Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 53
Back in Yujing, what Huo Fenghua was famous for had never really been his “charm”. It was being a useless fool. Everyone in the capital knew that the Second Prince of Xichou, sent over as a hostage, lived without restraint and didn’t study or learn anything. Aside from eating, drinking, and having fun, he couldn’t do anything.
Aside from having a handsome face, a Huo Fenghua like that was genuinely useless. So even though Pan Yuanjun had invited him here today, he hadn’t actually thought much of him.
When Pan Yuanjun first heard Huo Fenghua say he wanted to become emperor of Xichou, he really did freeze for a moment. Only after a beat did he recover and say softly, “Young Master Huo, why joke with me like this? You know what state Xichou is in right now. How would I have the ability to send you back to be emperor?”
Huo Fenghua leaned toward him. “Do you really know what state Xichou is in, Deputy Commander Pan?”
Pan Yuanjun looked at him, his expression turning serious. “What do you mean, Young Master Huo?”
Huo Fenghua said, “The one who’s occupying all of Xichou right now, whose troops are they, exactly?”
Pan Yuanjun replied, “That would naturally be our great Donglin…” Before he could finish, he abruptly cut himself off, his thick brows furrowing.
Huo Fenghua said quietly, “They’re Feng Tianzong’s troops. There are still remnants of Xichou not yet wiped out. When Xichou is fully destroyed, will the land be incorporated into Donglin, or incorporated into Feng Tianzong’s territory? Commander Pan, do you truly know the answer?” He deliberately dropped the “deputy” and addressed him directly as Commander Pan.
Pan Yuanjun slapped the table and shouted, “How dare Feng Tianzong commit such outrageous treason!”
Huo Fenghua quickly soothed him. “Commander, don’t be hasty. I’m only guessing. Whether Feng Tianzong would dare commit treason like that, nobody knows yet.”
When Pan Yuanjun looked at Huo Fenghua again, his gaze had changed. “Young Master Huo, that’s a bold guess.”
Huo Fenghua gave a light laugh. “Aren’t I speaking frankly with Commander Pan? What I mean is, we can’t allow Feng Tianzong to keep exterminating the Xichou remnants and expanding his power. Rather than hand all of Xichou into his hands, it’d be better for Prime Minister Wang to join forces with me. First, bring down the Feng brothers, then have the Prime Minister’s people take over the Western Expedition Army, sit down, and negotiate peace.”
Pan Yuanjun looked Huo Fenghua up and down. “If I remember correctly, Xichou still has a Crown Prince.”
Huo Fenghua smiled. “Then Commander Pan doesn’t know. My elder brother and I are twins, our hearts linked on one meridian. Some days ago, I had a severe stabbing pain in my chest. My brother is probably already gone.”
Rumors about Huo Fengnian of Xichou had been swirling. Some claimed they’d seen him, others said he hadn’t appeared in a long time. Whether he was alive or dead, there was still no definite news.
Huo Fenghua said, “Even if he is alive, it doesn’t matter. When I return to Xichou, that will be between him and me. No matter what, it won’t ruin the agreement with the Prime Minister.”
Pan Yuanjun asked in a low voice, “What agreement with the Prime Minister?”
Huo Fenghua grinned and picked up a chopstick, drawing it sideways across his throat. “We join forces. Have the Xichou army kill Feng Tianzong first, then send me back to Xichou to ascend the throne. After that, we negotiate peace with Donglin, cede territory, pay reparations, and each side keeps to itself.”
Pan Yuanjun couldn’t help letting out a cold laugh. “What benefit is that to us? Xichou has already been destroyed by Donglin. Don’t forget that, Young Master Huo.”
Huo Fenghua said, “Then guess this. If Feng Tianzong swallows Xichou whole, will he turn around and take one more bite, swallowing your Wang family next? Commander Pan wants benefits, and Feng Tianzong’s head is your greatest benefit. Otherwise, Donglin destroys Xichou, how much of the spoils do you think your Wang family will actually get?”
Pan Yuanjun drew in a deep breath. “But the remaining Xichou forces are like rats on the run, being hunted down by Feng Tianzong. What ability do they have to kill him?”
Huo Fenghua said, “That’s why we need to cooperate. Don’t forget, Feng Tianzong still has a beloved great beauty at home, someone he can’t bear to lose, even if it costs him his life.”
