The Blood Crown - Chapter 296

After Shen Hexuan agreed, Yan Sikong left a letter for A’Li, explaining that he departed without saying goodbye to avoid being stopped, and that he would meet up with She Zhun to head to Liaodong. He asked A’Li to take care of Yingmei and the child in her womb. In the letter, he included two names—one for a boy and one for a girl—that the couple had asked him to choose.

At the beginning, Yan Sikong had helped A’Li settle down so he wouldn’t have to wander anymore. Now that A’Li had a wife and child, he wouldn’t be able to let them go. Yan Sikong hoped they would never meet again, so he wouldn’t bring misfortune to those he cared about.

Yan Sikong’s hands and feet were shackled, and he was thrown into a carriage. Just as he had silently arrived in Bazhou, he now silently left.

Shen Hexuan’s leg, as he had said, was crippled. He needed a crutch to move around. Seeing Shen Hexuan struggle to walk, Yan Sikong felt some guilt, but the guilt couldn’t outweigh his regret—his regret at not killing Shen Hexuan completely.

The journey from Bazhou to Taiyuan was originally only about half a month, but Feng Ye now wielded great power, with spies everywhere. To avoid complications on the road, they dared not dress as officials or stay at inns in the city. They took detours along smaller paths instead of the main roads, traveled by night, and moved very slowly.

Yan Sikong had been looking for an opportunity to escape, but Shen Hexuan guarded him closely, with someone watching him at all times.

One day, while resting in the mountains, Shen Hexuan asked Yan Sikong to play a game of chess with him.

Yan Sikong raised his hands. “You want me to play chess with you while wearing shackles?”

“What’s the problem? You only need to move your fingers.” Shen Hexuan gestured to his head. “And this.”

Yan Sikong lowered his hands and sat across from Shen Hexuan. “I haven’t played chess in a long time.”

“Neither have I.” Shen Hexuan lightly fiddled with a white piece. “A game is most enjoyable when the opponent is evenly matched. It’s boring if one always wins.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Yan Sikong picked up a black piece with his long fingers. “I’ll take the first move, then.” He placed the black piece in the corner.

Shen Hexuan picked up a white piece and placed it in the opposite corner, diagonally across from the black piece.

“Have you been keeping up with the state of the world while recovering from your injuries?” Shen Hexuan asked.

Yan Sikong replied lightly, “She Zhun delivers intelligence to me from time to time.”

“Then you must know what the world has become under Feng Ye’s regency.”

“Indeed, the current situation is tumultuous, and his actions are highly criticized. But the root cause doesn’t lie entirely with him. Were it not for internal turmoil and external threats, with so many advisors at his side, he wouldn’t be incapable of governance.” Yan Sikong had no intention of defending Feng Ye, but the facts were the facts. Feng Ye was not a wise ruler, but he wasn’t a fool either. Yet with constant internal and external threats, how could he focus on governing?

“You’re well aware of what will happen with Feng Ye in power. Right now, warlords everywhere are consolidating their power. The capital is in such a state—localities must be even worse. General Zhao has passed away, Liaodong is in crisis. Within a year, the country will surely descend into chaos.” Shen Hexuan placed a decisive move on the board.

Yan Sikong said in a low voice, “I know.”

Shen Hexuan sneered, “You know, yet you still sent him into the Forbidden City. You know, yet you still burned Prince Chu’s grain supplies.”

“With or without me, Feng Ye would likely have won. Without me, he wouldn’t have had Prince Chu as an opponent, and he might have won even sooner.” Yan Sikong held a black piece, contemplating where to place it. “I once thought I could steer the course of events single-handedly, with Prince Chu as emperor and myself and Feng Ye as his advisors. But in the end, I realized I had overestimated myself. Events are not something that can be controlled by human effort alone. Chess is played on a single board with black and white pieces, where I can plan ten moves ahead. But life is full of unpredictable changes, making it hard to foresee even the next step.”

“You’ve thrown the world into chaos. Do you feel even a shred of remorse?”

“The sins I’ve committed and the lives I’ve taken are too numerous to count, and not even nine reincarnations could atone for them. But without me, would the world not have fallen into chaos?” Yan Sikong smiled faintly and placed a piece on the board. “Without me, the eunuchs would have continued to wreak havoc on the empire for at least another decade. Without me, Feng Jianping would still have been unjustly executed. Without me, Chen Mu wouldn’t have been willing to spend his life as an exiled and disgraced crown prince.”

Shen Hexuan looked at the board and said nothing.

“I’ve experienced so much—victories and defeats, rights and wrongs, joys and sorrows—and I’ve come to understand that people in the tide of history are like ladles of water. Some ladles hold more, some less. But even if you throw yourself into it with all your might, at most, you can only create a single ladle’s worth of ripples.” Yan Sikong looked at Shen Hexuan. “Of course, that doesn’t mean we should simply go with the flow. Because one ladle after another, water accumulates into a sea. Some things must be done by someone.”

Shen Hexuan sneered. “Arrogance. You’ve always believed you were saving the world, but have you ever thought about the innocent soldiers who died needlessly? Why must they slaughter one another?”

“I was trying to save the nation from destruction,” Yan Sikong replied calmly, looking at Shen Hexuan. “Great destruction is followed by great restoration, and sacrifices are inevitable.”

“How can you be so sure that all these sacrifices will turn the tide?”

“And how can you be so sure they won’t?”

Shen Hexuan gritted his teeth. “Open your eyes and look at this devastated empire.”

