Published at 10th of December 2020 6:29 pm

Chapter 96. Zizheng (00:00-00:59) Part 3

This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml

Translator: DragonRider

Zizheng, 15th of the first lunar month, Tianbao Year 3, Tang Dynasty.

In the underground chamber beneath the lantern pavilion in front of the Xingqing Palace in Chang'an.

"Xiao Gui?!"

A deep growl escaped Zhang Xiaojing's throat and with that the crossbow in his hand involuntarily started trembling. It had never crossed his mind that this criminal named Long Bo was none other than his comrade with whom he had been through numerous life-or-death battles.

This unexpected change threw him into perplexity.

"Finally, two brothers of the Eighth Regiment reunited in Chang'an, but I never expected that we would meet under these circumstances." Xiao Gui, alias Long Bo, was lying on the ground. Though there was a crossbow pointed to his temple, he still seemed gratified to see an old comrade.

Zhang Xiaojing didn't withdraw his crossbow. Instead, he pressed it against Xiao Gui's temple even harder. "Why you?! Why you?!"

"Why not me?" Xiao Gui asked rhetorically.

Zhang Xiaojing's lips quivered, his mind in a turmoil. He knew that what he should do now was to shoot this diabolical criminal to death and then go up to the lantern pavilion to stop the conspiracy, but he found himself powerless to pull the trigger – he and this man used to trust each other with each other's lives!

Zhang Xiaojing couldn't really understand. 'How come Xiao Gui, who had decided to defend the dragon flag to the last during that battle, became this brutal man named Long Bo? He is trying to destroy the very thing that he used to try his level best to protect! Exactly what happened to him?'

"Wh–Where have you been during all these years?" This was what Zhang Xiaojing wanted to know the most.

On that day, Gai Jiayun's army arrived at the Fengsui Castle and routed the Tuqishi Army that were besieging the castle. While mopping up, they found Zhang Xiaojing and Xiao Gui, both of whom had a couple of broken ribs but were still breathing. Soldiers also found Wen Wuji, who was lying in a gap between two giant block of rocks and at his last gasp – after he fell from the corner barbican with the Turkish soldier, the latter had landed first and cushioned his fall; with that, he rolled into a gap between rocks and miraculously survived the explosion of the Fierceflame bomb and the cascade of bricks and stones.

The only three survivors of the Eighth Regiment had first been sent back to the Bohuan City and then transferred to Qiuci, where the Anxi Duhu was, to receive medical treatment. The military had been very pleased with the valor they had shown in the battle, so the three of them had been highly commended and also handsomely rewarded.

Wen Wuji, who had lost a leg and could not continue his service in the army, had taken a permit of registered permanent residence in lieu of the reward he had won, which he personally had taken as a fulfillment of his dream. Zhang Xiaojing, worrying that life might be difficult for Wen Wuji if nobody took care of him, had made use of his newly-gained military rank, a cavalry commander, landed a job in the Ministry of War as a member of the appointment committee and also settled down in Chang'an. As for Xiao Gui, instead of accepting Zhang Xiaojing and Wen Wuji's invitation, he had resigned as a military officer and gone to Guangwu. From then on, Zhang Xiaojing and Wen Wuji had never heard any news of him ever again.

Until this day.

Pushed by the water from the Dragon Head Canal, six giant waterwheels were turning continuously with a low and deep hum resounding around the spacious underground chamber. The torch which had fallen to the ground finally went out. The two men remained still in the dark, like two statues placed opposite each other on the two sides of an emperor's mausoleum.

After a long silence, Xiao Gui's reminiscent voice was heard in the dark. "In that year, after we parted in Qiuci, I went to Guangwu County to see my elder sister. I was carrying a lot of reward as well as a letter of appointment nominating me as a constable. I hoped from my very heart that I would be able to start a comfortable life, but when I returned to my sister's home, I found that the house had been reduced to ruins. After making quite some inquiries, I was told that a vice county magistrate drooling over my elder sister raped and murdered her. For fear that her family would make this go public and cause him trouble, the vice county magistrate hired some hooligans and ruthlessly had them set a fire to her house. My brother-in-law and two nephews were all burnt alive in it. I reported this to the authorities, but instead of helping me get justice, they framed a case against me, saying that I was a bandit, that all my reward was booty. On top of that, they also destroyed my letter of appointment."

He told the story in a very calm voice, as if he were talking about the experience of somebody else, but there was manifest hatred in it, which could be distinctly sensed. Zhang Xiaojing kept silent, but his breathing had grown much heavier.

