Hier gibt es Liebe für dreihundert Tael

Kapitel 20

Consort Wang took off the Buddhist prayer beads and said, "This was given to me by a monk I met at Xiangguo Temple when I went there to fulfill a vow on your 100th day. He said many strange things, but now that I think about it, I gradually understand."

What did he say?

Consort Wang recalled that she silently recited with her lips slightly parted: "The jade dragon returns to heaven and the mountains and rivers change; the fire phoenix descends to earth and all things change. If you want the calamities of the world to end, just ask for a predestined marriage that spans three lifetimes."

Consort Wang said solemnly, "I asked him what the poem meant, and he said that the coiled dragon is not a real dragon. It only becomes a dragon when it meets the phoenix. The ninth son of the dragon has a noble destiny and is the true successor. He is just waiting for the right opportunity to change the world."

Zhao Kai was shocked upon hearing this. Didn't these words mean that his ninth brother, Zhao Gou, was the true Son of Heaven? No wonder... no wonder his mother had always been so resentful and wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible!

The person who told Consort Wang those words was none other than Qin Zhen's master, the revered monk Huiyuan, but Consort Wang concealed half of it from Zhao Kai. Huiyuan told her that both she and her son possessed noble destinies, but these were subject to change. If she could take a step back, she would find a brighter future; otherwise, an unseen unknown awaited her…

"Unseen..." Consort Wang thought coldly to herself. Little did she know that after a hard-fought battle, what awaited her after this "unseen" was supreme wealth and honor that would make her proud and unparalleled in the world. Why should she give up because of the nonsense of this monk?

"Mother, what is the background of this monk?" Zhao Kai asked.

"He was a wandering monk. I went to Xiangguo Temple again later but never found him. However, the abbot of Xiangguo Temple was very respectful of the wandering monk, so he didn't seem like a crazy monk who was talking nonsense."

Zhao Gou gradually made a decision. If opposing Zhao Gou in the past was out of necessity, then now he would take the initiative. How could he leave such a stumbling block unchecked?

—

After Zhao Gou and Qin Zhen returned to the palace, the atmosphere in the hall was somewhat strange. Earlier, when Zhao Yong found them at Xiangguo Temple, his face was extremely grim, and he had lectured them at length on the way back. Zhao Gou, too, was filled with guilt and remorse because of the injury on Qin Zhen's hand.

When they left Xiangguo Temple, Wu Nian found the token of the Prince of Yun's mansion on the assassin. It seemed the assassin had underestimated his opponent, daring to carry such a token on his person during a mission. Zhao Gou was somewhat puzzled as to why the Prince of Yun's assassins would target Qin Zhen. If it was about killing him, that wasn't the first or second time, and he could accept it calmly. But when Qin Zhen was involved, he couldn't tolerate it.

Qin Zhen was also somewhat worried. The fact that the Prince of Yun had started to target her meant that she had been seen through by someone with ulterior motives. Where exactly did things go wrong?

The awkward atmosphere made both of them uncomfortable. Qin Zhen noticed that Zhao Gou's gaze was fixed on her injured hand, so she asked directly, "What's so interesting about this? Haven't you looked enough?"

Zhao Gou quickly turned his head away, saying awkwardly, "Who said I was looking at your hands?"

"I never said you were looking at my hands, you said that yourself!"

Seeing that he had been tricked by Qin Zhen again, Zhao Gou was not angry at all. Instead, he smiled and said, "You still have the mood to tease people, which means your hand doesn't hurt anymore."

Qin Zhen quickly said, "It hurts, of course it hurts! Don't expect me to serve you tea and water anymore. You're so compassionate towards your servants, you definitely won't let me do any more work, right, Master?"

The word "Master" made Zhao Gou blush with embarrassment, but he still pretended to be serious and said, "Don't even think about slacking off!"

Qin Zhen knew that Zhao Gou was joking with her. When she was not injured, she had not done anything. Why would he make her do hard work when she was injured?

"There's one more thing I forgot to tell you. Regarding the alliance with Liao and Jin, Prince Yun will definitely propose sending delegations to both countries to negotiate. If my father is sent to Liao, you and the Crown Prince shouldn't worry too much. Just let him go."

As Qin Zhen spoke, his face darkened again. The situation in Liao was not good, and sending Qin Hui as an envoy to Liao was a very dangerous thing. However, there was no one else he could trust to do this job, so he had to make do with it.

