Tonight, Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong had originally planned to host Wei Qun and Song Hongzhong as company in the Eastern Garden while entertaining the Chu envoys Han Qian and Guo Rong. With snow still falling, naturally the drinking would continue.
Just as Jing Qiongwen was about to leave, he bowed to Han Qian and asked, “The opening line of your new verse has such magnificent spirit. May I ask Lord Han, has this Niannu Jiao been completed? Would you allow this humble one the pleasure of appreciating it?”
“The Marquis and the Princess are wondering from whom I copied this line of verse. How would I dare commit such shameless acts further?” Han Qian said with a mocking smile.
Marquis Changxiang’s face reddened, thinking to himself whether his suspicion had been too obvious earlier.
Princess Qingyang’s beautiful eyes turned to gaze at the night snow beyond the railings, her meaning clear—that Han Qian’s verse line was copied from someone else.
Jing Qiongwen laughed heartily. Just as he was about to take his leave, Han Qian bowed in invitation: “Would Master Jing stay and drink a cup of wine?”
“Even if the new verse is only this one line, it’s worth drinking two more cups.” Jing Qiongwen took the opportunity to sit down again and asked Wei Qun, Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial, with a smile, “What say you, Minister Wei?”
“The opening line of the new verse is naturally exquisite. It truly is difficult to compose a matching couplet on such short notice,” Wei Qun said with a smile.
“Shu wine is too mild and lacks vigor. For this mission to Shu, besides Yandang Spring, I’ve also brought a type of new Spring Plum wine. This new wine is produced in very small quantities, so I couldn’t present it to the State Master. Would the Marquis and Master Jing like to sample it privately?” Han Qian asked with a smile.
“I too am a lover of fine wine. That would be most excellent,” Jing Qiongwen said.
Han Qian indicated for Xi Ren to personally go to the Southern Garden to fetch the wine and vessels.
After Marquis Qingjiang and the others departed, the top floor seemed even more spacious. Though braziers stood in the four corners, with the railings on all sides lacking doors and windows for shelter, the cold wind still penetrated to the bone.
When Xi Ren returned with the Spring Plum wine, everyone moved to an elegant room on the second floor with west-facing windows for their gathering.
The so-called Spring Plum wine was simply traditional fruit wine that had undergone distillation and purification, with added white sugar and other ingredients to increase sweetness. It tasted excellent, and upon entering the mouth, one could barely sense how potent the alcohol was. It could be said to intoxicate without one’s awareness.
As everyone exchanged cups, Wei Qun, whose tolerance for alcohol was the weakest, couldn’t even finish seven cups before rolling under the table, requiring his attendants to help him down to rest. Then Guo Rong, Song Hongzhong and the others successively passed out drunk. At this point, Han Qian signaled for Feng Yi and the others to leave, making it convenient for him to speak privately with Marquis Changxiang and Jing Qiongwen.
“What’s going on? How did they get drunk so easily while we’re fine?” Jing Qiongwen asked in surprise.
“The trick lies in this Mystery Pot,” Han Qian said, pointing to the silver wine pot Xi Ren held. “This Mystery Pot has a hidden compartment inside that can hold two types of wine. The mechanism is on the inner side of the handle. With a light touch, the person holding the pot can switch between different wines to pour into the cups—even if it contained poison wine, people could be fooled into drinking it without any awareness. Seeing Master Jing so surprised, the Divine Mausoleum Bureau probably doesn’t possess such ingenious and excessive implements?”
Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong and Jing Qiongwen looked at each other, sweat beginning to form on their backs.
They both feared others poisoning them, but even Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong couldn’t possibly never dine outside. Usually he could only be extremely careful.
But no matter how careful they were, they had watched with their own eyes as Han Qian drank from the same pot as them. How could they have imagined there was a hidden mechanism inside the wine pot?
This time Han Qian had placed two types of wine in the Mystery Pot, using strong liquor to first get Wei Qun, Guo Rong and the others drunk to facilitate private conversation. But if the other type hidden in the pot had been poison wine, wouldn’t others die from the poison after returning home without anyone necessarily realizing Han Qian had administered it?
Han Qian smiled inwardly. Little specimens, without showing something real, I truly couldn’t intimidate you!
