Death Scripture

That afternoon’s debate in the Imperial Study went just as Prime Minister said it would – sparks flew the moment it started.

Moyang was keen on firing the first salvo. “Your Majesty, your humble subject was already aware of this messenger’s motive. He wants to convince you that the Jade City is in a precarious situation, and that the Golden Roc Fort would either ally itself with the Central Plain or Norland, endangering Shu-lik’s national security in the process. He wishes to replace the Supreme King with the Great Snow Mountain, and ‘borrow’ our money, supplies, and soldiers along with free passage through our lands with Your Majesty’s blessings. I say ‘borrow’ with inverted commas as I believe that they will never pay us back for what they owe.”

Fang Wenshi was shocked upon hearing Moyang’s opening statement. This old fellow has correctly deduced almost all of my intentions. So, that’s why he did not rebut in the first debate session; he wanted to probe into it more, he thought. He gently waved his duster and replied with a smile, “Let’s not discuss my motives first. Do you feel that the Golden Roc Fort is in a very stable position, Sir?”

“Whether or not the Golden Roc Fort is in a stable position, our King will have a way to handle any issues that come our way. Now let’s talk about you – how can we expect a mercenary such as yourself to have the best interests of Shu-lik at heart? Your Majesty, don’t for a moment doubt that this man is devious and wishes to scare us into submitting to his will, thereby profiting from our fear. You should chase him away now. Let’s see if he is still loyal to the Great Snow Mountain after our great army has exterminated the Snow Mountain Gang,” said Moyang.

The King of Shu-lik did not reply. He had been trained since a young age, and knew the importance of remaining silent in such situations.

Fang Wenshi clapped and shouted, “Good, good, good!” His voice was so loud that it shocked Moyang and the King, the latter even shaking a little. The counselor did not have any reason to behave in this manner, but he needed time to re-think his strategy. “You, Sir, are indeed worthy of the title ‘Master’. You are right. There are some things which cannot be said in court. I shall speak plainly now, since there are only three of us, and there is no scribe here to record everything. There is no doubt that I would want to be repaid after studying hard for so many years. Yes, I have sold my services to the Great Snow Mountain. I am speaking up on its behalf here today, but none of what I said were ‘lies’. There is a saying that goes ‘To benefit others is to benefit yourself’, and I would not have spoke today if my ideas would not help Shu-lik as well.”

“Hrumph,” Moyang grunted, and was about to rebut when Fang Wenshi quickly cut him off by continuing, “A loyal subject might not give the best advice to his king. The world is like a chess set, and the audience would have a more objective view as compared to the players. To be so particular about the concept of loyalty, and to not be receptive of ideas which are not to your taste, thereby shutting yourself off from the opinions of others, do you, as the ‘Master’, imply that to be loyal is to shield His Majesty from other sources of ideas and to only listen to you?”

Moyang’s face grew red upon hearing Fang Wenshi’s statement. He pointed at the counselor and chastised, “Are you saying that I am preventing the Majesty from hearing the opinions of others?”

Fang Wenshi bowed slightly as a sign of apology before continuing. “Of course not, I meant that you, Sir, always have the best interests of His Majesty at heart, but may not always choose the best options available. By focusing too much on loyalty, you may have filtered out crucial information from His Majesty.”

Moyang flew into a rage, but managed to calm himself down quickly. He laughed sarcastically before replying, “How clever of you to turn my loyalty against myself. I suppose that you will now be saying the ‘hard truths’?”

“One can only decide which is the best option after considering multiple ideas. There are also benefits of hearing the ‘hard truth’,” replied Fang Wenshi.

Moyang glanced at the King before tilting his head away. “Let’s see what you can come up with.”

Fang Wenshi coughed a little to clear his throat, before continuing his train of thought in the earlier debate session. “Jade City is located strategically at the heart of the Western Region. To its west, you have the Kingdom of Shu-lik, Norland to its north, the Central Plain to its east and about 20 other small to big countries, to its south. The Golden Roc Fort sprang up as a force to be reckoned with during the past few decades of war amongst the various countries, securing a foothold with its killers. After peace was achieved, there was still conflict over who should govern the city. The Central Plain and Norland nearly fought over it, and it was the late King of Shu-lik who managed to prevent such a border conflict by stepping in with the suggestion that all three countries should take turns governing the Jade City. This, however, caused the power of the Golden Roc Fort to grow exponentially, allowing it to control land amounting to a hundred miles. Today, it only lacks the official title of a kingdom, but in reality it can already be considered as one.”