Zhao Gou, upon hearing this, indeed disagreed: "It's so dangerous, how can we let you do it, sir? What Third Brother proposed is definitely not a good thing for us!"

"I know it's dangerous, but if we want to completely defeat the Prince of Yun, this is the only way!"

Qin Zhen's expression was extremely serious, making it impossible for Zhao Gou to continue arguing. She always had her own plans, and until a better solution was found, Zhao Gou had no choice but to remain silent.

When Qinglan changed Qin Zhen's dressing in the evening, Zhao Gou watched from the side and felt even more heartache when he heard Qin Zhen's hissing breathing.

Qin Zhen thought of his hand and felt sorry for the "Thunderbolt Pearl" he had used. He sighed, "What a pity for that precious Thunderbolt Pearl. It was wasted on that kind of person. If my second senior brother knew, he would be heartbroken!"

Zhao Gou had wanted to ask her what it was for a long time, and when she brought it up herself, he quickly pressed her for details.

Thunderbolts are essentially black powder, but thanks to Qin Zhen's creativity and her second senior brother's modifications, they've been transformed into a cartridge that can ignite an internal fuse and launch the weapon with great force. The cartridge generates extremely high temperatures during launch, a problem that remains unsolved. Therefore, special silk-lined gloves must be worn for heat insulation during use, which is quite inconvenient.

Qin Zhen carefully explained the power and effects of gunpowder to Zhao Gou, which fascinated Zhao Gou. He said, "I had read about 'flowing fire' in the 'Records of the Nine Kingdoms' before, and later I heard my elder brother, the Crown Prince, talk about thunderclap. I never believed that such a powerful thing existed. Today I have seen it with my own eyes, and it is indeed extremely effective!"

"I only know the basics. If you want to know more, you can go to the Ordnance Bureau."

Zhao Gou nodded and said, "After these envoys are sent away, I will have my elder brother, the Crown Prince, take me to see them."

Volume 1: Fate Determined 040 Who is the Mastermind?

As the envoys arrived one after another, the palace gradually became lively. That evening, the main hall of Zichen Palace was brightly lit and filled with the sounds of music, as Emperor Huizong was hosting a banquet for the visiting envoys.

Zhao Gou looked at the sky, which was changing color under the lamplight, in his palace and said, "In the past, it was always my third brother who attended these banquets. Now, my elder brother, the Crown Prince, can finally take his place."

"I hope nothing goes wrong tonight. The Jurchens are mixed in with the Koreans, and they haven't shown themselves yet," Qin Zhen said worriedly.

While the two were worrying about the Jurchens, an uninvited guest arrived at Nonghua Ting. A faint scent of sleeping potion seeped through the silk paper covering the wooden window, slowly seeping into the room. When the royal guards waiting outside Nonghua Ting rushed into the room after hearing the sound of tables and chairs being thrown to the ground, Li Shishi had already vanished without a trace.

The news of Li Shishi's disappearance immediately reached the palace. Emperor Huizong was shocked and hastily ended the lively banquet, leaving Zhao Kai, who was preparing to paint a picture to add to the festivities, quite embarrassed.

Zhao Kai sighed, put down the two large halberds in his hands, and muttered, "The timing isn't right for me..."

The disappearance of Li Shishi made Zhao Ji extremely anxious. He hurriedly sent many people to search everywhere. The Prefect of Kaifeng felt a chill around his neck, worried about whether he could keep his head.

Emperor Huizong ordered a massive search, and the news quickly reached Qin Zhen's ears. She was astonished and worried, saying, "Who could it be? I haven't received a single word..."

Zhao Gou glanced at Qin Zhen with a comforting look and advised her not to worry too much.

This unexpected incident disrupted everyone's plans. Although the neglected envoy harbored resentment, he dared not voice it and could only suppress his anger as he returned to the post station. Li Gang, Qin Hui, and others busied themselves with cleaning up the mess, which kept them busy for a while.

By the second day, there was still no news from Li Shishi. Zhao Ji was on the verge of madness. After smashing the fourth inkstone, Li Yan finally spoke up: "This servant dares to ask, has Your Majesty sent anyone to investigate Lord Wang Fu's residence?"

Wang Fu? Zhao Ji was taken aback. Li Yan's reminder made him realize that Wang Fu had been demoted because of Li Shishi's affair, and it was very likely that he would vent his resentment on her. He couldn't help but blame himself, wondering why he hadn't thought of that before!

