind him for a while, Wang Dian turned his head in confusion. He saw Liang Ye standing on the bed in just his inner clothes, hanging the bed curtains. He immediately shouted angrily, “Liang Ye!”
Liang Ye looked down blankly. “Huh?”
“Lie down and don’t move around.” Wang Dian got up and secured the bed curtains, then held Liang Ye’s arm to help him lie down.
“Zhen has been lying down for a day and a night. Bones are all soft,” Liang Ye reluctantly sat down following Wang Dian’s guidance, still not wanting to lie down. He put the opened letters in Wang Dian’s hand. “Take a look. Or should Zhen read them to you? But the wound hurts, it’s difficult to read.”
Wang Dian took the letters and glanced over them briefly. The candlelight flickering made his eyes uncomfortable. “Yang Man was intercepted, but Cui Yuxian still has other ways to send messages out… Cui Jin has nearly 200,000 men under him. Even if he hasn’t fully brought them all under control yet, his strength can’t be underestimated. It’s said that Commander Jiao brought 50,000 men, but in reality, this number should be discounted.”
“Hmm.” Liang Ye lowered his eyes and said wearily, “The southern army’s battle line is stretched long. It’s not suitable to move anywhere, especially since most of them are now piled up in Eastern Chen, having to be prepared for Eastern Chen to suddenly start a war at any time.”
Wang Dian sighed. “Now that the news of your awakening has also been spread, I’m afraid there will be another fierce battle in a couple of days.”
Liang Ye looked down at his own wound.
“Yes, Jian Ling leading the Black Armored Guards in an attempt to ‘rebel’, nearly assassinating the emperor, can indeed drag Cui Yuxian down…” Wang Dian pondered for a moment. “I’m afraid she’ll drag things out. The longer she drags it out, the more unfavorable it is for us.”
“Most of the people in the inner court are dead. She still has a mess to clean up,” Liang Ye said, leaning against the headboard. “Before she can react, Zhen wants to crush her completely.”
Liang Ye’s tone was unquestionable. Wang Dian thought deeply for a while. “You want to move against the Cui family.”
Even though Cui Yuxian and the Cui family had been at odds for a long time, after all, her ability to hold power in Northern Liang for so long relied on the behemoth that was the Cui family. Other noble families were merely driven by interests, but the Cui family had almost tied themselves to Cui Yuxian. To remove Cui Yuxian, the Cui family must be removed.
“Four members of the Cui family were killed at the birthday banquet, including one of Cui Yuxian’s brothers and two nephews… Since we’ve already torn off the mask, there’s no need for further pretense.” Wang Dian said, “What are your chances of success?”
“Sixty percent.” Liang Ye lit the two letters and burned them, reaching out to grab the rising flames. Wang Dian slapped the back of his hand.
“Play with fire, wet the bed,” Wang Dian said, then fell silent.
“Zhen is not a child,” Liang Ye glared at him darkly. “You’re the one who wets the bed.”
Wang Dian tried to forcefully salvage the situation. “Everyone has wet the bed when they were young.”
“Zhen never has,” Liang Ye said.
“Impossible,” Wang Dian refuted. “I—”
Liang Ye looked smug. “Look at you, sure enough you did wet the bed.”
“When I was young.” Wang Dian rubbed his face, giving up on arguing such a childish topic. “You dare to make a move with only a 60% chance?”
“If Zhen loses, Zhen will take you and run away far.” Liang Ye said casually, with a carefree attitude as if life and death didn’t matter. “You’ve wet the bed before, why can’t Zhen lose?”
“How are these necessarily related?” Wang Dian pointed at his nose. “Watch what you say. Add ‘when young’, I don’t believe you haven’t.”
Liang Ye stared at his finger, then gently nuzzled the fingertip with his nose.
“…” Wang Dian was silent for two seconds, then curled his finger and said softly, “Don’t act cute. I’m not falling for that.”
Liang Ye hooked the corner of his mouth. Wang Dian paused and asked, “Really only 60%?”
“60% isn’t low.” Liang Ye tilted his head. “If you had a 60% chance in a business deal, would you do it?”
“I would.” Wang Dian said without hesitation. “Even with only 40%, I’d dare to give it a try.”
Liang Ye’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and he grinned at him brightly.
****
When Wang Dian went to see Zhao Qi, he was playing gobang with his deputy envoy, who looked uninterested but had to accompany him.
Zhao Qi was very happy to see Wang Dian. “It seems the Emperor Liang is fine.”
“He just barely escaped death.” Wang Dian politely bowed. “This incident happened suddenly, and our hospitality was lacking. I hope you two can forgive us.”
