Tome of Troubled Times

Chapter 446: Cooperation Between the Real and Fake Yue Hongling

Sisi picked up the wine flagon and poured a cup for Zhao Changhe, her tone leisurely as she said, “The forest is deep, the mist thick, the air cold. I remember you used to drink straight from a wine gourd without bothering to warm it. But here, do as the locals do.”

Zhao Changhe replied with a double meaning, “Actually, warming it isn’t so bad either.”

His words seemed to respond to her earlier comment about not being “chaste,” something that Sisi used to be quite indignant about.

Sisi seemed to catch his meaning, blinking her eyes and laughing lightly before sighing. “Warming the wine isn’t the norm. Most of the time, it’s hidden in the pot, unseen, neither cold nor hot. Drink it if you want, or don’t.”

Zhao Changhe drank in silence.

Sisi asked, “Aren’t you afraid I might have poisoned it?”

Zhao Changhe answered, “Didn’t you say it yourself? The Wang Clan of Langya has its ways, even the ability to expel poison.”

Her eyes sparkled mischievously as she laughed softly. “I have no ties with you. As the saintess of my tribe, I wouldn’t hesitate to trick a person from the Central Plains. You shouldn’t trust me too much. I don’t want you blaming me later if you fall into my trap.”

Zhao Changhe ignored her teasing and changed the subject. “In any case, Lei Ao wants to kill Wang Daozhong. Regardless of whatever grudge you may have with him, I’m the one dealing with him now. So, can you tell me more about him?”

“He wants to kill Wang Daozhong. What does that have to do with Zhao Changhe?”

“...”

She had a point. Strictly speaking, Lei Ao had not wronged Zhao Changhe at all. The guy did not even know that Zhao Changhe was the one who was actually in Miaojiang.

Sisi leisurely continued, “You might not know this, but Lei Ao isn’t just a prominent figure among the Black Hmong in the trading town. He’s actually the son of the current Black Hmong tribal chief.”

Zhao Changhe frowned slightly.

Lei Ao had said that the matter was too big for him to decide and that Zhao Changhe should go to Cangshan to speak with the tribal chief. But in truth, Lei Ao was the chief’s son, something not even Li Sian seemed to know. Now it appeared that sending Wang Daozhong to Cangshan was just a ruse. Lei Ao had actually planned to secretly kill him on the way and then blame it on the internal strife among the people of Great Xia—after all, many people had seen Wang Daozhong clash with Shi Wuding.

Thinking it over, Zhao Changhe sighed, “He plans to pin it on Shi Wuding, and you plan to pin it on him. You all treat Old Wang like an easy target, never considering that you might fail to kill him, huh?”

Sisi scoffed. “The techniques of Miaojiang are quite different from those of the Central Plains. Unless they are on Ranking of Heaven, or someone like my master, who’s at the forefront of the Ranking of Earth, we would not hesitate to confront them. Ordinary Ranking of Earth and Man figures can hardly handle the innumerable strange techniques here. You’re the odd one. In that deathtrap earlier, if the real Wang Daozhong had been there, he would’ve died. And even if he survived, he would have been desperately fighting off the poison and curse. Once he got trapped in my snake formation, he wouldn’t have had any way out.”

Considering Wang Daozhong’s known abilities, Zhao Changhe agreed that he might have fallen then and there. While Wang Daozhong was undoubtedly strong, he was not invincible. Without a treasure like the Qinghe Mirror, Wang Daozhong likely would not have had much of a chance against the strange techniques of this area. The only exception would be if his brother, Wang Daoning, had come, as they could have resisted together.

Sisi continued to grumble, “Back then, I swore not to reveal Miaojiang’s secret techniques in the Central Plains. Otherwise, do you think you could have bullied me? You, a little nobody at the fourth or fifth layer of the Profound Gate?”

Zhao Changhe kept a stern expression. “Can we stay on topic?”

Sisi sipped her wine and glared at him with a hint of malice, her mood clearly sour. But instead of arguing with him, she lazily leaned back in her chair, resting her head on her hand as if pretending to nap, remaining silent.

Zhao Changhe watched Sisi sulking in silence, unsure of what to say. The thing was... He was not really bothered by her pouting, rather it was about how her exposed waistline was a bit too distracting. With her reclining posture, one arm propped up, the way her clothes pulled tight made it more than just her waist that was showing, just a bit further and she might already be exposing more than just the lower hemisphere of her chest.

Sisi, noticing that Zhao Changhe had not said anything for a while, curiously opened her eyes and glanced at him, only to find him looking down, focused on his drink, not on her.

Annoyed, Sisi teasingly cooed, “Is it that I’d look better if I pretended to be Yue Hongling?”

Zhao Changhe sighed. “Stop trying to seduce me. You don’t even mean it, so why bother?”

Sisi scoffed, “How do you know I don’t mean it?”

Zhao Changhe replied, “I have some self-awareness... Besides, to be honest, with Hongling missing and the entire southwest in chaos, I’m not in the mood. I just want to get things done. From what you said, you and Lei Ao aren’t on good terms, so why not cooperate properly? When it comes to serious matters, you’re always reliable.”

Sisi pouted. “We haven’t seen each other for a year, and suddenly you’re so dull. Men should be a bit bad~ It’s much more fun that way.”

Zhao Changhe did not respond.

Of all the so-called witches of the Four Idols Cult, from the little tiger to the Fire Serpent of Yi, none of them were true seductresses, but the person before Zhao Changhe right now was the real deal. Everything about her, from her seductive tone, bold words, and casual exposure to the way her flirtatious peach blossom eyes made one’s heart race, was laced with deep, intoxicating allure. Any ordinary man would probably want to pin her down and ravish her right then and there.

