The Death of Chancellor Liu

Yan Prefecture Guesthouse

Du Liangcai paced back and forth alone in his room.

"My lord!"

Someone outside the door sought permission to enter.

"Come in!"

Du Liangcai stopped in his tracks and turned his gaze toward the doorway.

With a creak of the door, a furtive figure slipped inside.

"How are things over there?"

To support that man's plan, he had sent several men over to lend a hand.

By now, there ought to have been some news.

Seeing Du Liangcai staring at him, the man knelt. "My lord, the Official Post Station has now been surrounded. None of our men can get in. It seems the brothers inside haven't managed to get out either, but..."

Du Liangcai had heard nothing from the men he had dispatched, and a ball of fire had long been smoldering in his chest. Hearing this man hem and haw now sent his temper flaring. He lashed out with a kick straight at the man's chest.

"But what?"

The man took the kick squarely in the chest, not daring to cry out. He merely caught his breath and said, "But according to our inquiries, the Deputy General of Yan Pass who was already recuperating at the Official Post Station is in a bad way."

The Deputy General of Yan Pass?

Du Liangcai's heart jolted. Wasn't that the mastermind who had come to see me earlier?

He's in a bad way? How bad? Could it be...

Sure enough, his subordinate's next words confirmed Du Liangcai's suspicions.

"That deputy general reportedly succumbed to his severe injuries..."

"Useless!"

With that answer confirmed, Du Liangcai felt as though fire were about to shoot from his eyes.

That useless wretch Wei!

He had plotted to take another man's life, only to throw away his own!

"What else?"

Wei Li had died of his wounds, but what about that other man?

Perhaps this was another of Wei Li's ploys to wound himself and win trust?

It would not have been his first time.

"What else? I heard Commissioner Yang was also sheltering from the heavy rain at the Official Post Station, and he encountered assassins too."

"And how is Lord Yang?"

They had already lost Wei Li. The mere thought left Du Liangcai seething.

"Lord Yang is unharmed."

Unharmed? How could he be unharmed?

At the word "unharmed," the veins on Du Liangcai's forehead throbbed.

They had prepared for so long and arranged for so many men to strike, only to end up with "unharmed"?

"Lord Yang certainly enjoys Heaven's protection."

His face dark, Du Liangcai waved at the subordinate still kneeling on the floor. "You may go!"

"Yes!" the man answered, then left Du Liangcai's quarters.

Wei Li had failed and lost his life in the bargain. Du Liangcai had never anticipated such an outcome.

Fortunately, he still had another card up his sleeve...

At the thought of that other matter, Du Liangcai's tightly knitted brows relaxed a little.

He was just about to step outside when a barely audible voice came from beside him.

"Vice Minister Du, don't botch things again! If the prince holds you responsible..."

At the sound of that voice, Du Liangcai dropped to his knees with a thud. "Please calm your anger, Shadow Envoy! I will mend the pen now that the sheep is lost!"

"Let us hope you can deliver a result that satisfies the prince. Otherwise, don't blame us for showing no mercy!"

Having said that, the person in the shadows left the room.

Only after the oppressive weight bearing down on him vanished did Du Liangcai wipe the sweat from his forehead and slowly rise.

After straightening his robes, Du Liangcai called outside, "Attend me! I am going to the Official Post Station."

Yan Prefecture Post Station

Yang Qing should have returned to the County Office once the rain stopped, but Wei Li's incident had kept him at the Official Post Station to handle the aftermath.

When a prefectural soldier reported Du Liangcai's arrival, a faint glint flashed in Yang Qing's eyes, then disappeared.

"I heard that your country's Deputy General Wei met with misfortune at this post station, and that you, Lord Yang, were also attacked and given a fright. So I came to see how you were."

Yang Qing smiled faintly. "How thoughtful of you, Lord Du."

"I have already sent men to investigate this matter. I believe we will have results before long."

Having said that, Yang Qing looked at Du Liangcai. "The men stationed at the guesthouse are all agile, capable fellows from our Yan Pass. You need not worry, Lord Du."

"Of course I am not worried. I do not consider you a careless man, Lord Yang. It is just that I wonder when these peace negotiations will reach a conclusion, so we can return soon and report to His Majesty."

"Lord Du, you have seen the current situation for yourself. I fear the peace negotiations will have to be postponed a little longer."

Du Liangcai kept his eyes fixed on Yang Qing. "I can afford to wait, but I fear Chancellor Liu cannot."

At Du Liangcai's words, Yang Qing's heart gave an involuntary jolt.

He was about to speak when Du Liangcai continued, "Chancellor Liu is advanced in years. Though Yan Prefecture boasts clear waters and beautiful mountains, it is not his homeland, after all. His meals and daily living are inconvenient in many ways."

"You are quite right, Lord Du," Yang Qing said. "Once matters here are settled, I will visit you both tomorrow to discuss the peace talks."

"Excellent. I shall return now and inform Chancellor Liu, so he can prepare."

With that, Du Liangcai bowed to Yang Qing. "I shall take my leave!"

Yang Qing said to the prefectural soldiers beside him, "Escort Lord Du safely back to the guesthouse."

The prefectural soldiers acknowledged the order and headed outside.

Meanwhile, at the Yan Prefecture Guesthouse

Liu Mengde, who had been resting in his room, felt his mouth grow dry. He sat up, took the teacup beside his couch, and drank a few small sips.

Only after draining the tea did he feel a trace of soothing relief pass through his chest.

But before that hint of relief had left his chest, Liu Mengde felt a metallic sweetness surge up his throat.

"Cough, cough..."

It came too swiftly and too fiercely, and Liu Mengde could not help coughing.

To his surprise, the moment he opened his mouth, a gob of bloody phlegm fell to the floor.

"What is this..."

At the sight of the crimson stain on the floor, Liu Mengde was puzzled at first. Then, as though suddenly frightened, he called toward the door, "Someone!"

By now, his voice was no louder than a mosquito's murmur. His vision began to blur, and his head grew heavy. The moment he took a step forward, he lost his balance and crashed heavily to the floor.

"Someone... someone..."

Liu Mengde struggled again, but his voice was so faint that those outside could not hear him at all.

He tried to rise, only to discover that his entire body had grown as heavy as a boulder. He could not move so much as an inch.

Suddenly, something occurred to Liu Mengde. His eyes flew wide, and he cried fiercely toward the space before him, "Your Majesty..."