Ninety-one.

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One after another, straw figures were quickly hurled down from the Jiang Pavilion. Like a rainstorm, the common folk atop the city walls cast these effigies in dense numbers.

“Straw figures?” Mei Qian and his men below the city were puzzled. Why were these scarecrows being thrown down from the walls?

Suddenly, Huang Yi shifted his tone. “King Mei Qian, we should not deceive you. Look here — these are the straw figures from Jiang Pavilion City; we have destroyed them all!”

The rain of straw figures continued to fall from the battlements. Huang Yi wailed, leaving Mei Qian utterly baffled. The plan was to use the straw figures to expose the feints within Jiang Pavilion, embarrassing them on the spot and damaging their morale. Yet this blow landed as softly as on cotton, having no effect whatsoever. Without waiting for his command, they had already scattered the straw figures atop the walls.

“King Mei Qian, we surrender, we yield! Whatever you desire, we will give you! Don’t you want the Imperial Jade Seal? We will give it to you!” Huang Yi shouted loudly to Mei Qian below.

“Imperial Jade Seal?” Mei Qian’s eyes immediately brightened. The Imperial Jade Seal—wasn’t that the very treasure he had long coveted?

“King Mei Qian, please behold!” Huang Yi then produced a neatly wrapped square object covered in red cloth.

“Is this the Imperial Jade Seal?”

Huang Yi pulled back the red cloth, revealing the object that caused all below to widen their eyes in astonishment. Huang Yi and Li Miao had already seen it, yet were stunned by the lifelike detail of the seal—it was too exquisite.

“Imperial Jade Seal?” The square object, unveiled from its red covering, shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight.

The seal was carved entirely from wood, but Yang Hong had melted gold and affixed a thin gold layer over it, causing it to gleam brightly in the sun, dazzling and captivating.

Mei Qian’s heart was wholly captivated by this Imperial Jade Seal.

“Huh?” A doubtful voice suddenly sounded.

Mei Qian looked over to see it was none other than his scout, Dongfang Ming.

“Have you ever seen the Imperial Jade Seal?” Mei Qian asked him.

“No,” Dongfang Ming shook his head. He was but a local bandit leader; how could he have seen such an artifact?

Li Miao and the others atop the wall breathed a sigh of relief. If even this minor leader recognized the seal as a fake, their entire plan would have been ruined.

“But I’ve heard that the Imperial Jade Seal was made from the Heshibi jade. How could it be shining with gold like this?” Dongfang Ming voiced his suspicion.

“Hmm?” Mei Qian frowned deeply. Indeed, he had always considered himself a man of culture. The Imperial Jade Seal was originally the Heshibi jade from the famous story of “Return of the Jade Disk to Zhao.” Though Mei Qian was unaware, Dongfang Ming’s words suddenly made him alert.

Ah, so Dongfang Ming had never actually seen the Imperial Jade Seal—good, that made things easier.

Li Miao waved at Huang Yi, who needed no instruction; Huang Yi’s ability to lie was even more impressive than Li Miao’s.

“No need to prepare, just speak!” Huang Yi said. “King Mei Qian, you should know that this Imperial Jade Seal was indeed forged from the Heshibi, but do you know about ‘gold-inlaid jade’?”

“Gold-inlaid jade?” Mei Qian’s uncertain tone reassured Huang Yi, confirming that Mei Qian knew nothing or only a little.

