Chapter Fifty-Five: Departure from Huile

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“What method do you think should be used if I wish to make this ancient, ever-living pine tree die young?” Master Kong asked.

At that moment, Zhou Linqing broke out in a cold sweat and inwardly gasped at his narrow escape.

From the start, he had misjudged the situation entirely. It turned out that Master Kong’s intent was to have Li Zisheng killed. Zhou Linqing had prepared countless words to defend Li Zisheng, but now, every phrase he had readied would only serve as his own death sentence.

Even Zhou Linqing, for all his dullness, now understood Master Kong’s intentions.

“I confess my guilt. From now on, I’ll distance myself from Li Zisheng, and I’ll be more careful in the future. Please, Master Kong, have mercy on me,” Zhou Linqing pleaded, tears streaming down his face, his sincerity as raw as if he were exposing his very heart and liver.

“I’m asking you, how can you make a pine tree die young?” Master Kong, as if he hadn’t heard Zhou Linqing’s apology, repeated his question.

“I… I… would simply order someone to cut it down,” Zhou Linqing stammered, trembling with fear.

“And if, after cutting it down, the roots aren’t removed and it grows back, what then?” Master Kong finally turned to look at Zhou Linqing.

“T-then… keep cutting it down, until it never appears again?” Zhou Linqing’s face turned ashen, drained of all color.

“Such labor and effort is not a wise method,” Master Kong shook his head.

“Then, perhaps set fire to the mountain and burn the pine tree to death at once,” Zhou Linqing replied, a flicker of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes—though he himself barely noticed it.

“To set the mountain ablaze is to offend Heaven’s order. Our Emperor rules with benevolence; such lawlessness is excessive,” Master Kong’s expression remained unperturbed.

“To destroy the pine, a gradual approach is unacceptable—it only gives it room to grow. You must strike in a single blow, uproot it entirely, and destroy the very ground in which it grew. Only then is it done. Do you understand what I mean?” Master Kong smiled benignly at Zhou Linqing.

“I… understand, but I don’t know how to strike so surely.”

Now Zhou Linqing understood perfectly: Master Kong wanted to not only eradicate Li Zisheng but also ensure he could never rise again.

Though Zhou Linqing did not know what had caused Li Zisheng to offend Master Kong, it was none of his business. He only wondered if Master Kong intended for him to be the one to wield the axe.

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“I’ve heard you have some connection with Li Zisheng. Is that true?” Master Kong asked.

“It’s true, sir. At first, I intended to cause trouble for Li Zisheng, but upon our first meeting, he immediately discerned my illness. He warned me of the dire consequences should it go untreated. I was forced to relent and sought out Doctor Yang from the prefecture for a diagnosis. Unthinkingly, I repeated Li Zisheng’s assessment to Doctor Yang, who was astounded and praised Li Zisheng as the most gifted healer of our age.”

“You mean Doctor Yang Lian from the prefectural academy?” Master Kong’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Yes, sir, that’s the one.”

Master Kong turned again to study the painting of the pine tree.

Though Doctor Yang Lian’s own medical skills were not exceptional, his judgment was keen, and his mentor was the head of the Imperial Medical Bureau. In matters of discovering talent, Yang Lian was highly adept. If even he declared that Li Zisheng had no peer in medicine, it could not be empty praise or fabrication.

“I had thought to leave behind a spark, but now I see that not a single one of Cheng Zhongliang’s disciples should remain.”

“You are to proceed at once to the prefectural capital of Lingzhou. As a martial student of the prefectural academy, you will face the Turkic delegation. Remember: you are to lose, not win. Delay Li Zisheng’s victory as much as possible. At the same time, deliver this letter to the head of the Turkic delegation.”

From somewhere, Master Kong produced a letter, its envelope utterly blank.

Seeing the letter and hearing Master Kong’s words, Zhou Linqing realized he was being drawn into a conspiracy beyond his imagining. The name Cheng Zhongliang alone was enough to stir fear—he had long since heard of him.

Moreover, from Master Kong’s words, Li Zisheng was revealed to be Cheng Zhongliang’s last disciple—a fact that stunned Zhou Linqing. He had never imagined Li Zisheng wielded such influence. As Cheng Zhongliang’s heir, Li Zisheng could easily establish himself in the scholarly circles of Lingzhou.

What surprised him even more was that Kong Zhichong and Cheng Zhongliang, two titans of Lingzhou’s literary world, harbored such deep animosity. From Master Kong’s bearing, that enmity ran deep indeed.

“I understand. I will see this matter through,” Zhou Linqing replied, recognizing his own weakness. If forced to choose a side, he would strike at Li Zisheng; after all, while Li Zisheng had a powerful mentor, Master Kong’s abilities were beyond his reckoning. For now, Li Zisheng was no match for Master Kong.

The old ginger is always spicier.

After taking the letter, the steward relayed further instructions and also updated him on Li Zisheng’s current situation, but did not mention his official post. To the steward, it was an incredulous matter, one he preferred to keep to himself.

“Master Kong, Zhou Linqing is a scoundrel—a scourge upon the academy. He can be trusted with trivial errands, but for matters such as this, he is ill-suited. He may well delay your plans.”

“It’s of no concern. I have my own arrangements.”

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Kong Zhichong gazed out at the sky, his eyes filled with the weight of years.

“Cheng Zhongliang, years ago you left in anger, expelled from the ranks of great scholars. Now you have perished utterly. After all our years of rivalry, it is I who have triumphed at last.”

“Steward, have the carriage and horses prepared. I am going to Lingzhou myself. The matter of returning to Huale County can wait—lest that Zhang family brat seize upon some pretext. I must personally sever Cheng Zhongliang’s scholarly lineage.”

“Yes, Master Kong.”

The steward knew that, now Li Zisheng had taken Cheng Zhongliang’s possessions, there was no reason for Kong Zhichong to linger. Leaving was only a matter of time. Quietly, the steward withdrew to make preparations.

“You there, hurry up and pack my things! Has my father returned yet?” It was Zhou Linqing speaking, accompanied by his ever-present lackey.

“Young master, the master will not return for another three months. He is still stationed at his post.”

“Very well, get on with it,” Zhou Linqing replied irritably, instructing his servant to tell his mother that the academy was sending him to Lingzhou for further study and that he’d be away for some time.

“General, can this man still be kept?” Deep in the Huale military camp, within the command tent, General Huang Li reported.

“It’s fine. Keeping him may serve as a useful piece in our game. Hearing news of Li Zisheng, Kong Zhichong will not be able to sit still—he will head to Lingzhou. Before they return, I will cleanse Huale County, rooting out and destroying every last traitor. When you go to Lingzhou, do your utmost to protect Li Zisheng; if you cannot, place your own lives above all.”

At the entrance to Huale, under the arrangements of General Zhang’s forces, Zhong Bai boarded a carriage to depart, with General Huang Li following to ensure his safety.

The driver was none other than the small-time hoodlum whom Li Zisheng had met, wrongly accused, when he first arrived in Huale County. Finding him familiar and likable, Li Zisheng hired him on the spot, despite Zhong Bai’s chiding for being too trusting of strangers. Li Zisheng merely smiled, as if he hadn’t heard.

Inside the carriage, Li Zisheng looked out at the passing scenery.

“It’s been so long since I tasted Mother’s rice cakes. When I return to Huale, I must have her make me plenty.”