Book 25 Chapter 02 - Preparing For A Rainy Day
With his hands behind his back, Xiao Pan was standing in front of a large window in the study. With his back facing the door, Xiao Pan plainly state: “Guaren wishes to speak with Great General in private. The others can wait outside the door.”
Li Si and Lord Changping obediently acknowledged his order and retreated from the room. Upon their exit, the attendant closed the study door at the back of Xiang Shaolong.
Without paying his respects, Xiang Shaolong nonchalantly strode over to the back of Xiao Pan, enquiring in a low voice: “Is Crown Prince the mastermind behind the Great Fire of Handan which killed a few hundred people?”
Xiao Pan sighed with a breath of air: “Guaren didn’t have a choice; otherwise, right now, it wouldn’t be Guaren executing someone but someone executing the both of us.”
Xiang Shaolong did not know how to counter him.
From a practical point of view, Xiao Pan’s cruel method is indeed necessary and effective. Even he himself could not think of a better or cleaner way to wrap this up.
Xiang Shaolong felt directly responsible for the hundreds of lives lost.
If he did not get Xiao Pan to impersonate Yingzheng, perhaps this calamity can be avoided.
He is now deep-seated with regrets!
Maybe this is fate.
This is the first time he is feeling remorseful for personally grooming this one in a million Qin Shihuang.
Xiao Pan gently coaxed: “Presently, Master is my only kin. Please do not be upset with me. Without Great General’s support, Guaren will be so lonely.”
By addressing Xiang Shaolong and himself as Master and me, followed by Great General and Guaren, Xiao Pan has unconsciously generated an extremely dramatic effect.
Within that split second, Xiang Shaolong experienced Xiao Pan’s astounding development from a mischievous kid to the earth-shattering Qin Shihuang, causing his mind to turn turbulent.
Activating his immense willpower to suppress his churning emotions, Xiang Shaolong openly declared: “Today, subordinate is here to say goodbye to Crown Prince. Later in the day, subordinate shall return back to the farms and await patiently for the coronation ceremony.”
Xiao Pan violently quivered: “Till now, Great General is unable to comprehend Guaren’s difficulties?”
Shaking his head, Xiang Shaolong laughed: “Why would I blame you? In fact, on the political stage, you have done much better compared to all the kings in the past. Under the sky, who can hold a candle to you?”
Exhaling a heavy breath of air, Xiao Pan turned around and his royal eyes were glowing with a never-seen-before aura. In a frantic tone, he insisted: “There is four months to go before I will be officially crowned. If Master is willing to forgive me, then please assist me in getting rid of Lu Buwei and Lao Ai’s factions.”
His heart softening, Xiang Shaolong sighed: “With Wang Jian around, am I, Xiang Shaolong, still needed?”
The corner of his mouth curling to form an attractive and charming smile, Xiao Pan shook his head and clarified: “Master is mistaken. I summoned Wang Jian back because it is time to have him back anyway. Moreover, should Master meet with misfortune in Qi, Guaren can instantly get Wang Jian to avenge Great General.”
After a short contemplation, Xiang Shaolong explained: “Subordinate wishes to return to the farms because I wish to get some respite and also spend time with my wives and son. Crown Prince can refrain from thinking otherwise.”
Xiao Pan was amused: “In this world, only Great General has the guts to tell Guaren to refrain from thinking otherwise. If it was somebody else, he would not have the courage to say so.”
Subsequently, he interrogated with a serious demeanor: “Is Great General intending to migrate to the northern borderlands after Guaren’s coronation?”
Suspiciously eyeing the overbearing aura radiating from Xiao Pan’s royal eyes, Xiang Shaolong maintained in a deep voice: “This is subordinate’s greatest dream. Crown Prince had better not get in my way.”
Xiao Pan bitterly laughed: “Great General is the only person Guaren dare not offend. What else can Guaren say? For the time being, Guaren only has one request: I want you to get rid of Lu Buwei and Lao Ai for Guaren.”
Xiang Shaolong concluded: “All right! Subordinate shall return to Xianyang in one month’s time and begin preparing for a showdown with them.”
With Jing Jun and Teng Yi accompanying him, Xiang Shaolong rode to the top of the tallest hill overlooking the farms. Varying his gaze from near to far, he relished in the scenery of Spring.
Wherever he looked, it was as beautiful as a painting. Camels, horses, cows and goats are roaming freely on the vast grasslands, contentedly consuming the bountiful, thick grass and clear water the fertile soil provides.
Slightly obscured by the thin mist that forms every dawn, the outline of the faraway mountains is faintly discernable. Coupled the rising and falling landscape of the nearby hills and valleys, on top of their lush greenery, it resembles some kind of 3D effect. Once a while, a waterfall is sighted in between the hills and their cascading water breathes even more life into the picturesque view.
