In the Luohai Kingdom.
Taiping Inn in the capital was uproarious. It provided customers with accommodation as well as delicacies and good wine. At mealtimes, both the ground floor and the second floor were always filled to capacity, the innkeeper and the waiters working flat out.
Sitting around a table in a corner of the second floor were six people, all of whom were about the average height of Luohai people, but they were more light-complexioned, and their noses were more prominent than those of common Luohai people, their eyes more hollow. Though their clothes were of Luohai style, people with discerning eyes could tell that they were not natives of the Luohai Kingdom.
“What should we do now, Young Master? It’s been two days since we had our request delivered into the palace, but the monarch still shows no inclination to grant us an audience. He’s so offhand with us, treating us like a bunch of nobodies. Do you think he’s really going to make an alliance with us?”
One of the six people made some remarks in a very disgruntled tone of voice. Were this not a public place, he would have pounded the table and jumped to his full height. These people were Xue Yi and his men who entered the city two days before. They had orders from the monarch of the Wan Kingdom to come to the Luohai Kingdom to negotiate and see if they could forge an alliance with the Luohai Kingdom to fight against the Great Wen, but judging from their angry faces, they clearly hadn’t even been granted an audience with Mu Hengtian yet. Xue Yi’s henchmen had grown discontented some time before.
“Both our country and the Luohai Kingdom have everything to gain and nothing to lose by forging an alliance. We must fulfill the task His Majesty assigned to us, by hook or by crook, so be patient. It’s been only two days. We’ll wait two months if that’s what it takes to get the job done, let alone two days.”
The speaker was a big man with a grave face, who was none other than Xue Yi, Xue Chi’s son. All the five men he’d brought with him were his trusted subordinates who always followed his orders with unquestioning obedience. As Xue Yi had put it this way, his henchmen restrained themselves, though they were quite indignant at the way the Wan monarch had treated them.
“But we can’t just keep waiting. By the end of the day, if the Luohai monarch still doesn’t summon us, we’ll have to figure out another way to get an audience with him,” said a man sitting beside Xue Yi. He bore some resemblance to Xue Yi, but compared with Xue Yi who was tall and strong, he appeared relatively thin.
“You’ve got a point, Second Brother. We should go and see Mu Rongfeng the crown prince if his father still refuses to see us,” said Xue Yi.
“Um. Mu Rongfeng–”
“Oh, what a small world. Aren’t you General Xue’s son? Why are you stealthily hiding in this corner dressed like a Luohai commoner? Are you really so scared of showing your face? Or are you afraid that citizens here would spit at you and drown you with their saliva if you blow your cover?”
A harsh voice came, interrupting the man beside Xue Yi, drawing the attention of all customers and infuriating Xue Yi’s men.
“What did you just say?! Say it again and I’ll tear your stupid mouth apart! Wretches like you are in no position to judge our young master!” snapped one of Xue Yi’s henchmen, springing to his feet.
Xue Yi slightly furrowed his eyebrows, looking in the direction of the man who’d made those provocative remarks. Naturally he was annoyed, but he was not inclined to escalate this situation. “That’s enough. Sit down. This is no place for a stink.”
That henchman of his was unreconciled to it, but eventually he still obeyed Xue Yi’s orders and sat into his seat.
“Faugh! What a wimp. People like you are not even fit to clean my shoes. All you do is steal from people in the border city like thieves and rob and murder Luohai merchants! Tell me – how did you sneak in here? Are you harboring any ulterior motives?!”
The one who was trying to provoke them seemed to have no intention to let it go at that. Instead, he started using more insulting words. More and more people’s attention was arrested. Almost all customers on the second floor fixed their eyes on Xue Yi and his men.
Xue Yi and his men were in disguise and didn’t want to blow their cover, for Xue Yi intended to keep his presence in the Luohai Kingdom secret from other people, especially Yuwen Tong’s men. He was inclined to swallow the provocation to stay out of trouble, but that man clearly had no inclination to leave the matter at that. Worse still, more and more people were looking in his direction. Seeing this, Xue Yi gave his men a significant look, signaling them to take action and restrain the speaker first.
A guard of his immediately rose to his feet and made towards the speaker.
“What are you doing? This is the Luohai Kingdom not the Wan Kingdom. You want to use violence? Somebody help me! This guy from the Wan Kingdom wants to attack me!” At the sight of Xue Yi’s bodyguard walking up to him, the man who’d made those provocative remarks started yelling.
“Shut up!” railed Xue Yi’s bodyguard.
Looking at that man, Xue Yi knitted his brows. He didn’t know that man, but somehow the man had recognized him. The more he thought about it, the stronger his foreboding feeling that something was wrong. He instructed, “Get it over with.”
The guard quickened his pace and with that the customers were agitated and made towards the scene. The relationship between the two countries had been worsening during the past few years, and Luohai people were quite ill-disposed towards Wan people. At this moment, seeing these Wan men posing as Luohai commoners were making trouble, the customers naturally became indignant.
After a flicker flashed across his eyes, the man who’d tried to provoke Xue Yi reprimanded aloud, “How dare you people! Do any of you know who I am? I serve the crown prince. Lay a finger on me and I’ll have you pay with your lives!”
He served the crown prince? He was Mu Rongfeng’s man?
Xue Yi commanded his man to stop. “Wait!”
Seeing Xue Yi instruct his guard to stop, the man became even more smug. “It seems you guys are not blind to reason. If you dare harm a hair of my head, you will be apprehended and thrown into prison immediately. This is the Luohai Kingdom, not the Wan Kingdom!”
“What do you want? Just because you serve the crown prince doesn’t give you the right to insult people as you please. Since you know who I am, you should also know who sent me to this country. How dare you abuse me like that?” raged Xue Yi.
