61: Chapter 60 The Great Shang Agreement

Great Yan Imperial Calendar, the twelfth day of the second month of yuanchun.

The day Crown Prince Xiao Xuan left the capital, the sky was not yet bright.

Five horses, five people, quietly left the city through the North Gate. No honor guard, no attendants, not even a single banner was brought. Crown Prince Xiao Xuan rode at the very front, the zhutian sword hanging at his waist, a thin layer of frost having formed on the scabbard. Behind him was Jiang Ziya, his back hunched, a fishing rod laid across his horse's back, looking like an old man visiting relatives. Further back was General Xiang Yu, the tiger-headed coiling dragon halberd resting across his saddle, his face expressionless. General Yue Fei and General Xin Qiji walked at the very end, one in a white robe and one in green, one scholar and one warrior, like two students out on a journey.

Five people, five True Gods—one at the Heavenly God Realm Perfection, one at the True God Great Perfection, one at the Middle Stage of the True God realm, and two at the Early Stage of the True God realm. Such a lineup was enough to trample a small nation. But Crown Prince Xiao Xuan was not going to fight; he was going to negotiate.

Zhang Liang stood on the city tower, watching those five figures as they gradually drifted further away, remaining silent for a long time. Strategist Guo Jia stood beside him and couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Zhang, will Your Highness succeed in this endeavor?"

Zhang Liang did not answer. He was only thinking about what Crown Prince Xiao Xuan had said to him last night.

"Zi Fang, if I do not return—"

"Your Highness will return," Zhang Liang interrupted him.

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan smiled: "I said 'if'. If I do not return, Great Yan is in your hands. Zhang Liang, Xiao He—"

"Your Highness," Zhang Liang interrupted him again, "there are no 'ifs'."

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan looked into Zhang Liang's eyes; there was no fear, no hesitation, only a kind of determination that was impossible to refuse. He suddenly understood one thing—His Highness was not going to negotiate; he was going to gamble with his life. If he won the gamble, Great Yan would have the capital to confront the Heavenly Gods. If he lost, he would die in Great Shang or Great Qin.

"Your Highness," Zhang Liang spoke, "I will wait for you to return in the capital."

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan patted his shoulder and turned to leave.

At this moment, Zhang Liang stood on the city tower, gazing at the eastern horizon. The sky was about to brighten.

"Let's go, back." He turned and walked down the city tower without looking back.

Great Shang, Shang Capital.

Shang Capital was three thousand li southeast of Great Yan and was the imperial capital of the Great Shang Empire. This city was three times larger than Great Yan's capital, with walls ten zhang high and a moat five zhang wide. On the city walls, every hundred paces, there was a giant ballista, their muzzles pointed outside the city. Great Shang had been established for ten thousand years and had experienced countless wars, but Shang Capital had never been breached. This was because it was not people who guarded this city, but a formation—the Great National Protection Array left behind by the Great Shang Founder, which was said to be able to withstand a full-strength blow from the Heavenly God Realm.

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan's group was stopped at the city gate. The captain guarding the gate was a middle-aged man at the Early Stage of the Void God realm. He looked the five of them up and down, his gaze lingering on General Xiang Yu for a long time. This person's aura was too terrifying; standing there like a mountain, it made him feel breathless.

"Who are you people? What have you come to Great Shang to do?"

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan took a letter from his robe and handed it to the captain: "Crown Prince Xiao Xuan of Great Yan requests an audience with the Emperor of Great Shang. This is my state letter."

The captain's expression changed. The Crown Prince of Great Yan? The same Crown Prince who killed fifteen thousand soldiers of Great Xia in the Northern Territory and forced back an army of three hundred thousand? His hands trembled slightly as he took the letter and turned to run.

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan stood at the city gate, waiting. The merchants and commoners going in and out of the city gate all stopped to watch the spectacle. Some pointed fingers, while others whispered. One young man, five True Gods, no attendants, no honor guard, just standing there at the city gate waiting, like a distant cousin coming to visit relatives.

After waiting for about half an hour, a group of people emerged from the city gate. The leader was a middle-aged civil official wearing the court robes of Great Shang, with a thin face and a long beard in three strands, his aura at the Early Stage of the True God realm. He walked quickly to Crown Prince Xiao Xuan and bowed: "Minister of Rites Xu You of Great Shang, follows Your Majesty's decree to welcome Your Highness the Crown Prince of Great Yan."

