Beauty, Power and Intrigue Chapter 22

That night passed amid the assault of a torrential rainstorm. Song Chuyi curled up into a ball, staring blankly at the raindrops falling from the vault of heaven amidst the crowd, not sleeping a wink the whole night.

It had been a long time since she had worried about someone like this. Even in the past, when she was with Min Chi, she had been able to look upon life and death with great equanimity. Perhaps it was because Zhao Yilou had trusted her so easily. Song Chuyi pondered the whole night and felt that it probably was not because he was handsome that she worried about him.

When the sky was barely light, the army regrouped and left this place. Wolves prowled here, and it was not suitable to stay long.

Ji Yu, having received a pointer from Song Chuyi yesterday about Zhang Yi, also understood one thing: although Wey was weak and small, it was not something that could be casually destroyed either. Otherwise, it would not have remained weak for so many years and still continue to exist.

“Brother Duanrong, let us part ways here,” Song Chuyi said as she rose and cupped her hands in salute.

Zhang Yi looked at her in surprise. “You are not leaving with them?”

“I plan to search nearby a bit more. If alive, I want to see the person; if dead, I want to see the corpse,” Song Chuyi said.

If he really were dead, how could there be any corpse? It would long since have been devoured by the wolves. Zhang Yi ultimately could not bring himself to say this, and only urged, “There are wolves here. Your life or death is hard to predict if you go alone. You had better leave with them.”

“Wolves lie low by day and come out by night. I will only search nearby for two or three hours. If I cannot find him, I will leave this place,” Song Chuyi said, and then walked toward Ji Yu.

When Ji Yu learned the whole story, he grew even more curious about Song Chuyi. Staying behind to search for someone was easy enough, but this was a desolate wilderness filled with unknown dangers everywhere, and once one took a wrong path, one might go deeper and deeper into the jungle and never find the way out again. This required immense courage and resolve.

Ji Yu privately assumed that Song Chuyi and the friend must share a very deep bond, but Zhang Yi knew that they had known each other for only about a month, and that even when Song Chuyi saw Zhao Yilou’s true face, her shock had been no less than his own. This was not the impulsiveness of a chance meeting, but a free and easy detachment that placed life and death beyond concern.

Ji Yu pressed his lips together in thought for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, “I wonder if you would be willing to go to my country and serve as a retainer? If you are willing, my two thousand soldiers will spare no effort to find the person for you.”

Wey could not retain men of insight, and this was an excellent opportunity. Ji Yu would not give it up. In their quest for worthy talent, the various states each made their own moves, and the treatment given to foreign ministers and retained scholars was especially generous. More importantly, those great states had the strength to contend for supremacy and could give them more room to display their abilities.

“You are quite loyal,” Song Chuyi said, folding her arms and looking up at this man who was more than a head taller than her. “Fine. I have never liked taking advantage of others either. This time, for the peace talks, I will go, and you stay here and search for the person on my behalf. Is that fair?”

In this world, there was no end to the advantages one could take, but what one took from others always had to be repaid in the end. That was why Song Chuyi only ever took what she could afford to repay.

Ji Yu had originally intended to make Song Chuyi owe him a favor, but it could not be denied that, apart from Zhang Yi, she was the most suitable choice. The people here were ordinary folk, and he himself only knew how to lead troops and fight. To persuade Lord Song Ticheng with a silver tongue required learning and a sharp mouth. It was not as though one could simply offer up a beauty and expect Lord Song Ticheng to agree.

“In that case, I will have to trouble you,” Ji Yu said with a salute.

Zhang Yi said, “I will also go with you.”

“Would you be willing to go to my country and take a look?” Ji Yu very much wanted to poach Zhang Yi as well, but after all, Zhang Yi was a disciple of Guiguzi, and presumably would not look favorably upon a small state like Wey.

