Chapter 141
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The Zhou Residence.
Wu Shanshi was led to the entrance of the bedroom, and a servant courteously offered him a chair. As soon as Wu Shanshi sat down, Zhou Gongdan’s weak voice came from the dimly lit room, carrying a scent of sickness and decay, “Thank you for coming to visit me, Your Majesty. I’m really not doing well, and I fear I might infect Your Majesty with my illness, so I had to inconvenience you to sit outside the door.”
Wu Shanshi sighed, “Wenning, take good care of yourself. If you need any medicinal herbs, just let me know. You are my meritorious subject, and I can’t afford to be without you by my side.”
“Your Majesty…” Zhou Gongdan spoke, moved. He coughed weakly twice, and with little strength, he asked, “Does Your Majesty know if General Jia Qing has been released from prison?”
Upon hearing this, Wu Shanshi coldly snorted, and his expression turned indifferent. “When he apologizes, I’ll consider releasing him.”
Zhou Gongdan fell silent for a moment and advised, “Your Majesty, life in prison is harsh, especially in deep winter. Even if General Jia Qing is skilled in martial arts, he may not withstand this cold winter. If we delay further, he might develop health problems due to the cold.”
Wu Shanshi frowned. If others had suggested that he release Jia Qing, he would have already lost his temper. However, because it was Zhou Gongdan, he suppressed his anger. Nevertheless, his already unfavorable mood worsened, and he had no interest in continuing the conversation. He waved his hand and stood up, saying, “I have already sent bedding for him. Let’s not talk about this anymore. Rest well, and I’m leaving!”
The attendants respectfully saw off the emperor, and soon, the voices outside grew silent.
Inside the room, Zhou Gongdan got up from the bed and walked to the window, watching Wu Shanshi’s figure gradually disappear.
He squinted slightly.
Despite Zhou Gongdan’s pale and flushed complexion, his eyes were remarkably sharp. He took the water cup handed to him by someone by his side. His every move did not resemble that of a sick person.
He took a sip of hot tea and said to the people from the Liangliao Institution, “As I expected, without someone to advise him, Wu Shanshi has become even more arrogant and conceited.”
Especially after proclaiming himself emperor, he didn’t even bother pretending to be magnanimous.
The Liangliao Institution people said, “Sir, your insights are extraordinary.”
Zhou Gongdan couldn’t help but smile, “It’s not that my insights are extraordinary, but Wu Shanshi is too easy to see through.”
When surrounded by sycophants, the Wu Shanshi, who had once been propped up by advisers, would undoubtedly slide into the abyss.
The Liangliao Institution people said, “Sir, are you ready? Our lord has instructed us to leave Jizhou no later than the end of this month.”
“I have prepared myself after waiting so long for our lord,” Zhou Gongdan smiled and replied, “Apart from myself and the donkey I brought, there’s nothing else I need to take with me.”
The Liangliao Institution people were surprised, “Aren’t you taking the wealth you gained in Jizhou with you?”
Zhou Gongdan burst into laughter, a hint of hidden contempt in his expression, “I don’t want Wu Shanshi’s ill-gotten wealth.”
Influenced by Yuan Li’s ideology, the people from the Liangliao Institution hesitated for a moment and honestly said, “If you don’t mind, can we send this wealth back to Youzhou? It can be used for the army or the Liangliao Institution, as our lord said, money may not be essential, but one cannot survive without it in this world. Even if the enemy’s money is dirty, we shouldn’t leave it for them. Instead, we can use it for developing the state and benefiting the people.”
“You’re right,” Zhou Gongdan nodded.
Suddenly, a sense of melancholy arose within him, and he murmured, “I stayed in Wu Shanshi’s company for so many years. Although I remained true to my principles, my character was still influenced by the people in the Jizhou Governor’s Office to some extent. Our lord, on the other hand, remains the same as before, with no change… Yes, our lord’s teachings are correct. The money is not dirty; the people using the money are the ones who are filthy. I was misled.”
Zhou Gongdan took a deep breath and, after realizing this, felt suddenly at ease. “Let me sort out the assets I accumulated in Jizhou. Anything that can be sold will be sold, and the rest will be exchanged for gold and taken away. Gold is easy to conceal, and it has a small volume, so it won’t attract attention. Once I’ve organized everything, I’ll have the brothers send these things back to Youzhou first.”
