Chapter 13: The King of Qi (Part 3)
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In the Cloud Radiance Palace, Yun Yao was admiring the flowers with a bevy of beauties, surrounded by laughter and carefree merriment.
Suddenly, a minister stormed in and pointed at her, shouting furiously, “What a foolish ruler! The Chu army has already taken ten cities from our Qi kingdom and is about to march on Linzi, yet you are still here indulging yourself!”
The beauties fell silent at once.
Yun Yao thought, What? We’re losing that quickly?
No, this won’t do. If the kingdom falls, how am I supposed to enjoy myself?
Thus, she decided to stop playing around for the time being and do something to save the situation.
Yun Yao immediately summoned all the officials to discuss the matter. After much deliberation, she dispatched the great general Tian Ji with an army to provide relief.
The battle was extraordinarily difficult. Fortunately, the situation gradually stabilized, and the two armies reached a stalemate.
In order to make Chu withdraw its troops as soon as possible, Yun Yao wrote a letter inviting the King of Chu to a peace conference.
The letter soon reached the King of Chu. When he opened it, it was, as expected, a plea for peace, its wording obsequious to the extreme.
The King of Chu deliberately ordered the envoy to read it aloud in court so that he could humiliate Qi.
The Qi envoy’s face flushed crimson as he read, his heart filled with grief and indignation.
He could only lament that his ruler was foolish and incompetent, bringing shame upon the entire nation.
When the reading was over, the King of Chu burst into laughter and agreed to the conference.
The news quickly reached Tian Ji. Furious, he drew his sword and hacked wildly at a tree before hurriedly writing a letter to his ruler.
“I am preparing to fight to the death for our country. Why, Your Majesty, have you chosen to kneel and beg for peace?”
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Several days later, the King of Chu arrived at the designated meeting place with his army.
“Your Majesty,” one minister reminded him, “could this conference be a trap?”
Another minister said, “The King of Qi has spent his entire reign scouring the land for beautiful women to fill his harem. Every day, he knows only how to drink and make merry, paying no attention to state affairs. How could such a foolish ruler possibly have any strategy? The moment war breaks out, he is bound to panic and lose his head.”
The King of Chu gave a contemptuous smile, clearly agreeing with the latter minister.
This young monarch was tall and imposing, carrying himself with extraordinary dignity. His ceremonial crown robes only enhanced his commanding presence.
His handsome face was filled with ambition, and there was a sharpness between his brows—the keen edge of one who meant to point his sword at the whole world.
The various kingdoms had been locked in strife for years. Once, Duke Huan of Qi had dominated the realm. Now, it was surely Chu’s turn.
Before long, the Qi troops arrived as well, and amid an escort of guards, a figure stepped down from a carriage.
A face of incomparable beauty appeared before them. Her skin was like polished jade, her lips like vermilion, and her entire bearing possessed the noble splendor of one nourished by the wealth of the world. No one could look away.
The King of Chu was dazed for a moment. Then he lifted the bead curtain hanging from his crown and took a closer look.
After a long while, he asked in puzzlement, “If she looks like that, why does she still need to scour the land for beautiful women?”
No one answered him.
The King of Chu’s ministers were equally unable to understand.
Aren’t you a beauty yourself?
If you like beautiful women so much, why not look in a mirror?
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Now that both sides had arrived, their respective envoys invited the two kings to take their seats.
The King of Chu lowered the bead curtain, straightened his robes, and sat down.
He studied the King of Qi before him as though he were coveting some priceless treasure. His gaze was filled with possessiveness.
One day, sooner or later, he would swallow Qi whole and obtain its land, its wealth—and its king.
Yun Yao also sized up the King of Chu before saying, “The two kingdoms have fought to a standstill. Continuing the war will only bring further losses. I am willing to offer a thousand ounces of gold. Why do we not cease hostilities here and avoid wasting our national strength?”
The King of Chu replied arrogantly, “If Qi is willing to cede the region around Yang Pass to Chu, then I will naturally agree to withdraw my troops.”
Yun Yao fell silent. After a moment, she said, “Bring the map from my carriage.”
The Qi ministers hurriedly urged her, “Your Majesty, you must not!”
Yun Yao paid them no heed.
The King of Chu smiled inwardly. She had even prepared a map in advance. Had she intended from the beginning to cede territory in exchange for peace?
