Chapter 684: Chapter 494: Personal Feelings Lead to Mistakes
Zheng Shoushan did not know before boarding the ship that the person coming from the other side was Feng Yun.
He only learned from Ren Rude that the Beiyong Army intended to negotiate peace, so he wanted to act as the mediator.
He also didn’t want to fight.
Especially since the battlefield was set in Chuzhou, he would be the biggest loser.
If peace could be negotiated, with both sides governing across the Tonghui River, he wouldn’t have to be stuck in the middle, offending neither side, while also owing a favor to Feng Yun—it would indeed be like hitting three birds with one stone...
But the moment he saw Feng Yun, he knew...
The course and outcome of today’s negotiation would not be swayed by him.
Even though it was his first encounter with Feng Yun, he trusted his intuition.
He had glimpsed the breadth of the heart of the Princess of Yonghuai during the coal ball incident, which he never dared to take lightly.
Yet, upon truly meeting her, Zheng Shoushan was somewhat surprised by her powerful aura and those eyes that seemed to see through everything...
How could there be a woman, so stunningly beautiful and intimidating, yet so composed? Bold enough to face the enemy generals amidst such chaotic and tense warfare?
Suddenly, he somewhat understood why Pei Jue was initially captivated by her as a female prisoner and later, despite opposition from everyone, was resolute in marrying her, even at the cost of falling out with the Li Family father and daughter...
In the brief moment, Zheng Shoushan thought of many things.
Yet he never ever expected that Feng Yun had come to incite his defection.
"May I ask Zheng Gong to dismiss your followers, so that we may speak alone?"
Feng Yun’s voice was clear and mellow, her face calm as she smiled at Zheng Shoushan.
If a little lady dared to ask, how could he, Zheng Shoushan, not dare?
"Alright," Zheng Shoushan waved his hand, "You all, stand back."
There were dozens of followers from both sides combined.
Ao Qi was somewhat uneasy, so he took off his ring-head knife and stuffed it into Feng Yun’s hand.
"No need," Feng Yun smiled, glancing at Zheng Shoushan, "Zheng Gong is a gentleman of great modesty, you can be at ease."
Ao Qi stared at her, but didn’t insist.
Before leaving, he slipped a signal arrow into the palm of her hand.
"Call me if you need anything."
Feng Yun hummed softly in acknowledgment.
The accompanying boats gradually moved away.
Only two flat boats remained, negotiating in the heart of the river.
"Today, I have brought a special gift for Zheng Gong..."
As she spoke, Feng Yun looked back at Hou Zhun on the other boat.
"General Hou, does Zheng Gong remember him?"
Zheng Shoushan knew of Hou Zhun, from being a general to a bandit and then turning to Feng Yun.
But they had never had a direct interaction before, and he couldn’t fathom why Feng Yun would mention him.
"The Princess is so kind and benevolent, even having a hero of Nanqi transport coal for you..."
Feng Yun chuckled, "Yes, General Hou was the one who transported the coal to Chuzhou and encountered the bandit’s ambush."
She handed over a wooden box from the side of the boat with both hands.
"This was found by General Hou from the bandits who ambushed him. Please have a look, Zheng Gong."
Zheng Shoushan’s heart tensed slightly.
When the coal balls were ambushed, he suspected Li Zongxun and even Feng Yun.
Both had motives.
However, one, there was no concrete evidence, and two, Li Zongxun had promised him many benefits afterwards, and Feng Yun had made up for the coal balls. He suffered no actual damage, and so he did not pursue it further.
Never did he expect that Feng Yun would have damning evidence against Li Zongxun.
"Several Yecheng Army waist tokens, as well as an autographed order from Li Zongxun. Have a look, Zheng Gong, are they authentic?"
Zheng Shoushan read the documents word by word.
He examined each character closely.
