The hour of Xu had arrived. On Qingping Mountain, layer upon layer of tree shadows seemed drenched in ink, merging into one dense, impenetrable mass.
The hot water in the copper pot outside the tent had long since given up its last wisp of steam. The sesame cakes on the plate had gone cold and hard; biting into one made the teeth ache. Yet none of the three people inside the tent had any appetite.
Wen Zhuo rested his injured left hand on the low table. The fingertips, wrapped in linen, were slightly swollen with blood. His voice was calm as he said, “Harboring an imperial criminal is already a matter of the utmost gravity. No matter how this reaches His Majesty’s ears, there will be no way to end it peacefully. If we want to seize the initiative, we must ensure that the first report the Emperor hears comes from us.”
Jun Dingyuan and Mo Shu exchanged a glance, both utterly baffled.
The plan was far too bold, and Jun Dingyuan could not help feeling astonished and uneasy. “You mean we should throw ourselves into the net?”
Wen Zhuo actually nodded, a glint flashing through his eyes. “Exactly. People remember firsthand news most clearly. No matter how comprehensive the explanations or how tumultuous the events that follow may be, they will only serve as embellishments. We absolutely cannot let someone else get there first.”
Mo Shu’s brows drew tightly together. Choosing his words with care, he asked cautiously, “Does the Director believe that if I surrender myself, His Majesty will show leniency and reopen the investigation into the case of the ‘Mohist Hidden Spirit Sect’?”
“Of course not.” Wen Zhuo answered crisply, showing no mercy as he shattered Mo Shu’s hopes. “Even if you have rendered meritorious service on the battlefield, the Emperor’s suspicion will not disappear.”
“Then isn’t this a dead end?” Mo Shu asked.
Wen Zhuo suddenly let out a soft laugh. “I said that the Emperor’s suspicion will not disappear. So, if we want to cover up something that is already a grave matter, we must create something even greater—something that will make him more apprehensive.”
“What could be more serious than harboring an imperial criminal?” Jun Dingyuan asked.
That was precisely the crux of the plan Wen Zhuo had been devising for so long.
He pretended to ponder for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up. He lightly clenched his fist. “Thanks to the incident in which an informer switched the remains, this seemingly hopeless situation now has a thread of hope.”
Shen Zheng sat to one side, thinking to himself, Here it comes. At last, I’ll get to hear Little Cat’s real plan.
Mo Shu’s heart suddenly began to race, as though he had seized a rope while hanging at the bottom of a ten-thousand-zhang cliff.
“Please elaborate, Director.”
“The matter of the remains being returned home has already reached the Emperor’s ears. Tomorrow, His Majesty will certainly reward the General. When you privately offer your thanks, General, you need only take the initiative to confess your guilt and say that you were forced into this by circumstances.” Even while thinking, Wen Zhuo’s injured hand refused to stay still, idly catching and tugging at his official robe.
“I’m not afraid to confess my guilt, but how should I put it so that His Majesty will believe me?” Jun Dingyuan adjusted Mo Shu’s arm, trying to get him to sit down and listen. But Mo Shu stubbornly kept his eyes fixed on Wen Zhuo and refused to move even half a step.
At last, Wen Zhuo revealed the chess piece he had placed three months ago.
“When Wu Kan left, he made a declaration to Liu Quan. Liu Quan would certainly have repeated it to His Majesty word for word. Yet the Emperor has never mentioned the matter in court. This shows that he either does not believe in the secret treasure, or considers Wu Kan’s words nothing more than exaggeration. You must tell His Majesty that the secret treasure does indeed exist—but it is not an object. It is a person.”
