Chapter 1134

Li Chenzhou shook his head and said: "Father, you have always been the great hero in my heart; Grandfather, before his death, specifically said that you were his most beloved son and also his greatest pride in this life!"

Wen Chenghuan burst into tears here, father and son helped each other up. Wen Chenghuan pointed to the unfinished bird-and-flower painting on the desk and said: "That painting was personally painted by your brother before he went to Da Yong on a diplomatic mission; it seems there is no chance to finish it now."

Li Chenzhou comforted: "The dead cannot be revived; Father, you need not remain immersed in grief forever."

Wen Chenghuan let out a long sigh, went to the bookshelf, turned the mechanism, opened the secret room's door, brought Li Chenzhou into the secret room; apart from him, only his two sons had ever come here.

Father and son first came to the memorial tablet of Li Xuan'gan, offered incense to comfort his spirit in heaven, Wen Chenghuan respectfully said: "Father, I have finally reunited with Chenzhou; if you are aware in the afterworld, you may rest in peace."

Li Chenzhou followed his father, kowtowed three times before his grandfather's tablet, offered incense, then father and son moved to the side and sat down.

Wen Chenghuan said: "Son, Long Xuan'en has already made up his mind to reject Da Yong's peace terms; he must have seen Da Yong's current situation clearly, and it is unlikely to provoke war in the short term."

Li Chenzhou nodded; Long Xuan'en is even more cunning than he expected, and his judgment of the current situation is also very accurate.

Wen Chenghuan sighed and said: "How could the late emperor have passed away so suddenly? When I left Da Yong back then, the late emperor personally told me in my presence that in his lifetime he would surely sweep Jiangnan and unify the Central Plains; I never expected the late emperor's grand ambition to go unfulfilled as he died before achieving it." Speaking of this, he let out another sigh.

Li Chenzhou said: "Heaven has unpredictable storms; people face sudden fortune or misfortune; the Emperor's passing was indeed abrupt."

Wen Chenghuan, reminded by these words of his already tragically deceased son Wen Bohuan, whispered softly: "How is Bohuan?"

Li Chenzhou said: "I have properly buried him; Father, you can rest assured."

Wen Chenghuan pressed his lips and said: "Bohuan was killed by Hu Xiaotian; in my lifetime I will surely eliminate this villain to avenge Bohuan!" Although he had no concrete evidence, he could still conclude that his beloved son's death was inevitably related to Hu Xiaotian. He had long harbored the desire to kill Hu Xiaotian, but each attempt failed to put Hu Xiaotian to death, instead watching Hu Xiaotian's power grow day by day, which left Wen Chenghuan feeling helpless and sorrowful.

Li Chenzhou said: "Father, leave this matter to me to handle."

Wen Chenghuan said: "Hu Xiaotian is no ordinary man; he now controls the three cities of Yongjiang, his strength far surpasses what it once was. I never expected that the foolish emperor would reject Da Yong's peace terms."

Li Chenzhou said: "He must have obtained some definite information."

Wen Chenghuan furrowed his brows and said: "Chenzhou, is the new ruler's power not yet secure?"

In front of his father, Li Chenzhou certainly would not conceal anything; he nodded and said: "Although the Crown Prince has ascended the throne as he wished, he cannot win the confidence of the officials; many at court support the Seventh Prince, Xue Daoming."

Wen Chenghuan sighed and said: "I suspected that there must be internal trouble in Da Yong; otherwise, Hu Xiaotian would not have gotten an opportunity."

Li Chenzhou said: "Fortunately, the Grand Empress Dowager supports from behind, so the court will not see any turmoil; however, after the new ruler took the throne, these two battles were fought too rashly. Not only did they fail to win the officials' confidence through these wars, but they also made many people see the Emperor's shortcomings."

Wen Chenghuan said: "Our Li family has always supported the Crown Prince. Chenzhou, you must certainly help the Emperor consolidate his power."

Li Chenzhou said: "Good, the Emperor can listen to my words; the matter concerning Hu Xiaotian seems to be put on hold for now."

Wen Chenghuan said: "A gentleman may take ten years to exact revenge; it is certainly not permissible to let our Li family's personal grudge ruin state affairs."

Li Chenzhou gazed at his father, his eyes filled with reverence; his father had devoted his youth to the country, even concealing his name and sacrificing his own son's life, all for the single word loyalty; his father's greatest hope in life was to see Da Yong unify the Central Plains, so that he could return to Da Yong openly as a descendant of the Li family. Looking at his father's graying temples, he wondered whether heaven would still grant him so much time.

Wen Chenghuan said: "Hu Xiaotian has just promised to supply the capital with three hundred thousand shi of grain; this lad is indeed clear-headed, understanding the principle that an innocent man who possesses a jade invites crime; he seized the Donglo granary, obtaining so much grain and fodder, which is a major headache; besides keeping what he himself needs, he sent all the rest to the court, thereby dispelling suspicion of possible rebellion and also shifting blame, earning a reputation of loyalty and patriotism within Da Kang Guo."

Li Chenzhou said: "Hu Xiaotian's luck is not bad; if it weren't for the sudden trouble made by the Black Hu in Bei Jiang, he would not have gotten a chance to catch his breath."

Wen Chenghuan said: "This lad must not be underestimated; remember, after Da Yong's situation stabilizes, the first step will be to eradicate him."