“By recounting such a history, you have proved yourself as a scholar,” interrupted Moyang sarcastically. He could not really come up with any rebuttal as the opponent had not broached his main topic.

Fang Wenshi continued. “In reality, the alternating governance of the Jade City became that of non-governance. Everyone knows that the post of Governor of Jade City is a position whereby one does nothing but becomes very rich at the end of three years. The Supreme King is taking advantage of the fact that Shu-lik, Norland and the Central Plain are curtailing each other’s influence in the region. It is for this reason that he grows uneasy when any of the three nations make an unexpected move. You, Sir, are not entirely correct when you said that the Golden Roc Fort will ally itself with either the Central Plain or Norland. You have underestimated the Supreme King’s ambition. All signs have shown that the Shangguan Family wishes to take control of the Jade City and be officially considered as royalty before chaos breaks out in the Western Region. During that time, Norland can rely on its natural advantage in Tianshan mountain, while the Central Plain will be protected by the vast expanse of the desert. Only Shu-lik will be stuck in the middle of the chaos, and to make matters worse, another power – the Golden Roc Fort – would have sprung up, becoming another force to contend with.”

“The Supreme King wishes to become a real king? Haha, what a joke that is. His title of ‘King’ is similar to that of your master – the ‘King’ of the five peaks. Both titles are only recognised by its own base, and no country would ever recognise the Supreme King as a true king. Shu-lik would be the first to reject such an idea.” Moyang grew confident that Fang Wenshi was only beating around the bush and had nothing concrete to present.

Fang Wenshi replied coldly, “What if Norland has already officially recognised him as a real king?”

“That is even less likely than Shu-lik and the Central Plain recognising the Golden Roc Fort as an official kingdom. When our late king alternating governance over Jade City, Norland was the party that was strongly opposed it. You have also mentioned that Norland has the strategic buffer of Tianshan from the other countries in the Western Region. If Shangguan Fa wishes to establish the Golden Roc Fort as a kingdom, he will need to block off the two mountain passes from his east and west. The Central Plain could still reach him by crossing the Gobi desert, but Norland would have been blocked off from the West Region without having any access to the passes. It has no reason to acknowledge him as a true king,” Moyang replied while shaking his head continuously, growing increasingly confident.

Fang Wenshi smiled faintly. He turned towards the silent King of Shu-lik before continuing, “What a coincidence. I had the same idea as the Master. However, I came to a conclusion which is entirely in opposition to this theory. The old Khan of Norland is now severely ill, and his sons are openly fighting to take his place. Norland is now embroiled in civil war, and is unable to compete with the Central Plain. Now, what would be its best option to maintain a foothold in the Western Region? Naturally, it would be to support a vassal nation who can protect its passage throughout the two mountain passes. Which party in the entire Western Region, other than the Golden Roc Fort, has a vested interest in Central Plain’s influence in the Jade City? It’s entirely logical that both of them would enter into an alliance – one wishes to be officially recognised, while the other needs the benefit the Fort can offer. You, old Sir, feel that my warnings are distasteful, but you are not aware that the enemy is already eyeing Shu-lik. Once Shangguan Fa is officially recognised as a king, he would definitely move westwards, and at that time, Shu-lik would be in danger.”

“Hrumph, it seems that Mr. Fang is indeed ‘concerned’ about the security of Shu-lik. You continuously speak about our nation’s impending doom – in the earlier session, you spoke of the danger the Central Plain poses to us. Now, you are warning us about the Golden Roc Fort becoming a kingdom of its own. It makes it seem as if Shu-lik is here for the taking and powerless to defend itself. Do you have any solid evidence that Shangguan Fa wishes to be recognised as a real king?”

“Evidence?” asked Fang Wenshi derisively, his chest puffed out. “The current governor of Jady City is from Shu-lik, and will return soon after his three-year term has been completed. Your Majesty can then find out from him, as to whether the ‘Protective Talisman’ he got was far more than any other governor in the past? There’s your evidence. Furthermore, all three countries have previously sent nobles who were living idly to fill the post of governor, a glorified position which was not involved in any actual politics. If what I’ve guessed is correct, for the next three years, Norland will send somebody from the royal family with actual political power to fill this role.”

Moyang continued shaking his head and turned to face the King as well. “Your Majesty, according to this man, all nations, even the Golden Roc Fort which has yet to be officially recognised as one, are our enemies. Isn’t this trying kicking up a fuss just to scare us? Even if Shu-lik’s national security is indeed threatened, can a bunch of barbarians from the Great Snow Mountain change the political situation in the Western Region?”