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan raised his hand: "Minister Xu, there is no need for such formality."

Minister of Rites Xu You straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the four people behind Crown Prince Xiao Xuan. It paused briefly on Jiang Ziya, then on General Xiang Yu, before he quickly withdrew his gaze: "Your Highness, please follow me."

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan nodded and followed him through the city gate. Shang Capital was larger and more prosperous than the capital of Great Yan. Shops lined both sides of the long streets, pedestrians were like a woven tapestry, and the sounds of hawking, talking, laughing, and carriages mixed together, as bustling as a pot of boiling porridge. Crown Prince Xiao Xuan noticed that when the people on the street saw them, they automatically cleared a path—not out of fear, but out of curiosity. What was the Crown Prince of Great Yan doing in Great Shang?

Minister of Rites Xu You brought them to the post house and arranged for their stay: "Your Highness, Your Majesty has government affairs today and will grant you an audience after tomorrow's morning court. Please rest at the post house for now."

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan nodded: "Thank you for your trouble, Minister Xu."

After Minister of Rites Xu You left, the five of them sat in the main hall of the post house. General Yue Fei couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, will they intentionally leave us hanging?"

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan shook his head: "No. Emperor Zhao Yu of Great Shang is suspicious by nature; he is checking our background. Once he has cleared things up, he will see us."

General Xin Qiji said, "Your Highness, I have one thing I do not understand."

"Speak."

"Why did Your Highness not bring Zhang Liang? In matters of negotiation, Zhang Liang is better than me."

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan looked at him and suddenly laughed: "Courtesy Name of Xin Qiji, do you think I have come to negotiate?"

General Xin Qiji was stunned. Crown Prince Xiao Xuan stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the bustling market outside: "Negotiation is a pretense; deterrence is the reality. Great Shang has two Old Ancestors at the True God Great Perfection, but they will not easily act. Emperor Zhao Yu of Great Shang is at the Late Stage of the True God realm, and he has over a dozen generals at the Middle Stage of the True God realm. All of them added together are no match for General Xiang Yu. I want Emperor Zhao Yu to know—Great Yan is not to be trifled with, and the Crown Prince of Great Yan is even less so. Only then will he sit down and talk with me."

General Xin Qiji was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled: "Your Highness, I understand. Your Highness has not come to negotiate, but to play a game of chess. Great Shang is the chessboard, and the Emperor is the chess piece."

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan also smiled: "Courtesy Name of Xin Qiji, you indeed understand me."

The next day. After the morning court, Crown Prince Xiao Xuan was summoned to the palace.

Great Shang's imperial palace was larger than Great Yan's Chengde Palace, and also colder. Dozens of court officials stood in the hall, each with a serious expression, as if attending a funeral. When Crown Prince Xiao Xuan walked in, everyone's eyes fell upon him. His expression remained unchanged as he walked to the center of the hall and bowed: "Crown Prince Xiao Xuan of Great Yan greets the Emperor of Great Shang."

A person sat on the dragon throne. He was around forty years old, with a resolute face and sharp eyes, his aura at the Late Stage of the True God realm. It was Emperor Zhao Yu of Great Shang. He did not ask Crown Prince Xiao Xuan to rise, but simply looked at him for a long time.

"Crown Prince of Great Yan," he finally spoke, his voice deep, "what have you come to Great Shang to do?"

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan straightened up and looked at him: "To save Great Shang."

The hall broke into an uproar. A twenty-year-old young man, standing in another country's court, said he was there to save them. This was not arrogance; it was seeking death.

Emperor Zhao Yu's expression did not change: "Save Great Shang? What does Great Shang need you to save it from?"

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan said, "Does Your Majesty know that Great Xia has formed an alliance with the Heavenly Gods?"

Emperor Zhao Yu remained silent. He knew. He had known about the alliance between Great Xia and the Heavenly Gods half a month ago. He also had the intelligence network of Grand Elder Renxuanzi.

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan continued: "The Heavenly God entered the ancestral land of Great Xia and took a fragment of the heavenly emperor seal. Once he collects all three fragments, he will obtain the power of the Ancient Heavenly Emperor. When that time comes, the first to be destroyed will be Great Yan, and the second will be Great Shang."

