Chapter 4, You are afflicted with the disease of cowardice and weakness

Mr. Liu and County Magistrate Lu are like a turtle gazing at a mung bean, staring at each other. A remarkably handsome young scholar laughed and said with a sharp and sarcastic tone: Although Mr. Liu rarely praises others, the prince has just remarked that County Magistrate Lu and Mr. Liu are of the same kind. Is there not a hint of self-promotion in Mr. Liu's words, akin to a gossipy old woman selling melons and boasting about her own wares?

Upon reaching the summit, Liu Xuanchu entered the magnificent Pingxi Wangfu, where he was arranged by Feng Xiang to temporarily rest in a guest room in the front courtyard. He instructed Feng Xiang to wait patiently while he proceeded alone to the western garden of the Pingxi Wangfu. After a considerable amount of time, two guards finally entered, politely bowing to Feng Xiang and saying, "Lord Lu, please come with us; the prince is waiting for you in Liecui Pavilion." Feng Xiang nodded, making an effort to calm the excitement and nervousness within him before following the two guards out, entering the royal garden of the western courtyard of the Pingxi Wangfu.

While Feng Xiang was explaining, Liu Xuanchu remained silent, his piercing eyes fixed intently on Feng Xiang. After Feng Xiang finished speaking, Liu Xuanchu continued to gaze at him for a long while before finally nodding slightly and saying, "Let us go, I will take you to see the prince." With that, Liu Xuanchu turned without looking back and led the way. Feng Xiang felt a mix of anxiety and uncertainty, unsure if his explanation had sufficed, but he steeled himself and followed Liu Xuanchu up the mountain.

Then the humble servant spoke. Feng Xiang cupped his hands and pretended to be fearful as he said: "However, before I reveal the name of the prince's ailment, I must first ask for the prince's forgiveness for my offense."

"Of course I have said that," replied Wu Sangui, somewhat perplexed. Feng Xiang smiled and then asked the handsome scholar, "May I ask, Mr. Wang, when the prince mentioned the embroidered pillow, did you think of the next line?"

After finally laughing enough, Wu Sangui straightened his body, retracted his smile, and asked Feng Xiang seriously: "Lu Yifeng, I have reviewed the pulse diagnosis you provided to me, and I find it satisfactory. Now I would like to ask you, what illness do you believe I am suffering from?"

Thank you, Mr. Liu. Feng Xiang broke out in a cold sweat, realizing that he had once again walked on the brink of death. He hurriedly clasped his hands in gratitude to Liu Xuanchu and, trembling, asked, "Mr. Liu, since you are aware of these matters, why do you still suspect that I am an agent or spy sent by the court?"

In response to Mr. Liu, prior to April of this year, among the twenty-one official gazettes from the court, seven have successively involved matters concerning Yunnan and Guizhou. Feng Xiang was not modest, and directly answered truthfully: "Among these, four gazettes mentioned that the weather in the Yunnan and Guizhou regions has been favorable, border troubles have been eliminated, and the country is peaceful and the people are secure; in the other three gazettes, two mentioned the pacification of the local chieftains in Yunnan and Guizhou, who accepted the jurisdiction of the court; the last gazette included an excerpt from a memorial by Wang Xu, the Deputy Minister of Revenue, stating that the salaries and military pay for Yunnan and Guizhou require over three million taels of silver, with local tax revenues accounting for only one-tenth of the expenditures, and the remaining expenses must be covered by other provinces. The expenditures are indeed enormous, hence the request to the court to reduce the stationed troops in Yunnan and Guizhou and to streamline the number of officials in these two provinces to alleviate the financial burden of Yunnan and Guizhou."

Hahaha... The others present burst into laughter, and Wu Sangui, who was already accustomed to his subordinates bickering among themselves, couldn't help but smile, while Liu Xuanchu's expression grew serious. At that moment, Feng Xiao suddenly cupped his fists towards Wu Sangui and respectfully asked, "I, Lu Yifeng, dare to ask Your Highness, have you ever mentioned the phrase 'embroidered pillow'?"

Oh, then I must seek your guidance. Liu Xuanchu inquired: "Lord Lu, how did you analyze the prince's affliction from those trivial details?"

"What?" As Feng Xiang's words fell, the expressions of everyone present, including Liu Xuanchu, changed. Wu Sangui was first taken aback, then suddenly jumped up, his face pale with rage, and shouted: "What did you say? Am I a coward? A weakling?! When I was on the battlefield chopping people down, your father was still nursing in your grandmother's arms. How dare you say I am a coward? A weakling?!"

