Chapter 413: 413. You die, I live

Translator: 549690339

Yao City.

It was the end of March, the late spring in Qian Country. The springtime in Liang Country’s capital city had just begun.

Qiu Cong and his grandson, Qiao Jing, had just passed noon when they arrived in the city. Disguised, they went directly to the biggest restaurant in Yao City and ordered a table full of food and wine.

Halfway through a strong drink, Qiu Cong sighed in comfort, feeling his fatigue easing.

Qiao Jing only had a small sip, not wanting to drink too much. He had a low alcohol tolerance and didn’t want to make any mistakes.

The window was open, and the cool breeze blew in. People came and went on the streets below, unaffected by the distant war. There was no sense of tension in the most prosperous capital of Liang Country, as if the people there lived in a different world from those in the nearby border cities.

Qiu Cong spotted a corpulent man dressed in gold and silver, with a clean-cut girl with red eyes in his arms. He recognized him as a Liang noble and felt disgusted.

Qiao Jing also saw and commented indifferently, “That’s the former Queen’s nephew, a lascivious ghost.” He was familiar with the members of the Liang Royal Family.

Seeing Qiu Cong raise his hand, Qiao Jing frowned but said nothing to stop him. Moments later, the fat man suddenly fell to the ground like a heap of meat, stirring up a cloud of dust. The girl he controlled screamed and retreated to the corner. A group of followers rushed forward, calling him “Young Master” and struggled to lift him up and headed towards the Medical Hall across the street.

An old man with patched clothes passed through the crowd, grabbed the girl, and ran off. Qiao Jing couldn’t hear the sound, but from the girl’s lip movements, she was the old man’s granddaughter.

There was discussion in the restaurant, with many people believing that the fat man had been plagued by wine and lust and suddenly fell ill. No one had seen Qiu Cong’s hidden weapon.

“Grandfather, this might end up alerting the enemy,” Qiao Jing calmly warned, pouring Qiu Cong another drink.

Qiu Cong drank it all in one go, scoffing, “All the better! Let’s see where Situ Xie can hide his useless children and grandchildren!”

Since Qiao Jing didn’t stop him, it meant there was no serious harm. The only concern was whether the girl would bear the brunt of the man’s revenge afterward, but that was also not a big issue. As the emperor, and given the current tense situation, Situ Xie couldn’t hide. The grandfather and grandson planned to act tonight to prevent any possible changes.

After finishing their meal, they paid the bill and left the restaurant, strolling around the street for a while before disappearing into a dead-end alley.

Peng Mansion.

Peng Fan was holding a book about soldiers, not turning the pages for a while. He closed it and was about to check on his mother when he saw two shadows flash by, and the room suddenly had two strangers in it.

Peng Fan’s face changed, and he immediately grabbed the longsword hanging on the wall, his eyes guarded. “Who are you?”

“Calm down, young man! I’m Xiaoliang’s master!” Qiu Cong introduced himself this way.

Peng Fan was taken aback, “Su Liang? Senior, are you Su Liang’s master?” Then he relaxed, lowering the sword he had raised.

Qiao Jing remained indifferent, “Aren’t you afraid we’re liars?”

“Are you… General Qiu?” Peng Fan recognized Qiao Jing’s identity just from his voice. They had met before.

Seeing Qiao Jing nod, Peng Fan hurriedly asked, “How are my grandfather and father? How are they?” He had just received news that Yi Chong had exchanged Peng Wei for Yi Fei. Although Peng Fan knew that Peng Wei would not be harmed in Xuanbei City, he was still anxious and more concerned that Peng Qian left in Nanping City would be persecuted by Yi’s father and son.

“They’re fine,” Qiu Cong said as he sat down. “Nothing happened at your house, did it?”

Peng Fan nodded, “Everything at home is fine.”

Qiao Jing then said, “We came to assassinate Situ Xie.”

