Chapter 120: Old Emperor's Pawn Left Behind

By now, the wine was warmed, and with two pinches of shredded ginger added, a rich aroma filled the air.

He Chunhua's cook cut about five pounds of meat from the fish, rubbed it with various seasonings, and placed it on the fire to roast. Soon, the flames drew out the rich aroma of the oil and seasoned peppers.

Lu Yao laughed and said, "I thought Lord He had some unique culinary method, but it turns out it's just roasted over a fire."

"The equipment isn't ideal, so we have to compensate with the sauce," the cook explained. He brushed the sauce onto the fish as he turned it, applying a new layer every ten rotations. By the time the fish was thoroughly cooked, it had turned a beautiful reddish-brown.

The fish was brought before the two important figures. Lu Yao tasted it and was surprised to find it had two distinct flavors from a single roasting. A piece of fish the size of his fist was divided into two halves: one half had crispy, aromatic skin that melted in the mouth, its thick layers of fat beneath the skin infusing the meat and removing any dryness from the large flakes; the other half seemed coated with an unknown savory sauce, offering a savory taste with a hint of fruity sweetness, and even a touch of sourness, making it incredibly refreshing.

"Excellent, excellent," Lu Yao said, taking a bite of fish and a sip of wine. He gave a thumbs-up and praised, "Truly, a family that once lived in such opulence!"

"You flatter me," He Chunhua said, also taking a piece of fish. "Even at my family's peak, we were never among the Nine Ministers, so we could hardly be called a family of such great renown and wealth!"

"When the Saintly Master reviewed the officials of Great Yuan, he once mentioned Lord He's name," Lu Yao chuckled. "He said you were a talent."

He Chunhua raised an eyebrow. The "Saintly Master" the other man referred to was, of course, Hong Xiangqian, the leader of the rebel army. It was said that this man possessed vast supernatural powers, even able to revive the dead, and could even employ various supernatural abilities on the battlefield—

This last point was highly unusual. As was well known, the Royal Court's army could harness primal energy during combat, which created a powerful suppressive effect on supernatural arts and magic. Throughout history, countless supernatural practitioners had been besieged and killed by official armies.

But Hong Xiangqian could use supernatural abilities on the battlefield, and their efficacy was not diminished. This was because he had established his own regime and could also control and deploy primal energy.

This was likely why the Yuan Royal Court was so eager to suppress the rebels: if this menace was not eliminated soon, a second regime within Great Yuan would grow and strengthen.

Hong Xiangqian was dead, yet Lu Yao—a man who feared neither heaven nor earth and would even dare stir up trouble in the underworld—still spoke of him with respect. From this alone, He Chunhua knew that Hong Xiangqian was no simple man, definitely not just the villain and charlatan the Royal Court declared him to be. However, as an official appointed by the Royal Court, He Chunhua did not wish to show any admiration for him.

"I heard the He family suffered a calamity that wiped them out, and only you survived," Lu Yao continued. "Yet the old incompetent emperor demoted you to Qiansong Commandery. You were only a little over ten years old then, weren't you? Hmm, you went to Qiansong Commandery and became a mere stable hand. Most ordinary people would have settled for that life. But you managed to seize the opportunity of foreign invasion, taking advantage of that desert behind... what was that desert called again?"

"Panlong."

"Oh, right, the Panlong Desert," Lu Yao recalled. "When the winds brought sandstorms, it would be impassable for several months. At that time, the city was still ruled by the Andong people. You gathered a crowd and killed the Andong envoy in the street. That must have scared the city's inhabitants quite a bit, didn't it? Why didn't they kill you?"

"The Andong people had occupied Heishui City for many years, and Yuan had never attempted to seize it. They therefore assumed our country was weak and merely supported a few collaborators to manage Heishui City," He Chunhua said calmly. "I killed all these collaborators, then used the sandstorm season to deal with the remaining Andong people in the city. By the end of the sandstorm season, Heishui City was successfully recovered."

