Chapter 126: Bickerings

"Practicing archery? This little thief really doesn't know how to rest..." Li Xuan muttered. Seeing Li Hu's strange expression, she arched her willow-leaf eyebrows and asked, "Well?"

Li Hu let out a long sigh, his voice heavy with complexity: "Princess, that Magistrate Kong is truly remarkable. He snapped a three-stone bow in two, and then, with effortless grace, pulled a six-stone bow to its full draw. His innate strength is legendary; he lives up to his reputation!"

Li Xuan snorted coldly. Having already witnessed Kong Sheng’s immense strength and prowess, she found nothing to be surprised about. She waved her hand and said in a deep voice, "Go and bring that little thief to see me!"

Li Hu acknowledged the order and turned to leave.

Before long, Kong Sheng, with his hands clasped behind his back and a calm, composed expression, followed Li Hu into the hall. He bowed deeply to Li Xuan: "Greetings, Princess."

Li Xuan sneered, "Kong Sheng, are you feeling rather arrogant and conceited now? Do you think that by brandishing the banner of an imperial appointment and a scholar of the Son of Heaven, you can act however you please before this Princess?"

Kong Sheng smiled. "Princess, I would not dare."

"Is there anything you would not dare to do? You little thief..." Li Xuan stepped forward, a flush of anger rising on her beautiful face. "You are clearly an official appointed by the imperial court, yet you went to such lengths to conceal your identity and prevaricate before me. What exactly are your intentions?"

Kong Sheng sighed. "Princess, we live in times of war and chaos. The journey to Henan to take up my post is fraught with peril. I did not dare to expose my identity lightly. I hope you can understand."

"Do not try to argue your way out of this. I asked you repeatedly why you were going to Henan, and you insisted you were merely traveling through the Central Plains. If that is not deception, what is?" Li Xuan said sternly. "Though you are an imperial official—the Magistrate of Songcheng County in Suiyang—you are still under the command of my father, the Prince of Guo. As a subordinate official, not only have you failed to show proper respect, but you have also been impertinent in every way. Do you not know that this is a capital offense?"

Kong Sheng’s expression remained unchanged. "If the Princess insists on charging me with a crime, I have nothing more to say."

Kong Sheng knew that now that his identity was exposed, things were different; he must never admit to his past actions. It was up to Li Xuan to provide proof; as long as he did not confess, he believed there was nothing she could do to him.

"You!" Li Xuan was on the verge of exploding. She had not expected Kong Sheng to feign ignorance so completely and refuse to acknowledge anything.

"Return the imperial jade token to me," Li Xuan demanded, holding out her hand in anger.

Kong Sheng shook his head. "How could a personal item of the Princess, a treasure bestowed by the Emperor, be in my possession?"

As long as he did not produce the jade token, he could not be convicted of the crime of offending the Princess. Kong Sheng was no fool; he would not fall into her trap. Besides, he had future plans for this imperial token and could not return it to her yet.

Li Xuan was so angry that she began to cough violently. Kong Sheng, however, bowed with perfect composure and said sincerely, "Rage is bad for your health. I implore you, Princess, to take care of your precious body!"

Li Hu and Li Hu, standing to the side, wanted to laugh but dared not. They lowered their heads, forcing themselves to stifle their amusement, though they felt a sense of admiration for Kong Sheng. He was the first person to ever be so "unassuming yet unyielding" before the Princess of Fengyang. Even though he was merely an eighth-rank magistrate, there were many high-ranking officials under the Prince of Guo, yet every one of them was always respectful and fearful of offending the Princess.

Kong Sheng, however, was an exception.

He had dared to offend a Princess of the realm while hiding his identity, and even after his cover was blown, he used a strategy of retreating to advance, leaving the usually sharp and dominant Princess completely defeated.

Li Hu and Li Hu did not know exactly how Kong Sheng had "offended" her, but seeing his seemingly respectful yet indifferent attitude, they guessed it was nothing good; otherwise, Li Xuan would not be so furious and humiliated.

The two exchanged a silent look, sensing the atmosphere was wrong, and retreated. As far as they were concerned, Kong Sheng was an imperial official and would never dare to truly harm the Princess. Besides, their Princess was highly skilled in martial arts; ordinary people could not even get close to her.

Li Xuan stood with her hands on her hips, breathing heavily. The reserve, arrogance, and authority of a Princess had long since vanished; at this moment, she looked more like a shy, angry, and exasperated neighbor girl.

Kong Sheng stood quietly to the side.

Suddenly, Li Xuan drew the sword at her waist and pointed it at Kong Sheng’s throat. "Do not think I dare not kill you!"

Kong Sheng let out an "Oh" and raised his head, saying with a straight face, "If my death could appease the Princess, then I would be willing to die for you!"

Li Hu and Li Hu, guarding outside the hall, nearly burst out laughing upon hearing this. They thought to themselves that this Kong Sheng was truly... a rare specimen. Who speaks like that? "Willing to die for the Princess"—if an outsider heard that, they might think the Princess and he were entangled in some illicit romance.

"You!" Li Xuan looked ready to snap, but then she slowly calmed down. The anger on her pretty face faded, and she actually began to laugh. "Kong Sheng, you little thief, you are so cunning and sinister. You deliberately provoked me so that I would drive you out of the Wang Family Fortress, and then you would be free to leave, wouldn't you?"