As soon as the order was given, a large number of soldiers rushed into Wang Fu's house. After a search, they found the weak and exhausted Li Shishi in an abandoned hut behind the garden. When Wang Fu saw this, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. He wanted to cry out for justice, but he knew clearly that it was useless to say anything more.

Li Shishi was sent directly to Emperor Huizong's side. Emperor Huizong no longer cared about the advice of the ministers and insisted on keeping her in the palace. Wang Fu was also imprisoned for ten crimes, including "oppressing the people, extorting money from the people, and embezzling public funds," and his family property was confiscated.

Emperor Huizong's original intention was to avenge Li Shishi, so he ordered people to add many more charges against Wang Fu. However, upon investigation, all of them were found to be true, and Wang Fu was not wronged in the slightest. This made Emperor Huizong even angrier.

With the situation collapsing like a mountain, Zhao Kai and others didn't even have time to distance themselves from Wang Fu, let alone argue about him. Therefore, the matter of dealing with Wang Fu was handled extremely quickly, and the case was closed in less than half a month.

During this period, Zhao Ji's bad mood improved due to a series of victories in Cuju (ancient Chinese football) matches.

Today is the final match of the friendly Cuju (ancient Chinese football) tournament between the Song Dynasty and other countries. Aside from the undefeated Song team, the other team advancing to the final is the Goryeo team. Goryeo has emerged as a dark horse, attracting the attention of all the other nations.

The match was about to begin, and Emperor Huizong and the envoys from various countries were already seated in the stands. Huizong, a great lover of Cuju (ancient Chinese football), naturally wouldn't be absent. However, he also brought Li Shishi, who had just entered the palace, with him, which drew many disapproving glances and gestures. For example, the Empress and Consort Wang, who had never gotten along well, surprisingly refused to attend this time, and the reason was not hard to discern.

However, Wei Wanrong, who had always been out of favor, unexpectedly appeared in the seats. This was because Zhao Gou's participation in the competition and his outstanding performance in recent days had changed Zhao Ji's opinion of them.

As the giant gong rang out, two teams ran out from either side of the field. The Song Dynasty and the Goryeo Dynasty teams, dressed in red and blue respectively, stood on opposite sides of the field. Once they took their positions, they exuded an extraordinary aura, instantly making everyone eagerly anticipate the match.

Qin Zhen, serving as Zhao Gou's attendant, waited in the rest area on the sidelines. Watching the two teams' tense standoff, she was so excited she almost wanted to shout.

The red ribbon on Zhao Gou's forehead fluttered naturally in the autumn wind, and his well-fitting football uniform made his slightly stature appear exceptionally dashing. Recalling the disdain he received from his opponents when he first stepped onto the field, and looking at the gazes directed at him now, Zhao Gou became even more convinced that only strength could prove his worth!

Wei Wanrong looked at her son with relief, but couldn't help feeling a little sad. If she were more favored, why would he need to make such hard efforts to win the emperor's attention?

Li Shishi, who was nestled beside Zhao Ji, saw Wei Wanrong secretly wiping away tears and took the initiative to greet her, saying, "Your Majesty, you have such an outstanding son, how enviable!"

Wei Wanrong quickly put down her handkerchief and replied with a smile, "I can only play a couple of rounds of football. I can't share the Emperor's burdens. What's so outstanding about me?"

Zhao Ji naturally overheard their conversation. He said with considerable disapproval, "My son is so young yet he can kick the football so well. He is truly extraordinary. Moreover, he is bringing glory to our Great Song Dynasty and sharing my burdens. Not bad, not bad... He will surely become a great man in the future!"

Wei Wanrong was thrilled; she had never heard the Emperor praise her like this before. Li Shishi smiled gently, turning her gaze back to the field, glancing at Zhao Gou and then at Qin Zhen in the corner, her smile becoming even more radiant.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I couldn't resist changing the cover again! I've been flipping through them, and I love every single one of them!

Volume 1: Fate Determined 041 Winning a Fixed Match is Frustrating

The autumn wind whipped up a thin layer of dust on the field, which swirled and tumbled between the two opposing teams.

This Cuju match adopted an indirect confrontation format (Note 1). The goal, known as the "eye of the wind," was placed between the two teams. Both sides took turns shooting at the goal without the ball touching the ground, and the team with the most goals won. Although the winner was determined by the number of goals scored, the skills displayed before each shot were even more exciting and attracted more attention.