Li Chenzhou nodded.

Wen Chenghuan said: "Chenzhou, all the secrets of Dakang that I have mastered over the years are right here; I will tell them to you one by one!"

Whoosh! A feathered arrow shot toward the snowfield like chasing wind and lightning; the originally motionless brown speck in the snowfield suddenly leapt out—it was a wild rabbit, which, by instinct, reacted to announce that the arrow had missed.

Hu Xiaotian panicked, quickly nocked another arrow, preparing to shoot again, but had already missed the target. Bang! The bowstring sounded at his side; Zhan Peng timely shot an arrow, which hit the mark, and the distant brown speck came to a halt.

Hu Xiaotian burst out laughing, gave Zhan Peng a thumbs-up; although Zhan Peng had taught him many archery skills during this period, Hu Xiaotian's progress was extremely slow, and he said: "Brother Zhan, I fear I will never master the skill of piercing a willow leaf from a hundred paces in this lifetime."

Zhan Peng laughed and said: "Nothing but practice makes perfect!" As he spoke, he couldn't help recalling the story of the oil seller that Hu Xiaotian had just told him.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Many things still depend on talent; I truly lack talent in archery."

Zhan Peng said: "My lord merely lacks sufficient training; given time, he will surely make a breakthrough." Recently, most people have started addressing Hu Xiaotian as "my lord."

Hu Xiaotian, however, did not believe he could make much of a breakthrough in archery; after practicing for so many days he still showed little progress, indicating he indeed lacks great talent in shooting; he gave the reins a shake, and the little gray horse neighed, galloping toward the prey ahead; just as he was about to reach the quarry, a black eagle swooped down from the sky and snatched the rabbit away before him.

Although Zhan Peng had seen the scene earlier, he did not shoot in time, wanting to leave this target for Hu Xiaotian.

Seeing his prey snatched by the black eagle, Hu Xiaotian couldn't help laughing and cursing: "You wretched creature, dare to steal my things!" He reined in the horse, took down the longbow from the saddle, drew a feathered arrow from the quiver, and aimed at the black eagle; by then the black eagle had soared upward, leaving only a tiny black dot in his view; Hu Xiaotian fired two arrows in succession, both missing the mark.

Zhan Peng had also nocked an arrow, ready to supplement with a shot if needed, but just then he noticed a change in the sky: a white light flashed across the horizon, blocking the black eagle's path—it was a strikingly handsome Snow Eagle diving from high altitude; at the instant the black and snow eagles crossed paths, the Snow Eagle struck the black eagle with its wing; the black eagle, vastly smaller than the Snow Eagle, was struck senseless by a single wingbeat and flipped upside down, falling from the air; its claws naturally released the rabbit, which dropped down.

The Snow Eagle instantly changed direction in midair, circled and swooped down, seizing the rabbit in its talons before the black eagle could, then beat its wings and flew upward into the sky.

Hu Xiaotian had originally wanted to shoot, but seeing how majestic and handsome the Snow Eagle was, he thought it a rare creature; killing it would be a pity. Moreover, he had previously seen the feathered demon Li Chang'an riding a Snow Eagle, and this one resembled that eagle in size; Hu Xiaotian not only refrained from shooting himself, but also waved at Zhan Peng, signaling him not to act; Zhan Peng never misses his mark, and at this distance such a large target would surely have nowhere to escape.

Zhan Peng spurred his horse to Hu Xiaotian's side; the black eagle had fallen a distance, soon regained consciousness, let out a piercing cry; the loss and regain of its prey aroused its ferocious nature, and it recklessly lunged at the Snow Eagle.

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought: This black eagle is truly overestimating itself; the Snow Eagle is more than five times its size; even if the prey were taken, it ought to behave wisely, knowing when to advance or retreat; such all‑out struggle is tantamount to seeking death, like an egg striking a stone.

But the situation did not develop as Hu Xiaotian imagined; at that moment, black specks appeared one after another in the sky, and actually more than thirty black eagles emerged simultaneously, forming a line to block the Snow Eagle's path.

Although Zhan Peng came from a hunter's family and had never seen such a scene today, he came to Hu Xiaotian's side, reined in his horse, and exclaimed: "The black eagles and the Snow Eagle are about to go to war!"

As they spoke, the flock of black eagles had already encircled the Snow Eagle, madly rushing toward it; although the Snow Eagle's body was several times larger than a black eagle's, the black eagles completely held the initiative in numbers, and their temperament is extremely ferocious; once engaged in battle, they regard death as homecoming.

The sky instantly became a melee; the Snow Eagle, though brave, was fighting alone and, unwilling to abandon its prey, could only use its beak and wings; the black eagles, though small, were agile, and their cunning nature let them understand coordinated combat—usually a few black eagles would distract the Snow Eagle's attention, then others would frenziedly attack from the left, right, and rear; in a short time, the Snow Eagle knocked out three black eagles with its powerful wings; the black eagles fell straight down, plummeting from high altitude to crash dead on the ground, one of them landing dead beneath Hu Xiaotian's horse.

Shrill eagle cries rang out continuously; black and white feathers flew everywhere, then drifted down slowly like a snowfall of black and white; the battle was indecisive, and the Snow Eagle, being alone and weak, suffered multiple peck wounds, its cries growing ever more shrill. (To be continued~^~)