111: Do you know, do you know, it should be green, fat, red, thin? (

Chapter 111: Do You Know, Do You Know? It Should Be Green, Fat, Red, Thin? (23)

Wushui Pass, a vital border town in Northern Qi.

Li Chang'an was traveling privately and did not represent Qing Kingdom.

However, Li Chang'an still met Shen Zhong, and not only Shen Zhong, but also a grand welcoming procession.

Name: Shen Zhong

Age: 40 years old

Realm: Eighth Grade Upper

Talent: Espionage (Eighth Grade), Martial Arts (Sixth Grade)

Abilities: Espionage (Ninth Grade), Stratagem (Sixth Grade), Politics (Sixth Grade)

Emotion: 0

Shen Zhong was a high-ranking official of Northern Qi, loyal to Qi Country but not to the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi and the young emperor. At the root of it, he was still unconvinced.

When he was under Emperor Zhan Qingfeng, the founding emperor, he would never have dared to be as overbearing as he was now.

"Shen Zhong, Commissioner of the Brocade-Clad Guards Bureau of Surveillance, greets Your Highness Prince Yong."

Li Chang'an was dressed in luxurious robes, not a python robe. "Lord Shen, what is the meaning of this? This prince is only here to attend a poetry gathering, it has nothing to do with state affairs."

Shen Zhong chuckled guilelessly, "Your Highness is joking. Your Highness's poetry is renowned throughout the land.

Wherever you go, you represent Qing Kingdom."

Behind him, a procession of hundreds of people played music and danced, creating a lively atmosphere.

Li Chang'an naturally knew Shen Zhong had ill intentions. "The Delegation will only arrive in two days. They are the ones who represent Qing Kingdom. Lord Shen, do not make a mistake."

Shen Zhong said dismissively, "That young Fan Xian is an unknown.

Who knows what methods he used to steal such a high position."

"How can he represent Qing Kingdom?"

These words implied that Li Chang'an's prestige was higher than that of the Delegation, and wherever Li Chang'an went, he could represent Qing Kingdom.

This kind of divisive tactic might work in Northern Qi, but it was not very effective against Emperor Qing and was truly quite boring.

Shen Zhong continued, "Your Highness, the pass ahead was flooded today, and the road is impassable."

"I have already dispatched craftsmen for repairs, which I estimate will take a day or two. I ask Your Highness to rest at Wushui Pass for two days."

To bring Li Chang'an and the Qing Kingdom Delegation together, Shen Zhong had truly gone to great lengths.

As the Commissioner of the Brocade-Clad Guards Bureau of Surveillance, how could he not know that Fan Xian was a rising star under Emperor Qing?

Fan Xian had even attended the family banquet before their departure.

Shen Zhong, or rather, the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi's tactic, was probably to stir up conflict between Fan Xian and Li Chang'an.

Since entering the Half-step Grandmaster Realm, Li Chang'an had the power to fight even a Great Grandmaster, and he was not afraid of these tactics at all.

Now, with powerful strength, while secretly developing his forces, Li Chang'an also enjoyed watching these people perform like monkeys.

Regarding Northern Qi's schemes, Li Chang'an could completely embody the saying, 'Let him be strong, the gentle breeze brushes the mountain peak.'

"Alright, this prince will wait here for two days."

Two days later, the Southern Qing Delegation's convoy finally arrived near Wushui Pass.

Gao Da saw the banners and honor guard of Wushui Pass and excitedly shouted, "My Lord!"

"Northern Qi's courtesy is truly thoughtful. Look at the welcoming party, there are at least hundreds of people!"

Fan Xian poked his head out of the carriage window and also saw the welcoming honor guard with their fluttering banners.

Seeing the grand procession, everyone in the Delegation straightened their collars, showing solemn expressions.

Especially Guo Baokun, who came from a scholarly family, he repeatedly tidied his hair.

To be grandly welcomed by another country was truly a great honor.

Fan Xian, however, muttered, "Something's not right. When the Northern Qi Delegation came to Qing Kingdom, we didn't prepare such a grand welcoming honor guard."

As the Delegation's convoy approached, when they were still a hundred zhang from Wushui Pass, the honor guard in front of the pass began to move, all entering Wushui Pass.

