Seeing the green-robed youth’s hand move again at this moment, Wang Li’s eyes widened immediately as he slapped the table in alarm: “There’s more?”
The green-robed youth shot him a sideways glance and reached up to pick up the water pot beside him to pour water for him.
Wang Li smiled awkwardly and took the ceramic cup, drinking a mouthful to calm his shock. The result was that the water in his mouth was so scalding he grimaced, his mood sinking even lower to rock bottom. His shoulders drooped as he pleaded: “A Luo, you didn’t call me here just to discourage me, did you? I’m going with my father this time. Looking at the situation, I might not be able to return for two or three years.”
This wasn’t an exaggeration. When King Zheng attacked Zhao, the campaign lasted a full seven to eight years on and off. In the end, it was only because his grandfather used a sowing discord strategy to eliminate Li Mu that complete success was achieved. Although Wei was weaker than Zhao, it shouldn’t be underestimated either. The more Wang Li thought about it, the more he felt his future was bleak, unconsciously reverting to his childhood nickname for the young Minister of State.
The green-robed youth smiled and said modestly: “What good strategies could I possibly have? I just have a few small ideas, but they still need more consideration. When General Wang Ben enters Xianyang Palace to receive the tiger tally, let’s meet again in front of the main hall of Xianyang Palace.” Seeing Wang Li’s face light up with joy, he cautiously added a line: “Don’t expect too much.”
Wang Li’s heart settled. This young Minister of State before him had, at the age of twelve, transferred over ten Zhao cities to Qin’s territory without deploying a single soldier. Although in these past two or three years he had remained low-key and inconspicuous while serving as tutor beside the Eldest Prince, staying completely unknown, since he had specifically called him over for a conversation, he must have things figured out.
He was just about to say a few more flattering words when he saw the green-robed youth point at a huge long lacquered box beside the low table and smile: “Junior General, this is your first time on the battlefield. This is a small token of Bi Zhi’s regard.”
Wang Li was extremely satisfied with the title “Junior General.” Although he was currently just a common soldier, like the Meng family’s three-generation tradition of generals, the Wang family now had two generations of generals, so him becoming a general was just a matter of time.
He reached out to lift the lacquered box but misjudged its weight. The first time, he actually couldn’t lift it. He had to increase his strength to hold it in his arms. With this weight and length, could it be a weapon?
As a military general, all had an indescribable obsession and fanaticism for weapons. Wang Li didn’t even have time for polite words before immediately opening the lid of the lacquered box, revealing a jet-black Ever-Victorious Halberd lying quietly within.
“This is… an Ever-Victorious Halberd!” Wang Li couldn’t wait to grasp this Ever-Victorious Halberd in his hands.
The halberd itself was a weapon combining the dagger-axe and spear, appearing as early as the Shang Dynasty. Through the long years, it had evolved into various forms of halberd heads. The Ever-Victorious Halberd was just one form of halberd. This Ever-Victorious Halberd had on one side a crescent arc blade, while on the other side were two crescent arc blades, one large and one small, shaped very much like the bronze script character for “sheng” (克). Bronze script, commonly known as inscriptions, was the bell and tripod script engraved on bronze vessels, originating from the Shang Dynasty with a long history.
The Erya states: Sheng means ke (to conquer).
Hence, the name “Ever-Victorious.”
It was said that in those years, the Ever-Victorious Halberd was very popular in the Shang army for a time because of its auspicious name. However, since that small crescent arc blade was basically useless and made it more like a burdensome trident, it was phased out through time’s winnowing.
If Wang Li hadn’t once looked through weapon catalogues in his father’s study, he wouldn’t have recognized this object.
Just this alone wasn’t enough to make Wang Li overjoyed. This Ever-Victorious Halberd had its shaft and head cast as one piece. Its weight was much heavier than the crescent halberd he usually used, but the thickness of the halberd shaft was uniform throughout—the casting materials must be different. As soon as the halberd body was in his hand, it was as if there was a natural suction force. Unlike bronze’s slipperiness, even when wielded on the battlefield, it wouldn’t easily slip from one’s grasp.