As they talked, Lu Shaocheng sat to the side listening, cold sweat trickling down his back, yet not daring to leave first.
Pan Yuanjun fell into thought.
Huo Fenghua patted his shoulder. “Commander Pan, you don’t have to answer me right away. Think it over slowly and go back and discuss it with the Prime Minister.”
Pan Yuanjun looked at him and said, “Young Master Huo has been in Donglin for so many years, and yet nobody’s ever truly seen through you.”
Huo Fenghua picked up a piece of tofu with his chopsticks and ate it, chewing slowly and swallowing with elegant composure. Then he lifted his teacup, covered his mouth with his sleeve as he took a sip, and finally smiled at Pan Yuanjun. “If people could see through me, Commander Pan, do you think I’d still be alive today?”
Back when Xichou fell, he should’ve been beheaded and put on display.
Pan Yuanjun was silent for a long time before saying, “This requires careful planning over time.”
Huo Fenghua nodded. “When you’ve decided, give me an answer. It’s getting late, I should return to the General’s Manor, so I don’t arouse suspicion.” As he spoke, he stood, and only when he turned and saw Linglong did he seem to remember something. He reached out, took Linglong’s hand, and held it in his palm as he said to Pan Yuanjun, “I don’t dare bring Linglong into the General’s Manor immediately. I’ll go back and test the waters. But I don’t have anywhere else to settle her in the capital. Commander Pan, do you have an extra residence you could lend me to house Linglong for the time being?”
At first, Pan Yuanjun had brought Linglong because he worried Huo Fenghua was useless, and he’d meant to send Linglong into the General’s Manor as an inside agent. But after this detailed talk with Huo Fenghua, Linglong no longer seemed that important. He hesitated slightly, then said, “I have an empty house in the capital. I’ll give it to you, Young Master Huo. In the future, it can also serve as a place for us to meet and communicate.”
Huo Fenghua brightened. “That couldn’t be better. Many thanks, Commander Pan.”
When Huo Fenghua left the restaurant, he was alone again. Linglong would naturally be settled by Pan Yuanjun. He looked up at the sky and saw the weather was still nice, so he stretched comfortably and headed back toward the General’s Manor.
After returning, Huo Fenghua grabbed a maid walking toward him and asked, “Where’s Young Master Su?”
The maid shook her head. “I don’t know.”
Huo Fenghua let her go and went himself to the inner courtyard where Su Zeyang lived. The courtyard was empty, and the door was shut. He pushed it open, poked his head inside, and called, “Senior brother?”
Unfortunately, there was no one inside.
Disappointed, he turned to leave, only for someone to pat his shoulder from behind. Huo Fenghua startled so hard his whole body jerked. He spun around and saw Su Zeyang standing behind him. He lifted a hand to his chest and said, “Senior brother, why are you scaring me in broad daylight?”
Su Zeyang asked oddly, “You’ve got inner energy, yet you didn’t hear me approach?”
Huo Fenghua said, “You don’t make any sound when you walk. How would I hear you?” Then he reached out and hugged Su Zeyang, saying cheerfully, “I met someone today. Guess who.”
Su Zeyang said, “How would I know who?”
Huo Fenghua tightened his arms around him, stepped forward, and pressed him against the wall. His hands weren’t very well behaved as they kneaded Su Zeyang’s back and slim waist. “You won’t even try to guess?”
Su Zeyang actually thought seriously for a moment, then frowned slightly and asked, “Could it be Wang Anzhi?”
Huo Fenghua said, “Not Wang Anzhi. His cousin, the one named Pan Yuanjun.”
“Pan Yuanjun?” Su Zeyang still didn’t seem very familiar with the name.
Huo Fenghua was about to keep talking when he heard hurried footsteps running toward the courtyard. Reluctantly, he released Su Zeyang and turned to see Liu Yong approaching.
Liu Yong could barely manage a pleasant expression toward Huo Fenghua these days. His voice was hard as he said, “Young Master Huo, the General summons you.”
Huo Fenghua didn’t care about his attitude. “Where is the general?”
“In the study,” Liu Yong replied.
Huo Fenghua nodded. “You go on ahead. I’ll go myself.”
Hearing that, Liu Yong bowed to Su Zeyang and withdrew.