"I thought that the military governor of Lanzhou would help rid me of the unfounded accusations, but they were jackals from the same lair. He not only refused to investigate into it but also tipped off the vice county magistrate and threw me into prison. I spent over a year in there. Afterwards, the warden intended to make me the fall guy for a convict condemned to death. He made arrangements for me to be executed at midnight, but I managed to seize a small window of opportunity, killed the executioner and escaped from the prison that night. I stole a strong bow from the arsenal, intruded into the county yamen of Guangwu and shot all the over ten county officials to death, including the vice county magistrate. I couldn't stay in the county, so I took the bow and went into exile roving from one place to another."

The words "went into exile roving from one place to another" were easy to say, but there was unimaginable hardship behind them. The security check on the boundaries between counties was very strict. Without a government-issued permit, a commoner was not allowed to get through a checkpoint or check into an inn. A man in exile had to hide in daytime and could only come out at night, living in fear and darkness for the rest of his life.

Xiao Gui could feel that though the crossbow was still leveled to his head, the one holding it had no intention of killing him whatsoever. He gave a smile, reached out his hand, lightly pushed it aside and then slowly sat up.

"Why didn't you come to Chang'an to seek help from us?" Zhang Xiaojing inquired.

"What could you possibly have done for me if I had? Live in exile with me?" Xiao Gui smiled. "Afterwards, when staying in the Central Plains was no longer an option for me, I went to a Shouzhuo city near Lingwu, hid there and has been dragging out an ignoble existence till this day."

On hearing the word "Shouzhuo", Zhang Xiaojing came to understand something. That was an anarchic and lawless place full of people like Xiao Gui who had been involved in murder cases. Given his excellent archery, it was very easy for him to make his mark there.

No wonder the Shouzhuo Mercenary had been involved in the attack on Chang'an. It turned out that the connection between the two had come into being a long time ago.

As he thought of this, Zhang Xiaojing's eyebrows involuntarily twitched and with that he realized that the conversation had somewhat been steered away from the most important issue, so he trained his crossbow at Xiao Gui once again. "I want an explanation for the current situation. What's got into you?"

"I could have asked you the same question, don't you think? What's got into you?" Xiao Gui's voice fell sepulchral. "How did I end up? How did Wen Wuji end up? Who was it that condemned you to death? Why are you still serving the Imperial Court as an errand boy after all this?"

Zhang Xiaojing adjusted his crossbow and yelled, "That's different!"

"Different how? The Imperial Court was never different from what it is now," Xiao Gui sneered. "Apart from all those things happened in the past, think about the current situation you are in – you risked life and limb and finally handled the Turkish Wolf Guards, but how did they repay you? You are wanted by the whole city and driven to the wall. We were bathed in blood fighting for the Imperial Court, but how did they treat us? You served as a soldier in the Western Regions for ten years and then as an officer in Chang'an for nine years, but what is it that you got?"

Zhang Xiaojing kept silent. There was nothing he could contradict in these words. This was a clear fact. Xiao Gui remarked, "That's why I want to ask you – what is the problem with you? Why are you trying so hard to protect a bastard who hurt you so badly?"

Zhang Xiaojing replied, "The Imperial Court did make some mistakes, but this is between me and the Imperial Court. How could you collude with former foes to retaliate against a personal enemy? What would our brothers of the Eighth Regiment who died in the Fengsui Castle think of you were they still alive?"

Xiao Gui smiled scornfully, "Those Turks? They are unworthy of the words 'collude with'. Those fools are merely my pawns. I pushed them to the front merely to lay a trap for the Khan in passing so that he would die sooner." After saying this, Xiao Gui suddenly heaved a deep sigh. "When I was in Guangwu, I did want to kill everybody to avenge my family's death, but what I'm doing now transcends those narrow hatreds."

"Um?" Zhang Xiaojing's brow corrugated in a frown.

"After living in exile in the Central Plains for a long time and then drifting along in the Shouzhuo city for many years, I finally realized this – the Tang that the Eighth Regiment swore to defend is sick. Who do you think those people living in the Shouzhuo city are? Merchants who went bankrupt due to extortion, handmaids who were raped and forced into fleeing, peasants who couldn't afford the rent no matter how hard they worked, petty officials bullied by their superiors, as well as Hu people who don't have enough money to get back home... Do you know why so many people follow me willingly? They are all crack veterans. Some of them are from the Militia Department, some others are from local Duhu, and there are even some who once took the imperial examination of martial arts. Almost every one of them has a story similar to that of mine – after sacrificing everything for the Imperial Court, they found themselves stabbed in the back by the one they had been protecting."