Emperor Zhao Yu was silent for a long time. Then he spoke: "You have come because you want to enter the Great Shang Imperial Tomb?"

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan nodded: "Yes."

The hall broke into an uproar once again. A foreign crown prince wanted to enter the Great Shang Imperial Tomb and dig up Great Shang's ancestral graves. This was not just seeking death; it was the ultimate form of seeking death.

Emperor Zhao Yu looked at him, a chill flashing in his eyes: "Your Highness, do you think I will agree?"

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan looked at him, his gaze as calm as water: "Your Majesty, I have not come to beg you. I have come to make a deal with you."

Emperor Zhao Yu asked: "What deal?"

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan said, "I will help you protect the fragment of the heavenly emperor seal, and you let me go in and take one look. Just one look, I will not take it away."

Emperor Zhao Yu stared at him for a long time: "You can protect it?"

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan did not answer, but simply stepped aside. Behind him, General Xiang Yu took a step forward. The tiger-headed coiling dragon halberd was not unsheathed; he simply stood there and released his aura.

True God Great Perfection.

The entire hall trembled. Those generals at the Middle Stage of the True God realm turned pale and retreated repeatedly. Emperor Zhao Yu sat on the dragon throne, his expression unchanged, but the knuckles of the hand gripping the throne's armrest turned white. He was at the Late Stage of the True God realm, and he could feel it—this person's aura was even stronger than the two Old Ancestors of Great Shang. Both were at the True God Great Perfection, but this person standing here was like a mountain, like the heavens.

General Xiang Yu withdrew his aura and stepped back. Calm was restored in the hall.

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan looked at Emperor Zhao Yu: "Your Majesty, Great Shang has two Old Ancestors at the True God Great Perfection. But they are guardians of the Imperial Mausoleum and will not easily act. When that Heavenly God comes, who will stop him? Will Your Majesty stop him, or will Your Majesty's generals?"

Emperor Zhao Yu remained silent. He knew Crown Prince Xiao Xuan was right. The two Old Ancestors of Great Shang had presided over the Imperial Mausoleum for eight thousand years and had never left. They were tomb guardians, not generals of Great Shang. When the Heavenly God came, they would not act. Because their mission was to guard the Imperial Mausoleum, not to guard Great Shang.

"I need time to consider," Emperor Zhao Yu finally spoke.

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan nodded: "I will wait for Your Majesty for three days."

He turned to leave. When he reached the hall's entrance, Emperor Zhao Yu suddenly called out to him: "Your Highness, are you not afraid that I will not agree?"

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan stopped his pace without turning back: "Your Majesty will agree. Because Your Majesty has no other choice."

He walked out. In the hall, Emperor Zhao Yu sat on the dragon throne and remained silent for a long time. Then he laughed, a smile filled with helplessness and also admiration.

Post house. When Crown Prince Xiao Xuan returned, Jiang Ziya was sitting in the courtyard basking in the sun. Seeing him, the old man smiled slightly: "Your Highness, was it a success?"

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan shook his head: "Not yet. He is considering."

Jiang Ziya nodded: "Three days. After three days, he will agree."

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan sat down across from him: "Master Jiang, how do you know?"

Jiang Ziya looked at him, his gaze gentle: "Because he is an emperor. An emperor does not act out of spite; an emperor only calculates. No matter how he calculates this account, he will not lose."

Crown Prince Xiao Xuan was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "Master Jiang, you are even better at calculating than I am."

Jiang Ziya also laughed: "Your Highness, I have lived for over three thousand years; I haven't lived those years in vain."

That night. Crown Prince Xiao Xuan sat alone by the window, gazing at the moon outside. The moon in Great Shang was just as round as the moon in Great Yan. He thought of Zhang Liang, Strategist Guo Jia, and Strategist Jia Xu, and of everyone who remained in the capital. They were waiting for him to return.

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his mind. That light screen floated quietly.

[System Prompt: Current Luck value: 900/1000. 100 more Luck points are needed for the next summoning.]

He opened his eyes. Still 100 points short. Perhaps this trip to Great Shang would be enough to gather them. Perhaps the next summoning would bring someone even stronger than General Xiang Yu.