With another resounding gong, the Goryeo team, positioned on the left side of the field, kicked off. The ball, crafted from twelve delicately sewn pieces of fragrant leather, soared through the air from the toes of the Goryeo players, passing from back to front to the head player. The head player of the Goryeo team was unlike the other players; he appeared remarkably tall. Despite his large size, his hands and feet were exceptionally agile. The ball twirled and flipped freely on his thighs and shoulders, creating numerous acrobatic maneuvers, demonstrating his profound skill.

When he forcefully headed the ball up, and then swept it horizontally, the ball flew swiftly through the eye of the wind and into the field of the Song team.

The ball struck with tremendous force, hurtling straight towards the ground. At the last moment, it was narrowly saved by the second-best player from the Song Dynasty team. Qin Zhen's eyes widened at this powerful start; it seemed today's match was going to be very exciting!

When Goryeo launched an attack, the Song Dynasty naturally launched a counterattack. When the ball landed on Zhao Gou's feet, everyone was dazzled. The ball seemed to be flying away from his feet, yet it seemed to be stuck to his feet and could not be removed. It was truly a case of "ten thousand kicks with hundreds and thousands of moves." After a series of excellent movements of twisting, nipping, hooking, pushing, and twisting, Zhao Gou deflected the ball with a "scorpion tail swing," and the ball passed Fengliu's eye steadily.

A cheer erupted from the stands, and Qin Zhen was even more excited. Zhao Gou knew how to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses; if he couldn't win in terms of strength, he would win with skill. The "scorpion tail" move is extremely difficult, requiring not only flexibility but also high levels of strength, balance, and accuracy.

Although both sides scored, the reaction around the field already showed that the Song team had the upper hand. The Goryeo team leader had a somewhat gloomy look on his rugged face, and after receiving the ball, he tried his best to show off his various skills.

It must be admitted that this big guy's skills are extremely high. The continuous high-intensity shooting did not reduce his agility at all. Zhao Gou calmly responded to wave after wave of his attacks, and each time he responded with a different special move, which aroused cheers from the sidelines time and time again.

The stalemate continued, with neither side making a mistake. Qin Zhen watched as the shadow on the sundial gradually approached the mark, knowing that time was running out. Qing Lan, who had come with Qin Zhen, said anxiously, "What can we do? No matter how brilliant His Highness's 'white-handed' (Note 2) performance was, we still can't win the match."

Qin Zhen did not answer, but gradually noticed a problem. Although it was undeniable that the Korean team's ball leader was highly skilled, he did not communicate with his teammates at all throughout the game. Apart from the most basic passing assistance, the ball leader did almost everything by himself, a typical "one-man show".

Qin Zhen figured something out, and then suddenly smiled. Qinglan asked in surprise, "We can't win, so what are you laughing at?"

"Don't worry, we'll win," Qin Zhen said confidently.

Qinglan pressed on, puzzled, "Why?"

Before Qin Zhen could answer, a gasp rang out beside them. The two looked towards the field and saw the ball had landed on the ground, slowly rolling towards the sidelines. The Korean team had indeed conceded a goal due to a mistake.

This result further confirmed Qin Zhen's judgment: that ball-headed guy... was a Jin person!

In this match, Goryeo's exceptionally outstanding performance was a stark contrast to their previous disadvantages in Cuju (ancient Chinese football). Furthermore, the unusual shape and appearance of the ball's head, so different from a human's, raised serious suspicions. Adding to this, Ao Luwo's earlier claim that the Goryeo envoy's group included Jurchens naturally fueled Qin Zhen's doubts.

The Jurchens must have come secretly to seek an alliance with the Song Dynasty, so why would they embarrass the Song Dynasty in such a competition?

Once Qin Zhen understood the reason, he found the competition, which had no suspense, to be boring. Although Zhao Gou and the Jurchen man's performance was still wonderful, it lacked the most exciting element of a competition—the suspense of victory or defeat.

After watching the match listlessly, the members of the Song Dynasty team cheered and walked off the field. However, Zhao Gou's expression was very calm. After exchanging a glance with Qin Zhen, they understood each other's meaning. It seemed that Zhao Gou also realized that the other person had deliberately lost and was extremely unhappy with his victory.