The Liangliao Institution people agreed.
With a twinkle in his eyes, Zhou Gongdan said, “Besides the wealth, there is one more person I want to take away.”
Zhou Gongdan was naturally referring to Jia Qing.
After Wu Shanshi proclaimed himself emperor, Jia Qing was indeed released from the dungeon. However, it seemed that he was not familiar with the concept of self-preservation and stubbornly found the newly crowned Wu Shanshi, urging him to relinquish the throne and kneel before the emperor as a criminal to plead for forgiveness.
Undoubtedly, this statement completely infuriated Wu Shanshi, who was still immersed in the joy of becoming emperor.
Wu Shanshi no longer showed any mercy and ordered his guards to once again imprison Jia Qing in the dungeon, where he remained until now.
Calculating the time, Wu Shanshi had been on the throne for four months, and Jia Qing had been imprisoned for over four months.
The winters in the north were freezing enough to kill people, and the dungeons were even more damp and dark. No matter how brave and skilled Jia Qing was, after enduring this winter, he would probably be incapacitated.
Zhou Gongdan felt that such an outcome was a great pity. Among the people under Wu Shanshi’s command, there were few whom he both feared and admired, and Jia Qing was one of them.
If they could bring Jia Qing back to Youzhou, Zhou Gongdan believed that Yuan Li would be very pleased.
Under Yuan Li’s command, Jia Qing would undoubtedly have a better future than staying with Wu Shanshi.
As a minister favored by Wu Shanshi, it was effortless for Zhou Gongdan to visit Jia Qing in the dungeon.
On the sixteenth day of the first month, fine snowflakes drifted in the air.
Outside the prison gate, the guarding soldiers said, “Please show some mercy, sir, and do not bring warm clothing or food into the dungeon.”
Zhou Gongdan’s face turned pale, and he coughed a few times against his lips, appearing quite surprised. “Why can’t we bring these things in?”
The soldier replied, “It’s His Majesty’s command.”
Zhou Gongdan understood.
Wu Shanshi was indeed ruthless, and it was indeed a waste of talent. Someone like Jia Qing would be cherished by any other lord, but in the eyes of Wu Shanshi, who had seen numerous talents, Jia Qing had to endure such hardship.
Since it was Wu Shanshi’s order, it had to be followed. Zhou Gongdan instructed the attendants to take out the clothes and food, leaving his hands empty as he entered the dungeon.
There were only a few prisoners in the dungeon. In the depths of the dungeon, Jia Qing laid on a pile of grass, his body stiff from the cold. His skin was covered in frostbite, showing purplish-red bruises. He closed his eyes and laid there. If not for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he could easily be mistaken for a corpse.
Hearing footsteps approaching, Jia Qing reluctantly opened his eyes and looked outside, only to see Zhou Gongdan standing at the prison gate.
He had never expected the visitor to be Zhou Gongdan. He frowned and closed his eyes, pretending not to see him.
“Lord Jia?” Zhou Gongdan said slowly, “I have come to visit you.”
Jia Qing remained silent, his hands secretly clenching.
Zhou Gongdan looked him up and down, glanced around the entire cell, and couldn’t help but shake his head.
Although Wu Shanshi had said that he had sent bedding for Jia Qing to spend the winter, there was nothing of the sort in the dungeon, only a pile of straw.
The pile of straw served very little purpose. Jia Qing had been making the most of it to keep himself warm.
He huddled in the corner to avoid the wind and stacked the straw against the wall, creating a hole in the middle, roughly the size of a dog’s nest. He crawled into the hole and buried his body in the straw, leaving only his face exposed to breathe.
Perhaps it was due to this makeshift arrangement that he managed to keep his life intact.
Seeing Jia Qing’s strong desire to survive, Zhou Gongdan felt satisfied. As long as he wanted to live, it meant there was a chance to take him out of Jizhou.
Zhou Gongdan said, “To survive is what matters. As long as you want to live, it means you have a chance.”
Jia Qing’s eyes twitched, and he finally spoke, his voice hoarse and unpleasant, “Why did Lord Zhou come here?”
He asked directly, and Zhou Gongdan didn’t beat around the bush either. He instructed his attendants to watch the left and right sides, then said, “Do you want to live, General?”