“We would never forget how many innocent Luohai residents you people have murdered at the border. If you’re here to make overtures, why don’t you do something to demonstrate your sincerity first?” said the man.
“What do you mean?” asked Xue Yi, staring at the man, wondering whether the man was speaking on behalf of himself or Mu Rongfeng.
“Execute those Wan soldiers who murdered Luohai merchants and civilians. Execute Chen Feng who murdered our envoy!”
The customers gathered around the two sides. They might not know who Xue Yi was, but it was unmistakable that the six men were from the Wan Kingdom. At this moment, after hearing the man’s words, all the customers went angry and bawled, “Execute those murderers!”
“Kill them!”
“Shut your mouths!”
Xue Yi’s bodyguards, who also went furious, couldn’t help but raise their voices, demanding those people shut up. Afterward, for some reason, someone grabbed a stool, lunged up to Xue Yi and swung at him with the chair. Xue Yi’s bodyguards, naturally, did what they had to do to protect Xue Yi.
The customers were antagonized even further as they saw the bodyguards make their move…
And then the situation got out of control. A melee broke out before Xue Yi could instruct his men to show restraint. They were ringed by angry customers who were hurling stools, chopsticks, bowls and dishes at them constantly. Some of them even drew knives.
Xue Yi’s countenance changed at the sight of the knives. “Stop! All of you! You–”
“Watch out, Second Young Master!”
The next second, the sound of a knife sinking into someone’s chest was heard. During the rough-and-tumble, the man from the Wan Kingdom who bore some likeness to Xue Yi received a stab in the chest and breathed his last on the spot.
“BROTHER!!” Xue Yi went berserk. The victim was his half-brother and also his trusted adviser, who had accompanied him to the Luohai Kingdom. Xue Yi would have to rely heavily on him to give him advice on how to negotiate with the Luohai Kingdom, but now he was dead.
The man who had started the whole thing and was now hiding in the crowd also saw this scene. As he heard Xue Yi call that man brother, his face stiffened for an instant and with that he grabbed the man beside him and hissed, “What’s going on? Why did they kill that guy? He’s Xue Yi’s big brother!”
“I–I don’t know either. I thought he was just a common bodyguard!” replied the man beside him tremulously.
“Tell them to stop. Now!”
Unfortunately, everybody involved in the confused fighting had got too emotional to see reason; the death of the man seemed to add fuel to the flames of the customers’ rage. Also, a city patrol who’d been informed of the incident was approaching along the street.
“Young Master, we don’t know what these people want. I’m afraid they might make an attempt on you. You need to get out of here right away,” urged Xue Yi’s bodyguard anxiously as he glimpsed a large group of guards flooding upstairs.
Xue Yi’s eyes were red with fury. “No, I’m not going anywhere unless the Luohai Kingdom gives me an explanation! It’s not myself that I came here on behalf of. These people are showing a blatant disregard for our country’s dignity!”
The capital city patrol arrived, packing the whole second floor of the inn, temporarily holding vehement customers back. Xue Yi and all his men bore visible wounds.
“What’s going on here?” inquired the man heading the city patrol.
“Captain, these guys are from the Wan Kingdom. They masqueraded as our fellow countrymen with intent to do evil. We saw through them and they tried to flee!” replied a customer indignantly.
Things were going in another direction amid public clamor. The captain looked at Xue Yi and his men. At a single motion of his hand, the guards made towards the suspects with the intention to arrest them.
Xue Yi angrily balled his hands into fists. “How dare you! I’m–”
“Stop, all of you!” someone suddenly bellowed.
The city patrol pivoted around and all gave a start at the sight of the owner of the voice and with that they hastened to bow with hands folded in front to the man. “It’s a great honor to meet you, Assistant Minister Dugu.”
It was a young man dressed like a Luohai aristocrat. After his eyes swept around the whole second floor, he knitted his eyebrows and asked, “What’s going on here? What are you guys doing?”
“Your Lordship, some thugs from the Wan Kingdom disguised themselves as our fellow countrymen and caused a disturbance. We’re here to arrest them,” responded the captain.
“Is that so?” The young man looked at Xue Yi and his men, a hint of surprise in his eyes. And then comprehension suddenly dawned on his face. “It’s you. Aren’t you…”
He seemed to recognize Xue Yi and his men, his face etched with astonishment. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He abruptly swiveled around to face the city patrol and reprimanded, “These are His Majesty’s honored guests. Who gave you the permission to arrest them?! Make way, now!”
Seeing this, Xue Yi’s bodyguard all muscles of whom were tense gradually relaxed. Then he turned his head around to look at Xue Yi. “Young Master?”
Holding his deceased half-brother in his arms, an ugly look on his face, Xue Yi shifted his gaze to the young man. “Who are you?” he asked.
“I’m Dugu Miao. My father is the Prime Minister, which I think you’ve come to know already, my honored guest. I was here to meet a friend and then I heard the noises on the second floor and came up here to see what it was about. I didn’t bargain on seeing these people misunderstand you. You’re His Majesty’s guests, surely not ‘thugs’ coming here to make trouble. There must be some kind of misunderstanding. How about we…” replied Dugu Miao, walking over. At the sight of Xue Yi’s dead half-brother in Xue Yi’s arms, he paused in shock. “Wha–What the…Someone send for a physician! Now!”
“That won’t be necessary,” said Xue Yi through gritted teeth. “My brother has died. I’ll make all these people pay for his death!”
As he stopped speaking, his murderous eyes flashed towards the initiator of the disturbance.
Astounded, Dugu Miao looked in that direction and then asked quizzically, “Sheren Wang? (In feudal China, hangers-on of an aristocrat are generally called Sheren) What business do you have here?”