Peng Fan was momentarily stunned before nodding, “Oh.” He was quite calm. He was still young, and his dissatisfaction with Liang Country’s Royal Family would only be more significant than Peng Wei and Peng Qian. He had mentioned earlier that the Peng Family should move to Qian Country. But it was not that Peng Wei was unwilling, but rather that considering the many family members, young and old, and even the servants, it was almost impossible to leave under the watchful eye of the Royal Family and safely arrive in Qian Country.

“Is there anything I need to do?” Peng Fan asked.

Qiao Jing counter-questioned, “Aren’t you afraid that our failure will implicate the Peng Family?”

Peng Fan smiled, “This senior is Su Liang’s master; how can he fail? I believe in the strength of both of you.”

Qiao Cong stared at Peng Fan, “You little brat, are you also fond of my apprentice?”

Peng Fan nodded, “Admiring, worshipping.”

“Good boy! Find us a place to sleep!” Qiao Cong said. Coming to Peng’s home was not only to send a message of safety according to Peng Wei’s request but also to find a place to rest.

Peng Fan tidied up quickly and let Qiao Cong and Qiao Jing sleep in his bedroom and study room separately.

In the palace, after a string of bad news followed one after another, Situ Xie scolded Situ Jing, but he calmed down. However, no matter how hard he racked his brains and thought about the current situation, he couldn’t find a way out.

At this point, using the method of threatening Qian Country with hostages might be feasible, but first, they had to capture someone, which takes time, and secondly, there are many masters in Qian Country, who would undoubtedly take revenge. Unless, Situ Xie could instantly teleport to the Su Mansion in Liang Country’s capital city and abduct Gu Ling’s precious daughter, but such a thing was impossible…

In the past, after the war between Liang Country and Qian Country, peace would always be quickly restored, as if nothing had happened. This was because Qian Country had always been wary of the Yin Country to the south and never dared to attack Liang Country aggressively, opting to keep the peace instead.

But this time was different. For the past several decades, Yin Country, which had always stayed neutral, chose to ally with Qian Country, leaving Qian Country with no strategic weaknesses.

Situ Xie had to admit that Ji Yuebai’s unusual decision to cooperate with Gu Ling and Su Liang was sincere, and Ji Yuebai was not a “normal emperor.”

Everyone in the Royal Family, whether they spoke or kept silent, looked at Situ Xie with the same question in their eyes: What to do next?

Situ Xie didn’t know the answer. However, he couldn’t avoid the fact that it was his direct grandson-in-law and one of his grandsons who truly defeated him and destroyed Liang Country’s future.

That made him feel sorrowful and ironic, considering that everything he had pursued in his life seemed like a joke.

Situ Xie sat alone in the Imperial Study, with several memorandums piled up on the dragon case, which he hadn’t dealt with for days, and he didn’t want to open any of them. He heard someone talking outside the door, seemingly Situ Jing, and slowly came to his senses. Closing his eyes and opening them again, he saw Situ Jing entering.

“Your Majesty, please have some hot soup.” Situ Jing placed a bowl of steaming hot soup in front of Situ Xie, “Taking care of your body is the most important thing.”

“What happened outside just now?” Situ Xie opened the lid, revealing his favorite soup, which Situ Ning used to make for him before she got married, and later Situ Yao also made it very well.

Situ Jing shook his head, “Nothing, just a trivial matter that has been dealt with.”

The fat man who had been knocked down by Qiao Cong in the street had been unconscious since he was carried home. His father had come to the palace gates asking to see Situ Xie, hoping to get the best Imperial Physician, claiming that his son had been secretly attacked by a mysterious person. The guards didn’t dare to mistreat the former imperial brother-in-law and came to consult Situ Xie, but they were stopped by Situ Jing.

Situ Jing didn’t believe in any mysterious attacks at all because he didn’t think the useless, fat man had any value. Even if he had been secretly attacked, it was probably because he had been bullying men and dominating women for years in Yao City and got someone to take revenge on him; he deserved to die.

Thus, Situ Jing scolded the guard and told the former imperial brother-in-law to leave, feeling that there was no need to bother Situ Xie with such a broken thing.

As Situ Xie drank half a bowl of soup and put down the spoon, he looked at Situ Jing and asked, “Have you heard any news about Yaoyao recently?”