Jia Qing replied coldly, “There’s no one in the world who doesn’t want to live.”
“You’re right,” Zhou Gongdan said, “So how do you plan to survive?”
Jia Qing suddenly opened his eyes wide, looking directly at Zhou Gongdan, “What do you mean by that?”
Pretending to be surprised, Zhou Gongdan said, “How could General not understand my meaning? You’ve been in the dungeon for four months, from early autumn to deep winter. The coldest days are yet to come, so are you expecting to survive the whole winter with this pile of straw?”
“His Majesty will release me,” Jia Qing said coldly and then closed his eyes again.
Zhou Gongdan asked back, “Do you really think His Majesty will release you?”
Jia Qing fell silent.
He already had an answer in his heart.
After the onset of winter, Jia Qing’s days became much more difficult. He had thought that Wu Shanshi had forgotten about him, so he found a way to remind Wu Shanshi’s men to bring him bedding, subtly indicating that he was still imprisoned by Wu Shanshi.
However, what followed was the useless pile of straw sent by Wu Shanshi.
At that moment, Jia Qing knew that Wu Shanshi intended to kill him.
When Zhou Gongdan entered the dungeon, Jia Qing faintly overheard his conversation with the soldiers, which confirmed his suspicion – Wu Shanshi indeed wanted to kill him, precisely because he had opposed Wu Shanshi’s proclamation as emperor.
Jia Qing found it ridiculous.
His nature had always been loyal and upright. He considered Wu Shanshi as his lord and always acted in Wu Shanshi’s best interest. If Wu Shanshi had openly ordered him to die, Jia Qing might not have felt so aggrieved. But the fact that Wu Shanshi planned to secretly force his death made Jia Qing’s heart chill.
Zhou Gongdan said, “For someone like you, to die quietly in a dungeon would be such a waste.”
Jia Qing’s breathing became irregular.
These were also the questions he had been pondering in these past days.
Was he really going to die like this? Not for a just cause, nor for the protection of his lord, but instead, because he was killed in anger by his lord for defending him.
Was someone like Wu Shanshi worthy of him giving his life in loyalty?
“What do you want to say?” Jia Qing asked sharply. “You are valued by His Majesty, yet you come to me and say such things. Zhou Gongdan, there’s something wrong with you.”
“General is perceptive,” Zhou Gongdan smiled and clapped his hands. “The things I wanted to say, I have already asked, and you have answered. You want to survive, but I’ll tell you directly: as long as you stay under Wu Shanshi’s command, you will never be able to live well. Perhaps after this winter, you may not even survive.”
He glanced at Jia Qing’s crude prison cell once again, “Even if you can survive this winter, you may not die, but you will be crippled, and you may no longer be able to fight and kill enemies in the future.”
Grief appeared on Jia Qing’s face.
His hands clenched tighter, and the swollen back of his hand throbbed with pain. Jia Qing quickly calmed himself and asked, “Can you save me?”
Zhou Gongdan replied, “Yes.”
“What do you want in return?” Jia Qing asked, “Plead with His Majesty on my behalf? Aren’t you afraid that once His Majesty releases me, I’ll report what you said today?”
“Wu Shanshi no longer values you,” Zhou Gongdan said, “You should know that during the time you were imprisoned, many people have pleaded for your release, but Wu Shanshi has never let you out. Now, he even hates hearing your name.”
Jia Qing knew that was the reason he had remained imprisoned all this time.
If he wanted to escape, Jia Qing had ways to do it. His subordinates could lead troops to rescue him from the dungeon. But what would he do after being freed? Where would he go?
If he didn’t stay in Jizhou, Jia Qing’s subordinates and his family would be implicated. With so many lives and assets tied to him, where could he go?
Zhou Gongdan saw the hesitation in Jia Qing’s face, and he slowly said, “I can save you, but not without conditions.”
Jia Qing looked at him.
Zhou Gongdan said, “I want you to leave Jizhou and follow my lord.”
Jia Qing looked deeply into Zhou Gongdan’s eyes and said, “There is indeed someone behind you… I really wonder what kind of person would make you work so hard for him.”
Zhou Gongdan didn’t want to say much, “What do you think?”
“I won’t go,” Jia Qing closed his eyes unexpectedly and straightforwardly refused.