The order detailed Li Zongxun’s arrangement for the ambush on the coal, including switching the cargo with rocks and dousing them with ink. It even stated the purpose—to prevent Zheng Shoushan from leaning towards Feng Yun, so that he would waver no longer. It was also meant to drive a wedge between Zheng Shoushan and the Western Capital Dynasty, ensuring he could never turn back, forcing him to ally with the Yecheng Imperial Court from then on.
"Detestable," Zheng Shoushan clenched his fist, gritting his teeth in anger.
He could confirm the handwriting was that of Li Zongxun.
"This old rogue played me like a fiddle, then had the audacity to bite back, claiming that the coal ambush was the evil plot of the Princess..."
Seeing that he believed it, Feng Yun felt the weight in her heart drop right away.
Back in Bingzhou, nobody had discovered her imitation of Pei Jue’s handwriting.
Thus, when deciding to turn Zheng Shoushan, she had begun preparing early...
In the Western Capital Dynasty’s Imperial Court, there were many official documents written by Li Zongxun. She easily managed to borrow and study them, practicing for some time...
Now it had finally paid off.
With the false causing confusion among the true, she didn’t feel the slightest bit guilty; instead, she turned the situation around, expressing sympathy for Zheng Shoushan.
"After the Central Capital upheaval, Zheng Gong was the first to respond to Yecheng, supporting the Li Family father and daughter through their lowest point. Such grace, and yet Li Zongxun is not only ungrateful, he’s scheming at every turn... Sigh!"
As she spoke, she saw Zheng Shoushan’s old face turn ashen, and she sighed again,
"Perhaps Lord Zheng will think that I am here today to sow discord between you... I admit, that is indeed my intention... because both His Majesty and I highly value Lord Zheng’s character and cannot bear to see you coerced by the treacherous Li, accidentally becoming an eternal sinner."
"Thank you, Princess," Zheng Shoushan’s brows furrowed.
He shook the letter and suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"Why didn’t the Princess give me this important evidence earlier?"
Feng Yun gave a slight smile.
"Even if I gave it to you earlier, what then? Lord Zheng, you would still choose Yecheng, wouldn’t you? Rather than being seen as a despicable person causing trouble, it’s better to feign ignorance and consider it unknown."
Zheng Shoushan asked again, "Then why is the Princess willing to bring it out today and hand it over to this old man?"
Feng Yun slightly raised her brows.
Although Zheng Shoushan expressed gratitude on the surface, he didn’t fully trust her.
That was just one thing.
Secondly, for someone like Zheng Shoushan, just this bit of conflict was not enough to change his decision; he needed a substantial enough benefit...
The cake must be drawn larger.
Not only did he need to see the glorious future following the Western Capital Dynasty, but he also had to understand the grim ending that would inevitably come from sticking with Yecheng...
Feng Yun fell silent for a while, then let out a bitter chuckle.
"Life is too harsh, Lord Zheng. Decades of war have taken countless innocent lives, left so many fields fallow, homes destroyed, wives and children separated, families ruined and lives lost... Lord Zheng, life is truly too difficult. It is time for this world to welcome an era of peace and prosperity."
Appealing to emotions.
Zheng Shoushan was silent.
She smiled again and continued to reason with him.
"Lord Zheng also has a scale in his heart and should be very clear that the puppet regime held by Li Zongxun and his daughter cannot bring good days to Dajin... So, with whom should a great man plan affairs? I hope Lord Zheng will think it over."
Zheng Shoushan’s eyes darkened, "The Princess is making things difficult for me... To be called a treacherous servant of three families is contemptible, I, Zheng..."
He shook his head, "cannot do it."
Feng Yun said, "You are mistaken, Lord Zheng. The two Jin are one family, where is the question of allegiance to three houses? If Lord Zheng surrenders to the Western Capital Dynasty, that is a great kindness. Reducing casualties among the soldiers is seeking welfare for the common people, ensuring peace for all ages. Lord Zheng, you are a hero of Dajin!"
Zheng Shoushan looked at her with a face full of worries and sighed without speaking.