Although everyone knew what “happened suddenly” meant, they still had to pretend to be confused on the surface, politely criticizing the rebellious Black Armored Guards. After two cups of tea, they got to the real business.
“Zhao and Liang have always been on good terms. Over a hundred years ago, there were frequent commercial exchanges, benefiting both countries greatly…” Wang Dian spoke nonsense with a straight face. In fact, Zhao and Liang had always been at odds in terms of trade, especially regarding the ownership of Yunshui at the border, which had led to dozens of armed conflicts. But he lightly glossed over this. “Of course, there were occasional small frictions. Yunshui is rich in fishery resources. If we let money slip away because of these small frictions, that would be the real loss…”
This frank negotiation style was indeed fresh. Zhao Qi increasingly felt that Wang Dian was sincere and worth dealing with. “Then in your opinion, what should our two countries do?”
“Dividing by water is too complicated and doesn’t have any practical benefits for long-term development. Why don’t we sign an agreement, stipulating that Zhao and Liang each get three parts of the profit, and the remaining four parts are used for building dikes and dams, thoroughly solving Yunshui’s flood problems, and irrigating good farmland. As you know, our Liang’s Hexi Prefecture suffered from floods early this year, and Zhao’s cities weren’t spared either. If this succeeds, it will not only benefit Zhao and Liang but also bless our descendants for hundreds of generations…”
Zhao Qi nodded thoughtfully. The deputy envoy listening beside him couldn’t help but glance at Wang Dian.
Outside, the autumn sun was pleasant. Wang Dian conversed with Zhao Qi for a long time, until the sun was setting in the west.
“…The reason why Eastern Chen is prosperous is that Shen Yao decisively reformed, making commerce flourish and the army strong, leading to a wealthy people and a strong country. Zhao’s reforms are struggling to progress, and Northern Liang’s are even further away… Now Eastern Chen is strong, while Zhao and Liang are weak. It’s nothing more than ‘when the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold’. If we don’t unite, being swallowed up is only a matter of time.” Wang Dian bowed. “Your Majesty cares for the people and doesn’t want the people of Southern Zhao to suffer from war. Our Emperor feels the same way.”
As the sun was about to set, Wang Dian finally got up to say goodbye.
After seeing Wang Dian off, the deputy envoy returned to find Zhao Qi sitting there with a solemn expression. He couldn’t help but say, “This man is quite talented. If we could use him for our cause—”
“I’d like to, but didn’t you see at the birthday banquet? When Emperor Liang was attacked, he looked like he was going mad, ready to kill everyone…” Zhao Qi said, “Moreover, he and Emperor Liang are brothers. Emperor Liang trusts and values him greatly, and he views Emperor Liang as his life. Let’s not embarrass ourselves.”
The deputy envoy’s face twisted slightly. “Brothers? I thought…”
“They clearly have a deep brotherly bond.” Zhao Qi teased, “Lin Yuan, you claim to be a gentleman, yet your thoughts are all filthy.”
Lin Yuan glared at him angrily, “Zhao Qi!”
“Calling the emperor’s name directly, Zhen will behead you sooner or later.” Zhao Qi made a chopping motion at his neck. “Pack up, prepare to leave.”
Lin Yuan frowned, “Now?”
“Emperor Liang’s intentions are already very clear. Whether it’s allying to resist Eastern Chen or cooperating on trade and water management, it’s not bad for us. The rest is work for the subordinates.” Zhao Qi said, “Northern Liang’s capital is bound to be in chaos soon. If we don’t leave now, when should we? Wait for Emperor Liang to have time to detain us and make Zhao trade land for people?”
Lin Yuan said, “Emperor Liang probably wouldn’t do that.”
“Have you seen any emperor kill half his court officials at a birthday banquet?” Zhao Qi clicked his tongue, “Both ruthless and mad. I don’t want to put my life under the eyes of such a person. We leave immediately.”
Lin Yuan looked at him contemptuously, “You don’t have an ounce of kingly bearing.”
“I had even less when I was begging for food.” Zhao Qi whistled frivolously and slapped Lin Yuan’s bottom. “Let’s go, Young Master Lin.”
Lin Yuan’s face turned red with anger, “How improper!”
Zhao Qi laughed heartily, crawling under the bed to fetch his hidden gold and silver. After rummaging for a while, he took out three taels of silver pieces and put them on the table, then pulled out a piece of letter paper. “Come help write a few words.”
“I won’t help.” Lin Yuan said coldly.
