Chapter 46: Grudges (II)

Gao Lishi’s “generous” rescue allowed Li Kuo to leave Jingzhao Prefecture unharmed, but it did not resolve the boy’s doubts. On the contrary, Gao Lishi’s intervention only deepened his confusion—why save me? For those in high positions, they would never offer help without clear advantages. Since he had little interaction with Gao Lishi, let alone a friendship, why go to such lengths to meddle in this mess? The only possibility was that Gao Lishi wanted to send a message through this incident, using it as an opportunity to subdue him. But he was just a minor military officer—what about him could attract such a powerful general to risk offending Li Linfu’s faction?

“Brother Kuo, you’re back!”
With a creak, the wooden door was pushed open, and Zhang Yanji strode forward. “Brother Kuo, you’re finally back. You don’t know—during your absence, the men of the Tongwu Camp kept demanding an explanation from Jingzhao Prefecture…”
If it weren’t for him urging the boy to investigate Gao Xiuyan’s affair with Tubo, the men wouldn’t have fallen into Gao’s trap. In his view, Brother Kuo’s misfortunes were all due to his impulsive actions.

“But you’re here now. With you here, I’m relieved.”
The boy wasn’t worried that the men of the Tongwu Camp would lose their temper and rebel. Though they shared a close bond, they were highly disciplined. No matter how fiercely they protested, they wouldn’t act without orders from their superiors. Discipline and obedience had always been the Tongwu Camp’s hallmark.

“That’s not certain! In other situations, my words might still carry weight. But this time, you’ve been framed by villains—would the men just stand by and watch you suffer in prison?”
Zhang Yanji shrugged dismissively, unable to understand Li Kuo’s frustration. It was clear he had fallen into someone’s trap, yet he couldn’t complain without being dismissed—how could a hot-tempered man endure such humiliation?

“I haven’t suffered at all. Strangely, since arriving in Jingzhao Prefecture, Wang Chao has treated me like a guest of honor. Aside from two meetings, I haven’t even had to spare a drop of saliva.”
The boy spoke with arrogance, even a hint of opportunism, leaving his friend beside him almost stunned.

“What? That scoundrel didn’t bother you? You weren’t tortured, beaten, or mistreated?”

Zhang Yanji circled Li Kuo several times, examining him from head to toe, still unable to believe what Li Kuo had said.
Who didn’t know the tricks going on in the Jingzhao Prefecture? Without some backing, even a seven-foot-tall strongman would end up in trouble there.
“Of course not. I’m only under suspicion in this case—there’s no conviction yet. Even if Wang Xuan wanted to make things difficult for me, he has no reason to. Besides, I was just appointed as a military officer by the Emperor. If Wang Xuan uses torture without the Emperor’s permission, isn’t that like slapping the Emperor in the face?”
Li Kuo smiled and spread his hands, calmly analyzing Wang Xuan’s motives with his friend. Though Wang Xuan held great power and was arrogant, he was still a subject of the Tang Dynasty. The Emperor had just appointed him to a position—how could he come looking for trouble now and embarrass the Emperor?
“I doubt he’d dare!”
Zhang Yanji snorted. “But if not for… if not for… sigh!”
If it weren’t for the Lady of Guo State stepping in and seeking help from Gao Lishi, Brother Kuo would still be trapped in Jingzhao Prefecture. Even if Wang Xuan didn’t dare do anything to Brother Kuo for now, as the saying goes, three people can create a tiger. If he bribed some so-called witnesses to insist on Brother Kuo’s ‘crimes,’ even the Emperor might not be able to do much.
But the Lady of Guo State had already told him not to reveal that she had intervened. He really didn’t understand her thinking—she did it but refused to let Brother Kuo know…
“It’s good you’re back! It’s good you’re back! We need to discuss carefully how to take revenge!”
Zhang Yanji clenched his fists and shouted, “Fools! Fools!”
At some point, Zhou Wucui had entered the room and stood behind Zhang Yanji, sighing so loudly that he almost scared Zhang Xiaolangjun to the ground.
“Idiot!”
Clutching his chest and gasping for breath, Zhang Xiaolangjun said, “You fat idiot! When did you get out? Why do you walk so quietly? You scared me to death.”
Glancing at Zhang Yanji disdainfully, Zhou Daitian pouted and said, “That’s why they call you stupid. If a genius walked like an ordinary person, how could he be called a genius? Your kind of ordinary people can’t possibly understand the state of mind of a genius.”
“You…”
Zhang Yanji was so angry he could barely contain himself, wanting to grab Zhou Wucui’s stupid face and crush it into a mess…
“If Seventh Brother were really as stupid as you, there would be no need for revenge. He could just wait for Li Linfu to come with a butcher’s knife and surrender himself for execution.”

Zhou Datian kept murmuring about the differences between people, filled with emotion. This Zhang Yanji—whether capable or not, scheming or not—was impulsive and aggressive, acting without considering consequences. If not for staying by Li Kuo’s side, he might have died ten or eight times already.
“The matter was resolved so smoothly thanks to efforts from various parties. But that doesn’t mean Li Linfu will give up easily. Qi Lang is currently in a very precarious situation. To recklessly charge in now is nothing but seeking death.”
Sighing, Zhou Wucui pointed out, “The crown prince is under house arrest in the eastern palace, and Yang Zhao isn’t in Xijing. Can you, Master Zhang, single-handedly shake up Li Linfu’s power?”
“Is that really the case?”
Zhang Yanji hated hearing such grand principles, especially when spoken by Zhou the chubby guy. Immediately, Young Master Zhang became angry: “If that’s the case, why not simply side with Li Linfu and submit to him? Then nothing would be a problem.”
“People strive for pride, fire burns brighter, and even Buddhas compete for incense. Of course, we must strive!”
Glancing at Zhang Yanji, Zhou Wucui said calmly, “But I’m afraid we’ll need to adjust our strategy a bit.”
“Adjust?”
Zhang Yanji didn’t understand and leaned in to ask. How to adjust? Did this chubby guy really have a clever plan?
“The reason we fell into the trap set by Li and Gao is because we failed to see the bigger picture, getting stuck on Gao Xiuyan’s affair with the Tibetans.”
Lowering his voice, Zhou Datian deliberately paused for them to think.
“What Wucui means is we need to step back from this matter and look at the overall situation!”
A glint appeared in Li Kuo’s eyes as he clapped in approval.
“Exactly. It’s only polite to return the favor. Since Li Linfu and Gao Xiuyan can set traps and create problems out of nothing, let’s learn from them—make them pay with blood for blood, and life for life!”