Without minding their faces full of surprise, Han Qian continued with a smile: “When the previous dynasty fell, I thought the Divine Mausoleum Bureau had become effectively defunct and fragmented. It wasn’t until the Evening Red Tower earlier tried to obtain the antimalarial medicine formula from me that I realized Jianghuai and Sichuan-Shu still had contact…”
Han Qian wanted to trick more secrets out of Marquis Changxiang and Jing Qiongwen’s mouths, so naturally he wouldn’t admit he had only recently learned about the Divine Mausoleum Bureau from the Third Prince. Nor would he admit that the Third Prince’s knowledge of the Divine Mausoleum Bureau was also quite limited. He only mentioned the antimalarial medicine formula in a very casual tone.
Back when Yao Xishui mentioned wanting to obtain the antimalarial medicine formula, Han Qian had guessed that the Evening Red Tower had forces lurking outside Jianghuai. But it wasn’t until the Third Prince told him that the Divine Mausoleum Bureau was a secret organization set up by the previous dynasty’s Emperor Zhaozong using the eunuch collective, and when he set foot in Shu this time and learned that Noble Consort Su and Marquis Changxiang were part of the Divine Mausoleum Bureau, discerning that Noble Consort Su’s death and Marquis Changxiang’s sidelining had other hidden reasons, that he realized it was highly likely that the Sichuan-Shu side needed the antimalarial medicine formula to use in conquering the Liao people located in the southern Sichuan mountains.
Emperor Zhaozong of the previous dynasty secretly established the Divine Mausoleum Bureau with the intention of reducing feudal power and reunifying the realm.
Given the situation in the late previous dynasty, with various powers in Henan, Hedong, Shandong, Youyan and other regions locked in endless conflict, Jianghuai at that time was truly the nation’s most important source of tax revenue, while Sichuan-Shu was the imperial family’s back garden for frequent refuge during rebellions. With limited resources, the Divine Mausoleum Bureau could only focus its southern operations on Jianghuai and Sichuan-Shu; going further south would have no practical significance.
Therefore, Han Qian guessed that when the Evening Red Tower attempted to obtain the antimalarial medicine formula, they probably wanted to provide it to Jing Qiongwen and his group.
However, if Han Qian’s guess was wrong, he could completely find an excuse to gloss over it. He himself wasn’t aligned with the Evening Red Tower anyway, so occasionally guessing wrong would be perfectly normal.
Han Qian had obviously guessed correctly. Jing Qiongwen, probably intimidated by the Mystery Pot, completely failed to realize Han Qian’s words were meant to trick him. With a slightly melancholic expression, he said, “Though we come from the same lineage, after fragmenting, in the end everyone just pursues their own interests—the Evening Red Tower demanded too much, we didn’t agree, but we never thought the Evening Red Tower didn’t actually possess the antimalarial medicine formula—these past two years only Xuzhou has had antimalarial medicine flowing out, we should have thought of this long ago!”
Han Qian smiled inwardly. Back then, the Marquis Xinchang’s estate had been nearly drained dry to establish the Dragon Sparrow Army—they really showed no mercy when deceiving old acquaintances. Later, Jing Qiongwen’s side was probably scared off by the Evening Red Tower’s asking price, and Li Pu and Yao Xishui never mentioned the antimalarial medicine formula to him again.
“If the Marquis and Master Jing want the antimalarial medicine formula, I can transcribe it for you right now. But for the Marquis to gain the Shu Master’s recognition, you need unique and profoundly insightful views on the southern Sichuan problem. A single antimalarial medicine formula or a few diagrams of whirlwind cannons are far from enough…” Han Qian said.
Since it was confirmed that Jing Qiongwen and his group wanted to obtain the antimalarial medicine formula, this indicated they had indeed given thought to the southern Sichuan Liao people problem. It also showed that Shu Master Wang Jian’s attitude toward Marquis Changxiang had somewhat softened, only it hadn’t reached the point of entrusting him with important tasks to counterbalance the heir apparent Marquis Qingjiang.
Having grasped Jing Qiongwen’s intentions, and with Han Qian having done thorough homework on the southern Sichuan Liao people problem over these ten-plus days, naturally he now seemed even more confident as he continued:
“Making your Master secretly weary of Marquis Qingjiang is quite simple. Your Master calls himself King rather than Emperor, which already puts him a notch below the Liang and Chu nations. Take today for example—Marquis Qingjiang was mainly unable to gain advantage in the protocols distinguishing between King and Emperor, which is why I could press him into such an untenable position, ultimately forcing him to leave in embarrassment—so it’s only natural that Marquis Qingjiang would harbor some private resentment and have expectations about claiming the imperial title in the future, wouldn’t you say?”