He paused, then continued, “You may tell him in full how Mo Shu offered strategies in the southern border and helped you defeat Nanping, establishing how indispensable he was. Remember, you only learned his identity after he offered a brilliant strategy for defeating the enemy in the midst of the battle between the two armies. Feng Li and Xue Wanche were once former subordinates of Li Jiancheng. During the Xuanwu Gate Incident, they fought the Prince of Qin’s forces to the death, yet later did they not render Li Shimin unparalleled service? All you need to say is that, for the sake of the lives of countless soldiers and the dignity of Great Qian, you weighed the advantages and disadvantages and, rather than bear the guilt of harboring him, gave him a chance to atone through meritorious service.”
Shen Zheng raised an eyebrow and picked up the thread. “Teacher wants Uncle to remind Father that Mo Shu has already atoned through meritorious service. Killing him now would be unreasonable and would also cost him the army’s loyalty.”
Wen Zhuo gave him an approving look. “The General must also say that now the war is over and he has returned to court, he no longer wishes to deceive the Emperor. That is why he has revealed Mo Shu’s identity today and is willing to submit to His Majesty’s judgment.”
“The key point of that statement is that Uncle’s actions at the time can only be considered a case of ‘a general in the field is not bound by the emperor’s commands,’ just as he led five thousand elite troops in a surprise attack on Nanping without an imperial edict,” Shen Zheng said, resting his chin in his hand with a smile. “Even if His Majesty refuses to reward him for his achievements, he absolutely cannot treat it as a crime.”
“Exactly.” Wen Zhuo was very pleased by Shen Zheng’s quick mind. This was far easier than assisting Shen Chen in his previous life.
After Wen Zhuo laid it out, Jun Dingyuan truly felt that his offense no longer seemed so grave.
“The Director is right. One of us has atoned through meritorious service, and the other acted as a general in the field, not bound by the emperor’s commands. Why would His Majesty pursue the matter to the bitter end?”
Wen Zhuo nodded. “So, in terms of law and reason, this matter holds together. The only issue left is the Emperor’s apprehension. As the Mohist Grand Master, the one whose actions led to his family’s destruction, how could His Majesty not fear and distrust him?”
Mo Shu’s expression remained calm. Lowering his eyes, he said evenly, “Though I resent what happened back then, I have never harbored thoughts of rebellion. Rebellion would inevitably bring ruin and suffering to the people. My fellow Mohists have always taken protecting the common people as our foremost duty—how could we bear to let them suffer again? All I seek is to clear my late father’s name.”
“Back then, Cao Fang received the strategies your Mohists offered, yet still cut corners in the construction. That is what led to the truth coming to light today,” Wen Zhuo said. “Once the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel successfully impeach Cao Fang’s faction, your father will naturally have a chance to be vindicated. However, the fact remains that he illegally manufactured weapons. Completely clearing his name will be extremely difficult. For now, I can keep you safe. Once His Highness ascends the throne, everything will become much easier.”
Mo Shu nodded. “The situation we have today is already far better than anything I once imagined. I am in no hurry.”
Jun Dingyuan still had his doubts. “Then how are we to dispel the Emperor’s apprehension?”
“Give him a crisis more blatant, more terrifying, and more revealing than the illegal manufacture of weapons.” Wen Zhuo’s voice turned cold. “Make him understand who the true person he ought to fear is.”
Jun Dingyuan grew even more confused. “The war is over. What crisis could there still be?”
Shen Zheng smiled, his expression carrying the clear insight of someone who saw the entire game. “Mo Shu concealed himself very well. Until our victory, the people of Nanping never discovered his existence. So why was it that, shortly after Wu Kan’s envoy returned home, enemy spies began repeatedly harassing the camp? Someone in the imperial court must have learned Mo Shu’s identity and deliberately leaked it to Nanping. Perhaps he exchanged some sort of benefit with them. Perhaps he simply did not want the war to end!”
Shen Zheng tapped his knee with his index finger. “Father is the Emperor, yet even he did not know that Mo Shu was hidden in the army. Someone in the court, however, knew everything. Not only did this person fail to report it, he even colluded with Nanping. Such intelligence-gathering capabilities, surpassing those of the Emperor himself—would that not be enough to leave Father frightened and restless, unable to sleep at night?”
