Chapter 165 Green Vines: To End Up With A Dog
Only then did Governor Tian realize that it was futile to seek a coalition with the people of the Jianghu, people who worship the use of violence and their bloodstained hands to solve all problems. Not only is it risky, but he might also be betrayed. Not needing any prompting from Situ, the governor's wife immediately spilt the beans. With tears in her eyes, she recounted the unfortunate tragedy that had befallen their young child, and the governor quickly gave in.
"I met Sect Leader Xiao four years ago. Then, he was a man with ambition and courage in his heart, eager to replace the position of Shaolin Monastery and Wudang Sect in the jianghu, but he never had the opportunity to do so. I was blinded by the troubles the various sects that were based in the province had brought to me, and I always dreamt of being more than the governor of a province. After a few correspondences, we became good friends." The governor's voice was low, but his expression calm. The rest looked at him with a mixture of seriousness, disdain and mockery.
The governor sighed and continued. "The biggest force in the province was the Demonic Sect, the rival of the Righteous White Path. They had strengths in numbers, most of their members highly skilled and hence posed a threat to the rest of the sects of the Righteous White Path. Truth be told, the Demonic Sect had never caused problems to society and was not an issue of concern to me. But Sect Leader Xiao thought that it was a good opportunity and soon begin to slander the name of the Demonic Sect, causing problems in many regions of the province and blaming it all on the Demonic Sect. Surprisingly, the Demonic Sect never stood up for themselves or to clear their name, and that only served to fuel his plans."
Governor Tian glanced at Shangguan Yan who has dressed up once again in her seductive attire, hoping to elicit a response from her. Shangguan Yan blew away a plum blossom that had fallen into her hand, her words filled with disdain.
"They're not worth the effort."
Lu Buping added in coldly. "It would be futile to explain; the people of the jianghu believe what they want to."
Out of the corner of her eye, Feng Luodi saw Xue Yiqi shoot a look at Shangguan Yan discreetly, but went unnoticed by the latter. Governor Tian smiled sadly and shook his head before continuing.
"Sect Leader Xiao continued to spread lies about the Demonic Sect, and soon decided that the opportunity has arrived this year. Right afterwards, I received news that fifteen of my county magistrates have been murdered. Back then, I had assumed either you or your men of the Demonic Sect were the ones who'd murdered my subordinates, but now I know that I have been duped by Sect Leader Xiao." Governor Tian's body sagged as he confessed, seemingly ageing ten years in the span of his sentence. He would have collapsed to the floor if his wife was not supporting him from behind.
Now that the truth was out in the air, both parties of Situ and Shangguan Yan had a firm grasp of the situation: it was all part of Sect Leader Xiao's underhanded scheme. Governor Tian and the other sects of the Righteous White Path were all instigated by Sect Leader Xiao, just so that he could earn a good reputation for quelling the supposed evil that is the Demonic Sect.
"Hmph." Shangguan Yan snorted, her sharp eyes filled with killing intent, causing everyone in the room to look at her. The governor's wife quickly stepped in front of Governor Tian, turning her pleading eyes to the First Prince.
"Your Highness, even if the Governor has made a mistake, he should be punished by the laws of the court."
Shangguan Yan's eyes narrowed.
Xue Yiqi frowned at the governor's wife, his voice soft. "There is no need to worry, Madame. We will judge the governor fairly, and he will be kept in prison for the time being. There is no need to worry about his safety."
The governor's wife relaxed visibly, but Shangguan Yan shot an angry glare at Xue Yiqi, turning to leave in anger. Lu Buping sighed as he took in Xue Yiqi's confused expression.
"What a blockhead."
Xue Yiqi felt wronged.
Meanwhile, Situ continued his questioning. "Do you have any evidence of the murders being carried out by Sect Leader Xiao?"
Governor Tian shook his head. "He is extremely cautious. Even if we had colluded over this matter, he keeps many things from me."
The First Prince laughed softly. "But no matter how cautious he is, there is something he'll have to do, even if he knows its a trap."
Governor Tian looked up at the First Prince in confusion but was quickly escorted away by the Covert Guards to the prison where he is to be held, his wife by his side.
The skies above Dingtao Province has been overcast for the past few days, and the snow it was harbouring finally descended upon the lands. One by one, the snowflakes danced and spun in the air like little fairies, and the entire province was soon blanketed in a layer of white.
Feng Luodi stood by the corridor and stretched out her hand, catching a falling snowflake in her palm. The snowflake quickly melted from the warmth of her hand, spreading a tinge of coldness into her body. In an instant, a big hand quickly covered hers and wiped it clean with a handkerchief, keeping her palm firmly in his hands.
Feng Luodi took a step back into the embrace of Situ. Her voice was low. "Are we heading back to Chang'an already?"
Feng Luodi knew clearly that their return to Chang'an would symbolize the start of the final struggle between them and the Eighth Prince. They only had one shot, and if they missed it, it would spell disaster for all involved. With such a precarious journey ahead, it was natural for fear to be embedded in her heart; she did not want to lose anyone by her side.
