Chapter 1406: The Agreement Before Leaving the Capital

A moment later, the doubt rising from the depths of his heart made him unable to hold back the question he had always wanted to ask. "You… tell me, what exactly did Third Uncle discuss with you? Why… why are you both acting so strangely!"

Wei Zhongxian looked at the increasingly agitated Qi Wang and slowly sighed. "Very well. Keeping you in the dark all this time hasn't been good. It's time to tell you clearly. That's right, just after we left the capital, your Third Uncle came to me and proposed a deal…"

"A deal? What deal?" Qi Wang's eyes widened.

Could those accusations actually be true? Had Wei Zhongxian bought off Third Uncle, turning him from his escort into his personal guard? If that were really the case… then…

"He told me he felt this assignment was unusual, that I might well be in mortal danger on the road, and that even he and you might not escape unscathed and return to the capital after completing the mission. So he proposed to me that he would use his martial skills to do his utmost to protect me and safely reach the Fengyang Imperial Mausoleum…"

Third Uncle had sensed something was wrong from the very beginning? Qi Wang felt a wave of dizziness.

If that were the case, then why hadn't he told him back in the capital? Why had he kept insisting everything was fine? Third Uncle, was there something you needed to hide from me?

"I was very surprised at the time. I never imagined a minor Embroidered Uniform Guard like him would have such insight…" While Qi Wang was still drowning in tangled thoughts, Wei Zhongxian continued, "Heh, at first I actually didn't hold much hope. Only later did I discover that you two truly possess formidable skills, though your temperaments are also too… no wonder you couldn't rise through the ranks in the Embroidered Uniform Guard and never caught my eye back then."

"He… what did he ask from you?" Qi Wang finally snapped out of it at this point, ignoring Wei Zhongxian's rambling and demanding directly, "What did he want you to give him?"

"All men under heaven are moved by gold and silk; your Third Uncle was naturally no exception." Wei Zhongxian merely smiled faintly. "He protected me with all his heart and might, even risking his life. If not for money, what else could it have been for?"

Blood surged in Qi Wang's heart. He grabbed Wei Zhongxian by the neck and began shaking him.

"You're lying! My Third Uncle is no petty man who forgets righteousness at the sight of profit! He would never stoop to becoming your lackey just for money!"

Wei Zhongxian let the other man shake his body, merely smiling at him, a trace of pity even appearing in his eyes.

"You are right. Your Third Uncle is indeed no petty man. He asked me for money, but not for himself…"

"Not for himself…" Qi Wang repeated in a low voice, his hands slowly coming to a stop.

He understood.

"That's right. Your Third Uncle wanted to use the condition of escorting me safely all the way to Fengyang to earn a large fortune for you." Wei Zhongxian was still smiling, though he had become somewhat dizzy again from the shaking just now. "Most of my money has already been handed over to the court, to sustain Grand Secretary Yang and the others for the court's use. But a little still slipped through my fingers. This little bit means nothing to the court, but to him and to you, it is probably a huge sum… at least enough to allow you, after losing your status as an Embroidered Uniform Guard, to live a passable life elsewhere."

"Third Uncle… Third Uncle…" Upon learning this truth, Qi Wang found himself at a loss for words.

He was both heartbroken that the Third Uncle he had always worshipped and respected would actually make a deal with Wei Zhongxian, that eunuch who had brought calamity to the nation, and secretly grateful that the man cherished him so deeply. These two opposing thoughts intertwined, making his already unstable state of mind even more chaotic.

"I was the one who ruined Third Uncle… I was the one who ruined Third Uncle…" After thinking for a moment, the corners of Qi Wang's eyes glistened with tears. "If not for my moment of impulse, how could I have offended the authorities? Dragging Third Uncle down with me, making him be branded a rebel too… I… I…"

"Young lad, there's no need to be angry about this. I've said it before, it's a good thing for a young man to have fire in his blood! This can't be blamed on you; we all know that. Your Third Uncle was a clever man. He hadn't read many books, but he had talent and vision!" Wei Zhongxian sighed softly, consoling the young man. "Do you know why, from the very beginning, the Embroidered Uniform Guard only sent the two of you to escort me? It's because the Embroidered Uniform Guard knew too many people wouldn't let me off. Sooner or later, they would come for my things and my life, and they didn't want to wade into these murky waters. So they simply threw you two out to be done with it! If I were killed or abducted halfway, you would certainly fail this mission, and then wouldn't you be rebels? So, from the very start, you could only be rebels. The Great Ming has no place for you, nor does it want a place for you."