Shen Zheng secretly admired the meticulousness of Wen Zhuo’s plan. In the whole affair, Wu Kan had kept his life, Nanping had obtained confidential intelligence, Jun Dingyuan had captured the spy and recovered the remains, earning widespread praise, and Emperor Shunyuan had learned of the crisis within the court while still having time to remedy it.
On the surface, everyone had gained something. Yet everyone was also caught within Wen Zhuo’s design, together raising him to become the greatest winner.
No, that wasn’t quite right.
Wen Zhuo was not the greatest winner.
The greatest winner was him—the one Wen Zhuo had been protecting.
Even as Shen Zheng’s heart went soft with emotion, he couldn’t help wondering: With such an infallible strategist assisting him, how had Shen Ting ultimately lost to Shen Chen in history?
The truth Zhu Xiwen had refused to revise would likely overturn everything modern scholars believed they knew about the era of Emperor Shunyuan.
Wen Zhuo was also quite pleased with the plan. He lifted his chin slightly and said, “The general should still have the spies’ testimonies. They did indeed receive orders to investigate the treasure in the tent after Wu Kan returned home.”
“There is physical evidence, Liu Quan’s testimony from three months ago, and the precedent of the Eight Meridians. His Majesty will have no choice but to believe us. If the matter of the Spring Platform Chess Tournament concerns the dignity of Da Qian, then this matter concerns his life and his empire.”
That was it. There were people in the court suspected of treason—this was the more serious matter.
By comparison, the tiny Mohist Hidden Spirit Sect and Mo Shu, who had earned the chance to atone for his crimes, were no threat at all.
Mo Shu went over the entire scheme in his mind. The claim about the “treasure” fit perfectly, as though it had been tailor-made for him—even though Wen Zhuo had not yet known him three months ago.
“There is one more matter.” Mo Shu suddenly spoke. “We all know there is no traitor in the court. If His Majesty grows suspicious of everyone and throws the entire court and realm into panic, won’t that create another witchcraft scandal?”
Only Wen Zhuo knew that such a person would definitely emerge. But he could not reveal the secret of his rebirth, so he merely curved his eyes and said vaguely, “Then we’ll have to see who volunteers to leap into this deadly trap.”
Jun Dingyuan made the final decision with a decisive strike. “Good. I’m willing to take this gamble. If the Eight Meridians have rotted to this extent, can we really fail to uncover someone harboring sinister intentions?”
Shen Zheng clicked his tongue. “Although Mo Shu is being allowed to atone for his crimes and Father cannot conveniently execute him, he’ll probably still suffer plenty of physical punishment. I do have a suggestion—one that might keep Mo Shu completely safe.”
All three of them turned to him, unable to imagine what else could be added to this seamless plan.
Shen Zheng asked, “Mo Shu, are you good with your hands?”
Mo Shu blinked. “Your Highness, in what regard?”
Shen Zheng clarified, “I mean inventing things, making new devices, that sort of thing.”
Mo Shu answered modestly and directly, “My Mohist school specializes in such work. We can forge stone-throwing machines, gate-cutting carts, repeating crossbows, linked crossbows, and siege ladders with grappling hooks.”
Shen Zheng waved his hand. “Nothing so bloody. I have an idea. Do you think you can build it?”
“Please, Your Highness.”
Shen Zheng’s eyes shone with excitement. “Father’s health has been declining over the past year. His legs are weak, and he needs Liu Quan to support him when he walks. I want to make him a lower-limb exoskeleton.”
Wen Zhuo frowned. “What is a lower-limb exoskeleton?”
Shen Zheng often came out with strange terms no one had ever heard before. The flavor of Nanping still lingered in the air.
Jun Dingyuan also knit his brows. How could bones be placed outside flesh?