“The current political climate is complicated. One move can affect all parties that are involved. Now, it’s a given that the Great Snow Mountain cannot change the political situation in the Western Region’. However, if we intervene at the right moment and do the right thing, we can help Shu-lik achieve 30 years of stability.”

Just as Moyang was about to counter, the King of Shu-lik, who had remained silent all this while, raised his right hand and stopped his chief minister, allowing the counselor to continue.

Even though the King always had the final say in such matters, he rarely took sides or intervened in debates. Therefore, Moyang was surprised by his actions. Fang Wenshi, however, was greatly encouraged and took the opportunity to continue. “Since Jade City is crucial to the entire situation, the Central Plain would definitely make the first move, once it has gathered its forces. This would return the Western Region back under the influence of the Emperor of the Central Plain. Shangguan Fa would be officially recognised as a king, and turn his back on Norland, thereby stirring up even more unrest. If the Great Snow Mountain removes the Golden Roc Fort from the picture, the situation in the Region would remain as it is, and Shu-lik would be the biggest beneficiary.”

“Are you saying that the Golden Roc Fort is ambitious, but not the Great Snow Mountain?”

Fang Wenshi snickered before replying, “Yes, everyone is ambitious, but not everybody gets to realise their ambitions. Take the Golden Roc Fort for example. It has maintained its monopoly over the Jade City for over 30 years, but it is only now that Shangguan Fa dares to take concrete steps to be recognised as a real king. If the Great Snow Mountain was to make a move on the Golden Roc Fort, it would be from a thousand of miles away, and with the backing and control of Shu-lik. Even if we have any ambition, how would we dare to realise it? Your Majesty, please examine my words for any lies. It has always been wiser to have information that can be used against your opponent, rather than declaring ‘permanent alliances’. Now, Your Majesty has the Great Snow Mountain eating out of your hands.”

Moyang wanted to mock the counselor, but decided against it. He said to the King, “Your Majesty, this person’s words are covered with lies, please do not be deceived by him. The situation now is very clear to us that the Great Snowmountain is a thorn in our side; if we do not get rid of it, we cannot turn our attention to other issues. Now that the five peaks have been united, it is the perfect moment to eradicate them once and for all. With 50 thousand soldiers, we can get the job done. They are weak and cannot stand against the Golden Roc Fort on their own. If we give them the means to do so, we will be creating a future enemy, without any glory or benefits to ourselves. Please do not agree to do so, Your Majesty.”

“The Master is wrong to say so. Shu-lik is the weakest out of the three major powers in the Western Region. The other two players can take Jade City by force, but not Shu-lik. This will be akin to courting your own doom. The Great Snow Mountain will act in the name of revenge…”

Fang Wenshi had a lot more to say, but was disrupted again by the eunuch. “It’s late, and we would like to invite the messenger to rest now. We shall this discuss further in three days’ time.”

The messenger from the Great Snow Mountain was thus ushered out of the imperial study, leaving Moyang behind to talk to the King of Shu-lik in private.

Fang Wenshi gazed at the bright sun as he stepped out of the study, no longer as confident as before. Once he and his entourage were out of the palace, he said to the Dragon King, who was still disguised as one of the accompanying swordsmen, “The King was convinced, but I am worried that Moyang will be a problem.”

The debate had went exactly as how the Prime Minister had warned it would be. The path ahead for Gu Shenwei was fraught with obstacles, and he knew he had to get the swordsmen to leave the Great Snow Mountain. If they remained there, they would be wiped out, and they would not have gotten any closer to getting rid of the Golden Roc Fort anyway.

In the afternoon, Xu Xiaoyi came bearing a message from the Prime Minister, requesting a private meeting with Gu Shenwei between nine to 11 in the night. It would be a risk for both of them to meet in person, so the Prime Minister had prepared a secret room for that purpose as a sign of good faith. They talked long into the night, with the Prime Minister confiding in the Dragon King and analysing the current situation in detail with him, leaving the latter no choice but to agree with his plan.

When Gu Shenwei took his leave from the Prime Minister, it was already past midnight. Still, he woke his military counselor up, and they discussed whether or npt they could trust the Prime Minister.

Fang Wenshi did not change out of his pyjamas, and paced to and fro while considering the matter. After a long while, he finally said, “I’m afraid this is the only option.”

Gu Shenwei knew that too, but he could instinctively sense a conspiracy from someone’s suggestion. There was something not quite right with the Prime Minister’s request to kill both the King of Shu-lik and Moyang at the same time.