Chapter 5, Cultivating Thieves with Self-Respect (Part 1)

"I thank His Highness for sparing my life." Feng Xiang left his seat and bowed, feigning gratitude towards Wu Sangui. Beside him, Wu Yingqi curiously asked, "Father, why is it that the same words would have led you to kill Lu Yifeng yesterday, but today you choose not to?"

Because last night, your uncle Mr. Liu Maoxia happened to mention similar words to me, also pointing out that the root of this king's embarrassing situation lies in the overly weak stance taken when requesting to return the local governance authority of Yunnan and Guizhou. Wu Sangui replied calmly: If it were Wang Shirong or Fang Guangchen, I would definitely suspect that this Lu Yifeng was sent by them to assist, but Mr. Maoxia is different; I trust him.

Wu Sangui's body trembled as he lowered his head to gaze at Feng Xiang for a long time, slowly releasing the mouse tail from Feng Xiang's head. He then turned to look at Liu Xuanchu, who nodded calmly in response. Wu Sangui's expression changed, and his snake-like gaze suddenly shifted to Wang Shirong, glaring fiercely at him. Wang Shirong shrank his head, quickly lowering it, afraid to meet Wu Sangui's fierce and menacing gaze. Finally, Wu Sangui turned to leave, speaking without looking back: "Yingqi, bring Lu Yifeng into the west wing of Lie Cui Xuan, and prepare a banquet for him to drink with this king. Also, Mr. Maoxia, you come too."

Liu Xuanchu also discerned the cowardly and timid mentality of the old traitor Wu Sangui. Feng Xiang took a glance at the unassuming Liu Xuanchu, feeling increasingly impressed by this unremarkable, gaunt old man. Wu Yingqi, surprised, asked Liu Xuanchu: "Mr. Mao Xia, could it be? Do you also think my father is cowardly and weak?"

"Does the Second Prince truly have an issue with his eyes?" Feng Xiang asked calmly. "If the Prince's eyes are unwell, then how was he able to clearly see my appearance from ten steps away just now?"

Lu Yifeng, stop talking nonsense to me!" Wu Yingqi followed suit, while killing the chicken and signaling to Feng Xiang, urging him not to implicate himself. He shouted, "Father was compelled to propose the removal of his duties as the governor of Yunnan and Guizhou due to his eye ailment! Hurry, bow to Father and apologize, I can still plead for your life, otherwise, I will personally behead you!

"What?" Liu Xuanchu was somewhat taken aback, thinking to himself that Lu Yifeng must have taken the wrong medicine. Just a moment ago, he had saved him from Wang Shirong's blade, yet he was actually helping to speak in Wang's defense against him? Over there, Wu Sangui was also quite surprised, sitting up straight and asking Feng Xiang, "Lu Yifeng, Wang Shirong just tried to kill you, and you are still speaking for him?"

"Your Highness, I am a straightforward person and believe that the misunderstanding between myself and Mr. Wang is merely a personal matter, which should be resolved privately." Feng Xiang said with an unwavering expression, as if he were being very loyal: "However, as long as what Mr. Wang says and does is beneficial to Your Highness, I, as a subordinate of Your Highness and a Western official who has received the favor of the Second Prince, will certainly support him. I would never let personal grievances interfere with matters of great importance to Your Highness."

The Second Prince said, "The prince is not timid or weak, but rather has shown excessive weakness towards the court, which has led the court to take advantage of him." Liu Xuanchu calmly stated, "Since the end of last year, Kangxi has repeatedly instigated his trusted followers to challenge the prince, aiming to further weaken the prince's power and ultimately create a momentum for the reduction of his fief, establishing a foundation for public opinion. They have made it a point to nitpick and impose various unreasonable demands on the prince. In this situation, the prince did not take a hardline approach to retaliate; instead, he adopted Wang Shirong's suggestion, feigning an eye ailment to request the relinquishment of his authority over the affairs of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces, in order to test the court's true attitude towards him. As a result, this backfired, and this year, the ruling Kangxi...

"Yes." Wu Yingqi let out a sigh of relief, quickly waving away the guard who was holding down Feng Xiang, and personally helped Feng Xiang up. He leaned in close to Feng Xiang's ear and whispered, "You dog slave, you almost scared me to death just now! But consider yourself lucky, you happened to hit the nail on the head. At that time, Liu Xuanchu was also very opposed to Father adopting Wang Shirong's strategy. It seems that Father is starting to regret it now. When we get to the banquet later, be careful with your words, don't speak carelessly like a fool. You are someone I promoted, so you need to bring me honor, don't get me into trouble." Feng Xiang sneered inwardly, but on the surface, he obediently agreed.

At this point, Wu Sangui let out a long sigh and fell silent. Liu Xuanchu beside him continued, "Lord Lu, your analysis is quite accurate. Since the beginning of this year, there have indeed been numerous unfavorable voices against the prince within the court, some of which have been proven to be instigated by those at the very top of the court. It is precisely for this reason that the prince heeded Wang Shirong's misguided advice and proactively submitted a request to the court to relinquish the administrative powers over Yunnan and Guizhou provinces. As a result, things backfired, and the court unexpectedly agreed to it outright. The governor of Yunnan and Guizhou and the military commander of Yunnan and Guizhou's requests to retract the imperial edict were also rejected, which has suddenly placed the prince in a dilemma."