Zhang Yi knew what he meant, and said, “I am unwilling to go to Wey. It is not because its national strength is weak or its territory small, but because the Marquis of Wey has never had the ambition to contend for supremacy. I have heard that the Marquis of Wey recently came up with the idea of demoting himself to lord?”

The ruler of Wey had demoted himself from King of Wey to Marquis of Wey, and now felt that even the title of marquis could no longer be sustained, and wanted to demote himself again to Lord of Wey.

“Even Wey Yang is now enfeoffed as Lord Shang in Qin,” Zhang Yi said tactfully.

Wey Yang, also known as Gongsun Yang, was now called Shang Yang. His surname was Ji. “Wey” meant the State of Wey, and “Gongsun” indicated that he was a descendant of the ducal clan, a descendant of the ruler of Wey. Whether “Wey,” “Gongsun,” or “Shang,” all were clan names, which could be changed according to different circumstances.

What Zhang Yi meant was that Wey Yang, who had come out of Wey, had been able to rely on his own talent and ability to be enfeoffed as a “Lord,” while the Marquis of Wey, originally a ruler of a state, after one self-demotion, did not ponder the way to strengthen his state, and still wanted to demote himself again. When he heard of the matter of Lord Shang, did he not feel that his own conduct was shameful and pitiful?

Zhang Yi’s words seemed not heavy at all, but anyone who could understand them would probably wish to dig a pit and bury themselves in it.

Ji Yu’s face grew hot from what was said, and he did not dare to urge further. He turned to look at Song Chuyi, afraid that she might go back on her word, and confirmed once again, “You surely think the same way. In that case, are you also willing to come to my country?”

Song Chuyi gathered her sleeves and thought to herself: What is this? I have even propped up people more hopeless than the Marquis of Wey… Of course, in the end, facts proved that no matter what, mud cannot be plastered onto a wall.

“A gentleman’s word is as good as nine tripods,” Song Chuyi said. In any case, she had not promised to sell her whole life to Wey.

After the three had reached an agreement, Ji Yu selected two trusted guards to protect Song Chuyi and Zhang Yi on their way to Suiyang. Song Chuyi remembered that this place was quite a distance from the capital of Song, and that riding a horse would take about a day.

By the time the sky was fully bright, the rain gradually stopped. Song Chuyi wore a crude rain cape, and the somewhat damp clothes on her body felt bitterly cold in the wind. Moreover, this young body of hers was unexpectedly delicate and frail. After traveling less than half a day, she felt as though her whole body had fallen apart, and the skin on her legs had been rubbed raw, hurting like needles.

The road was muddy the whole way. By dusk, the group barely managed to enter Suiyang just before the city gates closed. Fortunately, Song Chuyi had early on made the two Wei soldiers serving as guards discard their armor and identifying clothing, leaving them with only a single layer of clothing. It was a bit cold, but after only a simple interrogation, they easily entered the city.

Sparse trees lined the broad streets. It was already early winter, and the withered leaves had fallen. The fallen leaves on the ground were blown by the wind, producing a rustling sound. Shops and dwellings lined both sides in tight rows. Although Suiyang could not compare with great cities like Luoyang, Daliang, Linzi, and Anyi, the land of Song was fertile and its products abundant, making it very wealthy, so naturally its capital was not bad either.

This was the first time Song Chuyi had seen a city since her rebirth. Although it was late and there were only a few scattered pedestrians on the streets, it did not dampen her excitement.

The group rode slowly along the broad streets. Song Chuyi said, “Would you come with me to visit Tao Ding?”

Tao Ding was a grandee of Song and had considerable influence in speaking before Lord Song Ticheng. Most importantly, Tao Ding came from the Confucian school and had always advocated governing the state by virtue, with that whole set of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, and trust. By choosing to visit him, Song Chuyi had also determined the direction of the content for this negotiation.

“Better to have one thing less than one thing more,” Zhang Yi said, clearly unwilling to wade into these waters. “You certainly know a great deal about the powerful ministers of the various states.”