Zhou Gongdan was taken aback. He didn’t expect Jia Qing to refuse so decisively. After a while, he asked, “Why do you refuse?”
“I don’t believe someone who can send his subordinates deep into enemy territory has much loyalty or righteousness,” Jia Qing said coldly, “Such a person is no different from Wu Shanshi, just sending his subordinates to their deaths. He hides behind you, stirring up trouble. Such a cunning and calculating person. If I go to your lord, it’s like jumping into another fire pit.”
Zhou Gongdan laughed unexpectedly, and his smile grew even wider, which made Jia Qing frown and squint.
“Hahaha, if my lord’s subordinates heard your words, I’m afraid even if you use death to apologize, they wouldn’t want my lord to have you,” Zhou Gongdan said.
Not only Jia Qing, but even the guards from the Liangliao Institution glared at Zhou Gongdan.
Jia Qing didn’t understand Zhou Gongdan’s attitude. He furrowed his brow and said, “Isn’t what I said true? You’ve been in Jizhou for so many years, and even the most magnanimous person will have some reservations about you, suspecting whether you’re still loyal. Once your lord suspects you, even if I agree to follow your lord, I’ll be implicated and suspected. What’s the difference between that and my current situation?”
Wiping away tears of laughter, Zhou Gongdan held back his smile and said, “General, you’re completely mistaken. Why did I come alone? It’s merely because I volunteered. My lord’s character is rare in the world. There’s no one who wouldn’t like him after spending time with him. In fact, those who follow my lord are eager to have met him a few years earlier. My lord is like a talent spotter for finding thoroughbred horses. Everyone around my lord is proud of it—General, do you think I’m exaggerating too much? My words are absolutely true. My lord is a renowned scholar in the world.”
Jia Qing said, “Wu Shanshi is also a renowned scholar in the world.”
Zhou Gongdan sneered, “Comparing Wu Shanshi to my lord is like comparing heaven and earth… General, if my lord were truly like Wu Shanshi, would I risk my life to infiltrate enemy territory for him?”
Jia Qing hesitated.
What Zhou Gongdan said makes sense indeed. Although Jia Qing doesn’t understand Zhou Gongdan, he knows that Zhou Gongdan is not an easy person to be won over. For someone like Zhou Gongdan, who is willing to plan for the future even at the cost of his life, his master must be an extraordinary person.
Thinking of this, Jia Qing couldn’t help but feel a little moved.
He became very interested in this hidden figure and wanted to see what kind of person could win over Zhou Gongdan and make him speak highly of them.
However, burdened with the lives of many others, Jia Qing couldn’t make an immediate decision. He thought about it a lot and felt that the result of going to join Zhou Gongdan might not be good. “I am a subordinate of Wu Shanshi, and I have been loyal to him in the past. Will your master really trust someone like me?”
Zhou Gongdan laughed again, “Among the most valued counselors of my master, there is one who has served two other lords, but my master has never minded that.”
Jia Qing took a deep breath, and in a firm and ruthless tone, he said, “Even if I decide to join someone else, I will not betray my old master. I will never reveal anything about Jizhou or Wu Shanshi to him.”
“Don’t worry too much,” Zhou Gongdan smiled, “With my master’s character, he will definitely not let you do such a difficult thing. Your consideration for your old master is a testament to your noble character. My master will only praise you and will not blame you.”
Jia Qing felt like he was punching cotton, and facing Zhou Gongdan’s mouthful of praise for his master, he couldn’t come up with any other words.
Finally, Zhou Gongdan smiled mysteriously, “Actually, I can tell you a secret. Do you know how long my master and I knew each other before I came to Jizhou?”
Jia Qing said with certainty, “Shortest would be three years, longest would be ten years.”
If it wasn’t for knowing each other for such a long time, how could Zhou Gongdan’s master dare to send him to Jizhou?
Zhou Gongdan looked reminiscent, shook his head slowly, and then dropped a bombshell, “In fact, it was only two months.”
Jia Qing’s eyes widened instantly.
Zhou Gongdan continued, “Doubt not, use not. This is something that no other lords in the world can compare to my master.”
Jia Qing remained motionless.
After a long while, he slowly struggled to sit up with the support of the wall and whispered, “Please give me some time, just one day is enough. I want to bring my subordinates with me as well.”
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