The envoy reluctantly took out the map and placed it on the table.
The Qi ministers beat their breasts and stamped their feet, wishing they could smash their heads against the ground.
Yun Yao remained utterly unconcerned and slowly unfolded the map.
Suddenly, as the map reached its end, a dagger was revealed. A flash of silver passed before their eyes, and the blade came to rest against the King of Chu’s throat.
Only then did the King of Chu realize what had happened. Shock spread across his face.
The ministers of both kingdoms were stunned. Once they recovered, they all drew their swords and pointed them at one another.
Yun Yao threatened him. “Order your troops to withdraw.”
The King of Chu studied her again. His eyes held both admiration and wariness.
He smiled, then his expression darkened. “Withdraw.”
To prevent the King of Chu from reneging, Yun Yao made him write an agreement and proclaim it throughout the realm.
And so, Chu withdrew its troops.
The events of that day spread rapidly across the world, leaving everyone astonished.
Who could have imagined that the notoriously foolish King of Qi possessed such courage?
The entire kingdom of Qi was dazed, followed by shock and delight.
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After returning to the capital, Yun Yao received an enthusiastic welcome from the beauties.
Three thousand lovely companions brought her tea, poured her water, fussed over her, and gazed at her with adoration.
Yun Yao enjoyed herself immensely and spent the entire night recounting her heroic exploits.
She had guessed from the start that the other side would demand territory, so she had hidden a dagger inside the map in advance. Taking advantage of their contempt, she had struck in one decisive move.
This maneuver greatly enhanced Yun Yao’s reputation and won her the people’s support.
Several days later, a great scholar requested an audience and asked, “There is a bird in the kingdom that perches in the ruler’s courtyard. For three years it has neither flown nor sung. What kind of bird is it?”
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Yun Yao threw back her head and laughed. “It does not fly—until suddenly it soars into the heavens. It does not sing—until suddenly its song astonishes the world!”
With that, she ordered, “Inform all the officials that court will convene tomorrow!”
The next day, every official attended court.
One minister declared with immense admiration, “Your Majesty forced Chu to withdraw its troops through your own strength alone. You possess both wisdom and courage, and are no less remarkable than Duke Huan of Qi!”
Yun Yao smiled faintly.
The other ministers remained silent.
During the three years in which His Majesty had ignored state affairs, many people had risen through bribery, obtaining high office and generous rewards despite knowing nothing except how to flatter and curry favor.
These men were parasites gnawing at the kingdom, turning the entire court into a cesspit of corruption while pretending on the surface to be the most loyal of ministers.
Why did some rulers lose their kingdoms?
Because since ancient times, it had been difficult to distinguish the loyal from the treacherous. Every traitorous minister pretended to be loyal.
Yun Yao turned to the minister who had just spoken. “What is your name?”
The minister replied joyfully, “My surname is Li, and my given name is Ji.”
Yun Yao glanced at the system panel.
Li Ji’s loyalty: 20.
She said, “Guards, strip him of his official robes and throw him in prison!”
Li Ji panicked and hurriedly cried out, “Your Majesty, spare me!”
Before the other ministers could react, the ruler began reciting a string of names. Every one of them belonged to a notorious traitor, and not a single name was mistaken.
Half the court was removed in an instant, leaving it clean and empty.
Yun Yao said, “For these past three years, I have been observing the court and distinguishing the loyal from the treacherous, so that I could purge them all at once!”
The ministers suddenly understood.
So His Majesty had deliberately ignored state affairs, allowing everyone to act as they pleased. That way, the treacherous ministers would reveal themselves!
They had thought His Majesty was truly foolish and incompetent. In reality, he had possessed an entirely different purpose!
In an instant, all the ministers felt that the ruler before them was unfathomably profound. They submitted to her wholeheartedly.
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After purging the court, Yun Yao returned to the inner palace and continued to lie low.
The young eunuch at her side immediately hurried forward to attend to her with great attentiveness.
Yun Yao opened the system list to take a look. The result showed that his loyalty was 80.
She was greatly surprised, but then she understood.
He was nothing more than a dog hoping to please its master. Matters of the kingdom and the welfare of the state lay entirely outside his thoughts. The only thing that mattered was whether his master was happy.
He was merely a dog. What could she possibly expect him to understand?
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