“Have you heard of pulleys and levers?” As he spoke, Shen Zheng picked up the iron can on the table, dipped a finger into the water inside, and began sketching on the low table. “We’ll need ox-tendon cord, iron gears, hardwood, thick leather straps, springs, cotton, copper nails, and so on. The knee will serve as the fulcrum. A piece of hardwood will be braced along the outside of the thigh, while cords will be attached beneath the calf. Leather will then be used to fasten the whole frame to the body…”
He drew as he explained. “In short, when the leg is raised, the muscles move the lever, pulling the cords and lifting the calf, reducing the force required. When the foot lands, the spring helps return everything to its original position. With this frame, force can be transferred while the spring provides support.”
Wen Zhuo and Jun Dingyuan fell silent for a long while.
Mo Shu, however, limped over and bent toward the tabletop. He stared fixedly at the streaks of water that were about to vanish. After a long moment, he murmured, “Interesting.”
He pointed to one of the thick lines. “This crossbeam is the lever you mentioned. It can transform the thigh’s small amount of force into tremendous lifting power.”
“Exactly.” Shen Zheng quickly dipped his finger into the water again and added another sketch beside it. “The longer the lever arm, the less effort it takes. If we extend the wooden lever as much as possible, raising the leg will become easier. Can you understand that?”
Understanding dawned on Mo Shu’s face, and delight flashed in his eyes. “I can! I once saw similar records in the Mohist Canon. But after Your Highness’s explanation, the principle has become much clearer!”
Shen Zheng thought to himself: Damn, as expected of someone with a science-and-engineering brain.
“Good. We can also install springs in Father’s shoe soles. If we don’t have springs, bamboo strips will do. Do you understand energy conversion? The force exerted when a person steps down is converted into the spring’s elastic force, and that elastic force can then become an upward force when the leg is raised.”
Shen Zheng had left his middle-school physics far behind him and wasn’t sure whether he had explained it clearly.
But Mo Shu was simply too gifted. After pondering for only a moment, he grew so excited that his voice trembled. “What a marvelous conversion of energy! I understand!”
Shen Zheng immediately let out a sigh of relief. “I can only provide the theory and a rough design. You’ll have to figure out how to make it light and practical. Once you become someone who can affect Father’s physical well-being, you’ll be completely safe.”
Mo Shu looked at Shen Zheng and praised him sincerely. “I am unworthy of the title of Mohist Grand Master. Your Highness’s talent may even surpass mine.”
Shen Zheng didn’t dare accept that. He hurriedly improvised, “You flatter me. I merely happened to read about something similar in an ancient text.”
Wen Zhuo glanced at the dried water marks on the table, his expression doubtful. “Did you dig this up in the Seven-Star Lu Palace too?”
Suppressing a laugh, Shen Zheng nodded with a perfectly solemn expression. “My teacher could understand it that way.”
The little ancient-school cat believed him without question.
Unable to restrain himself, Jun Dingyuan asked, “What is the Seven-Star Lu Palace?”
Wen Zhuo secretly shot Shen Zheng a glance and shifted the subject without missing a beat. “General, it’s getting late. His Highness and I must return to the city before the curfew bells ring and the gates close. Otherwise, if our movements are discovered, complications may arise.”
He couldn’t bear to tell Jun Dingyuan that Shen Zheng had been forced to rob tombs and dig up graves in Nanping, and had gradually developed this bad habit afterward.
Seeing this, Jun Dingyuan no longer pursued the strange name. He quickly said, “Good! Set off at once. I’ll proceed according to plan tomorrow.”
After leaving the general’s tent, a thick fog suddenly rose in the mountains. White mist spread across the mountain road, blurring Qingping Mountain into an indistinct haze.
Ta Baisha had already been led outside the tent by a soldier. The white horse snorted loudly at the chill drifting through the mountains.
Wen Zhuo reached into Shen Zheng’s saddlebag, pulled out a bright-red carrot, and held it to Ta Baisha’s mouth. His voice carried a hint of coaxing. “You’ll have to run faster later, all right?”
