Chapter 67: Garment Mound of the Flying Servant

Suzaku pondered for a moment and replied:
"Raising carrier pigeons is not easy. From birth and trial flights to proficiency in delivering messages, it costs at least two taels of silver."
"If it is the lead pigeon of a flock, it costs five taels."
Chai Xiao pointed at the downed speckled pigeon, knowing it would provoke her, and softened his tone.
"What about this one?"
Suzaku confessed frankly:
"This is a lead pigeon. It should be a descendant of 'Jinghong', which I raised when I was young."
"There is a mnemonic in the trade of raising carrier pigeons: one speckled, two red, three grey, four white, five black."
"Black ones have great stamina, white ones are suited for sprinting, grey ones are more covert, red ones are naturally domineering, and the most precious of all is this speckled rain-pattern one."
Chai Xiao nodded.
"A born king, the rain-pattern pigeon—no wonder you couldn't bear to kill it outright."
"Since that's the case, let's find a good place for it and bury it!"
"Otherwise, braising the rain-pattern pigeon would cost too much, and the tears in your heart would be pattering down."
Suzaku's expression suddenly turned fierce, fully displaying the demeanor of a battlefield commander who had personally led a battalion to annihilate over four hundred men during the Battle of Baixiang.
"My Lord, absolutely not!"
"Excessive leniency is tantamount to womanish weakness!"
"As the king of lead pigeons, the 'rain-pattern' pigeon has its own destiny. If we sacrifice its flesh to thwart the Second Prince's conspiracy, perhaps it will fulfill its ultimate purpose."
"My Lord can also use this dish of 'Braised Carrier Pigeon King' to fetch a high price and make a big fuss out of it."
"This will make the Second Prince lower his guard and think that My Lord is still just a gluttonous, good-for-nothing fool!"
"Only when he becomes even more uninhibited and arrogant can we maneuver better from behind the scenes and gather the silver we need!"
As these words fell, everyone was startled.
They all said the Second Prince was ruthlessly cold-blooded and prone to destroying beauty without hesitation.
Now it seemed that if anyone offended Suzaku, this blooming flower, they would be the ones whose heads were on the chopping block!
No, rather than destroying the flower, her hands would destroy their heads—with their lives hanging by a thread!
Moreover, ever since Suzaku became an adopted sister, she certainly spoke her mind with increasing boldness.
Womanish weakness!
Gluttonous, good-for-nothing fool!
If it were anyone else, they would never dare utter such words in front of the Lord!
Chai Xiao was also amazed at the ruthlessness of his newly recognized "adopted sister".
Yet upon second thought, it made sense; what had this peerless female warrior, comparable to the Goddess of the Nine Heavens, not witnessed?
Exterminate evil completely!
When dealing with a top-tier scoundrel like Chai Huo, one had to fight fire with fire and stand firm to the end!
Chai Xiao's gentle expression gained a trace of admiration.
"Since that's the case, we'll do as you say!"
"Keep a feather from the head, body, and tail of the 'rain-pattern' pigeon respectively, find a secluded spot in the courtyard, and set up something like a cenotaph!"
"Have Yi Tai and his team pull out all the stops to cook this dish of 'Braised Heavenly Pigeon King' to perfection!"
"Priced at fifty taels a ticket, it will come bundled with front-row tickets for the first day of the lion dance competition and the martial arts tournament for a bride selection."
"Then, spread the word early: rumor has it that the Ninth Prince has gone mad with poverty and is so desperate he's ready to braise the table legs of his own manor to sell for money!"

Everyone burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
Chai Xiao dropped another remark that laid bare the scheme of heaven:
"As for the strategy to make Chai Huo willing to spend ten thousand taels of silver, it has already been set. We are just waiting for this dish of 'Braised Carrier Pigeon King' to serve as the catalyst!"
"Each of the four major moneymaking schemes targets ordinary onlookers, yet they are aimed even more at the wealthy and those with ulterior motives."
"Those who carry sharp weapons are bound to harbor rebellious intentions."
"Chai Huo is precisely such a person. Once he hears the benefits of the 'Braised Carrier Pigeon King', he will inevitably turn his attention to these two arenas."
"Given his competitive and arrogant nature, he will surely spend lavishly on every front, just to flaunt the boundless wealth and omnipotence of an Eight-Pearl Imperial Prince."
"He will want the best front-row seats, the most expensive food and drink, lottery tickets bought until he wins the grand prize, and every combat prediction locked down."
"Yet at the same time, he is very stingy; whenever he decides a coin shouldn't be spent, he won't part with a single cent, and even hopes to turn a profit."
"Therefore, barring any surprises, he will pour massive funds into the third and fourth major categories."
"Indeed, considering himself the crown prince, he might even seize the opportunity to cultivate his own 'traffic-driving martial artists' and rake in a fortune through 'single-match lotteries'!"
"When the time comes, let's see whether his buying is cleverer or our selling is wiser."
"Since we already know what he wants to do, we only need to keep an eye on what he actually does. In that way, knowing both ourselves and the enemy, we shall never be defeated!"
"With the strength of the Ye Group forces combined with the three interlocking stratagems of counter-espionage, the苦肉计 (flesh-harming ruse), and linked chains, we will twist them into a single rope and ensure he loses both his silver and his troops!"