Xiao Gui's eyes became bright and piercing in the dark. "Had there been only one person who experienced such a thing, maybe he or she had bad luck; five, maybe it was merely because some evildoers were at work; but if a hundred, even five hundred people experienced similar things, the only plausible explanation would be that this Imperial Court is sick! Incurably sick! Although the whole country bears a semblance of peace and prosperity, its root has rotten, and it needs to be purged with fire and blood, which is the only way to have everybody wake up to the truth."

Staring at his ex-comrade, Zhang Xiaojing wondered if he had taken leave of his senses.

Xiao Gui became more and more excited as he continued, "The Shouzhuo Mercenary are unable to accomplish this mission, for all they have in mind is to drag out an ignoble existence. As a result, I traveled from city to city, uniting these veterans who had been through unfair treatment. We are like termites. The power of one man is negligible, but together, we can change the whole picture!"

"Exactly what is it that you... want to do?"

Xiao Gui raised his head and yelled at the domed ceiling of the underground chamber, "I want to show those big names how powerful termites can be, have them know that not all ants are at the mercy of them. I didn't break the oath I swore when I joined the Eighth Regiment. I'm still loyal to this country. It's just that I'm serving it in a different way now – I'm the Termite, a bitter but good medicine."

While saying this, he vigorously swung his arms in the dark, as if trying to attract the attention of people above ground. Zhang Xiaojing growled, "Burning Chang'an to the ground and killing numerous innocent civilians – this is how you serve our country?"

Xiao Gui suddenly burst into laugh, "No, no. Burning Chang'an to the ground is those Turks' ambition. I'm not capable of that. My goal is merely this pavilion." He traced a circle in the air with his index finger. "Merely this Taishang-xuanyuan Grand Lantern Pavilion."

"Have you any idea how much this pavilion cost? Four million Guan (a Guan is a string of 1,000 cash)! All that money for a three-day lantern show and the Emperor's vanity. You have no idea, because of this pavilion, how many extra taxes and corvee provincial governments would have to impose, how many households would go bankrupt even perish! So I'm going to turn it into the brightest and most extravagant torch in Chang'an, having everybody see how the Imperial Court of Tang burns their money."

While speaking, Xiao Gui had risen to his feet and, with the crossbow still against his head, walked forward. Zhang Xiaojing didn't dare to pull the trigger, and neither did he dare to withdraw the crossbow. Having no alternative, he backed off one step after another. Soon, his back knocked against the door frame with a thud. If anybody else were present, they would believe that Xiao Gui was the one holding a weapon.

The tip of Xiao Gui's nose was within an inch of touching Zhang Xiaojing's face. "Do you know why I chose to take action on this day after nine years' living in the shadow? Because of you and Wen Wuji..."

The corners of Zhang Xiaojing's eyes involuntarily twitched. He didn't understand what Xiao Gui meant.

"I planted some men in Chang'an as well, and I was informed of the misfortune in the Wen's Incense Store. After that incident, I picked up my pace of preparations, so that I would be able to help you get the justice you deserve. The Khan of Turk, who happened to have an intention to retaliate against Tang, contacted the Shouzhuo Mercenary. The Shouzhuo Mercenary had always been afraid to make an enemy of the Imperial Court, so they declined. As a result, I made contact with the Khan of my own accord, turned their power to my advantage and formulated this plan."

It was not until this moment that Zhang Xiaojing came to understand why Turks knew how to make Fierceflame bombs. Back at the time when they had been in the Fengsui Castle, Xiao Gui had been a top expert at making Fierceflame bombs. In the knowledge that he himself was the original cause of this crisis he had been trying so hard to resolve, Zhang Xiaojing, for an instant, seemed to be hearing fate ridiculing him right beside his ear.

Xiao Gui took half a step backward to slightly allay his aggressiveness and with that his tone softened. "Think about this carefully – what's the closest to this lantern pavilion? It's the Industriousness and Pragmatism Pavilion in the Xingqing Palace, on which the Emperor and all civil officials and military officers are having a banquet. If the Taishang-xuanyuan Grand Lantern Pavilion explodes, these pests who persecuted you would be the ones who suffer. What do you say, Big Head? Give me a hand, will you?"

On hearing the last remark, Zhang Xiaojing instantly went stiff all over. He couldn't remember how many times he had heard this remark in the Fengsui Castle. However, after so many years, when he heard it again, the connotation of it was totally different now.

What scared Zhang Xiaojing even more was not how horrific Xiao Gui's conspiracy was but the fact that he was unable to find a reason to refuse.

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