The Wang family was born with divine strength. His grandfather Wang Jian was said to have had tremendous strength in his youth, able to wield an adult’s broadsword at age eight and draw the army’s standard strong bow at age nine. The Azure Dragon Painted Halberd his father used also had extraordinary weight to make it suitable for his grip. Wang Li had always been looking for a halberd of appropriate weight. Unfortunately, halberds had fixed regulations for length and thickness. If too long or too thick, they would be cumbersome instead, better to use a lighter halberd. Though this Ever-Victorious Halberd had an ancient form, its weight and length perfectly matched his grip, scattering his initial thought of politely declining. If not for this place being filled with bamboo slips, Wang Li would have wanted to jump up and try it out.
Seeing Wang Li’s reluctant-to-let-go appearance, the arc at the green-robed youth’s lips deepened as well, as he leisurely picked up the ceramic cup before him and drank.
“Thank you.” Wang Li had never been good with words. The thousand words in his chest ultimately became just three words. He also knew what the other wanted—nothing more than wanting him to support Eldest Prince Fu Su. Only this decision wasn’t his to make for the family. His grandfather Wang Jian had repeatedly warned him not to befriend any prince. After all, the Wang family wasn’t like the Meng family, deeply rooted and extensively networked in Qin. They had no foundation for taking sides.
“I understand your concerns. The Eldest Prince doesn’t even know about this Ever-Victorious Halberd. It’s my personal gift to you, rest assured.” The green-robed youth saw through Wang Li’s worries at a glance and smiled while shaking his head. “Don’t take it today either. Tonight I’ll have someone quietly deliver it to you.”
Wang Li let out an undisguised sigh of relief, but then felt this made him seem rather irresponsible. He dejectedly lowered his head, then immediately raised his eyes with a solemn expression: “A Luo, do you remember when you once asked me whether it was better to do what one should do or what one wants to do?”
The green-robed youth blinked, retrieving from his memory something from several years ago. At that time, Fu Su’s knee was injured and he was punished with copying books and confinement. He had to decide whether to follow him or not, so he was quite moved and had asked several people this question in succession. He had already forgotten how Wang Li answered at the time.
“Only after completing what one should do can one go do what one wants to do.” Wang Li looked at the green-robed youth’s clear pupils and spoke word by word like making an oath: “A Luo, just wait for me.” (→_→Wait for him to come back and marry you?)
After a moment of being stunned, the green-robed youth smiled slightly.
“Alright. You still owe me two things. I remember.”
To avoid suspicion, Wang Li couldn’t stay too long at Gaoquan Palace. After returning the Ever-Victorious Halberd to its lacquered box and replacing it, he got up and left.
The side hall returned to silence. Sunlight streaming through the cracks of the ancient latticed window into the room made visible the dust quietly dancing in the air.
Because of Wang Li’s parting words, the green-robed youth rarely fell into a daze. Back then, Eldest Prince Fu Su hadn’t remained confused for long. Within a few days, he had finished copying the books and returned from Gaoquan Palace to the Warm Pavilion. He didn’t know how Fu Su had sorted out his feelings, only that he had said helplessly that he only had what he should do, and no what he wanted to do.
In the blink of an eye, two or three years had passed, and the green-robed youth hadn’t seen that forlorn, unwilling expression on the Eldest Prince’s face again. But not appearing didn’t mean it didn’t exist.
The tranquility of the side hall didn’t last too long before being broken by the sound of a yawn.
A youth dressed in crimson-purple robes emerged from behind the screen. His features bore some resemblance to Fu Su, but his cheeks still carried some baby fat, making his entire bearing seem much softer—clearly a pampered young master at first glance.
He was seen stretching while humming lightly: “Just do what you want to do. So pretentious.”
