Chapter 108: The Ancient Mulberry’s Dark Shop (Part 1)

At dawn, Kong Sheng and his group left the Tianchang territory, riding swiftly toward Xuyi County. Along the way, Li Xuan remained unusually silent, moving with Kong Sheng and the others without uttering a word. Only occasionally did a faint glint of deadly intent flash in her eyes, causing the brothers Wu Xian and Wu Jie to shudder with unease.

This was no transformation of foes into friends; it was clearly a hidden threat!

After all, Li Xuan was a princess of the Tang royal clan, with a noble title—the third daughter of Prince Guo, Li Ju, a person of high status. No matter what means Kong Sheng had used to make Li Xuan “submit,” deep unease and anxiety lingered in their hearts: what if the Princess of Fengyang turned hostile and disowned them? Could they really dare to kill her to silence her?

Executing a royal princess would be an outrageous provocation against the supreme imperial authority. If the emperor and the court found out, their wrath would be thunderous, and no matter how vast the empire, there would be no place left for them to hide.

Moreover, since Li Xuan was taken away by force, her followers would never stand idly by; urgent reports would surely reach Prince Guo’s camp. Prince Guo Li Ju now commanded the army in Pengcheng, controlling Henan, claiming to lead one hundred thousand troops. For Kong Sheng, an as-yet unappointed magistrate of Songcheng County, to dare touch the prince’s daughter was tantamount to suicide—like striking a rock with an egg, like an ant trying to shake a tree.

But at this point, Wu Xian and Wu Jie had no say. If Kong Sheng was guilty, they would be implicated as well.

For two consecutive days, Kong Sheng pushed his horse hard, rushing ahead. By dusk on the third day, they had covered more than two hundred li and entered Xuyi County.

Xuyi lay downstream along the Huai River, on the southern bank of Hongze Lake. Once part of the renowned, fertile Chu Prefecture, it was a land of abundant fish and rice, prosperous and wealthy. Yet since An Lushan’s uprising, because Chu Prefecture bordered Henan Circuit, small bands of rebels had often raided southward in a vicious cycle of attack and retreat, leaving shattered walls and ruins, and the people destitute.

In this chaotic era of war, the government was a mere facade. Local tyrants and gentry raised private armies for protection, while oppressing the common folk even more severely. The saying “oppression by officials drives the people to revolt” was true: villagers, fishermen, and mountain folk, devastated by rebel raids and brutalized by local bullies, had no recourse, no way to survive. Under the incitement of some “well-meaning” agitators, they took up arms.

Whether the water bandits of Hongze Lake or the mountain brigands of Chemen Mountain, this was how they came to be.

The Chu Prefecture government turned a blind eye. Their scant forces barely sufficed to defend the city itself, let alone resist rebels or eliminate bandits. Besides, with the empire in chaos, what harm if Chu Prefecture fell into disorder? Without imperial oversight, laws were ignored, rules discarded. Opportunists plundered with impunity, and others took advantage of the confusion.

Even worse, some corrupt soldiers within the official troops brazenly pillaged the countryside, filling their own pockets.

The cold wind howled as the last rays of the setting sun cast a faint red glow upon Kong Sheng, who sat upright on his horse. Mu Changfeng tightened the reins and softly asked, “Young master, ahead is a fork in the road. Left leads to Gusan Town in Xuyi, right to Hongze County. Which way shall we go?”

Kong Sheng pondered.

This was not a simple choice between left or right, but a calculation—whichever path was shorter would better suit his purposes.

Behind them, Li Xuan, mounted on an equally swift chestnut horse, trotted up and sneered coldly, “Little thief, take the road to Hongze County. Though it’s a hundred li longer, it avoids the water bandits’ attacks. If we go to Gusan, and catch the attention of the Hongze water bandits, the four or five of us won’t be able to escape!”

Li Xuan rarely spoke, but now called him “little thief” outright, causing Mu Changfeng’s brows to knit.

Kong Sheng, however, paid no mind to Li Xuan’s words or insults. Smiling, he turned to her, “Princess, we are neither wealthy merchants carrying heavy gold nor dignitaries with families in tow. Why should the lake bandits bother robbing us?”

“Our priority is speed. No detours. Brother Mu, let’s head straight to Gusan and rest there tonight. I estimate that within the next two days, we can enter Sizhou. Princess, once we reach Sizhou, Pengcheng won’t be far...” Kong Sheng smiled lightly. “Then we can let you come and go freely as you please.”

“Since you little thief don’t appreciate kindness, suit yourself. But I warn you, if we encounter bandits on the road, don’t blame me for not warning you.”

Li Xuan’s annoyance rose when Kong Sheng openly contradicted her, but she only smiled coldly and fell silent. In truth, even without Kong Sheng’s words, she had already made up her mind: once they reached Pengcheng, within her sphere of influence, she would make sure Kong Sheng could never leave unscathed.

Her current pretense of cordiality was born of caution—fear that Kong Sheng might sabotage the grain convoy and invite rebel attacks. But once the convoy was within the protection of Pengcheng’s army, she would no longer restrain herself.

Kong Sheng was like an ant in her palm; whether he was crushed or crippled depended entirely on her mood.

Kong Sheng glanced at Li Xuan and waved his hand. “Let’s go!”

He saw through Li Xuan’s calculations as clearly as looking into a mirror. But he was unafraid. With chaos reigning in Henan and Suiyang at the center of the storm, the emperor was far away and powerless; so much the less Prince Guo, who was fearful after defeat.

Kong Sheng said no more. Despite Li Xuan’s pride and lofty words about resisting rebels and turning the tide in northern Jiangbei, they were but self-deception and wishful thinking. Prince Guo’s retreat to Pengcheng was mainly to preserve his strength, avoiding direct confrontation with the rebels.

This was not simply cowardice, but a lack of strategic vision. The prince’s withdrawal ceded most of Henan Circuit to the Yan forces. Many local officials were isolated and helpless, seeing no way out and forced to surrender cities.

Moreover, even if retreating to Pengcheng was understandable, if Li Ju had sent troops to reinforce Suiyang and delay the rebels’ occupation of Henan and Hebei, just holding out for another three to five months would have allowed Guo Ziyi and Li Guangbi’s main armies to swiftly reclaim Luoyang and Chang’an, changing the situation dramatically.

Mu Changfeng laughed heartily. “As you say, young master, we’ll take the road to Gusan. But it seems this path has been abandoned for some time, no travelers pass here. We must hasten our pace, lest we miss our lodging tonight!”

Wu Xian remained silent. He took the leather water pouch hanging from his horse, pulled off the cap, tilted his head back, and gulped down several mouthfuls before handing it to his brother Wu Jie. Wu Jie shook his head and waved it off, refusing to drink.