Situ gently rested his chin on her crown. His voice was soft and gentle, much like the world of snow beyond the eaves of the corridor. "His Highness has fixed a date; we're leaving for Chang'an in eight days."
A sad smiled graced the lips of Feng Luodi. I never looked for the Guqin, but yet they seek me on their own accord.
The day prior, she found out that the Guqin Green Vines, was in the hands of Shangguan Yan, a gift presented to her by disciples of the sect. Shangguan Yan was well versed in the martial arts but knew nothing about music. When she heard that Xue Yiqi had spent much of his time in zither parlours back in Chang'an, she quickly jumped to the conclusion that Xue Yiqi was well versed in music and turned to Feng Luodi for help. While Feng Luodi was still feeling conflicted about the news of Green Vines, Shangguan Yan voluntarily gifted her the Guqin, citing that only she was befitting of such a famous zither.
"What's running through your mind right now?" Situ's voice sounded again.
Feng Luodi collected her thoughts. "I'm just thinking if our plan would work out."
After finally understanding the situation from Governor Tian, Situ and the rest quickly devised an excellent plant to deal with the Qingcheng Sect and their sect leader: to give him a taste of his own medicine. Sect Leader Xiao had once slandered the name of the Demonic Sect with rumours, causing the society to turn upon them, and now the Covert Guards are doing the same to Qingcheng Sect, exposing the deeds of the sect and that of the Righteous White Path, while hinting that they were the real murderers of the fifteen county magistrates.
In an instant, the people's anger was sparked and the commoners quickly directed their wrath at the few sects still stationed in Dingtao province. Spurred on by Situ and his tactics, the public sentiments snowballed and soon spread throughout the lands. By the time they would have returned to Chang'an the court should have already heard of it - that would be their shield to protect against any punishment the Emperor might have in mind for them.
"It will." Situ was certain. "The sects of the Righteous White Path may seem bonded, but that is only on the surface. Including Qingcheng Sect, all of the other sects were trying to gain a reputation for quelling the Demonic Sect in the first place. Now that their plan has fallen through and they've gotten themselves into a sticky situation, they are definitely going to panic. Even if we don't do anything, Qingcheng Sect will be turned into an outcast by the rest."
Situ paused for a second. "Sect Leader Xiao would be pressed to get rid of Governor Tian, who knows his plans, and it'll all be as we had expected. Don't worry about it."
Feng Luodi smiled and gripped Situ's hands tightly. "Mmmm, I won't."
Situ relaxed a little, his eyes falling on Feng Luodi's cheeks that have turned ruddy from the cold wind. "Let's go in."
Feng Luodi turned around and raised her head to look up at Situ, her fingers holding onto his clothes tightly. Situ looked at the silent Feng Luodi.
"What's wrong?"
Feng Luodi shook her head, forcefully clearing the feeling of unease from her heart. "It's nothing, just a little uncomfortable from all that wind. Let's go in, I'll make you some tea." She slowly released her grip on Situ's shirt and turned to head back into the room.
Situ's looked intensely as the girl he loved entered the room and followed closely behind. Feng Luodi was in the middle of preparing the tea when her actions were stopped by a hand on her wrist. Her eyes followed the wrist and met the dark irises of Situ, worry and anger apparent in his eyes.
This man…how can he remain so stoic even in anger? Will he let anyone see his true emotions?
Under Situ's burning gaze, Feng Luodi spoke up. "I'm just worried about elder brother. This winter is exceptionally cold; will he be able to stand it?"
She's lying. By now, Situ could already most of Feng Luodi's actions. Just as he was about to rip her facade apart, he saw the pleading look in Feng Luodi's eyes. He swallowed his intended words and unconsciously said what he knew she wanted to hear.
"There's a famous physician, Xia Jingfeng, in the Xiaoyao Sect. We'll invite him to Chang'an, and Moyin would be fine."
That was the one thing that Moyin and I would lie to Feng Luodi about.
That eased Feng Luodi's worries somewhat, and she smiled brilliantly. "That's great!"
"Mmmm." Situ replied gently.
Situ's plan worked perfectly, and the alliance of the Righteous White Path soon fell apart, blaming and slandering each other. In the province, one would often see the people of the jianghu going at each other with swords and sabres, who would then be quickly chased away by the officers of the yamen. The reputation of the sects quickly dropped, and they turned their swords in unison to Qingcheng Sect.
Slowly, the various sects of the jianghu started sending representatives to the yamen, claiming that their actions had been instructed by Qingcheng Sect, and gave out whatever information they had on Qingcheng Sect in a bid to clear their name. In less than a day, Xue Yiqi and the rest had enough dirt on Qingcheng Sect to fill more than a few bamboo slats.
However, Situ was not satisfied. He was waiting for the man who had abandoned his Qingcheng Sect, the man who'd vanished without a trace: Sect Leader Xiao. Only can the case be drawn to a close if the man can be caught.
Of course, nothing in the world can go smoothly, and there were bound to be twists and turns along the road to success.
As the yamen busied about, another imperial decree arrived from Chang'an: they were to exterminate the Demonic Sect in five days. Failure to do so would be viewed as the intention to deceive the Emperor; it was applicable to all in Dingtao Province.