Huo Fenghua took Su Zeyang’s hand. “Senior Brother, will you come with me?”
Su Zeyang pulled his hand away. “He’s calling you, not me.”
Huo Fenghua bent at the waist and leaned close, looking up at Su Zeyang’s face from below. “Jealous?”
Su Zeyang didn’t answer. He only looked at him, long lashes trembling lightly. Huo Fenghua’s heart itched at the sight. He leaned in and kissed Su Zeyang. The kiss was wet and sticky, and they only separated once both their breathing were ragged.
Huo Fenghua bit Su Zeyang’s ear and murmured, “I’m going now.” Then he waved and ran out of the courtyard.
He jogged all the way to Feng Tianzong’s study door, lifted his leg, and kicked it open. After stepping inside, he immediately became well behaved, reached back to shut the door, and walked slowly up to the desk. “General, you wanted to see me?”
Feng Tianzong sat behind the desk in a broad wooden chair, arms crossed over his chest. “Where did you go today?”
Huo Fenghua said, “Didn’t you send someone to follow me? Why ask me?” He raised his brows at Feng Tianzong with a grin.
Feng Tianzong’s tone was serious, though his expression was gentle. “What did Pan Yuanjun say to you?”
Today Pan Yuanjun had rented out the entire second floor of the restaurant. Aside from their private room, every other room was empty. The shadow guard Feng Tianzong sent had hidden on the roof, not daring to get too close for fear Pan Yuanjun would notice, so he hadn’t heard their conversation clearly.
Huo Fenghua still smiled. He suddenly took off his shoes, braced his hands on the top of the desk, and climbed onto the redwood table. Sitting cross-legged facing Feng Tianzong, he said, “Pan Yuanjun asked me to bring someone into the General’s Manor, to act as their inside agent.”
Feng Tianzong glanced at his feet. Huo Fenghua didn’t like wearing socks, since the socks of this era felt strange to him. He usually wore boots barefoot. Now that he was sitting cross-legged on the desk, his bare feet were right in front of Feng Tianzong.
Huo Fenghua didn’t care and continued. “So I thought, this is a chance. We can play an undercover game. I agree to be their inside agent, and whatever information you want them to know, I’ll feed them.”
Feng Tianzong nodded. “Not bad. Anything else?”
Huo Fenghua smiled. “Then I thought, since the opportunity’s right in front of us, we can also get the Wang family to do something else on the side.”
Feng Tianzong asked, “What?”
Huo Fenghua whispered, “Rebellion. Don’t they want you dead? I’ll have them contact Shao Feijie and collude with the Xichou remnants. We’ll treat it as the condition for me acting as their inside agent. Once they obtain a secret letter of contact from Shao Feijie, we can submit it to the emperor as evidence of treason!”
Feng Tianzong reached out, took one of his hands, and gently rubbed it in his palm. “The idea’s good, but have you considered that this would drag you into it too, and you wouldn’t be able to get out clean?”
Huo Fenghua had already thought of that. “By then I’ll already be dead. We agreed, I’ll fake my death and escape. When the evidence of the Wang family colluding with Xichou is placed before the emperor, I’ll already be gone, dead as a doornail, body burned to ashes.”
Feng Tianzong seemed to fall into thought. Then he said, “You’re part of my Feng family. Do you think if you die and wash your hands of it, we’ll be able to escape the connection?”
Huo Fenghua hadn’t considered that angle. He focused and thought for a moment, then said, “The emperor issued the decree forcing me to marry in. Everyone in the capital knows you don’t like me. This shouldn’t fall on you.”
Feng Tianzong grabbed his foot and dragged him closer. Huo Fenghua let him, hopping down from the desk into the broad chair and settling into Feng Tianzong’s arms, his feet propped on the edge of the seat.
Feng Tianzong wrapped one arm around him, still toying with his foot with the other hand. “What if the emperor uses this as an excuse to strip me of military power?”
Huo Fenghua said, “If that’s really the case, then with or without this, the emperor can always find a reason.”
Feng Tianzong buried his face against Huo Fenghua’s neck. After a moment he said, “Put everything else aside for now. Let’s move directly to the last step of the plan.”
“What?” Huo Fenghua didn’t understand.
Feng Tianzong’s voice was a little hoarse as he spoke by his ear. “Let you fake your death and send you away.”
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