Chapter 35: The Trap Part 6

“This was the treasure that His Majesty entrusted to me with his life when Shangjing fell.”

Before he finished speaking, Li Er Man had already widened his eyes and beckoned repeatedly for Zheng Yong to bring it over. Wu Yingzong raised a hand to stop him, unwilling to let the seal pass into another’s hands. Zheng Yong was shocked as well—he had never expected the legendary symbol of imperial authority from the Central Plains to appear here!

Wu Yingzong placed the Jade Seal on the table before Li Er Man.

The seal measured nearly a foot square and was engraved with the eight characters: “Received the Mandate from Heaven; May it Last Long and Prosper.” Its knob was formed of five intertwined dragons, with a gold patch on one missing corner. Its four sides bore dense inscriptions in stone drum script, large and small seal script, clerical script, and Liao script—added by the Heavenly Sovereigns of every dynasty through the ages.

The Imperial Jade Seal rested quietly in the center of the table. It was time itself. It was the world itself.

Zheng Yong had never imagined that this Young Master from the Liao Kingdom would so casually offer up the Imperial Jade Seal.

“If the lord still harbors doubts,” Wu Yingzong said, “His Highness Yali may remain here.”

Wu Yingzong was extremely reluctant to say those words, but the stratagem had come from Xiao Kun himself. This move of retreating in order to advance was one that Xiao Kun executed masterfully; he knew Li Er Man would not demand that “Yelu Yari” stay. Of course, even if Li Er Man agreed, he still had a contingency prepared.

Li Er Man merely stared fixedly at the Imperial Jade Seal and took out a loupe to inspect it.

Li Er Man had grown up in the Gaochang Royal Palace and once served as a commerce official along the Silk Road. What he had heard and seen from childhood was incomparable to ordinary folk. He was vastly knowledgeable and well-read. Though he had reached the age of knowing the Heavenly Mandate and had grown increasingly corpulent with age, he had never abandoned his learning.

Zheng Yong spoke urgently in a low voice at length, clearly trying to dissuade him. Li Er Man immediately raised a hand to silence him.

Li Er Man looked up from the Jade Seal and replied, “You have already shown sufficient sincerity.”

Zheng Yong had no choice but to fall silent.

“Your Highness requires ten thousand Gumo troops,” Wu Yingzong said earnestly. “They are to bypass the Southern Tianshan from the eastern front, await coordination with General Dashi, and on the night of the full moon twenty days from now, seize Gaochang.”

“Very well!” Li Er Man paid no more attention to the Imperial Jade Seal. After all, even if he possessed it, he could not carry the seal into the Central Plains to unify the realm and proclaim himself Emperor of Kucha. However, using it for a transaction of inestimable value was no issue at all. The Song People were exceedingly wealthy and would surely pay a great deal of gold to redeem it.

“We also require this Zheng Yong to accompany us,” Wu Yingzong finally stated the most important objective of their trip, “to report back to General Dashi and coordinate the two armies’ troops.”

Zheng Yong did not translate this time. He looked at Wu Yingzong, realizing that the matter might not be as simple as it seemed.

“Go,” Li Er Man said with a wave of his massive hand. He raised no objections.

Zheng Yong immediately turned and rapidly said a few words to Li Er Man—clearly refusing the assignment. Wu Yingzong guessed his intent and said, “Does Zheng have any concerns?”

Zheng Yong: “Hold on. What are your true intentions?”

Li Er Man grew impatient and bellowed a few words, his meaning clear: If I tell you to go, then go—what’s with all the nagging?

Wu Yingzong rose again and made a polite “after you” gesture.

Li Er Man pointed at Chaosheng and tapped his finger. Wu Yingzong’s heart tightened as Zheng Yong translated: “The lord says Your Highness need not stay, but he has a gift he wishes to present.”

Chaosheng smiled. “Thank you.”

Li Er Man pointed at Zheng Yong next. His thick, gem-ringed hand waved as if shooing away livestock.

Zheng Yong refused to translate what came next.

Li Er Man roughly berated him, but Wu Yingzong understood and said, “Since you’ve given Lord Zheng to Your Highness, please come with us.”

Zheng Yong never imagined that Li Er Man would use him in exchange for the Imperial Jade Seal!

Li Er Man sensed Zheng Yong’s hesitation and immediately grew stern. After much deliberation, Zheng Yong could only bow and thank Li Er Man for years of master-servant service.

“I need to make some preparations,” Zheng Yong said. “Please wait for me outside.”

Wu Yingzong hadn’t expected things to go so smoothly either. He went outside the City Lord’s Mansion with Chaosheng, who asked, “Are we going to take him down?”

“Yes,” Wu Yingzong said.

“What about the jade seal then?” Chaosheng said.

Wu Yingzong replied, “Lord Xiao will retrieve it himself. Don’t forget, the Gaochang King still wants the Grand Vizier’s head.”

Chaosheng said, “This… chopping off his head doesn’t sit right.”

Yet politics between nations were ruthless like this. This was Chaosheng’s first brush with such brutal struggles, and neither Xiao Kun nor Xiang Xian had ever explained it in detail to him.

“Did you prefer the Gaochang King or this guy?” Wu Yingzong asked.

For Chaosheng, he naturally preferred Gaochang King Bilage.

Wu Yingzong added, “Li Er Man has been plotting to seize Gaochang City, kill Bilage, break free from Gaochang’s rule, and claim Kucha for himself. Doesn’t he deserve death?”

Chaosheng could only nod, though he still wondered if Zheng Yong would really follow them. But before half a quarter-hour had passed, Zheng Yong emerged from the City Lord’s Mansion with a small bundle on his back.

Wu Yingzong said, “Mount up. Let’s go.”

“To Tingzhou right now?” Zheng Yong asked coldly.

“Exactly.” Wu Yingzong led over two horses, gesturing for Zheng Yong to take one, while he and Chaosheng shared the other. They rode out of the city along the main road heading north.