"Come here, throw Lu Yifeng out and behead him!" From the moment Wang Shirong laid eyes on Feng Xiang, he found him displeasing. Seeing Wu Sangui's anger, he immediately became delighted and shouted for the guards of the Wang residence to drag Feng Xiang out and chop him into seventeen or eighteen pieces. Meanwhile, the guards under Wu Sangui reacted almost instinctively, rushing over and, in the blink of an eye, forcing Feng Xiang to kneel on the ground. Fortunately, there was also Liu Xuanchu present, who from the very first glance at Feng Xiang found him quite agreeable. He timely shouted, "Stop, let him go!" The guards under Wu Sangui reacted almost instinctively, rushing over and, in the blink of an eye, forcing Feng Xiang to kneel on the ground. Fortunately, there was also Liu Xuanchu present, who from the very first glance at Feng Xiang found him quite agreeable. He timely shouted, "Stop, let him go!"

At this point, Liu Xuanchu paused for a moment, casting a faint glance at Feng Xiang's expression, and then continued: "Kangxi, the little rascal, accepted the prince's request without hesitation, truly relinquishing this power of the prince, which has led to the prince's current passive and awkward situation"

"Well said, it was not in vain that I promoted you," Wu Yingqi laughed heartily as he patted Feng Xiang on the shoulder, clearly pleased with Feng Xiang's veiled flattery towards him. However, the cunning and shrewd Wu Sangui would not be easily swayed by a few bowls of sweet talk from Feng Xiang. He simply said to Feng Xiang, "It is good that you have this intention, but tell me, how is Wang Shirong's idea, which has put this king in an awkward position, not a bad idea? What is the reasoning behind it?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Sangui and Wu Yingqi were both taken aback, realizing that Wu Sangui had inadvertently revealed a flaw. Feng Xiang truly lived up to his reputation for being bold and meticulous, stating word by word: "Your Highness, perhaps Kunming and the capital are far apart, but as long as there are still people by your side, there is a way from Kunming to the capital, and people will come and go. Whether your Highness's eyes are truly ill, the capital will surely know. I have finished speaking, and whether to kill or to punish, I leave it to your Highness to decide."

Mr. Mao Xia, you need not cover for me any longer; I have indeed been cowardly, which is why I heeded Wang Shirong's misguided advice. Wu Sangui slowly said: 'I originally believed that with the merits I had established for the court, as long as I remained utterly loyal to the court, it would never treat me as a mere pawn to be discarded once I had outlived my usefulness. I thought that a century later, I could achieve a timeless tale of loyalty between monarch and minister with the current emperor. Therefore, to demonstrate my loyalty to the court, in the seventeenth year of Shunzhi, when the court requested that I reduce my troops, I unhesitatingly cut my army from sixty thousand to twenty-four thousand. In the fourth year of Kangxi, I again took the initiative to petition the court to reduce the military, cutting an additional five thousand four hundred men, leaving only seventeen thousand troops to guard the Yunnan-Guizhou region. However, what I never anticipated was that my continual concessions would only lead to the court's relentless encroachment and aggressive demands... Alas!

Led by Wu Yingqi, Feng Xiang passed through a moon gate and traversed a vast expanse of vibrant flowers and plants, arriving at a secluded yet elegant room. Inside the room was a table, with Wu Sangui seated at the head, eyes closed in meditation, and Liu Xuanchu sitting in the second seat, smoking a pipe. Upon seeing Feng Xiang enter, Liu Xuanchu said nothing, merely gesturing with his pipe to indicate that Feng should take a seat at the end of the table. Understanding the cue, Feng Xiang bowed and silently took his place at the end, while Wu Yingqi sat in the third seat. After a brief moment, around ten charming young maidservants entered in succession, carrying dishes and wine, presenting a full table of delicacies before bowing and exiting. It was only when there were just four people left in the room—Wu Sangui, Feng Xiang, Liu Xuanchu, and Wu Yingqi—that Wu Sangui opened his eyes, smiled at Feng Xiang, and said: "Lu Yifeng, you are quite fortunate. If you had spoken those words to me yesterday, I would have certainly had you executed."

"Mr. Liu, I beg your pardon for my rudeness." Feng Xiang finally spoke, astonishing everyone as he said: "I do not believe that Mr. Wang Shirong's strategy is a bad idea, but rather a brilliant move."

In the face of Wu Sangui's death threat, Feng Xiao showed no fear and calmly asked: "Your Highness, if you are not cowardly and weak, why did you submit a petition to the court requesting the transfer of the administrative powers of Yunnan and Guizhou provinces? The court has not issued an edict for you to relinquish this power; why did you take the initiative to propose it? Is this not a manifestation of your cowardice and timidity?"

The two most favored strategists under Wu Sangui simultaneously issued two completely opposite commands, leaving the guards holding Feng Xiang in a difficult position, as they could only turn their gazes towards Wu Sangui, awaiting his final decision. At this moment, Wu Sangui had somewhat regained his composure, striding up to Feng Xiang, he grabbed Feng Xiang's small braid, forcing him to face him, and stared into Feng Xiang's eyes, speaking each word clearly: "Young man, tell this king, where exactly am I cowardly and weak? If you cannot articulate a single word, I guarantee that you will regret being born into this world!"