Seeing the honor guard leave first, Guo Baokun anxiously shouted, "What's going on? The Delegation hasn't arrived yet, and the honor guard has withdrawn. Isn't this too rude!"

When Fan Xian's Delegation convoy reached the foot of Wushui Pass, they only saw a few scattered officials from the Northern Qi Court of State Ceremonial.

"Lord Fan, we have been ordered by the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi and His Majesty to await you here!"

Before Fan Xian could speak, Guo Baokun preemptively asked, "Since you are here to welcome the Qing Kingdom Delegation, why did you withdraw the welcoming honor guard in advance?"

The Court of State Ceremonial official truthfully replied, "Lord Fan, please do not be offended. Those honor guards were not for welcoming the Delegation."

"According to our country's etiquette, our presence here is sufficient to welcome the Delegation."

Fan Xian sneered, "Presumably, those honor guards were all for welcoming His Highness Prince Yong, weren't they?"

The Court of State Ceremonial official bowed and said, "Precisely. His Highness Prince Yong of your esteemed country is renowned for his talent throughout the land. He has just departed, personally accompanied by Lord Shen Zhong."

If Fan Xian were an official of this era, this one incident would be enough to create animosity between him and Li Chang'an.

But Fan Xian's mind was completely devoid of such formalities; if you talked about etiquette with him, he wouldn't care in the slightest.

Sure enough, Guo Baokun was already stamping his feet in anger, "Lord Fan, as the saying goes, etiquette cannot be abolished!"

"How can they be so rude when welcoming a Delegation from our country? Northern Qi is being impolite in this matter, and His Highness Prince Yong has also overstepped his bounds!"

Fan Xian said indifferently, "Young Master Guo, don't stir up trouble. It's nothing major."

"We need to hurry on our way. It's the Righteous Path to go to Shangjing quickly and bring back Yan Bingyun."

In Li Chang'an's convoy, Shen Zhong was trying to get information from Wang Qinian.

"Commander Wang, is there someone else in Your Highness Prince Yong's carriage?"

Wang Qinian said impatiently, "Lord Shen, our Prince said that you are too annoying."

"You don't go to welcome the official Delegation, so why are you following us so eagerly?

Our Prince is traveling privately, so why do you care if there's someone in our carriage?"

Shen Zhong chuckled, "To be honest, your country's Delegation did not bring the hostage back alive, so I don't bother to see them."

Inside the carriage, Haitang Duoduo was idly eating Li Chang'an's chilled fruit.

Si Lili smiled and said, "Your Highness, look, Duoduo has such an unrestrained personality.

She doesn't even frown when faced with the biggest problems."

Haitang Duoduo felt bitter. Ku He was seriously injured and hadn't come out of seclusion, and now a quasi-Great Grandmaster was bullying her, and she had no recourse at all.

Since there was no solution anyway, and Qi Country wasn't her home, she might as well just take it one day at a time and lie flat.

Li Chang'an praised, "The Saintess has a good temperament. People should be like this."

"Last night, the rain was sparse and the wind was fierce; a deep sleep did not dispel the lingering wine. I asked the person rolling up the curtain, but she said the crabapple remains the same."

"Do you know, do you know? It should be green, fat, red, thin."

After he finished reciting the poem, Si Lili was stunned. "The poem Your Highness gave to Duoduo is more elegant than those you gave to this concubine..."

This was true; the dozen or so poems Li Chang'an gave to Si Lili were mostly not serious.

Haitang Duoduo nodded slowly after listening. "Indeed, it's better than those given to Li Li."

Si Lili said in confusion, "The poems and verses Your Highness gave me were clearly sent to the Empress Dowager of Northern Qi."

Haitang shrugged and said, "His Majesty peeked at them, so I followed suit and read them too."

"I didn't understand them when I was little, but now that I think about it, they are truly... shameless!"

Haitang Duoduo's expression was utterly disdainful; it seemed that over the years, she had come to understand the meaning of those poems.

Si Lili said somewhat embarrassed, "Duoduo, what you're saying isn't right."

"Those verses were originally boudoir poems that His Highness wrote for this concubine."

"They were never meant to be made public, so how can they be called shameless?"

"The Rú Mèng Lìng that His Highness wrote for you has an excellent Concept."