Everyone was deeply encouraged, their morale soaring, completely wiping away the slump caused by their commander Suzaku being "forced into rebellion".
Even Su Zhongjing approved heartily, nodding repeatedly.
This "contemporary Zhuge Liang" glanced at Suzaku.
Suzaku understood, beckoning everyone to gather around and performing a "loyalty of the three armies" gesture unique to military camps.
She raised her right fist above her head, and the other golden-hairpin guards, Zhang Bao, and the rest raised their fists in succession, stacking them beneath hers.
They shouted in unison:
"We shall follow the Lord's lead alone, and your words shall be our absolute command!"
Before the shout finished, they were surprised to find that the Lord had also clenched his fist and joined the stack.
Suzaku was startled and hurriedly lowered her own fist slightly so that the Lord's fist remained at the very top.
Looking closer, they saw the Imperial Tutor and Imperial Concubine Yun also raising their fists to join.
Suzaku hurriedly lowered hers further.
A fortress of fists.
A magnificent sight.
The scene flickering in Chai Xiao's mind right now was nothing other than the pre-match rallying cries on basketball courts before his transfiguration.
It was neither the intimidating Maori haka of the New Zealand team nor the frenzied high-fives from the Japanese basketball anime.
It was merely fists pointing the same way, shouting "Victory" together, which spontaneously aroused a thousand heroic passions in one's chest!
At this very moment, Chai Xiao raised his fist to the sky and, before shouting "Victory," bellowed out Wang Changling's poem "From the Battle Line":
"Through a hundred battles in yellow sands, our golden armor wears thin; we shall never return until Loulan is destroyed!"
"Fight!"
"Victory!"
A fierce light of battle flashed in everyone's eyes, piercing the sky and breaking through the clouds.
The sunlight spilled all over the sky, reflecting upon them as though they were clad in true "golden armor."
Like a roc rising with the wind in a single day, soaring ninety thousand miles straight up.

Everyone shouted together:
"Through a hundred battles in yellow sands, our golden armor wears thin; we shall never return until Loulan is destroyed!"
"Fight!"
"Victory!"
...
Chai Xiao led the crowd onward.
Behind them, someone took the three feathers handed over by Suzaku and placed them into an exquisite wooden box.
The box was buried behind a small hill in the "Red Luan Princess Manor Courtyard" specially designated for Suzaku and her companions.
A small wooden tablet was erected above it, bearing four characters written after Suzaku's brief contemplation:
"Descendant of Jinghong."
In the sky, the "coo-coo-coo" call of passing birds seemed to ring out once more.
It sounded both like a memorial melody for this king of carrier pigeons—whose symbolic clothes were buried while its flesh was turned into a feast—and like a bugle call urging them ever onward.
amidst such melodies, a "Red Luan" kite fluttered high above the "Red Luan Princess Manor Courtyard."
The kite was entirely crimson, and every time it flapped its wings and flicked its tail with the wind, it looked just like a nimble, divine Suzaku descending to the mortal realm, its posture vigorous and lifelike.
Complementing the blue sky and white clouds, it became the most eye-catching splash of brilliance near the Prince's Manor.
The news that Imperial Concubine Yun's newly recognized adopted daughter, Princess Red Luan, would hold a martial arts tournament for a bride selection following the grand sacrifice to heaven spread like wildfire.
Almost in an instant, it swept through the streets and alleys.
Not far away, at the Imperial Guard Wwei Manor, another Western Region carrier pigeon with a bamboo tube tied to its leg took flight, flapping its wings.
"Coo! Coo! Coo!"
The sound was not loud, yet it carried far.
Dressed in princess ceremonial robes, Suzaku's expression shifted slightly. Shielding her eyes with a hand, she listened intently, then cupped her fists toward Chai Xiao and reported:
"My Lord, the direction of the hidden agent is roughly to the north of the Prince's Manor, not very far away."
A thought stirred in Chai Xiao's heart. He looked at Su Zhongjing and pointed with his finger toward the small woods on the right side of the courtyard entrance.
Su Zhongjing stroked his beard beneath his chin, nodded slightly, and then pointed straight ahead.
The others did not know why the master and apprentice were playing "charades" at this moment.
In truth, Chai Xiao knew in his heart that the reality was drawing closer and closer to his prior conjecture.
North of the Prince's Manor lay the encampment of the Imperial Guard Wwei.
The Great Qi dynasty, emulating the Northern Yamen Imperial Guards established by the preceding Tang Dynasty, set up the Wwei Imperial Guards north of the palace city, placing them under the direct jurisdiction of the sovereign.
Just now, his gesture pointing toward the woods used the word "woods" (林) to signify the "forbidden" (禁) imperial guards located there.
Su Zhongjing deeply agreed and pointed straight ahead, meaning that there was no time to lose; they should gallop quickly to the East Drum Tower and have Suzaku verify the exact location of the hidden agent.
Chai Xiao exchanged a glance with Suzaku and whispered a few words.
Suzaku nodded, ordered someone to fetch a spacious outer robe, and draped it over her princess ceremonial robe.
After giving a few instructions to Jianfeng, she led Jianshuang and the slingshot youth squad away in brisk strides.
Imperial Concubine Yun was stunned and quietly asked her son:
"What is this all about?"