Still not willing to relent?
Feng Yun smiled faintly.
"Before I left the Central Capital, His Majesty specifically asked me to bring a message to Lord Zheng..."
A shadow crossed Zheng Shoushan’s eyes, and a glint of light appeared.
He cupped his hands towards the direction of the Western Capital Dynasty, "May I know His Majesty’s instructions?"
Feng Yun said, "His Majesty stated, those who follow me shall prosper, those against me shall perish. If Lord Zheng is willing to surrender, you will be granted a marquisate and prime ministership in the days to come. If Lord Zheng persists along this dark path..."
She paused for a moment, then smiled faintly.
"The day the Beiyong Army storms into Chuzhou will be the day when Lord Zheng’s family reunites—on the Netherworld Path."
-
On this day on the Tonghui River, Feng Yun said a lot, and although Zheng Shoushan expressed gratitude for her righteousness, he did not commit on the spot and then politely took his leave...
Feng Yun wasn’t completely certain that Zheng Shoushan would be wholly convinced to defect to the Western Capital Dynasty...
Therefore, she had specially prepared a follow-up plan—Zheng Shoushan’s brother-in-law and wife.
Over the years, Ren Rude had been taking the silver coin of the Nanqi Court, traveling around to make friends and establishing his own connections.
Zheng Shoushan’s family had been influenced by him; over the years, they had received many benefits from Ren Rude and had been fattened by him...
This was also the reason why Xiao Cheng was able to turn Zheng Shoushan in the past life and eliminate the obstacle of Chuzhou.
She had it all planned out—if one strategy failed, she would devise another, and if that failed, there would still be a third. As long as she was determined to undermine him, she did not believe he wouldn’t fall...
However, she never expected that Li Sangruo would suddenly interfere and greatly help her cause.
When Zheng Shoushan returned, he naturally had to report the contents of the negotiation on the Tonghui River to the Yecheng Imperial Court.
Of course, he wouldn’t speak of Feng Yun’s attempt to turn him; instead, he made up some conversation to respond to inquiries.
But his account instantly took Li Sangruo back to Xinzhou, back to Mingquan Town, to that negotiation where she was repeatedly embarrassed...
"The Feng Family has always been skilled in cunning words and beguiling hearts; what she said is definitely not limited to what Zheng Shoushan has reported."
"Zheng Shoushan has concealed the truth from the Imperial Court. With his heart already biased, how can he serve us, and how can he lead the Chuzhou Army to fight alongside Yecheng?"
It must be said that Li Sangruo’s judgment this time was correct...
The mistake was that she voiced it, publicly questioning Zheng Shoushan’s loyalty in the Imperial Court and suggesting that his position as Military Governor of Chuzhou should be revoked, and the Chuzhou Army should be taken back by the Imperial Court for unified deployment...
Angry, Li Zongxun slammed his tablet down, cursing her as a "foolish woman."
Li Zongxun and Ge Pei, of course, could also see that Zheng Shoushan was not telling the whole truth.
But with the battle imminent, was it time to turn against each other?
Li Zongxun’s scolding of Li Sangruo was to give Zheng Shoushan an explanation and also to show his own stance...
However, they were all old foxes who knew each other well, didn’t they?
When the news reached Chuzhou, it broke the last of Zheng Shoushan’s hesitation.
If he didn’t rebel today, he would be purged tomorrow.
He summoned his aides to discuss through the night, made a decisive decision, sent people to contact the Beiyong Army on one hand, and on the other hand used Empress Dowager Li’s slanders against him to cool the hearts of the Chuzhou soldiers as a reason to declare to the world—Chuzhou would break away from the Yecheng Imperial Court.
On April 28th of the second year of Tian Shou, Zheng Shoushan built pontoon bridges on the Tonghui River to welcome the Beiyong Army, at the same time opening the gates of Chuzhou city, leading the troops in a counter-attack against Ge Pei...