Hearing this, the green-robed youth laughed and scolded: “Who could be as carefree as you? Quickly help me find materials on the mountains, rivers, and geography around Wei. I remember it’s on the third bookshelf from the east.”
Ying unceremoniously picked up the ceramic cup in front of the green-robed youth and took a drink of water before skillfully pulling up his long robe and tying it at his waist to prevent the robe from being torn by bamboo slips while walking. In these two years, his A Luo sometimes stayed at Gaoquan Palace and sometimes returned to Luming Residence to accompany him, so he gradually came to Gaoquan Palace too. After all, he had nothing much to do, and he could still do jobs like transcribing or finding materials. After all, Caiwei wasn’t qualified to freely enter and exit a place involving confidential government affairs, but as a member of Qin’s royal family, he could.
However, Ying still didn’t forget to nag: “You’re really giving that Ever-Victorious Halberd to that big lug? Isn’t it from the Mute House collection? Although that Daoist is pretty unreliable, is it really okay to just give things away?”
Ying and Master had found each other disagreeable from the start—probably because… one mountain couldn’t accommodate two gluttons… the green-robed youth silently thought.
“Before Master left, he already entrusted the Mute House to me. The items inside can also be selected and brought out for use. It’s fine.” The green-robed youth pressed against his chest. Under the cover of his lapel, there was a jade ornament.
After the incident of Jing Ke’s assassination attempt on the King of Qin, King Zheng, having brushed with death, ordered construction to begin on the Mount Li mausoleum. Master left Xianyang to participate in the design. Before leaving, when he came to bid farewell, he casually handed over the Mute House to him, also saying that the jade armillary sphere in the silk pouch he had given him earlier was the key to opening the door of the Mute House.
According to Master, his sect enjoyed collecting ancient divine artifacts scattered throughout heaven and earth. After the legendary era of Yan Emperor, Yellow Emperor, Yao, Shun, and Yu passed, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth dissipated. The divine artifacts remaining in the world would have enormous effects on mortals, so they established several treasuries in various places throughout the Central Plains, sealing these divine artifacts within. Of course, divine artifacts only comprised a small portion. Many objects possessed by spirits or that had grown their own spiritual intelligence also belonged to the category needing to be sealed.
The Guangya states: Ku (treasury) means she (house). The character ya (mute) consists of kou (mouth) and ya (second), with ya also indicating the sound. Here kou refers to speaking, and ya’s original meaning is the great inner palace; she means treasury, so Mute House means the emperor’s inner treasury—referring to those treasures that could speak only within the palace walls. That those treasures could all speak shows what extraordinary treasures were collected in that inner treasury. Of course, several other treasuries were built afterward, and with the dynastic changes of Xia, Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn, and Warring States periods, the name Mute House gradually became known to few. It wasn’t until the blue-robed Daoist that the collection of antiques resumed, and the name was used again.
Was it really okay to casually give him something so important?
But since Master was so willful, it didn’t matter if he was a bit willful too.
The green-robed youth took out the silk pouch he carried with him. The silk pouch that had originally wrapped the jade armillary sphere was no ordinary object either. Ling was silk fabric made from pure mulberry silk, its surface presenting a layered mountain-shaped diagonal pattern, named “ling” because “when viewed it resembles the patterns of ice crystals.” Ling had plain and patterned varieties: “Weaving plain designs is called qi, while what shines like a mirror surface with flower and grass patterns is called ling.”
The silk pouch in his hand was woven from multicolored ling silk using varied twill patterns. It was said that this type of silk pouch woven according to special arrangements could not only prevent loss of items inside the pouch but could also serve as a protective amulet, protecting the wearer’s safety.
Both he and Fu Su were deep within the palace—surely they wouldn’t be unlucky enough to encounter another assassin like Jing Ke. In comparison, Wang Li fighting on the front lines was much more dangerous.
An Ever-Victorious Halberd that conquered in every battle, and a silk pouch that could ensure his life would be safe—his investment should be sufficient, right?
He hoped the returns would also satisfy him…