Haitang Duoduo scoffed, "What's so good about it? Royal children are completely unaware of the ways of the world."

"Crabapples are afraid of water; after being rained on, they wilt. Where does 'green, fat, red, thin' come from?"

Li Chang'an shook his head and said, "That's not right!"

"The author of this poem, due to a hangover from drinking, did not bring the crabapple indoors in time, and when she woke up, the crabapple had already been rained on."

"She certainly knew the crabapple would wilt, but she still wrote this poem. When the crabapple had just been rained on, it was 'green, fat, red, thin'."

"Miss Duoduo, you cannot deny the moving beauty of the crabapple after the rain just because it is destined to wilt afterwards."

Si Lili said dreamily, "In that case, this poem is indeed very fitting."

"'Green, fat, red, thin,' a crabapple among flowers. This poem is simply tailor-made for Duoduo."

Haitang Duoduo threw a pear core out the window, accurately hitting Shen Zhong on the head, then quickly drew the curtains.

"His Highness Prince Yong speaks wisely, but this poem is probably not suitable for this Saintess."

"Because this Saintess cannot get drunk!"

Li Chang'an shook his head, "Haitang, don't boast. That's because you haven't met this prince."

Haitang said confidently, "Let's make a deal for this round. We'll see who falls first!"

Li Chang'an then asked, "Haitang, was it your Master's order for you and Lang Tao to kill Xiao En? Does Shang Shanhu know about this?"

Haitang Duoduo shook her head, "The old man is a Great Grandmaster. Besides major matters concerning the survival of the ancestral temple, he's too lazy to care."

"Since he is a high and mighty National Preceptor, just like this Saintess, he must be sacred!"

"Of course, people cannot know that killing Xiao En was Master's order!"

Ku He killed Xiao En because he feared Xiao En would reveal the Temple's secrets, and also because he feared Xiao En would expose that he had eaten human flesh.

"Shang Shanhu has deep feelings for Xiao En. Aren't you afraid he'll seek revenge on you?"

Haitang Duoduo said indifferently, "Anyway, I was protecting Xiao En at the time.

If Shang Shanhu wants revenge, he should go find Lang Tao. It has nothing to do with this Saintess."

Li Chang'an pondered the various factions in Northern Qi. Shang Shanhu had a grudge against Lang Tao, Shen Zhong regarded Shang Shanhu as a national traitor, and Zhan Doudou and her mother were wary of Shen Zhong.

On this trip to Northern Qi, he needed to find a way to eliminate both Shen Zhong and Shang Shanhu, these two important Northern Qi officials.

Anyway, these two were already intolerable to Zhan Doudou and her mother, and they also hated each other, so dealing with them should not be difficult.

After greatly weakening Northern Qi, Western Qin could officially rebel!

The rebellion of Western Qin was a major event that affected Northern Qi's national destiny, and Ku He would definitely have to suppress it.

At that time, he would beat the recently emerged Ku He again, sending him back to recuperate obediently.

Li Chang'an calculated the time. With the help of the Heavenly One Method, he should be able to Break through to Great Grandmaster in another two or three months.

The convoy traveled north, and Li Chang'an, embracing Si Lili and teasing Haitang Duoduo, finally arrived at the foot of Shangjing City at the end of February.

Li Chang'an and Fan Xian's convoys simultaneously stopped at the Shangjing city gate, because the gate was blocked by Shang Shanhu.

Shen Zhong, on horseback, saluted in a feigned manner, "Greetings, Great General!"

"If you have anything, you only need to give an order; why bother to come personally?"

Shang Shanhu's Face was cold. He glared at Shen Zhong and said, "Where is my adoptive father!"

Shen Zhong looked puzzled, "Who is the Great General's adoptive father? I don't know."

Shang Shanhu angrily said, "My adoptive father is Xiao En, the hostage Fan Xian brought this time!"

Shen Zhong looked enlightened, "Oh, oh, oh! So that's how it is!"

"Lord Fan and I haven't completed the handover yet. Great General, you've come at just the right time!"

Li Chang'an listened in the carriage, thinking that Shen Zhong was truly cunning.

He knew that Shang Shanhu would be furious if Xiao En died, so he simply didn't complete the handover, bringing Fan Xian all the way to the foot of Shangjing City.