The soldiers had already fed Ta Baisha plenty of fodder, and its belly was full. It truly couldn’t eat another bite. Yet when the horse gazed at Wen Zhuo with its black, glasslike eyes, it still obediently lowered its head, took the carrot between its teeth, and held it there without chewing.
Shen Zheng lifted Wen Zhuo onto the horse. Wen Zhuo gripped the saddle with both hands, but a sudden stab of pain shot through his palm. He immediately loosened his hold and lowered his head to inspect the wound wrapped in linen.
A faint bead of blood had seeped through. He had gripped the saddle too tightly just now.
“Teacher knows it hurts now?” Shen Zheng mounted in one swift movement and landed behind Wen Zhuo. By the faint light spilling from the camp, he caught sight of the dark-red stain spreading across the linen.
“It’s nothing.” Wen Zhuo curled his hand beneath his palm, then gripped the saddle tightly again. Once the horse began to run, the mountain road would be rough. If he couldn’t hold on securely, the consequences would be unthinkable.
Shen Zheng gently pressed his heels against Ta Baisha’s sides, but he did not urge the horse into a gallop. Instead, he let it amble leisurely along the mountain path.
The horse’s hooves struck the ground with a muffled clop-clop, startlingly clear in the silence of the wilderness.
After Ta Baisha had walked for a while, Wen Zhuo turned to look at Shen Zheng when he noticed that Shen Zheng still had no intention of picking up the pace.
The night was pitch-black. Only a sliver of enchanting moonlight lingered at the edge of the sky, barely outlining Shen Zheng’s features.
A layer of cool radiance glazed his brows and eyes, making them seem even more profound. His breathing was steady and deep, each exhalation misting faintly in the damp air.
“What are you thinking about, Your Highness? Why aren’t we going any faster?” Wen Zhuo asked with a frown. He had noticed that Shen Zheng was not holding him tightly, merely circling his waist loosely. Of course, at this speed, there was no need to hold on too firmly.
After several breaths, Shen Zheng suddenly asked, “Do you remember what I said before? I don’t want you to harm your health in order to assist me.”
“Of course,” Wen Zhuo replied with complete confidence.
“Then was that really an accidental fall?”
In the wilderness, the insects abruptly fell silent, as though they, too, wanted to join in and hear the gossip.
Wen Zhuo could not see his expression or discern his mood. His heart gave a sudden lurch and plunged heavily.
Could it be that he had acted too hastily and Shen Zheng had noticed something?
In truth, if Wen Zhuo had not framed Shen Zheng in his previous life, perhaps he might have found the courage to reveal everything about his rebirth.
But he could not. What he had done in his previous life meant that Shen Zheng could never know.
“It really was an accident.” Wen Zhuo lowered his eyes, his five fingers sinking into Ta Baisha’s thick mane as he repeatedly picked at the coarse, damp tangles.
Shen Zheng said nothing.
Just as Wen Zhuo could no longer suppress the anxiety in his heart and was about to put on an intimidating show of anger, he suddenly heard Shen Zheng laugh.
“All right.” Shen Zheng immediately seemed to perk up and tightened his arms around Wen Zhuo. Then he lifted the reins and abruptly dug his heels into the stirrups.
Before the horse could pick up speed, Shen Zheng’s breath brushed against Wen Zhuo’s ear. Whether or not Wen Zhuo sensitively drew in his neck, Shen Zheng simply said, “If I ever find out that you deliberately hurt yourself, I’ll settle the score with you properly.”
Wen Zhuo’s body was jolted upward by the horse’s movement, and his heart seemed to tremble along with it.
He took a deep breath, his thoughts racing. Just as he was about to argue cleverly, he began, “Your Highness—”
“I’m not scolding you.” Shen Zheng rested his chin lightly against Wen Zhuo’s cool, dark hair and said in a teasing tone, “I’m only giving you a reminder.”