Marquis Changxiang Wang Yong thought indeed so. When Han Qian came as envoy to Shu, he could hold his head high primarily because the Chu Master claimed the title of Emperor, while his father in Shu only claimed the title of King.
In reception protocols, he would inexplicably be a notch lower when going to the Chu state, while Han Qian would be a notch higher coming to Shu. This allowed Han Qian to proudly strike back without giving face to Marquis Qingjiang just now, which couldn’t really be considered a breach of protocol.
If his father claimed the title of Emperor in Shu, Wang Hongyi as heir apparent would tower in status above Han Qian as Shu envoy. If Han Qian behaved too aggressively, it would mean Han Qian didn’t understand the protocols of respecting hierarchy and yielding.
At that point, if Wang Hongyi directly voiced criticism, could Han Qian bear responsibility for rupturing relations between the two nations and petulantly leave Shu?
Jing Qiongwen was also a quick-witted person. After pondering briefly, he realized what Han Qian was suggesting they do:
“Does Lord Han hope we can inadvertently let these complaints from Marquis Qingjiang reach the State Master’s ears?”
Jing Qiongwen was also very clear that within Shu there had always been voices advocating that the State Master directly claim the imperial title, only the State Master had consistently ignored them.
The State Master considered the timing not yet ripe, that Shu’s strength was still too weak compared to Liang and Chu. But those below might not all understand the State Master’s intention to conceal his strength and bide his time. It was human nature that Marquis Qingjiang, having lost such face in today’s setting, would return full of complaints.
Only when such complaints reached the State Master’s ears, the implications would be somewhat different.
“This alone is still not enough,” Han Qian said with a smile. “You must also have Marquis Qingjiang’s people proactively submit memorials mentioning earnest requests for your Master to claim the imperial title. Only this way can you truly make Marquis Qingjiang appear somewhat impatient and cause your Master to become vigilant! Of course, if you have people around Marquis Qingjiang, taking advantage of his anger today to add some provocation would make things even easier to accomplish!”
Jing Qiongwen and Marquis Changxiang exchanged glances. They neither acknowledged nor denied it, which was tantamount to admitting they had usable people around Marquis Qingjiang.
“If merely this, I fear Lord Han’s ambitions for this journey will be difficult to achieve?” Jing Qiongwen’s pupils hesitated as he stared at Han Qian and asked.
By asking this, Jing Qiongwen also revealed that he had previously had opportunity to fully exchange views with Marquis Changxiang, knowing that Han Qian’s most fundamental goal for this journey was to prevent Shu from firmly supporting Third Prince Yang Yuanpu in competing for the throne when great chaos erupted in Jinling.
If it were merely sowing discord between the Shu Master and Marquis Qingjiang, this goal couldn’t be achieved.
“This is a map of the terrain and power distribution of the three hundred seventy-six stockades in the Qianjiang region of southern Ba.”
Han Qian took a finely detailed map from Xi Ren’s hands and passed it to Marquis Changxiang before continuing.
“For this mission to Shu, our first goal to achieve is to strive for both sides to withdraw troops stationed in Xia Prefecture and Jing Prefecture. For our Great Chu, moving Jing Prefecture troops north can strengthen defenses against Liang forces on the northern front. For the Third Prince, when great chaos erupts in Jinling, even if Zhang Xiang doesn’t support him, he cannot let him remain in Jing Prefecture to become an obstruction and threat! Of course, we simultaneously hope that the main force of Shu’s Left River-Guarding Army can withdraw from Xia Prefecture to be used for campaigns against the Wu Liao people in the southern Ba region. This way it can also ensure that when Great Chu experiences internal chaos, Shu won’t develop any unnecessary ambitions. And if this matter is led by Marquis Changxiang, we can be even more at ease!”
Currently, the eight prefectures of Hunan could be said to be Third Prince Yang Yuanpu’s stronghold. If great chaos erupted in Jinling and the Third Prince wanted to lead the main forces of the Left and Right Dragon Sparrow Armies eastward to rescue the sovereign without worries from behind, naturally he must first ensure that the nearby Jing Prefecture and Xia Prefecture had no elite troops from other military forces coveting from the side.
However, regarding the reasons Han Qian stated, Marquis Changxiang and Jing Qiongwen couldn’t dispute them, but judging from their expressions, they didn’t necessarily entirely believe them either.