Situ Jing was momentarily stunned and shook his head, “No. Duanmu Chen keeps a close watch on her, and there has been no news from her for a long time. But she should be fine, pregnant and resting in Qian Country’s Imperial Palace.” In fact, it had been a long time since Situ Jing had thought of Situ Yao.

“Back then, we really shouldn’t have married Yaoyao off to that place.” Situ Xie showed regret, “Even more so, we shouldn’t have married Ning’er off to Qian Country, or else there wouldn’t have been Gu Ling, that misfortune! He was born to be the bane of our Situ Family!”

To this, Situ Jing deeply agreed. What he dared not say was that Gu Ling’s restoration of his identity in Qian Country and Qiao Jing’s growth to his current status were both partly due to Situ Xie’s efforts. He remembered that Situ Xie had said more than once that Gu Ling and Qiao Jing were useful, and Situ Jing had to admit that Situ Xie had an “extremely good” eye for people. Those two were indeed very capable, far beyond their expectations and completely out of Situ Xie’s control…

“Imperial ancestor, do we still have hope of seeking peace with Qian Country? Since Qian Country has not counterattacked us yet, could their alliance with Yin Country also be unstable? Is there a chance everything will go back to the way it was before…?” Situ Jing asked tentatively.

This time, Situ Xie was very calm and shook his head, “It’s impossible. You all need to be careful from now on.”

Situ Jing frowned, “Be careful… What does Imperial Ancestor mean?”

“Qian Country does not want to wage war, otherwise we would have already received news of Nanping City being captured by now.” Situ Xie sighed deeply, “Someone will definitely come to assassinate me next, and I know who it will be.”

“Situ Jing?” Situ Jing blurted out.

Situ Xie nodded, “And his grandfather.”

Situ Jing wanted to say something else, but Situ Xie waved his hand, “Now that things are at this point, I know what I’m doing. You can go back.”

After Situ Jing left, he felt increasingly uneasy, and as he walked the streets, he felt as if someone was watching him. After he returned to his residence, he ordered the guards to keep a strict watch and never went out again.

That night, Qiao Cong and Qiao Jing sneaked into Liang Country’s Imperial Palace under cover and approached the brightly lit Imperial Study.

Qiao Jing felt that it could be a trap; given Situ Xie’s wisdom, he probably already guessed that someone would come to assassinate him and even suspected that they would be the ones to come.

Qiao Cong had wanted to kill Situ Xie for a long time, and now that the opportunity had finally arrived, he didn’t care for any other trappings. He lit a fire and threw it at the window of the Imperial Study.

The night wind blew, and the flames grew quickly. The guards began to hurriedly put out the fire, but Situ Xie came out from inside.

Looking at Situ Xie, Qiao Jing felt that something was off. Qiao Cong, having taken out the nail gun given to him by Elder Mu, aimed it at Situ Xie’s forehead. He didn’t want to waste any words with Situ Xie, only to avenge and kill.

The fast-moving nail, illuminated by the firelight, penetrated Situ Xie’s forehead and buried itself in his brain; no blood flowed out. With his body stiffening, Situ Xie fell headfirst to the ground among gasps and cries, motionless.

“Your Majesty!”

“Assassin! Save His Majesty!”

“Quickly call the Imperial Physician!”

Chaos erupted both inside and outside the Imperial Study, but nobody caught even a glimpse of Qiao Cong and Qiao Jing’s shadows.

Qiao Cong muttered to himself, “That was too easy…”

Qiao Jing stared intently at Situ Xie’s corpse, now surrounded by people, and felt that things had gone too smoothly to be real. Normally, Situ Xie shouldn’t be so careless, and there should have been a master to protect him by his side. There must be something amiss.

Could it be a stand-in…? This thought popped into Qiao Jing’s mind, but he didn’t say anything more as he left Liang Country’s Imperial Palace together with Qiao Cong.

Qiao Cong wanted to return to the Peng Family but Qiao Jing held him back, “Grandfather, let’s go check out the old King Yue Mansion.”

“Alright.” Qiao Cong thought of visiting the place where his daughter grew up.