“Yes, gold-inlaid jade. During the Spring and Autumn period, Bian He of Chu presented an uncut jade to King Wen of Chu, which was carved into a disk called the Heshibi. It was said to be warm in winter, cool in summer, and so rare that mosquitoes dared not fly within a hundred paces. After Qin unified China, the Heshibi changed hands several times before ending up with Qin Shi Huang, who ordered craftsmen to carve it into a jade seal. The seal measured four inches in length, width, and height, inscribed with eight seal script characters by Li Si: ‘Mandated by Heaven, may the sovereign live long and prosper forever.’ Around it were exquisite five-dragon patterns, translucent and masterfully crafted. Qin Shi Huang treasured it as a divine artifact. After the Han dynasty overthrew Qin, the seal passed through many hands before reaching Liu Bang, who passed it down through twelve emperors. Toward the end of the Western Han, the two-year-old Emperor Ruzi ascended the throne and hid the seal in the Changle Palace. When Wang Mang usurped the throne, he sent Wang Xun and Su Xian to coerce Empress Dowager Xiaoyuan to hand over the seal. Enraged by the fall of the nation, she smashed the seal on the ground, breaking this national treasure. Later, skilled artisans repaired it, patching it with gold, hence the name ‘gold-inlaid jade seal.’ The term ‘gold-inlaid jade’ originated from this.” Young Master Huang Yi earnestly explained the meaning of gold-inlaid jade to Mei Qian below.

“So this is the gold-inlaid jade?” Mei Qian asked with doubt.

“Of course!” Huang Yi watched Mei Qian feign understanding and secretly chuckled.

The story of gold-inlaid jade was true, but the entire Heshibi was never repaired with gold—only one corner was broken and mended. Yang Hong’s version, however, was fully covered in gold! This might fool the untrained, but to connoisseurs, it was laughable.

Unfortunately, Mei Qian truly was the kind of fool who pretended to be wise.

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“That’s the gold-inlaid jade!” Mei Qian explained to his men, trying to assert his cultural knowledge, even blaming Dongfang Ming for nearly embarrassing him.

Huang Yi laughed heartily at the foolishness of Mei Qian’s bluster.

“King Mei Qian, if you spare Jiang Pavilion City, we will give you this gold-inlaid jade Imperial Seal!” Huang Yi greatly lowered his stance.

The Imperial Jade Seal—Mei Qian’s greed flared as he gazed upon it. Few could resist its allure.

Even great warriors like Sun Jian and Liu Biao succumbed to its temptation, despite the risks. Later, it even led to Li Miao’s own father claiming the throne. Three such heroes had been blinded by it; how could a mere bandit leader resist?

Mei Qian’s eyes shone brighter than the seal itself.

“Great King, do you really intend to spare them?” Dongfang Ming grew anxious. If Mei Qian spared Jiang Pavilion just for the seal, Dongfang Ming’s merit would be lost, so he hoped Mei Qian would not be swayed.

He feared Mei Qian would be moved by the seal.

“Hmph!” Mei Qian sneered twice. “Do you take me for a fool? I am merely testing them!” He regarded Huang Yi on the wall. Mei Qian’s original plan remained unchanged: the seal was merely a probe. If Jiang Pavilion could casually give away the seal, it meant they could not protect it, and Mei Qian would immediately launch an assault.

“I want the seal, and I want Jiang Pavilion City as well!” Mei Qian intended to take everything without mercy.

“Your Majesty is wise!” Dongfang Ming rejoiced. Capturing Jiang Pavilion and its leader would greatly benefit him. He eagerly awaited the seal’s delivery atop the city wall.

But it was clear that Young Master Huang Yi was rather lazy.

“King Mei Qian, I greatly admire you, but I fear offending you through rashness, so I humbly request you enter Jiang Pavilion City to retrieve the seal yourself!” Huang Yi called down.

“What?” Mei Qian was displeased. He wanted the seal delivered to him, not to send someone into the city to fetch it.

“Hey, who do you think you are? Our king deigns to send you down; otherwise, your Jiang Pavilion City would be razed and its people destroyed!” Dongfang Ming grew anxious. Huang Yi needed to hurry and send down the seal so Dongfang Ming could claim credit.

“Oh, so scary!” Huang Yi feigned fear. “King Mei Qian, I had intended to send you the seal, but your general there is fierce! I’m afraid!”

“Hmph, get lost!” Mei Qian frowned at Dongfang Ming.