"Which sentence?" The handsome scholar was also taken aback. Liu Xuanchu, who had just been sulking beside him, suddenly laughed, "Mr. Wang, the next line after 'embroidered pillow' is usually 'a bundle of straw inside.' Occasionally, some people say it even more directly: 'embroidered pillow—straw bag!' But don't take it to heart, I can assure you, the prince is definitely not talking about you, and Lord Lu has no such intention either, it's just an association, an association, ha ha ha ha... But don't take it to heart, I can assure you, the prince is definitely not talking about you, and Lord Lu has no such intention either, it's just an association, an association, ha ha ha ha..."

Is that so? Did you really say this to Lu Yifeng? Everyone loves to hear good words, and although it is well known that Feng Xiang's words are mostly meant to flatter himself and Wu Yingqi, Wu Sangui still laughed heartily and turned to his second son, Wu Yingqi, and asked. On the other side, Wu Yingqi had not seen the smiling face of his traitorous father for several days, and seeing Wu Sangui so happy, he dared not miss the opportunity to flatter him, quickly nodding and bowing as he replied: "Replying to Father, I did convey this to Lord Lu, but I did not expect that Lord Lu would actually take my words to heart." On the other side, Wu Yingqi had not seen the smiling face of his traitorous father for several days, and seeing Wu Sangui so happy, he dared not miss the opportunity to flatter him, quickly nodding and bowing as he replied: "Replying to Father, I did convey this to Lord Lu, but I did not expect that Lord Lu would actually take my words to heart."

"But the official gazette also states that Wang Xu's memorial has been rejected, doesn't it?" Liu Xuanchu asked with keen eyes. Feng Xiang smiled slightly and replied, "Mr. Liu, since the court has rejected Wang Xu's memorial, why publish its contents in the official gazette? Furthermore, the official gazette also mentions that the border troubles in Yunnan and Guizhou provinces have been eliminated and that the local chieftains have been assimilated. Does this not imply that Yunnan and Guizhou provinces no longer require such a large military presence? Mr. Liu, if I connect these points together, along with the news of the prince's request to relinquish the governing power over Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, can I not analyze the prince's underlying concerns?"

Since you are not a spy sent by the court, how did you come to know that the prince suffers from a heart ailment? Liu Xuan asked calmly: You, a scholar from Dali, an acting county magistrate, have never left Yunnan and have never been in contact with confidential court documents, how could you know about the prince's heart ailment and the books?

"Damn! I used to be much more handsome than I am now!" Feng Xiang's shameless heart roared—truth be told, if it weren't for that disgusting golden rat tail on his head, this body of Feng Xiang's, although fair and plump, was still a couple of points more handsome than his past body, which was dark and thin. Liu Xuanchu smiled and replied, "Your Highness flatters me, but County Magistrate Lu is indeed a rare young hero, well-educated and talented. I hope Your Highness will treat him kindly."

"Mr. Liu," the younger generation deduced from the official gazette published by the court this year. "" Feng Xiang replied honestly. This time, Liu Xuanchu was taken aback, and after a moment of astonishment, he asked in surprise, "The official gazette publicly released by the court? Aside from a few excerpts from officials' memorials, it mainly contains news about the Emperor's sacrifices to heaven and ancestors. How could you discern the prince's concerns from it?"

After walking along the winding flower path paved with marble for quite some time, Feng Xiang was led by two guards to a large, neatly manicured lawn. At the edge of the lawn stood an exceptionally magnificent pavilion, where a man in his fifties sat. He wore a plain yellow satin robe and had a handsome face, with a prominent scar running down the bridge of his nose. Surrounding him were six or seven people, some sitting and some standing, of various ages and appearances, both handsome and unattractive. Among them were Liu Xuanchu and Lu Yifeng, who recognized Wu Yingqi from their memories, all of whom were looking at Feng Xiang with unusual gazes. Feng Xiang first cursed in his heart, calling him a treacherous dog, then quickly stepped forward, knelt on both knees, and bowed, saying: "I am Lu Yifeng, the county magistrate of Yunnan, paying my respects to His Highness the Prince of Pingxi of the Qing Dynasty. May Your Highness enjoy eternal peace and prosperity." In the end, Feng Xiang added silently in his heart, "Treacherous dog, one day I will have you executed!"

I certainly know this," Liu Xuanchu said calmly. "It is precisely because I learned from the Second Prince that you are the western selection official promoted by the Prince, a native of Dali Prefecture in Yunnan, that I strongly advised the Prince to meet with you. Otherwise, Wang Shirong had already suggested to the Prince to execute Lord Lu immediately to eliminate future troubles.