Yan Sikong said indifferently, “You can crawl forward with your crippled body, and I will press on after healing my wounds. Lord Shen, right and wrong may never have a clear answer in this lifetime. Perhaps today’s truths will be refuted tomorrow, or perhaps a hundred or a thousand years later, it will no longer matter. You and I are both players in this game today. Why argue over the present? Let future generations judge.”

Shen Hexuan exhaled heavily. “The only one who can stabilize the country now is Prince Chu. Only if he ascends the throne can he command the court and subdue the warlords. If the Wolf King remains regent, the Da Sheng dynasty will be doomed. You can’t let your personal desires plunge the people into disaster.”

“If Prince Chu were sitting on the throne today, would Feng Ye relent? He would pour everything he had into opposing Prince Chu. The Da Sheng dynasty has reached the end of its rope. If it doesn’t collapse today, it will tomorrow. If not tomorrow, then the day after. Do you think you can keep this disaster contained?”

Shen Hexuan stared at Yan Sikong darkly. “If things are as you say and the two princes are destined to vie for the throne, is this outcome what you wanted?”

Yan Sikong paused. “No.”

“Is letting them fight for imperial power, wage endless wars, and provoke uprisings among the warlords and invasions by barbarians the result you wanted?”

“Absolutely not,” Yan Sikong said firmly.

“The current mess, though not entirely your doing, you undeniably played a significant role in fueling it. You can’t deny that, can you?”

Yan Sikong stared intently at Shen Hexuan. “If Lord Shen has something to say, please speak plainly.”

“You still have a chance to set things right and turn the tide, just as you initially planned—helping Prince Chu ascend the throne.”

Yan Sikong shook his head lightly. “I don’t have the ability to make Feng Ye relinquish supreme power. You know very well that even if Prince Chu were to pay an extraordinary price, defeating the Feng army that has already moved into the Forbidden City is nearly impossible. Better to save our strength and sacrifices. If you could persuade Prince Chu to support the new emperor and assist the current court in uniting the realm, many crises could be resolved.”

“Feng Ye is incapable of governing the country.”

“Feng Ye may not govern well, but the world is not short of capable ministers. The ones Feng Ye has promoted and entrusted with authority are all governing talents I recommended to him. However, the pressures from all sides leave him no room to govern effectively.”

“The Wolf King refuses to yield, Prince Chu won’t back down, and the people of Central Plains slaughter one another. Isn’t that tantamount to opening the gates for the Jurchens?”

“That is precisely why I must go to Liaodong.”

Shen Hexuan sneered. “And what can you do in Liaodong? You, a criminal pointed at by a thousand accusing fingers!”

“Deputy Commander Liang Huiyong of Liaodong is an old subordinate of my foster father. He now holds military authority in Liaodong, and I’m going to assist him,” Yan Sikong said flatly. “Moreover, only by showing myself in Liaodong can I prompt Feng Ye to send troops to rescue it.”

Shen Hexuan squinted. “Are you certain he will send troops for you?”

“To confront Prince Chu and other vassal lords, Feng Ye would never dare mobilize a large army. But if I’m in Liaodong, at least Yuan Nanyu will request reinforcements. At this moment, who else can we count on to save Liaodong? Prince Chu, who can barely fend for himself?”

Shen Hexuan gazed at Yan Sikong for a long time before finally saying, “Fine, I’ll take you to Liaodong.”

Yan Sikong was stunned. “You… why the sudden change of heart?”

“Because I received a military report today. Zhuo Letai has already crossed the Huang River with the Jurchen forces,” Shen Hexuan said solemnly. “Liaodong is on the brink of disaster.”

Yan Sikong’s eyes widened. “But winter has just begun…”

“Indeed.”

“You were testing me just now,” Yan Sikong narrowed his eyes. “Do you think that if Feng Ye sends troops to Liaodong, Chen Mi will march into the Forbidden City?”

“No, I believe that the northern gateway of our kingdom cannot fall. At this moment, that is more important than who sits on the throne.”

Yan Sikong took a sharp breath, his body trembling slightly.

Shen Hexuan continued, “Handing you over to Prince Chu would only serve to threaten Feng Ye, but he would never give up the throne for one man. Liaodong needs you more right now.”

Yan Sikong cast a sidelong glance at Shen Hexuan. “Lord Shen’s lofty sense of righteousness is truly admirable.”

“You don’t seem convinced.”

“I believe you care about Liaodong, but I don’t believe you don’t have ulterior motives to draw the tiger away from the mountain.”

Shen Hexuan curled his lips into a smile. “If I can save Liaodong and reclaim the capital, wouldn’t that be killing two birds with one stone? Feng Ye may not save you or Liaodong, but if there’s a chance to save both, like you, I wager he will deploy his troops. So, delivering you to Liaodong is far more valuable than giving you to Prince Chu.”

“An excellent plan, Lord Shen,” Yan Sikong said, placing a black piece on the board. “But you, too, are a player in this game. Don’t let the forest blind you to the trees. Be careful.” He emphasized the word “careful.”

Shen Hexuan looked down. During their conversation, the black and white pieces had filled the board. Yan Sikong’s final move trapped the white pieces in a corner, sealing their escape.

Shen Hexuan glanced at Yan Sikong.

Both lowered their eyes to study the board, calculating quickly. In the end, Yan Sikong smiled. “I win by half a point. Thank you for the game.” He stood up.

“Yan Sikong,” Shen Hexuan said, “you are nothing more than a fish stranded in a dried-up riverbed, your life hanging by a thread. If I discover any treachery on your part…” He patted his crippled leg. “I won’t hesitate to deal with you.”

Yan Sikong replied leisurely, “Then I must trouble Lord Shen to keep a close eye on me.”

—

So slow today—spent half a day stuck…

The two of them are about to meet.