"The Great Ming… has no place for us?" Qi Wang's mind grew increasingly muddled. He looked up at Wei Zhongxian, his eyes full of confusion. "We served loyally, spared no effort, nearly gave our lives… and yet… the Great Ming has no place for us? How… how is that possible!"

"Young lad, if the Great Ming were a place where loyal and diligent service allowed one to rise and protect oneself, how could you, how could I, how could this entire realm under heaven have fallen to such a state?" Wei Zhongxian shook his head with a bitter smile. "Young lad, just now I praised you; now I must disparage you a little. You, you are just like those scholars who have read themselves dead in their books, stuck rigidly on a single principle! At your age, you should open your eyes and see what this world is really all about… In peaceful times, sticking rigidly to principle would at most keep you from rising. In times like these, sticking rigidly to principle will cost you your life! What's more, in the future you will have a not-insignificant sum of wealth in your hands, so you must be ever vigilant, and not be deceived by the schemes of ghosts and demons…"

As he spoke, Wei Zhongxian reached into his clothes and pulled out a few sheets of paper. "To tell the truth, when I held great power back then, it wasn't that I hadn't thought this day might come. So I made a few preparations, more or less, hiding a bit of retirement money in various places, ready to change my name and hide somewhere should the winds and clouds shift. But… now that this day has truly come, my heart has grown indifferent instead. I don't want to run anymore. Strange, isn't it!"

"What is this…?" Qi Wang looked at the white sheets of paper in his hand and couldn't help asking.

"Didn't I tell you? This is one of the peaceful havens I prepared for myself back then! This one is in Songjiang Prefecture, in Jiangnan. That is a prosperous place! The fat of the land under heaven is all there." As Wei Zhongxian spoke, he handed the papers to Qi Wang. "Written here is the address of a residence. That house has an old loyal servant of mine, and some silver money stored inside. Also written on this paper are some prearranged code phrases. When you get there, exchange the codes with the servant there, and then that house and the silver and jewels stored inside will all be yours. The house isn't large, and the money inside isn't much, but I imagine if you live frugally, you can live a peaceful life for a very long time… In times like these, what thing is more precious than a peaceful life? Take it, live well, and don't let down your Third Uncle's heartfelt intentions!"

Qi Wang still stared blankly at the few pages of paper in Wei Zhongxian's gaunt hand.

Just these few sheets of paper could buy him a peaceful life for the rest of his days—and had bought Third Uncle's life in the bargain?

A sense of absurdity filled his heart.

"Third Uncle… why didn't Third Uncle explain this to me?" he asked hoarsely. "Why did he have to do this alone?"

"Why? Isn't it obvious?" Wei Zhongxian countered. "A straight-talker like you—if you had known about this along the way, wouldn't that have been a disaster? Originally, he planned to keep it from you all along, until the day we reached Fengyang, and he even asked me to help hide it from you. Pity it seems it can't be hidden now. Just as well, it's not too late for you to know now."

"Alright, lad, don't dawdle. Take it." Wei Zhongxian seemed to be growing impatient. He pushed the papers toward Qi Wang again. "Originally, I planned to give this to you after we reached Fengyang, but things being as they are now, let us part ways here. Liu Songping protected me with all his heart and might along this journey, so although he is not here and said nothing to you, I do not intend to break faith with him. Take these, and consider this transaction complete… Take them, quickly shake off the pursuers, then go to Jiangnan, claim those assets, and never return to the capital for the rest of your life. Never again concern yourself with the affairs of the world. Consider this an accounting to your Third Uncle."

"Then you… what will you do?" Qi Wang suddenly asked.

"What will I do?" Wei Zhongxian was first taken aback, then laughed himself. "Of course I must still go to Fengyang. The Son of Heaven ordered me to go; can I not go? As vast as heaven and earth are, do you fear I won't find a road to Fengyang?"

"This… this whole journey, can you still make it?" Qi Wang was somewhat surprised. "You're already in this state. Without us escorting you, how… will you go?"

"Just do my best. If I truly cannot make it, it doesn't matter. Many have fallen along this road; do you fear one more, like me? Alright, take these and leave first. I will set out again after I've rested." Wei Zhongxian was unhurried. "Don't delay. If you are careless and get caught by that gang, how will you enjoy the good days ahead? Quickly!"

When those few pages were thrust into Qi Wang's hands, he took them reflexively.

His hands were trembling, making the pages rustle incessantly, the motion stinging his eyes.

Just like this, forget his origins, forget his aspirations, take these and flee to Jiangnan, and never again concern himself with worldly affairs? Just like this, abandon Third Uncle, abandon the Embroidered Uniform Guard heritage passed down through generations, and hide in some unknown corner to eke out a lingering existence? He had clearly done nothing wrong. Why… why had it come to this?