Kong Sheng remained silent.

Li Xuan waved her hand. "I almost fell for your trap! Kong Sheng, with your character, I worry about the people of Suiyang who will be under your care."

Kong Sheng thought to himself, *If my character is unfit to be a parent to the people, then your arrogant and prideful manner, ready to take a life at the slightest provocation, is an even greater disgrace to the royal family of the Great Tang.* However, he knew he could not say this, or Li Xuan would truly lose all restraint.

"The Princess is right to reprimand me. From now on, I shall strictly discipline myself and perform my duties to the best of my ability to serve the imperial court."

Li Xuan scoffed. "Kong Sheng, spare me your high-sounding rhetoric. Let me ask you: the rebels are surrounding the city; do you have a plan to force them to retreat?"

The little lady had finally circled back to the point. *She could have just asked for advice; why be so difficult?*

Kong Sheng pondered for a moment and said, "Princess, I still stand by my previous suggestion: send a small, agile force to break out of the fortress. Take advantage of the rebels’ lack of vigilance, break through the encirclement, and get a message to Li Biao’s merchant caravan to ensure the grain supply is not lost."

Li Xuan’s gaze sharpened. "Then, does what you said earlier still hold true? Do you dare to act as a fearless vanguard for me and lead a few men to break through the encirclement? Kong Sheng, if you fulfill this mission, I will wipe clean all your previous offenses. We shall speak no more of them. How about it?"

Kong Sheng’s heart skipped a beat. He sneered internally: *I said that earlier to safely escape, even if it meant taking a risk. But now that my identity is exposed, you wouldn't dare touch me again. To take such a risk now would be utter stupidity.*

However, he replied with righteous indignation: "If the Princess commands it, how could I refuse? But I am still recovering from serious wounds. My personal safety is a trivial matter, but if I were to bungle a major state affair of the Princess, I would be guilty of a crime for which even death would not be enough to atone!"

Li Xuan’s mouth twitched. "Still recovering from serious wounds? Kong Sheng, look at how vigorous and strong you are! I heard you just snapped a three-stone bow and drew a six-stone one—does that look like a man with serious, unhealed wounds? What is this? Are you afraid of death and avoiding battle against a few hundred rebels?"

Kong Sheng said with a solemn expression, "Princess, if I were a man who feared death, why would I have fought those Hongze water bandits the other day?"

The two continued their verbal sparring, back and forth, when Li Hu suddenly burst in with a dark expression. "Princess, this is bad! The rebels outside are cutting down trees from the nearby villages and seizing the villagers to build siege ladders outside the city walls!"

Li Xuan gasped, her face changing color. She could no longer spare the energy to bicker with Kong Sheng; she brushed past him and headed straight for the city gate tower, followed by her subordinates. Kong Sheng, after a moment's thought, followed them.

Sure enough, the rebels were forcing the captured craftsmen and villagers to construct siege ladders. As a siege weapon, the structure of a ladder was not complex; any carpenter could build one. Given that the walls of the Wang Family Fortress were several feet lower than those of a typical city, the rebels only needed simple ladders to swarm the walls. As long as they disregarded their own casualties, they would surely breach the fortress.

Li Xuan stood on the tower, gazing at the bustling activity in the rebel camp in the distance, her expression growing increasingly grim. If the rebels were determined to take the fortress regardless of the cost, then... the fortress might truly be lost.

"Those rebels!" Li Xuan stamped her foot in anger, her eyes filled with murderous intent. She drew her sword and struck the wall with all her might. The wall, maintained by the Wang family for decades, was as solid as rock; her strike only sent stone fragments flying and sparks showering.

Kong Sheng stood behind her, also watching the distance, lost in thought.

Li Hu and Li Hu bowed to the side, pleading for battle: "Princess, if we wait for the rebels to finish the ladders, the fortress will be in grave danger. It would be better for us to lead the troops out and take them by surprise!"

"Your subordinates are willing to fight to the death!"

Li Xuan’s delicate lips quivered. From a strategic standpoint, it was indeed necessary to take the initiative while the enemy was busy with siege equipment. But there were only a little over a hundred men in the fortress, and half of them were not regular soldiers. To send these hundred men against five or six hundred rebels would be like throwing eggs at a rock. Li Xuan dared not take such a risk.

If those hundred men were lost outside, the Wang Family Fortress would be finished. If there were no people left, what would there be to defend?

Li Xuan suddenly turned to look at Kong Sheng. Although she said nothing, the eagerness in her eyes betrayed her inner thoughts: she wanted to ask for his advice but could not bring herself to say it. Yet, if she sat idle and failed to come up with a countermeasure, it would be certain death.

Kong Sheng’s eyes flickered.

There were no cannons in this era; otherwise, a few volleys would have sent the rebels packing. Conversely, if there were cannons, the rebels wouldn't need to build ladders—a bombardment would have likely leveled the fortress already.

"Princess, are there any ballistae prepared in the fortress?" Kong Sheng asked softly.

Li Xuan shook her head. "Ballistae are weapons of the imperial army. They cannot be stored here. If the court were to find out, it would be a grave crime of hoarding military armaments. No one could bear the consequences."