Chapter 8, The Prince and the Master in a Game of Chess, Qin Lei Bribes Zhishan
It was only then that Tie Ying remembered that His Highness had forgotten many things, and he explained with resentment: "Your Highness may not be aware, but the title of Duke Zhi Ge was conferred upon you by the Emperor of Qi when you first arrived in the State of Qi as an infant. Firstly, for one of your high status to be reduced to the position of a duke is a mockery of our Great Qin, suggesting that we are inferior to Qi; secondly, the title Zhi Ge is an insult to our Great Qin, implying that we can only avoid war through women and children." As he spoke, he became increasingly agitated, slamming his palm on the table, causing the dishes to rattle and the soup to splash.
The benevolent smile accepted the gift list, and upon opening it, could not help but gasp in astonishment—five hundred thousand taels! It is important to note that fifty taels of silver could allow a moderately well-off family to live comfortably for a year. What if it were converted into eggs? It seems that the State of Qi does not have that many eggs.
Since that day, Qin Lei had not seen any guests again; he merely occasionally instructed Tie Ying to carry out some nonsensical tasks: for instance, delivering some peculiar weapons and designs for unusual clothing to Shen Luo; going to the market to buy various strange items, such as needles, threads, and spices like Sichuan pepper and star anise. He vaguely sensed that His Highness was still up to something involving martial arts—collecting sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal couldn't possibly be for making firecrackers, could it? Although in Tie Ying's understanding, these items could only be used for firecrackers. He vaguely sensed that His Highness was still up to something involving martial arts—collecting sulfur, saltpeter, and charcoal couldn't possibly be for making firecrackers, could it? Although in Tie Ying's understanding, these items could only be used for firecrackers.
The Iron Eagle was furious, tightly gripping the invitation and saying: "How could this official be so humiliating to others"
... ...
Shen Luo did not accompany Qin Lei to the banquet; he wished to meet someone of even greater distinction
Qin Lei reached out to grab the crumpled invitation, tugging at it a few times in an attempt to smooth it out. After several tries with little effect, he tossed it aside and asked, "What is the reputation of Prime Minister Shangguan in daily life?"
As the training progressed, Qin Lei became increasingly agile, effortlessly dodging without a single drop splashing on him. Qin Lei felt somewhat pleased with his skills; he crossed his legs on the chair, leaned against the backrest, and admired the rare lengthy discourse of Commander Tie.
Qin Lei gently tossed the chess piece into the air and caught it, chuckling, "Who would have thought that the esteemed nephew of the national master would come to my proton residence to serve as a gatekeeper?" He truly did not expect that the soldier he had kicked unconscious that day was actually the national master's nephew.
Before meeting the Prime Minister of the State of Qi, Qin Lei first met with Shen Luo to gain a detailed understanding of the various high-ranking officials and nobles of Qi, and inquired about the progress of the matter, thus formulating a plan in his mind
"When something unusual occurs, it must be a sign of trouble! This is Old Master Shangguan testing us," Qin Lei pondered.
Qin Lei detected a hint of wavering in his words. He nodded to Tie Ying, who was standing behind him. Tie Ying took out a thin gift list from his pocket and presented it before Zhi Shan. He earnestly said: "Ever since I learned of the unfortunate injury to your esteemed son, I have felt deeply unsettled. I have attempted several times to visit and apologize in person, but unfortunately... sigh... I hope this can serve as a small token to help your son recover his strength."
The Prime Minister's residence arrived amidst the muffled laughter of the Iron Eagle
However, this invitation... The Iron Eagle glanced at the pitiful invitation on the table
Noon on August 8th quickly arrived, and Tie Ying, clumsy and awkward, dressed Qin Lei in the ceremonial attire of the noble families of Qi. The elaborate garments were clearly beyond the capabilities of a rough-handed man like Tie Ying; he could not remember whether to fasten the front first or hang the tassels, nor could he figure out where to attach the various jade ornaments. Had it not been for Shen Luo's arrival, the Fifth Prince's first banquet would have been absurdly ruined for such a ridiculous reason. Shen Luo not only helped Qin Lei adjust his attire perfectly but also applied a layer of powder to his face and drew his eye circles. Had it not been for Shen Luo's arrival, the Fifth Prince's first banquet would have been absurdly ruined for such a ridiculous reason. Shen Luo not only helped Qin Lei adjust his attire perfectly but also applied a layer of powder to his face and drew his eye circles.
A deep conversation with Shen Luo dispelled Qin Lei's notion: it is not that he cannot, but rather that he does not wish to. Shen Luo clearly informed Qin Lei that, according to reliable sources, the reason for the Qin state's military action this time is to welcome back the hostage. If he were to disappear without a trace, the Qin state's plans would undoubtedly be affected: if the hostage has escaped, what is the point of welcoming them back
To achieve the utmost virtue in a subtle manner: "Since the benefactor has entrusted this task to me, I shall accept this heavy responsibility."
... ...
Zhi Shan smiled wryly and said, "If it were someone else, the benefactor could strike them without hesitation, but my master's secular nephew is not so easily dealt with."
Not long after the departure of Master Zhishan, Qin Lei instructed Tie Ying to publicly declare that Master Zhishan of the Baoguo Temple had cured his "madness"
Qin Lei took the opportunity to say: "If my younger brother successfully returns to the country, the journey will be long, and naturally, he will travel light. I have some not very valuable calligraphy and paintings, so I trouble the master to take care of them."