After Situ Xie became the emperor, there weren’t many people left in the King Yue Mansion, but everything remained the same.

Qiao Jing headed straight to Situ Xie’s study room in the mansion. He had been there before, where Situ Xie handled important matters, and there was a secret chamber in the study.

No one was guarding the study at the moment. Qiao Jing asked Qiao Cong to watch the outside while he pushed open the door, entering Situ Xie’s study room.

It was pitch black inside, only lit by the moonlight seeping in from the outside. Qiao Jing took out a luminous pearl, glanced around to make sure no one was there, then walked towards the bookshelf.

After searching for a while, he found the mechanism to the secret chamber. Qiao Jing twisted it, and the bookshelf slowly moved, revealing the hidden chamber behind.

Standing at the entrance of the secret chamber, he quietly waited for a moment. Qiao Jing was about to step in but frowned and retracted his foot. If there was no one inside, there was no need to go in. If there was someone, it was definitely a trap.

The light from the luminous pearl in Qiao Jing’s hand flickered as he was about to leave. Suddenly, a cold glint flashed in front of his eyes. Four shadows pounced from the secret chamber, attacking him with murderous intent!

When Qiao Cong noticed something was off, he saw Qiao Jing being forced into the secret chamber, and the slow-moving secret door closed quickly, blocking his vision!

“Jingjing!” Qiao Cong rushed in, swinging his palm at the bookshelf. The bookshelf trembled a bit but didn’t collapse.

By the time Qiao Cong finally found the mechanism and opened the secret chamber, there was no one inside. Apparently, there was yet another secret passage inside the chamber. Despite Qiao Jing being careful, he still fell into the trap.

Not being able to find the entrance to the secret passage and in fear of more traps, Qiao Cong left in a rage, heading towards the Imperial Palace again.

It was while Qiao Jing was conscious that he fell into the secret passage. At this moment, he was somewhere underground in Yao City. Four blades were against his neck, and a silver-haired old man with cold eyes was standing not far from him. The man was none other than Situ Xie, who “died” in the palace recently!

So it was a substitute after all… Qiao Jing thought. He had guessed what Situ Xie would do. Similarly, Situ Xie also calculated how he would act and prepared a trap for him.

But Qiao Jing was calm at the moment, looking at Situ Xie with a faint expression and saying, “You can’t possibly find substitutes for all your grandchildren or hide them. Before dawn, if you don’t release me, my grandfather may kill one of your grandsons.”

Hearing this, Situ Xie sneered, “At this point, do you think I care about that? Grandsons? Grandchildren? They’re all either useless or against me. You’re not even willing to call me ‘grandfather’ again.”

A faint smile appeared on Qiao Jing’s lips, not reaching his eyes, “This is all the result of your own actions.”

“You think I won’t kill you?” Situ Xie asked coldly.

Qiao Jing shook his head, “Of course not. You’ve gone through so much trouble to capture me as a hostage, hoping to use me to turn the tables. However, you have no chance anymore.”

Situ Xie’s eyes narrowed as he strode over, raised his hand high, and slapped Qiao Jing fiercely several times, causing blood to flow from Qiao Jing’s mouth before stopping. The long-standing anger from being “betrayed” by Gu Ling and Qiao Jing was slightly relieved at this moment. But seeing Qiao Jing’s calm eyes, the extinguished rage in Situ Xie flared up once again.

Situ Xie approached and strangled Qiao Jing’s neck, his eyes cold and ruthless, “When you were born, I should have killed you!”

Four skilled masters who had been restraining Qiao Jing in the past now moved to the side. Qiao Jing suddenly sneered. Situ Xie felt that something was wrong, and he felt something tiny penetrate his body…

Situ Xie felt his body rapidly becoming paralyzed, and as he fell to the ground, he heard Qiao Jing’s cold voice in his ear, “I didn’t expect you to set a trap and wait for me in person because I thought that if you arranged for a substitute, you would run further away, hide deeper, and wait for an opportunity. You should have gone farther away, because I came to kill you. But you insisted on seeing me, so now it’s either you die or I live!”