Lu Yao slapped the table and laughed loudly. "Good, that's satisfying. Did the Governor of Jinzhou richly reward you?"

"No," He Chunhua replied, taking a bite of fish. "I was arrested and thrown into prison. I received thirty lashes as soon as I entered, on the charge of assassinating a friendly nation's envoy and inciting border conflict. Fortunately, the jailer sympathized with me, struck lightly, and even sent me many medicines. The very next day, half the city's residents came to petition, and the officials, fearing trouble, released me."

"I told the Governor of Jinzhou that the Andong people would not use this as an opportunity for retaliation, but he didn't believe me. However, Heishui City remained peaceful for two years, until the third year when the Andong people returned. The Governor of Jinzhou was unable to cope, and someone advised him, 'Whoever caused the trouble should resolve it,' so he put me forward."

Lu Yao nodded. "You repelled the Andong people."

"Three times," He Chunhua said. "After that, they didn't invade again. The Governor of Jinzhou took all the credit for himself, but my deeds had already spread to the capital, and the King knew of them, promoting me exceptionally."

Lu Yao asked curiously, "How did you know that after killing their envoy, the Andong people would swallow their pride and do nothing?"

"In my last year as a stable master, I heard merchants from Hongya Road say that the King of Andong had died, and the country was in constant turmoil."

"That's it? Isn't that insufficient evidence?"

He Chunhua gave a faint smile. "The Andong King's eldest son died young, and his second and fourth sons had been constantly vying for power. The second son was ruthless, and the fourth son was cunning. Neither could eliminate the other quickly, leading to continuous domestic turmoil. Given this, their struggle would likely be prolonged, and they would temporarily be unable to concern themselves with insignificant places like Hongya Road and Heishui City."

Lu Yao stroked his chin and asked, "How did you win later?"

"The Andong royal family descended into chaos, and eventually, the fourth son emerged victorious," He Chunhua explained with a faint smile. "However, the nation had been weak for many years and was even more dilapidated at that point. Sending troops to reclaim Heishui City was merely a matter of saving face. After three failed attempts to recapture it, they gave up. Now, the nation of Andong has very strong diplomatic ties with us."

"No wonder the Saintly Master said that if Great Yuan's interior had a talent like you stationed there, the rebel army's advance northward would not have been so smooth."

He Chunhua was slightly moved.

This was a very high evaluation, but it also severely underestimated the entire court of Great Yuan.

"Your family suffered a great injustice, and you repeatedly achieved great things and displayed your talent in the border regions. Why has the Royal Court never truly given you an important position?"

He Chunhua gave a wry smile. This was a difficult question to answer.

"The Saintly Master mentioned it at the time," Lu Yao said with a laugh, "that you were a useful pawn left by the old emperor for his successor. On one hand, he kept you suppressed in Qiansong Commandery to continue honing your sharpness. On the other hand, he saved you for the next emperor to promote to an important position. This way, you would be eternally grateful to the ruler who elevated you and would serve him with utmost devotion. After all, it was his father who killed your entire family, but it would be he who allowed you to rise. Alas, the current emperor is a great fool, and he has wasted the grand gift his old man left him before he died."

"Hmm, does what the Saintly Master said make sense?"

He Chunhua lowered his gaze and remained silent. After a long moment, he finally said, "General Lu, I am grateful for your righteous indignation on my behalf."

"Why would you still risk your life for such an emperor?" Lu Yao chuckled. "Even Dong Haoming, who served his family for many years, has rebelled. Do you still want to rush to join their ranks?"

"There is always a chance to set things right," He Chunhua said. Without waiting for Lu Yao to retort, he asked, "The Grand Marshal failed in his attempted rebellion in the capital and has now retreated to Wuzhou. The city there is well-fortified and has ample grain supplies. The common people only know of the Donglai Prefecture, not the Son of Heaven of Yuan, which shows the Grand Marshal was well-prepared. If you were General Lu, how would you attack?"