Memoirs of the Heavenly Khan

Chapter 479 When You Can No Longer Suppress It
Luoyang.

Lu Mansion.

The continuous rain soaked the eaves.

In the courtyard, the flowers and plants were covered in a dark, gloomy mess after the wind and rain, but Lu Wenwei was too lazy to take care of them.

He sat under the eaves, watching the bubbling iron kettle, holding his teacup for quite a while, until footsteps at the other end of the corridor interrupted his thoughts.

Cui Ling walked over from the side, and Lu Wenwei, still holding onto a glimmer of hope, asked:

"how?"

Cui Ling shook her head.

Amidst the wind and rain, Lu Wenwei, filled with anxiety, momentarily forgot the proper etiquette for entertaining guests and did not invite Cui Ling to sit down.

When Lu Wenwei looked up again and saw that Cui Ling was still standing, he realized what was happening and asked the servants to prepare a mat for Cui Ling to sit on.

Cui Ling sat down. He, who was usually very particular about etiquette, was in no mood for it at the moment, but then he heard Lu Wenwei say:

"This Yuwentai is truly heartless; he doesn't even give Cui Xian any face."

Cui Ling sighed, her voice tinged with disdain.

"Originally from the north of the Six Garrisons, he is ignorant of human relationships and is like a wolf that cannot be tamed."

Lu Wenwei was displeased upon hearing this and said:

"That Gao Huan is the same. He seems tactful, but he's actually cunning. All that effort has been wasted."

When Li Shuang defeated Erzhu Zhao and occupied Taiyuan, and placed Gao Huan and Yuwen Tai in charge of Yecheng and Pingcheng, the aristocratic families in Hebei initially intended to win over these two military leaders with powerful forces.

The Lu clan of Fanyang and the Cui clan of Boling supported Yuwen Tai, while the Cui clan of Qinghe and the Gao clan of Bohai supported Gao Huan.

The land of Youyan was not as prosperous as that of Xiangji, and the Hebei aristocratic families did not provide as much support to Yuwentai as Gao Huan.

However, Gao Huan, whom the Hebei aristocratic families had spent a fortune to feed, was not as capable of handling things as they had imagined.

Gao Huan's daily attire and behavior were similar to those of the Hebei aristocratic families. He would say all sorts of nice things and do all sorts of good deeds, all in an effort to integrate.

But when it came to actually needing Gao Huan, he would either hide or try to find a way to avoid him.

For example, this time, the aristocratic families of Hebei wanted to unite to resist the pressure from the Prince of Qin's mansion and maintain the old order. They originally wanted Gao Huan to take the lead.

Gao Huan readily agreed, but then turned around and pushed Yuwen Tai to the forefront, even leading the charge in the reform movement. He dispatched his former subordinates and sons to various counties in Hebei to replace the aristocratic families.

On the surface, you don't offend anyone.

Cui Ling sensed the veiled meaning in Lu Wenwei's words and felt frustrated. After all, they had spent a lot of money on Gao Huan, and their usual profit-sharing ratio with Gao Huan was 70/30.

In the past, getting even 10% would have been considered good.

"Lord Lu, things have come to this point, there's no point in saying more. The King of Qin is reorganizing Hebei and intends to conquer Goguryeo. We mustn't become his stepping stones in the end!"

Lu Wenwei nodded and said slowly:
"The Wu Chuan and Huai Shuo factions occupy the north and south respectively, and the local militias in various prefectures have already made some progress. The situation in Hebei can only be delayed."

"drag?"

"The people of Wuchuan and Huaishuo have never gotten along. Gao Huan pushed Yuwentai first this time. Can Yuwentai swallow this insult?"

For the aristocratic families of Hebei, the power struggles and intrigues at court were perfectly within their comfort zone.

They are not afraid at all, unless another Erzhu Rong comes along and massacres them without warning.

After spending so much time together, the noble families were relieved to find that Li Shuang wasn't the type to kill people at the drop of a hat.

Unfortunately, the current King of Qin is much more difficult to deal with than the King of Taiyuan back then.

Their comfort zone was also the same as that of the King of Qin.

Moreover, he was younger and more energetic than this group of seasoned feudal veterans.

Hearing this, Cui Ling nodded, but still felt worried and asked:

"What about that Zu Ting?"

Lu Wenwei naturally knew that someone had impeached Cui Ling for embezzlement, and he also knew that Cui Ling had indeed embezzled. However, Cui Ling was a cautious person, and no one could find any evidence against him.

In response, Lu Wenwei smacked his lips and said:

"Exceptionally talented, but with a few quirks."

“A little quirk?” “I heard that Chen Yuankang recommended him to be Gao Ang’s secretary, but he stole the jade disc that the King of Qin had given to Gao Ang.”

Cui Ling smiled slightly upon hearing this, seemingly unconcerned.

As a former imperial retainer of the Northern Wei Dynasty, Cui Ling didn't care about such trivial matters at all. Instead, he said:

Greed is good!

……

The roads meander through the market.

The houses on both sides are low, and the people walking on the street are all sorts of people, including some scantily clad women soliciting customers on the street.

The arrival of a young man dressed as a scholar attracted the attention of many people on the street.

Zu Ting ignored the intentional or unintentional glances from both sides and walked directly into the alley.

He had only been here a few times, but he remembered the route very clearly.

Tender shoots sprout from the yellowish soil, and even the most unsavory characters in the market rarely venture into this alley.

At the end of the alley was a dilapidated thatched hut, with a simple interior and only half a wooden door remaining.

Zu Ting approached and saw a white sail hanging at the door. A bad feeling welled up in his heart, and he quickened his pace and ran into the house.

In the simple thatched hut with only one bedroom and one living room, there is now a coffin.

A monk is performing a ritual to pray for the soul of a deceased elderly person.

Upon seeing this, Zu Ting quickly stepped forward, and upon seeing the old man's face, he couldn't help but burst into tears.

"Old Hu, how did you die!"

The weeping was so mournful that even the old monk beside him couldn't help but offer words of comfort:

“There is no need for you to grieve, Benefactor Hu passed away peacefully.”

Zu Ting wiped away his tears and cursed:

"You make it sound so easy. That old fellow still hasn't paid back the ten strings of cash he borrowed from me when he was alive!"

"..."

Even the most composed old monk couldn't resist slapping him after hearing those words.

"Are you here to collect a debt?"

"No, that's not it. I learned some skills from this guy when I was young, and I came to find him this time to have a showdown."

Upon hearing this, the old monk asked:
"Your surname is Zu?"

How do you know?

“This is it.” The old monk nodded. “Before Benefactor Hu passed away, I was by his side. He had a few words for me to relay to Benefactor Zu.”

What do you mean?

The old monk pounded his head, clasped his hands together, and said:

“Master Hu once said that Master Zu’s skills are already superior to his, and there is no need to find him to compete, but he is still not the best in the world.”

"Is there anyone in the world more powerful than this old man?"

"In this world, there is only one person who is an insurmountable peak in Benefactor Hu's heart."

The old monk took a letter from his sleeve and handed it to Zu Ting, saying:
“When the thief in your heart can no longer be suppressed, open this letter.”

……

Zu Ting walked out of the house into the dark alleyway, took out the prayer beads he had just stolen from his sleeve, and then opened the letter.

The letter contained only one line—

At the end of the thief's path, who stands atop the peak? A glimpse of the vast wilderness renders everything futile.

"Ohno Shuang?"

……

(End of this chapter)