But Zhao Changhe knew better. This snake was venomous. You’d think you could jump on her, but you’d only land in your grave.

Thankfully, he had enough self-control.

Seeing that Zhao Changhe was not playing along, Sisi grew bored as well. Finally, she lazily said, “Recently, there’s been a surge of unrest among the southwestern tribes. The main controversy revolves around one question: should they rebel? Some believe that the Great Xia’s exploitation has become unbearable, just extortion after extortion. Plus, there are rumors that the Central Plains is already on fire everywhere, and Xia Longyuan can no longer control such distant territories. If they don’t rebel now, then when?”

Zhao Changhe nodded. “Controversy, eh? That means that while some people think that way, others don’t.”

“Of course,” Sisi replied with a soft sigh. “Miaojiang isn’t like the Grasslands... With the terrain so difficult to traverse, do they really think they can rebel and conquer the outside? In the end, wouldn’t they still just govern themselves? But they’re already autonomous now, so what’s the difference?”

Zhao Changhe asked, “And what about the so-called pacification commissioners?”

“The Pacification Commission can hardly do much. They don’t even have the power to collect taxes directly, so they operate under the pretext of tributes. These tributes are voluntary contributions from the tribes, not a regulated system. The more powerful tribal chiefs and leaders can completely ignore the pacification commissioners. So why has it come to this point, where the tribes are being so heavily exploited by the pacification commissioners? Is it really their fault, or are some of these tribal leaders using this as an excuse to line their own pockets?”

Zhao Changhe leaned back in thought.

This perspective had not crossed his mind before, but it made perfect sense. How could the pacification commissioners truly exploit the powerful tribal chiefs? And how could those chiefs always represent the interests of their people? It was clear that class distinctions were stark here.

The so-called oppression by the pacification commissioners was more likely a collaboration between them and the tribal chiefs to exploit the common people. Yet the blame fell entirely on the commissioners, so when the locals saw the people of Great Xia, they looked at them with hostility.

Following this logic, Lei Ao’s claim that all his higher-quality goods were taken through exploitation, leaving only substandard products for trade, was clearly a lie. In reality, he was probably the one benefiting most from this system.

Li Sian’s expression at the time seemed skeptical of Lei Ao’s words, but before he could press the issue further, Shi Wuding interrupted them, so the conversation never continued.

Seeing that Zhao Changhe had understood, Sisi smiled and added, “And beyond that, do you really think that those who are calling for rebellion can’t stand the oppression? No. They’re using this as an excuse to unite the tribes and crown themselves kings.”

Zhao Changhe’s expression grew serious. “Are there people strong enough to claim the title of king?”

“In terms of individual strength, we’re not entirely sure,” Sisi replied. “By now, you should know that the evaluation standards of the Central Plains, namely the Profound Gate and the Profound Mysteries, don’t hold as much meaning in Miaojiang. The Ranking of Troubled Times only serves as reference here as well. As a result, the true strength of people in Miaojiang can be hidden, and it’s hard to tell how powerful someone really is.”

Zhao Changhe asked, “If there isn’t a truly strong leader to rally them, can this kind of unification even happen?”

Sisi looked at him curiously. “I’ve heard that Batu isn’t that powerful either, yet he united all of Monan. While strength is important, the overall power of the tribe is even more critical. You should understand that better than most.”

“So you’re saying there’s a sufficiently powerful tribal force?”

“There wasn’t before, but now that the Sword Hut of Bashan has joined, things have changed,” Sisi said with a smile. “When Shi Wuding went to challenge you outside Lei Ao’s camp, did it not occur to you why he knew that Wang Daozhong was in that caravan?”

Zhao Changhe’s expression turned grim.

So all this time, Li Sian had walked right into the lair of a rebel leader, discussing with Lei Ao why the goods were substandard...

In theory, Li Sian should not be in danger. Even if a rebellion were planned, Lei Ao would still need trade relations with the outside world, and Li Sian, as a long-term business partner, would be important to maintain. But that was just a theory. If Li Sian figured out Lei Ao’s true intentions, Lei Ao would definitely silence him.

Zhao Changhe could only hope that Li Sian was smart enough not to reveal his suspicions and simply continue doing business without getting involved.

“I understand the situation now, but I have one last question,” Zhao Changhe said seriously. “Where is Yue Hongling?”

Sisi’s smile turned playful. “You’ve been dying to ask me that for quite some time now, haven’t you? Were you afraid of making me upset by asking me directly? Only bringing it up now that it ties into the main issue?”

“Well...”

“Hehe... You’re overthinking it. Whether you’re looking for Yue Hongling or Tang Wanzhuang, what does that have to do with me, Xiang Simeng?” Sisi said leisurely. “But I appreciate that you were considerate enough to mind my feelings, so you pass. And yes, you guessed correctly. The one who assassinated the pacification commissioner earlier was me. I was helping Big Sis Yue create a false trail. Shi Wuding believes that Yue Hongling must still be nearby and has been searching aimlessly here, but in reality, she has long since reached Dali. If everything goes according to plan, she’ll receive word about the assassination of the commissioner in the next couple of days.”

Zhao Changhe blinked in surprise.

So the two of them actually teamed up... And Hongling even asked Sisi to impersonate her? What happened to the Yue Hongling who was furious when Sisi pretended to be her back then?

And now Sisi even calls Hongling “Big Sis Yue...” The world really does change fast...