"Is it possible to attend without an invitation?" Qin Lei asked weakly
Iron Eagle frowned as he took the invitation stained with oil from Qin Lei's hands. Upon opening it, he saw beautifully written regular script on the tribute cloud paper: "To the Honorable Lord Zhige: I am pleased to announce the birth of my grandson on the sixth day of the sixth month at the hour of the snake. I respectfully request your esteemed presence. Sincerely, Old Man Yunhe."
Thus, the State of Qin needed him to be imprisoned, like a princess captured by a demon, waiting for a prince to come to her rescue. Although Qin Lei was not aware of this, he could not disregard the sentiments of the military. The identity of the Fifth Prince of Qin represented too much for him, something that Qin Lei could not abandon as long as he continued to live in this world
He was a monk, with a square head and large ears, a charming smile, and his Dharma name was Zhishan
Two people are seated opposite each other in a small pavilion, with a chessboard placed on the table. At this moment, the black side's large dragon has been heavily besieged by the white pieces, and it is on the verge of being eliminated
The Prime Minister's invitation is indeed extraordinary; this time, the Golden Guard surrounding the Proton Mansion did not obstruct the Proton's carriage, but instead dispatched half a battalion of soldiers to escort Qin Chuan on his journey
Master Zhishan patted his round belly and smiled at Qin Lei, saying: "Benefactor, you are being overly calculative. Do you not know that taking a step back opens up a vast horizon, and enduring for a moment brings peace and calmness."
Then please restore it to its original state. Qin Lei chuckled and went to take a nap
... ...
Qin Lei stood up and stretched his arms, saying: "Such a person who values their reputation the most would engage in such a lowly act?"
When Iron Eagle saw Qin Lei donning the peculiar clothes sent by Shen Luo and skillfully attaching the weapons to them, he finally believed that His Highness must have had an extraordinary experience during that fainting spell
Qin Lei is having lunch, and today's main dish is braised deer hooves. The chef from Qi State has good skills, pairing the deer hooves with peanuts, dried chili, chopped chili, red pepper, ginger, scallions, red oil, bay leaves, star anise, salt, and pepper, resulting in tender meat, vibrant colors, and rich flavors. The troops coming out all enjoy this dish
On a noon half a month later, the gatekeeper Qi Bing respectfully handed a gilded invitation to the Iron Eagle
During that conversation, Shen Luo informed Qin Lei that he must personally persuade someone for the plan to proceed smoothly
Qin Lei stood up with a smile, tossed the chess pieces onto the board, took Zhi Shan's hand, and sincerely said, "Then I will rely on you, Master."
Iron Eagle also remarked, "It is somewhat unusual"
Initially, Qin Lei indeed planned to escape from prison armed, and he even rehearsed this scenario several times with Iron Eagle. He estimated that as long as he could restore seventy percent of his strength, relying on his years of special operations experience, the hope of escaping from this flawed prison was quite significant.
After the assassination attempt on Qin Lei, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Qi dispatched a battalion of the Imperial Guard to garrison outside the Proton Mansion, while soldiers would patrol every half hour to check on Qin Lei's condition
Qin Lei twirled the black piece in his hand and smiled nonchalantly: "A few insignificant characters, if they are defeated, so be it. The master is the heir to the teachings of the venerable Huineng, so how could such a trivial matter be beyond his control?"
Having spoken, Zhi Shan departed. After Qin Lei casually discarded a chess piece on the board, the situation unexpectedly turned upside down; the black pieces were miraculously revitalized, and there was no longer any fear of the large dragon being captured. However, Zhi Shan was blocked from seeing this by Qin Lei and did not notice it, while the Iron Eagle, who could see, did not understand the game of chess.
... ...
Qin Lei set down the thoroughly gnawed bone, wiped his hands haphazardly with a towel, took the invitation, glanced at it, and threw it back to Tie Ying, saying: "It seems that this Uncle Shen is quite remarkable, having stirred the largest official in the Qi state in just a few days"
Zhi Shan sneered, "Our young master is indeed a bit reckless, abandoning a good job to spend all day mingling with a group of ruffian soldiers. Experiencing some hardships is not entirely a bad thing."
The Iron Eagle, still seething with anger, waved the invitation that had been crumpled into a dry vegetable, and said in a gruff voice: "Therefore, I, the Great Qin, strongly protest. The State of Qi has never used this title. Who would have thought that today, that old scoundrel Shangguan Yunhe would brazenly write it down on paper? This is truly intolerable! Moreover, sending someone to deliver the invitation is itself an act of contempt! Your Highness, we cannot go!"
"Go, and go joyfully!" Qin Lei declared resolutely
Qin Lei picked up the tea cup and rinsed his mouth, casually saying: "Isn't it just a dinner invitation? Just go." In fact, he didn't quite understand the content of the invitation and could only make a rough guess.
"So where shall we go?" asked Iron Eagle
At noon in early summer, the areas without shade from trees have become somewhat sweltering. On the slowly moving carriage, Qin Lei, wrapped in layers of intricate formal attire, has already begun to sweat. He wondered what material Shen Luo had used, as the makeup on his face surprisingly resisted water; it would surely sell well in the twenty-first century, Qin Lei thought to himself. He noticed the Iron Eagle across from him struggling to suppress a laugh and snorted, "Go ahead and laugh if you want; after all, this time is meant for people to laugh at me." Beneath his calm tone, there was an unmistakable hint of frustration.
Tie Ying thought to himself, "This old official, Shangguan, is known for his wisdom, reputed for treating the worthy with respect, being gentle, courteous, frugal, and is regarded as a model for the world." He did not distort the image of Prime Minister Shangguan despite his earlier anger
"No, it will be turned away at the door," Iron Eagle said with certainty