Zhao Qi put an arm around his neck, grinning, “Young Master Lin, Minister Lin, my handwriting is really too ugly. It would disgrace our Zhao country. You wouldn’t want Northern Liang to use this against us, right? Quickly, just write a few words.”
Lin Yuan shrugged off his arm, walked to the table, rolled up his sleeves and began grinding ink. Zhao Qi casually grabbed a brush, licked it, and handed it to him. Lin Yuan looked at the brush with disgust and took a new small brush instead. “What should I write?”
“‘Borrowed and returned, jianghu zaijian.'” Zhao Qi slapped the three taels of silver pieces on the table and raised his chin. “How’s that? Poetic enough?”
Lin Yuan sneered, “Extremely shallow.”
(TL: jianghu zaijian/ goodbye jianghu=usually a farewell that is unlikely to happen again, which roughly means “see you again if we are destined to meet again”.)
****
When Wang Dian returned, Liang Ye was standing barefoot in front of a potted plant, watering it with medicine. Seeing him enter, Liang Ye raised an eyebrow, and the last two drops accidentally splashed onto his sleeve.
“Are you better?” Wang Dian walked up to him expressionlessly, undoing his front to check his wound. Seeing it wasn’t bleeding, his expression softened slightly.
“This medicine is poisonous.” Liang Ye put the bowl aside, raising his arm to let him examine. “Zhen’s body is strong. This small wound would only need half a day of rest. Tomorrow Zhen can kill without hindrance.”
“Have you found out who did it?” Wang Dian looked at the medicine bowl.
Liang Ye shook his head.
“If problems can occur even with Li Bu watching personally, I’ll investigate myself.” Wang Dian lowered his head to fasten Liang Ye’s clothes. “Go lie down on the bed.”
“Such a small matter doesn’t need your attention.” Liang Ye held his hand and walked towards the bed. “Tonight, have them brew your calming medicine anew. Zhen will accompany you to sleep first.”
“I’m not sleepy yet.” Wang Dian reported today’s conversation with Zhao Qi to him in detail, roughly explaining several feasible plans. Finally, he concluded, “…The specific matters can wait until the end of the year. If Eastern Chen sends troops, Southern Zhao shouldn’t stand idly by this time. As for trade-related affairs, we still need to study further. I didn’t make any definite promises… There are too many uncertainties in between, and this was just a private exchange. In the end, it still needs to be officially settled by both countries. But whatever method we use, we must tie Southern Zhao to our ship.”
Liang Ye looked him over meaningfully. “You’re more suited to be emperor than Zhen.”
“Usually, emperors say that when they have thoughts of killing.” Wang Dian tucked in his blanket corners, staring at his smiling eyes. “Your Majesty.”
Liang Ye’s smile gradually widened. “Guess.”
“Wanting to kill but reluctant to do so.” Wang Dian touched his forehead, saying calmly, “The day you find it boring will be the day I die.”
Liang Ye stared at him with relish. “Scared?”
“No.” Wang Dian kissed his forehead. “Dying together with you would be quite nice.”
Liang Ye burst out laughing, but accidentally pulled his wound and sucked in a cold breath.
Wang Dian ignored him and only asked, “On my way back, I noticed some unfamiliar guards at the palace. What are you planning to do?”
“Zhen needs your help. This time Zhen’s telling you in advance, so don’t throw a tantrum later.”
“What help?” Wang Dian asked.
Liang Ye smiled, “No matter what happens, you only need to know that Zhen can definitely protect you.”
“What are you dreaming about?” Wang Dian also smiled at him. “I’d rather trust a dog than trust you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, flames rose outside the window, and the sounds of chaos and clashing swords grew closer.
Liang Ye was clearly taken aback as well. “This isn’t what Zhen arranged.”
“Let’s go first.” Wang Dian went to support him. “The fire will spread here soon.”
Liang Ye got up and put on his outer robe. He swiftly took two sets of exquisite, lightweight sleeve arrows from a hidden compartment and quickly tied them to Wang Dian’s wrists. Then he produced a dagger from somewhere and tied it to Wang Dian’s calf, taking the opportunity to firmly squeeze his calf muscle. “Let’s go.”
Wang Dian was shocked by his agile and swift movements. If he hadn’t personally seen the imperial physician remove the arrow, he would have doubted whether Liang Ye was really seriously injured.
“Zhen told you, Zhen’s body is good.” Liang Ye proudly flourished his sword and fastened the soft weapon to his waist. Then Wang Dian watched helplessly as the clothes on his chest became soaked with blood.
“Why don’t you just go to heaven!” Wang Dian slapped the back of his head.