Peering at a flock of birds flying across the horizon, Teng Yi sighed: “They are finally coming home.”
Gazing at Ji Yanran, Lu Dan’er, Shan Lan and the other ladies riding horses and having fun below them with Xiang Bao’er and the other children, Xiang Shaolong was comforted: “Venturing out to war this time round, my biggest takeaways are not the accomplishments on the battlefield but it was learning two important lessons of life.”
An enthusiastic Jing Jun probed him to go on.
Xiang Shaolong begun: “Firstly, I have learnt how to make peace with defeat. Just when you thought victory is in your grasp, the unexpected can always happen and reward you with defeat instead.”
Still feeling apprehensive, Teng Yi agreed: “Li Mu is truly the God of War. With him around, our armies can forget about invading Zhao.”
Xiang Shaolong sighed: “On the battlefield, Li Mu is invincible and even Wang Jian may not be his match. Nonetheless, an open attack is easy to defend but a hidden weapon is hard to guard against. There will come a day when he will meet his demise at the hands of his own muddle-headed king and traitorous officials. Such is the never-changing end result for generals who have achieved the most merits for their kingdoms.”
Teng Yi was incredulous: “Shaolong seems to be speaking with a great deal of emotion. Can you enlighten us further?”
Xiang Shaolong added: “That is exactly what I learnt from my Lin Zi trip and also the second lesson. In politics, there is no code of brotherhood. For the sake of one’s survival and State, even the best friends and buddies can be betrayed.”
An expression of deep contemplation was revealed on the faces of Teng Yi and Jing Jun.
Xiang Shaolong advised: “As a result, we must make preparations for a rainy day. Otherwise, when disaster strikes, we would end up losing all our hard-won possessions due to our state of confusion. The circumstances are ever unpredictable and life is full of ups and downs. It is better to be safe than sorry.”
At this juncture, a lone Ji Yanran was riding up the hill to join them and coincidently overheard the last two sentences of Xiang Shaolong. She praised: “Hubby’s two sentences are truly thought-provoking and comprise deep connotations. Yanran can put my mind at ease after hearing it!”
His heart swelling with limitless tenderness, Xiang Shaolong looked over to Ji Yanran who is approaching his side. With his heroic aura increasing by leaps and bounds, he swore: “We must finish our last fight with a bang. Not only must we take out Lu Buwei, we must also extract ourselves from here in one piece and proceed to the borderlands, living in tranquility for the rest of our lives.”
Teng Yi cautioned: “However, if Crown Prince has the intention to get rid of us, he can do so without any reservations. Countering him is not going to be easy.”
Jing Jun was flabbergasted: “Is there really such a possibility?”
To Xiang Shaolong, Ji Yanran guided: “I think Hubby should honestly tell Little Jun why this is a possibility! Otherwise, Little Jun may not comprehend the actual danger and it may give rise to unforeseen danger.”
His face losing colour, Jing Jun stammered: “In this case, the rumours must be true.”
Xiang Shaolong slowly nodded his head and told him about Xiao Pan’s heritage. He instructed at the end: “You must preserve this secret at all costs. Little Jun must not breathe a word of it to anyone else, including Dan’er.”
Exhaling a breath of cold air, Jing Jun recounted: “Thinking of that day when Crown Prince angrily beheaded Qian Zhi, I am more than convinced that he will sacrifice anything in order to maintain his hold on the throne.”
In a deep voice, Xiang Shaolong wondered: “For my entire life, people have been constantly deceiving me and I suspect Crown Prince is guilty of that as well. Have the three of you heard of the story: Cunning hares gone, dogs are cooked?”
Even Ji Yanran who is well versed with all kinds of literature does not know about the story. In a daze, she asked: “What is it about?”
Xiang Shaolong secretly scolded himself for divulging too much of his modern knowledge. He explained: “When all the wild hares have been hunted and devoured, the hunter would have nothing to hunt and would cook the hunting dogs to satisfy his hunger. Presently, we are embroiled in a similar situation. When the factions of Lu Buwei and Lao Ai are annihilated, we would become the hunting dogs. To make it worse, we are the ones who knows about Crown Prince’s secret background and will pose a threat to the stability of his rule.”
Teng Yi nodded: “Hearing these thoughts of Third Brother, I, Second Brother, can put my mind at ease. Should we try to leave earlier? Without us, Lu Buwei will still meet a terrible ending.”
Xiang Shaolong disagreed: “If we were to leave at once, I guarantee none of us will be able to meet Big Brother alive.”
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