Feng Xiang did not respond, first glancing left and right. Wu Sangui understood Feng Xiang's thoughts and said lightly: "There is no harm in speaking frankly. Those present here are either my trusted confidants, or my brothers or sons, all of whom can be relied upon"

"Be at ease." Wu Sangui, who was seated in the center, said lightly, "Lu Yifeng, rise and come closer, so that I may take a good look at you."

"Your Highness the Prince," Feng Xiang replied with neither humility nor arrogance, "I serve as an official for Your Highness and the Second Prince, holding the position of County Magistrate of Qujing. As long as I remain wholeheartedly loyal to Your Highness and the Second Prince, and dedicate myself to my duties, I believe that neither Your Highness nor the Second Prince will treat me unfairly or cause me any grievances." After saying this, Feng Xiang added with a smile, "When the Second Prince decided to appoint me as the County Magistrate of Qujing, he also mentioned that as long as I am loyal to Your Highness, I need not fear anything. Therefore, I have nothing to fear." Feng Xiang smiled again and reiterated, "When the Second Prince decided to appoint me as the County Magistrate of Qujing, he also mentioned that as long as I am loyal to Your Highness, I need not fear anything. Therefore, I have nothing to fear."

Hahaha. The complexion of the handsome scholar changed from white to green, and the few people beside him were momentarily stunned before bursting into laughter. Wu Sangui was also laughing so hard that he doubled over, pointing at Feng Xiang and jokingly scolding, "Good lad, no wonder you are favored by Mr. Maoxia, you truly are cut from the same cloth! However, you little rascal, as soon as you entered the Prince of Pingxi's residence, you dared to offend Mr. Wang Shirong. Don't you know that Mr. Wang is also my right-hand man? When you were the county magistrate in Qujing, weren't you afraid he would make things difficult for you?"

"Mr. Liu, what kind of joke is this?" Feng Xiang shouted in protest, his face filled with sorrow as he replied, "I am a junior official from the Western Selection, and a native of Dali Prefecture in Yunnan. I have never stepped outside of Yunnan, so how could I possibly be a spy sent by the court?"

"Enough talk, stop being verbose," Wu Sangui waved his hand, displaying an expression of impatience. Feng Xiang clasped his fists in gratitude once more, stood up straight, cleared his throat, and then said seriously: "Your Highness, I believe that you are suffering from a disease of timidity! To put it more simply, it is a disease of cowardice! A disease of weakness!"

"Mr. Wang, did I say such a thing?" Liu Xuanchu calmly retorted. The handsome scholar laughed even more joyfully and replied, "Mr. Liu, please do not misunderstand. I did not say that you said such a thing yourself; I merely suggested that there is a possibility, a possibility indeed."

It is quite simple, to analyze. Feng Xiang said with a hint of pride: "Mr. Liu may not be aware that various so-called secrets can actually be discerned from public channels to at least eighty percent. The younger generation relies on these seemingly trivial details to analyze the root of the prince's concerns."

Not bad. Wu Sangui nodded and for the first time in several days praised Wu Yingqi, saying: "The local officials selected this time are somewhat decent, at least they are not like that salt county magistrate last time, who dared to take eight taels from me while only paying ten taels in salt tax! In the future, when selecting people, we need to be more discerning like this time, and choose more talents like Lu Yifeng." Wu Yingqi smiled in agreement and nodded at Feng Xiang to show his appreciation. The several trusted confidants of Wu Sangui present also wore smiles, knowing that Wu Sangui's mood had improved, and the difficult days they had endured recently seemed to be seeing a turning point. Only Wang Shirong had a sullen expression, glancing at Feng Xiang, practically wishing he could kick that bastard Feng Xiang to death.

"Thank you, Prince Xie." Feng Xiang cursed inwardly once more before standing up and cautiously walking ten steps to stand before Wu Sangui, allowing Wu Sangui to scrutinize him closely. After a moment of observation, Wu Sangui suddenly turned to Liu Xuanchu and smiled, saying: "Mr. Maoxia, no wonder you admire this Magistrate Lu; he is indeed like you, a person whose appearance does not reflect his true worth. Though he seems ordinary in looks, he actually harbors great strategies and possesses abundant talents. If it were not for your prior mention of Magistrate Lu's remarkable qualities, I might have misjudged him this time."

"Your Highness, this Lu Yifeng is clearly mocking you!" Wang Shirong seized the opportunity to exclaim, "The student believes that we should immediately take this Lu Yifeng out and behead him, so he can see whether Your Highness is bold or timid!" Having said that, Wang Shirong disregarded whether Wu Sangui agreed or not, and directly shouted, "Someone, take this Lu Yifeng out and behead him!"