“Let me send a team in,” he said.

A squad quickly advanced toward Jiang Pavilion City. The gates stood wide open, no resistance offered, and the group entered.

Noticing the city’s dilapidated state and the fearful faces of the townsfolk, the bandits of Mount Song smiled.

They were mountain bandits, always looking to trouble the poor. Had they met official troops, they would have fled long ago. Seeing the panic on the villagers’ faces, they knew Jiang Pavilion was a hollow shell.

“Boss, why worry about traps? These old, weak, and sick are just easy prey!” one bandit sneered.

“Ha ha!” The others laughed together.

“Speak carefully! How can you speak ill of the boss behind his back?” the leader admonished, though he also looked disdainful. Loyalty among bandits was a joke; if Mei Qian lost power or grew old, he’d be assassinated and replaced. Sabotaging Mei Qian’s reputation was an opportunity they wouldn’t miss.

“Boss, look there! That young woman is quite a beauty!” one bandit leered at a middle-aged farmer woman clutching her child, shrinking back in fear.

As the saying goes, three years in the army turns a sow into a beauty. These bandits hadn’t tasted fresh meat in months due to the fierce defense of Chen Lan and Lei Bo of Tianzhu Mountain, so the sight of a middle-aged woman was a rare treat.

“Want her? Once we get that seal and break the city, she’s yours to take!” the leader promised.

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“Thanks, boss!” The bandit’s eyes gleamed. He could barely contain himself. “Boss, I’ll take her first. Shouldn’t get in the way. Otherwise, when Dongfang Ming’s men come in, she might be gone!”

The leader frowned but waved it off casually. The city’s defenses had been probed; it was just a ruin.

“Ha ha, boss, I’m going!” The bandit ran toward the middle-aged woman with a smile, intent on hoisting her onto his warhorse to satisfy his lust.

“Mother, I’m scared! I’m scared!” The child in the woman’s arms hid deeper into her embrace.

“Don’t be afraid, mother is here!” The woman comforted her child, though her own face was full of panic.

These bandits were ruthless; to fall into their hands was a fate worse than death. The woman prepared to bite her tongue in despair.

“I’m coming for you, young lady!” The bandit laughed wildly as he approached.

Just as he was about to seize her—

“Whoosh!” A sharp whistle cut through the air.

“Plop!” Blood splattered on the ground as the bandit, who had been laughing moments before, suddenly fell stiff from his warhorse to the earth.

“Hou Wu?” The leader was shocked. His horse sensed the blood and grew restless.

“Enemy attack!” The leader shouted, pulling his horse and scanning for foes as if trying to locate them.

“There, over there!” The bandits nearby alerted him. The leader then saw squads approaching.

“A bunch of children?” The leader’s eyes widened at the sight of troops clad in strange bamboo armor.

...

Below Jiang Pavilion, Mei Qian’s brow furrowed deeply.

He had waited too long. The team that entered the city had yet to emerge, and a faint unease stirred within him.

“Boss, why have Wang Ermazi’s men been inside so long without coming out?” Dongfang Ming asked in confusion.

“It’s been nearly half an hour. Even circling Jiang Pavilion once, they should be back by now!” Dongfang Ming tried to encourage Mei Qian.

“You ask me? Who else should I ask? Go ask that Huang Yi brat. Where are my men?” Mei Qian’s irritation grew.

“Yes!” Dongfang Ming went forward to question.

“My lord, I have not failed you!” Chen Dao soon appeared on the city wall, saluting Li Miao beside him.

Li Miao did not ask about the results but instead inquired, “What about the young troops’ casualties?” He was less worried about their ability to handle the bandits than about their survival. The young troops were his key support; if they fell, he was nearly finished. If they lived, they could at least serve as cannon fodder to shield him.

Though unintentional, Li Miao’s concern deeply moved Chen Dao.

“Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. The young troops are fine, only two wounded, no other losses!”