He wanted Fan Xian and the Southern Qing Delegation to bear Shang Shanhu's wrath, hoping they would fight.

Shang Shanhu rode his horse, holding his spear, and arrived before the Southern Qing Delegation.

"Lord Fan, we meet again. Where is my adoptive father!"

Fan Xian also cursed Shen Zhong a hundred times in his heart, but there was nothing he could do.

He had tried many times along the way, but Shen Zhong simply refused to complete the handover.

"Great General, Old Mr. Xiao was killed by your country's expert, Lang Tao. Two knife wounds in his back, his heart meridian completely severed!"

Shang Shanhu gripped his long spear tightly and let out a furious roar, "What did you say!"

"How did you protect the hostage? What were the Southern Qing Delegation doing?"

Fan Xian was also fuming. You wanted to save Xiao En back then, but you didn't succeed either, did you?

Lang Tao was present at the time, and you, Shang Shanhu, couldn't beat him either!

Fan Xian simply ignored Shang Shanhu. Zong Zhui led Shang Shanhu to inspect Xiao En's body in the ice.

Xiao En had been dead for many days, and the two knife wounds on his back were shocking.

"Adoptive father! Your son is unfilial!"

Although Shang Shanhu was arrogant and overbearing, he was a man of strong emotions. At this moment, he and several close confidants began to cry uncontrollably.

"Lang Tao! What if you are a Grandmaster's Disciple! I will kill you!"

At this moment, Shen Zhong ran over, looking very eager.

"Great General, watch your words! Sir Lang Tao is the Great Grandmaster's Senior Disciple!"

"Heaven One Path and the Great General are both pillars of Great Qi; you absolutely must not fight each other!"

Shang Shanhu slammed his long spear onto the ground and roared, "So what! What is there to fear in death!"

"I want to kill Lang Tao to avenge my adoptive father. At worst, the Great Grandmaster will kill me again!"

Li Chang'an couldn't help but exclaim, "He truly lives up to his name; he's as fierce as a tiger!"

In the original drama, Fan Xian, with just a few words, used Xiao En's death to make Shang Shanhu resent Shen Zhong.

Li Chang'an lifted the curtain and glanced at Fan Xian, finding that he was indeed eager to try.

Fan Xian in this timeline was far less smooth than in the original drama, so his actions were somewhat hesitant.

However, he eventually spoke.

"Great General, I happened to be present before Mr. Xiao's death. He had words he wanted me to convey to you."

"He said, 'Do not seek revenge, do not resent Lang Tao...'"

Fan Xian said Lang Tao's name, then exaggeratedly mouthed the word 'Empress Dowager of Northern Qi'.

"'Please keep all of this in your heart, Great General, and live well!'"

Haitang Duoduo glanced at Li Chang'an, then said disdainfully, "Is Fan Xian your relative? Equally shameless."

Li Chang'an nodded, "You flatter me. He is indeed my nephew."

Shang Shanhu was indeed furious. "The hatred of a father's murder is irreconcilable! How can I not seek revenge!"

Shen Zhong immediately said, "Great General, you must not be swayed by Fan Xian's words. He is, after all, a Southern Qing envoy."

"These words are clearly meant to sow discord between you and the Great Grandmaster's Disciples. You must not fall for it!"

Shang Shanhu turned and stared at Shen Zhong, saying, "Then tell me, by whose hand did my adoptive father die!"

Shen Zhong said with a solemn expression, "That would require a forensic examination!"

Shang Shanhu glared at Shen Zhong and said, "Then complete the handover quickly, give me my adoptive father's body, and I will arrange for a coroner to examine it!"

Shen Zhong repeatedly waved his hands, saying, "Great General, you cannot!"

"Firstly, the Southern Qing Delegation did not bring Mr. Xiao back alive, so we cannot complete the handover."

"Secondly, even if the handover is completed, Mr. Xiao's remains must be sent to the Northern Bureau of Surveillance and cannot be handed over to the Great General without authorization."

"It is my duty, and I hope the Great General will understand!"

Before he finished speaking, Shang Shanhu's spear tip was already at Shen Zhong's throat.

"Shen Zhong! To your mother with that! I don't understand!"